I had a busy today on my wellness journey with a walk, a triceps and chest session in the home gym, some self care, some writing, and a date night at home. It was a fun, fulfilling day.
Tag: workout at home
FEATURED WORKOUT
Back Lunge and Step with single hammer curl
Compound exercises are a great way to elevate the heartrate and recruit several muscles simulaneously. This back lunge/single hammer curl combo is sure to ignite your quadriceps, biceps, and glutes — and don’t forget the core, which you need to stabilize.
Major Muscles Include
Quadriceps
Biceps
Glutes
Equipment needed
Dumbell
Home Gym Dreams
A couple weeks ago I decided to try out the gym with my husband, who got a membership. The gym is the closest to us but is still 30 minutes away from our home. I have been craving the equipment of the gym for a long time now, so I gave it a try.
Of course, I loved being at the gym; it always feels like home for me. Looking in the mirror was tough, though, as I could see the wear and tear on my body during the last few months. That middle-aged poundage was apparent to me, and though I know that I am my biggest critic, my daughter recently said, “mom, not to hurt your feelings, but you’ve gained some weight.” Trust a kid for the truth.
The following week I wanted to share my excitement about the gym with my niece, so I texted her to meet me there. We worked out together and it felt really great. I enjoy supporting people in their workouts, and in their wellness journeys in general. When I do that, I feel that I help myself, also.
By the third visit to the gym, I began to feel that familiar longing to have my own space again at home for a gym where I can again record my workouts and also offer at-home sessions. That has been put on the back burner since the summer due to financial challenges. Today, however, we received some money from clients that we had been waiting on for a long time and I thought:
Why not use the surplus of this money to make that dream a reality, finally?
Right?
So today I got to it. I brought up all my previous paperwork from the summer for the home gym space and I got to sorting out items in order of importance. The list is long, as anyone knows who attempts to rennovate a garage space into a gym on a tight budget. I purchased what I could afford and now I am dreaming BIG TIME about this space again.
Here I was in the summer, cleaning it out. Since then, the walls have been washed and the floor has been scrubbed, a window has been repired. I have a lot of work to do to get this space ready.
Fitness Journal | Back & Biceps
Today’s workout focused on back and biceps, with 20 minutes of cardio at the end. Overall, it was a good workout with plenty of variety, using dumbells, resistance bands, a body bar, and a barbell.
Workout of the Day | Incline Push Ups with Side Plank
I love doing push ups on the incline, like using a step. I feel like I can go deeper into the chest and also sustain my movements more slowly. The incline makes the exercise a little bit more accessible for those who often go onto their knees for a push up. It also targets the chest differently, slightly. Adding the side plank at the top of the movement allowed for deeper engagement of the core.
Tips
- Keep the elbows pointed towards the back/side of the room at about a 45 degree angle rather than straight out at the shoulder. This protects the elbow and shoulder and also targets the chest better.
- Leverage your upper body weight toward the front of the motion rather than the back so that your weight is distributed over the work of the exercise.
- Knit the shoulder blades together.
- Keep a straight line from the crown of the head to the ankles.
- Don’t overextend on the plank when you open your arm to the ceiling (like I did in the first execution).
Moon Bodies 