My Workouts

Equipment Needed

         All of these exercises can be one in the gym, however if like me you prefer to do them in the comfort of your own home you will need the following things to complete your workout:

• Dumbbells
• Dumbbell Bench
• Sit-up / Chin-up Bar
• Motivation

         All of these things can be picked up cheaply and in the long run will save you on a gym membership and things like the dumbbells will last you for years as they are near enough indestructible! Motivation is a key thing when working out at home as it is easy just to fob it off by saying to yourself that you will do it later, I have a slot in my calender for every work out and I am to do it in that time, and so far I'm yet to skip a workout that I've booked in!

Every Day

         I start off every morning by doing 1 minute of press-ups followed by 1 minute of sit-ups and finally 1 minute of doing the plank. This helps to be a sort of bench mark to where I am with my fitness, to see if I'm improving or not. It also helps to kick start my metabolism because I'm raising my heart rate on an empty stomach, this will help my breakfast go down better and to help burn off some unwanted fat!

Current Record:

Press-ups: 61

Sit-ups: 50

Individual Days

Sundays

         Depending on the weather I will usually have a small hockey session early in the morning, though as the weather gets colder and the pitches start freezing this has been getting called off quite a lot! Regardless of what the weather is like I will also do a weights session when I get back. In this weights session I target my arms and my shoulders using dumbbells and a dumbbell bench, the work out is as follows:

1. 2 sets of assorted Core exercises (working all of the areas of the abdominals)
2. 3 sets of Shoulder raise (dumbbells)
3. 3 sets on each side of Single lateral Raise (dumbbells)
4. 3 sets of Lying Rear Delt Row (dumbbell)
5. 3 sets of the Triceps Extension (Also known as the Skull Crusher!)
6. 3 sets of the Shoulder Press (dumbbell)
7. 3 sets of Biceps Curls (dumbbell)
8. 3 sets of Wrist Curls (dumbbell)

Mondays

         The only thing I do on a Monday are the exercises that I do when I wake up. It is important to make sure that you have days off so that it allows your muscles to recover and rebuild and so that you can restock your glycogen reserves! I will every now and then do a bit of cardio on a Monday, usually in the form of a short swim as I find its a great way to do a bit of a full body workout while soothing any sore muscles!

Tuesdays

         On Tuesdays I work my chest and my back, and like with my shoulders and arms workout I start off by doing a bit of abdominal work:

1. 2 sets of assorted Core exercises
2. Bench Press (dumbbell)
3. Fly (dumbbell)
4. Pull-up
5. Push-up
6. Pullover (Dumbbell)
7. Decline Bench press (dumbbell)

         As I'm using dumbbells for these workouts there will obviously be a bit of arm work done here, though they mainly effect the triceps. This isn't a problem as they have had a day of rest between workouts so should be OK provided that these workouts doing target them too harshly!

Wednesday

         No weights session today as my upper body needs a bit of a break, I do however have 2.5 - 3 hours of hockey training of the evening, so this will work towards some of my cardiovascular exercise while also working the majority of the muscles in my body! It's important that I warm down well from this session though as I need to be supple for the rest of the week!

Thursday

         Thursday has in my opinion the hardest workout, the lower body. A lot of people tend to avoid working out their legs because 1. It's hard work, 2. The results aren't very noticeable straight away and 3.Its not one of the 'Hollywood muscles' that people focus on. This is why you may notice a lot of weight lifters in the gym will wear jogging bottoms, they are hiding the fact that they have very developed upper bodies and tiny lower bodies making them look ridiculous. I recommend avoiding stairs for about an hour if you try this one:

1. 2 Sets of Core Exercises
2. 3 sets of Forward Lunges (dumbbell)
3. 3 sets of Step Downs
4. 3 sets of Straight leg Deadlifts
5. 3 sets of standing Calf raises
6. 3 sets of side lunges (dumbbell)
7. 3 sets of Squats (dumbell)

Friday

         I have another day of rest on Fridays, this is due to feeling fairly rough after my legs work out and because I have a hockey match on most Saturday mornings so I like to stay fresh. I will only do my quick exercises in the morning as they won't have any last effect! It's very rare that I will do any other type of workout though and I'll try and lounge around as much as I can during the day!

Saturday

         Saturday is another day of cardiovascular exercise, once again this is in the form of Hockey. This is the most important workout of the week for me so I will base all my meals around this activity to ensure I'm at my best!