ASICS sneaker review and a full-body workout

Hey! It’s the first full week of 2015, and I sure hope it’s starting off great for you. Right around this time, the gym is a little bit more busy and people are super-committed to some new healthy-living goals. And I just love to see the extra motivation out there. To keep all that rolling, today, I’m not only going to be talking about workouts and fitness, but I’m also going to be talking about some sweet new sneakers I was able to try out thanks to my role as a FitFluential Ambassador. Fashion, fitness and workouts? A good combination for the first Monday in January.

Before we get started, to catch you up on my weekend: I had a fun wine and cheese date with a girlfriend on Friday night, Dave and I went to a nice dinner on Saturday night at a new restaurant in our neighborhood (and may or may not have ended our night at The Cheesecake Factory for dessert). And on Sunday night, we went to Dave’s belated work Christmas party at a sports bar in Oakland. It was a great weekend! Now, back to the subject at hand …

Shoes that are as light as air

Some of you may know that I’m a proponent of working out barefoot when it makes sense, due to the extra muscle recruitment it helps you achieve as your toes grab for the floor. And you can read more about that in this article I wrote, “Is it better to work out in bare feet“? Well, ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the next best thing: The ASICS GEL-Fit Sana sneaker. It’s super light and truly gives you that barefoot feeling, all the while being a good-looking shoe.

Shown from top left to right: The fresh new sneakers on arrival, my first test run wearing my GEL-Fit Sanas for a kettlebell workout, and a couple of close-ups of the sneakers.

I’ve worn my ASICS GEL-Fit Sanas to complete several resistance workouts in the gym, and I’ve also worn the sneakers around San Francisco on a lovely Saturday afternoon. When I compare the GET-Fit Sanas to some of my other heavier sneakers, it’s a breath of fresh air to slide them on my feet and go.

What to know about the ASICS GEL-Fit Sana sneakers

• They fit true to size. My size, is my size.
• They are super light.
• These are not shoes designed for running or high-impact cardio, but these are great shoes for plenty of other kinds of training, as well as for street-wear. 
• These shoes come in a couple of cool color combinations.
• These puppies mold to your feet, while providing a little bit of support where you need it.
• The fabric is very breathable, so these shoes could be appropriate in a warm environment.
• You have to slide your foot into the opening, rather than lifting the tongue up like most sneakers, which gives that sock-like feeling.

Overall, these GEL-Fit Sanas are fashionable and quite versatile. Being that I live in San Francisco, I’ve taken these shoes up and down some hills and on a ton of stairs to reach my apartment, and I can attest that they feel good throughout it all.

Shown above from top left to right: A shot of me in my casuals posing on the rooftop of my building with the San Francisco skyline behind me, and a couple of shots of the ASICS GEL-Fit Sanas on my feet. 

These shoes are now going to be my new go-to weight-training sneaks. And, I’ll be debuting them in the group fitness room this week when I teach BODYPUMP. (True story: I teach back-to-back classes on Wednesday nights and change my shoes during the two-minute class transition as I go from cardio to resistance formats. No, it’s not high-maintenance. It’s a smart choice, my friends.)

Total-body dumbbell workout – done in 20 minutes

I wore my ASICS GEL-Fit Sanas to complete this killer four-move total-body dumbbell workout in the gym last week, and it had me huffing and puffing. To do this workout, all you need is a set of medium dumbbells, either 10-12 lbs. This workout includes both pushing and pulling movements, to keep your body balanced, as well as a coordination and cardio move to finish off each set.

Disclaimer: Even though I’m a certified personal trainer, I’m not your personal trainer. Please consult your doctor or trainer before starting a new workout program or trying this workout. Proceed with caution, because this may not be right for you.

For a quick tutorial on how to do each move, please check out the following linked demonstrations and notes.

