25 years ago I met this super hot girl in college, she was heading home for summer break and asked me to write up a workout she could follow over the summer while she was at home. Below is cut and pasted from the program I sent her. She came back from summer break looking like a fitness model.
Sent to 6/1/1998
For all of your exercises use a weight that you can handle yet make your last three to five reps difficult. Gradually increase your weight as you do an exercise. Start light for your first set then increase until your last set. BUT NEVER DO TOO MUCH WEIGHT. IF YOUR FORM IS COMPROMISED YOU ARE DOING TOO MUCH WEIGHT.
And don’t forget 30-45 minutes of Cardio each day (Monday – Friday)
LEGS and ABS: Monday.
Legs: Your leg workout will be your hardest workout of the week, so it is a good idea to get it out of the way first. Warm up with 20 reps of leg extensions and 20 reps of hamstring curls, use light weight, your goal is to get the blood flowing to the muscles.
Squats: This is the best leg toning exercise there is. Remember go low (your butt should be below your knees at the bottom) and keep your back straight. Take a wide stance. The way we do squats is hard and many personal trainers will tell you that you are going too low and that your knees will be hurt. You can damage your knees if you get sloppy and are using too much weight. If you stay strict you will be fine. If your knees do begin to get sore or hurt during the exercise STOP and we will get you a set of knee wraps. I have never had a problem with my knees. My body is designed to do this exercise well and deep. I think that your body is designed to do this exercise extremely well. Tall people have a lot of trouble with this exercise and are prone to knee problems. Since we’re both midgets we can do this exercise without injury.
Set Reps Weight (Use weight you can handle, these weights are just an example)
1 15 The Bar (The bar alone weighs 45 pounds)
2 15 Add five pounds to each side of the bar
3 15 Add two ½ pounds to each side
4 15 Take off the weights and add a ten pounds to each side.
Leg Press: This exercise is where you sit and push a sled up. It works your quads. Remember go low and do not lock out your knees.
Set Reps Weight
1 15-20 ***
2 15-20 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
Leg Extensions: This is where you sit and kick your feet out.
Set Reps Weight
1 15-20 ***
2 15 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
Lunges: we did not do these but I think you know how to do them if not ask a trainer how.
Do four sets of twenty reps.
ABS: Monday
Crunches:
Sets Reps
5 sets, 25 reps
Roman Chair leg raises: This where you hold your self up in a special chair with feet dangling below. Raise your knees up as far as you can without bringing your back off of the pad.
5 sets, 20 reps
CHEST, SHOULDERS and CALVES: Tuesday
(Ask a trainer for help when you are not sure how to do these exercises).
Chest: We did not work chest but it is simple.
Dumbbell Chest Press on a flat bench: Pick out a reasonable weight and lay down on a flat bench and press the weights up from the sides of your chest, your palms should face your feet, at the top bring the dumbbells together.
4 Sets, 15 reps
Dumbbell Chest Press on an incline bench. This is the same as above except you are on a bench that is on an incline up. Adjust the incline on the bench so that it is half way between straight up and flat. Press the weight up. The dumbbells should end up above your chin or head. At the top lock your elbows.
4 Sets, 15 Reps
Fly’s: This is done on a machine. You sit and hold handles in each hand with your arms extended out from each side. You then pull the weight out and in front of you with your elbows high. It looks like you are giving a huge hug.
4 Sets, 15 Reps
Shoulders:
Seated Dumbbell Press: This where we sat in a chair and pressed the dumbbells over our heads.
1 20 light: Warm up
12-15 8lbs dumbbells
12-15 10lbs dumbbells
12-15 12lbs dumbbells
Side Lateral Raises/ Front Raises: these two exercises we did one after the other.
Side Lateral Raises: This is where you stand and hold dumbbells at your sides and raise them outwards. It looks like you are flapping your wings. Raise the dumbbells up with your elbows almost locked and raise your pinkies high. Do not raise your hands above the height of your shoulders.
Front raises: this is the same as side lateral raises except you raise them in front of your body.
Do these two exercises one after the other. (Get all of the dumbbells you need and lay them out first.)
Side Laterals-Front Raises
4 Sets, 15 Reps
Calves: Tuesday
Standing calve raises:
Sets Reps Weight
1 20 ***
2 15 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
Seated calve raises:
Sets Reps Weight
1 20 ***
2 15 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
HAMSTRINGS and BACK: Wednesday
Hamstrings:
Stiff legged dead lift: This where we stood on the platform and held the straight bar. We slightly bent our knees and bent over. Remember bend at the hips and keep your back arched do not roll your back.
