May is here and it is time to step it up! Every single workout, think to yourself, "Can I go further? Can I push harder? Can I stretch my boundaries?" It is time to get real with yourself. If you are getting into the gym and doing the same thing over and over, you won't be getting the same results you were. If you are letting yourself glide along that plateau, STOP. You deserve better!

Remember the first time you got in the gym or went for a run. Do you remember that intense high you got when you were finished? If you are finishing your workout with just a glow, it is seriously time to pump it up! Not just for the summer and to look good, but to feel good — in fact, to feel amazing! To know you have taken yourself to a new level of fitness, strength, flexibility, endurance and general health is the ultimate high!

Check out the last Body Work video, where I show you some upper body exercises and ADD those into your routine. If last week, you were easily performing those bicep curls with 10 lbs., up it to 12 lbs., if you were walking on an incline of 4%, up it to 6%.

I had a girl approach me at the gym a couple of weeks ago and she told me she wasn't getting any results with her running. I asked her what she was doing. She astonished me when she told me she was doing an hour and a half of cardio! I brought her over to the treadmill and asked her to show me her running. She put the treadmill at a speed of 5.0 miles per hour and watched. I had found the problem! I asked her if she ever tried running faster — she said no. I covered the screen with a towel and upped her speed slowly...she easily continued...I upped it some more...still easy. When I finally revealed the screen to her she had gracefully been running at 6.5 miles per hour for 12 minutes already! She couldn't believe it.

This happens all the time. In our heads we set these boundaries, but the truth is we can far exceed them in many cases. She is certainly getting her results now! Your Weekend Workout Goal is this — pick one area of your workout and up the intensity, whether it be your stretching, your weight training or your endurance.

Here is a great Upper Body Superset for those of you familiar with weight training in the gym:

The weight settings are only suggestions, please use close to what you are used to in the same pattern. These exercises can all be seen on video 107.

Start: light warmup, then cardio for 15-20 minutes and really PUSH IT at the end! You can use the bike/treadmill/ellipical, but really give it 110%!

Weights:
Cable Row; 30 lbs, 15 reps
Pushups; 15 reps
Cable Row; 40 lbs, 15 reps
Pushups (left foot up); 10 reps
Cable Row; 45 lbs, 15 reps
Pushups (Right foot up); 10 reps

Cable Bicep curl; 20 lbs, 15 reps
Cable Tricep pressdown; 20 lbs, 15 reps
Cable Bicep curl; 30 lbs, 15 reps
Cable Tricep pressdown; 30 lbs, 15 reps
Cable Bicep curl; 20 lbs, 20 reps
Cable Tricep pressdown; 20 lbs, 20 reps

You will feel this!

Finish with 5-10 min of light cardio and STRETCH!

This particular technique and weight/rep combination will TONE and STRENGTHEN up your back, chest, biceps, triceps and shoulders WITHOUT bulking you up. It will get your metabolism revved! Let me know how it goes!