Keeping Fit with JeanneinDoha | Upper Body Workout

Hello!

The last six weeks have been pretty hectic. Work keeps me busy and dividing my life between Seoul and Doha doesn't leave a whole lot of time for blogging. I am a little disappointed in myself as I've been taking pictures and trying to capture blog content on a regular basis but haven't pulled myself together to post.

I also don't quite know how to use Blogger properly so have been held back by self-intimidation...

Anyway, in the spirit of getting on with things, I thought i would put together a fitness post. As most of you know, I exercise religiously. I'm a big believer in the power of endorphins to lift one's mood and there aren't many things that keep me out of the gym. I have been trying to maintain a good routine both in Seoul as well as in Doha, through jet lag and when faced with limited gym facilities and availability, and I'm fairly proud of myself.

At the moment, I have been concentrating my training in three day strength bursts followed by a day of harder cardio or an active rest. Please note that I also aim for a total of  around 13-15,000 steps per day, gained through strolls, walks, jogs or runs.
Day 1: Upper Body
Day 2: Lower Body (glutes and hamstring focused)
Day 3: Lower Body (glutes and quads focused)
Day 4: Active rest i.e. 1 hour incline brisk walking OR a 4 mile run
...and repeat the 4 day cycle.

My 'problem areas' are concentrated around my lower half, hence the double training of that area.  Moreover, a lot of compound movements e.g. squats and deadlifts train the core as well and as you will see from my sharing of my routine in subsequent posts, I incorporate core-strengthening activities into the lower body workouts to help keep my core activated whilst lifting weights. I am a HUGE proponent of weight-based workouts for women. Women don't have the physiology to get particularity bulky from weightlifting and, combined with cardio and a healthy diet, weight lifting helps build a toned, lithe physique. I also truly believe that my ability to power through the 10337339938 tasks I have to accomplish on a daily basis owes much to a weight-oriented fitness routine.

So, this is my standard upper body workout. I have taken to circuit based training to stave off boredom. As I get bored easily I sometimes vary the order of what I do but I try to cover everything here as far as possible.

Part A
2-3 km. run/walk/jog as a warm up
Part B

Repeat the following circuit two times.

• 2 sets of 15 legs: weighted bent-leg jackknife (I do these with a 13 lb. weight held in each hand)
• 2 sets of 15 reps: v-ups
• 2 sets of 15 reps: leg and hip raise (lying on a bench) - incorporate a leg flutter after each one for added lower abdominal push. Add strap-on ankle weights if you are feeling keen
• 2 sets of 15 reps: dumbbell raises on a bench (1 do these with 10 lb.  weight held in each hand)
• 2 sets of 20 reps: plate twist

Part C
Repeat the following circuit four times.

• 10 push ups (I am awful at push ups and my form isn't great but I''ll get there).
• 10 each side: elevated side plank with arm raise (so 20 in total)
• 10 knee crunch to spider man plank crunch: hard to find videos but I do mine elevated (i.e. only palms on the ground and my toes at the end of a bench

Part D
Repeat the following circuit three times

• 2 sets of 10 reps: lateral pull downs (I start with 60 lbs. and work to around 70 lbs. or 80 lbs.)
• 10 reps on each side: one-arm dumbbell row (I do these with a 20 lb. weight)
• 10 thrusters (1 do these with a 30 lb. weight)

Part E
Whimper

Try it out and tell me what you think!