Taking on the fit life

Since starting my journey into the fit life I have had a wonderful amount of praise and congratulations on how far I have come. I’ve also had lots of questions about how I first started, what exercises I did and what my diet was like.

It’s a new year and the start of new beginnings, I’ve already decided that 2014 is going to be the best year yet, and so to begin it on a high I want to start by giving back to all of you who have helped my on my journey so far and to those of you who have been asking for my initial workout regime.

Please take note: My husband is a personal trainer and tailored this workout and diet specifically to my needs, if you are interested in following the same sort of workout that I do then please do check with your doctor before you undertake any of what I write.

My original workout was based on a 5 day schedule, weight training 4 days a week and 5 days cardio every morning or evening. Yes, it was intense and a total body shock but with focus and determination the progress I made far outweighed the toughness of keeping to the regime.

In this post I am going to give you an example of a basic plan that Craig put together for a client who had limited access to gym equipment and who trained at home, this should be a great start for anyone looking to try weight lifting.

Here is an example of a 5 day workout, 4 days weight training and 5 days cardio. (This guide is based on being at home with a small amount of free weights – clicking on the headings of each exercise will take you to bodybuilding.com and will show you videos on how to complete the exercises correctly).

Day 1 – Monday
AM: Fasted Cardio (first thing in the morning before breakfast)
20 minutes on the cross trainer

PM: Weight training – Lower body

• Dumbbell squats
  Set 1 x 10 reps
  Set 2 x 10 reps
  Set 3 x 10 reps

 

• Dumbbell lunges
  Set 1 x 10 reps
  Set 2 x 10 reps
  Set 3 x 10 reps

 

• Glute kickback
  Set 1 x 10 reps
  Set 2 x 10 reps
  Set 3 x 10 reps

 

• Calf raises
  Set 1 x 10 reps
  Set 2 x 10 reps
  Set 3 x 10 reps

 

• Crunches
  Set 1 x 10 reps
  Set 2 x 10 reps
  Set 3 x 10 reps

 

Day 2 – Tuesday
AM: Fasted Cardio (first thing in the morning before breakfast)
20 minutes on the cross trainer

PM: Weight training – Upper body

• Dumbbell shoulder press
  Set 1 x 10 reps
  Set 2 x 10 reps
  Set 3 x 10 reps

 

• Push ups
  Set 1 x 10 reps
  Set 2 x 10 reps
  Set 3 x 10 reps

 

• Bent over 2 dumbbell row
  Set 1 x 10 reps
  Set 2 x 10 reps
  Set 3 x 10 reps

 

• Dumbbell biceps curl
  Set 1 x 10 reps
  Set 2 x 10 reps
  Set 3 x 10 reps

 

• Dumbbell standing one arm triceps extension
  Set 1 x 10 reps
  Set 2 x 10 reps
  Set 3 x 10 reps

 

Day 3 – Wednesday
AM: Fasted Cardio (first thing in the morning before breakfast)
20 minutes on the cross trainer

 

Day 4 – Thursday
AM: Fasted Cardio (first thing in the morning before breakfast)
20 minutes on the cross trainer

PM: Weight training – Lower body
(The same as above)

 

 Day 5 – Friday
AM: Fasted Cardio (first thing in the morning before breakfast)
20 minutes on the cross trainer

PM: Weight training – Upper body
(The same as above)

 

Now believe it or not, I found that although hard, the workout was actually the easier part, by far the toughest part of my new fit life was the diet…

Here is an example of what I was eating each day throughout the week;

Meal 1: Protein porridge

• 40g oats
• 10g peanut butter
• 1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder

 

Meal 2:  Chicken & Avocado

• 75g cooked chicken
• 1/2 avocado

 

 

 

 

Meal 3: Chicken, veg, nuts

• 75g cooked chicken
• 10g cashew nuts
• steamed broccoli

 

 

Meal 4: Sweet potato & chicken

• 100g sweet potato
• 75g cooked chicken

 

 

 

Meal 5: Cottage cheese

• 100g cottage cheese
• 1/2 scoop plain whey protein
• toffee flavour drops

 

 

 

Before bed: Casein shake

• 200ml cold water
• 20g calcium caseinate (strawberry cream)

 

 

 

Water:
I drink at least 8 bottles of water throughout the day – I’m so used to it now that I really don’t fancy anything else, I love it!

As already mentioned above this really is just a guide to give you an idea on how to get started. I followed my own plan religiously for 6 weeks before Craig changed it up and added different exercises.

The most important things I can say to anyone who is serious about changing their fitness for the better is that I have found it a very long hard road to follow but persevere, push through the hard times, stick to your plan like your life depends on it and you will be so proud of yourself when you do finally achieve your goal.

When you think you’re ready to give up… Remember why you started in the first place.

I really hope this helps those of you who are keen to get into weight lifting, I honestly cannot imagine my life without it now, how many people can say that on a daily basis they get to break personal bests? It’s one of the most satisfying feelings and I want everyone to love weight training as much as I do!

Do remember that change doesn’t happen overnight, I found that it took at least 4 weeks of hard training before I saw any real weight change, so don’t get disheartened – if you need a pick me up or on the flip side, are feeling fantastic then get in touch and tell me how you’re getting on!

If you have any questions or are unsure of anything then please do feel free to contact me, it can sometimes take me a while to reply but rest assured I will respond as soon as I’m able to.

In the next few weeks my husband’s personal training site will be available, for anyone who would like to continue weight training or is interested in having a personal trainer then you can contact him here at Iron Addiction.

Stay focussed, stay strong and I promice you’ll get there – I’m living proof!

Credits: bodybuilding.com / myprotein / instagram