Adrianne's Current Workout: Part Four

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Over the past week I’ve written about the chest/shoulder, bicep/back and tricep/forearm exercises I currently perform as part of my weight lifting routine. It’s time for part four—legs! Out of all the exercises I do, legs are definitely the most challenging for me. I feel like I’ve been improving my strength, but I have a long way to get to where I want to be.

Quads rotation

• Squats
• Leg press
• Horizontal leg press
• Squat machine
• Hack squats
• Lunges

Hamstrings

• Hamstring curls
• Hyperextension machine
• Stiff-legged deadlifts

Calves

• Seated calf raises
• Squat machine calf raises
• Horizontal leg press calf extensions

In addition to these exercises, there are a few forms of cardio that I try to do on a regular basis that help work my legs—running, elliptical machine and stair climber. I don’t work out my legs as often as I’d like, but I’m hoping to make this a bigger part of my routine over the next few weeks. 

Share with us—what exercises do you perform to keep your legs in shape? 

Adrianne's Current Workout: Part Three

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Over the past week I’ve written about the chest/shoulder and bicep/back exercises I currently perform as part of my weight lifting routine. This is part three, where I’ll share the exercises I do to work out my triceps and forearms.

Triceps

• Tricep dips (using bodyweight or assisted machine)
• Skull crushers
• Rope cable extension
• Overhead rope cable extension 
• Tricep pushdown
• Dumbbell kickbacks
• Cable one arm tricep extension 
• Push-ups

Forearms

• Dumbbell wrist curls (palms down and palms up)
• Behind the back cable wrist curls (using bar)
• Reverse grip barbell curls

For triceps, I usually do four sets of four different exercises. When I started workout out, triceps is actually the area of my body where I noticed the quickest gains. It’s one of my favorite muscle groups to work. I don’t perform my forearm routine as often as I work out other muscle groups, but it’s still important to do every so often. No one wants big, toned upper arms and scrawny forearms. :)

Stay tuned for part four! 

Adrianne's Current Workout Routine: Part Two

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Last week I wrote about the chest and shoulder exercises I currently perform as part of my weight lifting routine. This is part two, where I’ll share the exercises I do to work out my biceps and back.

Biceps

• Alternating dumbbell bicep curls
• Barbell curl
• Seated bicep preacher curl machine
• Seated incline dumbbell curls
• Rope cable curls
• Cable curls

Back

• Seated row
• Lat pulldowns
• Kneeling row
• Shrugs
• Pull-ups
• Barbell deadlifts

With both of these muscle groups I also do four sets of four different exercises. Also, pull-ups is something you can incorporate before any workout no matter which muscles group(s) you plan to lift.

Where I’ve noticed the biggest gains after upping my strength training game is my biceps. I’ve been able to double the amount of weight I lift and am able to see a lot of definition. I also used to neglect working out my back, but I’m glad it’s now a part of my routine. 

Stay tuned for part three! 

Fitness: Why Rest and Recovery Days are so Important

Even if you're not training for a race it's easy to get obsessed with working out. When you start to see results you want to keep going and it's easy to overdo it. Working out too much does more harm than good for your body. It sounds crazy since exercise is so good for you, but if you workout too much you don't give your body a chance to adjust and repair. Every time we workout our body breaks down our muscles so they get stronger the next time. If you don't incorporate rest days your body can't repair these muscles and instead they become fatigued and overworked, eventually leading to burnout. 

You want to start an exercise program you can maintain for the long term. The moment you stop or lower your activity level, the pounds will start to creep on. Working out 5-7 days a week? That might not be realistic over the long term. Everyone is different but most people do best with 3-5 days a week of activity with active recovery and rest days in between. 

I've found that 4-5 days a week of moderate to intense workouts work best for me and my schedule. I try to do 3-4 days with some form of cardio and 2-3 days of weight training. This combination might not work best for you so play around with numbers and see how your body responds. I need at least two rest days a week to get the most out of my workouts and can't do too much cardio or I'm always hungry and my energy is drained. 

On my rest days I make sure to still move and stretch since I sit at a desk all day for my day job. I'll walk for 30 minutes on the treadmill during lunch or make sure to do some yoga poses when I get home after work. I really try to listen to my body. Somedays I really need to just do nothing and be lazy and that's okay too. You have to treat your body right or overtime you'll completely burn out and have to start from scratch. 

