Lovin The Gym Life

Friday, September 27, 2013

Last week at the gym Bryson asked if I would do the treadmill with him for my warm up. The first thing that ran through my head was, "Ugh. Not the treadmill. I can't run more than 10-15 seconds and I always feel so pathetic." Seriously ladies, I get so down on myself about running. I could never go over a 4.5 and if I did I could only do it for a minute and I'd be so done. But for the sake of fairness, Bryson did a mile on the stairclimber with me the day before (ok so he did two and I did one but he gave me some pre workout that hurt my heart!) I told him I'd do it with him but I'd need him to push me. 

We got on the devil machines and surprisingly my knees, hips and feet weren't hurting! I've had previous surgeries and running is miserable on them. So I immediately pushed it up to 5 to get my heart rate up and it felt amazing! I had always heard you could enjoy running but I never ever believed it. After Bryson almost falling off the machine and me getting my arm stuck my headphones and yanking them out of my ears I looked down and it'd been 6 minutes! At a 5! I was on an automatic setting so the incline was going up at down and while it was lower I felt the urge to go to a 6! BOOM! A 6 at an incline 6! I felt crazy good about myself only to look at the heart rate and see it was at 190! Yes, I was panting like a dog but I felt so good I didn't even care! The last minute I sprinted at a 6.5 and by the end my legs were starting to go all crazy so that was it for my "crazy" running for the day and I honestly, don't think me feeling so amazing had anything to do with being able to run. It more was a assurance that even though I haven't been feeling any progress or haven't been able to see it I'm more in shape now than I was in high school. 

Ladies, I'm here to tell you as an anti runner that it's the little things that make it all worth it. Yes, those squats suck, no, you don't want to go to the gym and yea, ok, that second cookie looks like it would be the bomb.com (and I'm sure it would be) but that feeling I had the other day and the confidence I have felt since makes almost puking at the gym every time totally worth it. 





A lot of people have been asking for my routine so I did my best to take pictures and I'll do my best to explain but if you have a question feel free to ask and I'll be back to you asap :) On the top of the picture I'll explain what I do and on the bottom I'll explain how to get situated on the machine.

I always, always, always start out with cardio. It gets my heart rate up and it's easier for me to keep it up the rest of the time.

I either do the stairclimber on the Fat Burner setting at a level 10 for 10 minutes (it ends up being 50 floors and 1 mile) OR I do the treadmill for 10 minutes starting at a 5 and working my way up to a 6.5.
 




Next I head over to this nifty little contraption and I bring my legs out straight up (horizontal to the ground) and then all the way down without putting my feet down. I do this 15 times then set my feet back on the stand and break for 5-10 seconds. The next set of 15 I bring my knees up to my chest the all the way back down again (again without touching the stand) 15 times. Do 2 sets of the last one for 3 sets total. This works the lower abs or "pooch" (I also feel it on my thighs) 
(Face outwards with back on the red backrest and place arms on the red arm rests, grasping the black handles) 


Next find yourself a nifty contraption like this and lay on it. Yup, lay on it grab the black handle above your head and, keeping your legs straight, lift them up as high as you can (your back should even come off the bench a bit), then lower your legs down until they are about an inch from the bench without touching it. Do this 15 times and that is one set. Do 3 sets. This works your full abs and thighs. 
(Lay on your back and scoot up until you're holding onto the black handle above your head and your arms are bent, they should never be straight or feel like you're "hanging". Looking at the ceiling bring your feet towards your hands) 


Next I'll head over and grab a 10 lb weight (I started out with a 5 lb and I recommend starting here) 

After I have the weights I'll go to this machine and get on it on my side (face a wall, not the ground) and with the weight in you hand you'll bend down, touch the weight to the ground and then lift yourself up far as you can using your abs. Do this 20 times FACING EACH SIDE and that is 1 set. Do three sets. Rest after each set for 5-10 seconds. This works your back love handles. (Note: leave your arm hanging the whole time so you're using your back love handles to lift the extra 5 lbs, it makes a difference!) 

