Workout with Me 1: My Week in Exercise

Week 1: April 13th-19th

Wow, how many bandwagons can I hop on before I pull a muscle? Stick with us and you'll find out.

So I was a little hesitant to post any workout related content for lots of reasons. First of all, because I don't want to be that bitch. Second of all, I don't want to instill any pressure or create the idea that you have to workout during this time, because I can completely understand that it's incredibly hard to find motivation to do anything whatsoever in these fucked up times (this is my new favourite way of saying unprecedented). But, here I am anyways. The reason I've decided to do this is because a) somebody asked me to and b) if you're anything like me, I need a routine in order to be productive. So if anyone has been wanting to start working out, whether to chase a goal or just stay healthy, but has been struggling to find motivation, hopefully this helps.

My weekly structure changes from week to week, and sometimes I'll make adjustments from day to day based on a couple of factors, which everyone should be considering:

a) How well I've slept: if I feel too tired or not well rested, I may choose to avoid exercising that day, because I'd rather have a fulfilling session than a half-assed one which will leave me feeling unaccomplished.

b) What I've got going on throughout the week: sometimes even activities like grocery shopping are so mentally exhausting that I can't really get myself to do anything else that day.

c) How sore I am: I remember reading somewhere last year that exercising an area when it's sore actually brings no benefits. To be honest, I don't know if this is true, but if I feel like I've strained myself too much I may choose to give it a rest. For example, if my calves or shins are feeling sore after running, I may avoid to run the next day and stretch instead, because if I get injured now I know I won't be able to get treatment.

and of course anything personal to you can be considered.

Something I want to say is that if you are at the beginning of your 'fitness journey' I kind of recommend taking it easy. I don't mean to sound condescending or like I'm some sort of expert, because I'm not. But it's taken me about a year and a half to reach a level of stamina / motivation to allow me to push through a multilayered routine. On some days I'm more tired than others, and I find it hard to push through the entire thing, and I just think it's better to have a shorter workout where you give your fullest than a long one where you're struggling to finish.

Also, because this is my first post, I will kind of go through the structure of each thing I do, explaining in as much detail as possible, because it's the structure I keep for the majority of my workouts. So once this is out of the way, it'll just be a matter of sharing exercises and pairings. Finally, these are all tailored so that you can do them at home / in an open space. Use a chair instead of a gym bench, use household items if you don't have weights or dumbbells, and if you're not able to go outside and don't feel comfortable causing too much commotion or jumping indoors, just do the movements without the jump. Just getting your body moving is enough!

Okay, so without further ado, here's my week in workouts:

Monday

1. 2.5km run to warm up So my usual runs are 6km. But because I wanted to fit in a HIIT (high intensity interval training) component into my workout, I didn't want to overdo the cardio. I did 2.5km just to get my body moving, sweating and warm. Do this at whatever pace is good for you, but try to keep it steady throughout. Run statistics: 2.58km distance 14:44 time 5'43" min/km pace 167 kcal 127m elevation gain

2. 12 minute HIIT workout (35 seconds work, 25 seconds rest) Just to clarify, in case anyone's new to HIIT (god I want to punch myself); basically the idea is you push yourself as hard as you can for a shorter amount of time. So in this case, you do each exercise as hard as possible for 35 seconds, then rest for 25 seconds, then do the next one for 35, etc. These are the exercises I did: Side lunge + elbow to knee, left side (35 seconds) 25 seconds rest Side lunge + elbow to knee, right side (35 seconds) 25 seconds rest Mountain climber + plank walk, 4:1 (35 seconds) 25 seconds rest Alternating floor touches (35 seconds) 25 seconds rest Burpees (35 seconds) 25 seconds rest Single leg tuck (35 seconds) 25 seconds rest
   

Then you repeat everything once more, which should total to 12 minutes. There is no extra break between the two sets, you just gotta push through and remind yourself that there's only another 6 minutes to go.

3. Abs Okay so the structure of this part may be a little confusing, but I'll try my best. Basically you have 2 sets of 4 exercises. You do set 1 for 7 minutes, rest for 1 minute, do set 2 for 7 minutes, rest 1 minute, do set 1 again for 7 minutes, rest 1 minute, and then do set 2 again. Because these are under a 7 minute timer, if you finish early, you just keep going until the 7 minutes are up. This may mean that you do a set 2-3 times within the 7 minutes. So it goes a little like this:

Circuit 1 & 3 (7 minutes)

Bent leg jackknife - 20x (I did this with a 2.5kg weight)

Mountain climber - 20x side

X Plank - 16x

Raised leg sit up and clap - 15x

Circuit 2 & 4 (7 minutes)

Plank - 30 seconds

Straight leg raise and hip lift - 15x

Burpee and plank walk - 10x

Toe tap - 20x (I did this with a 1.25 kg weight)

The weights aren't necessary here, if you've got them and feel like using them, then go for it. Also, with these exercises, try to push yourself as hard as you can, but also go at your own pace. You don't need to try and complete as many 'laps' as possible before the 7 minute timer runs out. Make sure you're focusing on correct form and breathing, as opposed to speed.

