I had to take some time off from training and exercise due to medical reasons for the last few months. I did exercise when I could and when I felt up to it but it was nothing like my usual training level and nothing on a regular schedule. Instead of worrying about it, I used the opportunity to revise my fitness plan. I made it more streamlined and simpler so when I was ready, it would be easy to get back into it.
I didn’t start over from scratch but I certainly lost some strength and fitness so I went back to basics with a 3 days per week full body strength plan. I have 6 exercises that all use multiple muscle groups so its efficient. I do 2-3 sets of each exercise with 1 minute rest between sets. On the days I lift, I also do 20 minutes of cardio intervals and the days I don’t lift, I do longer cardio (trying to get back to a regular running routine!) and stretching.
Strength Program
- Squats
- Straight leg deadlifts with calve raises
- Overhead dumbbell presses
- Lat pull downs
- Dumbbell chest press
- Medicine ball Russian twists
My cardio intervals rotate between an elliptical machine, a treadmill and outside. After a quick warmup, I do 1 minute fast, 1 minute slow for 15-20 minutes and that’s it!
Happy Exercising!
