Week of Workouts: May 2020 (25 Weeks Pregnant)

Hey friends! I’m checking in this morning with a glimpse into last week’s workouts as part of my Week of Workouts series where I highlight one week of workouts every month on the blog.

Motivation to work out has admittedly been rather low around here lately but I’m still managing to squeeze in four(ish) workouts a week. Most of my workouts focus on strength training since I walk a good amount with the boys and Sadie every day and consider walking one of the very best ways to move my body, especially as I approach my third trimester. It feels good and I know Sadie, Ryder and Chase sure love getting out and about and exploring on foot every day!

As for last week’s workouts, they included three days of strength workouts, one cardio circuit and three rest days. I’d love to hear about how you’re approaching exercise these days. Have things changed a lot for  you? Are gyms open or closed in your area? Are you struggling with motivation during the pandemic or are you crushing your workouts? What are some of your favorite at home workout resources? I actually have an idea for a blog post featuring some of my favorite at home workout resources and if you’d like me to share that in this space soon, please let me know! I feel like there is no shortage of lists like this online right now but I’m happy to give my take if  you’re interested.

In the meantime, I hope you’re doing well and moving your body in a way that feels good for you!

Week of Workouts

Monday: Rest

Monday was a rest day for me because I needed every spare minute of my 5 a.m. – 7 a.m. time slot + every other moment that I wasn’t on mom-duty to knock out some work. Thankfully it was a productive day on the work front and I went on a walk around the neighborhood with the boys for some movement in the morning but a structured workout didn’t happen despite my initial desire to fit it in. After the boys go to bed I have zero motivation to work out and I know this about myself so I embraced an unexpected rest day to kick off the week.

Tuesday: Upper Body Strength Workout (Biceps, Triceps, Chest and Back)

I am all about timed exercises that incorporate a specific amount of rest because they keep me motivated to move along at a faster pace. This workout included four rounds of various strength exercises completed for 40 seconds each with a 20 second rest built in. I formatted it to target my biceps, triceps, chest and back for a solid upper body workout. (I intentionally eliminated my shoulders from the mix because they’re my favorite and wanted to “save” them for later in the week when I thought I might need a little more motivation to get in a workout.) It passed by fast and left my upper body with that awesome post-workout muscle humming feeling. I feel like I’m describing that post-workout feeling terribly but hopefully someone gets what I mean!

Wednesday: Lower Body Dropset Workout

This was a Burn Boot Camp video workout from our local gym that I modified slightly and it was one of the best leg day workouts I’ve had in weeks. I instantly jotted down the workout in the notes section of my phone so I can have it on hand for the future because I loved it so much. Right now lunges aren’t feeling too comfortable for me but squats, deadlifts and bridges are great so most of my leg strength training centers around variations of those exercises.

Thursday: Shoulder Workout (Strength + Endurance Video + Shoulder Bonus)

Thursday’s workout looked like a combination of two different videos from the blog Pumps & Iron. I spliced them together and cut off one of the videos to focus solely on the shoulders and loved this workout so much! To begin, I followed this Strength + Endurance Shoulder Workout which called for a combination of light and heavy dumbbells. I think I felt the burn the most in the section with the lighter weights because I’m so out of practice from my barre workout days. Yeesh! I followed that 24-minute video with the shoulders segment from this Upper Body Strength Workout Video (it begins at around 18:00 and is about 10 minutes long) and called it a day. It was a great shoulder burn!

Friday: Cardio Circuit + 20 Minute Peloton Fun Walk

After three back-to-back strength training days, I figured my body might benefit from a break from the weights and a little cardio so I did my go-to at home cardio circuit that I shared with you guys a month or so ago. It’s my favorite right now because it’s short and sweaty! I am modifying it a bit these days am am doing the mountain climbers against bench because it feels better for me and my burpees are much slower than usual but thankfully all of the other exercises are still feeling good at 25 weeks pregnant so I’m embracing them! I actually knocked this circuit back a bit and only completed four rounds because I wanted to have time for a short solo walk with Sadie in the morning before the boys were up. I ended up walking while listening to a 20 minute ’90s guided fun walk on the Peloton app which incorporated bursts of 45-second speed walking which was right up my alley!

Saturday + Sunday: Rest

The weekend included two back-to-back rest days… actually three since I took Monday off as well. I wanted to make the most of every second I had with my sister and her family. Since the boys were up at 6 a.m. every day during their visit, workouts didn’t happen (and I wasn’t feeling particularly motivated to work out in the morning anyway), but a lot of fun with family did! We were still rather active with lots of walking, playing with kids and swimming in the lake and it was a great weekend!