College is a whole new world. There’s more going on, more food to eat, more people to meet and more opportunities to put on a few extra pounds here and there. It’s normal to gain weight your freshman year and it’s something joked about on college campuses across the country. But what happens when you’re a junior and you still haven’t found a way to get rid of that freshman 15?
Let me just say this first, every person is beautiful and amazing in their own way. Your size does not define who you are as an individual. If anyone ever tries to judge you or put you down because of it, they aren’t worth your time. Keep that head up high because you don’t need that kind of negativity in your life.
With that being said, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be healthy and wanting to feel like your best self. When I first came to college I was the heaviest I’d ever been in my 18 years of existence. Even though I’d been an athlete my whole life I didn’t exercise outside of my sport and I definitely wasn’t watching what I was eating. Then when I got to Scranton something happened, instead of gaining weight I started shedding pounds. While all my friends complained about the freshman 15 I was out buying new pants because my old ones were too big.
How did I do this you might be wondering? I played a college sport. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be a college athlete to stay fit. What I’m saying is, for me it was a turning point. College athletics required much more from me than any high school sport I had ever been involved in. I was required to make practice at least five days a week and lift weights on top of it. I had never lifted weights before, it was foreign. But once I started I couldn’t stop.
As I toned my muscles, sculpting and building a more efficient athlete, I started seeing myself in a new light. I felt strong and powerful. That feeling motivated me to continue working out after my season ended. I now knew what it felt like to look in the mirror and be happy with the person staring back at me. Over time I began to develop a really effective gym routine, varying my workouts to focus on certain areas of my body on different days. Each week I would try to learn a few new exercises that I could throw into the workout. Four years later and I’m still adding to my gym routine.
Some important things to remember:
1. It’s not going to happen overnight. Research shows it takes at least 21 days to form a habit. And by “habit” they mean something easy like drinking a glass of water after each meal. Something harder (like forming a workout routine) will most definitely take longer to become a strong habit.
2. Don’t let this discourage you. It’s not meant to be easy. The best things in life usually aren’t. And think about good it will feel when you can look and say, “Damn I did that.”
3. Don’t overdo it. People throw themselves into working out and when they can’t move the next day they don’t go back to the gym for weeks. Your body can only take so much. Start out small and work your way up.
4. Don’t quit. No matter how much it may suck you’ll feel worse quitting than sticking with it.
5. Have fun. It’s meant to be something you enjoy doing. Working out isn’t a chore, it’s a way to relieve stress, get some aggression out or even take your mind of things for a while.
6. My best advice it to set one small goal first. Focus on that and work toward it. Push yourself and you might just be surprised how much you’re capable of. If you’ve never worked out before maybe the goal is getting to the gym once a week and build that up to two times a week, then three times and so on. For anyone who says they have no time to go to the gym there are plenty of ways to work out without having to leave the comfort of your room. Find what works for you and go for it.
And if you really aren’t sure where to start, here’s a simple workout that will get you sweating:
It’s a two-day a week workout. I usually suggest doing Tuesday and Thursday. That way you get a rest day between workouts and don’t have to go to the gym on the weekends.
Day 1: Upper body day & core
Warmup: walk on the treadmill for 10 minutes at a moderate speed
Assisted pull ups: 3 rounds of 3 pullups hold for 5 seconds on #3 (make sure to squeeze core)
3 rounds of rowing:
Round 1 row for 1 min all out, 20 Russian twist
Round 2 row for 45 seconds all out, 20 Russian twists
Round 3 row for 30 seconds all out, 20 Russian twists
TRX bands reverse pushups 3 sets of ten
Within each set grab med ball, sit in front of trampoline, sit up with toss (10)
Ropes: 2 rounds of ropes- 30 seconds each (keep the back straight and sit into a squat)
First 10 seconds- normal
Second 10 seconds- double hand
Last 10 seconds- serpentine/make an s with both hands
Then go to mat:
Grab 5/10 lb weight overhead tricep pulls 10 rep
10 squats holding weight between legs
20 second wall sit holding weight to chest Do this whole set three times through
Core work:
50 crunches on the ball 25- 10 second- 25
Ankle biters/penguins 12(on each side so 24)
Go in to plank position and dip from side to side 12(on each side so 24)
Lie on back and do flutter kick leg raise, drop the legs and repeat 12 Do whole set 3 times
30 second plank
5-10 minutes of stretching
Finish workout- walk 10 minutes on the treadmill (walk 3- jog 4- walk 3)
Day 2: Leg day & core
Warmup: walk on the treadmill at a moderate speed
Sit down on the bench and stand up using one leg, focus on balance and squeezing the leg muscle
10 reps on each leg followed by 30 jumping jacks – do this whole thing 3 times through
Use machine- legs spread open, set weight, push legs in – 12 reps 3 times through
Swap machines – use the one that pushes legs out in a v shape – 12 reps 3 times through
Walk over the calf machine, 5 reps with a 5 second hold on the 5th – 3 times through
Walk to the mat, grab a small medicine ball
Hold the medicine ball out in front of you, pulse down into a squat, come up and turn the right knee dropping it in (highlighting that leg), then come back up, squat normally and do left leg – 12 reps (24 with each side)
6 jump squats – no weight
20 second wall sit holding the med ball THREE ROUNDS THROUGH WHOLE SET
Hold med ball- diagonal back lunges- 10 on each side (so 20) 3 times through
Glute bridges- 10 bridges, hold for 10 seconds on the 10th – 3 times through
Core work:
Bicycle crunches 12 (so 24 with each leg)
10 leg raises into a butt lift
30 flutter kicks (keep legs low) WHOLE SET THREE TIMES THROUGH
Go into a plank position with straight arms, hands on floor- take right knee and pull across body to chest, then left knee to chest – 10 alternating knee pull in plank position
Then still in plank position, take right knee and bring it out to the side of your ride arm (almost like a fire hydrant), then do left knee out past the left arm – 10 alternating knee pull in plank position >DO THESE TWO RIGHT AFTER ONE ANOTHER NO REST- THREE TIMES THROUGH
30 second plank
5-10 minutes of stretching
10 minutes walking/jogging on the treadmill