Both series were put on hold after Rhett’s birth but now that I’m slowly (SLOWLY) coming out of the newborn baby fog, I’d like to resurrect them in this space! Since my last weekly workouts post was published when I was 33 weeks pregnant, a lot has changed! I gave birth to a baby and followed a 12-week postpartum workout program from @trainerpage that focused on a safe and realistic return to fitness in the postpartum period of life. Now that I’ve completed that program, I feel like I’m in a much better place to return to some of my favorite workouts.
I’m still not jumping or running in an effort to give my pelvic floor continued time to recover. Right now my workouts currently focus on strength training. With such limited time to exercise these days, strength training is my top priority and I’m enjoying combining some of my own workouts with workouts I find online from reputable trainers as well as occasional Burn Boot Camp workouts.
Keep on scrollin’ to see what last week’s workouts looked like over here!
Week of Workouts: February 2021
Monday: Off
I’ve been loving Sunday morning workouts lately so Mondays are almost always a rest day for me. Since the beginning of the week always feels a little crazy around here, a less-frazzled morning without feeling the need to cram in a morning workout before the kids are up works well for me right now.
Tuesday: @whitneyysimmons Shoulder Workout + BodyPump Shoulder Finisher
I felt the burn during Tuesday’s shoulder session thanks to a shoulder workout I found on Instagram. I am LOVING @whitneyysimmons Instagram account for workout inspiration and think I have at least 20 of her workouts saved by now. Her programming is smart and effective and I love that shoulders are her favorite muscle group to train, too, because she’s constantly sharing awesome shoulder workouts I’m always excited to try. On Tuesday, I completed this workout from her IG feed and it was great! I rounded it out with a finisher in the form of this throwback BodyPump shoulder track and loved this workout so much.
Also, have any of you tried Whitney’s Alive app by any chance? I’d love to hear what you think if you have!
Wednesday: Biceps + Triceps Workout
Somehow the stars aligned around lunchtime on Wednesday and I was able to get in a quick garage workout with Ryder while Rhett napped and Chase was at preschool. Ryder was all about playing with his cars and riding his scooter and bike in the driveway while I took myself through a biceps and triceps strength workout. I jotted down my plan for my workout ahead of time so I could fly through it as quickly as possible. I’ll be keeping this one on hand for the future because it was a good one that left my arms feeling that awesome post-workout buzz for a few hours after I was done.
Thursday: Rest (2 Mile Walk)
No sweaty workout for me on Thursday! I opted for some movement in the form of a mid-morning walk with Rhett and Sadie while Chase and Ryder were at preschool. We covered right around 2 miles.
Friday: Leg Workout + “Bring Sally Up” Squat Challenge Finisher
I’ve never been one to love leg day but at least when I am programming my own workouts, I can incorporate plenty of the lower body strength exercises I actually enjoy — like deadlifts and glute bridges! This leg workout was deceptively hard in that when I finished, my legs felt slightly fatigued but halfway through the day, Jello legs set in and I was definitely sore the next day! I added a finisher to this workout in the form of the “Bring Sally Up” squat challenge which included what felt like one million bodyweight squats for one final burn.
Saturday: Rest (3 Mile Walk)
Saturday was another rest day but we got out on a family walk with Sadie in the morning and covered right around 3 miles.
Sunday: Burn Boot Camp Upper Body Tabata Workout (Chest + Back Emphasis)
On Sunday morning, I headed into the garage to follow a Burn Boot Camp workout video online. It was an upper body tabata workout with an emphasis on chest and back and it made me miss my in-person BBC workouts so much! The tabata format was great and kept things moving at a fast pace so the 45 minute workout flew by. If you want to check out some BBC workout for free online, I highly recommend their YouTube channel. Also, every Tuesday they offer a free live-streaming workout you can do at 9 a.m. EST, which you may see here!
Question of the Day
What is your workout routine looking like these days? Are you working out at home? In a gym? Taking a break? Let me know!
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I am 25 weeks pregnant so workouts are hit or miss. We have a peloton and I really love their bootcamp classes. It’s great to get burst of cardio mixed with strength training. Also loving some prenatal safe barre classes on days I’m feeling tired it always seem doable yet I’m always surprised how sore I get.
barre workouts always burn so much!!!
I’ve always loved reading your week of workouts. I love getting workout ideas and how realistic you are about getting your workouts in. I’m currently 33 weeks pregnant and my workouts are slowing down a bit due to being tired. Lots more weights less cardio. Gosh how I miss cardio!
Random question: do you get dressed for the day in workout clothes, hoping to get a workout in sometime that day? Im 9 weeks postpartum and I feel like I have a hard time with when I’m going to shower, get dressed in normal clothes versus staying in workout clothes hoping to get a workout in sometime.
I totally feel this!! If I didn’t get a workout in before the boys are up and I still hope to somehow find a minute to workout, then YES, I absolutely do and it helps so much!! Knowing I can just jump into a workout when the time is right and not have to worry about changing helps a lot (especially with motivation).
