45 Minute Total Body Workout

Do you ever go back to your childhood home and find yourself slightly over-whelmed with nostalgia and a weird sense of belonging-but-not-belonging? I’ve been in my hometown for the last few days and I find myself anticipating a visit to the grocery store/gym/gas station the way that I used to (and the way that I anticipate a visit to a store where I live now): like I’m going to run into everyone I know.

Reality: the only place I ran into anyone I am remotely familiar with is at the gym. Go figure.

I managed to get to the gym both days I was home. My mom and I worked out together the first day and it’s always fun for me to figure out a way that we can both get the most out of a workout together. It’s a good challenge for my personal trainer regression/progression brain.

Here is the workout that we did together.

**The workout below is the workout that I specifically did. Please keep reading to find how we made small changes so that we could both work out together!

Make It Work For You

When my mom started working out with my programs, it’s safe to say that exercising wasn’t her favorite thing. Fast-forward 2 years later and she impresses me every time we go to the gym together. Proof of how far she has come: she can pretty easily adjust any exercise to her abilities and strengths. That’s a skill I’m proud of!

For this workout, we adjusted a few exercises so that we both were working out to according to our goals and abilities.

Here’s how we adjusted:

Barbell Deadlifts

…became dumbbell deadlifts. My goal: to add weight with each lift. Mom’s goal: to build overall muscle without risk of injury.

If you are working your way towards barbell deadlifts start with dumbbells. Focus on form first and work your way up.

T-Bar Rows

…became…lighter T-Bar Rows. I liked this lift the way it was for my mom, I simply helped move the bar from that awkward side position to her start position. T-Bar Rows are a great exercise to build back strength while forcing good form.

Weight

The biggest adjustment that we made: how much weight we each lifted.

No ego’s allowed. It’s far more important to pay attention to the cues your body is giving you than it is to go rep for rep!