Stretching!!

I used to put off stretching quite a lot, but now that I have time I make sure to do it before and after every work out. Also, make sure you're never beginning a workout without giving your muscles a little stretch and jiggle, to avoid soreness and injury.

Tuesday

1. 6km run As I mentioned, this is the usual length of my runs. The reason I like to do a run, as well as a focused workout is because personally it makes me feel like I'm working my body more and I like combining long distance cardio with body-weight training. Once again, go at your own pace, my runs usually range between 5.35-6 minutes per km (most often around 5.50 minutes). When I first started running longer distances, my pace was well over 6 minutes/km, and then it went down to roughly 5.20min/km, and now it's back up. It's all about what your body has strength for, and I've also started smoking a lot more since I first started running, so there's that. Just make sure you're keeping a roughly steady pace throughout, and you're good. Don't strain your cardio-vascular muscles too much. Run statistics: 6.20 km distance 37:08 time 5'58" mins/km pace 397 kcal 354m elevation gain
   

2. Legs This has the same structure as my ab workout from Monday; two circuits, which you alternate and do for 7 minutes each, with a 1 minute break in between. 4 circuits, around 28-32 minutes total. Circuit 1 & 3 (7 minutes) Knee up - 10x side Skipping - 50x (I don't have a jumprope, so I'm just miming, but it's mostly all the same) Squat - 15x (I did this with a 2.5kg weight) Reverse lunge - 10x side

Circuit 2 & 4 (7 minutes) X jump - 10x side Burpee - 10x Step up - 10x side (I did this with a 1.25kg weight in each hand) Squat thruster - 12x (I did this with a 2.5kg weight in each hand)

Just want to emphasise, that doing either one of these things (run or concentrated workout) on its own is enough! Don't push your body's limits, especially early on. Do whatever you feel is right for you. And don't forget to stretch. I usually spend about 5-10 minutes really stretching my hamstrings before I run, to avoid calf and shin cramps which I get quite a lot, and then around 5-10 minutes after. Do each stretch for 20-30 seconds, and don't bounce; go as far as you can, and after a little try to push a bit further if your muscles are looser.

Wednesday

1. Yoga (Yin for Hamstrings) 15 minutes, 6 poses Bound angle - 1 minute Half pigeon (right side) - 4 minutes Half pigeon (left side) - 4 minutes Reclining hand to big toe (right side) - 2 minutes Reclining hand to big toe (left side) - 2 minutes Corpse - 1 minute
   

2. Arms & Abs This once again follows the same structure as seen before: 2 circuits which you alternate and do for 7 minutes each (with a 1 minute break in between): 4 circuits, around 28-32 minutes total. Circuit 1 & 3 Bent over row - 15 reps (overhand grip, 2.5kg weights) Mountain climber - 15 reps per side Squat and press - 15 reps (I did this with 2.5 kg weights) Heel tap - 15 reps per side
   

Circuit 2 & 4 Tricep dip - 12 reps Leg pull in - 15 reps Lay down push up - 10 reps Bicycle crunch - 15 reps per side

Thursday

1. 6km run I did a single part workout just to keep myself active, but also give myself a break. I find that if I try to do a multilayered one every day, it's hard to keep motivated and you may find yourself burning out. So in comparison to other days, 'only' going on a run feels like a day off. Run statistics: 6.25km distance 38:00 time 6'04" mins/km pace 401 kcal 264m elevation gain

Friday

1. 6km run Run statistics: 6.45km distance 37:53 time 5'52" mins/km pace 417 kcal 173m elevation gain
   

2. Full body workout

Once again, this follows the 4 circuits, 7 minute structure.

Circuit 1 & 3:

Single arm squat and press - 10 reps per side (I used a 2.5kg weight)

Knee-Up - 10 reps per side

Ab bikes - 15 reps per side

Rebound lunge - 10 reps per side

Circuit 2 & 4:

Burpee - 10 reps

Leg pull in - 15 reps

Step up - 10 reps per side

Push up - 12 reps

Saturday

1. 4km run Run statistics: 4.26km distance 24:44 time 5'48" mins/km pace 275 kcal 216m elevation gain
   

2. HIIT Criss-cross squat jumps Overhead jack to jumping jack Butterfly sit-up punches Tuck jump to high kick reaches

4 rounds, 4 exercises: 35 seconds work, 25 second rest 16 minutes total

3. Full Body Rehabilitation with foam roller: Glutes - 30 seconds per side Tensor Fasciae Latae - 30 seconds per side Calves - 30 seconds per side Hamstrings - 30 seconds per side Traps - 40 seconds Lower back - 60 seconds Leg Swings - 8 reps per side Stretches (do whatever you feel needs stretching; hold each stretch for at least 20 seconds)

Sunday

Rest day!