Summer is just around the corner, and for many of us (like me!), we didn’t see it coming. Most of us have heard the saying that “Summer bodies are built in the Winter,” and though that is a common practice, it doesn’t always work out that way.

Whether Spring came and went in the blink of an eye, or the motivation just wasn’t there, that Summer body may not quite be ready. But, it doesn’t mean you can’t commit NOW.

Though you may feel inclined to step on the treadmill or spend hours on the elliptical, think again. Weight training is the way to go, if you want to lose weight (and keep it off), boost your metabolism, and sculpt that toned body everybody strives for.

Before you start picking up weights, keep these tips in mind:

Nutrition is the other half of the equation. You can execute the best workouts, but if your nutrition is lackluster, and you find yourself eating more junk food than whole foods, you won’t be seeing that summer body anytime soon. Here’s a little more on why it is so important. 

Aim for 10,000 steps daily. This would be considered your “cardio.” Dedicating your workouts to steady-state cardio will hinder your results, and will disrupt the recovery and muscle protein synthesis we are trying to generate from strength training. Shooting for 10,000 steps a day will help encourage you to move more outside your workouts, without offsetting your weight training progress.

Workout at a time that works best for you. You’ll have some people say that it is better to work out first thing in the morning in a fasted state, while others believe that workouts later in the day will be more successful because you’ll have more energy. Ultimately, you want to pick a time that works best for your schedule. If you find that you’re shuttling your kids to activities almost every evening, morning workouts might work better. It’s all up to you!

Toss aside the scale. As you gain muscle (which will happen when you start strength training correctly), the number on the scale may initially go up. Do not panic–this is normal. When we lift weights, we cause micro-tears in our muscle, causing stress and inflammation. We tend to think of these things as negative, but we need SOME stress to generate an appropriate response. In fact, this is why we stress (see what I did there?) recovery, because it is during the recovery process that the muscle fibers repair themselves, and get bigger and stronger.  

When it comes to weight training, it doesn’t need to be fancy–just effective, purposeful, and consistent. This weight training routine isn’t revolutionary, nor will you find complicated movements. If you are looking for a program that is a bit more complex, check out Mind Pump’s MAPS Fitness Programs here. We even have the MAPS Bikini Bundle, which includes everything you need to be beach-body ready.

The routine below is great for all fitness levels, and can be completed in less than an hour. If an exercise is too difficult, drop the weight and complete it has a body weight exercise. Advanced lifters can increase the sets of some of their exercises to five.

Complete 3-4 sets of each, 8 to 10 reps.

Monday-Foundational Day

-Barbell Squats

-Barbell Deadlifts

-Dumbbell Flys

-Seated Cable Rows

-Loaded Walking Lunges

-Overhead Dumbbell Tricep Extensions

Tuesday-Focus Session (Core)

Each set of exercises should be completed in 30 to 60-second intervals

-Planks

-Alternating V-Ups

-Ball Crunches

-Pall of Press

-Plank Up Down

-Side Plank with Dip

Wednesday-Foundational Day

-Dumbbell Front-Loaded Squats

-Good Mornings

-Lat Pulldowns

-Barbell Chest Press

-Dumbbell Reverse Lunges

-Preacher Curls

Thursday- Rest Day

Friday-Foundational Day

-Romanian Deadlifts

-Barbell Walking Lunges

-Hammer Strength Rows

-Pull-Ups

-Standing Dumbbell Calf Raises

-Cable Curls with Rope 

Saturday-Focus Session

For this day, complete 6 exercises total that focus on 2 body parts you want to focus on. This could be glutes and core, hamstrings and back, chest and biceps, etc.

Sunday- Rest Day