Now that hot girl summer has crawled back into her cave and we are on the brink of freezing my yabos off winter, the constant pressure of a bikini-ready body has been decreased. I am someone that hated the gym with an absolute passion because I felt 1. completely vulnerable by the leaches eyes and by leaches I mean the men that thrive on making women feel uncomfortable. And 2. I never knew how to create a complete workout routine and because of this, I would then decide to instead work out at home. This lead to a marathon of Gilmore Girls and eating my weight in sour straws.
How To Get Started
The best way I found in creating a workout system that is consistent but also effective is to dial in on why you want to work out in the first place. Are you hoping to lose weight? (Not that you need to change the way you are right now, you perfect bean you). Are you wanting to build upper or lower body strength? Increase your endurance? Or maybe you just want to feel more energized throughout the day or blow off steam after work in the evening.
Once you have a clear idea of why you want to work out, you can then start creating workouts that target those areas.
set inspirations and frequency
As previously mentioned, creating a workout system that caters to your desired result can be tricky. Here are some inspiration workouts that target a few areas most commonly desired.
- Arms
- Bicep Curl- This can be completed with a dumbbell or free weights (one for each hand). Begin with your hands down by your sides. Lift your weights slowly to shoulder-level while making sure to keep your elbows by your side. Slowly lift back down to the starting position. This is a great exercise that targets the bicep area and I recommend 10 times with two to three sets.
- Overhead Triceps Extension- This targets your triceps and deltoids. For this one you will also be using dumbbells or free weights. Begin standing with your feet about hip-width apart holding a weight in each hand behind your neck. Press both weights together and your elbows and lift upwards. This can seem odd at first but as long as your keep your back straight and weights together, you’re golden. Do 8-12 reps for two or three sets.
- Lower Body- My favorite :p
- Goblet Squat- This is a real booty burner after a while. Begin with your feet hip-distance apart and hold one end of a dumbbell with both of your hands almost in a praying position. Making sure to press firmly on your heels, sit into a squat. Refrain from lifting your heels or toes up and keep your chest lifted and core engaged. Then press your heels into the ground and stand up. Repeat 6-12 reps for two to three sets.
- Glute Bridge- This one is great when needing a breather from an intense workout. Begin on your back with your legs bent. Make sure they are not too far apart and are hip-width. Raise your hips towards the ceiling and then bring them back down. I personally like to do this one for 30 seconds on and ten seconds off three times. *If you want a more challenging version, lift one leg.*
When it comes to the frequency and how long you should be at the gym and how many times you should go, I personally set aside an hour for my sessions. This gives me five minutes to warm up, 40-45 minutes for my workout, and then ten minutes for a cooldown. But, anytime you can give to move your body is enough time.
When should i start
To put it in simpler terms, NOW. If you don’t start now, you are going to continue making excuses for why you should do it later. If you really want to see change, babe you are the only one that can make it happen. But also, do it for you, and please do it safely. The fun part of beginning your fitness journey is to also join in finding your soul. I was able to slowly gain confidence not only in how my appearance was but in what my body could do. The fact that I was able to complete two sets of bicep curls with a ten-pound weight was a small achievement, it was still an achievement. This journey is supposed to be challenging but also rewarding, so enjoy it, babe.
I hope you enjoyed this article and I can’t wait for you to begin your fitness journey!
HCXO