If you told high school me that going to the gym has become one of our favorite hobbies, she probably would have laughed in your face. Before my freshman year, I would always dread doing any type of exercise which was ironic since I had been a competitive dancer since I was able to walk; however, everything changed during my freshman year of college.
As a beginner, I had all the worried thoughts that every first time gym girl does. I was worried how silly I was going to look and scared of other people judging me; especially those hard core gym rats, but then I quickly realized that in reality everyone really is just focusing on their own selves.
I was also worried about not knowing what routines to do when going to the gym. I had no clue what the gym lingo was. It was all new to me. However, as my dedication to the gym increased I did pick up a few workouts that worked for me as a beginner.
I developed a simple workout split that helped me see improvement mentally and physically. I decided to split my workout to having Mondays and Wednesdays a fun lower body workout. I would switch between doing glutes and hammies to quads, and calves depending on the week.
On glutes and hammie days I would stick to four easy and effective exercises.
- Romanian Deadlifts (RDLS) 4 sets of 12 reps
- Leg extensions 4 sets of 12 reps
- Bulgarian split squats 3 sets of 8
- Hip Thrusts 4 sets of 12
On my quad and calves days I would focus on these exercises.
- Goblet squats 4 sets of 12
- Leg press 4 sets of 12
- Leg extensions 4 sets of 12
- Calf raises 4 sets of 12
Additionally, every Tuesday and Thursday I would focus on the upper body. Similarly to lower body days, I would switch between focusing one day on back and bi or tri, shoulder, and chest.
On my back and bi days I would focus on these exercises.
- Lat pulled down 4 sets of 12
- Seated cable row 4 sets of 12
- Bent over rolls 4 sets of 12
- Hammer curls 4 sets of 8
- Bicep curl 4 sets of 6-8
- Waiter curls 4 sets of 6-8
On my tri, shoulder, and chest days I loved doing the following exercises
- Shoulder press 4 sets of 8-10
- Military press 4 sets of 8-10
- Lateral raises 4 sets of 8-10
- Cable tricep extensions 4 sets of 12
- Straight bar cable push down 4 sets of 8
- Single arm tricep push down 4 sets of 8
- Chest flys 4 sets of 8-10
And on my Fridays, I usually would dedicate this day to cardio. I would like to change it up sometimes and do some 20 minutes on the stairmaster or walk on an incline for 30 minutes. Lastly, on the weekends I would use these days to let my body relax and recharge.
I love using my workout routine to this day. It has really helped me see the most affective results overall as a person.