Happy hump day! This week is flying by. I had a less than stellar sleep on Sunday night so I felt like I was always a step behind on Monday. Thankfully I’ve been sleeping great since then. Having a restless night always reminds me how important it is to get enough quality sleep.
Before I get to all the details of the full body gym workout that I’m sharing today, I wanted to mention my workout yesterday.
Tuesday’s Workout
Since I’m still dealing with a sore knee I decided to dial it back even more yesterday and just do 20 minutes on the elliptical. I still want to be working out – it’s such a big stress reliever for me and besides that, it just feels good to move and sweat – so I’m trying my best to avoid giving up cardio all together while my knee gets better.
I spent 20 minutes doing steady state cardio on the elliptical before I moved to the track to walk for my cool down. On the bright side, it was really nice to be done so quickly. I was in and out of the gym in about 40 minutes.
Full Body Gym Workout
I realized that a lot of my workouts don’t take advantage of equipment found at the gym, so I wanted to make this week’s workout very specific to machines that people typically don’t have at home.
You’ll work your whole body in the full body workout. If you’re looking for a specific workout, you can find it over on my workout page. I have the workout organized so it’s really easy to find exactly what you want.
You’ll do 12 reps of each exercise for 4 sets, resting for 2 minutes between sets. Once you’ve completed 4 sets of the first exercise, move into the next one. I’ve alternated upper and lower body exercises so you can give the muscles a bit of an extended rest.
For weight, use something that is challenging, but you can still do every single rep (even the last one of the last set) with perfect form. If you need to move to a lower weight part way through, do it. It’s not worth compromising your form. Below the graphic I’ve written descriptions of the exercises in this workout just in case you need a refresher.
Dumbbell lunges
Stand with feet hip width apart and a dumbbell in each hand. Step forward with one foot so that the forward leg’s thigh is parallel to the ground, and the back leg’s shin is parallel to the ground. The back knee shouldn’t touch the floor. Use your quads and glutes to step the front foot back towards your back foot and end by standing straight up with feet hip width apart again. For the second lunge step forward with the other foot.
Bench press
With a pair of dumbbells sit on a bench, and slowly lay down. Bring the dumbbells straight over your shoulders with your arms extended. Slowly bring them down to your torso and then up back to the starting position.
Dumbbell squats
With feet hip width apart and dumbbells in your hands at your sides, use the glutes to lower your hips back and down while bending at the knees and ankles. Once you’ve reached the lowest position you can without leaning forward too much or letting the knees collapse in, return to a standing position, again using your glutes to propel yourself.
Row machine
Sit at a cable row machine with your feet centered on the foot platform and sitting on the bench so that you have a slight bend in your knees. Lean forward to grasp the handles of the cable and lean back to a standard sitting position. Start with your arms extended, and slowly bring them towards your abdomen, using your back muscles. Once your elbows have reached 90 degrees, extend your arms back out.
Leg press
Sit down in the leg press machine. Place your feet hip width’s apart so that your knees are over top of your toes. Release the safety and push your feet away from your body using your glutes and quads. Once your legs are fully extended, slowly bring your feet back towards yourself, once again using your leg muscles to stay in control of the speed. Repeat. At the end of the set rest the platform on the safety again.
Lat pulldown
Sitting at a lat pulldown, adjust the leg pads to make sure it’s at the appropriate height. Stand up to grasp the bar with both hands and then sit back down, sliding your legs under the leg pads. Start with your arms fully extended and leaning back just slightly. Bring your hands down to your collar bone slowly and then extend them back out to the starting position.
What’s your favorite machine to use at the gym?
I always like the leg press – mostly because it makes me feel strong because I can add more weight to it than any other upper body machines I use.
Always check with your doctor before beginning to workout. Modify this workout as needed for you.