Category Archives: Going Strong

Denver Broncos Super Bowl Victory Workout

02/08/2016 R.C. Liley 4 Comments

I’ll be honest, it didn’t matter to me whether the Panthers or the Broncos won Super Bowl 50. I’m glad Manning claimed his second Super Bowl victory and all, but I’m honestly more excited about turning it into a workout and sharing it here.

Manning’s career should be coming to an end soon, and I mean that in a good way. He has a beautiful family, plenty of income (I’m sure that Budweiser plug at the end helped), and it just makes sense to end on a high note. Just as I hope you can end this Broncos Super Bowl Victory Workout on a high note with a sense of pride and accomplishment.

Using the creative paperweight attached to my shoulders, I took a few key numbers from the big game and thought of what moves would best represent a bronco. Obviously, bucking bronco comes to mind, and I used the numbers 50 (for the Super Bowl), 24 (the Broncos’ final score), 10 (the Panthers’ final score), and 18 (Manning’s number). A little while later, and I give you a workout to get your heart racing and ~~hooves~~ feet moving.

Bucking Broncos Super Bowl Victory Workout

AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible) in 18 Minutes:

Run 50 meters

24 Kettlebell Swings

10 Burpees

Rest as needed before repeating rounds, but try not to “fumble” around too long. If you can’t run, do 50 jumping jacks instead. You can use a dumbbell in place of a kettlebell for swings, and make sure to use a weight that’s challenging but allows for good form the entire workout. Just like the work it takes to make it to the Super Bowl, you have to work hard to get the results you want.

I’m not sure what I would’ve created if the Panthers won, maybe rope climbs since, like most cats, they’re great at climbing. Phew, good thing the Broncos won, huh? Try out the “victory dance” and let me know if it was bucking hard or lame as a horse.

If you partied a little too hard during the game, hope you’re on the mends now. Just need to make it through this Monday and then there’s only 4 days left until the next weekend, yay!

Going Strong, Life

An HIIT Kettlebell Workout Routine to do During Nap Time

01/06/2016 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

This HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout routine is perfect for the time-strapped parent (or anyone short on time) as it provides a high-revving training stimulus in 30 minutes or less. That is, of course, assuming you push yourself out of your comfort zone. If there’s one carry-over from my years of marathon training to strength training, it’s learning to push far beyond my level of comfort to reach and/or surpass my goals.

But there are differences. With marathon training, it’s all about doing more; more miles, more time on feet, and essentially, more running! When training for strength, you focus on lifting more weight or adding more sets/reps, but doing too much creates a point of diminishing returns. Muscles need to rest and recover in order to repair themselves and grow stronger, and that means doing less might be best.

That’s an extreme Cliff Notes version as there’s definitely a lot more to strength training than just lift heavy, eat a caloric surplus (focusing on quality food sources), rest, repeat. I could blabber on and on about this topic, but I would need to have a blog devoted entirely to the subject as it is extremely vast. Plus, I have an HIIT routine for the time-strapped parent (or anyone really) I created that I want to share. Hopefully you’ll find it effective.

Once your kid goes down for a nap or you’re graced with a patient child, try this routine for a full-body blast that’ll have you full of endorphins once finished.

hiit, workout routine, fitness, — I’m waiting for you!!

6 Rounds for Time

**6 *Pull-ups or Chin-ups**

10 Burpees

15 Push-ups

10 1-arm Kettlebell Swings (each arm)**

15 V-Ups

*If you can’t do pull-ups/chin-ups, try inverted rows or dumbbell bent rows

**If you don’t have a kettlebell, use a dumbbell or anything you can old and securely swing

I was feeling this the next day and loved it! If you really push yourself, expect to take about 15 to 20 minutes to complete. I added 5 minutes of biking before and after but it’s not required.

Give this routine a try and let me know how you liked it (or didn’t like it) in the comments below. This is also a great finisher after pure strength training with compounds exercises like squat, deadlift, bench, etc.; just shorten it to 3 rounds.

Parents need to keep fit too, and HIIT routines like this allow us to get a good strength and cardio workout in when there’s not a lot of time. If you can (or if nap time was a failure), have the kids join in to let them see how “fun” keeping active is, and you’ll be leading my example.

What are your current fitness goals?

Do you like HIIT routines like this or prefer standard cardio options like running or biking?

Going Healthy, Going Strong, Life, Parenting

What Counts as Exercise?

12/27/2015 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

Many parents, at-home and working alike, succumb to the “I don’t have time” mantra when it comes to exercise, but it’s an important part of life and is worth making time to do.

You might think exercise is something that requires special equipment or is only done at a gym, but you might already be “exercising” without even knowing it. Exercise falls under several definitions, and one way it is defined is that it’s a regular or repeated use of a faculty or bodily organ. Knowing this, I’m positive we all have a long list of things we do every day that count as “exercise” and we never thought of it as such.

Carrying your kid around the house or grabbing them before they grab the cat’s tail several times a day would definitely count.

That was before she could walk, now just doing what she does would be an excellent way to exercise without even knowing it.

This girl loves to #squat, and she’s crazy #awesome! #workout #exercise #strength #strong #toddler #proud #Squats

A video posted by RC Liley (@going_dad) on Dec 7, 2015 at 10:34am PST

Daily things like going for a walk, mowing the lawn, vacuuming, mopping, doing laundry, and playing (or squatting) with your kids are all great ways to fit in exercise and accomplish your laundry list (pun intended) of things you need to get done.

In a nutshell, movement of any form is, in and of itself, exercise. An important thing to remember is to be consistent with your movement and make sure it’s something you enjoy. If your stomach churns just thinking of going for a run, don’t do it, you’ll never stick with it. Ride a bike, walk, swim, row, hike, or……clean house. The point I’m trying to make is, keeping active, however you so choose, helps to make a better you.

As parents, we need to be excellent role models and should let our children see us being active and living a healthy lifestyle so they will hopefully follow suit and WANT to be like mommy and daddy. Note I said “healthy lifestyle”; this means exercise and good nutrition! If you are trying to lose weight, you can workout all you want, but without good nutrition, your results will be minimal at best.

Finishing a great workout session is NOT a pass to go pig out on packaged, processed junk or order takeout without thinking of what you’re actually putting in your mouth. Do you even read the ingredients label on some of these things? Actually, real food won’t have a label at all since it’s just the one ingredient in its whole form. Crazy, right?

No matter your fitness goal, lose weight, gain strength, maintain current level, etc., we will all benefit from moving more and practicing good nutrition for the quality of life it provides. If you are already a conscious eater and get a good dose of daily movement, good for you, keep it up and hopefully you are inspiring others! Bonus points when it’s your little ones that are being inspired. I love knowing Avery is seeing her Mommy and Daddy keeping active and wants to do the same whenever she can.