A routine I made up for my GF (she loves it)

[E90335i]

So, after a few times going to the gym with my girlfriend, I came up with this routine and she really likes. I had to workout with her a few times to find what she really liked doing and something she would actually do consistently. She does triathlons, so weights are usually boring for her. Here is what I came up with.

5 exercises per cycle. Try to get 16 reps per exercise, no rest between each exercise, do 4 total cycles. Rest 1 minute at the end of each cycle.

pushups with one legged heal raises
(perform a push and when back up to the starting position, raise one leg off of the ground squeezing the butt, rotating legs after each push up)
DB rows with dead lift
(keep legs straight, bend forward putting your body parallel to the floor, row the dumbbells up, lower the weight, then stand up squeezing the hamstrings, then lean forward and repeat)
DB shoulder press with squat
(perform a squat and when you stand up, push the dumbbells in to the air and perform a shoulder press)
front lunges with bicep curls
(do a front lunge and perform bicep curls with the dumbbells at the same time, then do the next leg, but for you, you can use a bench to step up on to and curl at the same time)
overhead tricep press and side lunge
(grab 1 dumbbell with your hands grabbing the weight end, not the handle, raise it above your head, only bending at the elbow, lower it behind your head and press it up in the air. while lower the weight, do a lunge to one side and when you stand up, push the weight up in the air using your triceps, then do the next side)

That is one cycle. Rest for 1 minute and repeat. Do 4 total cycles and then do an ab routine, preferably oblique crunches and ending with planks.
Why do 16 reps? This is because you get an even number of reps for each leg - 8.
If you are looking to add strength, increase the weight of the dumbbells and go to 10 reps total, but perform as many pushups as possible.
If you are looking to add more conditioning, go up to 20 reps per exercise, dont concentrate so much on the weight of the dumbbells, but make sure your form is proper.
Is there a reason the exercises are in that order? Why yes! Yes there is! The first exercise is a push, 2nd a pull, 3rd a push, 4th a pull and your 5th is a push. Its an active rest between each exercise.
"10lb dumbbells are too easy for shoulder press, but too heavy for curls." If you are conditioning, decrease the weight and dont worry about going too light with the dumbbells. If you want to add strength, line up your dumbbells so they are easily accessible when going from exercise to exercise. If you can barely get 10 reps with 20lb dumbbells with the rows, but no way you can get 10 reps of curls with the 20lb dumbbells, then drop the 20's, and grab a challenging weight for 10 reps for the curls (might be 10lbs). Just make sure you are not wasting time between exercises switching dumbbells.
Should I warmup? Yes, do 10 minutes at a medium pace on the cross trainer elliptical. (the cardio machine with the arm attachments) Then do some light stretching to help loosen the muscles. Its ok to use the 1 minute rest between cycles to do additional light stretching to keep the blood flowing so you do not burn out too quick.
I cant do 16 f*cking pushups! Then, try to do then on your knees, keep your leg bent and still raise your heal in the air after you pushup. Or, you can put your hands on the side of a bench or an elevated bar to decrease resistance so you can perform higher reps.
"The first cycle with the weights I have is easy, the 4th cycle I cannot even get half of the reps! This is blasphemy!" Its ok, just try to get as many reps as possible and move on to the next exercise. This routine is working on conditioning, just try to do more reps the next time you do this routine. That is part of the challenge!
"I love to run! This routine fatigues my leg muscles too much and I cannot run as often as I would like." You can perform this routine on a Friday, enjoy your weekend with friends and family, then you can do your long distance running on Monday and Wednesday. Or, you can perform this routine and not do the leg raises, the squats and lunges. Then you could go for a run right after doing the weights. Do the upper body exercises twice a week, 2 days rest in between each routine.

[broomandabucket]

front lunges with bicep curls
(do a front lunge and perform bicep curls with the dumbbells at the same time, then do the next leg, but for you, you can use a bench to step up on to and curl at the same time)


Do you do this in public or @ your home?

[E90335i]

I hope youre not being a smartazz.
This routine is what every woman wants. Being toned, conditioned and having a nice core.

[FastCatChamp]

You should market this somehow.....be sure to include "Toned" in the title.