My Current Workout Routine and What’s Changed Recently
My Current workout routine
and what's changed lately
In the past two weeks, I started working out again after a full month off (my literal nightmare)!
I had injured my low back and right glute and I really thought it would only be a few days off, but things didn’t go as planned. I’m actually not sure I have ever taken that much time off before (and really don’t want to again)! And I definitely feel like I have lost a little bit of muscle and strength during that time. But, after some rest and meds, I’m finally feeling more like myself and back to regular weekly workouts.
This injury kinda opened my eyes a little bit though, and made me realize I may need to change my training slightly to ensure another setback isn’t in the near future. So I thought I would share what I’m doing now and how things have changed a little bit. I know it can be so frustrating to deal with an injury, but it’s important to listen to your body and learn from your past mistakes. One of the best reasons to exercise is for your health, after all!
If I had to guess, I would say that the main reason I ended up with this injury was due to a lack of proper core strength and stability. If you know much about lifting and proper form, you likely already know how important this is. And I think I started to get a little lazy this year with my home workouts (home workouts are perfectly fine, btw). It got pretty easy to skip the warm-ups before my workout and also the stretching and foam rolling afterward. Combined with also shortening (or sometimes skipping, let’s be honest) my core exercises, this was a disaster waiting to happen.
So, now that I am back to feeling like myself, I’m making core strength, flexibility and mobility a key part of my regular routine.
Here’s what my weekly schedule looks like right now:
Monday- Chest/Triceps/Core
Tuesday- Glutes/Hamstrings
Wednesday- Stretching/Mobility
Thursday- Shoulders/Core/HIIT
Friday- Lower Body/Mobility
Saturday- Back/Biceps/Core
Sunday- Rest
For all exercises right now, I’m focusing more on quality over quantity. Especially considering that I have lost a bit of strength, I want to take extra care to focus on good form for each movement and activating my core.
I talked about core stabilization and core muscles a little bit in a previous Instagram story recently. Many people simply think of the rectus abdominis (the ‘six pack’ muscles) when they think of their core, but it is so much more than that. Your core is comprised of lots of stabilizing muscles and also includes the pelvic floor, muscles of the back, internal and external obliques, and the glutes. You should be aiming to activate and strengthen all of these in your workouts throughout the week.
Example Core Workout:
Plank- 3 sets of 30 seconds
Lying leg taps- 3 sets of 10 reps (each leg)
Bodyweight glute bridge- 3 sets of 20 reps
Banded clam shells- 3 sets of 15 reps (each side)
Dead bugs- 3 sets of 15 reps
*You can either do all sets and reps of an exercise before moving onto the next, or perform them in circuits.
I know this workout probably doesn’t seem ‘fancy’ or all that exciting, but the key is to focus on activating your core and creating a mind-muscle connection. It’s a lot harder than it might sound, but if you can do this correctly, it makes each exercise worth so much more. Like I said, my focus now is QUALITY.
Injuries like mine are so easy to prevent with proper form and exercise programming, but it might not be that glamorous. I knew better and I still let these fundamentals slip. If you aren’t already taking care of your core, flexibility and mobility- please start now! You will feel better, gain strength and range of motion in the rest of your workouts, and daily movements will be easier as well.
If this was helpful to you, I would love for you to share and tag me on Instagram or comment on this post! Especially if you try the core workout. I’d love to hear what you think! 🙂