You guys know how much I love to workout + how passionate I am about fitness. I share my workouts pretty regularly on instagram and get lots of questions asking how I balance doing strength training with cardio…madeline moves workouts with orangetheory with running etc! So today I wanted to share my current workout routine with you guys! NOT because this is “the best” workout routine or the one you should for sure be doing haha. Moreso to help those of you that are wanting to do strength training AND run, or strength training AND OTF. I think a lot of women can become “one trick ponies” with their workouts…meaning they only do barre or they only run. I used to be one of those girls! I ran 6ish miles probably 5-6 days a week. Sometimes longer distances on the weekends if I was training for a race. I would throw in an ab workout here and there but for the most part, all I did was run!
In 2020 I started incorporating consistent weight training into my workout routine, for the first time in my life! And I’m 30! To be honest, I was always so afraid of not running and weight lifting because…I knew when I ran I burned this amount of calories. And weight training wouldn’t burn as many. Also I just LOVE and enjoy running so much that I didn’t want to branch out. But, I wanted to start seeing more muscle tone, wanted to increase my running times, prevent injuries with running…so I knew weight training was really important.
ALL that to say – I started doing Madeline Moves workouts in 2020 and LOVED them. I did her workouts probably 4 days a week and then I would do a peloton ride or go for a run 1 or 2 days a week. That was pretty much my routine in 2020 and it worked really well for me!
my mindset in choosing workouts
My routine looks pretty similar to that now. However…in 2021 I’m really trying to focus on listening to my body’s needs each day. I don’t have a goal in 2021 to run a marathon or be able to lift X amount of weights. If you have a very specific goal, you will have a more specific training plan than what I’m doing.
I enjoy exercise. I enjoy moving my body. I enjoy challenging my body in new ways. So honestly when I’m choosing what workout to do I think “what sounds enjoyable to me today?” Sometimes that’s a Madeline Moves strength training workout, sometimes it’s going outside for a run, and sometimes it’s a yoga class or just going for a walk! I think a lot of women (consciously or subconsciously) tend to think of exercise either as punishment for what they ate the night before or a tool to make your body look how you want it to look. I am trying to shift my mindset to think of exercise as movement and something that is healthy and beautiful and beneficial for my body and mind. SO! That movement doesn’t always have to just look ONE way! IMO – what is the most important thing is that you are moving your body in a way that makes you happy and that helps you be the healthiest version of yourself you can be – mentally and physically.
current workout routine
ALL that to say haha (sorry for the long back story!) – here is what my current workout routine looks like (varies week to week! but this is what I am enjoying right now)
- I try and do a strength training focused workout 3ish days a week. Usually a Madeline Moves or Jill White workout! I love their workouts because they focus on specific muscle groups, you can do them at home…and I don’t have to try and think of what to do for my workout haha. I typically try and do an upper body workout, a lower body workout, and maybe 1 full body workout (all weight training focused). Sometimes I’ll do the 30min version of a MM workout and pair it with a 15 minute peloton ride!
- Orangetheory 2ish days a week. Orangetheory to me is so fun. I love being in the class environment and every class is so different so I never get bored! The hour flies by! You spend a portion of the class on a treadmill, a rower, and in the weight room. So you are getting cardio and strength training in one class
- Run or peloton ride 1-2 days a week. I haven’t been running nearly as much for the past year. When we were living in CO I was running all the time because…COLORADO haha. I miss it so much and running in Dallas just isn’t the same (slash where we live, there’s not great spots to run right outside our door so I usually need to drive to the lake to go run). But, probably 1 or 2 days a week I’ll do a “straight cardio” day – where I’ll do a 45minute peloton ride or go for a run!
So to sum it up: I workout 5-6 days a week. With some combination of weight training workout, orangetheory, and going for a run or doing a peloton ride! I really enjoy this combination of strength training with some cardio mixed in bc TBH – running and peloton rides are still more fun for me than just lifting weights! So I like doing both.
And then this year I’m also trying to incorporate a slower, more low impact workout like yoga one day a week as well! I think this will be really beneficial for me both physically and mentally.
ALL that to say y’all…I think it’s so important to find a workout routine that works for you and feels good to you! It doesn’t have to be running every single day if you hate running! Try and find movement that you enjoy – whether it’s a yoga flow class, crossfit, walking, orangetheory etc…and set aside time almost everyday to just move your body. It truly will bring you so much peace and joy and stress relief but that ‘movement’ does not have to look a certain way for every single person!
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Hope that helps answers y’alls questions about my routine! Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below!
xo Lauren
