Wednesday, June 12, 2019

My Workout Routine

Hi, friends! So sorry for the lack of posts yesterday. I had the blog text all drafted out and ready to go but just wasn’t sold on the graphics I made to go along with it. Don’t worry though; I’ve found some cute ways to re-work them and will share what I came up with soon (hint, it’s extra helpful for any of you heading to college in the fall). For now, though, I’m taking the time to tackle one of my most asked questions, “What’s your workout routine?”

This goes without saying for those of you that follow along with my posts, but I am in no way a trainer or expert on this subject. I do workouts that feel good but challenging for me. Everyone is different when it comes to the type of workouts they like, and I’m the type of person who wants to get the most out of my visit to the gym. That usually means doing a decent bit of cardio, followed by some stretching and strength exercise. I’ve shared my general schedule below although it’s not uncommon for it to change based on my evening plans. 

shop this outfit here (plus see more cute affordable workout wear finds here)


Cycle
Last summer, I signed up for some cycling classes while in Greenville and always left feeling like I had a productive workout. While I haven’t tried any of the cycling group exercise classes offered at my gym, I have been taking advantage of the bikes there to do my own workouts. I like to start by biking the first 10 minutes with the resistance at an 8 or 9. From there I alternate between 2 minutes at a resistance of 7 and 2 minutes at a resistance of 10. I’ll do that for the next 20 minutes or so before switching to 3 minutes at a resistance of 7 and 2 minutes at a resistance of 12. I like to end my cycle workouts with about 2 minutes at a resistance of 14 before cooling down at a resistance of 5. This makes it so that sometimes I’ll go for a bit more than 45 minutes but by breaking up the workout with intervals of different resistance it goes by pretty quickly (and you’ll end up pretty sweaty).

Stair Climber
As far as workout equipment goes, I can’t say that the stair climber is one of my favorite pieces. It’s not terrible, but I have to pay enough attention on it so that I don’t trip and fall, which makes time seem to pass slower. It’s a really great workout though so I like to add it into my routine once a week. I’ll usually start by setting the speed to 10 for the first 10 minutes. From there, I will do 2 minutes at a speed of 10 where I’m skipping a step before moving to a speed of 8 for 1 minute to recover. Next, I’ll turn my body to face one side (stepping the bottom foot in front of the foot on the higher step) for 2 minutes at a speed of 10. I’ll walk normally on the stair climber at a speed of 10 for 1 minute of recovery and then switch to the other side for 2 minutes. I’ll do another minute of recovery at a speed of 10 before 2 minutes of skipping steps at a speed of 8. The next 6 minutes I’ll walk normally at a speed of 10 before spending my last 3 minutes at a speed of 14 before cooling down. 

Run
Ever since my half marathon back in March I’ve cut back on the frequency in which I run and in turn have significantly lowered my mileage. While I love running, it’s a lot more fun to go on long runs outside than inside, and the heat of an Alabama summer isn’t always conducive to that. I hope to add more runs to my week once it cools off in the fall but for now, tend to stick to going for a run about once a week. Since 

Outside- When I’m going on a run outside, I don’t pay too much attention to pace or distance and instead do what feels right. Most of the time for me, that’s running between a 9:30 and 10:00 minute pace for anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes. 

Treadmill- Running on a treadmill is a different story since I’m more likely to get bored. I’ll usually spend my first 20 minutes at a 10-minute pace before running the next 5 minutes at a 9:30 pace. Then, I’ll do 5 minutes at a 9: 00-minute pace before a minute or two at an 8:30 pace before cooling down at a 10-minute pace. 

Barre
I don’t make it to barre classes as much as I’d like to, but when I can go, I like True40’s classes. They are a great mix of barre, Pilates, yoga, and cardio and leave me feeling very sore the following day. In an ideal world, I’d be able to make it to these classes once a week, but in reality, I tend to only get to go once or twice a month. 

Arms, Abs, and Legs
I don’t feel the slightest bit qualified (or articulate enough) to walk you through various strength exercises so instead I’ll direct you to Pinterest, my favorite Instagram account (check her workout story highlights), and the 8-minute abs and 8-minute arms video. 

I’m always on the hunt for fun ways to mix up my workouts so if you have any ideas, feel free to leave them for me in the comments! 

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