Body For Life Workouts

Today I worked out my upper body…

It's an old picture but it's the only one I have of me flexing.

Body for Life (BFL) is a very simple program when you actually look at the components that it is made up of. Basically, you workout 6 times a week, alternating weightlifting days with cardio days. On the weightlifting days you alternate lower and upper body exercises. The breakdown looks like this:

M: Upper Body
T: Cardio
W: Lower Body
Th: Cardio
F: Upper Body
S: Cardio
Su: Off

On cardio days you are supposed to do HIIT type cardio for 20 minutes. I like to run intervals as my cardio. For one, I love my treadmill and love racking on the miles. Second, I can watch TV while I do it. Right now I’ve started the whole Desperate Housewives serious... Hahaha! The rule is, I can only watch it if I’m busting my ass on the treadmill. Last, my amazing treadmill already has a built in interval program that does all the interval work for me. There is no need for me to fumble with the settings during my workout. I only have to set it up at the beginning and BAM! I’m off like a bat out of hell…lol. I love my treadmill. Have I said that before??!?!?!

Upper body days workout your shoulders, back, biceps, triceps and chest. BFL uses a technique called “pyramid weight lifting.” An example of this would go something like this:

5lbs. – lift 12x
8lbs. – lift 10x
10lbs. – lift 8x
12lbs.—lift 6x

However, BFL does something a little bit different. The pyramids on BFL look something like this:

5lbs. – lift 12x
8lbs. – lift 10x
10lbs. – lift 8x
12lbs.— lift 6x
10lbs.— lift 12x
10lbs.— lift 12x of a different exercise for the same muscle group.

This same technique applies to the lower body exercises as well. Lower Body days workout your hamstrings, quadriceps, calves and abs. Leg days are a little shorter, but they are brutal. These are the days that leave me unable to use the bathroom because my legs are in so much pain that I its ridiculously hard to sit down on the toilet.

Guess what!

Tomorrow is my first leg day. Wish me luck!