1. Plie (or sumo) squat to bicep curl – Targeting the legs, glutes and biceps. Set up in a wide stance, toes turned slightly out. Let your arms hang long in front of your body, with the dumbbells in your hands, palms facing away from you. Drop your hips back and down, lowering your thighs to be parallel to the floor. At the bottom of the movement, squeeze your butt, then press your heels into the floor as you stand up. On the way up, perform the curl and keep your elbows back and by your sides. Chest up and abs braced during the entire move.
2. Single-arm dumbbell chest press – Targeting the chest, shoulders and triceps. Lay back on the floor or on a bench. Grab one dumbbell. Hold the dumbbell above your body, palm facing diagonally toward your body. The free arm can be at your hip or up in the air holding straight. Brace your core super hard to keep your body still as you lower the arm down to around a 90-degree angle and press back up. Don’t let your moving arm drop too far below the body-line at the bottom of the move to protect your shoulders. Repeat with the other arm.
3. Underhand-grip dumbbell bent-over row – Targeting the middle of the back. Grab two dumbbells with a reverse or underhand grip. Stand with your feet hip-width, tip from the hip, bending your knees a little, while keeping the chest up. Bend your elbows and pull the dumbbells back alongside your body, brushing up against your ribs. Stop when the dumbbells come right in front of your belly button. Make sure you keep your shoulders back and down and squeeze your shoulder blades together as you row. 
4. Knee-repeater (no weights) – Targeting the legs and glutes, with balance, coordination and cardio. Stand with your feet hip-width distance. Bend both knees, tip from the hip, keep your chest up and tap your right toe back behind you, then drive that same knee up toward your chest, while pumping your arms. To engage your leg muscles more, push your front heel into the ground. Your back heel should never touch the floor, and you should try to keep your butt and hips low to work the leg muscles. Chest up at all times. Repeat on the other leg.

There you go. It’s a tough one!

A look at my week in workouts

Now, every Monday I like to give a recap of all the workouts I did over the past week. I do this, not only to keep me on track, but also to give you a look at how someone who works in fitness tries to find variety and stay balanced. Let’s get to it … 

Weekly Workouts

• Monday – Taught one-hour BODYATTACK class, foam rolling
• Tuesday – Completed 20-minute full-body dumbbell workout shown above, attended one-hour heated power yoga class at CorePower Yoga
• Wednesday – Practiced one-hour BODYATTACK class at home, foam rolling
• Thursday – Practiced 30-minutes of BODYPUMP class at gym, completed 20-minute online core workout
• Friday –  Attended one-hour heated power yoga class with weights at CorePower Yoga
• Saturday –  Practiced one-hour BODYATTACK class at home, foam rolling
• Sunday – Rest day

What was good about my week of workouts?

Hello, variety! This was the first time in probably my whole entire life that I’ve ever gone to two one-hour yoga sessions in a single week, and it felt great. Due to the holiday, some of my normal Les Mills group fitness classes I usually teach were cancelled, which freed up my schedule to do my own workouts and go to two yoga classes. Because I’m preparing to launch the latest Les Mills group fitness releases this week, I spent a lot of my workout time practicing new choreography at home. It was a great chance to perfect my own form and even work on my jumps a bit. I completed three cardio sessions, three resistance sessions, two yoga classes and a short core workout over the course of six days. None of my days consisted of more than one hour of workouts, which is great for me. Overall, I felt awesome this past week, and I had a full day of rest. The highlight of the week was definitely the heated power yoga class with weight that I took at CorePower Yoga on Friday. I’m planning to do a full recap of CorePower this week, so check back for that.

What could have been better in my week of workouts?

While I did pick up weights three time this week, only one of my weighted sessions included heavy dumbbells. I’m hoping to spend a little bit more time lifting heavy weights this month when I can, because I’ve missed that type of working out lately, These days, I seem to do more bodyweight training and cardio, especially when I traveled for the holidays. Nonetheless, this was a good week, and I have no major complaints here.

Getting ready for launch week

This week, I’ll be knee-deep in learning choreography, because I have to debut the latest BODYPUMP and BODYATTACK releases on Wednesday evening in back-to-back classes. Wish me luck! I hope you guys go off and tackle Monday! I’ll see you back here tomorrow for a giveaway.

*This post is sponsored by FitFluential on behalf of ASICS.

 

 

Questions of the day

Do you have different sneakers for different activities? What color combination would you choose if you bought the ASICS GEL-Fit Sanas? Let me know how you like them!