Day 3 - Level 3

Can you hear me gasping for breath right now? Yeah, sorry for dripping sweat on you while you're sitting there reading this - I know that's not what you signed up for when you agreed to help keep me accountable during these 30 days of torture shredding.

Excuse me while I make a mental note....

Mental note: Do not mow the lawn immediately after shredding. Especially if you also have to move a wheelbarrow full of weeds that happens to have a completely flat wheel a far distance over grass that is way too long. Basically don't let grass get so long that it's a workout trying to move the trampoline to the mowed section. End mental note.

On to today's workout....

Circuit 1
Strength: 30 seconds of a walking plank move (going from a plank on your forearms to a plank with straight arms, one arm at a time - walking) followed by 1 minute of Supermans (stretch out on the floor in a Superman pose, lift arms and legs simultaneously as high as you can - you can cheat on this move pretty easily, so don't!). Repeat.
Cardio: 30 seconds each mountain climbers (in plank position bring legs in to the chest one at a time, quickly) and sumo squat jumps (squat jumps but with feet really wide and toes pointed out in a plie position)
Abs: 30 seconds of pike crunches (lie on your back with legs and arms fully extended, use your abs to simultaneously lift your legs and arms up and touch your toes, ok maybe your shins) followed by 30 seconds of torture scissor-kick abs. With hands tucked under your low back/butt, raise extended legs 3" off the floor (good luck with that - more like 2') and scissor kick your legs - move them wide apart and then together crossing right leg under left leg, then back out, then crossing right leg over left leg, repeat.

The ab moves are supposed to be 30 seconds each, but I'm always dying on this scissor-kick move so I decided to time that one - and it ended up being 45 seconds! That's 50% longer than promised. She's evil I tell you.

Circuit 2
Strength: 30 seconds dumbbell cleans using 8lb weight in right hand (come into deep squat position while bringing dumbbell down to the floor, quickly push up with hamstrings while quickly lifting dumbbell and punching it up to the ceiling). I don't find this move particularly difficult (guess I need to get some 10lb weights) but that's a good thing because next we have 1 minute of alternating jumping lunges (pretty self explanatory I think). These are torturous. Repeat with dumbbell in left hand for dumbbell cleans, and starting on opposite leg for jumping lunges.
Cardio: 30 seconds each of punches, butt kicks, punches again, and jumping jacks. Here's the killer - you're using weights! I used 5 lbers. Anyone who thought the punches in Level 1 was the easiest cardio move, will change their mind on this one!
Abs: 1 minute of full-blown Rocky style situps

Circuit 3
Strength: 30 seconds of walking pushups (in pushup position, keep left hand at the centre, walk right hand out to the side and perform pushup, walk both hands over to the left and repeat) followed by 1 minute of plank rows and leg raises (come into a full plank position on your weights - I used 8lbers, mainly because they're hexagon instead of round, so I'm less likely to fall on my face - bring your right hand up into a row and back down, then lift fully extended right leg up, switch to the left side and repeat). Repeat
Cardio: 30 seconds each of jumping squats and rock star jumps and repeat. Rock star jumps are brutal. It's like a butt kick only you kick your butt with both feet at the same time! I admit to only being able to do 8 rock stars the first round and 3 on the second round - Anita's looking more attractive at this point.
Abs: 30 seconds of side plank lifts on the right side, then 30 seconds on the left side. The kicker is that she surprises you at the end with a "hold for 5 seconds" on the last rep! Yeah, not nice Jillian. Due to this extra goodie, I try to remember to switch the side I start these on, so I'm not always working one side more than the other.

I took at least 2 one-minute water breaks. I had to after the strength moves on Circuit 3 otherwise I would've simply collapsed on the floor in utter exhaustion, never to get up again. I even made by 4 yr old (yes, she just turned 4!) go refill my water bottle for me cause I didn't think I'd made it up the stairs the way my legs were burning - you know, from the scissor-kick abs, jumping sumo squats and jumping lunges. Not sure how I survived doing the jumping squats on jelly legs.

3 down, 27 more to go. And here we are at the weekend. I'm determined to do it though! At least I think I am. No, really - I am. Guess you'll soon find out, huh?