LB'S FAVORITE REBOUNDERS FOR YOUR BUDGET
Rebounding is super fun and provides major health benefits from boosting balance, digestion, lymphatic drainage and immune function. Rebounding is also more than twice as effective as running without extra stress on the ankles and knees.
Rebounding is unique since it uses the forces of acceleration and deceleration and can work on every cell in the body. When you bounce, acceleration occurs as you bounce up, then a split-second weightless pause at the peak, a deceleration at an increased G-force on the way down, then impact to the rebounder, and you repeat.
In general, the more springs a rebounder has, the better it tends to be. However, the better a rebounder is, the more you’ll pay. Regardless of your budget, I don’t believe that you need to spend more than $250 on an at-home rebounder. And you don’t need a bungee rebounder…don’t believe the hype. Springs work just fine. Over the last ten years I’ve used many brands and can recommend a great one for almost every budget.
Here’s what to look for:
Comfort: Like a car, all rebounders have a different feel. Some will feel great jumping barefoot, and with some you’ll want to save your soles and wear shoes. If you prefer jumping with sneakers, you’ll be able to spend less. But, if you’re planning on jumping 15 minutes daily, a couple times a week, or a few times a month and you prefer working barefoot, you might want to spring for a comfier one.
Bounce: You’ll sink into some rebounders and they’ll give you a lot more bounce, while others will be firm and give you barely any bounce at all. Bounce has nothing to do with quality, it really all depends on the type of workout you want. If it’s for cardio (LB rebounder workouts for sure!) then choose a bouncier one; if it’s mainly for lymphatic drainage, get a tighter one and stay low. Low bouncing is easier and you won’t get as tired.
Frame Quality: If you get a rebounder with a lousy frame, it will wear over a short period of time. If you’re going to be using it heavily, get one that can withstand some bouncing. Some rebounders fold up for easy storage, so if you’re tight on space, keep that in mind. Personally I’m not a fan of the foldable ones. Some take two people to fold and lock into place, and god forbid your finger gets caught in there. They sorta scare me, but I’m also scared of bees so…
Here are my top four rebounder picks in three price ranges. Honestly, I don't love any rebounder in the $100-$150 range, most have straight legs so they walk away from you as you jump and most tend to be pretty noisy.
1. Jumpsport Model 250 ($249). I have this one at home and it's top of the line. I love it b/c the frame is sturdy and slightly smaller, it's super lightweight, and the arched legs keep it still on the ground during the highest of jumps. You can also adjust the firmness and tension which is awesome. The 250 gives you freedom of movement because you can jump on those padded petals, so there's a lot more surface area. This one will last you for life - even with heavy usage.
2. Jumpsport Model 220 ($229) Just like the model 250, but the 220 gives you less jumping area without the petals but still provides a LOT of bounce and all the bells and whistles.
3. Ancheer Rebounder ($62-$78) These models are sturdy and one folds up twice, but all are firm with a low bounce. If you prefer staying low or are tall and have low ceilings these are a great option.
4. Stamina Folding Rebounder ($31.89) This quiet little rebounder comes in chic colors and folds up if you're looking to save space. It's very reasonably priced but is a starter model so I'm guessing this will last you six months to one year if you're planning on jumping one hour daily/5x a week. This one is a great option if you're looking to jump in and then upgrade in time.
LB AUDIO: LB WALK/HIKE
If you’re following The Program, LB Audio Walk/Hike is on schedule for today. And, if you’ve been on Activation, you’ve most likely experienced some of my outdoor training techniques on land and in the water (sea and pool). This walk is a 25-min beginner/all level Quick Burn and was inspired by my neighbor and good friend, Bill who I trained on this exact loop throughout the pandemic.
Studio LB 10/11/21
We’re back from five days of sweat, sun and fun. This week's schedule is inspired by our Tulum Activation. It includes one Full Length (30-55 minutes) and one Quick Burn (under 30 minutes) workout daily for five days. If you really want to amp up your results, I recommend following our LB 7-Day Meal Plan. And remember, the extra workouts are totally optional! They are there if you want that extra push, but are by no means necessary as I've chosen some of our most effective workouts for the week.
