Starting a workout routine can be daunting for those who are starting out on their fitness journey. It can be confusing to figure out which exercise will work out the different muscles. For those who are looking to work out several 3-4 or even 5 times a week, figuring out how many times you should work out your abdomen versus your lower body can be difficult as well.
Finding the right combination, the right amount of sets and repetitions are important to prevent any overuse of the muscles. You also want to make sure you mix cardio with strength training to round out your routine. You can tweak and add other variations of the exercises so you can do them properly while you build up your strength. But to start you can do each exercise in 3 sets but the repetitions will differ from exercise to exercise.
To start off your week, you will be working on your lower body—specifically your legs—and your triceps. One of the common exercises for your legs are squats and backward lunges. You can do bodyweight only or some people will use barbells or dumbbells.
When it comes to your triceps (the muscle running along the back of your upper arm) overhead tricep extensions are the most common exercise to strengthen that muscle along with push-ups. If you can’t do a regular push-up that’s no problem. You can start off doing them on your knees and as you build up more strength you can work on doing regular ones.
12 squats X3
12 push-ups (on the knees) X3
10 triceps dips x3
20 step-ups x3
12 backward lunges (6 each leg) x 3
10 dumbbell overhead tricep extensions x 3
After working up a sweat on Monday, Tuesday is when you will work on your glutes, hamstrings, and biceps. Hammer curls and bicep curls are both keys to strengthening your biceps as there are two different muscles within the bicep. With these exercises, you want to make sure you have the proper form and don’t rush the exercise to make sure you get the most out of it.
Your glutes and hamstrings are also important to strengthen as they have a direct link to preventing lower back pain or even injury. Glute bridges, forward lunges, and deadlifts are great exercises to work those muscles. Just like any other exercise you want to make sure that you are going slow and not rushing the exercise. If you rush any of these exercises you won’t get the most out of the exercise.
Also if you are going to be using weights, you want to make sure you don’t use weights that are too heavy because that will prevent you from using the correct form as well.
12 forward lunges (6 each leg) x3
12 dumbbell hammer curls x3
12 glute bridges x3
12 bicep curls x3
12 dumbbell rows x3
12 stiff leg deadlifts x3
Halfway through the week is a great time to include some cardio. If you haven’t done much cardio but want to start, walking on the treadmill or going for a walk outside for at least 30 minutes is a nice baseline to work your way up from.
If you want to really get your heart rate going when on the treadmill increase the incline and decrease the rate of speed on the treadmill. I put the incline between 6-10 and drop the speed to 2.5-3.0.
Once the cardio is done, this is the day for a belly-busting abdominal workout. Leg raises are a great way to work your lower abdomen, while Russian twists will work your obliques. Lastly, the plank works your entire core but it is key to keep your hips up and your back straight to make sure you get the most out of the exercise.
Cardio Workout:
Walk outside or on the treadmill for 30 minutes, at a brisk pace.
Fat-burning abs workout:
20 Russian twists x3
30-second plank hold x3
20 leg raises x3
Coming into Thursday is when you repeat your routine from Monday. The best way to build up your strength is through repetition and consistency. Doing these exercises only once a week won’t yield the same results as if you do them at least 2 times a week. It’s also important that you do an abdomen routine at least 2-3 times a week. So you can incorporate the abdomen routine on any other day besides Wednesday.
12 squats X3
12 push-ups (on the knees) X3
10 triceps dips x3
20 step-ups x3
12 backward lunges (6 each leg) x 3
10 dumbbell overhead tricep extensions x 3
Friday is when you will repeat your routine from Tuesday. As you get stronger and get familiar with other types of exercises you can switch them out to prevent your progress from plateauing. But the best way to keep consistent with the exercises is to work the same muscles on the same day. This is also a great way to track your progress because the easier the repetitions get, you can increase the weight of the dumbbells, increase the repetitions or switch out the exercises.
12 forward lunges (6 each leg) x3
12 dumbbell hammer curls x3
12 glute bridges x3
12 bicep curls x3
12 dumbbell rows x3
12 stiff leg deadlifts x3
After 5 days straight of working out, it’s important to give your body rest. Saturday and Sunday are days that you give yourself and your body time to relax after working out. This is a great time to take a warm relaxing bath, roll out the lactic acid in your muscles with a styrofoam roller, and make sure you drink plenty of water.
As much as your rest days are important for resetting physically, it’s also important for resetting mentally. It takes a lot of dedication and discipline to stick to an exercise routine week after week and give yourself time to relax and prepare for the upcoming week.
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