Glad to hear that some of you on Facebook were interested in a holiday workout plan!

Fitting in workouts around the holidays can be tough.  But throwing in the towel completely will only make it tougher come January 1st.

You don’t need to spend an hour at the gym to get in a decent workout.  Below is a variation of a program I made up for myself last year that I really enjoy.  It’s simple, and hits all the target muscle groups.  If you have dumbbells at home, you could modify many of the exercises. But the leg workout is better suited for the gym.

You’ll see cardio 2 out of the 4 days.  If you can fit in a little more, go for it, but personally, I wouldn’t stress it!

Since its Monday December 12th today, you should be able to do this entire series 3 times before January 31st, if you start asap!

NOTES:

• At the bottom of this post, you’ll see the PRINT/PDF button.  Click that, print off this page, and take with you to the gym!
• If you haven’t done much weight training before this, do 2 sets of each exercise to start.
• If you’re so busy the next 3 weeks that you can only do 3 workouts per week, structure it like this: Week 1: Day #1, #2 #3  Week 2: Day #1, #3, #4  Week 3: Day #1, #2, #4
• Doesn’t matter if you do workouts 4 days in a row, or split them up with days in between. Whenever you can fit it in.
• It should be difficult to hit the 12th rep of each exercise.  Don’t make it too easy by using 5 lbs dumbbells.
• MOVE QUICKLY!  Don’t take 2 minute rests between exercises. 30 seconds to 1 minute, max.

Disclaimer: Don’t forget to contact  your doctor before starting an exercise program if you have any health issues, injuries or are on medications.

Kristine’s Holiday Workout Plan

* with cute boys from Bodybuilding.com to demonstrate 😉

Day # 1 – 30 minutes cardio (do interval program on any machine). Level  5 or higher…challenge yourself.

Day #2 – BACK/TRICEPS/CHEST
approx 30 minutes
Wide Grip Pulldowns 12 reps, 3 sets
Straight Bar Pulldowns 12 reps, 3 sets
Seated Row 12 reps, 3 sets
Tricep Dips on Bench (no weight) 12 reps, 3 sets
Dumbbell Kickbacks, 12 reps, 4 sets (2 sets each side)
Pushups (as many as you can do to failure)

Day # 3 – SHOULDERS/BICEPS
approx 45 minutes for entire workout
Shoulder Press (machine or dumbbells) 12 reps, 3 sets
21’s (10 low to mid, 10 mid to high, 10 full range)
Lateral Raises 12 reps, 3 sets
Hammer Curls 12 reps, 3 sets
Front Plate Raises 12 reps, 3 sets
Upright Rows 12 reps, 3 sets

15-20 minutes of cardio (steady state). Whatever machine you want.

Day #4 – LEGS
approx 40 minutes
Leg Press Machine 12 reps, 3 sets
Hack Squat Machine  12 reps, 3 sets
Deadlifts (barbell wide stance) 12 reps, 3 sets
Leg Extensions (machine) 12 reps, 3 sets
Leg Curls (machine) 12 reps, 3 sets
Butt Blaster 12 reps each leg, 3 sets
Finish with walking lunges across & back, 3 sets, no rest

If you have any questions, type in a comment below and I’ll get back to you asap!

In the New Year, I’m also thinking about doing a 4 week workout plan/nutrition series, complete with meal ideas, and different workouts each week. Let me know if you’re interested in the comments below!

p.s.  Today is the last day to enter for the Cookin’ Greens contest. So if you haven’t entered already…do it now —> HERE