I have three fresh ones for you this week: Selina, Yellow and X, which will drip in-studio beginning early afternoon on Tuesday.
Check in with us on the hotline for anything at all: 424-327-5470.
SLB 8/16/21
You’re in it…I have four fresh ones for you: Mini Dress is a 39-minute sculpt with a non-traditional format. Summer Girl is an 41-minute high energy Cardio + Sculpt, Prodigy is an 18-minute QB version of Mini Dress and Dust is a intro to Chair Abs. I love this week because you can truly tailor it to you. Don’t let these 30-40 minute workouts fool you, they’re not easy. We’re flying higher. Rinse, repeat, and check in with us on the hotline for anything at all: 424-327-5470.
Full Length: Summer Girl is a 41-minute cardio + sculpt with a cardio > sculpt > cardio format. Expect your heart rate to rise quickly with Higher Power, Jack Crunches, Flick-N-Kick along with a weighted compound sculpt series, pushups and jumping lunges. Mini Dress is 39-minute weighted (or do it non-weighted) sculpt with a non-traditional format. You’ll see mis-matched reps but just trust me. Mini Dress is also another upper body/back workout in disguise that fits in 40 pushups and see-saws and makes it do-able. *All Levels: Pay attention to your knee alignment during the quick turning pivot.
Quick Burn: Prodigy is a 17-minute Quick Burn version of Mini Dress. This one is great for all levels as you can tailor it to you. Do it with no equipment or add in weights for a killer sweat and upper body burn. Dust is an 8-min. intro to Chair Abs QB that you don’t want to skip.
SLB BARRE
We’re bringing back our barre work this month so grab a sturdy chair. If you’re familiar with barre workouts, what we do isn’t that. SLB is really quite different and two major differences are workout and origin.
Most bar/barre workouts are based on The Lotte Berk Method. SLB is Cardio-Cheer-Sculpting®, which blends the dynamic cardio of cheer choreography with the grounded and standing sculpting of cheer conditioning.
Most traditional bar classes do not believe in impact and we do - your feet will surely leave the ground. If you're not comfortable or not used to a more aerobic, cardiovascular workout, I suggest listening for my modifications.
Movement-wise, bar workouts involve a lot of small, isometric movements and most people will agree that SLB is much more of a dynamic workout-you’ll move around a lot in all of our workouts. Many bar classes follow the same general format, maybe with a few different variations, and all of our workouts are different from each other (literally) every week. You’ll rarely get the same workout twice. We also work with many more props, and much heavier weights.
So, I think that it's safe to say that the only similarity is that we both use a ballet barre within the workout. Interestingly enough though, the barre is used in an entirely different way (to condition for stunt training).
Because the workouts/methods are so different, I would recommend starting with the SLB Beginners Series.
TWO-A-DAY
My goal is to help motivate women to achieve a strong, toned, feminine body without going overboard. I want them to become their best selves - shining at their absolute brightest.
Whether it’s post-Activation, pre-summer, or as the world is currently opening back up two-a-day season is here. I don’t recommend training like this regularly (it’s not necessary) but I’m often asked how to ramp up your results and safely take on two SLB workouts in one day and how to best do it.
If you’re currently completing a full-length workout each day, I recommend tacking on one Quick Burn workout daily for four or five days to begin. If you really want to see your progress, I recommend following our 7-Day Meal Plan. Diet is everything, guys. You cannot out work a poor diet. It takes being constant, disciplined and focused.
You receive three to four new workouts each week, but you also have an extensive workout library that’s just shy of 700 workouts and there are SO many gems in there. There are so many ways to use SLB and at the end of the day it should work for you whether it’s your main thing or your sidepiece.
Know your Goals
Part of it is understanding what your personal goals are. From there, you can achieve your goals. For example, if one of your goals is fat loss, you’ll want to lift heavy during full length workouts (unless I say otherwise) and also choose workouts that target the large muscles of the lower body (fat burners). FYI: I create at lease two of these for you each week.
Make it Personal
Head back to a favorite or peruse the Quick Burn library. There’s no reason to fear mixing it up. If you've been adding your favorite workouts to "Favorites" in SLB, this is a great place to start. Search for the individual workout by name or under its category (Cardio + Sculpt, Sculpt or Quick Burn). Our workouts are always evolving, so something from 2019 or 2020 may feel really fresh.
Play with Props
Do you always start with cardio or sculpt? Why not start from a new perspective and search a prop that speaks to you? By beginning with something you love or maybe something you haven’t done in a while like a dowel workout, your workout will feel more personal, fun, and revived.
Program with Purpose
Each week I make sure we’re balancing the body with a mixture of flexion, extension and rotation along with incorporating both standing and grounded work. You’ll also notice equal balance of weighted work, cardio and sculpt. Grouping movement together by function and purpose helps to give more context to the week. Once you start balancing things in this way, you’ll see what you have too much or too little of. Doing too much cardio or repeating the same workout everyday won’t get you very far or do you much good.
When you work from a place of balance, your weekly schedule will feel purposeful. If you don't want to think too hard, you can repeat an entire week from a previous month. I do my best to make sure nothing goes untouched, under or over-worked in a particular week, so you know it's always a safe bet to follow a full week.
Less can be More
Quick Burn workouts really work in 30 minutes or less. With every workout, I make sure you are in the total-body zone so that you don’t create muscle imbalances. The art of programming can be tricky to get right, and it’s easy to overwork or underwork parts of the body when you’re DIY’ing it. When you’re not following the weekly QB schedule, make sure you’re choosing a Cardio + Sculpt and Standing Abs workout each week. Lifting heavy will give you way more burn for the time.
Elevate what’s Pre-Existing
It’s amazing how a few small tweaks can unlock your workouts freshness and vitality. Something as simple as working with a 2 lb. heavier weight or adding ankle weight can make a huge impact.
Let it be a Work in Progress
Finally, it’s important to allow your workout and your progress to be a work in progress. You have to accept that fitness and progress takes time, and the biggest visible progress will come from diet. It isn’t a race, and there’s no finish line, so try to relax and enjoy the process.
💭 MID-WEEK MOTIVATION
Thoughts to get you over hump day and into the second time through this week’s Ultraviolet, Upside and Sig. I hope you’re feeling inspired, lifted and in your power…
1. You can rise up from anything and recreate yourself. Connect with your energy, passion and will.
2. Don’t get in your own way and be insecure. Be confident and own what makes you uniquely beautiful.
3. Normalize the butt and the female body. You’re working hard, celebrate it!
4. Sell it. “Sell it” is a cheer term used when facials or attitude is exaggerated to make the motions or dance have more appeal. Smile through it - I promise it’ll upgrade your mood.
5. Just start. Start with a Quick Burn.
6. Progress is different for everyone so try not to make comparisons.
PUSHING YOUR LIMITS
Think you’ve hit your ceiling? You haven’t, I promise. I know that many of you are completing the January Program this week...congrats! Have you noticed that you've pushed yourself and have become stronger, or maybe you're still modifying and doing your push-ups on your knees after 3-4 reps? If you have pushed, have you noticed that your body has changed?
Most women come to SLB with the desire to change their body and become the best version of themselves. When developing new workouts, my main goal is to increase your lean muscle mass, keep you interested and make you happy so that you can push yourself to become your most powerful.
We focus on increasing your lean muscle mass because that is a major catalyst in decreasing overall fat. We achieve this through cardiovascular resistance training via Cardio-Cheer-Sculpting. And boy, does it hurt at times. Have you ever heard the saying, “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger?” At SLB, most of you learn how to push through your (good) pain and allow it to help you gain strength and earn the physical and mental results that you're striving for.
Many of you become frustrated, or stop when an exercise becomes painful – not injury pain, but the burn that occurs when you are fatiguing your muscles. Tbh, you can’t find your limits without testing them, and you can’t test them unless you’re willing to push through the good pain. If you can breathe and you’re not injured, then you’re absolutely fine to keep going. Don’t have heart rate anxiety. Breathe through the uncomfortable, because it's at that exact moment when you're creating changes in your body.
If you never change your diet for the better and do the same workout everyday (with the same modifications) and never push through the burn or leave your “comfort zone," you will never see change. So, in light of completing the January Program this week, make it your goal to channel that pain and strive to get in that near perfect breakdown, one more set, OR - hold that half plank for one more rep.
