Day One

Chapter 5: Day One

For each week, the "three day split" plan consists of back and bicep workouts. Each day, I exercise  different body parts because it provides a balance of my routine. Starting the week on a Monday with this gives the body more of a pump to rejuvenate the body. Technically, you do not have to follow the sequence of the plan that I provided; however, the order definitely motivates me to continue throughout the day. Essentially, the first day gives me the motivation because I see the several exercises actually working. For instance, it is easy to see the pump in my arms instantly after doing dumbbell curls. My veins are usually coming out of my skin, which provides me with much satisfaction in my own appearance. The back is an important body part that many people overlook because it can not be frequently seen, whereas the biceps are a muscle that people see most of the time. Whenever I do my back workouts, I receive a great feeling and satisfaction because I feel the "burn" the most. This burning sensation indicates that muscles are breaking down to eventually build bigger ones. Below are the workouts I do for my back and biceps.

Back 

1. Barbell Deadlift (3 sets/ 10 reps) - while bending your knees, make sure your back is perpendicular and bring the bar directing to your chest.
2. Wide Grip Pull-up (3 Sets/ 8 Reps)- make sure you bend your knees while doing this pull-up
3. Close Grip Pull Down (4 Sets/ 10 Reps)- When sitting down, pull down the handle bar aligned to your chest, while staying in a straight posture
4. Single- Arm Dumbbell rows (3 sets/ 12 Reps)- usually go slightly heavier with this workout. Put the opposite knee of the arm you are currently using on a bench and bring the dumbbell up to your mid-level by keeping your back straight.

Biceps

1. Basic Dumbbell Curls (4 Sets/ 8 Reps)- start off by your palms away from your face and lift both weights simultaneously up to the chest area. 

2.  Incline Hammer Curls (3 Sets/ 10 Reps)- on an inclined bench, lift the weights one at time right below your chest. 

3. EZ Bar Curl (4 Set/ 5 Reps)- Usually you go heavy with this, however, by using a bench bar curl it up to your chest. 

4. Overhead Cable Curl (3 Sets/ 8 Reps)- using a cable, pull it over your head in a horizontal direction. 

The Plan

Chapter 4: The Plan

Exercising comes at a cost. It will take some time away from doing certain activities, just like how every new addition to your life will. Working out and creating healthy habits are just as similar as other changes an individual tries to implement in their own personal life. For instance, most college students desire change in their time management which will require them to withdraw certain habits and activities that they usually do. As college students, we need to be acceptable for positive change to better ourselves in academic and healthy aspects. We will always have an excuse if we are not discplined enough. It is imperative to rule out all of the actives that will not best suit you in the future. An example of this will include spending countless hours on the couch, watching television, or playing video games. We can substitute this with healthy alternatives such as walking outside, or doing physical activities. I love to work out because it is an outlet for challenge and discipline.

Making an exercise plan will prepare you mentally and physically. Plans are important because it will give you an organized set-up to your day. Also, plans promote consistency, which will motivate one to increase their confidence and ability to fulfill the plan for that day. There is an exercise website which will give you steps on how to do a certain excessive for a particular muscle. It has meal plans and day by day exercises for different body parts. For my exercises, I use what I call a " Three Day- split," which you can find directly below.

Day 1: Back and Biceps
Day 2: Shoulder, Triceps, and Chest
Day 3: Legs
Day 4: Day 1
Day 5: Day 2
Day 6: Day 3
Day 7: Rest

The Core Workout

Chapter 3:
       

Mikey King NFM 2014 by Terry George licensed by                                                             CC BY-NC-ND 2.0                                                   

                This image pertains to the idea of working out the core, in order to achieve a nice and strong abdominal shape. Abs are highly desired by most people who are on the road of having a fit body. As a college student, you can apply some of the workouts that I will list down below in your room. It is the most convenient for a workout being that it does not depend on weights or machines. Whether the circumstance concerns rain, inconvenience, location, etc., your room is the best option to workout the core. For this specific workout, a minimum of ten minutes will be taken up. You will surely see drastic changes very soon if you utilize this workout at least five times a day. After each ab workout, take at most a minute break.


1. 25 reps crunches-with knees up, perpendicular to the floor
2. 30 reps knee to elbow- bring entire leg to your opposite elbow, while laying flat on the ground
3. 40 Secs of flutter kicks - while on your back, slightly lift both legs and swing it in a up-down motion without touching the floor.
4. 15 reps of pulse - ups- point both legs in a vertical position towards the ceiling and move it in an upward thrust motion.
5. 1 minute elbow plank- in a push up- like position, keep your back straight while holding your weight on just your elbows and feet.
6. 25 reps leg raises-  lay in a curled position, having your neck up from the ground and lifting both legs at a 90 degree angle.
7. 20 reps of sitting twists- normal crunch position, but involves a twisting motion to affect more of the core such as the strengthening your obliques.

For more ab workouts, you can visit this website :
 https://darebee.com/ab-exercises.html

Building Self- Confidence and Discipline

Chapter 2: The First Step
         
        The first step in guaranteeing a healthy body is self-discipline. Discipline is essential because it will push you forward regardless of the roadblocks that may hinder your journey to fitness. It is totally difficult to discipline yourself because it must require a change to your usual lifestyle. Whether it be not eating any more Oreos, or simply running outside for at least ten minutes instead of playing video games, are some of the things that you should force yourself to do. Every one is different, however, that does not mean that you cannot find a way to discipline yourself.
         Starting this new year fresh, I had to cut out all of the foods that were a lot of calories and contained high fructose corn syrup. Of course I felt like giving up; although, I knew that I must mentally prepare myself to avoid failure. This is when discipline played its role. The start of every journey is usually the most difficult because your body and mind are not used to these changes.
         Once you are are disciplined, then it will start to influence an increase in confidence. Confidence will always prevail. It is a quality that one will have to promote motivation. If college students are confident to succeed, they will be successful. They are confident because of the initial discipline that they took upon for themselves.
          These are the first two steps before one can achieve their main fitness goal. I know it will be a hard because of the temptation to eat ice cream, or tiredness to sleep; however, a strict routine will overall create happiness. There are going to be many times when you want to find an excuse to escape a workout or a meal, but simply cannot due to discipline. Once you begin to follow a strict routine, life will not seem as difficult.