17 Jul 2024
Vegan Fitness
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Follow-Along Tabata Workouts… Feel the Burn!

vegan fitness push-up

If you’re ready to uplevel your fitness and are bored of doing the same old exercises and workout routines…

Check out my brand new playlist on YouTube!

It’s a follow-along “Mix ‘n Match Tabata Series,” meaning you can combine any number of the videos in this playlist, depending on how much time you have and what muscle groups you want to target, to create your own awesome workout!

The exercises you’ll find in this playlist will help you take your fitness to the next level in unique and creative ways, build a stronger body in functional ways, and improve your mobility.

I designed it to BOTH help you get in kick-ass shape and build a muscular, lean physique, AND set you up to be strong, capable, and active into old age.

I was inspired to create these videos in the weeks leading up to my recent ACL reconstructive surgery, which I share about in this recent blog post.

My strength coach (every great coach has their own incredible coaches) could hardly believe how well I could perform so many exercises with a fully torn ACL.

I knew it was because of all the years I’ve spent doing the types of exercises I share in the playlist (in addition to nourishing my body with a whole foods plant-based vegan diet). So of course I wanted to share these exercises with you.

It was about 2 years ago that I started trying out the Tabata style of training for at least one of my workout sessions each week, which means doing 20 seconds of maximum effort work, followed by 10 seconds of rest, for eight rounds. I fell in love with the challenge it presented my body and the results I got from it.

If you’re interested in the origin of and science behind Tabata style training, named after Izumi Tabata, this article gives a short summary.

Although not all the exercises I show you feel intense the very first round, if you give it a few rounds, you will feel the burn!

I guide you through these mini-workouts myself (they are follow-along), so you won’t be alone and can get some valuable inspiration as you challenge your body and mind.

Most of the exercises can also be modified to meet almost any fitness level.

I recommend starting with the joint activation and wrist mobility routines (also part of the playlist) before diving into your first Tabata.

The joint activation routine is also a great way to start ANY workout.

And of course I recommend eating a whole foods plant-based vegan diet to help speed your recovery, fight inflammation, prevent disease, and help you feel energized for the rest of your life!

Need guidance? Check out my client testimonials page HERE.

Let’s do this!

-Ella

16 May 2015
Guest Blog Posts, Vegan Fitness
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Workouts For A Cut, Beach Body

Cut-Upper-Body of a fit man

Are you looking to get cut for that beach body this summer?

Do you want to shed a little more belly fat to be the envy on the beach? Doing this and also improving muscle definition can be frustrating at times. So here are some good helpful pointers to switch up that boring split routine.

First, vary your repetition range. The human body’s ability to adapt to stressors is quick and efficient. So every week you should change it up. General hypertrophy (muscle growth) is best between 8 and 12 repetitions, between 2 and 4 sets.

Cut-Beach-BodyMoving on, you should keep rest periods short. Or, in some cases non existent. Meaning, superset muscle groups! The superset system uses two exercises performed in rapid succession. This features the use of compound sets, or tri-sets. Compound sets involve use of two exercises for antagonist muscles. For example performing a set of bench presses followed by cable rows (chest/back). Working opposing muscles allow for better recovery before the start of a new set.

Tri-sets use three exercises in rapid succession for the same muscle group or body part. For example, a chest tri-set might be an incline dumbbell press, a cable fly and pushups all in succession. The superset system is beneficial for muscle hypertophy and endurance. Also, you work harder, so fat will be burned more efficiently, break through plateaus, maximizing muscle recruitment, and it’s a great way to save time!

Also, there are circuit training systems which involves a series of exercises performed one after the other with minimal rest. Typical sets consist of 1-3 and 8-15 repetitions with 15-60 seconds rest in between exercises. A good way to add intensity to your workout is to ditch those machines. Go with multi-joint exercises and/or free weights (e.g. the deadlift, clean and press, thrusters, bent over rows, and squats.)

Also, if you want to get cut up cardio is still a big factor. Instead of a consistent pace however, go with high intensity intervals. For example, sprinting for 30 seconds then jogging slowly for 60 seconds. You can always adjust this different ways so have fun with it. It’s also another good way to make cardio a lot less boring!