So almost a year and half ago I started to change up my workout routine to include more weight lifting. Why? Well I noticed that I was hitting a plateau with my cardio workout and noticed there was not much change happening because my body was to accustomed to the workouts I was putting it through.
I came across quite a few articles on health sites which got me thinking. For quite some time I was doing my workout in an incorrect order, was always doing my cardio work first and then going into a little bit of weightlifting but was fatiguing myself quickly and not getting good results. I quickly got educated through reading material that mentioned to do weightlifting first and then proceed into cardio because there would be an after-burn effect where I would be continuously burning calories at a rest state but also had more energy to expel at that point in time. Whereas with cardio you are burning calories but only within the time period you are doing the work but to which the burn comes to a halt when you are no longer working out. Also in doing cardio last you also target the visceral “brown fat” that is hard to get rid of.
So figured tweaking my workout for about 3 months would not hurt and see if I would notice any changes, sure enough I began to. There was noticeable definition in my arms and other areas but also how much stronger I felt. Below I itemize what my workout consists of now –
MTS Chest Press | 4 reps of 12 | 20-30 lbs
Seated Row Machine | 3 reps of 15 | 90 lbs
Lat Pull Down | 3 reps of 10 | 90-100 lbs
Chest Press | 3 reps of 12 | 50 lbs
(Chest Fly | 3 reps of 10 | 60-70 lbs | Reverse Chest Fly | 3 reps of 10 | 50-60 lbs) 2 rounds
MTS Shoulder Press | 4 reps of 10 | 35-40 lbs
…move straight into cardio
MTS Row | 3 rep of 15 | 50 lbs
MTS Front Pulldown | 3 reps of 15 | 55-60 lbs
MTS Chest Press | 4 reps of 12 | 20-30 lbs
MTS Shoulder Press | 3 reps of 10 | 35-40 lbs
(Chest Fly | 3 reps of 10 | 60-70 lbs | Reverse Chest Fly | 3 reps of 10 | 50-60 lbs)
Tricep Pushdown | 3 reps of 12 | 35 -40 lbs
Low Row (Dual Pulley) | 3 reps of 15-20 | 85 lbs
Single Hand Low Row (Dual Pulley) | 3 reps of 7 | 25 lbs
Lat Pulldown (wide grip) | 3 reps of 15 | 85 lbs
Lat Pulldown (close grip/underhand) | 3 reps of 15 | 55 lbs
Kneeling One Arm Side Pulley | 3 reps of 12 | 15 lbs (2x both sides)
Kneeling One Arm Tricep Extension | 3 reps of 15 | 15 lbs (2x both sides)
External Rotation with Cable | 3 reps of 12 | 10 lbs (2x both sides)
Standing Low-Pulley Deltoid Raise | 3 reps of 12 | 10-15 labs (2x both sides)
Front Cable Raise | 3 reps of 12 | 10lbs (2x both sides)
Standing Cable Wood Chop | 3 reps of 15 | 35 lbs (2x both sides)
Standing Cable Lift | 3 reps of 15 | 20 lbs (2x both sides)
Standing Cable Russian Twists | 3 reps of 12 | 30 lbs (2x both sides)
Standing Cable Face Pull | 3 reps of 12 | 35 lbs
Kneeling High Pulley Row | 3 reps of 12 | 145 lbs
Kneeling Oblique Cable Crunch | 3 reps of 15 | 145 lbs
This section changes week to week. Will usually have 3 different moves to cycle through twice.
Straight Deadlifts | 4 reps of 10 | 60 lb barbell
Good Mornings | 4 reps of 10 | 30-40 lbs barbell
…move straight into cardio
Front Lateral Raises | 3 reps of 10 | 10 lb barbell
Upright Barbell Row | 3 rep of 10 | 30 lb barbell
Standing Overhead Barbell Triceps | 3 rep of 10 | 30 lb barbell
Skull Crusher Tricep Extension | 3 rep of 10 | 30 lb barbell
Straight Deadlifts | 4 reps of 10 | 60 lb barbell
Good Mornings | 4 reps of 10 | 30-40 lbs barbell
…move straight into cardio
| 45 min on treadmill 5 min warm-up walk (speed 4.2 / incline 3.5) 15 min interval (speed 5.7 / incline 3.5)
10 min (speed 4.2 / incline 10-12) |
45 minute on treadmill (alternative) 5 min warm-up walk (speed 4.2 / incline 3.5) 30 min interval (speed 5.4 / incline 3.5)
10 min (speed 4.2 / incline 10-12) |
| 45 min on arc trainer 35 min – machine “weight loss” HIIT workout
10 min – machine “cardio” workout
|
30 min on arc trainer (alternative) 18 incline / 54-57 weight resistance No change here, steady throughout |
| COOL DOWN 6 min – treadmill (speed 1.7 / incline 6.5)
Machines (60lbs resistance) AB ROUTINE (2 reps) |
COOL DOWN (alternative) 12 min – treadmill (speed 1.7 / incline 6.5)
AB ROUTINE (2 reps) |
…go right into stretching for 10-15 mins, not much has changed since my last blog entry which can be found, here.
Here are just a few folks I follow on Instagram for inspiration and ideas:
- @jillianmichaels
- @alexia_clark
- @kayla_itsines
- @justtrain
- @brooklynhillfit
- @smith.julian
- @jimstoppani
- @kaisafit
- @sarah_bowmar
- @hiitburn
- @ashley.horner
- @hannaheden_fitness
- @laceystonefitness
- @getfitwithgiddy
- @marisainda
This is my first blog entry that provides back-story to my weight loss –
https://www.amygrogan.com/blog/health-fitness/my-weight-loss-journey/
For my weight loss the lowest I came in at was 145 lbs. on record with all the cardio work. However I now level out at 154 lbs. Overall I am still the same size in clothing but don’t ever let the scale fool you! I gained added muscle mass in my arms, back and legs.
Just as a side note: Used to use to for a period of time XTENDs Sugar Free BCAA’s because of how long my workouts were for. My use of it was due to a catabolic state I was going through where my body was going after my muscle resources I was trying to build when I was hitting cardio. Had to come off of the product when I got diagnosed with “Silent Acid Reflux” this past year. Most of the ingredients it had within it are acidic properties for flavoring that would trigger my LPR. So to compensate for this change, prior to my workouts I would eat a pretty balanced high protein/carb meal and a high protein meal with after my workout to make sure I was getting proper nutrition. If by chance there are any suggestions I am open open to hear about it!