My Remedy for Workout ADD

I have a self-diagnosed case of workout ADD.

The first step in getting help is realizing you have a problem. I first noticed this issue back in my internship when I went to the gym with my roommates (Right, Liz?). I would get on a machine or start lifting weights and get distracted or bored and never finish a substancial amounts of reps or sets. After finishing my internship and getting married I joined a gym and ended up having the same problem. I tended to corner myself in the “cardio area” of the gym… spending countless hours on the treadmill or elliptical. I saw those bulky trainer guys at the free weights and was always intimidated to go over there. I tried the standard weight machines but never made any progress there. There was just too much to choose from and I never knew what would be effective.

Since I’ve been running consistently I haven’t really had a problem getting in my cardio. Especially if I was training for a race. I had a set training plan with a break down of how much to run each day. It made it easy for me to just get out there and do my workout because I knew exactly what I had to do. I realized that if I was going to do any kind of strength training I needed that same kind of plan. I had to know which exercises to do, how many reps and how many sets.

Enter the Body Sculpting Guide for Women.

The picture on the front of the book is a little risque for some people’s taste (like you might not want to have it on your coffee table if you are having respectable people come over) but it does give decent information, and my favorite part, detailed workouts!! They have a “Break In” routine that just get you started with the basics of free-lifting. Another positive is that they have one routine for a gym setting and one routine for at home, all you need is a set of dumbbells! I’m staying in Texas for a few weeks and was able to bring my little dumbbells and continue with week 3 of the break in routine despite not having a gym here. I did the first 2 weeks of the break in routine and have already started to feel stronger. I haven’t taken any new measurements or weighed myself since I’m out of town this week, but feeling stronger is a great sign. I hope to have a decent amount of upper body strength built up for when The Ruckus Run comes to St Louis in May. I’ve always wanted to do a mud run, but their obstacles usually take a great amount of upper body strength… which I am lacking (for now).

I’ll try to post some updates on what I think about it each week as I go along.

What are your thoughts on workout ADD? Real or Not Real? What’s your plan for staying on track with workouts?