Lerentia Strydom You had enough!!
You can not face the person staring back at you in the mirror. You want to take action, Right there and then. You want to get fit and lean on the spot. You are changing your lifestyle as from now!
But where do you start?
You have all these questions racing through your head. Will I join a gym? Get a personal trainer? Join the local outdoor bootcamp? Crossfit? What about my diet? Will I train in the morning? What if I can’t follow through? I am to scared to join the gym. What about all the fit people at crossfit? How will I fit in? What do I need? Is there an app? I have plenty of magazines, maybe follow one of their programs? Google? Call my fit friend? Wait, my sister is doing kickboxing, maybe I can join her. No, she is to fit……?
These are just a few thoughts to begin with.
My only advice for anyone starting with a fitness journey (you may call it a weight loss journey) is
That It all starts with fitness! You can only focus on one thing at a time, trying to lose weight and get fit at the same time is almost impossible. Yes you can loose weight (4kg in 21 days) and then start with exercising or you can start exercising and when you are in the habit of training (3-5 days per week) you will automatically start eating healthier. You will feel better, sleep better, handle stress better and yes, then you will make better food choices. And then you can start focusing on your diet and still be able to keep on training.
My wish for anyone starting is to get to LOVE exercising. Get to that point where you can not live without it! Where exercising is your number one priority, plan your days and schedule around training.
I believe that some form of exercise is vital to every person and I witness the positive effects of an active lifestyle on an ongoing basis.
Getting people fit and active is what drives me. I love helping people achieve their goals, be it to lose weight or run a 5km, or just to make someone realize they can often still do and become what they did 15 or 20 years ago, and often even more than they ever thought possible. But most importantly my goal is to get people moving because I believe that inactivity is the cause of most health and mental problems today.
So that brings me back to the point where should you start when you want to change your life. When you had enough.
Two things to remember!!
Always have a plan (even if you are advanced) and start slowly! Do not think you can do the same intensity or same weights, or even the same exercises like when you were younger or before your injury or before your pregnancy. Start at your current fitness level and work with a PLAN to your goal.
Also, remember it is a journey…. There is no right or wrong, you are allowed to make changes. If you don’t like anything you are the only one in contol to change it.
If you are a beginner and you have had enough. Here is a sample program to follow for the first 3-4 weeks.
Form is extremely important, especially during the foundation phase. Go lighter if you need to, keep the form perfect.
The aim of this phase is not to take you to complete muscle failure, but rather to get you used to moving heavier weights. This phase will produce many positive neuromuscular adoptions and both your central nervous system and physical muscle will improve. Try and do the movements as controlled as possible.
Keep these thoughts in mind while training.
Always try to engage your core.
Stand well balanced. For most exercises, you must stand strong and remain strong throughout performing the exercise. Stand in a way as if to expect someone is going to push you of your feet and you must brace yourself.
In general, lower the weight slightly slower than lifting(pulling) or pushing it. For example, when doing a shoulder press, take about 2 sec to lower the weight before doing the press in one second. More muscle fibers are recruited this way.
NB! Read notes on how to do specific exercises. Watch the videos.
Week 1 & 2 Repeat the following workouts for 2 weeks:
Day 1
1 A) Goblet Squat x 10
1 B) Inverted row x10
Do A, then B without rest. That is one set. Rest for 1 min. Repeat 2 more times for total of 3 sets. Rest 1-2 min
2 A) KB Swing 10-1 Pyramid (12kg) (KB Swing to just above eye level)
2 B) Push-Up 1-10 Pyramid
Do 10 KB Swings, then 1 Pushup, then 9 KB Swings, then 2 Pushups…and so forth. Rest 15-30 sec between 2A and 2B and after 2B again.
3A) 10 x Lunge and shoulder Press (5kg)
3B) 10 x Upright Row (12kg)
Do 3 sets. Rest 15-30 sec between sets.
Rest 1-2min
4) Single Leg Deadlift– 2 sets of 15 reps. Rest 60-90 sec between set
Rest 1min
5A) Bicep Curls 2×12 (4kg)
5 B) Double hand overhead extension 2×12 (1x8kg)
Day 2
1A) Reverse lunges x 8 each leg (bodyweight)
1B) Upright row x10.
Repeat one more time for a total of 2 sets. Rest 30sec between each set.
2) Kettle bell swing x 8 (Eye level)
Rest 15 sec
Kettle bell swing x8 (Above head)
Rest 1 min
Kettle bell swing x 6-8 (Eye Level)
Rest 1 min-90 sec. Repeat three more times for a total of 4 rounds.
Rest 1-2 min
3A) Alternate Shoulder Press (3×10-12 each arm)
4A) One arm row 3×10-12 each arm
5A) Lateral Raises 2×10
5B) Bicep Curl 2×10
5C) Overhead Extension 2×10
Week 3 & 4 Repeat the following two workouts for two weeks:
Day 1
Four rounds:
- 10x Goblet Squat, 10x Lady’s pushup, 10 x Supine Row, 10 x KB swings
0-15 sec rest between exercises, 0-45 sec rest between sets.
Rest 1-2min
2A) Men’s Pushups 3-5 reps (absolute perfect form). Rest 30 sec
2B) Single leg deadlift 5 reps. As heavy as you can handle for 5 reps with good form. Rest 90sec to 3min.
Repeat 3 more times for a total of 4 sets.
3A) Step-ups with dumbbells 3×10 each leg
Rest 1min between each set.
4A) Plank rows 4×5 reps
5A) Hip Extension x 15 reps. (Focus on engaging the core and glutes. Never relax your abs during the movement, not even at the bottom)
5B) DB Press (Floor press) x 10-12 reps
Do 3 sets.
Day 2
Do 4 rounds:
- 15x Hip Extensions, 10x lady’s pushups
Rest 0-30 sec between rounds
Do the following circuit. Rest only if needed between exercises. Rest 2min after first set. Don’t rush through the sets. Do 5 sets.
- A) 10 x bodyweight squat. Deep and slow.
B) 5x pushups. (Keep your form or switch to ladies)
C) 3x Goblet Squats (The aim is to lift as heavy as possible here)
D) 5x Shoulder Press As heavy as you can handle for 5 reps.
E) 8-10 Single leg deadlift
F) 10x Upright row
Write down your reps and weights used in circuit no2. In week two you must try and do one or two reps more per exercise per circuit.
Please contact me if you need any assitance with this program, even with chosing the right weights.
Good luck and let me know how it goes.
Your journey starts here.
