Welcome! Here are helpful tips and tools to help you make the most of your Learn to Lift Course!
Here are tips on what to include in your eating plan.
If you miss an in-studio or Zoom class, here you will find the weekly Zoom recordings. Each weekly Zoom lesson, we practice the exercises for the week for proper form and modifications. The recordings are shared only with students registered for the course.
Use your somatic nervous system (motor and sensory cortexes) to learn how to sense your muscles working through the exercises and planes of movement. This is how you establish neural pathways from brain to body to perform exercises well.
Use your somatic nervous system (motor and sensory. cortexes) to learn how to sense your muscles working through the exercises and planes of movement. This is how you establish neural pathways from brain to body to perform exercises well.
learn how release tension in your neck, shoulders, back, sides and gentle rotation to help reclaim freedom of movement and relax after a workout. This can routine help
better recruit your muscles for your workout
cut muscle soreness after a workout
Exercises are:
arch and flatten
side bend
Today we put the exercises learned in Day 1 & 2 into a full body routine.
This routine will incorporate body weight exercises and dumbbells. I'll give you an option to use gliders for one of the exercises. I discuss the gliders in the intro.
Intro 0:00-1:49
Then the warm up, routine (3 cycles of the exercises) and a cool down.
As we get older we need to need to devote time for a full-body warm up routine. We can no longer skip this portion of our workouts! This is especially important as you progress into heavier weight training routines.
Here is a lesson that is great to do before your workout.
Your "core" engages more than just your muscles that flex your spine in crunches and sit ups. Your core musculature is really all the muscles of your torso, specifically the obliques, transverse abdominals (deep abs that run around you like a girdle), diaphragm, pelvic floor and smaller, deep multifidus muscles that run along the sides of your spine.
You will need
bands
glider discs (optional)
something to help with balance (counter top, wall, chair)
Myofascial self-massage using tools like a foam roller, rolling pin, tennis or massage ball to target tight or stiff areas. The research on its effectiveness is mixed, and some women love it, while others skip it entirely. Benefits may include improved range of motion, reduced muscle soreness, and a helpful transition into “workout mode.”
I never advocate for eliciting pain in an effort to get rid of pain, stiffness, etc. If we are in pain, we tighten. And that's the complete opposite of having well functioning muscles and body.
If these techniques feel good, go for it. If it feels awkward, painful, or like a waste of time—skip it.
If you choose to use it, spend about 20–60 seconds per muscle group, up to 3 minutes total.
for this lesson you will need:
your bands
chair or stool
an anchor spot over a door (door needs to latch closed so it doesn't slip)
pad or mat (optional-for knees when doing push ups)
Today marks the 1/2 way mark in your Learn to Lift for Life Course.
Have you had enough time for the daily workouts and mindset sessions you're getting from me? No worries, if you miss any! They are there for you way after when you complete the course.
But what if you are missing more than attending?
If you need any help on the routines, exercises or just want to bounce a question into my inbox, let me know!
I also wanted to send youn a set of SMART Goals worksheets, that may help.
SMART stands for
S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Action
R = realistic /relevant
T = time based
These are key points to consider, which can make your reaching goals more achievable. And I'll go into more detail in the worksheets. Take a look!
~Kristin
Today's lesson blends a combo of Pilates, Core Program and Somatics. All you need is some floor space and a pillow if you want, for your head.
You will need
dumbbells
bands
gliders (optional)
elevated surface (stairs, coffee table, etc)
TIMES if you need to pause the recording feel free to do so.
0:00-0:46 intro
0:47-3:50 warm up
3:51 -24.36 workout
24:37-31:29 down and stretch
For your workout, you will need
bands
dumbbells
elevated surface (stairs, coffee table, step stool, etc)
sturdy chair
padding for knees, if needed
Today you can do some higher intensity cardio. This form of training is good for burning fat, improving brain health, reducing inflammation, boosting immune system, and saving us time in the process! These are short but hard routines, vs long meh-meh cardio sessions on the treadmill and such.
