No Equipment Needed Post-Baby Workouts ~ From My Personal Trainer!

I don’t know if it was baby #6 or just being older, but I never had as hard of a time losing the baby weight and getting back into shape.  I did my usual low-carb diet and moderate exercise, no luck.  I switched to low carb/low calorie, no luck.  The weight seemed to be going nowhere.  All my old tricks weren’t working!  Now, I don’t have to have the perfect body or anything, but gosh darn-it… I sure would like to fit back into my pants!  I had my thyroid checked.  Normal.  I was at a loss and my yoga pants were getting pretty shabby.  So, I enlisted the help of a pro.  We’ve been working out together for 6 months and I’ve lost several inches, many pounds and several percents of body fat.  On top of that, I’m stronger than I’ve ever been.  Not only is it nice to be stronger, but it’s like having insurance for all of your hard work.  The added muscle burns more calories and will make maintaining my weight easier.   Oh, but guess what… I still weigh almost the same as when I started with her!  It’s crazy.  I’ve gained muscle weight and lost fat weight, so it’s evened out.  Luckily, she checks my body fat percentages monthly, besides just weighing me, so I can stay motivated despite my weight staying the same.  I’ve never weighed this much and have been able to fit into the clothes I wore before #6.  It’s hard to get used to not focusing on the weight, and think more about the body fat percentages, measurements, and the way I look and feel.  But, I feel great and my trainer has been AWESOME.  I’ve still got work to do, and I’m not quite at the ‘share before/after pictures’ point, but one of these days!  We’ll see.  I’m kinda shy.

* If you live near me, in Davis/Weber County in Utah… I convinced my trainer to give y’all a free 1 hour training session!  I’ll give more details at the end of the post.

So, I should probably introduce you.  This is Brenda.  Mother of 5.  She tears up the Crossfit gym, volleyball court, and bodybuilding competitions.  Every time I walk into the gym, I get butterflies in my stomach, wondering what pain she’s going to put me through.  And, yes.  There’s been pain, but she does it in the nicest way possible.  And, it’s worth it.   Sooooo worth it.  Oh, and if you’re wondering, like I was, if these workouts will make you look like a bodybuilder too, the answer is NO.  I mean, they could if that’s your goal.  But, not after you thinned out, got nice and toned, amped up your weight lifting, and downed protein all day long.  You’ll be fine.  We just want to fit in our happy pants, right?

I know that a lot of us don’t have the means to go to the gym right now, buy exercise equipment, or to hire a personal trainer, so I asked Brenda to share the most productive exercises that moms could do at home, along with several different workouts routines and even a guide to building exercise programs on your own!  Also, I should probably state the obvious:  Brenda is not a doctor.  She is not you.  Know your body and what you’re ready for.  If you had a baby yesterday, last week, or last month, you may want to let your body recover for a while before starting an exercise program.

First, let’s go over some of the individual exercises that will be in the post-baby workouts…

The Air Squat:

Stand up straight, heels under shoulders, slightly pointing out.  Put weight toward heels of foot, and squat AS LOW AS YOU CAN!  Keep your knees behind your toes.

Crossfit Pushups:  Crossfit pushups are slightly different than standard, in that you lower yourself completely to the ground and then release your hands, before pushing back up.  There are a couple reasons for this.  First, it makes judging in competitions easier, since everyone is lowering to the ground.  Second, it is said that you use more muscles, specifically your abs, where they were engaged, disengaged, then re-engaged.  They are the standard pushup for Crossfit.

Lower your body all the way to the ground, release your hands, push back up.

If you want to do ‘girl pushups,’ be sure to keep your bum down, to make a straight line.  However, I highly suggest trying regular pushups.  I had been doing ‘girl’ ones forever, just assuming I wouldn’t be able to do a regular one.  I was totally wrong!  Now, I try to do as many regular as I can, then switch to ‘girl’ when I’m feeling weak, then back to regular, if I can.

Crossfit Sit-Ups:  A Crossfit situp is different from the standard, in that your legs are butterflied apart, feet touching together, and you sit completely up to touch your toes.  By having your legs turned outwards, your hips can’t help with the exercise, and everything is focused on your abs.  If you have a small pad to put under your lower spine, even better.  It will help prevent your spine from pushing against the ground to help your body up.