Sets Reps Weight
1 20 ***
2 15 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
5 15 ***
Hamstring curl: This is the machine where you lay on your stomach and curl the machine with your legs to hit your butt.
Sets Reps Weight
1 20 ***
2 15 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
5 15 ***
Bent over Rows: We did these - you stand and hold the straight bar, then bend over with your back straight. Pull the bar into your stomach with your elbows in.
Sets Reps Weight
1 15 ***
2 15 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
Cable rows: This where we sat at a machine with out feet in front of us and pulled a pulled double-handled bar to our stomachs.
Sets Reps Weight
1 15 ***
2 15 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
Lat-Pull Downs: This is where we sat at a machine and pulled the bar from above down behind our heads. Alternate between front pull downs and rear pull downs.
4 Sets, 15 Reps
ABS: Wednesday
Crunches:
5 Sets, 25 Reps
Roman Chair leg raises: This where you hold yourself up in a special chair with feet dangling below. Raise your knees up as far as you can without bringing your back off of the pad.
5 Sets, 20 Reps
Skull Crushers: This where we lay down on a flat bench and held the curved bar. We then lowered it to our foreheads.
Sets Reps Weight
1 15 ***
2 15 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
Behind the head dumbbell extensions: This where we stood and held a dumbbell in one hand at a time, we held it above out heads and lowered the dumbbell down behind our heads.
Sets Reps Weight
1 15 ***
2 15 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
Cable Pressdowns: This where we stood in front of a machine and held a bar attached to a cable, we then pushed it down in front of us bending only at the elbow. Try different hand positions and reverse your grip to change it up.
Sets Reps Weight
1 15 ***
2 15 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
Biceps:
Straight bar curl:
Sets Reps Weight
1 15 ***
2 15 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
Dumbbell curl (palms up):
Sets Reps Weight
1 15 ***
2 15 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
Dumbbell curl (palms in): (i.e. hammer curl)
Sets Reps Weight
1 15 ***
2 15 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
Calves: Thursday
Standing calve raises:
4 Sets, 20 Reps
Seated calve raises:
Sets Reps Weight
1 20 ***
2 15 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
CARDIO-Only: Friday
Sent to 6/1/1998
For all of your exercises use a weight that you can handle yet make your last three to five reps difficult. Gradually increase your weight as you do an exercise. Start light for your first set then increase until your last set. BUT NEVER DO TOO MUCH WEIGHT. IF YOUR FORM IS COMPROMISED YOU ARE DOING TOO MUCH WEIGHT.
And don’t forget 30-45 minutes of Cardio each day (Monday – Friday)
LEGS and ABS: Monday.
Legs: Your leg workout will be your hardest workout of the week, so it is a good idea to get it out of the way first. Warm up with 20 reps of leg extensions and 20 reps of hamstring curls, use light weight, your goal is to get the blood flowing to the muscles.
Squats: This is the best leg toning exercise there is. Remember go low (your butt should be below your knees at the bottom) and keep your back straight. Take a wide stance. The way we do squats is hard and many personal trainers will tell you that you are going too low and that your knees will be hurt. You can damage your knees if you get sloppy and are using too much weight. If you stay strict you will be fine. If your knees do begin to get sore or hurt during the exercise STOP and we will get you a set of knee wraps. I have never had a problem with my knees. My body is designed to do this exercise well and deep. I think that your body is designed to do this exercise extremely well. Tall people have a lot of trouble with this exercise and are prone to knee problems. Since we’re both midgets we can do this exercise without injury.
Set Reps Weight (Use weight you can handle, these weights are just an example)
1 15 The Bar (The bar alone weighs 45 pounds)
2 15 Add five pounds to each side of the bar
3 15 Add two ½ pounds to each side
4 15 Take off the weights and add a ten pounds to each side.
Leg Press: This exercise is where you sit and push a sled up. It works your quads. Remember go low and do not lock out your knees.
Set Reps Weight
1 15-20 ***
2 15-20 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
Leg Extensions: This is where you sit and kick your feet out.
Set Reps Weight
1 15-20 ***
2 15 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
Lunges: we did not do these but I think you know how to do them if not ask a trainer how.
Do four sets of twenty reps.
ABS: Monday
Crunches:
Sets Reps
5 sets, 25 reps
Roman Chair leg raises: This where you hold your self up in a special chair with feet dangling below. Raise your knees up as far as you can without bringing your back off of the pad.
