Let’s head to my favorite playground – the gym!
Yes, I genuinely describe the gym as an adult playground. It can a great mental and physical outlet, a place where you can block out worries and just use your body. Just put your music on, start moving, and let your worries fade away.
This workout isn’t very complicated, but I promise it’s effective. I recommend you complete this full-body workout 3 times per week and supplement with a few cardio sessions (like my cardio home workout videos).
Instructions
Do 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions (reps) for each exercise. That means that you’ll do one exercise for 12-15 reps, rest for 30-60 seconds, do 12-15 more reps, rest again, and then do the last set of 12-15 reps.
The reason why I’m giving you a range is that you should pick a weight that really challenges you between 12 and 15 reps. If you can only do 11 reps, the weight is too heavy, and if you can easily bang out 15, it is too light.
As always, when you do resistance workouts, please remember that you may see an impact on your insulin sensitivity 24-36 hours after your workout, so be diligent about watching your blood sugars. If you aren’t used to resistance workouts, I really recommend you read my post about how resistance training affects your blood sugar before you do this workout.
Exercises
Smith Machine Squats
1) Set the bar so it’s slightly below your shoulder height and load it with the appropriate weights. Step under the bar and place the back of your shoulders (slightly below the neck) across it.
2) Grip the bar with a grip slightly wider than shoulder width and lift it off the rack by pushing with your legs and at the same time straightening your torso.
3) Stand with your feet at shoulder width apart and the toes slightly pointed out. Keep your head up and maintain a straight back.
4) Slowly lower the bar by bending the knees as you maintain a straight posture with the head up. Continue down until your upper legs are just below parallel to the floor (if you can get that low).
5) Raise the bar pushing through the heel of your foot as you straighten the legs again and go back to the starting position.
Walking Lunges
1) From a standing position, take a step forward with your right leg and lower your body down while keeping the torso upright and maintaining balance. Do not allow your knee to go forward beyond your toes.
2) Push back up using mainly the heel of your foot.
3) Repeat the movement with the other leg and continue until you have performed the desired number of repetitions.
Assisted Dips
1) Load the machine with the desired weight (the more weight, the easier the exercise) and hold yourself up while placing your feet on the movable footplate.
2) Lower yourself slowly with your torso leaning forward and your elbows flared out slightly until you feel a slight stretch in the chest.
3) Once you feel the stretch, use your chest to bring your body back to the starting position.
Seated Rows
1) Sit down, place your feet on the front platform, and grip the handle (the handle can have various shapes but I prefer the V-bar). You knees should be slightly bent and not locked.
2) Keeping the torso stationary at a 90-degree angle to your legs, pull the handles back towards your stomach while keeping the arms close. Focus on squeezing your back muscles and using your arms as little as possible.
3) Slowly extend your arms again while using your back to control the speed.
Hyperextensions
1) Lie down with your upper body on an exercise ball and your feet on the ground.
2) Slowly raise your head and shoulders up by bending at the waist and lifting with your lower back.
3) Hold the contraction on your lower back for a second and lower your torso back down to the starting position.
Shoulder Press
1) Sit on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand (most gyms have special benches for shoulder press).
2) Raise the dumbbells to shoulder height, using your knees to help lift them into position. The palms of your hands should be facing forward.
3) Push the dumbbells upward until they touch at the top. After a brief pause at the top, slowly lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position.
For more workouts you can do in the gym, please see my Workout Video Library
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