Notice how Brenda’s knees are spread open and her feet are touching together?  Sit all the way up and touch the ground in front of you.

Box Jumps:  Start with something lower that you can jump on, landing your feet completely on top.  Jump up, jump backwards down, repeat.

When you can comfortably jump on your platform, find something a little higher.

At home, I jump up on my coffee table and fireplace hearth!  Just use whatever works for you.

Alright, now for some workout routines…

Workout #1:

For 20 minutes, do 5 pushups, 10 sit ups, and 15 squats.  Repeat sequence until time is up.  Count how many rounds you do, try to beat it the next time.

Workout #2:

21 box jumps, 21 sit ups, 21 pushups
15 box jumps, 15 sit ups, 15 pushups
9 box jumps, 9 sit ups, 9 pushups

Time yourself and try to beat your time the next time you do the workout.

Workout #3:

30 lunges (15 each leg.  Put one leg in front of the other, kneel down, and stand up.  Repeat with other leg.  See here for example.)
20 sit ups
10 pushups

Repeat 5 times.  Time yourself and try to beat your time the next time you do the workout.

Workout #4:

5 rounds of 100 jumping jacks and 100 mountain climbers.  Time yourself and try to beat your time the next time you do the workout.

Instructions on mountain climbers here.

Workout #5:

4 rounds of 30 squats and 400 m (1/4 mile) run.

If running isn’t an option, switch it out for stair runs. Run to the top of the stairs 6 times.

Time yourself and try to beat your time the next time you do the workout.

Workout #6:

21 lunges, situps, burpees
15 lunges, situps, burpees9 lunges, situps, burpees

Instructions for burpees here.

Time yourself and try to beat your time the next time you do the workout.

Workout #7:

For 15 minutes, do 10 pushups, 15 situps, 20 walking lunges.  Try to continue without resting, count the completed rounds.  Try to beat your record the next time you do the workout.

Workout #8:

30 squats, box jumps, situps
20 squats, box jumps, situps
10 squats, box jumps, situps

Time yourself and try to beat your time the next time you do the workout.

Workout #9:

4 rounds of 20 pushups, 20 situps, and 400 m (1/4 mile) run.

If running isn’t an option, switch it out for stair runs. Run to the top of the stairs 6 times.

Time yourself and try to beat your time the next time you do the workout.

Workout #10:

10 box jumps, 10 mountain climbers, 10 pushups
9 box jumps, 9 mountain climbers, 9 pushups
8 box jumps, 8 mountain climbers, 8 pushups
7 box jumps, 7 mountain climbers, 7 pushups
6 box jumps, 6 mountain climbers, 6 pushups

…continue all the way down to 0.  Time yourself and try to beat your time the next time you do the workout.

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If a workout is too advanced for you, lower the reps.  If it’s getting easier, feel free to up the reps.  Just make sure to keep it tough.  Move quickly throughout and try not to rest much during, only when you have to.  You should have sweaty arm-pits by the time you’re done!  Try to do a workout several times a week.  On your off days, maybe go for a run, or at least a walk.

Be sure to warm up your muscles before your workout (running, running up/down stairs, jumping jacks, jump rope, etc.)  Be sure to stretch after your workout.

Drink lots of water!  I try to drink between 128 oz. and 1 gallon of water a day.

As far as eating, I stick do a low-carb/high protein diet, except for my free day (Saturday night and Sunday), where I eat everything I’ve craved all week!  I have also been following the leangain method.  It’s similar to intermittent fasting.  I stop eating around 9 pm and don’t start again until 1 pm the next day, giving me 16 hours of fasting and an 8 hour eating window.  It’s an easy thing for me to do that has many benefits, especially aiding in weight loss and maintenance. Also check out this supplement company, they really helped me get on track at least initially. I’m not a pro, so any questions you have, I would ask on a leangain site, such as the one linked to in this post.  Obviously, if you are breastfeeding, you will need to do your research and ask a doc about any eating plan you’re interested in.

Finally, my trainer.  I know I’ll get emails about who she is and where you can find her.  So like I mentioned earlier, I talked to her (Brenda) about giving you a 1 hour free training session to go over your needs, concerns, learn a few things, and help you decide on a workout regimen.  So, if you’re in the Davis/Weber county area in Utah and are interested in working out with her, you can choose between personal training or group classes.  You can email Brenda HERE and find her on Facebook too.