How I come up with my workout routines

Instead of posting a workout today for you all, I decided I would let you in on my split routine for weights and cardio - what body parts I hit together and on what days and how I come up with the exercises.

Mondays - Chest and Triceps - I work these two muscle groups together because they are synergistic muscles meaning they compliment each other when they contract. Basically killing two birds with one stone in a sense.

Tuesdays and Thursdays - Cardio - I change up my cardio weekly, just as I do with my weight lifting exercises. This is decided on how much energy I have that day, what I did the past week and what my goals with my body are for that week/month. If I have extra energy I will do HIIT - sprint intervals, bike intervals, or tabata. If I'm lower on energy I will do steady state cardio - no high intensity and move to a couple different machines.

Wednesdays - Biceps, Shoulders, and Back because again these are synergistic muscle groups. This is one of my favorite days, I love having toned arms!

Fridays - Leg Days! Depending on what I worked the week before and what my goals are with my legs/butt for the month - the certain muscle groups worked can change weekly. For instance - hamstrings and quads one week or glutes, calves and hamstrings one week, etc etc...I will also add in some plyometrics inbetween sets when I'm wanting to lean out my legs more (which I currently am)

Saturdays - These are my free days - If I had to miss a workout during the week (sickness, appointments, etc...) I will make up whatever day I missed. If I made all my workouts for the week but decide to also workout Saturday then I do whatever I feel like doing. I don't feel as pressured this day. Lately I've been doing extra cardio  and adding in a couple crossfit exercises with weights.

I work abs every day that I am at the gym, it's part of my warm-up. I do 5-10 minutes only.

The way I choose what exercises I am going to do for each workout is through many different avenues. Instagram, pinterest, googling, past workouts. I like to switch up my routines every single week. This is NOT necessary, so don't feel like you have to do that to see results. Generally your routine should be changed up every 3 to 4 weeks and you can change just the acute variables (weight, sets, reps, tempo, intensity, rest intervals, etc) and not the exercises themselves.

Anyways, since I switch mine up every single week I am always writing down what I do to be organized, I will look up exercises the night before, if it's new to me, I will also look up form and how to perform it. After the workout routine is finished, I will make note of what my calorie burn was (according to my polar FT7 watch) and if it was a good workout (to me) or one that I would rather not repeat - I jot this down in my fitness journal below

Throughout the week if I see cool exercises I want to try via instagram mainly, I will jot it down and add it to my workout for that specific day.

Being organized is KEY! You will waste less time which means your workout will be more efficient. You will be able to get through your routine in minimal time and keep your heart rate up. I challenge you to start writing down (or putting in your phone) your exercise routine the night before if you aren't already. You will be amazed at how much easier it will make your fitness life!