Ask Me Monday: Workout Regimen

It’s Monday and I have another post answering a reader question.  A few of you were curious about what I do for working out.  I’m on a pretty consistent routine with workouts currently, but it wasn’t always that way after kids.

As most of you know, I played college soccer at SMU.  It was my job…literally.  I got paid to play, so working out wasn’t really an option.  I woke up every day at 6:30am to eat breakfast and head to the field.  We played on Fridays and Sundays and had Monday off to rest and get any extra treatments.  Soccer is a Fall sport, so during Spring season, we had a little more time off, but not much…a lot of weight lifting and fitness during that time.  Needless to say, I started “working out” at a young age and continued to until I had kids.

After college I worked out some at a gym and also played a little indoor soccer a couple of years after I graduated.  When working out was a choice, it became a lot harder.  Fast forward 4 years later and I got pregnant with Beckham.  I gained 42 pounds, but bounced back pretty quickly (I worked out some during pregnancy).  I played soccer again after I had B, but then got pregnant with Maddox a few months after I joined a team.

I started about 10 pounds heavier with him and had a pretty bad scare at 8 weeks that restricted me from working out for a while.  I was terrified to lift a weight or get my heartbeat up.  I gained a similar amount with him and had a MUCH harder time losing the weight after #2 (I realized how important working out during pregnancy can be for getting back into shape post-pregnancy).

Finally, about a year ago (Maddox was about 1.5), I decided to get back into the gym.  My workout regimen of choice is weight lifting with a little cardio.  Here is my current workout regimen:

Ideally, I’ll hit the gym 4-5 days a week and do weights for about an hour and cardio for about 20 minutes.  I always warm-up with 5-10 minutes of cardio (stair climber or elliptical usually).  I’d actually do more cardio, but I have mom guilt towards the end and go get the kids…which always results by me dragging them out of there because they love it.  I try and go once or twice on weekends when Ryan can watch kids at home so I don’t have to take them…I’ll give B a choice to go or not if I go during Maddox’s nap time.

 

Here is a sample week of workouts for me:

Day 1 – Warm-up + Back and Biceps + Cardio (sample back and bicep routine)

Day 2 – Warm-up + Legs + Cardio (sample leg routine)

Day 3 – Warm-up + Chest and Triceps + Cardio (sample chest and tricep routine)

Day 4 – Warm-up + Shoulders + Cardio (sample shoulder routine)

Day 5 – Warm-up + Legs + Cardio

Day 6 – Rest

Day 7 – Rest

*My rest days are usually spread out between my workout days, but I take those whenever I simply cannot make it to the gym.  I don’t have set days I go, but work it around the kids schedule too.  If I can only go 4 days that week, I’ll do Shoulders and Legs in one day.

*I do ab workouts in between sets of weights.  For example, I’ll do leg lifts (lower abs) on a bench in between every set of bicep curls if that makes sense.  I try and do abs about 2-3 times a week, but honestly, don’t hit those too hard.  Ab workouts don’t do too much if I’m not eating well.  A flat stomach primarily is diet.

Cardio: I love doing a walk/run, but after kids, this workout is extremely difficult for me…I won’t get into details, but ladies, you know what I mean 🙂  My cardio choices are:

1. Treadmill (run/walk or walk up an incline at a speed walk)

2. Stair Climber – This is by far, the hardest machine for me.  I’m dying after 5 minutes.  I like to change it up every 1-2 minutes by climbing up normally, climbing up sideways (both sides), and climbing backwards…and doing a super fast climb.  I’m drenched on this machine and cannot make it past 20 minutes.

3. Elliptical – There are many different versions of this machine.  Post-pregnancies, this is a good workout.  I like a level 10-12.

4. Weight lifting – I actually get a good amount of cardio from weight lifting because I don’t rest often.  I like to super-set exercises, which means I’m constantly working some muscle group, therefore my heart rate is up.  I don’t always do this, but I hate standing around in the gym.

*To avoid boredom, every now and then, I’ll do 4-5 different machines for 5 minutes each.  It makes cardio go by a lot faster.  I burn about 50 calories on each, so that’s 200 calories at the end of a workout.

How to Get Started:

The gym, especially weights, can be intimidating if you’ve never done it before, particularly for women.  I got comfortable with weights in college, but actually learned a ton from my husband.  He would take me around the gym with him and show me what to do.  I still do many of the exercises he taught me.  I also like to learn by watching people.  Sound creepy?  It might be 🙂  In all seriousness, if you’re completely new to the gym, get on the treadmill and watch the trainers with clients.  This will at least give you an idea of how to work a machine or have proper form.  I still get new ideas from people (mostly the typical “gym rats”) all the time.

I follow a lot of fitness women on Instagram, which is how I learn new routines.  I also love YouTube for ideas as well.  I follow this girl on You Tube and Instagram since we are both moms and have similar body types (same height, same post baby weight, thicker thighs).  It’s a good idea to go in with a routine written out or on your phone.  I like to watch a routine, so I know how to do it before I do it at the gym.

All in all, you have to find what works for you and what you ENJOY!

Other tidbits:

-I use workout gloves for arm days, even if lifting light.

-For years I tried alternative workouts (at home, in a group), but they all failed.  I workout best at the gym.

-My favorite workout songs are from Pitbull and Eminem.  (I’m a little embarrassed to admit that, but they really do make me want to move it).

-I take Cellucor C4 Ripped about 20 minutes before the gym (not if just doing cardio, but that’s rare)

-I take Cellucor Alpha Amino Acids during workout (about halfway through I mix it with my water).  Watermelon is my favorite flavor.  I use the Blender Bottle to store this underneath so I can easily add it to my water during workout.  I think you can find these at Target as well.

-I take a scoop of protein powder within 30 minutes after my workout. This is my favorite kind. I simply mix with water.

-I stretch at the end of working out.

-My biggest challenge with my regimen is my diet.  I’m not the best eater, so this takes some major effort for any weight loss.

-I use the Nike Free Run shoes for working out.  I couldn’t find a link for the ones I have, but these are another version.  I got mine at Dick’s Sporting Goods.

-My favorite affordable workout gear is from Target and Walmart (tops mostly).

I hope that answered some questions and gave you a little insight into my workout regimen. Feel free to ask me anything I didn’t cover above.

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