You can head to the gym, or your home cardio machine if you like. You want to work hard for 15 seconds, then take a recovery break for 45 seconds. Repeat 4-8 cycles. Stop if/when your form suffers, even if you only do a few cycles. Cardio machines that work well for interval training are:
airdyne bike
elliptical
rowing machine
spin bike
stair stepper
Treadmills don't work well, because of the time it takes for the machine to speed up and slow down.
If you don't have cardio machines, in the video I show you plenty of options you can do with your own body, plus gliders and jump rope (both of those are optional too).
This lesson guides you through a variety of motions and movement explorations to open chest, hips, lengthen hamstrings and calves, and help with proprioception.
You will need
bands
light dumbbell (optional)
anchor points for bands (overhead and thigh high)
wall space
yoga mat
We are in week 4, and today we start doing workouts targeting areas of the body. This lesson will target LEGS. I will give you options using dumbbells, bands. and if you have one, a barbell.
bands
dumbbells
bench/elevated surface
barbell (optional)
yoga mat
We are no longer doing exercises just for 30-60 seconds.
The goal of this routine is to help you identify and challenge your muscles using heavy enough resistance to fatigue you with 8-12 reps.
You will aim to do THREE sets of 8-12 reps or each exercise.
If you are doing your workout in gym, you would do 3 consecutive sets of the same exercise. This cuts down on being an equipment hog. 😀
If you are doing your workout at home, you can do 1 set of each exercise, then cycle back through 2 more times, so it's more like a circuit workout.
If you are truly challenging your muscles (and heart) while doing each exercise, you will want to take a recovery break, get some water, catch your breath, then move on.
I'm not including the recoveries between exercises since everyone is at a different level. Please pause recording as you need them.
I've included a PDF for you to track which exercises you are doing, the amount of resistance (which band, dumbbell weights, etc) plus the number of reps per set. We want to track what we are doing to help us remember from workout to workout, plus help see when we need to progressively overload. . .
We need to do routines of certain chosen exercises over x-number of weeks so we can challenge, adapt then up the ante. You can up the challenge with
tempo- slow down a move
range of motion- deeper squat is a perfect example
reps- as you adapt to a number of reps at a certain weight, you can tack on a few more reps
increase the weight - once you have explored the above variations, you can add more weight. You may have to reduce the reps at the new amount of weight.
If you are workout at a challenging level, you should plan or a pre workout snack of protein and complex carbs within a hour of starting your workout. Then eat a well rounded meal afterwards. If that isn't possible, then a protein shake can supplement you until meal time.
I can't say this enough. Drink plenty of water! Water will help cut down on soreness, help keep muscles more pliable and help flush the body of toxins.
This lesson goes over the exercises that target your upper body. You will need:
mat, rug or knee pad for pushups (optional)
dumbbells
bands
barbell (optional)
weight bench (optional)
exercise ball (optional)
This is the 2nd routine of 4 workouts you can do each week, once the course is completed.
You can do your weekly routine for 8-12 weeks, then it is strongly recommended you change your routine up a bit. This cuts down on boredom and over use injuries. It also helps you get stronger. Throughout this course, you have learned a lot of exercises that push, pull, hinge, squat and rotate. You can create your own workout, or schedule a session with me to develop a personalized routine.
If during the 8-12 weeks, you find the exercises become easy to do at the reps and weight you are doing, you can slightly increase your reps or weights to keep progressing. Be sure to track the changes on your tracker form!
This lesson focuses on core muscle engagement and the back line of the body for better posture and balance. This is the 3rd workout of your four-day weekly routine.
You will need
dumbbells
bands
barbell (optional)
exercise ball (optional)
gliders
Get ready for another upper body day! This one focuses on shoulders, lats (your back) and arms.
You will need
dumbbells
bands
pull up bar
bench or chair