Happy December! Here's a total body workout!

So one of my friends asked me if I could write up a workout for her! I thought, why not post it for everyone else to see too? Here's a total body work out that you can split up on different days for different body parts or can do it all in one day! Make sure you rest and allow your body to recover in between exercises!

Disclaimer: I am not a dietician nor a personal trainer (although I want to be certified soon!) so do these at your own risk and know your limits! Always check with a physician before starting a new workout routine or diet!

If you don't know the exercises just look them up on youtube or just do google search for the name and there should be links
Lower body: 20 x squat - legs hip width distance apart, squat like you are going to sit in chair. make sure knees do not pass the front of your toes! 10 x lunge each leg 20 x plie squat 10 x pile squat one heel raised (repeat this on other heel raised) 20 x deadlift with weight (hamstrings) 20x jump lunge switch (do a lunge and then jump up and switch legs directly into lunge)
donkey kicks - do 16 on each leg, and also add pulses at the top after u have done 16 -- i would do 3 sets of 16

For all of these make sure you have the proper form -- for lunges and squats make sure your knee doesn't extend over your toes - make sure your knee is 90 degree angle with your shin, and your shin must be perpendicular to the floor (correct form is important to reduce impact on knees and prevent yourself from hurting your knees!!)


Upper body: Make sure you don't swing your arms, make sure you use weights that are the correct weight -- not too light but not too heavy. I would avoid 5 lbs and less - our purses weigh more than that, you can certainly lift more than that! I would start with 10 lb weights as a beginner (or even 7.5 lbs). You can work your way up to 15lbs or more as you get stronger! 16x bicep curl 16x hammer curl 16x "Arnolds" - bicep curl with shoulder raise/military press 16x military press 16x lift weights straight up in front of you to shoulder height with straight arms - works your shoulders! 16x tricep dips - just use a coffee table or something elevated! 16x tricep pushup (do as many as you can! these are hard!) 16 x regular pushup - start on ur knees

Back: These you can usually use heavier weights because your back muscles are a lot stronger - I would suggest using at least 10 lbs for this, 12 if you think you can. Usually you can use heavier weights than what you use for bicep curl 16x bent over row (you can pair this with deadlift if you want) 16x single row (bend over with one foot/knee on a bench and just do the row, switch to other hand.

With the lower body exercises you can always add weight to add more resistance and see more results. I saw that when I added weight to my squats (15 lbs in each hand) my glutes shaped up better than without weights! same with the lunges. The more weight you add the more definition you will see in your legs. But all of this comes with time so adding some weight isn't going to make you look like a body builder. Don't be scared to add 10-15 lb weights to any of these exercises!

Diet (by diet I mean what you eat!) is also a big thing, i was working out like crazy and not seeing any results, but once i started counting my calories/watching what i ate, i lost 15 lbs in like 6 months. You must fuel your body since you are working out, and cutting out food isn't going to help you lose weight, it will only make it worse! So make sure you are feeding your body. You can eat the same 2000 calories in healthy foods and you will feel a lot fuller than eating 2000 calories in fast food and other bad things!
In addition, I stopped drinking sugary drinks (this includes lattes! and alcoholic drinks), started eating lots of fruits when I wanted a snack, yogurt, cut out cheese for a while, and I started using Stevia as a sugar substitute (its like splenda but better for you). lots of lean protein, like chicken, salmon, or turkey, with brown rice and veggies are also good!
Good luck and let me know if you have any questions!