Who doesn't follow a social media fitness guru? While I'm on Instagram, I'm always saving workout videos that I could use at home or in my gym. One trainer who I seem to save the most videos of is Whitney Simmons, a health and fitness guru with videos all over Youtube. She became a health and fitness influencer by posting videos while she was in college. Simmons not only post videos, but she also collaborates in beauty and fashion with brands like Tarte and GymShark.
My friend, Courtney, got me into a great workout routine to get me started and showed me how to use different machines to maximize my workouts. I made sure I was changing up the workout though because I didn't want my body to get used to one workout. I decided why I don't I add Simmons' workouts to my schedule and (of course) blog about it. Her videos include workouts with and without machines, weights and bands. Also, she just launched her new app called "Alive" with programs and workouts galore. Ready to see my transformation?
Here is a little intro to the app:
I started the Alive Program, which is the first program you will see on the app. The program is completely organized with a schedule (rest days included). The goal of the program is to get you started in the gym and the workouts get progressively harder. The first 5 days of this program included: legs, arm, rest and then restart. By day 6 though Cardio is added (everyone's favorite). The first 3 days of this journey, I actually became excited about working out. I'm a gal that loves a schedule and someone telling me what to do. The more calories I burn the better! Though Whitney isn't there pushing me, I follow the amount of reps and watch the videos on each workout to make sure I'm doing it correctly. As the workouts progressed, I noticed myself sweating profusely. Back to the times when I was dancing or going to a regular workout class in college. During the next few days, my body would be sore from the workouts.
Currently Whitney offers 2 programs, 8 week Alive 1.0 program and 10 week Alive Strong program. If you can't make it to the gym or if it's a rest day, she does offer daily workouts based on the region of the body you want to focus on: Abs, Upper, HIIT, Legs, Push and Pull. Here are my top 3 favorites:
Abs: 10-20 minutes workout with no equipment needed. Depending on what you're feeling and the amount of time you have, it truly workouts different parts of the abs. 2/5 workouts are on 30 second intervals, while the rest on is based on your pace. Some of the workouts include: Russian twists, reverse crunches, mountain climbers, and spider crunches.
HIIT: 15-18 minutes workout and no equipment required. These workouts are all on a 30 second interval meant to increase your heart rate. You do each workout in 3 sets with 30 second breaks in between each set. Some of the HIIT sessions include: mountain climbers, lunges, burpees, squats, high knees, and skiers.
Legs: 45-60 minute workout and some equipment is required for each session. Some of the equipment include: dumbbells, barbell, bench and cables. Some of the workouts listed in each set are or similar to the workouts I do during the Alive Program. You will be sweating and your legs will be jelly after. Some of the workouts are sumo squats, hip thrusts, lunges and deadlifts.
Now are you ready to see the results just 3 weeks into the program?
I could feel a major difference in my body after just a 3 week period. I could tell a difference in my upper body and legs. Also, the sides in my lower body also could see a slight difference. I have to remind myself that results don't come quickly. It takes patience, but with self discipline your gym goals can be achieved with this app. This app did just launch. Whitney is in the process of always improving it and I think within the next few months, the app will have more exciting workouts and perks. Check out on my Instagram as I continue the program.