each month, I change up my workouts. I build these workouts based on what I want to focus on and what my body goals are. changing it up is essential for staying consistent with your exercise routine for two main reasons:
1. to avoid mental boredom
we’ve all been there – it’s 4:57pm and tick-tock goes the clock. at 5pm, you’ll have to make the ultimate judgment call: to workout or not to workout. if you had a long day, the last thing you want to do is “go through the motions” on the treadmill or do your same bicep, tricep and ab routine.
in an effort to keep motivated to make it to the gym each day, I switch up my workouts every day – new soreness, new goals to set and new moves to keep your entire body guessing.
2. to avoid a physical boredom (aka plateau)
your body knows when it’s bored. if you go to the gym every day and do the same routine, your body is never going to change – it’ll maintain itself, but it’ll never get bigger, better or stronger. it’s essential to work all your muscle groups and you can’t do that in one workout (well, you can, but you’d be at the gym for a very long time.)
instead, I switch it up to make sure my body is always guessing and also, so my muscles get their rest and rebuild period while I focus on the other parts. whether it’s switching from 15 pound weights to 20s for my dead lifts or doing sprints one day instead of single pace running, I switch it up so that my body changes and never plateaus (which can be discouraging.)
september workout schedule
Monday
: HIIT workout 1
Tuesday: 20 minutes of cardio + HIIT workout 2
Wednesday: HIIT workout 1
Thursday:Â 20 minutes of cardio + HIIT workout 2
Friday:Â HIIT workout 1
Saturday: 9:30am spin class (45 minutes) + a Tone It Up ab workout video
Sunday: just be active! or rest, if I’m tired – listen to your body!
HIIT workout 1
I repeat each set 2-3 times. for 2 times, it takes about 30-35 minutes. for 3 times, it takes about 45-55 minutes, depending on how slow/fast you pace yourself. I work up a serious sweat and don’t allow for much down time (put your phone on airplane mode so you won’t be tempted to read through e-mails, text, or check instagram.)
SET #1
12 curls with 15 pound weights
12 back lifts with 10 pound weights
12 tricep kickbacks with 15 pound weights
12 shoulder presses with 10 pound weights
10 burpees
SET #2
30 seconds mountain climbers
10 squats with 15 pound weights
15 deadlifts with 20 pound weights
45 second plank
2 minutes jump-rope
SET #3
20 ski jumps
20 hip bridges with 20 pound weight
15 squat jacks
30 sonds kettlebell swing squats
1 minute sprint on the treadmill at 8.0
SET #4
15 standing side leg raises with 15 pound weight
30 seconds v-sits
1 overhead tricep extension with 15 pound weight
12 standing rows with 10 pound weights
HIIT workout 2
this usually takes me anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes. same as with HIIT workout 1, repeat 2-3 times.
SET #1
1 minute treadmill lunges
15 pikes
15 donkey kicks with 10 poun weights
15 hydrant kicks
SET#2
15 oblique medicine ball twists
15 squats wit side leg raises
12 barbell curls with 30 pounds
SET #3
12 pushups
45 second plank
12 tricep bench dips
1 box squat jumps (using bench)
printables
