Back in a New York State of Mind

One of my favorite parts about getting away from New York is coming back to it - most everyone I know has a constant love-hate, push-pull relationship with this city...a relationship that maximizes our best, insuring we realize our full potential - though sometimes to exhausting extremes. Taxi-ing over the tarmac at Newark yesterday and seeing my city's beautifully haunting, visually inspiring skyline creep into view gave me goose pimples, yet again. After all these years, that electricity tells me that I am home.

...and with home, comes routine - and with routine comes newfound vigor to attack the gym and continue for quest for my own body of death.

To help jump-start my body's engine, I'm going to introduce a 3-minute circuit into my weight training regime. To be performed in between every round of exercise sets, this will ignite the jolly ol' pints off my midsection. While I still exercised during my overseas venture, I did allow myself to indulge a wee bit and I played to great effect a proper English countryman who enjoyed his pie and ale.

Here are some examples of hurricane-like circuits, full of explosive movements and strength builders, all of which are to be performed at your highest intensity possible for 60 seconds.

Group 1: 

Skip rope

Scissor bench jumps*

Medicine ball Russian twists**

Push ups

Jump Squats***

* Scissor bench jumps: place your left foot on a bench, your right foot on the floor and in one movement, jump up and switch leg/feet position in midair.

** Medicine ball Russian twists: sit holding a medicine ball in front of your chest, lean back slightly, take your feet off the floor and rotate side to side, keeping the moving quick and smooth.

***Jump squats: stand with your feet shoulder width apart and lower your body into a squat position, holding for a moment before exploding as high as you can. 

Group 2:

Treadmill run

Step ups* 

Reverse crunches

Chin ups

Burpees**

*Step ups: place your left foot on a bench, then push your body up til both feet on are it, step down with your left and then repeat on your right.

** Burpees: squat and lean forward such that your hands are on the floor and you're on the balls of your feet; then, kick both legs back into a push-up position, finishing the movement by hoping feet back into a squat and jumping as high as you can. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_Dq_NCzj8M

Now I must set forth into the gorgeous humidity of New York City and sweat bucket loads even before I lift a single weight...it's good to be home.