So kale chips have still not happened.. :/ Boo..it's been a more busy weekend than I thought it would be and I definitely used today to recover. So instead of talking about kale chips, I want to share my lifting workouts with you!
Personally, I believe that strength training is really important for anybody who is working out! It burns tons of calories, is great for increasing bone strength, and makes you feel great, overall! As a competetive athlete, I can say that my workouts and my competitions completely turned around when I started strength training more regularly. When I first started college track, I hated it because I was a weak little girl. Plus, I was a high jumper and I was afraid that I would bulk up and be unable to jump well. Boy, was I wrong! My last two seasons are when I was able to consistently jump at or above my personal best from high school (which I only did one time in high school anyway). Not only that, but I was long jumping farther (over a foot farther) than my earlier seasons and had the endurance to run a kick ass 800m (kick ass for me, anyway) after completing 6 other events! I have no doubt in my mind that starting to get serious about lifting is what turned my competetive years around.
I know what some ladies out there might be thinking..."I am going to bulk up and look manly!" Not true! Because our hormones are different than men's, it's pretty tough for that to happen. Even if you do gain a little bit of weight (and you might), I have found that I look thinner than I was when I wasn't lifting! Case in point:
As you can see, when I was a sophomore in 2009, I wasn't lifting very much and not lifting smart. The 2012 pic was taken at Nationals this spring after a season of solid lifting. Granted my training varied a bit, as well, but the lifting workouts made me much better prepared to even handle the rest of the workouts. I felt stronger, more confident....overall WAY better!
And even if you only pick up lifting without the intention of lifting heavy--that's fine! You can do lighter weights in more reps to get more of a toning effect.
Anyway, I wanted to share what my lifting workouts will typically look like each week!
Monday, Olympic lifts:
Snatches--6 sets of 4 reps at 60%
Back Squats--4 sets of 6 reps at 75%
Romanian Dead Lifts--4 sets of 6 reps at 75%
Bench Press--4 sets of 6 reps at 75%
Seated Rows--4 sets of 6 reps at 75%
Wednesday, Circuit day:
All 3 sets of 12 reps:
Lunges
PhysioBall Hamstring Curls
Back Extensions
Lat Pull Downs
Underhand Pull ups
Skull Crushers
Calf Raises
Hip Mobility
Friday, Olympic Lifts:
Power Cleans/Hang Cleans--8 set sof 3 reps at 65%
Front Squats--4 sets of 6 reps at 70%
Romanian Dead Lifts--4 sets of 6 reps at 70%
PhysioBall Chest Flies--4 sets of 6 reps at 70%
Incline Bench--4 sets of 6 reps at 70%
Some of the individual lifts will vary from week-to-week, but this is a basic blueprint. Also, keep in mind that you can gradually bumped up the percentages and take off a few reps. When you do this, make sure you focus on staying explosive with the heavier weights.
I believe you can look up form for most of these on YouTube, or if you have any questions, feel free to comment and ask!
Happy lifting!!
Stay fit!
xoxo
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