Below you will find a glimpse into my workouts from last week. It was a fairly regular week of workouts around here, as I try to make it to the gym during the week but almost always take the weekends completely off from any kind of “formal” fitness other than chasing after the boys or walking Sadie. Last week’s workouts were also fairly focused on strength training which, as I mentioned in my fitness post last week, is where I tend to put my time and energy these days.
If you have questions about any of the exercises mentioned in the graphics below, definitely let me know and I’ll try to provide more detail in the comments section. And now let’s get to it!
Week of Workouts: January 2020
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Monday: Group Power Class
Longtime blog readers know I will always have an intense love for BodyPump in my heart! I am a member of Burn Boot Camp and our local YMCA and unfortunately neither offer access to BodyPump, however, the YMCA has a Group Power class in their programming that shares a similar format. It’s a barbell-based strength class that dedicates one song to each major muscle group so the BodyPump feel is there. (Note: I still much prefer BodyPump as I find it more challenging and really love the energy and music selection in BodyPump classes.) Group Power fits the bill for me when I want to change things up and I attended a class on Monday morning. I haven’t been to Group Power in quite a while so I loved that everything felt new and the class passed by fast. I took it very light during the upper body tracks since I knew I had an upper body workout on the agenda for Tuesday but it was still a good workout and a fun one, too!
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Tuesday: Upper Body Workout
Upper body day at Burn Boot Camp! Always my favorite! This workout was a partner superset workout I went through with my friend Lauren and it had my arms on fire. One person was responsible for completing the first exercise with the designated number of reps listed while the other partner completed the second exercise. The partners switched exercises after the first partner completed their reps. We went through each superset as many times as possible in six minutes. For the finisher, we alternated the two triceps exercises for three total rounds.
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Wednesday: Lower Body Workout
I love a good BBC whiteboard workout and this one was no exception. I was also sore for DAYS after this beast! My hamstrings were on fire thanks to the deadlifts and slider exercises. Phew! To complete this workout, we went through each of the three triple sets at our own pace for seven minutes before moving onto the next one.
I also wanted to provide more detail about a few of the exercises since I know they might be a little confusing. 1.) To complete the Raise-Raise-Abduction exercise, first put a mini-band above your knees and then lie down in a bridge position. Raise your hips up and down for 20 reps. Then raise them up at a very fast pace for 20 additional reps. For the final 20 reps, press your legs out and away from your body for the final 20 reps. 2.) This video provides a great demo of what to do for the Full Wide Sliders. 3.) You may see a demo of the pick-ups in this Leg Burner Workout post. Definitely let me know if any of the other exercises are unclear!
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Thursday: Cardio + Burst Workout
I almost didn’t make it to the gym on Thursday because of some commitments I had at Chase’s school in the morning but I wore my workout gear just in case things wrapped up early and I had time to squeeze in a quick Burn Boot Camp workout before preschool pickup. Fortunately everything aligned and I made my way to the noon class. I am such a morning workout person however something about Thursday’s class seemed to give me the boost of energy I needed to get through the afternoon. I’m not saying I’ll be switching to lunchtime workouts all the time, but I did notice a higher level of energy during my usual afternoon slump time of 2-4 p.m. which was a nice little surprise!
Anyway, back to the workout! It was a cardio + burst workout which is never my favorite but this was not too bad! It was fast paced and even though the stations were 90 seconds which I typically detest (I’m all about 60 seconds or less), the format of the workout split up the more redundant exercises with some interesting ones so I never got bored. I’ll take it!
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Friday: Total Body Strength Workout
For a strength workout, this little gem sure did feel like cardio at times! I think anytime compound exercises are involved in a workout, I feel my heart rate climb quickly and that was certainly the case with Friday’s workout. I think all of the exercises above are fairly straight forward (and tutorials can easily be found on YouTube if you’re unfamiliar with any of them), however the kettlebell push is a little unusual. The floor at Burn Boot Camp is springy and feels almost like a super-thin felt carpet so we are able to get into a bear-crawl position and push super heavy kettlebells across the room. It’s an exercise that lights my quads on fire every time!
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Saturday + Sunday: Rest Days
As usual, Saturday and Sunday were both complete rest days from the gym!
Week of Workouts: January 2020
What did your workout routine look like last week?
What was your favorite workout of the week last week?
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I teach Group Power! I took Body Pump and then Group Power when our gym switched for years and then they were short an instructor so I agreed to get certified. I love it (obviously ;)) I like how Group Power incorporates so many functional movements and it’s always switching things up!