Because I attended NerdFaire and caught the Fandom Fitness bug while there this weekend, I have decided to dub February “Fandom Fitness Month”. Every Tuesday this month I’ll be sharing a fun Fandom Fitness workout. And we’re going to center it around a particular individual this month, the incredible Joss Whedon.
When I started working on Fandom Fitness, I almost gave Mr. Joss Whedon his entire section. Whedon has a fandom unto himself, with super pop-culture favorites like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Marvel’s The Avengers, and the ultimate nerdy guilty pleasure Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.
Instead of giving him a whole section, though, I created a Super Tabata in his honor. What’s a Tabata? It’s a high intensity interval training workout where you work for 20 seconds at a time, followed by 10 seconds of rest. Tabata workouts are 8 rounds of each exercise (4 minutes), rest for a minute, and then you move onto the next exercise for 8 rounds. With four exercises, a Tabata workout typically takes about 20 minutes to complete.
Each week we will celebrate the creative mind of Joss Whedon. First up, one of his first successful endeavors- the popular television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
I’m trying to remember what other show gave girl power more of a boost in the 90s. The heroic teen battled monsters, fell in love, and saved the world, for seven seasons. And, like, for the 1990s, that’s a pretty big deal. So, Buffy gets her own Tabata.
Buffy, the Tabata Slayer
20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest- 8 times for each exercise (4 minutes)
- The Vampire Slayer V-ups: Lay on your back with arms straight over your head and legs straight (Photo 1). Lift legs and crunch up so hands meet toes in the middle (Photo 2)
- Angel Flyaways: Lay on your stomach, stretching your arms out in front of you. Using your abs and back, lift your legs slightly off the ground along with your arms, chest, and head. Breathe out as you lift up. Breathe in and relax, letting your legs and arms on the ground. One cycle is one repetition.
- Willow Walk-outs (Inchworms): Start in standing position. Lean down, keeping legs straight (will help stretch out hamstrings) and place hands on ground, getting in a pike position. Walk your hands out to reach a plank/push-up position.
- Spike Step-ups: Standing in front of a step, bench, or platform, lift one leg and place on the top surface of your step. Transfer your weight into the leg on the platform and hoist yourself up onto the step. Stand tall, then slowly lower your leg back to the ground. Return both feet to the ground and pause before repeating on the opposite side.