Our workout series is HERE!
- brittanymarkham
- 6 days ago
- 7 min read
Let me just ease all your minds right now and say I DID NOT WRITE THESE WORKOUTS!
I did not go to school and get a degree in health & wellness.
I did not study for and get certified as a personal trainer.
I did not work as a professional personal trainer for years.
And I certainly do NOT actively read studies about exercise and supplements and overall health and physical fitness for fun on a regular basis.
But my husband did (and does) all those things.
I personally don't know anyone more educated on all things physical fitness, muscle-building, and nutrition than Brock. And while I've watched his own fitness goals go from competitive athlete to bodybuilding competitor, I've also seen how he tailor-makes every workout and nutrition guide to meet his client's personal goals.
Well Brock finally made one for me too!
Weightlifting for Beginners
I'm kidding when I say "finally" - Brock's been wanting me to workout regularly for a decade (of course!) - and bless him, he's done a few training sessions with me off and on since the earliest beginnings of our relationship (mostly off). But as Damian gets bigger and heavier, what was once just a concern for my general health has turned steeply into a concern for both my and Damian's safety. Last year I hurt my back two separate times and it spooked me to think what would happen if I had a serious lasting injury, or worse, if I ever dropped Damian. It just can't happen.
And so I made it a goal to finally become stronger this year.
Much of the reason Brock's personal training hasn't been an ongoing thing over the years is because I need someone to help me workout and Brock's work schedule just doesn't allow for that consistently. To be given a list of exercises on a piece of paper is useless to me - at the very least I need a video to watch so I can continue to blissfully go through life not knowing the difference between an "Incline Fly Press" and "Bulgarian Split Squat."
I'm telling y'all, I'm a NOVICE when it comes to this stuff.
But a video - I can follow a video. And if... it's me in the video, I will totally be able to keep up, right?
STRONGER TOGETHER
Well, we did it! Brock and I recorded a week's worth of workouts and thanks to all of your interest and encouragement, we're going to make them available to everyone who wants to join me on my fitness journey!
Let me break down what the program actually is, and then I can tell you how you can join!
STRONGER TOGETHER: Weightlifting for Beginners
"Level 1" of our workout series is 3 videos to workout to in a week: a Monday workout, a Wednesday workout, and a Friday workout (or Tue/Thurs/Sat or whatever). Each workout is 30 minutes or less and switches up what movements are being prioritized (either legs, pushing movements, or pulling movements) but every workout is a full body workout.
Brock says that these videos should last us 6 weeks before it will be time to graduate to "Level 2," when we'll have a brand-new set of videos ready to go!
THE GOAL
Brock has made hundreds of fitness & nutrition guides for people, from athletes trying to excel in their sport to people looking to drop a few pounds and wanting more energy in their day. The Stronger Together program is made specifically for people wanting to get generally stronger: build muscle, get toned, and have more strength and energy throughout the day.
The unique and unlikely pairing of both Brock and I working on producing this together - I think - is beneficial for people like me because I'll be asking all the "dumb questions" and having Brock show exactly what to do and what not to do. I wanted to make this as accessible as possible for people like me who have no education background on fitness whatsoever, always disliked working out, avoid public gyms, and don't have a lot of spare time.
If you have a gym membership, great, you can follow these videos while you're there! If not, these videos are totally doable at home - and each workout is 30 minutes or less.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
No, I did not grab these questions from an online poll - these are questions I myself have frequently asked Brock, haha!
Will this program help me lose weight?
Your weight does not indicate body composition. Weighing oneself is an easy, popular thing to do, but it only tells you one thing: how much you weigh. 5 pounds of muscle is a LOT smaller in size than 5 pounds of fat - so what information are you actually trying to get by stepping on the scale? Does how much you weigh tell you what pant size you are? No it does not. A measuring tape could, but a scale will not.
The goal of this program is to gain muscle. Now, I myself will be going from a daily physical activity level of nearly zero to working out every other day, so I am expecting to see some change in my body composition, but if I were to gain, for example, 5 pounds of muscle and lose 5 pounds of fat, I may look and feel different - but the scale wouldn't change at all. If I were to be tracking "progress" simply by looking at the scale, I might get discouraged - because that number isn't telling me if progress is being made.
So we are not going to be tracking that.
How will we track progress?
Weightlifting is about lifting weights (surprise, surprise!) and muscle strength can be measured by how much weight you can move. So that's what we'll be tracking.
Specific to this program, I've created a workout log where we can track how much weight we were carrying during each exercise and how many reps (repetitions) of each exercise we did within the time limit.
Click the file below to download the printable workout log!
The reason I think it's important to record how we do in every workout is because that's where we are going to watch the progress happen - and with this log, we'll be able to see that progress really easily all on one sheet of paper! Brock has assured me that if I, and anyone else, really gives an honest effort** during every workout and sticks with it for 6 straight weeks, noticeable progress will be made.
**Brock wants me to clearly state here that an important part of muscle growth is being mindful about your nutrition and sleep habits as well. It doesn't need to be perfect, especially during week one, but small improvements as we go, such as eating more vegetables, fruits, and lean proteins are necessary for muscle growth (and overall well-being). If this is not one of your strong suits, don't worry, I'm RIGHT THERE WITH YOU on this!
Can anyone do this?
YES! Whether you are physically weaker than me or stronger than me, this program should work for you! In the videos we point out how you can tell it's time to be exercising with heavier weights, and all the exercises can be "leveled up" as much as you need: Assisted push-ups too easy? Just do regular push-ups instead while I'm doing the assisted version. The time limit for each exercise is the same, regardless of whether you're lifting twice as much or half as much weight as I am. This program caters to the most beginners of the beginners though, so if you are way ahead of me, just be aware you're going to be slightly adapting a lot of the exercises from exactly what I'm doing.
Obviously I have to cover my bases here and say that I do not know your personal medical history. I do not know if you are recovering from an injury. Please use your best judgment and don't hurt yourself. I trust you all to make good choices and be good stewards of your own body.
Does this program come with nutrition info too?
Right now there are 3 workout videos on our YouTube channel, but more videos are coming - and not just workouts! Brock and I will be addressing topics in short discussion-format as supplementary videos to the program, so if nutrition (or any other topic) is of interest to you, let us know by writing a question or request in the YouTube comments!
Which brings me to the big question:
How do I join?
The workout videos are on our YouTube channel and are viewable by those who have purchased a membership subscription. A subscription is $4.99 per month and includes access to the workout videos as well as any additional supplementary videos we upload that talk about nutrition and other topics pertaining to Stronger Together.
What you will need
Adaptations and alternative exercises are offered in the video if we come to an exercise you don't have the equipment for, but if you want to follow the video EXACTLY how I've done it, here is what you'll need (all links are commissionable):
2 Lightweight Dumbbells (I'll be using around 10 lbs each)
1 Heavy Dumbbell (I'll be using a 30 lb. dumbbell)
Sturdy chair (like from your dining table)
Bench
In the videos I actually use this hammock chair frame as a pull-up bar
The pull-up bar is the one exercise there is not a great alternative for, so if you are going to buy one piece of equipment, it should be this
Workout log! If you didn't download it already when I mentioned it earlier, here it is again:
Let's do this!!
THANK YOU again for your encouragement and excitement to start this undertaking with me! It's about time I start taking a little more care of my own health, and as apprehensive towards all things fitness as I have been in the past, I am honestly SO excited to start this program alongside many of you!
We start this coming MONDAY, August 18th! Let's get stronger together!!
<3
I am in!!! I have to get myself in shape! What better way to get started than as part of this??? I've signed up and am gathering my "tools". Whoo Hoo!