My Week in Workouts:

(6:30 AM) 30 Min Light Cardio

Sometimes I like to wake up and do just a quick 30 min elliptical/ stairclimber/ or treadmill jog before meeting my 9 AM client. I’m not always able to execute high-intensity if I workout before hydrating and coffee. But I usually just feel better if I get my blood flowing first thing.

(12:00 PM) Ramona’s Group Fitness Class

One of the benefits of being a personal trainer where I work is getting to jump in on the fitness classes! This class is usually taught by Ramona (and me, when Ramona can’t be there). I know this sounds like a fortune cookie but I really think that in life it’s not so much what you’re doing but about who your doing it with! This is no different, it’s a fun group of people and the team-like chemistry motivates everyone to work harder than they ever would solo. Ramona’s classes are always different and I love going to her class because I get ideas, make them my own, and use for when I teach or train clients.

(9 AM) Spin Class // 60 min

(1:00 PM) Glute & Hamstring Circuit // 45 min

So I didn’t actually know this was going to be a workout. I had asked Bobo, one of the trainers where I work, for specific exercises to target hammies and glutes. He’s been in the business for longer than I’v been alive, and then some. He’s trained countless body builders and girls for bikini competitions, so he really knows his stuff. His workout killed me. I literally felt like such a sorry excuse of a trainer/athlete. I would normally avoid doing a workout of this intensity on the same day  I had done a spin class day… but I took one for the team so that I could learn!  I love getting new ideas for workouts for both my clients and myself!

(8:45 AM) Power Circuit Workout (with my friend Joe) // 50 min

Joe is a resident Physical Therepist. He played football in college. I’ve seen him deadlift 400 lbs, clean a 100 lb dumbell with a single arm, and leap as if he had springs in his legs, over a 30″ box and gracefully land on a single foot. We are opposite in every way in terms of our athletic strengths – but somehow it works.

I’ve learned so much about power and how to execute these types of movements properly. It’s pretty BA. I’ll cover the specifics of the workouts we do together in another post! I love our workouts because they are different than anything else I do. It’s also influenced the way I look at working out in general.

(9 AM) Spin Class // 60 min

I go to a spin class at the Y, taught by Sean Schumacher, and for those of you living in Greenville, SC who haven’t taken her class yet, you must—she’s awesome, and the class is uh-mazing(ly hard). I’m a big fan of the style of Sean’s classes. She teaches to the beat of the music – which is my personal favorite way to spin. Her goal is to give you the workout you want but can’t get on your own. She has a way of really getting in your head and pushes me harder than I could ever push myself. And just when you want to stop she tells you not to change that gear “Don’t you dare”. I usually end the class with a large puddle of sweat underneath my bike (people have actually made comments “Engrid the sweater”). And as a former collegiate athlete, it brings back memories of how hard I would work in practice. Inside I’m literally dying, but I figure if the pregnant lady and old retired guy a few bikes down can do it – so can I!

(11:30 AM) Dynamic Power Circuit Workout (with Joe) // 90 min

This was a killer workout! It involved everything from medicine ball slams, single arm snatches, deadlifts, to suicides. My max heart rate was 181..definitely during the circuit involving the suicide runs. More details on this specific workout coming up!

(3:00 PM) 3-ish mile walk // 75 min

I was pretty tired after my workout with Joe but it was really nice outside especially for February. So I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get outside for a walk with my hubby.

(12 PM)  Ramona’s Group Fitness Class // 45 min

Like I said earlier, Ramona’s classes are literally always different! This class i particular tore up my pecs! We did a serious partner pushup circuit. There was an odd number of people that day so while one person tagged out and ran the stairs, the rest of us were left doing partner push-up with hand slaps. We rotated through until everyone had run the stairs. By the end my sorry excuse of a push-up was recognizable at best! We also did a another fun medicine ball partner circuit. Facing a partner about 6 feet apart (the further you were from your partner the more challenging). One row of people would catch and roll the ball to their partner. The row opposite would squat down to retrieve the rolling med ball and return the ball with a chest pass – this was to be done with speed and agility (think hot potato).  Again seriously long circuit  because – yep you guessed it – there was an odd man out doing decline bench sit-ups. We cycled through until everyone had been the odd man out.

(9 AM) Spin Class // 60 min

Sean brought her A-game to this class. I torched just over 700 calories in that one hour session. But she had my heart rate in and out of anaerobic for the better part of the workout – so I got to reap the benefits of EPOC (Excess Post Oxygen Consumption). Hello elevated metabolism. My usual puddle of sweat on the floor -classy, I know ; )

What type of exercise makes up the majority of your fitness routine??