What’s Your Workout Routine?


Keeping on top of your game both at work and in life is a real challenge; you can’t stay super-productive if you’re super-exhausted.  It just won’t happen.

This is where having a workout routine comes into play.

It’s called a “workout” for a reason – it’s work.  You have to treat it as such.  If you didn’t show up for work when you were scheduled, you’d have to face the consequences.  Same goes with working out.  Both set of consequences could spell long-term trouble for you.

Freelancers may have an easier time consistently working out – they generally have a strong sense of self-discipline to call on and keep them honest.  That said, they may be “too busy” to do a regular workout.  Those who work at the office 9 to 5 will use the same excuse – or bring up plenty of others that fit the bill.

A site I like to check out for fitness tips is NerdFitness – and it’s fitting that the creator of the site, Steve Kamb, took the plunge this week by quitting his “safe” job to focus solely on the site.  He’s got the goods to make it all work, too.

So, what’s your workout routine?  What are your favorite sites to get fitness tips?  Let us know in the comments.


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Mike Vardy an editor on Work Awesome. We could tell you where his personal productivity parody site, Eventualism and all of his other projects reside on the web, but you'd be best served going to Vardy.me and following the trail of virtual bread crumbs from there.

Discussion

  1. I used to exercise/work-out regularly every morning before starting work:

    Day 1: Pull Ups (30 mins)
    Day 2: Push Ups + Sit ups (40 Mins)
    Day 3: Gap/No Exercise

    But now, I do these exercises in the evening/night at about 8:30 PM.

    Also, I walk everyday for 30 mins.

    Sometimes, the workload is too much, but I still close my laptop, and workout. As, I know, this is just as important, if not more, than working.

  2. Brian Lang on the 21st June

    I have access to a fitness center at work and an on-staff fitness trainer. When I decided to get off my fat ass about 2 months ago, she gave me a fitness routine that takes 30-40 minutes to complete. Here’s what it includes:

    Part 1: 20 minutes cardio – for me that was initially fast walking on a treadmill, and now on a cross trainer torture device. Both treadmill and crosstrainer feature automatic programs that vary the incline keeping the workout interesting.
    Part 2: 3 sets of 12 of 6 different exercises targeting different muscle groups.

    I do this workout 2-4 days a week – depending on what I’m working on – at lunch time.

  3. Nick Mersenski on the 21st June

    I get up early and hit the fitness center by my Apt. Usually my routines consists of this:

    M-F: 2-3 mile run (warm up / cardio)
    M/W/F: incline bench press, shoulder press, chest fly, abs/lower back
    T/TH: leg curls, leg extension, calf raises, abs/obliques

    I also go rock climbing at least three times a week. The exercises listed above are mostly used to work the antagonist muscles that aren’t used in rock climbing.

    Most warm weekends involve hiking/backpacking/climbing. If it’s winter I try and snowboard as much as possible.

  4. Stephanie Lewis on the 21st June

    I LOVE how I workout. It’s not work at all. I’m completely serious. It’s like gymnastics and dance combined and I go at least three times a week. I would go every day if I could.

  5. Suzanne Harrison on the 21st June

    I work freelance and find exercise an essential part of my routine. I didn’t do anything when I worked in an office apart from walk to it. I felt so sluggish most of the time. A 40 minute run three times a week, with 10 mins of stretches and pilates at the end is what I’ve stuck with for three years now!

    I wrote about why it’s so important to me here:
    http://suzanneharrison.net/2010/04/20/on-the-joy-of-exercise/

  6. Max on the 21st June

    I have a gym in my apartment complex, but in the last 3 years this is the only year I’m going consistently. I have a full time job and then I work on my online projects till bed-time. The biggest issue for me was to make the workout part of my working schedule. Now my schedule looks like this: 8-4 day job, 5-6:30 gym/shower, 7-10/11 work on my projects. Before, I would just sit in the office straight 8-11 and I was suffering from exhaustion, no energy and often depression.

    As for the actual routines – first I was on a 4-day plan where I would cover all muscle groups in one routine, but now I’m doing 4 days weights (each day has usually 2 muscle groups) and 3 days cardio, so it’s a 7-day program. Cardio takes me exactly 65 minutes and weight lifting is usually from 50 to 90 minutes depending on the routine.

    BTW, I’m trying to use dailyburn.com for tracking purposes. I wish they had an app for BB or Android… currently they only have one for iPhone.

  7. Cameron on the 21st June

    I joined a Crossfit (www.crossfit.com) gym a couple years ago and haven’t looked back. I love it because the workouts are always changing – no routines to get bored of every day. You also can’t beat the results – I’ve never been stronger and healthier in my entire life.

