Since I started doing the South Beach Diet, I’ve begun going getting back into the gym. This may be the first time I’ve written about it here in the workout log, but I’ve been fairly consistent. The first week I went to the gym three times, but then it fell off to two times a week, then one and there were a few weeks where I didn’t go at all. 🙁 At this stage of the diet, I would say that I average two times a week now.

On Monday’s I start with 30 minutes of treadmill. If I’ve gotten to the gym early enough and if there isn’t anyone waiting on a machine, I’ll go another 30 minutes if I can. I choose a program that varies the elevation of the treadmill as well as the speed so that it varies things up a bit. Last night I cranked up the speed to 7 and I was flat out running my ass off for 3 – 4 minute stretches and then I’d kick it down to a fast walk. It’s the hardest I’ve gone on the treadmill yet, but it felt good.

When I’m done with the walking, I usually walk around the gym a bit to cool down and then I hit the machines. My legs are pretty well defined from my years of soccer, but my upper body could use some work. Holly really like muscles and she hasn’t had any to speak of since we’ve known each other, so I’m trying to pump up my arms and chest. On each machine I do two sets of 12 reps. The machines I hit last night were: bicep curls, lat pull down, butterfly, bench press, and a higher bench press. I’ll have to write down the names of the machines next time I go.

When it comes to weights, I go until I’m exhaustion, but not until failure. I remember hearing somewhere the you should do it until your muscles can’t do anymore. I did that my first time on the machines and I couldn’t move my arms for a week, so I stop when I get to the point that I’m exhausted. When I finished last night my entire upper body was shaking.

On Wednesday, I do the treadmill for 30 minutes if I get to the gym on time and then I do an hour of yoga. You wouldn’t think it, but yoga is my hardest workout! On Friday I basically do the same routine as Monday’s, but I’m thinking that I may start swimming on Friday just to be different. Every swimmer I’ve ever seen has a killer body, so it couldn’t hurt. 😉