So, as much as you might want to keep going, make sure to take some time off and let your body rest. You'll be doing yourself a ton of good and it will keep you strong in the long term.

How many rest and active recovery days do you schedule each week? What types of workouts do you schedule in your routine? 

Health & Fitness: Strengthening Your Shoulders

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When I go to the gym, my shoulders aren’t one area I tend to spend a lot of time working. I usually focus on doing cardio, abs and weights for my bigger muscle groups like legs, biceps triceps, forearms and back. I occasionally get in some shoulder exercises, but it wasn’t until recently that I realized how weak my shoulders really are. 

A few months ago, I got back into playing volleyball. I’d been on a long hiatus from the sport and decided to jump back in. After a few weeks, I worked out all the kinks that come from being away from a sport. I’m currently playing twice per week for an average of two to three hours per session. It’s a great way to stay in shape – I would much rather be playing a sport than on a treadmill or lifting. The only downside is the shoulder pain I started experiencing from repeatedly serving and hitting the ball. No matter how many stretches and warm-up exercises I did before playing, by the end of the night—and often times before I was done playing—my shoulder would be in pain. 

So I decided I need to focus more attention on strengthening my shoulders so that I wouldn’t continually put myself at risk for injury and have to quit playing volleyball. And when you think about it, strong shoulders are important for everyday activities like household chores and carrying groceries.

Your shoulders are one of those areas of the body you don’t really think about until injury strikes. I’m happy to say that my shoulder has been feeling MUCH better, and it’s all thanks to sticking to a solid shoulder routine. Check out the videos if you want to learn how to do any of the moves.

Weights at the gym (no more than twice per week):

• Military/shoulder press with free weights (two 10- to- 12-pound weights) 
• Lateral raise with free weights (two 5- to 8-pound weights) 
• Front raise with free weights (two 5- to 8-pound weights) 
• Cuff internal and external rotation on cable system (two 10 pound weights) 
• Shrugs with free weights (two 15- to 20-pound weights) 

Resistance band with medium tension at home (daily):

• Front raise 
• Lateral raise 
• Upright row 
• Forward roll 
• Backward roll (I do this one standing up instead.)
• Cuff external rotation 
• Cuff internal rotation 

Much more could be added to this list, but these are the ones I’ve incorporated into my routine for now. I’m sure as my shoulders get stronger, I’ll either bump up the weight or resistance slightly or try out some new exercises. 

Have you ever had to build a workout routine to help yourself recover from an injury?

Why You Should Lift Weights

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Is weight lifting part of your workout routine? If not, it should be. Here are a few reasons why:

You’ll lose fat more quickly: Most people think that cardio is the only way to go when it comes to losing weight. But, that’s not completely true. Cardio can and will definitely help you stay in shape, but if you lift weights, you’ll build muscle. It’s important to build some muscle in your body because it’s been proven that muscle will help your body burn more calories throughout the day.  

It’s good for your bones: If you’re consistent with lifting weights, it’s been shown that it can help you maintain bone mass and in some cases build some bone mass. So important as you get older!

You’ll eat healthier: Okay, so this one isn’t a guarantee. But think about it – if you’re putting in all the effort to lift weights a few times per week, you’ll be more inclined to watch what you eat. You won’t want to squander all that work on junk food. 

It makes you strong: Yes, it’s obvious that the more you train with weights, the more weight you’ll be able to lift. But, your body won’t only be strong when you’re in the gym, your body will be strong for other activities, like housework, shopping or playing sports. Lifting weights helps you become more physically fit, which carries over into other areas of your life.

It helps with flexibility: It’s been said that one of the things that ages people is loss of flexibility. If you lose flexibility, you can’t move as well and you may not be able to enjoy or do everyday activities. Building muscle helps keeps your joints healthy and helps you maintain a good range of motion. Losing muscle is one of the contributing factors to loss of flexibility, arthritis and more.

It can help with stress: Stress is no good for your body – it can have detrimental effects on your blood pressure, heart, happiness and more. Weight lifting can help provide stress relief and have boost your overall mood.

It’s never too late to start a weight lifting routine. You’ll feel stronger, more confident about yourself and be healthier. 

Got a good weight lifting routine? Share it with us!