From my previous post, I brought up my dilemma (yes, yet again) about being bottom heavy and scrawny above the waist. Implementing a lot of intense cardio into my routine did indeed reduce my lower half, ciao saddlebags, you will not be missed. However, I began to lose too much weight, including from my upper body. All this intense cardio started to give me a lanky look. I do not want to be a skinny mini (insert Seinfeld quote here. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”) but I personally want to achieve a more muscular physique. So before this whole workout thing becomes all pear-shaped, (hee, hee. I’m here all week folks) it was time for a much-needed tweak to my workout. I was feeling discouraged, like I just can’t win with my body type. So, after heeding sound advice from a trainer at my gym, this gal and this guy, I made a few changes that look a little something like this and have me feeling inspired once again.
My PREVIOUS Workout:
Monday
Chest, triceps and shoulders.
Heavy sets of 3 with low reps of 6-8.
30 minutes of sprints and hills on the dreadmill
Tuesday
Legs.
Squats, walking lunges, plié squats, calf raises, quad extensions and hamstring curls.
Light sets of 4 with high reps of 20.
Tabata 30 minutes
Wednesday
Back and shoulders.
Again heavy, heavy, heavy. Low reps
Spin class 45 minutes
Thursday
Rest
Friday
Repeat Monday
HIIt App or Everyday Endurance
Saturday
Rock hard abs class and Zumba fitness for 1 hour.
Sunday
Light jog
Yoga and tai chi/deep stretch
Dayum! That’s a lot of cardio. No wonder I started to look like Victoria Beckham (minus all the Prada.)
My NEW tweaked workout:
Monday
As above
20 minutes max of HIIT or Everyday Endurance
Tuesday
As above- minus the Tabata
Wednesday
Yoga and Tai Chi
Thursday
Rest
Friday
Back and Bicep Blaster
20 minutes of dreadmill drills
Saturday
Rest
Sunday
Core strengthening focus
As you can see, cardio has been reduced and focus is on muscle-building. Also both fitness bloggers above emphasized the importance of fueling the bod with muscle-building nutrition. Six to seven servings of protein per day, good fats and fresh, unprocessed foods. Coming up soon, my progress photos at the end of June. Hopefully with my new “man shoulders” or at least something closer to that, and less like a skinny mini….not that there’s anything wrong with that.
However, look what’s being introduced at my gym. Yikes……
It will be hard to stay away from a whole hour of Insanity. I will give it a try once, but solely for the purposes of blog reporting.
Journey of a Tigress 
Looks like a good plan! You got this!
Thanks. It’s full speed ahead now. As Arnold would say…I’ll be back.
Me likey the tweakies, and thank you so much for the plug! I love that you’re working your shoulders and arms twice per week. I’ve found this is really helpful for building muscle. Also brilliant to double up on the back – not always as obvious, but it will give you the spread that is the hallmark of upper body mass.
Thank you. Yes, I really hope that my back and shoulders develop that broader look.