Getting started…again: in a workout slump? Get back to the body of your dreams with this challenging 8-week program

Muscle & Fitness/Hers, Oct-Nov, 2002 by Carla Sanchez, Kathleen Engel

Oops, you did it again: slip-slided off the fitness track.

Succumbed to the siren song of your sofa, or perhaps to the comforting coolness of several pints of ice cream. Sure, it's easy to put yourself down and sink further into slothdom. But stop kicking yourself! As any motivational guru might say, You are in exactly the right place to achieve the fit and healthy body of your dreams.

Take it from IFBB pro fitness competitor Carla Sanchez: After turning pro at the 1997 NPC USAs, she tore an ACL in early 1998, but suffered through the pain of surgery and rehab to make her pro debut that year. After two shows, in which she placed 11th and 15th, Carla injured her knee again and was forced to take two years off to regain her high level of fitness. She returned to the stage at the 2001 Fitness International, landing in 18th place. Other women of lesser backbone might have given up at that point, but Carla is ascending the ranks this year, nabbing fifth at the Dallas Pro Show and sixth at the Slovakia Pro Show with an upgraded physique and routine. So who better than she to help you get your groove back?

WHY GO BACK TO BASICS

When I've already been there?

During your time off from the gym, your body has de-conditioned. Strength, endurance, and flexibility--all downhill. We know you want it back now, but don't make the mistake of launching into a high-speed recovery program. Getting back on track is rife with potential pitfalls; overtraining injuries, exhaustion and undue soreness can all derail and demoralize you. By following Carla's program, you'll sidestep the temptation to be overzealous.

Here's a very important concept to grasp: "Mental failure" is as significant a factor as "physical failure." Even if you don't sprain a muscle or suffer shinsplints, if you set inappropriately tough goals--like getting to the gym six days a week--and fail to meet them, you set yourself up for program failure. Smaller goals, applied with 100% focus, are more fruitful and will rake you where you want to go almost as quickly as you need to get there.

THE plan

This "Back to Basics" program is an eight-week endeavor that progresses at a comfortable yet challenging pace. Elements are changed each week, providing a sense of progression and accomplishment. Slight modifications satisfy your emotional desire to step it up, and remain challenged and engaged in your program.

Begin all strength and cardio workouts with a 6-10-minute warm-up, either on a stationary bike or treadmill. End all sessions with full-body stretching.

BEFORE YOU begin

* Get a small note-book in which to log your progress.

* Record your body measurements: bust, waist, hips, quads, calves and biceps.

* Have a skilled trainer perform a body fat test.

* Have a friend or family member take a photo of you in a bathing suit, or shorts & sports bra.

WEEK ONE

Do circuit training plus cardio three times this week, allowing a day
between each session. Don't worry about intensity or heart rate yet,
just keep moving! If the specified cardio equipment isn't available, use
something else. Follow the program in order one time through.

exercise                                             reps

Brisk walk on treadmill                            8 minutes
Ball Squat                                            10
Push-Up                                              8-10
Dumbbell Curl                                        8-10
Towel Crunch                                          20
Stationary bike                                    8 minutes
Bilateral Calf Raise (on step)                        20
Machine-Assisted Pull-Up                             8-10
 (you can also use a lowered Smith-machine bar)
Dumbbell Lateral Raise                               8-10
Towel Crunch                                          20
Elliptical Climber                                 8 minutes
Stationary Lunge                                 8-10 each leg
Bench Dip                                            8-10
Towel Crunch                                          20

WEEK two

You'll combine circuit training plus cardio again this week. Perform the program from Week 1, but increase the intensity by adding a incline on the treadmill portion. Once you perform each segment of strength exercises between cardio intervals, go back to the first exercise and repeat the segment before going on to your next cardio interval. This means you'll do two sets of each exercise--in two circuit rounds--before moving on to the next cardio segment.

WEEK three

This week, you'll do three full-body strength workouts with a day of
rest between each. Rest 45-60 seconds between each set. Do all sets for
an exercise before moving to the next. Do a cardio session on two of the
days you don't lift weights.

exercise                          sets  reps

Barbell Squat                      3     10
Lying Leg Curl                     3     8
Bench Press                        3    8-10
Lat Pull-Down                      3    8-10
Stationary Lunge                   3     10
 (with 5-10-pound dumbbells)
Standing Calf Raise                3     15
Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press   3     10
Dip *                              3    6-10
EZ-Bar or Dumbbell Curl            3     10
Decline Hip Thrust                 4     15