Getting Past the Struggle Bus

This is written for the person who has maybe taken some time off from working out... maybe it's been a few months, maybe a year or so, or maybe for the first time as you've just never established that fitness routine you wanted to.

Let's call a spade a spade, getting back into working out suuuucckkkkksssss. I'm sorry- but it's true and I like to be real. You're sore, you have less free time, sometimes it makes you question your skills and abilities, and overall it leaves you feeling wiped out. Sometimes getting back into it (or starting for the first time) can leave you feeling like, "WHY AM I DOING THIS TO MYSELF?!?!?!"

The good news is that the more consistent you stay with it, the quicker all these feelings will fade and will be replaced by those awesome feel good endorphins. Even after your first workout, you may feel a sense of accomplishment and pride. Maybe you didn't lift the weight you wanted, or go as fast as planned... but you DID it and that counts for EVERYTHING. Tapping into this positive mindset is key when trying to remain consistent. Letting yourself get bogged down by not being "where you want to be" is not helpful, and in fact will lower your motivation.

That being said, I get it. There will be days where getting the workout in is going to be rough. There are going to be days you are not going to want to do the work. Motivation is NOT always going to be there. I say this not to be a downer, but to prepare you for the realistic emotions that are to come.

What I can guarantee you is that after you complete your workout on these days, where it's the hardest grind, is going to feel the best. You will feel more accomplished, more pride, and more gratification than on the days where it came easy. You will absolutely feel disappointed in yourself if you skip a workout you know you should be doing, but you will never regret a workout that you DID! I love remembering that as I am dragging my feet into a workout (yes, I have my days too!). Knowing that I'll be even more pleased with myself and I stuck with it on the hard days is a huge reward and something to look forward to. Try and adhere to these mindset tips as much as possible. It WILL help push you through and the longer you remain consistent in something the easier it is to remain committed to it (hello inertia- it's a real thing!).

Now let's talk programming. When getting into a fitness program I recommend not doing more than three days a week of intense work. Doing more than this will likely result in poor recovery and feeling incredibly sore and fatigued (aka you will feel broken). You also want to work within relative intensity. Meaning that you shouldn't just go on IG and copy a workout that you saw someone else do. It might be completely appropriate for you but it might be hugely detrimental. Weights and movements should be scaled for each individual person and when those movements can be performed well with the weight is when you should add intensity.

Working with intensity hurts but yields the best results!

The program that each person wants to follow will also be different depending on their goals. However, something moderate in weight that allows you to still move with intensity (think 7-8 out of 10 on a scale of being uncomfortable in a workout) will generally prime your body for strength, losing fat, and building lean muscle. As a general protocol, I recommend doing two longer workouts like this a week (20ish minutes), and then one shorter one (10ish minutes) with a strength piece added. An optional fourth day would be adding something monostructural, where you maintain a higher heart rate for at least 30 minutes, maximum 50 minutes. Monostructural activities include activities like biking, running, rowing, swimming, jumping rope, etc.

***Here is a sample of what I might prescribe for a first full week of working out:

Monday: 20m AMRAP (As many rounds/reps as possible in 20 minutes)

20 Air squats

15 pushups

10 lunges (total, alternating)

15 burpees

20 situps

Wednesday: Strength and Intensity

For this day, this is assuming you have access to some equipment, in this case a barbell, squat rack, and kettlebell. There are absolutely things that can be subbed out if no equipment is accessible- message me for more info!

Love me some heavy back squats!

Back squat

8-6-4-4-4

Building up to a 4 rep max. Try to increase weight each set. If a rep is failed, return to the previous weight and complete sets. Rest at least 90 seconds between sets, no more than 3 minutes.

Then...

21-15-9 for time:

KB Thrusters

KB swings

Friday: Optional monostructural day, do 40 minutes of sustained cardiovascular activity, your choice of modality. Goal would be to do a different modality each week (ie. If you run this week, next week do something different).

Saturday:

10 rounds for time

100m sprint

50m bear crawl

50m walking lunge

10 leg raises

If you have more specific goals or any injuries or limitations that you are working with, message me and I would be happy to program something specific for you! If you have general mobility and no limitations give this first week a try and let me know how it goes.

***Remember to always listen to your body! If something causes pain do not push through. Also, if you are still considerably sore on a day where you are "supposed" to be training, you should probably skip it. Feel free to reach out to me for guidance in specific scenarios.