Strength Training Helps Keep Us Healthy and Fit

The word on the street right now when it comes to keeping fit, especially as we get “more mature” in life, is strength training and low impact activity.  Working the same muscles over and over to achieve hypertrophy is a great way to get strong, and keeping track of your weights and reps help you measure your progress and be proud of your gains.  Rebecca Kennedy’s new split program accomplishes all of this, and for those of us who are busy and trying to squeeze our workouts in or trying to keep up with other workouts like PowerZone rides or training for a race, this is a great program!   An added bonus is that Rebecca has been listening to feedback from those of us who have taken this program and has posted answers to our questions and concerns, as well as other helpful insights, on her Instagram Account and most likely will continue to do so throughout at least the next few weeks.   

Preliminarily – yes, it’s challenging, yes you get sore, but also, yes, it works! 

Three Days to Get a Badge

First, remember that this split is a Program, not a Collection and you should take the classes in the order they appear – days 1, 3, and 5.  Unlike other programs, you can skip a class (but why would you want to?) and when your 7-day week ends, the next week will automatically start.  Each class is 45 minutes long; Rebecca suggests a day off between days 1, 3, and 5, with two days off after day 5 before starting over again. Classes must be taken in order to get credit- you’ll earn a bronze badge after one class, a silver badge after two classes, and a gold badge after three classes!  Splits are designed to be taken over and over- Rebecca suggests that you repeat for 6 to 8 weeks or more.   

Upbeat Music With No Filter

The classes have great upbeat music that’s fun to lift to (Rebecca says on day 3 that the music makes a big difference to her, so she’s very careful about the music selection!)  Be aware, though, that neither the music nor Rebecca’s comments are filtered.  

Strategic Warm-Ups to Prevent Injury

Each class begins with about a 7-minute warm-up, which I found to be very helpful because as you’re warming up and getting your muscles ready, Rebecca’s already giving cues about form and the movements you’ll be doing during the class.  The warm-ups definitely move the parts of your body that you’ll be working on later.  Warming up the muscles, as well as listening to Rebecca’s excellent cueing and form tips throughout the classes, will definitely help you avoid injuries- often a concern when lifting heavy.  

 A Well-Rounded Workout

Each class focuses on either upper or lower body. Day 1 is Upper Body Pull,  day 3 is Legs and Core, and day 5 is Upper Body Push.  I definitely had some soreness after each day, but following the workouts with some yoga and stretching really helped with recovery. 

*Tip: I used a variety of weights, so it’s good to pick up varying sizes of weights between ten and forty pounds to start with- you’ll probably need more as you progress through the workouts.

Track Your Progress

The 45 minutes flew by and, although one of my favorite things about the Peloton platform is that I enjoy the fact that I never have to take a class twice, I also love it when someone tells me exactly which class to take on which days, and the fact that I can track my strength gains over several weeks is very exciting. I’m anxious to see how many weeks I can continue with this program to get the maximum benefit from it.   Rebecca has provided a tracker on her Instagram page – others use their notes section in their phones or other phone apps (one person suggested using a knitting stitch tracking app) – use whatever method works for you!    The Peloton Guide also provides rep tracking for this program.

Straightforward Movements and Structure

These classes are  so straightforward and easy to follow. There are no complex moves, just basic classic moves where you’re focusing on one muscle at a time (although sneakily, your core is working on a majority of the moves as well, which is a big bonus).  The method is fail proof – you use the heaviest weight you can do 8 – 12 reps with – when you get past 12, you go up to the next weight.  Each exercise is done 3 – 4 times in a class. Simple, and other than counting, you don’t have to be trying to remember a series of moves, just one move at a time.  

Three Days Is Enough

A lot of discussion in various Peloton forums focused on whether three days of strength is enough, to the point where Rebecca has addressed this issue on Instagram, even providing a sample schedule of how other workouts can be added in.  First, trust that Rebecca, a fantastic instructor, carefully curated this program to work.  Second, you can fit in other classes and activities – while the class definitely is a great workout and is challenging, a bike ride, walk, or hike is a great compliment either following your strength training session or on alternate days. 

Three days of strength leaves you with four days to do some cardio (Rebecca suggests low impact) or other strength modalities like Barre or Pilates.  

This Program is Perfect for Anyone

Whether you’ve never done a strength class or are in the Comma Club for strength, these classes will work for you.  Rebecca gives suggestions for modification if necessary and lets you know when to go up in weight.  When you’ve finished this program, take a deload week and then try this program again or another split program – there are a lot to choose from!  I love that this is a brand new way to work out for me and can’t wait to try some other splits with Rebecca and other instructors in the future!

 

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