It’s Friday baby! 🎉🎉🎉

And you know what that means,

1 –

2 – it’s that time again . . . time for another round of fit Friday fun!

Today I’m sharing a short, sharp, back, chest and shoulder sculpting workout that you can knock out in just 15 minutes  and will have you feeling strong, energized and ready to take on the rest of your day!

So, here’s what we are going to do –

7 basic exercises – Chest Press – Chest Fly’s – Skull Crushers – Bent Over Rows – Lateral Raise – Bicep Curls & Overhead Press.

We will do 8 reps of each exercise and repeat the entire sequence through for a total of 3 rounds, sound good?

Nothing overly complicated, basic movements done with good form for a short but effective upper body workout.

But, believe me when I say just because it’s short doesn’t mean it’s not effective, trust me . . . when you’re done with this workout, your heart rate will be pumping, endorphin’s flowing, metabolism firing!

We will move from one exercise to the next with minimal/no rest in between then once we have completed all reps of each exercises we will take a moment to rest and recover – catch your breath, grab a drink then we get straight back into it and repeat for a total of 3 rounds, deal?

Grab yourself a weapon of choice – a set of dumbbells, a barbell, kettlebells, some resistance bands or any combination you like. Make sure you choose something appropriate for your strength but, don’t be afraid to challenge yourself.

Although, we want quality not quantity, always! Never compromise your form, ever! If your form starts to fail your done, got it?

Take your time, concentrate, focus and breathe through each and every exercise. You are strong, you are amazing, you have big energy! You’ve totally got this!

And because nothing makes a workout challenge more fun than getting a buddy to join you. Why not grab your BFF or a family member or your fave workmate and have them join you, power in numbers baby!

Don’t forget to come back and let me know how you did once you’re done. Either leave me a message in the comments below, or you can give me a shout on the Facebook page or tag me (@EmSwanston) on Twitter , or Instagram (@emsswanston) . I mean it, I wanna hear how you did!

Ok enough chit chat time to work –

15 Minute Back, Chest & Shoulder Sculpting Workout

As always make sure you are nice an warm before you start your workout – Run on the spot, do jumping jacks, jump rope, dance around your living room, anything to get you warm then it’s time to get serious.

Finish with a nice little cool down and stretch, maybe take a walk or something anything to help bring your heart rate down. Finish with a few of your fave stretches. Please don’t skip the stretch people, its like dessert for the body.

Now for our post workout refuel –  Smoothies are a great option for your post workout refuel, they make it super easy for the body to absorb and digest those precious nutrients, they are seriously convenient, quick and easy to prepare and, a great option for those of us who don’t have much of an appetite post workout.

It’s so important to nourish and re-energize your body post workout, you want to make sure  you give those muscles some fuel so that they can rebuild and repair themselves after working so hard.

How does a nice tall, light, fresh, iced peppermint mocha smoothie sound?

It’s thick, creamy, decadent, rich, seriously chocolaty, espresso infused with a hint of minty freshness that is simply divine.

FYI – this tall glass of deliciousness also happens to be packed with protein and full of slow release, low GI carbs that will help refuel and re-energize that beautiful body of yours.

It really is simply divine, the perfect way to treat yo’ self and refuel and re-energize that beautiful body of yours on this fabulous Friday.

Oh and I should probably mention that not only does our iced peppermint mocha taste like pure indulgence, it also happens to be vegan, dairy free and paleo friendly – so much to love I tell you ❤️❤️❤️

Iced Peppermint Mocha Smoothie {Vegan. Gluten Free & Paleo Friendly}
Makes 1 all natural, light, fresh, thick, creamy, decadent, rich, seriously chocolaty, espresso infused minty fresh, iced peppermint mocha smoothie

Ingredients –

1/3 cup coconut or Greek style yogurt

1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or milk of choice)

1 shot of espresso, cooled (could sub 1 teaspoon of instant espresso if you prefer)

1/2 an overripe banana (preferably pre-frozen)

1 Tablespoon of cacao

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon of peppermint extact

1/4-1/2  cup of ice – more or less to desired consistency

Optional but recommended for serving –

Coconut flakes

Cacao Nibs

Fresh Mint

Method –

1 – Place all smoothie ingredients into your and process until smooth, creamy and well combined.

2 – Pour into a chilled glass or mason jar then top with coconut flakes, cacao nibs and fresh mint if desired.

Note – You could also add in a scoop of protein powder (vanilla, chocolate or unflavoured would work well in this recipe) and some great lakes gelatin for an extra boost of protein if you’re into that kinda thing – do what you feel baby 🙂

Enjoy xoxo

Don’t forget to give me a shout out when you’re done – hit me up in the comments below via the Facebook page on Twitter or on Instagram

Now go,

xoxo

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Question of the day –

What’s your favorite way to refuel after a workout?

Feel free to share recipes, or links to your fave recipes in the comments below or on the Facebook page and please for the love of all that is good in this world when you do make this smoothie (or any of the recipes you find on this blog of mine) go ahead and snap a pic and share it either on the Facebook page, or tag me on twitter or Instagram. Sharing is caring remember.

Do it, do it You know you want to 🙂

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