When January hit, you were exhilarated to ramp up your wellness journey. But now we are halfway through the year. The newness has worn off. It’s easy for motivation to wane. And, it’s hot.
But there is a great way to get your motivation back…join a summer fitness challenge! A personal fitness trainer at Franklin Athletic Club can help you reach your personal fitness goals.
Here are three challenges to consider. So, grab a buddy and push one another to accountability as you reach your fitness goals.
Challenge 1: Focused Feature
Choose a body part, or feature, such as arms, that you want to focus on for one week (or longer, if you choose). Here’s an example of a seven-day arm challenge to sculpt the biceps, triceps and shoulders.
Monday / Thursday: dumbbell shoulder press, tricep kickbacks, bicep hammer curls, tricep dips
Warm up gently, then perform 3 rounds of 12 each, using weights heavy enough to make the last two reps in each round challenging, but still doable with good form. Rest for 20 seconds between each exercise, then rest one minute between rounds.
Tuesday / Saturday: front-to-side raise, barbell skull crusher triceps, alternating bicep curls, tricep pushups
Wednesday / Sunday: Cardio or Mind-Body practice such as yoga or pilates
You can also do a legs, glute or abs-focused feature challenge.
Challenge 2: Get In, Get Out, Get On With Your Day
You’ve probably heard of high intensity interval training. Increasing then lowering your heart rate incrementally is a great way to build cardio. But have you heard of Tabata Intervals? This workout is literally only four minutes of actual exercising!
For the next seven days, commit to at least one round of Tabata Intervals and see if you don’t increase both your aerobic and anaerobic conditioning. This four-minute exercise boosts your metabolism for up to 24 hours.
Broken into 8 rounds of 20 seconds of all-out effort, followed by 10 seconds of rest, it’s sure to be the longest 4 minutes of your day. But when you’re done, you’re done!
Great exercises for Tabata Intervals include:
- Squats
- Mountain climbers
- Burpees
- Stationary bike
- Jumping rope
- Sprints
- Push ups
- Rowing machine
Challenge 3: Full Body 4-Week Transformation
If you’re looking for something a little longer in duration with big results, go for a 4-week full body challenge that mixes upper and lower body exercise with cardio so that you’re sure to stay mentally engaged without boredom or burnout. Grab a friend and a great playlist and see how far you can push yourself in four short weeks.
Join Franklin Athletic Club
Don’t see a challenge that sparks your interest? No worries! Contact a personal trainer who can devise a customized summer challenge just for you! Reach out at 615-599-5544 to ask about membership plans or the more than forty classes offered weekly. Schedule a tour or find a personal trainer for your summer fitness challenge!
Franklin Athletic Club
112 Rand Place
Franklin, TN 37064
