Following on from my last post about starting my fitness journey, I thought I would share my current routine with you all and what I enjoy doing when I'm in the gym and when I'm not!
I wont go into what my diet consists of in this post as it may become too long, but if you're interested, leave a comment below and I'll write that up!
First off, I'll start by telling you my gym schedule...I don't have one!
Finding Time
I find, for me, the best way to get myself to the gym is to workout which days I'm more likely to be willing to go, so I figure out my other commitments first. Am I working, socialising, busy or free that day are a few question I ask myself when making my weekly gym schedule.
Once I've got my shift times and social plans written down, I'll schedule in some gym time, usually for 4 sessions/days, and also write down what I'm planning to do in the gym that day. For example if I'm off work I usually do legs and glutes those days, as I have more time, but if I have to work in the afternoon, I may only do cardio for 45 mins or I may even take a rest day depending on how the rest of my week is working out.
Making a schedule is really important for me, some days it is a bit of effort to drag myself to the gym but I know that I enjoy what I do there, so that keeps me going.
Current Routine
I am currently doing the Progress Pure Curve Guide which was created by Progress Pure/Molly and nutritionists/personal trainers from Spinoff London. It's predominantly a weightlifting guide.
So as soon as I get into the gym I jump on the Cross Trainer/Elliptical for around 5-10 minutes just to warm my muscles up and then I'll do some full body stretches to open up my hips and get my joints moving more fluidly.
After this I go to the weights section of the gym (where I still feel very out of place, but just put my head phones in and get on with it!) and work through the curve guide. I'm really enjoying it because where as I am used to doing light weights with a lot of reps, the guide tells your to increase your weight and do less reps. so I increased my bench press from 5kg to 20kg and boy, did I feel that. My biceps, triceps, chest, basically whole upper body, is quite weak, having never joined a gym or trained before January 2016. So this guide is really helping me as a beginner in strength training, with building some upper body strength as well as total body strength!
After the weights I do some HIIT or LISS depending on how I feel for around 20 miuntes. for HIIT I will either use the treadmill, where I will sprint for 30 seconds and then walk at a comfortable pace for 1 minute and continue this for 20 minutes. I sometimes use the stationary bike and increase the tension from easy, comfortable pace to uphill biking or I will do a HIIT Resistance Circuit including exercises such as skipping, burpess etc
If I'm doing LISS (low intensity steady state cardio) I usually use the same machines but just set them at a constant setting, which I know will get my heart rate up but only to where I feel comfortable and I can still prolong the exercise for around 30 minutes - 45 minutes. For example on the bike that would be somewhere inbetween uphill and flat and on the treadmill I increase the incline but keep the pace at a fast walk.
After this I do a 5 minute cool down and stretch, so I just walk or use the Elliptical for 5 minutes then do a full body stretch.
Tips
So, my tops tips for going to the gym, or working out are:
Love Alicia x
Finding Time
I find, for me, the best way to get myself to the gym is to workout which days I'm more likely to be willing to go, so I figure out my other commitments first. Am I working, socialising, busy or free that day are a few question I ask myself when making my weekly gym schedule.
Once I've got my shift times and social plans written down, I'll schedule in some gym time, usually for 4 sessions/days, and also write down what I'm planning to do in the gym that day. For example if I'm off work I usually do legs and glutes those days, as I have more time, but if I have to work in the afternoon, I may only do cardio for 45 mins or I may even take a rest day depending on how the rest of my week is working out.
Making a schedule is really important for me, some days it is a bit of effort to drag myself to the gym but I know that I enjoy what I do there, so that keeps me going.
Current Routine
I am currently doing the Progress Pure Curve Guide which was created by Progress Pure/Molly and nutritionists/personal trainers from Spinoff London. It's predominantly a weightlifting guide.
So as soon as I get into the gym I jump on the Cross Trainer/Elliptical for around 5-10 minutes just to warm my muscles up and then I'll do some full body stretches to open up my hips and get my joints moving more fluidly.
After this I go to the weights section of the gym (where I still feel very out of place, but just put my head phones in and get on with it!) and work through the curve guide. I'm really enjoying it because where as I am used to doing light weights with a lot of reps, the guide tells your to increase your weight and do less reps. so I increased my bench press from 5kg to 20kg and boy, did I feel that. My biceps, triceps, chest, basically whole upper body, is quite weak, having never joined a gym or trained before January 2016. So this guide is really helping me as a beginner in strength training, with building some upper body strength as well as total body strength!
After the weights I do some HIIT or LISS depending on how I feel for around 20 miuntes. for HIIT I will either use the treadmill, where I will sprint for 30 seconds and then walk at a comfortable pace for 1 minute and continue this for 20 minutes. I sometimes use the stationary bike and increase the tension from easy, comfortable pace to uphill biking or I will do a HIIT Resistance Circuit including exercises such as skipping, burpess etc
If I'm doing LISS (low intensity steady state cardio) I usually use the same machines but just set them at a constant setting, which I know will get my heart rate up but only to where I feel comfortable and I can still prolong the exercise for around 30 minutes - 45 minutes. For example on the bike that would be somewhere inbetween uphill and flat and on the treadmill I increase the incline but keep the pace at a fast walk.
After this I do a 5 minute cool down and stretch, so I just walk or use the Elliptical for 5 minutes then do a full body stretch.
Tips
So, my tops tips for going to the gym, or working out are:
- Always pack your bag the night before, if you have an early morning or are having to go to the gym after you've been to work or whatever. It just makes chances of you going 100 times more likely.
- Plan ahead. Know what workout you're doing and when, so you can prepare. If I know I have a heavy workout or a taxing HIIT session to get through, I will make sure I eat enough food before hand and get enough sleep leading up to it.
- If you're a girl, please wear a sports bra, they are SO important. If you have larger boobs, invest in a Shock Absorber, they are insanely good & actually support you, unlike those crappy crop tops that basically do nothing!
- Make a playlist that gets you pumped! I currently listen to Red Hot Chilli Peppers when I workout.
- Find a class, gym, sport you like. I'm not a sports person, but I enjoy weight lifting, So I enjoy body pump classes and going to the gym. Finding what you like is as important as anything else, if not more important.
- Take water with you. I tend to drink an extra litre on gym days to place what I have sweated out, nice.
Love Alicia x
Why not also keep up with me and my blog on social media? Alicia Jade is also active on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bloglovin'
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