So here’s the thing. Before I got into this rigid fitness program, I had never stepped into a gym. Some friends at work had been bugging me to get a membership at Blast Fitness which is close to the office but never really found the time (or the willpower) to do it.
But when my boyfriend of 4 years proposed to me and we set our wedding date on my birthday, I had less than a month to get in shape.
Not that I’m really out of shape, no. I’ve been doing 50 minutes of yoga 4-5x a week for the past year and on weekends, I jog with my boyfriend (now husband) in a trail near our home.
But you know how it is with women and weddings – we always want to be in our best shape and that’s exactly what I was aiming for.
I worked out for almost 2 hours a day, 5 times a week. At the end of the grueling 2 weeks, I lost 7 pounds and a little over 2 inches off my waist.
The Plan
The plan was for me to work out for 5 days a week. I was also instructed to stick to an elimination diet which meant I needed to stay away from sugar, refined carbs, alcohol and dairy. I could only eat lean meats and veggies. I was told that in order for me to achieve a dramatic transformation, I need to reset my system.
The Workout
My workout started at 6AM so I had to wake up really early to get to the gym before that time. No problem – I’m a morning person any way and am usually up and about at 5AM. My session began with a 10-minute cardio warmup on either the treadmill or elliptical. After that, I get into HIIT circuit which involved 4 exercise sets with cardio bursts in between. I was told to go through each circuit 3-4x. We alternate our focus every day – so I could be doing upper body on a Monday, and then lower body on a Tuesday.
Once that’s done I then do 30 minutes of cardio. My trainer designed the program to include both resistance/body weight training and cardio so that the heart rate is always up while exercising. The cardio bursts, I was told, let the body continue to burn calories even after. So even if I’m doing only 30 minutes of cardio after my circuits, my body would still be burning calories long after.
This was major shift from the jogging/running I was used to. Adding weight training not only burned more calories but also made my body stronger.
Here’s an example of what leg day looked like:
- Sideway walking with resistance bands on thighs
- Using resistance band, do 20 squats
- 20 single-leg glute bridges
- Lunge down the hallway and back
- 20 toe-touches
- 60-second plank
- Run on treadmill for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds (repeat 3x)
- Then repeat the whole circuit up to 4x
- 30 minutes cardio
Here’s an example of what upper body day looked like:
- 20 Pushups
- 20 Bicep curls
- 20 Lat pulldowns
- 20 Triceps pushdown
- 20 Triceps dips
- Run on treadmill for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds (repeat 3x)
- 30 minutes cardio
Nutrition
As hard as my workouts were, my nutrition plan was actually the most challenging. I’ve never been someone who ate healthy meals. I eat junk foods on weekends, and I always have a cookie or two with my coffee.
The program given to me had no specific diet plan I could follow. It only emphasized on resisting the urge to eat sweets, refined carbs, fruits, corn, alcohol, juices and sodas. In fact, the only beverages I could drink was black coffee and water.
The first few days was very hard, I had little energy and wanted to stay in bed all day. But after a few days, my body adapted to the low-carb environment and never felt better.
The Results
Two weeks after starting the program, I lost 7 pounds and trimmed my waist two inches. The results were visible, even my friends complimented me on my transformation. I had a flat stomach, my arms and legs were toned, and I felt great overall.
The 2-week program I followed, however, is not something you would be able to do on a long term basis. So if you’re looking to get in shape fast, you can definitely try it. But after 2-3 weeks, you need to switch to a more sustainable fitness plan.
Do you want to be fit in 2 weeks? Here’s a video that might help: