New Workout Plan...

So I thought I'd take some time to share my new workout plan with you all. Since Matt and I started our healthy lifestyle journey about a year and a half ago, we've cycled through many different workouts. Here's what we did, or at least what I remember doing:

Personal Trainers
We both had one over a period of three months when we first started at the gym, which is part of how the gym became permanent part of our weekly activities.

Men's Health Belly Off- Body Weight
This was a program offered free through Men's Health online that provided 4 days of planned exercises over a week, along with a suggested meal plan. The good part about this plan is you use the weight you are trying to lose to your own benefit. We definitely saw progress with their 8 week plan. The great thing about Belly Off is that it gets your heart rate up throughout the exercises, so you're getting your cardio while completing your strength training.

Men's Health Belly Off-Fully Loaded
This 8 week program required us to begin incorporating weights into our exercises. We were sweating it out during this phase of workouts, and we were able to take it to the next level. Again it's all laid out for you, you just complete it as instructed.

Velocity Training
This was an 8-week program we did after our wedding to get our weight loss kick started again with some muscles building. It was quite the program too, we definitely saw results. And it helped us to make body measurements more of a regular thing too. The tape measure is a much better indicator of progress than the scale.

5x5 Program
This program was centered around getting stronger over a 12 week period. The program was set up with two rotating routines that are made up of 5 exercises to be completed in five sets of five repetitions. Each time you repeat a routine you add weight steadily over time, if you are losing form you hold at the weight until you have mastered the lifts. The workouts were completed Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Men's Health Belly Off- Dumbbell Challenge
I just started this plan on Monday, and I can already feel it. Again Men's Health has set up an 8 week program that lays out your weekly workout for you, all you have to do is complete them. I don't follow the meal plans, but they are provided if you want to make it easy on yourself. I picked this plan because I think it will go well with the half-marathon training. Also, picked it because hotel gyms are not always that best- so as long as they have a few dumbbells then I should be good to go!

Summary
So if you haven't noticed we like to switch things up after each phase, which has worked for us. Since your muscles get use to completing movements after a period of time, it is important to introduce new things and to challenge your muscles. If you wonder why I like to challenge my muscles it is so they will get stronger. Strong muscles help burn fat and calories.

There are also other plan choices, so if you're just starting out don't be scared. Best part is that it is all free. What 'plan' are you following in the gym?

(Note: If you are just starting exercise, please know that I am not an expert. Check with your doctor first.)