    I personally like working out first thing in the morning because distractions and reasons not to go keep building as the day goes on.

  8. Ashley Hill on the 21st June

    I bike regularly, it’s a major stress reliever so I always make time to get on the bike. I usually do 20+ miles at a pretty good clip with my boyfriend, or other people in the club.

    The idea is to do 30+ min at least 3 times a week…so my 3+ rides a week at 1+ hr each is plenty, and I’m getting faster each ride. I’m also able to do a lot of thinking on rides, and have often enough come up with ideas for work while riding.

    • Tomek on the 21st June

      Man, I wish I found a way for it to relive stress like that. For some reason I’ll get on a bike and my mind will start spinning about some programming problem I am having. Then I figure out how to solve it and don’t feel like biking anymore. It’s like Biking-ADHD or something.

    • Ashley Hill on the 21st June

      haha, well I’ve been cycling actively for almost 10 years, so it’s second nature to get on the bike when I have any freetime.

      Here’s my biking blog, I’m also raising money for a charity ride in August: http://road-ryder.blogspot.com

    • Tomek on the 21st June

      nice photos. Perhaps I should find a trail. Or time… lol

    • Ashley Hill on the 21st June

      trail?

      I’m a road rider only 🙂 Knees can’t take mountain bikes.

  9. Tomek on the 21st June

    I either run a mile or I turn on an episode of my favorite show (usually Enterprise) and I’ll excercise, real fast so as to keep my heart rate up at 180BPM all the time. SO my workout will go like this:

    1.

    • Tomek on the 21st June

      (oops, never finished it and hit enter by mistake)

      1. 20 situps
      2. 20 pushups
      3. 30 jumpingjacks
      4. (1) again
      5. (2) again
      6. (3) again
      7. (1) again
      8. (2) again
      9. (3) again
      10. Total Gym: 15 bicep curls ( each arm )
      11. Total Gym: 20 back pulls
      13. Total Gym: 20 tricep ( each arm )
      14. Total Gym: this swim thing which looks like your swimming but works triceps, back and other stuff
      15. (10) again
      16. (11) again
      17. (12) again
      18. (13) again
      19. (14) again
      20. (10) again
      21. (11) again
      22. (12) again
      23. (13) again
      24. (14) again

      this will take 35 – 40 min, depending on how willing I am to go non-stop. My heart really gets a workout, though.

  10. Tey on the 21st June

    I’ve been on and off for at least 6 years. I started in gyms with all the machines and treadmills and attachments and so on but quickly got sick of it. Hated how many different machines I had to use for just one body section, hated waiting, and hated spending 2+ hours a day on just working out.

    Sooo… over the years of research and pages on pages of reading I’ve narrowed my routine down to 3 main lifts, each one taking up no more than 40 minutes a day with only one lift per day.

    Day 1 — Squat
    Day 2 — Bench
    Day 3 — Dead Lift
    Day 4 — Either a day off, or Bench+Squat at 80% of the earlier session in the week.
    Day 5-7 — If I used day 4 I’m free, if not I do Day 4 here and the other day’s are recovery.

    While this might seem like nothing, the lifts are done in a strict-form manner, with specific and strict rules for moving up/down weight that more than compensates for the short time spend working out.

    Over all, this is great. I’m at it for 40 min a day, I feel great after, and my entire body gets a workout all in one round. I’ve added P90X recently for some minor upkeep here and there (I hate running and will do anything to avoid it) but even without that I’ve gotten great results.

  11. Lars on the 21st June

    I do the Stronglifts 5×5 routine (stronglifts.com), which makes me feel good, and is a brilliant stress-relief after a long day at work. Trying to get time/motivation for some cardio in between, but never really found a rhytm for that.

    Here’s the routines:

    A: Squats, Bench Press, Inverted Rows, Push-ups, Reverse Crunch
    B: Squats, Overhead Press, Deadlift, Pull-/Chin-ups, Prone bridges

    My workout days are mondays, wednesdays and fridays. I love weightlifting because of the measurable results, and the self-esteem boost I get from flexing at the office 🙂

    • Tey on the 21st June

      [5×5 routine]… That’s exactly what I settled on. If you’re really struggling with the cardio consider trying out the P90X. I know there’s like 20+ DVDs but if you just grab 2 or 3 of the disks and rotate them on the lesser lift days they might give you the variety you’re looking for. They do a decent job of motivating to while you’re watching them.

      Helped me anyways… good luck man

  12. Ken Kurosawa on the 21st June

    I do my workouts in the morning. Cardio 3 times a week and weight training 3 days a week.

  13. Stephanie Lewis on the 21st June

    Pole fitness!!!