Here are some simple mental tips that work help you push through your workout:
Break it up. Think about tackling the workout in smaller increments. Cutting the full length into two, 25-minute halves is a lot less daunting and you won’t have that pit of dread that usually starts brewing long before you press play.
Stop watching the numbers Be present! It isn’t all about the numbers. Just like a watched pot never boils, staying fixated on reps, how many minutes you have left or how many calories your burning will only make the time pass more slowly, and will keep you from ever getting fully mentally “in the zone.” If it’s a hard habit to break, put a piece of tape over the time counter on your screen or your HR monitor.
Go beyond aesthetics Sure, having a killer bod is an incredible side effect of SLB, but for a lot people, “wanting to look amazing” isn’t something that they’re actually emotionally connected to. I’ve found that thinking about strength is more powerful when you’re trying to power through a plateau.
Know your why I say it all the time, but it’s so important to know and connect with your true north and set goals.
Really feel it Find something you enjoy about what you’re doing. I always like to feel like I’m punching above my weight. You’re doing SLB because on some (sick, masochistic) level, you enjoy it, right? Remember what you “like” about it so you enjoy the sensation of building muscle rather than just thinking of it as just a painful experience.
Be grateful for the body and mind that allows you to move When I teach live and our hearts are in our throats I always remind people what a privilege it is that they can move. It’s easy to forget that working out is a gift. Some people have physical limitations that prevent them from being able to move so be mindful that you are lucky you get to do 100 squats and lunges today!
THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUR MORNING ROUTINE
The January Program begins tomorrow and I’ve been prepping for the first Monday of the new year. I recently looked back at my morning routine post from Jan 2020 and was floored at how much my mornings have changed. Have you thought about yours? Morning routines are more important than ever, especially since we’re multi-tasking and juggling so much right now. We thrive from the consistency and efficiency of routines; they allow us to have more control of our day, reduce stress, keep us grounded and on top of our game. When our world gets knocked off it’s axis, having a morning routine that we can count on makes us feel motivated and much more in control of our lives.
There’s real power in a morning routine because it’s comforting – Particularly when the routine involves good healthy habits like movement, whole foods, water, and self-care rituals like mindfulness. My morning routine is a big emotional motivator for me and it plays a huge part in my life. Committing to my best habits, especially during the past few months has been so vital.
Time is our most valuable standard and each piece of our morning routine should add value, joy, and productivity to our stressful, high-octane days. The goal is to build us up without burning out and we are naturally more productive in the AM. A solid morning routine is a lot like Newton’s Law of Motion. That AM routine IS the inertia that will snowball into your most important tasks – The ones that drive the most business, and bring you the most joy.
Morning routines really help us keep our eye on the prize and our mindset strong. Moving your body everyday especially in the morning is an amazing productivity hack that helps us stay powerful, innovative, and forward-focused. Listen to your body and it will tell you what it needs. Maybe you need cardio or sculpt, or you might need to freestyle in your kitchen to some trap music. Seriously! Whatever movement will make you feel good should hold a sacred space in your daily routine.
SLB BOOTY
Are you squeezing your butt while you lean fwd during standing abs? Your glutes are your powerhouse! We train the chain all the time at SLB for so many reasons beyond aesthetics:
Athletic Performance: Ideal hip extension means improved propulsion for CCS, etc.
Muscle Balance & Pain Reduction: A strong booty supports the core, lower back and spine and changes the way your body reacts to gravitational force by taking pressure off the joints.
Great Posture: Sitting all day with poor posture can cause tight hip flexors, dormant glutes and a weak core.
Accelerates Fat Loss: Your glutes are the strongest and largest group of muscles in the body (they’re our “fat burners”). Because muscle burns more calories at rest than fat does, increasing lean muscle mass via glute training can accelerate fat loss and keep it off.
FRIDAY RITUALS
TGIF! The last day of the workweek still hasn’t lost its charm. I always look at Friday as the day to set the tone to bring more joy to the weekend. Pre-March, dressing up and heading to happy hour with my girlfriends was a rite of passage (and I miss it!) but these days I blow off steam in my skates and make pizza with my neighbors.
