By: Mint Suetrong, Contributing Writer
If you understood that reference, I love you.
In the spirit of the holiday season, I have brought this challenge upon myself. My friend, who plays as a striker in football, but is more commonly known as the Gym Master, has kindly adapted his daily training routine for this challenge. Thank you, Nont! What follows this brief introduction encapsulates the suffering of an unfit Mint. Viewer discretion is advised.
Mint's One Week Workout Challenge
Day 1
- Stretching & Rest
Our school had Sports Day the day before me asking Nont to send the workout routine to me so he thought it would be best for me to rest for another day. However, I was stubborn so I decided to follow this quick Abdominal Workout Challenge by Chloe Ting.
Day 2
- Stretching
- Light Cardio 25mins (e.g. jogging or aerobics or cycling or swimming).
- Bodyweight workouts
- Normal push-ups (knees down) 10 reps 3 sets
- Calf raise (bodyweight) 20 reps 3 sets
- Abdominal Crunch 15 seconds 4 sets
- Stretching
For cardio, I did a mixture of high knees and some quick feet drills that I remembered from basketball training. Time passed very slowly but I pushed through it! The push-ups were probably the hardest part of today’s workout because I have little to no arm strength what-so-ever. However, I tried to maintain the best form as far as possible and I am proud to announce that I now have a tiny, little muscle bump! For the calf raises, I decided to do 20 reps instead and also followed the same abdominal workout from the previous day.
To finish the workout off, I did some walking crab squats (yes, I just made that name up) with a resistance band that I had. I had the resistance band just above my knee and after a squat, I would take a step to the right with only my right foot, squat, then move my left foot to the right and then squat again. When I reached the other side of my room- it’s not that big, don’t worry- I would repeat the same movement but now moving my left foot before my right, and overall moving to the left, until I reached the starting point. I would go back and forth four times across my room. If you have never tried this, I highly suggest that you do. It burns- or maybe I am just really weak.
Day 3
- Stretching
- Bodyweight workouts
- Superman crunch 10 seconds 5 sets
- Normal sit-ups 8 reps 3 sets
- Normal and wide-armed push-ups (knees down) 8 reps 3 sets each
- V-sit 45 seconds 2 sets
*Since this is Tuesday, I would have done PE in the morning, so a light cardio workout is just fine.
- Stretching
Can I please just say that I hate superman crunches with a burning passion? Our coach used to have us do these after basketball training and I was hit by a wave of nostalgia of how much fun I had then. I did not realise how much time had passed since I stopped training. Two years flew by and I miss training dearly. I extended today’s workout by following the same abdominal workout once again and the crab squats. I also did alternate leg raises with slow, controlled movement as I brought my leg down but raising it fast.
Day 4
- Stretching
- Cardio workouts (Treadmill or cycling)
- Weight training
- Front dumbbell raise 3, 4 kg 8 reps 4 sets
- Prone Plank 45 seconds 2 sets
- Side Plank (both sides) 45 seconds 2 sets
- Dumbbell shoulder press 3, 4 kg 8 reps 4 sets
- Upright row 2-4 kg 6 reps 3 sets
- Stretching
It is safe to say that my arms died that day. Although it was difficult, the side plank was probably my favourite workout from today’s setlist. It was incredibly surprising to be able to feel my external oblique as I attempted to prevent myself from tipping over. As you can probably tell, my balance is not so great. Before stretching, I repeated the same sideway crab squats, the leg raises and the abdominal workouts from the day before.
Day 5
- Stretching
- Bodyweight workouts
- Bench Dip 10 reps 2-3 sets
- 90-90 crunch 10 reps 3 sets
- Calf raise (bodyweight) 15 reps 5 sets
- Bicep curl 3 kg 10 reps 3 sets
- V-leg Raise 8 reps 3 sets
- Stretching
Sadly, I was caught up in work so I was not able to workout today. I did the crab walks, though, but I added the rest of the workout to the next day.
Day 6 (The most intense day)
- Stretching
- 3 push-ups (knees up this time!) (wide hand, normal and triangle) 5 reps 3 sets each.
- Superman crunch (hold) 10 seconds 4 sets
- Mountain climbing 15 reps 4 sets
- Normal plank 1 min 2 sets
- One other exercise of your choice. (I chose the crab squats)
- Intense cardio 35-50 mins
- Stretching
Today’s workout added with Day 5’s workout was exhilarating, to say the least. Again, the planks and push-ups were the more difficult exercises from the routine but with a splash of stubbornness and ear-shattering music, I was able to complete the whole routine without losing any limbs in the process.
Day 7 (Last day!)
- Stretching
- Light cardio
- Weight training
- 45-degree leg press (you choose the weight) 10 reps 3 sets
- Straight-leg deadlift (be careful on this one) 8 reps 3 sets
- Side Plank 1 min 3 sets
- Stretching
For cardio, I did some quick feet drills, high knees and jumping back and forth on the spot. As I was unable to go to the gym on this day, I had to compensate for the lack of the leg press machine by doing 6 rounds of the crab squats and 3 sets of 10 reps of jumping squats. This was my first time doing straight-leg deadlifts but I loved it! They were not as difficult as I thought they would be.
My main objective for this 7-Day Fitness Challenge was to have some fun and to explore new workout routines. I was not expecting to see physical developments as I recognise that it takes much longer than a week to see significant results. Fitness is a process! However, by pushing through workout after workout, I believe that this challenge has strengthened my psychological resilience and has inspired me to get back into fitness again. This was an incredible experience and I could not have done it without the overwhelming encouragement from Nont. Thank you again!
Link to cover image: https://pin.it/1r4Q1RU