A typical week in workouts

My fitness journey over the years has led me in a lot of different directions. From the years in early high school when I Ioved playing sports (volleyball, basketball and soccer) but yet dreaded the days we had to run in P.E. or pretty much ANY other form of physical activity besides practicing an hour or so a day with my team... to finding my love for running long distance in late college.. then dabbling in weights and HIIT type of activities over the past few years. Today, I feel like I have really hit a groove in the mix of activities that I love doing, AND they have been activities that I get great results from. For me variety has been the key to staying consistent with my workouts! I look back to the days I used to run EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. and wonder how I didn't get bored! Although my days and weeks rarely look similar to each other (and I definitely go through phases and seasons of liking some activities over others) I wanted to share a typical week of workouts - what they look like, when I do them, and how I mix it up. But first I'll give you an overview of the different activities that I do and the benefits to each.

Weights:

Weightlifting is something I have only started doing in the last couple of years and it has made the biggest change to my body composition. For a cardio junky like me, it was at first really hard to be satisfied with "just" lifting weights when I barely would work up a sweat in the 45 min-hour that I would be in the gym. But after a month or two of consistently lifting, I noticed a big difference. (BTW ladies its so true what they say - you don't get BIG from lifting weights. I have been lifting for a couple years now and I wouldn't say that my muscles are even that big!) To get started I did have a basic knowledge of how and what exercises to do on the weight floor from the brief stints I did in high school for my team sports - but mostly I just learned by watching girls post their workout videos on Instagram! I STILL get all my workout ideas from IG! Some of my favorite accounts to get workout ideas are: Ashlen Sandefer and Camille Thurber. Hint! look up some some of their videos BEFORE you go to the gym and bookmark their post on IG so you have a list of lifting exercises ready to go when you get there! 

Running:

I still enjoy an occasional run- especially when the weather is nice in spring and summer. But I run a lot less than I used to! I go for a run on days where I don't have the time to drive the 20 minute round trip to the gym - or if I just need to zone out on my headphones! I will run anywhere from 20 min-45 min depending on how much time I have, or just depending on my mood. 

Group exercise class:

Since I have joined CityShape - it has been the PERFECT accessory to my weekly workout routine. I have the 4 pack - meaning I get 4 classes a month which equals out to 1 a week. I usually use the class to do something I can't at my regular gym - like hot yoga, or kickboxing, or a barre class. Plus I have met so many great people through my membership that it's fun to workout with some friends once a week.

At home workout:

This is a great option when I can't get away to get a workout in. If Brandon is out of town on business, or has a late or early meeting- I assume all Jett responsibilities and will workout when he's sleeping, or just playing on the floor next to me. I will either "make up" a HIIT routine on my yoga mat: intervals of (4 or 5) 1 min exercises with a one minute break at the end - and do the routine 4 or 5 times through. (think jump squats or lunges, mountain climbers, burpees). OR look up a video online to do. There are a ton of free options! My favorite is PopSugar Fitness workouts on YouTube. They have a TON of free videos - anything from yoga to kickboxing, HIIT, and barre. this is my typical go-to if I am at home!

Ok..now on to a typical week in workouts:

Monday:

Leg Day in the weight room. Squats, Lunges, Leg Press, Hip Thrusts - just a mix of lower body weights. Leg Day for me is something I dread before I do it, but am SO proud and happy when I am done. Because your legs have the biggest muscles in your body, you are lifting heavier weights than anything with your upper body (= the exercises are more challenging!) - Also, if you do compound movements like squats, and deadlifts (compound = you are working multiple muscle groups at a time) you get more "bang for your buck" than if you focus on just one muscle at a time. Compound lower body exercises include deadlifts, lunges, step-ups, and squats. Example lower body day exercises. (*note: for all the weightlifting exercise I list - if you don't know what it means just google it and you will find pictures and how-tos!)

Tuesday:

Spin class at my gym: There is a 5:30 AM option that I prefer going to so I can get it done before Jett wakes up and Brandon is still at home. 

Wednesday:

Back+Bicep day: Some examples of exercises that target your back are: pullups (for me I use the assisted pull up machine because even though I have been working on getting strong enough to do a REAL pullup, my body just isn't able to do one!) rows, and lat pulldowns. Example of back exercises.

Thursday:

Shoulder day+Tricep day: My favorite! (I don't know why but I love to do shoulder exercises!). Some examples of exercises that target your shoulders are: front and lateral raises, overhead press, upright rows. Example of shoulder exercises

Friday:

Sometime I use Friday as a rest day - and sometimes Sunday is a rest day. Now that we have Jett - sometimes I like to use both Saturday AND Sunday to get a workout in because Brandon is home to watch him. So I have moved my rest day to Friday

Saturday:

CityShape workout with friends: Anything from Barre, to spin, to hot yoga! Just depends on how I feel!

Sunday:

Run: Lately I have been running on Sundays if its nice out. I can get a quick run in before church and its been great to clear my head after a long week!

As always I am just a advocate for finding what workouts work for you! The best workouts are the ones that make you happy!