A typical week for me
A typical seven-day workout routine for me would involve four days of exercising and three days of recovery. I usually do one to four sets of various abdominal exercises such as sit-ups, crunches, leg lifts and reverse crunches before going to the gym. While I am at the gym I may mix in some abdominal exercise with my regular workout routine using the gym facilities’ ab equipments or just doing leg raises on a flat bench.
My workout routine usually takes the following format:
Warm-up before starting resistance exercises
Seven (7) minutes of warm-up by walking at a moderate speed on the treadmill. Most health clubs will have several types of cardio machines. Some of the more common ones are the stationary bike, treadmill and the glider or cross trainer. I usually choose the treadmill for my warm-up out of habit but any equipment will do. You might even wish to do light rope skipping or running in place.
At this stage of my work I keep it light and easy. After my resistance exercises I will then do a more intense cardio workout. Although I prefer to use the treadmill, it’s best to use low impact machines such as the bicycle and cross trainer when doing cardio, whether for warm-ups or a more intense routine. This puts less stress on the joints (ankles, knees and hips), especially if you are heavy.
After my warm-up, I do the static stretching discussed in an earlier post; doing very light stretches to the muscle I will be working that particular session while putting more emphasis on the body part I will not be working. So if I am working chest, for example, I will do a light chest stretch and put more emphasis on legs or back. My rule of thumb as far as stretching goes is to do it before, during and after my workout.
While working a particular muscle, it is best not to stretch that muscle after each repetition, since this can weaken them and might lead to injury. You can stretch them after you have finished the exercise.
Stretches should take no more than 5 – 8 minutes. I then begin my exercises, starting with lighter weights and incrementally increasing from there.
Day One
– I exercise two body parts each time I go to the gym. The first day I exercise my chest and do bicep curls.
After I have completed my exercise routines I will do 30-40 minutes of my favorite cardio exercise. I change my cardio routines occasionally however as mentioned earlier my preference is the treadmill. At this point however, any machine will do so long as you can complete interval training with it.
Doing different cardio routines alleviates boredom which can hinder progress. Also the muscles get use to a particular motion and I find the change makes the routine more interesting and I am able to keep up the intensity throughout the exercise.
Day two
– Same as day one but emphasizing a different muscle group e.g. legs and back.
Day three is usually a rest day to give the muscles time to recover.
Day four
– Same as day one but again stressing a different muscle group e.g. shoulders and triceps.
Day five
– Same as day one, however I will do one or two exercises from each of the previous days using lighter weights. By doing this I get more definition or cuts as they say in the gym.
Day six and seven are rest days.
Be sure to eat five small nourishing meals each day. This speeds up your metabolism and keeps you from eating junk.
To a healthier you,
Owen Lecky
