Working out is hard enough as it is. Trying to map out a work out plan each day? Even worse. If I’m making the effort to get out of bed and go to the gym the last thing I want to decide is what machine to use at what resistance for how long. I don’ have the time or energy to be my own personal trainer. That’s where Kayla Itsines comes in. Her “Bikini Body Guide” consists of 12 weeks of workouts that target toning your whole body. The workouts vary from arms & abs, total body, and legs & cardio. Torturous? Yes. Worth it? Absolutely. These workouts are a 28 minute rollercoaster of thoughts and emotions. Seriously it is going to feel like the longest 28 minutes of your life, but I promise you won’t regret it.
Getting ready to leave the house is always the easiest stage of the Kayla workouts. Just tell yourself over and over again that it’s only 28 minutes until you’re done. That’s barely even half of a Grey’s Anatomy episode. Seriously, you’ll blink and it will be over.
But then on your walk to the gym you start thinking about the exercises that you’ll have to be doing. 15 burpees? Absolutely not. I think 10 will have to do. And you’ll probably enter panic mode when you realize that you have to do lay-down push-ups and commandos in the same round. Allow yourself a little panic but keep reminding yourself that it isn’t even a half hour until you’re free again. You might contemplate just going for a run instead, but don’t give in. Kayla knows what’s best.
Once you get to the gym finding a mat is always the ultimate struggle. Even if there are open mats you need to be choosey about where you pick to exercise. You’re lying if you say you don’t try to find a mat super far away from any other human to avoid the embarrassment that comes from attempting to do 30 jump lunges followed by 15 tuck jumps. It’s best if no one hears or sees the struggle of each 7 minute circuit.
During the first 7 minute circuit you’ll probably think to yourself, “Wow, this isn’t so bad, I’m not even that sore.” Don’t be fooled, you still have a long way to go and the muscle aches will hit, probably in the next round.
During the second 7 minute circuit you’ll begin to feel the pain and realize you’re not even halfway done. Those burpees? Yeah, you have to do those again. Your abs are sore from the bent leg jack knives in the last round? You still have to do 30 cross-leg sit-ups this round in this one. This is where you begin to dwell on how much you have left to go, even if it is only 21 minutes.
Half-way through is a small milestone but it’s hard to fully celebrate when all you can think about is how you’re about to do every painful exercise you just did over again.
You finish your third circuit and realize you don’t have to do those 4 exercises again. Things start to look up as you get ready to swallow the pain of the last 7 minutes of your workout.
The last 7 minutes go fast. You can see the light. Pushing through the pain is easier when each time you do a set of abs or arms you realize it is your last. Instead of dreading all of the progress you have left to go you begin day-dreaming about the TV show you’re going to reward yourself with when you get home.
Finally you are done. It is time to put the weights away and clean the mats. A feeling of triumph will wash over you and you’ll probably think to yourself, “Wow, that wasn’t that bad.” Sure, in the moment of doing burpees it feels never ending but looking back you’ll feel nothing but pride. And maybe a little pain when you try to walk up and down the stairs in the 48 hours that follow.
