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Sample Weekly Workout Schedule
Having a weekly training schedule organizes training days to ensure that you’re working each muscle group, each skill or whatever your goal is, with enough frequency for results, while also preventing overtraining. If you’re broke or have a limited budget and can’t have a personal trainer write you a routine, I created the below sample weekly schedule for you. In order to make your own custom schedule, you’ll need to consider not just training days, but recovery days. Recovery = growth and progress. Below are general guidelines for muscle recovery. These guidelines can vary based on your goal and skill level. Recovery days needed between workouts (guidelines are based on…
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Lower Body – Adult Gymnastic Strength Routine
Exercise Type: Calisthenics/Gymnastic Strength/Balance Level: Intermediate Goal: Skill development & muscle retention/gain Warm-up 3.5-minute jog around the gym 60 sec – 120 sec of dynamic stretches: alternating lunges; side, front, side, repeat – holding a few seconds in each position Total time: approx. 5 minutes Bosu ball pistol squats 3 sets: 6-10 reps This movement can be performed with one foot on the flat bottom of the bosu or on top, as shown in the video below. Single-leg deck squat w/ jump on a platform 3 sets: 4-6 reps Pisto squat to rear jump on a step 3 sets: 3-5 reps Performed like above but with both legs. (image coming soon) Glute and…
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Memorial Day Workout – Upper Body Adult Gymnastics
Exercise Type: Core/Calisthenics/Gymnastic Strength Level: Beginner to Intermediate Goal: Skill development & muscle retention/gain Warm-up 3.5-minute jog around gym Forward and backward shoulder circles: One set: 20 – 30 circles each way Lightweight, one-arm kettlebell swings: One set: 15 – 20 swings per arm Wrist circles and stretches: Three sets: 20 – 30 circles each way and floor or wall stretches in each direction Total time: approx. 7 minutes Handstands 20 minutes of practice; can include forward rolls, however, the focus is on handstand holds Handstand Eccentric Push-ups (HeSPU) 3 sets to failure or no more than 8 reps each set Muscle-Up Practice on Rings 3 – 4 sets to failure Use…
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4 Rules to Pull-Up Mastery
Mastering pull-ups is difficult for everyone. Some people even have it on their bucket list. That’s a bit dramatic. But I get it. I felt like I was going to pop a blood vessel when learning the movement. While this exercise is difficult for both men and women, women cite more difficulty with it. Part of this might be a general lack of upper body strength in women, but I think the biggest barrier is a lack of dedication to the exercise. Pull-ups just aren’t a standard “women’s exercise.” Many women may want to do the exercise, but after tasting the difficulty of it (as both genders do), they resign to the…
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Updated: 3 Rules to Push-Up Mastery
A proper push-up (knees off the floor) is a basic upper body exercise. But for many, the movement is strenuous and difficult to learn. Women especially often struggle with how taxing the exercise can be. But, believe me, performing a correct, no-knees push-up has nothing to do with gender and everything to do with discipline and dedication. Follow the rules below for progressions from beginner to push-up master, and soon, you’ll be doing advanced push-ups with ease. Rule 1: Get off your knees Doing push-ups on your knees creates an unnatural movement pattern that makes it difficult to transition to proper, off-the-knees push-ups. Get off your knees, tighten your abs,…
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Bosu Pistol Squats
Pistol squats on the floor can take months to master, so take the time to learn that skill before moving on to bosu pistol squats. When you do decide to give bosu pistols a try, be sure to focus on form and execution, not speed. The worst that can happen is that you’ll fall. No big deal. Just get up and try again with as perfect form as possible. Remember to tighten your core to maintain good balance. SylviaAs an athlete for over 17 years and a broke single mom for most of that time, I created this site to aid not only broke single parents to a life of fitness,…
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7 Reasons Why I Don’t Compete
Bodybuilding seems to be gaining in popularity, and many die-hard gym rats train with the ultimate goal of competing. This goal provides purpose and motivation to train hard. But there’s a fraction of fitness enthusiasts who have no intention of competing – at least not in an aesthetics-based competition like bodybuilding. These people don’t care who finds their body to be attractive or not. They push their physical limits for the fun and love of it. They are performance and skill-driven and do not seek recognition and approval from others. I fall into that camp, but I haven’t always. As a fitness newbie, I was sucked into the superficial world of…
