60-Day Bikini Body Workout

I have always been physically active and lived the - hashtag “fit life” - at least for the past five to six years. Before that I had awareness of what I put into my body and definitely engaged in some sort of activities to maintain some form of physical fitness.

I am old school in thought. I have always believed ‘strong is the new skinny.’ The stick thin, straight-up-and-down look has never been for me. I’m not about that life. Back when I didn’t have much of a butt (one year ago - cough, cough), I’d do what I could to create the illusion of one. This includes arching my back 'just so' in order to make my little tailbone stick out more LOL. That’s the past though. This girlfriend has spent the past year-and-a-half squatting, leg pressing, stair-stepping and cable-kick backing her way to a new and improved glutes and re-shaped hips and thighs. My jeans no longer sag pathetically off my rear (though many still don’t fit my waist properly - huge and ridiculous gaps).

Previously, I’d been doing Bar Method, which is ballet based, barre pilates. Bar did a great job of defining my muscles in places I didn’t know existed. All of those small places you don’t normally train. In Bar we focused on building long, lean muscles through repetitive movements and muscle fatigue. I enjoyed my time at Bar but two things that didn’t fit with mental picture of strength (to each his own, right - no judgements). I got too skinny. I’ve been a clean eater for a long time, but the daily cardio built-in with the muscle-lengthening exercises changed my body in a way I wasn’t quite prepared for. I lost more of my butt (quelle horreur) and my curves and hips disappeared. I realize some people may love this - I did not. My face got too hollow and I’m positive I looked more aged because I was too thin. The second problem was the repetitive motions caused inflammation on my knee. I had to medicate for the inflammation, get it under control, and step away from Bar.

I feel as if I’ve plateaued since I began weight training after Bar Method. I love, love, love the feeling of squatting with 125 lbs., pressing over 280 lbs using the leg press or hitting 75 lbs on the chest press. For me, that is absolute progress. But I think there is further I can go with my body, in terms of the definition and muscle I create. After a lot of research, reading reviews and analyzing the nutrition, I’ve landed on a training plan I think will help push me through this plateau. It’s a 60-day program by Jen Ferruggia, called what else…Bikini Body Workout. What I love about this program is it is comprehensive. It’s laid out - a full program with clean nutrition, workouts (including for those days you just can’t get to a gym), blasters for your booty and abs, plus motivation. Jen’s site and social media is FULL of real-life testimonials of women who have completely transformed themselves and still have gorgeous, feminine bodies. I’m on board (well the start of my second-week on board). I was so impressed with the reviews and research, I purchased Jen’s maintenance plan (upkeep after 60-days) to make sure I keep myself accountable to the work I’m putting in.

Last week when I was working out (week one), I had a feeling of missing some of the heavy loads and particular exercises I was accustomed too. As I started week two, I was really feeling it and struggling with finishing some of the exercises. Muscle fatigue set in quicker. Part of my problem may have been I should have taken a week off to “de-load” before starting this new plan. I needed to reset my body. Week one felt like a breeze but week two, has been progressively more difficult. However, the plan coupled with regimented nutrition is the game changer I need. I can’t wait to share my final results with you all. This is in no way a sponsored or affiliated blog post. I’m simply sharing the love. No need in keeping all the good things to ourselves.

Some of my favorite and most comfortable shoes for working out are the Adidas brand. The soles give me such stability, especially when I am doing any single leg sets like Romanian deadlifts or pistol squats. My ankles don’t hurt at all. Of course I have a love for all sorts of workout sneakers. But in this bikini body workout quest, with the specific and targeted drills I am doing, I can attest to the Adidas coming through for me.