Before I got Finn, I had two choices. 1) get a dog who could I could take on runs with me but who may be miserable and hyper throughout the day while I’m at work or 2) get a dog who could nap with me. I chose the latter and ever since Finn has certainly lived up to his side of the deal.
In the time since Finn came into my life, I have trained for 3 half marathons, a full marathon and several other races. And while he doesn’t go on long runs with me, he’s a heck of a warm-up or cool-down partner. In fact, he’d be great for one of those 3-day fundraising walks if anyone needs a team member. He’ll even carry your stuff if you reward him with carrots. Kid loves himself some carrots.
What was I talking about again? Oh right, working out with your pet.
When the folks at DogVacay.com* reached out to me about my exercise routine, my first thought was
Nah. Not me. You guys probably want someone who can actually do a workout with their dog not someone who works out their dog then works out herself or vice versa.
But then they shared a pretty cool infographic with me and I realized one of my go-to workouts already incorporates a lot of the things that my pup does on a daily basis. That and I just really love a good infographic.
The circuit above is a great opportunity to change up your routine, which is just what I was looking for a few weeks ago when I was at home for a quick visit. In fact, I wish I had seen this before I called up my trainer and asked him for a “quick workout” that day. If I had I may still have been able to breathe afterwards.
To get started grab a treadmill or a very hot Florida afternoon and complete the following:
- 3 minute warm up jog (5.5 mph at a 1% incline)
- 1 mile at a comfortable pace (6.2-6.5 mph at a 1% incline)
- 30 second sprint intervals for 8 minutes total (20 seconds at 7.7+ and 2% incline, 10 second rest**)
**you may just have to hop off the treadmill and let it keep running because these go pretty fast
You should complete roughly 3 miles or more depending on your pace.
Immediately following that circuit, grab a mat and complete the following, alternating leg and arm exercises as you go and trying to rest as little as possible.
- Body weight squats (see infographic for proper form)-20x
- Pull-ups-20x
- Walking lunges-20 on each leg (40 total)
- Push-ups-20x
- Fire hydrants-10 each leg (20 total and yes you will look and feel silly)
- Back Extensions-20x
- Donkey kicks-10 each leg (same position as fire hydrants only you will kick leg up and back)
- Planks-1 minute
Do this circuit three times, four if you’re crazy. Then throw in a down dog for recovery sake and call it a day.
* I was in no way compensated for this post but that’s not stopping me from telling you if you have pets and are looking for a qualified person to watch them while you are away rather then boarding them, be sure to check out DogVacay.com.
Have a great workout!
Simply Social Blog 
Well I will not tell you what i thought donkey kicks were..but good thing i was doing them in the comfort of my own home.
Haha. Awesome!
I couldn’t have worked out that hard when I was young, seemingly fit and headed for a brief walk on appearance with the Michigan Wolverine football team. Maybe there is a relationship between that workout gap and the brevity of my college football experience. Or, as I always believed, there were football players and there was a sanity ward.