    • Tey on the 21st June

      Tried it… installation was too annoying

    • Stephanie Lewis on the 22nd June

      there was no installation here. I just go to the dance studio and take classes.

  14. Calgary Graphic Designer on the 21st June

    I drink copious amounts of coffee, which forces me to run to the bathroom every 15 minutes.
    When the coffee runs out, my non-toilet trained toddler needs changing.

    Four flights of stairs, 12-16 times a day must add up to something …

  15. Brandi on the 21st June

    I work out 5-6 days a week doing zumba/biking and weight lifting. But to be honest, I still need to watch my weight. It seems as if working at home takes lots of commitment to exercise and diet on a regular basis. Definitely more than I needed to working in a cubicle.

  16. Mike on the 21st June

    I recommend DailyBurn.com to everyone to track their workouts and nutrition, it’s really nice. Here’s a link to my profile…http://dailyburn.com/locker_room/mikelohrman

  17. Randy on the 21st June

    I actually hated working out until I forced myself to do it not so long ago. Now it’s 2k in the pool M/W/F and on Tues/Thurs its lifting with balance thrown in (like bench press at a self-spotting squat machine but you lay down on a pilates ball instead of a bench). Major burn in the abs doing that because you have to balance yourself along with the lifing. I hate running, so that’s never gonna happen.

  18. Marfi on the 21st June

    I cycle everyday to/from work, and then afterwork I go for a training session of about an hour at the velodrome.

  19. Corey on the 24th June

    I go to the climbing gym a couple times a week, but it’s not a complete work out (I’m still a beginner). I’ve been trying to learn about small things you can do all day, or often during the day, as well as simple routines at home. Any suggestions for sites that help out with integrating exercise into your common tasks/routines?

  20. Brandi on the 24th June

    Hi Corey. I think Clean Momma (http://www.cleanmomma.com/draft-for-featured-clean-routine/) has exercises for cleaning around the house.

    • Corey on the 24th June

      Oh, wow. My girlfriend will love me if I clean while working out. Ha!

  21. Brandi on the 24th June

    Then it’s a win-win situation. Lol!

  22. Roxy Kurze on the 1st July

    P90X, extra high impact cardio dance classes at the gym (burning 600-700 calories an hour), running when the sun is down, and a bit of weight training classes.

    Been slacking off my P90X for the past week and a half though because of an on-site freelance gig. Argh!

  23. Chris on the 2nd December

    Walk 30 mins before work, then do push ups, pull ups, squats, and sit ups in reps of 25. I TRY to keep this routine at least 4 days a week but when I am to busy or lazy 🙂 then I just walk.

  24. Toni Sciarra Poynter on the 4th March

    I admire all those presses, crunches, lifts, etc. that you all do. I wish I could stand to join a gym, but when I work out on machines, the only thing I can think about is how much it hurts. I tried swimming and…same problem, except with fear of being overcome by exhaustion and drowning thrown in. I’m into fluid fitness (no, not liquid fitness). Meaning that I like a lot of variety and flexibility in my routine, so it fits my busy days and busy mind. I am passionate about dance and I study ballet, pointe, and Theatre Dance 3x a week. Total body workout, balance, strength, flexibility, posture. And musicality, acting, and killer technique. Total involvement for busy mind. I walk anywhere within a 2-mile radius whenever possible. Yes, I wear sneakers and dodge into doorways or stairways or perch on park benches to change into “grownup shoes” for the meeting, lunch date, etc. Would I like to look cute on the street? Sure, but those guys might (probably won’t) give me passing glances won’t be around to pay for my knee replacement surgery, now, will they? I stretch for 15 minutes before sitting down at my desk. Makes huge difference in how I feel all day. I take mini stretch breaks, or do house chores, or leg weights/arm workout with workout bands. I carry my groceries (no deliveries), lug my laundry to the laundromat, eat anything I want within reason, and wait 15 minutes before I have second helpings (do I really, really want that second helping?). Seems to work!

  25. Dax on the 10th October

    When your a phoenix arizona real estate ? agent you got lots of exercise by just walking down the neighborhood looking for some prospect buyer… yeah walking is good 🙂

  26. Gil on the 20th September

    My workouts are boxing centered..

    Warm up
    rope 3 rounds
    shadowbox 4 rnds
    double end bag 3 rnds
    heavy bag 4 rnds
    speed bag 3 rnds
    more skipping 5 min

    floor work..pushups, pullups, crunches, medicine ball

    I do this 3x a week, roadwork, more shadowboxing and rope on other days

  27. Jordan on the 30th July

    Check out 5minfit.com! Free fitness hacking program that’s always difficult but not time consuming at all.

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