Then you'll face the ground and hug the weight to your chest. Bend over at the waist and lift yourself up until your back is bending. Do 15 times and that is 1 set. Do three sets. Rest after each set for 5-10 seconds. 

(Rest your feet on the black stand. The machine should be at hip height. Either rest your hip in the indention for the side or your hips comfortable on the pad when you're leaning over. You will not be holding onto anything.) 


Oh, the mat. We'll be spending some time here. We'll do a series of workouts for one set and will do 3 sets.



i: Donkey Kicks and Fire Hydrants. 
For this we'll do 15 fire hydrants and donkey kicks per leg without resting in between and without touching your knee to the ground during. (It'll be the start position then fire hydrant, start, donkey kick, start, repeat- that's 1) (start, fire hydrant, start, donkey kick, start, repeat -that's 2) This works your butt and thighs. It also works my baby arms :)



ii: Do 30-50 Bicycle Crunches 

When I did a class a teacher told us that you should never be bending your arms in to reach your knee and that makes a HUGE difference. The reason your elbow and knee should touch should be from the lift and twist of your waist. The top picture is a traditional bicycle crunch and the bottom is a modified version but I recommend trying the top one. This works your abs, thighs and neck.



iii: Flip over and do plank for 30-45 seconds. Booty down and abs tight ladies! This works your full abs


iv: Side Planks for 20-30 seconds per side. There are lots of ways to do these and they are pretty difficult at first but quickly get easier. Make sure you're lifting your hips and waist off the ground as far as you can. I'm on the third one right now. This exercise will work your love handles.





How awesome would it be to be able to do this?!



v: After these you'll immediately go into a hip bridge for a full minute! No cheating! You can do it I promise! Work on bringing your fingers closer and closer to your heels. You'll feel this in your booty and a stretch in your thighs. 


So all of this, i- v was ONE set and you'll need to complete 3. The second time is the easiest because your muscles will be all warmed up. If it's hard it means it's working! 

After I complete my mat circuit I head over to weight to do minimal arms because I normally feel like puking after my ab and mat work. 
(Note: I do not do a lot of arms because I personally do not want big shoulders and ripped arms. If you would like that add more weight to the workout and comment for some more arm workouts and I'd be more than happy to give them to you.) 


I do three exercises 10 times each- one set, and I do three sets. I grab the 5 lb weights because I'm a little baby but like I said if you're wanting bigger arms grab the heavier ones. 

i: The first arm exercise I do is 10 side arm raises....(shoulders) 


 ii: Immediately go into 10 bicep curls... (biceps, obviously) 


iii: Lastly I do 10 triceps dumbbell extensions. Keep your elbows close to your face when you're doing this, don't let them go out, keep them tight. (triceps, again, obviously) 


That whole series was one set. Do three sets. 


Next I'll lay on one of these facing the ceiling with m feet on the ground and press my arms toward the ceiling then let them go out (towards the ground like a cross) until I feel a stretch then bring it back up towards the ceiling. I do 1 set of 30. 


Then I swing my legs up onto one of these on the second to highest setting....


First I'll lean back and twist side to side, using my ab muscles 30 times then immediately I'll start 10 sit-ups. That is one set, do three sets (are you seeing a pattern yet haha) 


Last but not least I'll do squats with a 20 lb fixed barbell. 
 I like the wiggly one but get whatever one feels right to you. 

I do 10 squats for one set and I do three sets. These are still really hard for me and my first time they took me awhile to get through and I stopped...a lot. But don't give up! This is how you get rid of the mom butt, ass to grass, ladies! Get your booty down as far as it will go! (Remember to not let your knees go over your toes, lean back a little the further you go down to avoid stress on your knees.) 



