Power Monday #12 Two of My Favorite Exercises

Happy Power Monday! (And the first official full day of Fall, ugh.) How was your weekend? Mine actually turned out to be okay. Nothing but the usual, but that is okay. I got a lot done plus tons of recipe development and worked on my food photo skills. Next weekend will be the same, but then the weekend after that is going to be jam packed and crazy, so I am soaking up these two days of non-obligations as much as I can. The weekends seem to be the only time during the week where I don't feel rushed and stressed about what time it is. It is such a welcome feeling after a long week. Last week I told you I was doing the SITS Girls September Photo Challenge on instagram and that I would share the pictures with you when it was over. So before I go into my Power Monday post here are the photos from the challenge!

The book was 9/15 What I am Reading, The Tea was 9/16 Whats in My Mug, The Reflection of My Room was 9/17 Outside My Window (I took the picture at night...fail), The Paper with Definitions was 9/18 Handwriting (My Psychology notes), The Desk was 9/19 On My Desk, The Binder and School Stuff was 9/20 Noon (I was in school so I took the picture of school stuff when I got home), and The Yoga Mat and My Feet was 9/21 Inspired (My Yoga session with Fiji!)

Okay now it's time for Power Monday. I would say that my favorite exercises (the ones that make me feel strong and I love to do) would be #1 Planks, #2 Push-Ups, #3 Calf Raises, #4 Barbell Back Squats, and #5 Shoulder Presses. I always want to get stronger and always challenge myself with these exercises. They are not like lunges that make my Achilles tendon feel really weird and pop, or the dreaded bicep curl. But today I wanted to share with you a Calf and Push-Up "circuit" that I do twice a week. Yes I dedicate special time just to do a routine consisting of calves and pushups.

Now Push-Ups are amazing because they are the ultimate body weight exercise in my book and there are so many variations you can always challenge yourself. And calves are the same way. You may not realize it but there are tons of Calf Raise variations; it is all in the foot placement! So here is the circuit I do and I will explain it more below in the notes.

Notes:

+ For the Push-Ups you should do different variations. I do a mix of Regular, Wide Hand Placement, Staggered Hand Placement, One Foot Raised, Tricep Push-Ups, Diamond Push-Ups. Whatever you like, just switch it up!

+ The Dumbbells I use are two 20lb ones. Anywhere form 15-25lbs is good, but you can always go lower or higher for your level!

+ When I do the Single Foot Raises I lightly touch my dresser (you can use the wall too, just something tall).

+ So what does toes in or out mean?

+ And for Wide Stance, just place your feet far apart.

+ So I put the Totals on the side. You are doing 664 Calf Raises and then how ever many you do in the bonus round. You are doing 232 Push-Ups! Rock On!

There you go! I love it and they are good muscles to smoke out to exhaustion. You will have killer calves and a beautiful upper body (and toned core!) in no time! Have a wonderful Power Monday! Be strong and powerful!

So tell me:

What is your favorite(s) exercise?

Calves, Push-Ups? Yay or Nay? (P.S. does Push-Up have that hyphen?)

Did you do the SITS Girls Photo Challenge? I would love to see you pictures!