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Since my last post in October, I’ve made some slight modifications to my strength training routine.

First, in doing some research, I learned I was missing some pretty major muscle groups in my legs. This explained why — even after months of walking — riding my bike up hill was still a challenge. To alleviate this, I added goblet squats to my routine. The first two sessions of quats were rough. I could hardly walk for a few days afterwards. But, by week two, I didn’t even notice them anymore. I’ll be excited to report cycling improvements when I get back out there in the Spring.

The next change was the elmination of reverse flies. My form was never good, I was never able to complete all three sets, and it was hurting my elbow. To work the same muscles, I purchased a resistance band and now do band pull aparts. I can feel the muscles in my back, chest, and shoulders activated, so I know this new exercise is working way better than the flies. And, I’m not hurting myself. I don’t want injuries impacting or stalling my amazing progress these last few months!

Another change is how I’m doing external rotations. It turns out, I wasn’t supposed to be doing that exercise with the full weight I’m doing everything else with. I was doing external rotations with 15 pounds of weight when the recommended weight is between 2 to 5 pounds. Yikes! I’ve no idea how I didn’t hurt myself. At any rate, I’m doing them at around 5 pounds now and it’s feeling great. It’s a totally different exercise when you’re not struggling to hold up the weight!

A final exciting addition to my week is that I stretched myself for the month of November to do three lifting sessions a week instead of two. I’m happy to say that I accomplished this goal!

I’m still setting my target at 2 sessions. Like my lower target of 50k steps per week (that I almost always exceed), the lower target keeps me from being overwhelmed. When I’m travelling, sick, or whatever, I know I’m not “behind” when I only get in 50k steps or only lift twice that week. Having that mental flexibility keeps me from self sabotage. If my goal were higher, the first time I missed it, I’d drop my routine and be right back where I started.

The schedule is looking like I’ll be able to hit three sessions a week in December, too. At this pace, I’ll have a virtual third month of lifting at the end of December. I’m excited to see the progress!

With all of that out of the way, below is my new weekly strength training routine. I’ve dropped the “snack” concept and just do it all together. That’s working for me now, but snacks are always an option again if I need them.

Twice Weekly Strength Training Plan

Complete session • Mondays and Wednesdays

Optional third session • Fridays

MAIN WORKOUT

Goblet Squats

• 3 sets of 12 reps
• Hold one dumbbell vertically at chest, squat down keeping chest up

Bicep Curls

• 3 sets of 12 reps
• Lift toward shoulders, elbows at sides

Dumbbell Rows

• 3 sets of 15 reps (each arm)
• Pull to ribs like starting lawnmower

Chest Press

• 3 sets of 12 reps
• Lying down, push weights to ceiling

Band Pull Aparts

• 2 sets of 20 reps
• Arms extended, pull band apart to sides, squeeze shoulder blades

Hammer Curls

• 3 sets of 12 reps
• Palms face each other

External Rotations

• 2 sets of 20 reps (each arm)
• Elbow glued to side, rotate hand out

Overhead Press

• 2 sets of 10 reps
• Press weights from shoulders to overhead

SUCCESS REMINDERS

✓ Rest 30-60 seconds between sets
✓ Stop if shoulder hurts
✓ Consistency over intensity
✓ Something is better than nothing
✓ Goblet squats go first - they use the most energy

Total time: ~25-30 minutes per session