Five Days of Gym Workouts

Hello my beautiful friends! Since I recently shared with you my body image story, I feel like it's only fitting to now dive into the fun stuff.

When I was going to the gym regularly, my routine looked something like what I'm putting below, and it's the routine I'll adopt once I become comfortable with going back. Just as a precaution though, I am not a personal trainer nor a fitness professional in any sense. If you are adopting a new workout routine, I highly suggest talking with your healthcare professional about what they recommend. Only you know your limits, your personal health history, and anything else that goes along with that. Physical exercise is important to living a healthy, balanced life, but equally important is making sure you don't seriously injure yourself doing a routine that isn't made for you! I'm putting mine out here so that if this falls within your comfort zone, hopefully it can offer some variation and mix things up a little bit.

Also, most of these weighted workouts, I do on machines. Always start with a lower weight than you think you can do. If after a set or two, you feel like you're not being pushed, up your weight slightly. If you are using free weights, take extra care to make sure your posture is correct as not doing so could lead to injury. If you're not sure what the heck I'm talking about below, I will try to include links where I can with pictures/gifs. Asterisks (*) mean they have a machine equivalent! Anything else can be found on Tumblr or with a basic google search.

For Every Workout

I always warm up on the treadmill, elliptical, stationary bike, or that weird machine that's a mix of a stair-climber and an elliptical after I've stretched. It's incredibly important to stretch both before and after your workout to make sure you don't injure your muscles and joints. Depending on how I'm feeling and how much time I have, I vary the length and intensity (I have suggestions down below if you decide to do these sets). If I'm just warming up, I stay on for about ten minutes. If I'm trying to work specifically on cardio, I'll aim for at least 30-45 minutes. When I was running regularly, I'd aim for specific distances with no time limits.

💃🏼🍑 Monday - Legs & Butt 💃🏼🍑

Warm up wide-stance body weight squats: 3 set x 10 reps

Wide stance barbell squat: 5 sets x 12 reps

Warm up stationary lunges: 3 sets x 20 reps

Leg press*: 3 sets x 12 reps

- Calf raises of 3 sets x 20 reps (same weight)

Glute bridge: 3 sets x 2o reps

Glute kickback: 4 sets x 20 reps (each leg)

Leg extensions*: 3 sets x 15 reps

Seated leg curl*: 3 sets x 15 reps

Hip abduction*: 3 sets x 15 reps

Hip adduction*: 3 sets x 15 reps

Squats: 3 sets x 15-20 reps

Cool down 5-10 minutes on preferred cardio machine.

💪🏼💦 Tuesday - Upper Body & Cardio 💪🏼💦

Low intensity cardio: 30+ minutes Wide grip lat pulldown*: 3 sets x 12 reps Dumbbell bicep curl*: 3 sets x 12 reps Dumbbell shoulder press*: 3 sets x 12 reps Seated cable rows*: 3 sets x 12 reps Push ups: 3 sets x 10 reps (increase reps as strength builds) Fly/rear delts*: 3 sets x 15 reps

Cool down 5-10 minutes on preferred cardio machine.

😅💦 Wednesday - Abs, Lower Back & Cardio 😅💦

High intensity cardio: 15-20 minutes

Bicycle crunches: 3 sets x 20 reps

Crunches: 3 sets x 20 reps

Back hyper extensions: 3 sets x 20 reps

Oblique crunches: 4 sets x 12 reps (per side - can start out with 2 sets per side)

Russian twists: 3 sets x 20 reps (can make it more intense by holding medicine ball or weights)

Single leg raises: 4 sets x 12 reps (per leg - can start out with 2 sets per side)

Mountain climbers: 3 sets x 1 min each with 30 sec rest

Cool down 5-10 minutes on preferred cardio machine.

If you want an alternative to abs that you can also do at home, find nine moves here.

🍑 Thursday - Butt & Calves 🍑

High intensity cardio: 10-15 minutes

Stationary lunges: 3 sets x 20 reps

Glute bridges: 3 sets x 20 reps

Stiff-legged barbell deadlift: 3 sets x 12 reps

Glute kickbacks: 4 sets x 20 reps

Standing calf raises: 3 sets x 20 reps

Calf press on leg press machine*: 3 sets x 12 reps

Squats: 3 sets x 15-20 reps

Cool down 5-10 minutes on preferred cardio machine.

👐🏼💦 Friday - Upper Body & Cardio 👐🏼💦

Low intensity cardio: 30+ minutes

Chest press: 3 sets x 12 reps

Standing barbell shoulder press: 3 sets x 12 reps

Dumbbell bicep curl*: 3 sets x 12 reps

Side lateral raises: 3 sets x 12 reps

Tricep dips*: 3 sets x 12 reps (Also the Arm Extension machine)

Push ups: 3 sets x 10 reps (increase reps as strength builds)

Battle ropes (if available): 3 sets of varying moves x 1 min with 30 sec rest

Cool down 5-10 minutes on preferred cardio machine.

I hope this helps! And again, please cater this to meet your needs. Cut down the sets or reps to fit the time you have. Let me know what works best for you at the gym! What are some resources you use when you want to mix things up in your routine? How do you stay motivated?

Here's to health! 💕