Looking for Volume...and occasional soreness

This past 4-week session of the Hi-5 FitCamp included our first time outdoors. The weather was nice, fresh air was great and the challenge was met with hard work and determination.

Now with the off-week here, it is time to see if you have developed the drive to continue exercising on your own. Because here is the where most people struggle: when motivated by somebody else it is easier to stick with an exercise program. However, when that drive has to come from inside you it can be very difficult to get the engine going.

But one thing you have now that you did not have when you first started was momentum. Newton's first law is that of inertia. An object in motion will stay in motion until acted on by an external force. The same could be said for staying still. So now that you're moving and you have momentum, here is your off-week challenge.

Beginner Body Weight 200 Challenge
(This is for the guys who were beginners during last months Hi-5. If you have not yet completed a 4-week Hi-5 FitCamp, this will be very difficult!!) Perform the following circuit for a total of 200 repetitions. Go for time - Fastest time wins!!

**Do not move on to the next exercise until you complete all the repetitions for the exercise before it, even if you need to rest in the middle of a set!**

• 30 Body Weight Squats
• 20 Modified Pushups
• 30 Lunges (15 each side)
• 30 StickUps
• 40 Side Plank reaches (20 on each side)
• 30 Hip Bridges
• 20 Mountain Climbers

Be sure to time yourself so I can email out the top times and you can get some recognition as being the BW 200 Champ!

Mid-level guys (the ones who have been here for a while but don't feel that you are to the advanced level yet) then the BW 300 is for you!!

**Do not move on to the next exercise until you complete all the repetitions for the exercise before it, even if you need to rest in the middle of a set!**

• 40 Squats
• 30 Pushups (begin with regular and then switch to modified if needed
  
• 40 Lunges
• 30 Stick Ups
• 40 Jumping Jacks
• 50 Side plank reaches
• 30 Hip Bridges
• 40 Mountain climbers

And for you guys who are just short of professional athletes (we know who you are!!)
Here is the Body Weight 400!! (By the way, this makes a good beach workout!!)

**Do not move on to the next exercise until you complete all the repetitions for the exercise before it, even if you need to rest in the middle of a set!**

• 50 Squats
• 40 Pushups
• 50 Lunges
• 60 Mountain Climbers
• 20 Squat Jumps
  
• 30 Pull Ups (find a tree or a play ground to do them on, be creative)
• 20 4-Count body builders
  
• 50 Side plank reaches (25 each side)
• 80 Jumping Jacks

So there it is!! Give this a shot once or twice this week. In total it should take about 20 minutes. If you get together with somebody in the group, push each other to go faster!!

Nutrition Tip of the Week

So last week we talked about preparing food for the week so you are not subject to satisfying cravings with Doritoes and Twinkies. This week the big topic of concern is water consumption.

Whether we are trying to lose fat, gain muscle, or both, water is essential. Muscle is made up of mostly water and uncountable reactions in your body require water to take place. So what happens if we do not drink enough water?

• Muscle shrivels
  
• necessary nutrients are not absorbed
• Metabolic processes are slowed
• Hunger levels increase
• Concentration is reduced

And these are just a few things. Another area of concern is what you are drinking your water out of.

BPA has been shown to leach into food or fluids that touch it. It has also been shown to cause cancer. My recommendation is to get a reusable plastic bottle that is BPA free, or just go with a non-plastic bottle. They may seem expensive, but these things will surely not leach poisonous material from their material surface. You can find some here.

So get a bottle and get drinking!! Replace 3 non-water drinks per day with water, trying to get 1 liter per day of pure water.