5 sets, 20 reps
CHEST, SHOULDERS and CALVES: Tuesday
(Ask a trainer for help when you are not sure how to do these exercises).
Chest: We did not work chest but it is simple.
Dumbbell Chest Press on a flat bench: Pick out a reasonable weight and lay down on a flat bench and press the weights up from the sides of your chest, your palms should face your feet, at the top bring the dumbbells together.
4 Sets, 15 reps
Dumbbell Chest Press on an incline bench. This is the same as above except you are on a bench that is on an incline up. Adjust the incline on the bench so that it is half way between straight up and flat. Press the weight up. The dumbbells should end up above your chin or head. At the top lock your elbows.
4 Sets, 15 Reps
Fly’s: This is done on a machine. You sit and hold handles in each hand with your arms extended out from each side. You then pull the weight out and in front of you with your elbows high. It looks like you are giving a huge hug.
4 Sets, 15 Reps
Shoulders:
Seated Dumbbell Press: This where we sat in a chair and pressed the dumbbells over our heads.
1 20 light: Warm up
12-15 8lbs dumbbells
12-15 10lbs dumbbells
12-15 12lbs dumbbells
Side Lateral Raises/ Front Raises: these two exercises we did one after the other.
Side Lateral Raises: This is where you stand and hold dumbbells at your sides and raise them outwards. It looks like you are flapping your wings. Raise the dumbbells up with your elbows almost locked and raise your pinkies high. Do not raise your hands above the height of your shoulders.
Front raises: this is the same as side lateral raises except you raise them in front of your body.
Do these two exercises one after the other. (Get all of the dumbbells you need and lay them out first.)
Side Laterals-Front Raises
4 Sets, 15 Reps
Calves: Tuesday
Standing calve raises:
Sets Reps Weight
1 20 ***
2 15 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
Seated calve raises:
Sets Reps Weight
1 20 ***
2 15 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
HAMSTRINGS and BACK: Wednesday
Hamstrings:
Stiff legged dead lift: This where we stood on the platform and held the straight bar. We slightly bent our knees and bent over. Remember bend at the hips and keep your back arched do not roll your back.
Sets Reps Weight
1 20 ***
2 15 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
5 15 ***
Hamstring curl: This is the machine where you lay on your stomach and curl the machine with your legs to hit your butt.
Sets Reps Weight
1 20 ***
2 15 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
5 15 ***
Back:
Bent over Rows: We did these - you stand and hold the straight bar, then bend over with your back straight. Pull the bar into your stomach with your elbows in.
Sets Reps Weight
1 15 ***
2 15 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
Cable rows: This where we sat at a machine with out feet in front of us and pulled a pulled double-handled bar to our stomachs.
Sets Reps Weight
1 15 ***
2 15 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
Lat-Pull Downs: This is where we sat at a machine and pulled the bar from above down behind our heads. Alternate between front pull downs and rear pull downs.
4 Sets, 15 Reps
ABS: Wednesday
Crunches:
5 Sets, 25 Reps
Roman Chair leg raises: This where you hold yourself up in a special chair with feet dangling below. Raise your knees up as far as you can without bringing your back off of the pad.
5 Sets, 20 Reps
ARMS and CALVES: Thursday
Triceps:Skull Crushers: This where we lay down on a flat bench and held the curved bar. We then lowered it to our foreheads.
Sets Reps Weight
1 15 ***
2 15 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
Behind the head dumbbell extensions: This where we stood and held a dumbbell in one hand at a time, we held it above out heads and lowered the dumbbell down behind our heads.
Sets Reps Weight
1 15 ***
2 15 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
Cable Pressdowns: This where we stood in front of a machine and held a bar attached to a cable, we then pushed it down in front of us bending only at the elbow. Try different hand positions and reverse your grip to change it up.
Sets Reps Weight
1 15 ***
2 15 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
Biceps:
Straight bar curl:
Sets Reps Weight
1 15 ***
2 15 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
Dumbbell curl (palms up):
Sets Reps Weight
1 15 ***
2 15 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
Dumbbell curl (palms in): (i.e. hammer curl)
Sets Reps Weight
1 15 ***
2 15 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
Calves: Thursday
Standing calve raises:
4 Sets, 20 Reps
Seated calve raises:
Sets Reps Weight
1 20 ***
2 15 ***
3 15 ***
4 15 ***
CARDIO-Only: Friday
