What's My Workout Routine?
This is a question I am asked often... and aside from sharing my workouts intermittently on Instagram or Facebook, I don't think I've ever really shared my specific workout schedule / routine.
And there is reason behind that, much of which is due to my own personal history with fitness. Let me explain...
I've been working out consistently since my senior year in high school. I got 'the bug' to begin working out when I got my driver's license at 16 and started going to our neighborhood YMCA with my best friend, Kristin. Within a year, I guess you could say I became addicted -- but not in an unhealthy way. I loved going to the Y. I loved trying exercises I pulled from fitness magazines (this was well before apps & social media!). I loved the feeling I got post-workout. It was a habit I created... going to the gym... and I carried that habit into college & beyond.
I had always been super-interested in nutrition (maybe you already knew that from my Meet Maggie page), and by combining my 2 interests of fitness + nutrition, my world came together... things really clicked for me... and this is when I KNEW I had to do something with this (not a clue what) for my career when I 'grew up.'
My fitness has evolved over the years -- my interests, modes of exercise, beliefs, experience and expertise have all impacted this 'evolution.' I have typically always been a 'stick in my earbuds & workout on my own' person. Before I started teaching group fitness classes, I was never hugely 'into' them.
Swinging back around to one of the common questions I receive -- "what is your workout routine?"... which is often paired with, "or do teach enough classes that you don't really workout on your own?"
Despite the fact that I didn't get into fitness via group fitness... I certainly have taught my fair share of classes at this point in my life. I first got into teaching group fitness classes at my first 'real job,' post-college, in Indianapolis at a lovely organization called NIFS (The National Institute for Fitness & Sport). I LOVED this job. And this is where I started teaching HIIT, boot camp, TurboKick, core, strength, etc. And I LOVED teaching... which is why I never really stopped. Since that first job, I have expanded my group fitness experience in a dozen ways. But right now, I am not instructing group classes regularly (for several reasons), and have discovered a way that serves MORE people who need & appreciate my instruction... and that is via my 15-minute workout videos I have on Amazon. My answer to this question between 2012-2014 would have been yes, I pretty much only teach classes... because my time was consumed by them and I'd only be putting myself at a risk of injury to do more than that (and to be honest... I'm pretty sure I created some lasting injuries for myself back when I was putting this much stress on my body.... but that's another story).
Why have I taken so long to get to the ANSWER you're looking for?! Well, because it's ever-changing & evolving... and I don't have a particular 'routine' I follow. My workouts vary on a weekly basis, and this week would vary greatly from next week's or that of a month from now. I am so practiced in fitness that I pretty much 'wing' my daily workouts... keeping in mind what my week has been composed of, what my current focus is, how my body feels, etc. Sorry to disappoint... BUT what I will do - is share with you some actual examples of past week's workouts. I [generically] write down my workouts everyday on a calendar that hangs in my bedroom. It's not super-specific, but will say something like "30 minutes TM (b/w 6.0-7.5, 3.75 miles) + 30 minutes Legs" (which means 30 min. on the treadmill between 6.0-7.5mph, totaling 3.75 miles, followed by a 30-min leg workout, which I know means squats, lunges, step-ups, deadlifts, etc... the 'big' leg muscles, versus a 'booty' day, which would focus primarily on the smaller muscles of the glutes & surrounding muscles).
I aim for a balance of cardio, strength, & flexibility each week.
Sometimes, that means I get 20-30 minutes of cardio, followed by 20-30 minutes of strength, focusing on a muscle group or two (i.e. back & triceps // legs // hamstrings & glutes // arms & shoulders // core, etc). I always stretch when I finish, focusing on the muscles that need it most.
Other times, this means I do full body circuits (like my 15-minute videos) to integrate cardio & strength together. I might choose a circuit like squat jumps, push-ups, lat pulldowns and burpees to keep my heart rate up and strengthen my muscles at the same time.
