#29 | an accessible strength workout
#29 | an accessible strength workout
It's free, it's simple, I don't hate it, & I have no excuse to avoid it
I would classify 2016-2020 as my “fitness girly” years. I tried all of the workouts — Orangetheory, the Bikini Body Guide, hot yoga, spin classes, CrossFit, lagree, barre, boot camps, 5k & 10k races, etc. You name it, I probably tried it.
And then all the gyms closed. I tried to keep up with Peloton rides, but struggled to maintain my interest.
And then I hurt my back a little.
And then I moved across the country.
And then I hurt my back a lot.
Needless to say, the last four years have not been my most active. I’ve had brief moments where I tried to get back to it, but nothing has sparked my commitment the same way it used to.
But right now I really, really, miss the feeling of being strong & active. And I don’t say that in a coded, body-positive-but-really-trying-to-lose-weight kind of way. I mean it genuinely — I miss the thrill of a deadlift PR & feeling the muscle soreness every time I sit down & drinking a post-workout protein shake & the endless sweaty laundry.
I haven’t had those feelings in years, so I’m determined to get them to stick around.
To make things as easy as possible, I’m starting small with a workout my chiropractor recommended after we did months of physical therapy & dry needling & Pilates to fix my back: the 5x5 workout.
It’s pretty straightforward: three workouts a week, five sets of five reps, splitting five different lifts across two days, increasing the weight each time.
It’s not the most intense workout I’ve ever done, and it’s not going the most well-rounded in terms of “accessory work”, but it’s doing what I need it to do right now: get me into the gym with a plan while I build a consistent routine.