A Weight Training Breakdown

The secret is out: I love lifting weights.  I always have, or at least since my dear friend (and soon-to-be bridesmaid!) Marilyn took me to the gym our freshman year of college and showed me how to properly lift them.

Immediately I was enthralled – goodbye, cardio body, hello, strong, fit body (well, stronger, fitter body – in college I was still quite soft what with the all-beer-and-booze diet).

I dragged through 20 minutes on the elliptical (hey, it was the early ’00s) just so I could be warmed up enough to power through my favorite part of the workout – weights!  I loved picking them up, feeling their heavy weight, slogging them around the weight room and feeling like a warrior princess when I progressed to the next level.  I was hooked.

Fast-forward nearly 16 (!) years later, and the love story continues.  I lift weights most days of the week, taking one rest day during the week (usually Tuesdays, when I teach a high-intensity interval class at the gym) and one yoga day on the weekend (usually Sunday).  I lift in splits, I lift in supersets, I lift with drops, I lift with intervals.

But I always lift with purpose.

I wanted to share with you guys a few of my favorite moves, the weights I use to do them, and one of the ways I structure my sets, just to give you some ideas for your own weights workouts – and I am happy to hear what you do in the gym too!

TFB Fave (Shoulders & Triceps)

Key Moves (3 sets, 12 reps):

• Shoulder press – 20# DBs
• Shoulder double raise – 12# DBs
• Triceps dips
• Overhead triceps press – 25# DB
• Triceps kickbacks – 12# DBs
• Wide-stance pushups
• Arnold press – 12# DBs
• Rear flye – 8# DBs
• Close-grip pushups
• REST 60 seonds; repeat

TFB Wedding Dress Workout (Back & Biceps)

Key Moves 3 sets, 12 reps):

• Lat pull-down – 70#
• Assisted pull-ups (or pull-ups!)
• Alternating biceps curls – 20# DBs
• Underhand lat pull-down – 70#
• Single-arm row – 25# DB
• Incline biceps curl – 15# DBs
• Biceps cable curl – 15#
• Cable squat-row – 40#
• Plank row – 15# DBs
• REST 60 seconds, repeat

TFB Lean Legs Day

Key Moves (3 sets, 15 reps):

• Deep squats – 25# DBs
• Walking lunges – 20# DBs
• Jump lunges
• Sumo squats – 40# DB
• Bulgarian split squats – 20# DBs
• Jump squats
• Cable abduction – 10# per leg
• Leg press – 250#
• Squat-thrusts
• REST 60 seconds, repeat

What are your favorite body parts to lift?  What exercises do you like best?