I might also decide to mix my cardio & strength routine together to keep things fresh and monotony at bay. For example, I run for 10 minutes, do 10 minutes of core circuits, and repeat 2 more times for an hour-long workout. Something like this is awesome because you can push hard for 10 minutes at a time, instead of lumping all of your cardio (or strength) together at once. Segmenting your effort allows you to stay more focused.
Sometimes I do videos (not my own... because I couldn't possibly workout listening to myself talk!). Because I'm constantly putting others through workouts, I sometimes like to not have to THINK and just be told what to do. These work their way into my life every few months.
So I decided to randomly take four weeks from the past several months & share those weekly plans with you below. Each week's focus varies & each week I keep things just fresh enough to keep me moving forward (and keep boredom at bay so I *never* stop). You'll notice I like spending time in sweat-mode -- usually 30-60 minutes. This doesn't work for everyone, and it is not required to be fit! So I want to make that VERY clear. I eat a LOT. And choose to spend a decent amount of time sweating. I hope this helps you to motivate, be inspired, and keep working towards your goal (and constantly adjusting it), no matter how close (or far) you are from achieving it.
Week of October 9-15, 2017:
MON: 22 min Treadmill (15minutes: hard run) + 20 min Bike + 15 min Core (out of town - end of vacation) TUE: 35 min "LIVE" bodyweight workout (with my virtual group) + 20 min Arms + Shoulders
WED: 15 min Bike + 30 min Elliptical + 30 min Legs THU: 30 min Treadmill (22 min of running) + 30 min Elliptical
FRI: 30 min Bike + 30 min Full Body
SAT: 15 min Run + 20 min Legs
SUN: Rest day
Week of November 12-19, 2017:
SUN: 45 min PiYo Drench (showing you this extra day because it was what I chose to do this Sunday instead of take a true 'rest' day)
MON: 35 min Core De Force (CDF) Shred 2.0 + 10 min of CDF Power Sculpt (stopped - wasn't feeling it) + 10 min Upper Body circuit (of my own)
TUE: 30 min "LIVE" bodyweight workout (another week with my virtual fitness group) + 10 min Bike
WED: 30 min Treadmill (10 min jog/run + Alt. 1 min walk / 1 min 8.3mph run) + 30 min Back/Triceps/Core
THU: 30 min Elliptical + 30 min Legs
FRI: 45 min CDF Power
SAT: 30-min Full Body
SUN: Rest day
Week of December 17 - 24, 2017:
SUN: Rest day (showing you this day because the following Sunday I decided to workout, and took my rest day on Christmas day)
MON: 15 min Bike + 20 min Elliptical + 30 min Legs
TUE: 30 min Elliptical + 30 min Back & Triceps
WED: 20 min Treadmill (interval run) + 30 min Chest & Core
THU: 20 min Elliptical + 10 min Bike + 10 min Biceps & Shoulders
FRI: 30 min Legs
SAT: 40 min Elliptical + 10 min Core
SUN: 20 min Elliptical + 10 min Core (yes, again)
Week of January 29 - February 4:
MON: 10 min Elliptical + 20 min Shoulders / Legs / Core (4 sets of each)
TUE: 10 min Treadmill (side shuffle) + 10 min Elliptical + 30 min Legs
WED: 20 min Bike + 20 min Elliptical + 20 min Chest / Back
THU: 1 hour Total Body
FRI: 30 min Elliptical + Core
SAT: Rest Day
SUN: 30 min Bodyweight Cardio
I want to close by reiterating that each week varies. Sometimes I have more time, and I use it. Sometimes I need to be speedier, and I make the most of it. Some days I just don't feel like strength training, so I amp up cardio. Some days I don't wanna cardio, so I boost my strength routine. My rules of thumb? Work it all. Stretch it all. Get your heart rate up. And never give up or let myself skip (unless I truly need it), even when there's injury / vacation / time-restraints / etc.
I wish you a wonderfully sweaty & happy week ahead!
Maggie