Thanks Julie! It’s definitely a struggle of what to wear haha!
Omg I remember that shoulder track!!! Do you have a barbell or do you use hand weights? I miss BP so much, but am currently using Obé Fitness (and am obsessed) so not sure how I’d be able to fit in BP – though I might need to do some YouTube searching!
Like I said, I use Obé, currently 17 weeks pregnant so taking more rest days, but I still probably do something at least five days a week. They have pre and postnatal classes, plus a ton of variety in general. I’d love to catch more of their Live classes but thousands on demand so there’s always something fun to do. (all of the trainers have a free month code if you’re interested in trying it out!)
Ryan has a 45 lb barbell on his weight rack but that’s definitely too much for me for BodyPump songs so I typically just swap in dumbbells! And I’ve heard great things about Obe!! So glad you’re enjoying it!
I am currently doing LIIFT4 which is a beachbody workout. I love it because it’s rep based vs time based and I find when I do rep based ones, I’m less likely to injure myself from trying to do too many in the time! It’s the perfect blend of cardio and strength. It’s also always 40 minutes or less and I’d say averages around 35 which is perfect for me right now!
I have the Alive app!! I liked it, but it’s pretty “gym” focused so it’s hard to do if you’re not going in to a gym. I also thought the moves she uses are a little repetitive and generic, so I got a little sick of it and decided not to renew. Also I love Whitney so this isn’t meant as a slam against her, but she’s not really a personal trainer or anything. I think someone reviews her workouts, but, especially after trying a different app (discussed below), I could kind of see that she was relying on some basic moves over and over that just made me feel underwhelmed.
I have been doing “Madeline Moves” (that’s her insta handle) workout app for a few months now and I really, really like it. I think her workouts are structured a little more thoughtfully, you don’t need access to a gym to do it and she provides a lot of great encouragement on her instagram that specifically aligns to the workouts she has you doing that day, which is fun to follow along with. I have turned a few friends onto her app as well and we all love to do the workouts “together” from afar, which has been a fun way to stay connected!
This is incredibly helpful!!!! Thank you for weighing in!
My workouts took a nosedive 2 weeks ago. Currently 22 weeks pregnant and my SI joint pain has been CRIPPLING. I’m easing my way back into some gentle prenatal yoga (more just stretching) and my PT cleared me to get back on my stationary bike if it doesn’t hurt (just need a step stool to get on it…), but I’m feeling bummed because I had a really active pregnancy up till that point but now the constant pain is really hampering my life and mood. Hoping PT, acupuncture, Rolfing and stretching do the trick!!!
Oh my gosh I feel for you so so much!!! I had horrific sacroiliac pain during my first pregnancy (like hurt to even walk pain) and it can be so so brutal. I hope you get some relief soon!
Currently 9 weeks pregnant with my second. My son is 18-months. I had to stop exercising in order to conceive, so I’m slowly working on getting back into shape. Are there any strength workouts you loved during the first trimester and early into the second? I’ve followed some pregnancy workouts, but they aren’t super challenging and seem to be geared more towards when your belly is larger. I really want to focus on building some strength with this pregnancy.
I started doing Melissa Wood Health a few weeks ago and am loving it! Her workouts are a combination of yoga and pilates and I love that they range from 7 minutes to an hour so you can either get something in quickly, layer shorter workouts, or do one longer workout. She also has meditations! I had been doing high intensity workouts for years, but find this works me out just as well and I look forward to working out every day!
I have also been following Madeline Moves and absolutely love it!! It is different every week, it is so fun to follow along on her stories that day as she reviews the moves and I have seen great results so far from it. I come from a crossfit background and wanted to take a break to really focus on more body specific workouts and love it! The workouts are challenging but I look forward to them every day! I started doing them at home but have now gone back to the gym mainly for access to more weights. She also has instructions on how to make them 30 min as well if looking for a quick workout but still very much feel the burn! Definitely recommend!
I LOVE Whitney’s instagram. I tried her Alive app but didn’t think it was worth paying for. You definitely need a gym to complete the workouts, and I found the workouts pretty repetitive. Another thing is that Whitney posts so many workouts on her instagram for free, that paying for the app seemed silly since the workouts are so similar. I’m pretty surprised she keeps posting them on her instagram at no cost because it definitely turned me away from the app!
Can I ask how you time out your workouts in the AM? I think you said Ryan works out and then you work out while the boys are waking up/Ryan helps with kids at that time. The is Ryan still watching them while you shower/get dressed?
I have a toddler and pregnant with baby #2. I’d prefer working out in the morning too (just seems like it won’t get done later in the day), but my hubby has a demanding job so typically works out in the morning himself. Trying to figure out how we can both get workouts in while still covering kid duty! Thanks 🙂
Hi Julie, I love your content and keep coming back to your blog. Thanks for sharing videos of your workout, I just might incorporate some of your exercises into my routine since I’m also focusing on strength building.