And that's it! When I first did this it took me over an hour to do but now I can get it done in 45 minutes and have time to relax in the sauna. It's going to be hard because it's supposed to be hard. PUSH YOURSELF! I feel like puking every. single. time. and if I don't then I up it the next day. You might feel sick after but drink some water and take a break in the sauna to give your muscles a rest and make sure you come back the next couple days it will help with being sore. I do not rest in-between exercises and if I see someone I know I keep talking to a minimum. When I hustle in between the machines I burn around 500 calories and my heart rate stays from 150-190. I recommend getting a polar watch to monitor your heart rate and see how many calories you're really burning. I have the ft4 and I love it! 

If you have any questions let me know and please remember I am not a doctor or a physical trainer. I do not recommend starting any fitness program without contacting a physician first. If something doesn't feel right it probably isn't do not be afraid to ask someone that works there or even another person working out, I'm sure they'd love to help you!


*Update/ December 2013- After a couple months I started working one muscle group a day Money-Biceps/Triceps Tuesday- Back Wednesday- Shoulders Thursday- Legs Friday- Abs then an outdoor activity on Saturday. I have had a ton of progression and have WAY upped my weights (squats I do 50 lbs 5 sets of 10) and haven't gotten bulky and just feel strong! If enough people are interested I'll post my new workout schedule :) 

16 comments:

chrissydoucet said...

I found you from your comment on McKinli's blog! I love the clean look of your blog and this gym routine. I have a 10 month old and am slowly trying to get my body in shape again.i am about 6 lbs away so I can use all the inspiration and motivation I can get. :)

Chrissycdoucet.blogspot.com

Aspen Kelty Marie said...

Awesome! It's so hard to get your body back post baby. I am still 15-20 lbs away from where I would like to be, I'm hoping I'll be down at least 10-15 by January (we're going on a trip and that's what I ordered the clothes for haha This is the routine that I started with and moved on to a fitness competition training regimen about a month ago :) You can do it!

iheartkarma said...

This is so great! Thank you so much for posting this! I just joined a gym and was terrified that I wouldn't know what to do when I get there! I'm going to keep this on my phone so I can refer to it if I ever get stuck thinking "What do I do next?" Thank you thank you thank you!!!

Aspen Kelty Marie said...

So glad it helped! It was an awesome starter program for me. I did it for months without ever hitting a plateau

Anonymous said...

Have you posted your new workout schedule anywhere? I would really like to see it.

Aspen Kelty Marie said...

Not yet, I'll definitely have to do that soon!

Unknown said...

I'm going to have to put this in to my phone so I can try it at the gym. Whenever I'm not working out with my boyfriend I'm at a loss of what to do. Not to mention I'm a little intimidated, but I really like the sound of all of this and really look forward to trying it!

Unknown said...

How often do you complete this routine?

Aspen Kelty Marie said...

This is a very old routine for me. I used to use it 5 days a week with great results, I so a lot different stuff nowadays :)

Aspen Kelty Marie said...

Yay! Let me know how it works for you!

Anonymous said...

Can you post an updated gym routine since it sounds like you've chamged it up a bit? :)

Anonymous said...

I would love to see your new routine!!

Anonymous said...

How long did you do this routine before you moved on to muscle groups? I was going to the gym with my hubby and he just told me what to do but I'm starting to go on my own but I have no idea how to set up and use the machines! I am definitely going to try this!

Anonymous said...

You all should know that lifting weights as a women DOES NOT make you have "big shoulders or big arms" The heavier the weight you can lift, the more muscle you are building. The more muscle mass you have the more fat your body is burning 24/7 (even when you are not working out) This will lead you to obtain that lean, toned figure that we all want. It is a misconception that women will get bulky if we lift weights. This is not true at all, simply because we just don't have enough testosterone to get bulky like guys do! So get out there and lift, ladies!!

Lauren said...

GREAT workout! So glad you incorporate weights! Hate to admit I've turned to cardio completely via dynamic exercises... Very inspired to work out that turkey now :)

Vanessa Hall said...

You should totally post your new routine!! Going to start this one in 2 days, thank you!!

 
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