My Workout Routine

Before you read this, keep in mind that I am not a fitness coach. This is just what I have been doing to get in shape and get stronger.

Here are three principles I follow:

Set goals…realistic ones.
I talk a lot about the importance of having clear goals. If you don’t know where you are going, you won’t know when you get there. This is also important in fitness. I think we tend to set broad goals such as these:
- Get in shapeLose weightGet strongerImprove enduranceImprove mobility
These are great frameworks for goals, and they can always be considered when thinking of fitness as a lifestyle. But I have found that it helps to also set very specific goals with deadlines:
- Work out three times a week for the next six months
- Lose 10 lbs. in three months
- Lift my body weight by the end of the year
- Run a 5k in 30 minutes
- Touch my toes without bending my knees by the end of the month
Be consistent.
The concept of repping is one that should be applied in your workout regimen in the small and the big stuff. In the same way you don’t perform each exercise for one rep and call it quits if you want to see results, you shouldn’t let working out become an isolated, once-in-a-blue-moon event. Make a lifestyle by being consistent week after week and you will see results. Note that your results will come from what you do “most of the time.”
Eat healthy foods…most of the time.
Finally, fuel your body with the right things. There is a lot to be said about nutrition, but this post is not about this. What’s important is that you feed your body healthy foods and meet your required macros. If you don’t know what those are, consult a nutritionist or a fitness coach and they should be able to help.

With these three principles in mind, I have created a workout routine that has cardio and strength training component that fits my schedule at this stage of my life.

Cardio

I don’t like cardio. I find it boring and time-consuming. However, I know that cardio has a lot of health benefits so I try my best to include some cardio every week.

Here are the main ways I add cardio to my life:

Warm-up and Cool Down:
I do light-intensity cardio because and after my lifts. I use the treadmill, elliptical, or Stairmaster for 5-10 minutes 4 times a week.
Lunch Walks:
I started using my lunch hour to sneak in 30 minutes of walking every workday and it has greatly helped me reach my step goals.
Leisure Walks:
I have also started walking around my neighborhood with my sister or my mother in the evening during the week.
Sports:
I love sports and I get most of my cardio from playing Ultimate Frisbee, Pickleball, and Jiu Jutsu. I try to enjoy at least one of the two every week.

My main cardio goal is to improve endurance for the sports I like. I set a step goal and I will continue to increase it until I can consistently hit 10k every day. I plan to start running this summer because that would help me boost my Ultimate performance even more.

Strength Training

I aim to work out every day at various levels of intensity:

4 High Intensity: Lifting Days (Gym)

Monday Back and Shoulders	Tuesday and Friday Legs	Saturday Chest and Arms
Deadlift	Barbell Squat	Bench Press
Row/Lat Pull Down	Bulgarian Split Squat	Triceps Press
Dumbbell Shoulder Press	Leg Curl	Chest Press
Lateral Raise/Frontal Raise	Leg Extension	Overhead Press
		Bicep Curl

Gym Days

3 Moderate Intensity: Sports
Monday: Pickleball
Thursday: Jiu Jutsu
Sunday: Ultimate Frisbee

3 Home Workout days

Wednesday and Sunday Abs and Core	Thursday Glute and Mobility
Side Bend with DB/DB Rotation	Kickback/Clamshell
Overhead Marches with DB/Slow Crunches	Wide Squat Pulses
Bicycle Crunches	Curtsy Lunges with DB
In and Out/Reverse Crunches	Hip Thrust/Single Leg Hip Thrust
Russian Twist/Ab Roller	Glute Bridge

Home W/O Days

Suzie Key Tima