by Claire Gendron
I’ve been exploring more of the free Premium workouts on the Nike Training Club app, and I’ve built trainer Kirsty Godso’s workouts into my schedule. The majority of her workouts are targeted towards building strength and endurance through HIIT and cardio. Her fiery and energetic personality is perfect for her intense training style, and the way she instructs her workout is motivating and holds me accountable, without making me feel overwhelmed. Her 32-minute “Total-Body Blast 6” is a great cardio workout that packs the most into a ½ hour. A muscle-activating warm-up is followed by a strength circuit (moderate weights optional), a few series of cardio exercises, and a quick finisher before the cool-down. These exercises are intended to get your heart rate up between recovery times, and the overall workout covers everything from strength and stability to plyometrics and conditioning. I’d highly recommend this if you want to break a sweat with a quick, intense workout and complete it with a short run or walk to recover.
I’ve been focusing on stretching more, especially on off-days. Stretching is critical for post-workout recovery, injury prevention, decreasing muscle tension, and improving mobility. I love @alomoves “Yoga For Runners,” made especially for athletes. This slow-paced, 30-minute stretch focuses mainly on muscles in the lower body and is perfect after a run or high-intensity workout. This thorough stretch helps to release tension and reduce any soreness you might be feeling in your hips, calves, quads, and shins. It’s categorized as “moderate” level and uses a strap (you can also use a resistance band). I modified a few stretches to fit my abilities. I would suggest giving this a try if you’re a runner, you enjoy long walks, or spend a lot of time on your feet.
After seeing a few Instagram posts about @barrys at-home workouts, I gave it a try this morning. I purchased the $20 two-class pass, this is a half-price package available for first-time members. These classes are live-streamed and scheduled throughout the day, and this morning I signed up for a 35-minute bodyweight class. I didn’t know what to expect, but I absolutely loved it. I was able to do the entire workout from my room with only a mat. I used my computer to stream and participate in the class. I loved how the instructor was able to interact with everyone and provide feedback, and the live-streaming format created a fun group/community feel. The specific workout I did was mainly lower-body focused and consisted of a warm-up, two 15-minute circuits, and a cool-down stretch. I liked the quick pace and the synergy of the workout. The mix of cardio and strength got my heart rate up, kept me engaged, and was complimented with well-timed rest periods. I’ll definitely be doing another, and the group-class environment was a nice way to change it up. I believe they also have some free workouts saved to their IGTV, so check it out!
