Stop Exercising-- Start Training.

It’s January, and a lot of people are probably thinking that they need to start getting to the gym this year. I was in that exact place two years ago. And actually, up until a little less than a year ago, going to the gym meant getting toned, but definitely not buff.

And it’s the same thing every year. Progress is slow. Work/school gets busy. Social life becomes more demanding. As a result, gym life is pushed aside.

Two years ago, I decided that I was going to change for good. I created my health Instagram, (now @happyhealthykaris) to keep me on track to complete “100 days of fitness.” This was a good start, because it started my journey of learning to accept my body and admire the things it could do. I was starting to take care of myself. But all that time, I was merely exercising. 

A semester into college, I was losing my drive and I spent nights hating myself because I had a cookie. My stomach physically retracted if I ate anything not considered healthy because I still considered myself chubby. I always tried to tell myself that food was fuel, and that I needed it, but I didn’t respect myself enough to listen.

You need to run faster. The faster you run, the more calories you’ll burn. And eat less. That’s why you haven’t made any progress.

I was in a constant war with myself, and nobody knew.

Last year, some friends of mine helped me to start weight-training, and that was the day my life changed for good.

I had this Nike shirt that says “Stop Exercising, Start Training.” Up until that point, I had never honestly understood what that meant. All that time, I was only working out to lose some weight, look better, and some added health benefits as an afterthought. That is what I call exercising. Working out became so much more than this to me; it became my way of becoming better, growing, understanding my body, and appreciating it. I was competing against myself to be stronger everyday. This is what I call training.

This is where I found my food freedom: I began to understand that the food I ate was an honest way to give me energy to perform better with each workout and in every class. Based off of the results that I wanted, I needed to adjust my diet accordingly.

Learning to train rather than merely exercise is something I encourage everyone to begin in 2019. It isn’t about how much weight you can lose. Nobody cares more about how you look than yourself. The only person who you need to compete against is yourself from the past. The competition is becoming a better version of yourself everyday.

That being said, I know that starting is the most difficult part. Going to the gym can be intimidating– it may seem like everybody is watching and you don’t want to make a fool out of yourself, but I promise everybody is only looking at themselves. I suggest starting out going with a more experienced friend, and learning the basics so that you can set a good foundation. It also helps in having accountability. If you happen to go by yourself, I know it can be scary asking for help, but do not be scared. Most people will be happy to help you adjust the machine or check your form. I began with learning how to squat, and continued to learn from there– in fact, I am still learning ways to improve my form and technique.

Here is a weekly workout list to start your 2019 on the right foot. Let’s help each other reach our goals. Try to change up your routine every 3-4 weeks to avoid plateauing.

*all of the workouts are adjustable, so feel free to adjust any of them according to your current abilities and/or comfort level. I would also be happy to help if there are any questions.

Monday: legs and abs

Glute activation:

• banded donkey kicks

• Lateral band walk- 2 each way

• Squat to leg raise

• Angled step out

*2×15

• Squats

• Paused squats

*3×5

• Hip thrusts

• Bulgarian split squats

*3×8

• Cable walks

• Rope pull thru

• Kneeling hip thrust

*3×12

• Weighted knee tucks

• V sit plate pass

• Plated side dips

*2×15

Tuesday: chest, tri, shoulders and cardio

Start: Uphill sprints 30 secs walking, 30 secs sprinting

• Bench drop set

• Push ups → explosive → push ups *4,2,4

• Tricep dips

• Single arm rear delt pull (pull)

• Tricep extension

• Face pull

*3×12

• Y raise

• Chest fly

• Tricep kickback

*3×12

Wednesday: Back, bi and abs

• Pull-ups / assisted pull-ups

*3×5

• Barbell rows

• Bicep curls

• Lat pulldown

*3×10

• Underhand grip row

• Underhand curl and stretch

• Straight arm pull down

• Seated wide rows

*3×12

• Oblique leg raises

• Plate figure 8

• Cable rope crunches (left/mid/right) 12 total

*2×15

Thursday: HIIT / Legs

CIRCUIT ONE

• Kneel to box jump

• Burpee push up (roll → burpee → push up → roll)

• Overhead plate lunges

*3×12

CIRCUIT TWO

• Alternating lunges to squat

• Explosive jump and medicine ball slams

• Shoulder taps

*3×12

CIRCUIT THREE

• Ab bicycles

• Kettlebell swings

• Finish off with sprint 30 seconds on and off

*3×15

Friday: back and bi and abs

• Rope bicep curl

• Barbell rows

• Dumbbell rows

• Straight arm pull down

• Single arm lat pulldown

• Landmine rows

• Bosu ball jackhammer 30 seconds

• Bosu ball side plank 30 seconds

NO REST, repeat after minute of rest 2x