Elliptical Intervals & The Beyond 300 Workout

Today at the gym I decided I wanted to do whatever I felt like instead of sticking to the schedule I had set for myself this weekend. Running is always my first choice for cardio, but since I didn't want to do my intervals, and I’ve been making a conscious effort to not run too many “junk” miles, I chose to spend a little bit of time on the elliptical.  I tend to get really bored just pedaling along steadily, so I came up with a plan to pass the time.


In addition to breaking up the monotony, I like incorporating forward and backwards motion because it works both my quads and my hamstrings, and completing the last five minutes without holding on increases the engagement of my core. My legs were definitely burning on the last few minutes of high resistance! 

After hopping off the elliptical, I decided to tackle a The Beyond 300 Workout I found while I was perusing old issues of Muscle and Fitness Hers.  The workout, which I followed exactly, is this:



The workout, which was designed by Julie Lohre, is supposed to be timed and completed with as little rest as possible.  In the magazine, she says that her record is 22:39.  I had a blast with this!  It went by quickly (it took me 29:31), my heart rate remained elevated, and I felt like I got a great full body workout.  I highly recommend giving it a shot if you are looking for something fast and fun to do in the gym.

The rest of the day will probably be spent trying not to eat all of this deliciousness at once (the recipe made four loaves twice this size):



I whipped up this Cranberry Pumpkin Spice Loaf from Ingredients of a Fit Chick last night, and it is so, so, SO good.  If you like pumpkin, you need to make this ASAP!