Running, jumping onto a plyo box, leaping from the box onto a pommel horse with crossbars, dropping down, sprinting to some stall bars, then climbing up and back down. Put some mats behind the horse and underneath the stall bars.
Only thing is, you’ll need at least one more box—maybe set it lengthwise at about three feet high—and some flexibility training. Honestly, it’s a total joke how few kids can actually pull off a split these days.
Look, you aren't the first pregnant woman in space, and honestly, I've never heard of anyone dealing with abdominal muscle deformities because of pregnancy.
Just speaking generally here: stretching helps a ton if your muscles feel uneven or knotty. Basically, hit some stretches for about 20 minutes right after your workout while your muscles are still warm—it can work wonders.
If you're not sure which moves to do, maybe ask someone who does yoga or Tai Chi. Their stretching techniques are way more advanced and higher quality than the basic stuff you see in those random fitness apps.
This is my favorite part... Watching everyone at the gym lugging around stacks of paperwork and looking like they’re about to sit for a fluid mechanics final... 🤣
Your workout should be simple, fun, and low-stress (mentally speaking). Sometimes I even stop counting sets and reps altogether. I just go by feel. Other times, if I'm really not feeling a specific routine, I'll just skip it and do whatever I'm in the mood for that day. Or I'll just throw together a quick circuit...
Fitness isn't nuclear physics! It's basically just a modern version of chopping wood, digging trenches around a castle, or—if you want to get fancy—playing a game of shoulder stones. 😁
goldenfox24 said:Wait, hold up. You mean 12 sets per exercise, or 12 total sets for all the muscles combined??
12 sets per muscle group.
Take chest, for example... bench press for 4 sets of 15 (maybe 10 for the guys), incline bench or dumbbell flies for 4 sets of 10, and then some cable crossovers for 4 sets of 10.
Or back: wide-grip lat pulldowns for 4x10, rows for 4x10, and good old deadlifts for 4x10.
Look... I gotta admit, it’s not always the trainers' fault. Sometimes people just go through the motions like they'd rather be anywhere else...
When you're training for strength, you have to stay locked in on the movement itself. Take the lat pulldown machine, for example. You need to pull that damn bar with actual focus, but you can't just let the weights drop after the contraction—you’ve got to control them on the way down, too.
That goes for pretty much everything in the gym.
Like dumbbell curls... You see these dudes showing up and grinding out curls with 25 or 30-pounders like it's nothing. Then I walk up—carrying about 30 pounds more than them—grab a 15 or 20-pounder (on purpose, obviously), and knock out 10 reps with perfect, intense focus. My arms pump up so hard I can actually feel the pressure in my veins! And those guys? They just stare, totally stunned. 😁
What I'm trying to say is, if you train with real concentration and proper form, results are guaranteed. Meanwhile, you've got people tossing heavy weights around, swinging dumbbells everywhere, and ego-lifting on machines, putting in "effort" but seeing zero progress.
Sandra Clark29 said:As for the gear, he told me to run a couple of sets. So, I do 15 reps at 25 lbs for legs, then jump straight into 15 reps at 25 lbs for arms, and repeat that whole thing once more. Only the back stuff gets 45 lbs.
Okay, honestly? This tells me zero because I have no clue what exercises you're actually hitting. It feels a little weird that you’re using the same weight for legs and arms, though...
I don't know... and I really don't want to be that guy who meddles in someone else's routine. 🤷
🤣 There isn't much of a gap between 9 and 12 sets. Like, what? 10 minutes? (Fair point, maybe I went a little overboard there. But not by much. A standard session runs about 45 to 55 minutes if you're keeping a steady pace.)
Btw, I never suggest girls stick to just 8 reps. They end up having to crank up the weight, and then they start complaining immediately about how hard it is or how they don't want to "bulk up"... 😁
I'm with you on that last part, but you've gotta look at it from a beginner's perspective. They just can't stay focused for 30 or 40 minutes on one machine doing the exact same movement. That only lasts maybe 8 to 10 weeks... beginners need constant engagement. Even if it's less efficient.
Sure, if you’ve got one specific area that needs more work than the rest, you just tweak your routine to give that part a bit more love. What I laid out is just a standard workout meant for an average person, regardless of gender...