My More-Sustainable Gym Kit and Weekly Workout Split
I’m forever being quizzed about my gym wear and the pieces that I’d recommend, which isn’t surprising given I often share my morning workouts on Instagram Stories. Working out is an essential part of my day and I’m happy to have finally gotten to a place where not only are my workouts working for me, but my kit perfectly supports my routine too. Now that I’ve gotten to a really good place, I thought I’d share what works for me.
Please remember that I am NOT a personal trainer or a health professional: I really recommend taking advantage of any free PT sessions if your gym offers them as they certainly helped me when I first embarked on my gym journey.
Discover my must-haves and currently weekly workout split below.
Monday
Cardio + Glutes/Abs
I always feel super motivated to work out on a Monday morning. Often I’ve had a good rest from the weekend and I’ve probably gone off-piste from my usual eating habits, so some movement makes me feel good. As you’ll see later in the post, I take an active rest on Tuesday and Wednesdays, so I like to push myself with a cardio session as well as weight-training. My cardio at the moment is the TikTok-viral 12-3-30: a treadmill workout on a 12% incline at 3mph for 30 minutes. It’s lower impact than running, which is better on my knees, but gets your heart rate going and you’ll work up a decent sweat too! Supposedly it maintains muscle gain while offering fat loss. You can do this before or after weights.
My favourite split is glutes and core. I’m still working on my pre-pandemic peach project – i.e. getting back to the physique I had before the pandemic threw me off course – and just enjoy growing my glutes. I will always include some variation of deadlifts, squats and hip thrusts in my routine, and then I focus on exercises like cable kickbacks, hypertension back extensions, kettlebell step-ups or even donkey kicks to build out the workout.
I’ll always wear my TALA Zahara Sports Bra and Zinnia Leggings for this workout as it’s great for cardio and the thick material – crafted from recycled fabrics – keeps you feeling secure through squats and deadlifts.
Tuesday and Wednesday
Active Rest
On Tuesday and Wednesdays, I’m typically in London for the in-office days of my hybrid schedule, so I don’t manage to make it to the gym. Instead, I focus on active rest, making sure I stay active through the day, eating well and taking a long walk on my lunch break. Rest days are essential in any workout routine to give your muscles time to recover and strengthen.
Thursday
Cardio + Back/Chest
Back to it on a Thursday with the same cardio routine and then a back and chest split. It’s a bit of a myth that back ache is linked to having a weak back – in fact it’s more to do with having a weak core. Nonetheless, to support my glutes/abs split, I love adding in a devote back and chest routine. This usually involves a mix of upright row, lat pulldown, good mornings, back extensions, single-arm dumbbell rows, face pulls and reverse fly. I also bulk this up with one or two chest exercises: chest fly, chest press and dumbbell presses are all great.
On days that don’t require squatting, I can choose from other gymwear. My beloved Girlfriend Collective Tommy Cropped Bra is super flattering, comfy and easy to slip off even after a sweaty workout, and I have sworn by their Compressive High-Rise Leggings for more than five years. The leggings are made from 25 recycled water bottles (and the bra from 10), so you rest assured you’re doing your small bit in tackling ocean waste.
Friday
Cardio + Glutes/Abs
The next day, I’ll go back in with a glutes and abs split. For consistency, I repeat Monday’s workout and take it as heavy as I can – just so I can get a big workout in before another rest day. Sometimes, I’ll do my 12-3-30 routine after weights.
To round off the week, I’m really enjoying TALA’s Sculpt Seamless range. The size range is incredible and TALA have a sustainable ethos too. The range has an ultra-soft feel and a sculpting effect so you can look and feel incredible: I wear their Wrap Long Sleeve Crop Top and the Scrunch Leggings.
Saturday
Active Rest or Yoga
Saturdays are gold dust to me: my boyfriend and I both have busy schedules and so our weekends are precious. That being said, we both enjoy working out so sometimes we’ll workout together at the gym in the morning, sometimes we’ll take a yoga class together, and other times we’ll go for a long, LONG country walk (rounded off with a country pub lunch). I think a big part of my workout split is simply making space to be as active as I can, whatever that looks like.
Somehow, my Saturday active ‘fit is often a slice of adidas by Stella McCartney. I don’t push myself particularly hard and yoga doesn’t require as much support, plus we often pop for a little refuelling brunch afterwards. The TruePurpose Training Bra and TruePurpose Leggings look chic and are perfect to workout in on low-impact days. What’s more, they’re crafted from recycled materials and there’s maternity and plus-size options available.
Sunday
Pilates
Finally, to round off the week, I take a YouTube-based online Pilates class late Sunday afternoon. If I have time (which I rarely do, since I prioritise proper downtime on Sundays), then I’ll nip to the gym to complete my 12-3-30 routine on a treadmill. But, it’s important to remember that workout routines should feel stress-free or your progress will be limited by your own body.
For low-impact workouts like Pilates, I love the TALA Dayflex Sports Bra and High-Waisted Wrap Leggings – they’re super flattering and have a seamless design, so you can’t feel a seam digging in as you lay on your side to perform an exercise. They’re perfect for running around and completing errands too, so I feel like I get great wear out of these!
What does your workout routine look like?
