Giving Back to Yourself: Week of Workouts

Sometimes the best way to find the energy to give to those around us is to make sure that our own cup is full.  One way of doing this is to keep your body in good working condition.  Here is a week of workouts to help you do that.

These can be done at home or at the gym, and with or without a little LITTLE company.  

Before all of the weightlifting days, warm up. Do some jumping jacks and some plank hand walk outs (Google "inchworm exercise" for help if you need it).  Do some stretching like rolling on a foam roller and some hip flexor stretches.

Also, some of the exercises below are grouped together ("sets").  Do one then the other without a break.  Take a break if you need it before starting from the top of the set again.  Repeat the set three times through.  You should choose a weight that is hard enough that the last three repetitions are difficult but manageable.  Try for 8-12 reps of each exercise.  If you need a break, try to do it between sets, but by all means, take it when you need it.

If you are unclear about what any of the exercises are, YouTube has an amazing library of videos of people demonstrating these exercises.  You can also use the daily themes as a general guide and do exercises that are more familiar to you.

Above all, have fun!  Remember that you are giving yourself an amazing gift: your health, both mentally and physically.  You are also giving the gift of being a better you to your family.

Monday~Never miss a Monday!:
Upper Body

• band or assisted pull ups- can also substitute laying under the kitchen table and pulling up
• band or assisted dips - can substitute by putting your body between two chairs as your dip station; use your legs as much or as little as necessary to assist

• bench press or chest press or even a floor press- use dumbbells or a barbell
• seated row at the gym (the cable machine) or double bent over row at home- use a dumbbell or barbell (or a weighted bar or sandbag)

• push ups (on your knees is fine- make sure your back stays flat and head is up)
• dumbbell row (back flat, lean over, do one arm at a time)

• cable lat pull down (sub with a pull up at home or TRX row or bar hang)
• cable chest press (angle down~ set the bar higher than your chest)

• cable cross abs high (can sub standing and crossing the body with a band in both hands from high to across the chest- or bicycle sit ups)
• cable straight abs (can sub Pallof press- which is using a band and pressing hands in and out while standing- or sit ups)

• dumbbell shoulder press (keep your shoulders down)
• ab roller (can sub a plank)

Tuesday:
Lower Body~Friends don't let friends skip leg day!

• jump rope/ trx squat and trx lunges at end of warm up (can sub walking lunges)

• deadlift (kettlebell)
• kettlebell swing 
• jump rope
• farmer's carry 

• kettlebell rack squat (or goblet squat, can also use a dumbbell)
• trx pistol squat (or bodyweight squat- go just below 90 degrees)
• front lunge (harder is Bulgarian split squat)

• ball hip bridge (harder is one legged)

• dead bug with ball (the swiss ball here helps remind you to keep the opposite arm and leg up all the time)

Wednesday:
Cardio and Core

• easy cardio 45 min

• swiss ball plank (hands on ball)
• swiss ball saw (hands on ball, roll the ball in and out)

• hold a forearm plank for a minute

Thursday:
Full Body

• Pull ups or TRX rows (try the assisted pull up machine or bands to help if you need them)
• Push ups or TRX push ups (knees are fine, or try elevating your hands)

• Medicine ball slams (overhead to full squat position)
• Squat and press (bodyweight or holding an object like a baby, dumbbell, kettlebell, or two of any of these)- go low and use the momentum to press the weights up high

• Walking lunge holding arms overhead with something in them (kettlebells, dumbbells, or whatever, making sure your arms are straight and by your ears)

• slider side lunge (using Valslides or paper plates or socks or towels- whatever slides)
• slider mountain climbers (play with the pacing and see if you need to be going fast or slow)
• side plank thread the needle (easier is regular side plank and easier than that is one leg bent and the other straight; harder is holding something in the threading hand like a medicine ball)

Friday:
Cardio and Core

• warm up 20 min cardio
• sprints on and off 10 min
• cool down 15 min cardio

• bird dog (opposite hand and foot reach out while on all fours)
• Pilates bicycles
• Russian twist 

Saturday/ Sunday:

• take a long easy walk one day or go to a yoga class 
• make sure to take the other day off

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