My Current Fitness Routine!
One of the most common questions that I get in my dm’s is about my fitness routine! ‘What do I do?’ ‘How often do I do it?’ ‘What about cardio?’ ‘What do I eat?’ Etc. Today, I am answering all those questions, as well as, some questions that were sent into me when I put a question box up a few weeks ago! So let’s dive in!
How I Got Into Lifting
Before I get into my current workout routine, I think it’s important to share how I got into lifting in the first place! I first started lifting a little over 9 years ago. Before that, I did a little bit on my own… but my main source of lifting was just taking “Body Pump” a few times a week at my local gym. I was into distance running for a while, and a couple classes a week at the gym was enough for me.
After running a couple half marathons,. my dear husband looked at me one day and told me I looked “frail”. He HATES that I share this story, but that really was the switch for me! I didn’t want to look frail at the age of 27! I wanted to look strong! So I asked if he would teach me how to lift. Mark had been a personal trainer for 20 plus years, so he had lots of experience. He started by training me a few times a week, and then it moved into him writing out my lifts. After a few months of following them, I felt confident enough to start writing my own training plans.
I was HOOKED. I loved the feeling of getting strong! Every year, after I started, I made strength goals. One year, it was to be able to bench my bodyweight. The next year, it was wanting to do 10 unassisted pull ups by the end of the year. The following year, I wanted to squat over 250 pounds. I kept making goals, and I kept hitting them! It was addicting! After a few years of strength goals, I then decided to get back into distance running. I switched my goals to running because I wanted to run my first full marathon, and then I wanted to run a BQ (Boston Qualifying Time) marathon.
I still lifted during those years of running marathons, but only 2-3 times a week. My focus was on my running. I will say you can do both distance running and lifting (And you should, because lifting should always have a place in your fitness routine!). However, it is really hard to make a lot of strength progress when you are running 50 plus miles a week.
So where does that leave me now? I honestly don’t have big fitness goals right now. There is a ton going on, so my only goal is to stay healthy. I would love to put more muscle on my body, but realistically, I am not in a place where I want to be super hyper focused on my nutrition (more on that later). So I lift for my health (Lifting has SO many benefits beyond just looking strong. Especially, as a woman!). We should strive to have strong bones well into old age! Srong bodies are what will keep us from breaking a bone if we fall at age 70! So if you get nothing else from this blog post, starting LIFTING! I also do cardio for my heart heath!
My Weekly Work Out Routine
I currently lift 4 days a week. My lifts are broken up like so….
Monday: Chest and Shoulders
Tuesday: Legs and Core
Wednesday: Rest Day
Thursday: Back, Triceps, and Biceps
Friday: Shoulders and Core
Saturday and Sunday: Rest Days
You can see that I do hit shoulders twice a week. The reason I do that is because shoulders are an area of my body that I want to grow more/improve. So I train them twice a week. I have them spaced out though, so that they get proper time to recover between lifts.
I currently do about 45 mins to 1 hour of cardio a week. I have a spin bike in my garage, so I just hop on for about 15 minutes after my lifts. The spin bike I have isn’t anything fancy, but it does the job. I will link the one I have here. I also make sure I hit at least 10,000 steps a day. I usually have no issues reaching that goal, since I take my dog Saylor for 2 walks a day.
The next question I get is how many exercises do I do each day? There is a very unhealthy trend going around where people think you need to do 8 to 10 different exercises each lift in order to see results! Thankfully, I never fell into that trap. You do not need more than 5-6 exercises per lift. MAYBE 7, if it includes core exercises. Here is an example of one of my current lifts for chest and shoulders. I did 5 exercises all together. Two exercises that hit chest, and 3 that hit shoulders. If you are really lifting heavy, then that is PLENTY!
I linked all of my exercise equipment that I could here.
What do I Eat
I cannot talk about my fitness routine without getting asked what I eat. I have shared many times that I have tracked macros on and off for about 8 years. I am not currently tracking, and haven’t for many months. However, I also say that because I have tracked for so long I have a good understanding of what my body needs. Many woman do not eat ENOUGH. So educating yourself on what your body needs daily is a HUGE advantage. I always recommend you learn about macros and track your food for a month or so. After that, you usually can have a better understanding on what your body needs on a daily basis. I will occosionly still track my food if I have a goal (Distance running takes a lot of food, so I found it helpful to track to make sure I eat enough while training). I also have tracked in the past to add muscle (Ideally, you need to be eating slightly above “maintenance” to gain muscle) or to lose a few pounds after a season of indulging a little more than I usually do. I haven’t tracked anything in probably 9 months, but have maintained my weight. This shows me that I am eating around maintenance (Meaning, eating ENOUGH to support my active lifestyle).
Now what do I eat? I honestly eat everything! I do eat a high protein diet (probably around 120-130 grams a day), lots of carbs, healthy fats, and fruits and vegetables daily. I also LOVE a good margarita and Mexican food. There is no food off limits for me. I try to really listen to my body, eat when I am hungry, stop when I am full, and make sure I eat enough protein. I think years of tracking my macronutrients helps me do that easily.
Answering some Questions Y’all Asked!
Do you eat before a workout? What about after your workout?
I do eat before every workout! Could I get away with training on an empty stomach? Sure. But, I feel better and able to lift better when I eat something first! I usually just do 2 biscottis from Trader Joe’s and some strawberries. So mainly, just carbs. After my workout, I usually have my breakfast about 30 mins to an hour later. I have a breakfast sandwich I make with a pita, egg whites, Canadian bacon, “laughing cow” cheese, and spinach. Also, I add toast and some pumpkin zucchini muffins. Oh and more coffee! You want to make sure you are eating a well-balanced meal after you workout including carbs and protein!
Do you think cardio or lifting has helped achieve better results?
I think your workout routine should include both, but lifting is what is going to change your body. The “toned” look most people say they are after is from lifting HEAVY weights. Honestly, adding muscle to your body is only going to benefit you.
Top 3 tips for a beginner to lifting….
`1. Keep it simple. Pick basic exercises and work on form. If you can afford it, hire a personal trainer for 6 weeks to show you the basics and form. If not, there are tons of online resources!
2. Make realistic goals. You probably won’t be able to go from doing nothing to training 7 days week (And honestly, no one should train 7 days a week! Rest days are important!). Make a goal to get in 3 lifts a week and have a “step” goal. Make goals that you can actually achieve.
3. Stay consistent. I know it’s a boring answer… .but consistency is EVERYTHING! Building muscle takes TIME! Be patient and stay consistent.
How often do you change exercises?
Honestly, not that much at all! I usually do at least 6 to 8 weeks of the exact same exercises (Meaning every Monday, for 8 weeks, I do the exact Chest/Shoulder lift I shared up there). The goal is to increase weight if possible. So once I get to the point that I can easily get 12 reps using the weight I am using, it’s time to go up. After 8 weeks, I do what is called a “de-load” week. That means I either reduce the days I lift and exercises I do (so instead of 4 days I will only lift 2/3) and not go as heavy with my weights, or I just take the week off from lifting. I usually take the week completely off around twice a year, and the other times just reduce my workout days. After that “de-load” week, I start another exercise block and sometimes, change up my some of my exercises. Honestly though, not much changes. The basics will always stay in my lifts! Bench, deadlifts, push ups, pull-ups, shoulder press…. those things always stay!
I hope that this helped and answers some of your questions! I am gonna end this blog post here, since this has already gotten lengthy! If there’s more you want me to cover in another blog post, just leave your questions below!