If Sunday is the day to reflect and prepare for the week ahead, Friday’s are for celebrating what you’ve accomplished during the week and kicking-off the weekend. I thought sharing my Friday practice would be a great way to inspire ideas on how we can start the weekend right! Here’s my Friday Practice:
Coffee Out. I start my day getting out of the house with coffee at Alfred. It’s such a treat.
SLB Quick Burn, post-coffee. I have to get moving but with homeschooling my mornings are insane and most days I don’t have time for a full length.
Lunch / Work Outside. Vitamin D and some fresh air is everything.
Sk8! My mom owned Laundromats and growing up I would roll around all day long. Picking them up again during the pandemic has been so much fun and also really great cross-training.
Pizza Friday. We started a tradition of making pizza with our neighbors and it’s so much fun.
Movie Night. Friday is the perfect time for authorized screen time with family and friends. I love watching and introducing Mars to older movies like Little Shop of Horrors.
Sunset & Wine. Fall means the days are shorter, and sunsets come earlier so there's plenty of time to catch one with a glass of wine before bed.
This week on YouTube
Saturn Return is a brief total-body toner. In astrological lore, Saturn is the great taskmaster of the skies. We prefer the term life coach or personal trainer actually, since Saturn is “cruel” to be kind. It breaks you down, makes you lift the heavy weights so you can build those rock-hard muscles and get into fighting shape! Wherever Saturn is in your chart will point to your toughest lessons, but the ones you might become obsessed with breaking through. And all the moves are crucial and breakthrough ones. All you need is sharp motions to do this cheer workout from home or on the road.
This week on YouTube
JFC is 16-min abs-focused grounded Quick Burn that really targets the mid-section. Our core basics meet a killer reverse crunch series that really hones in on the lower abs (belly button to the pubic bone).
THE NEW Studio LB
Your studio is going to look a lot different over the next few weeks. We’re thrilled to bring you a better SLB experience: An improved search feature making it easier to find the perfect workout for when you're DIY'ing, a resource section so you can view your weekly schedules, monthly programs and 🌱 recipes, and add’l APPS beyond iOS: @appletv, @android, @rokuplayer, and @amazonfiretv to make it easier for you to watch on your preferred device. Can I get a hell yeah?!
This week on YouTube
Fika means to slow down and enjoy. Enjoy this brief and mighty Quick Burn - It's really effective and tackles it all in less than 20 minutes! All you need is a resistance loop, one heavy weight, and sharp motions to do this cheer workout from home or on the road.
This week on YouTube
Ooh La La is a 25-min Cardio + Sculpt QB that has a little bit of everything. It begins with Standing Abs, transitions to weighted standing sculpting and cardio. I said Ooh La La when I was done. Dripping in sweat! All you need is sharp motions to do this cheer workout from home or on the road.
This week on YouTube
Smudge is a 21-min no equipment Standing Core Quick Burn workout that is a perfect no-impact cardio option with a great flow. Take your workout up a notch by adding ankle weights to classic Cardio-Cheer-Sculpting moves like Liberty to Attitude and Torch. All you need is sharp motions to do this cheer workout from home or on the road, or you can add wrist weights to really up the cardio and the burn!
This week on YouTube
Arsenal is a 27-min Cardio + Sculpt Quick Burn. Arsenal begins with a 7-min high energy cardio series to increase the heart rate for optimal fat burn while we sculpt the booty via weight bearing work. You'll see Frogger in cardio and 30 reps of Pike Kickbacks, Rainbow Kick Backs and Donkey Crossovers in the sculpting. Expect to be dripping by then end and repeat the cardio after the sculpting for extra burn! All you need is sharp motions to do this cheer workout from home or on the road, or you can add ankle weights to really up the cardio and the burn!
This week on YouTube
Shake The Snow Globe is a 23-min no equipment Standing Abs workout that also targets the booty with lean forward and wide second to torch. It has a lovely flow during the breakdown and it provides the perfect amount of muscle confusion. All you need is sharp motions to do this cheer workout from home or on the road, or you can add wrist weights to really up the cardio and the burn!