Planning Out the Week: Weights Without the Gym

Week of Planning Weights
26 Jul

Last Updated on May 21, 2023 by Michael Brockbank

Because of what I want to do in 10 weeks, I need to start thinking about streamlining my routine. And sticking with it. So today, I am putting a bit of time into planning out my week in terms of exercise. Something I really don’t do as often as I should.

And all of this without getting a gym membership.

I’ve decided to stick with the premise of this blog, which is to show how a desk jockey can still lose weight and build muscle at home. This is perfect for those introverted people such as myself who want to look and feel their very best.

Plus, it’s cheaper in the long run.

Planning Out Exercises for the Week

Because I am working on a couple of different case studies, I am planning out what I’m doing according to immediate needs. I want to get time in front of the Xbox or with the Bodyblade. However, I also need some heavier work.

More Strength-Building Workouts

Usually, I just kind of wing it when it comes to lifting weights and such. This time, though, I am seeing if I can break my push-up record without actually doing push-ups. So, I need to work on my shoulders, arms, chest, and abs.

I plan on using the 20-pound dumbbells and my stability ball. This way, I can balance myself on the ball while doing things like flies and presses. By balancing in such a manner, it tightens the thighs and glutes while working out.

As for my core, I’m going to focus on things like the Swiss ball jackknife, planks, and weighted lying leg raises.

Alternating Days for Exercise

The plan is to alternate between weights and cardio. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, I’ll work with the weights and traditional forms of exercise. On Tuesday and Thursday, I’ll play the Xbox Kinect twice.

This way, I can give my arms and shoulders a bit of a rest in between dumbbell sessions. Though, I still plan on strapping on the gloves and wrist weights.

I’m doing this for two reasons: a) to give my body a chance to recover from weight workouts, and b) I don’t have a lot of time and want to get in a full range of exercise.

Really Pay Attention to My Alarms

And lastly, I really need to start paying attention to the clock. When my alarms go off, I need to stop working and get in a quick, 10-minute workout.

Lately, I simply swipe the phone to turn off the alarm and go back to work. I really need to stop doing this, especially if I want to make sure I get up and move about more often.

It doesn’t matter what kind of planning I set up for the week if I can’t remember I want to work out. I need to get back into the habit of doing what I set my alarms to remind me to do.

Heading to Utah on Friday

Since I am going to be traveling more than half of the day on Friday, I guess I’ll just focus on keeping my calories in the green in MyFitnessPal. That actually won’t be too difficult as I’ll be pretty much in constant motion, outside of the plane trip.

I’ll still plan out Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as I will probably use this same schedule as soon as I get back. That way, I’ll remember what I want to work on.

With any luck, the hotel’s weight room and pool will be open. That’ll make for some great exercise while I’m away. It’s been a long time since I actually swam in anything.

So, What Does Planning Look Like for This Week?

This is the tentative workout schedule for this week, and possibly the following. Feel free to change this up and follow along if you’d like. Essentially, I am creating this post so I remember what the hell I want to do this week.

The number of reps will probably vary depending on comfort level. For instance, I’m not really sure how many reps I can do with an ab roller. And it’s been a while since I’ve done lying leg raises, especially with the ankle weights.

Also, I won’t be doing all 4 sets Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in one session. Because of how my day is structured, I’ll have to stagger them out. So, I’ll do 2 sets at 6:45, one at 10:00, and the last at 3:45.

I really need a better way to live my week.

Monday:

  • 4×20 Reps of Dumbbell Curls
  • 4×20 Reps Dumbbell Chop
  • 4×20 Reps of Swiss Ball Flys
  • 4×30 Seconds Plank
  • 4×15 Reps Weighted Lying Leg Raises (10-pound ankle weights)
  • 4×7 Reps Ab Roller

Tuesday:

  • Xbox Kinect, Virtual Smash for 12 rounds (wearing one-pound weighted gloves)
  • Xbox Kinect, Tennis (wearing two-pound wrist weights)

Wednesday:

  • 4×20 Reps of Dumbbell Curls
  • 4×20 Reps Dumbbell Chop
  • 4×20 Reps of Swiss Ball Flys
  • 4×30 Seconds Plank
  • 4×15 Reps Weighted Lying Leg Raises (10-pound ankle weights)
  • 4×7 Reps Ab Roller

Thursday:

  • Xbox Kinect, Virtual Smash for 12 rounds (wearing one-pound weighted gloves)
  • Xbox Kinect, Tennis (wearing two-pound wrist weights)

Friday:

  • 4×20 Reps of Dumbbell Curls
  • 4×20 Reps Dumbbell Chop
  • 4×20 Reps of Swiss Ball Flys
  • 4×30 Seconds Plank
  • 4×15 Reps Weighted Lying Leg Raises (10-pound ankle weights)
  • 4×7 Reps Ab Roller

Saturday:

  • Rest day – focus on keeping calories in the green.

Sunday:

  • Rest day – focus on keeping calories in the green.

The Idea Behind This Week of Planning

First of all, I want at least half of my workouts to focus on the core. This is because my core is what definitely needs the most work. I don’t want to look like four toothpicks glued to a battery.

As you can see, half of all the exercises on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday all center around the abs.

Because I know I won’t burn as much during the weight days, I’ll have to make up for it on Tuesdays and Thursdays while playing the Kinect. Two sessions of playing are more than plenty to melt through the calories.

And then on the weekend, I want to be able to rest. Though, this isn’t going to give me license to binge. In reality, I’ll still do what I can in terms of physical activity to make sure I can have a few snacks. This will probably mean more walking and what-not.

Once a complete week has been finished, I’ll look back and see what I need to modify or alternate. This doesn’t include heading to Utah this week, which means I’ll do this same workout once I get back.

Because I have so much here, I want to change things up week after week. I’ll probably mix in some resistance band work, add some Swiss ball jackknife reps, use the slide board a bit…which I want to review anyway.

I’m also thinking about changing up the Kinect play by using the vibration board for one of the gaming sessions. I also want to write a review on that device in the very near future.

But for now, I suppose this is a good place to start.

Let’s See if I Can Stick With it Now!

It really doesn’t matter what kind of planning you do for exercise throughout the week if you don’t stick to it. And that’s something of which I often have an issue. Not because I’m lazy, but because I often forget.

I’m hoping that writing it all down will help me remember. I really need to get out of the habit of simply swiping and ignoring my alarms.

 

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