Business Outfit plus Upper Body and Abs

In case I hadn't mentioned before, I'm a finance and economics major. I intern on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the private wealth management division of a major financial services provider/investment bank. (I won't say the name but you've heard of it.) The dress code is pretty formal. Usually I play it safe with dress pants and a button-down, but I've been trying to switch up my look a little and utilize more of my workrobe.

Today's outfit:

Shirt: BCBG

Belt: Express (it's my favorite belt!)

Pants: Express (literally my one pair of dress pants that desperately need washed)

Bracelet: Coach outlets (18th bday present from my boyfriend at the time)

Bag: DKNY via Lord and Taylors

After work I completed a ridiculous arm workout. I switched up the exercises that I normally do and focused on targeting one muscle group per circuit. It took about 60 minutes:

Upper Body Workout (60 minutes)

Circuit 1: Biceps (10 lb dumbbells, 15 reps x3)

• Bicep curls
• Hammer curls
• Seated preacher curls

Circuit 2: Triceps (x3)

• Lying triceps extension: 10 lb dumbbells, 15 reps
• Standing triceps extension: 15 lb dumbbell, 15 reps
• Tricep kickbacks: 10 lb dumbbell, 15 reps per arm
• Tricep dips: 10 reps

Circuit 3: Shoulders/Back (x3)

• Bent-over rows: 15 lb dumbbell, 15 reps per arm
• Lateral raise: 10 lb dumbbells, 15 reps
• Upright rows: 10 lb dumbbells, 12 reps
• Front raise: 10 lb dumbbells, 10 reps

Circuit 4: Shoulders (on stability ball -- 10 lb dumbbells, x3)

• Seated military press: 15 reps
• "Arnold press": 10 reps
• Shoulder rotators: 15 reps

Circuit 5: Chest (12 reps x3)

• Seated lat bar pull-down: 40 lbs
• Lever seated fly: 40 lbs
• Incline chest press: 15 lb dumbbells
• Incline dumbbell flies: 15 lb dumbbells

This was HARD! My muscles were crying at the end. I think I will feel it tomorrow.

I then completed a 20 minute sprint interval workout:

Sprint Intervals (20 minutes)

• 0-1: 4.0 mph
• 1-2: 8.0 mph
• 2-3: 4.0 mph
• 3-4: 8.5 mph
• 4-5: 4.0 mph
• 5-6: 9.0 mph
• 6-7: 4.0 mph
• 7-8: 9.5 mph
• 8-9: 4.0 mph
• 9-9.5: 10.0 mph
• 9.5-11: 4.0 mp
• 11-12: 9.5 mph
• 12-13: 4.0 mph
• 13-14: 9.0 mph
• 14-15: 4.0 mph
• 15-16: 8.5 mph
• 16-17: 4.0 mph
• 17-18: 8.0 mph
• 18-20: 4.0 mph

Followed by 10 minutes of incline treadmill walking reading April's edition of Cosmopolitan :)

And about 10 minutes of abs:

Ab Workout 

• 30 seconds plank
• 15 double crunches with 6 lb medicine ball
• 30 seconds plank
• 15 side crunches (per side)
• 30 seconds plank
• 20 ball twists with raised feet and 6 lb medicine ball
• 30 seconds plank
• 15 standing side crunches (per side) with 20 lb medicine ball
• 30 seconds plank

As you can see I like doing planks! Well actually I don't, but I read that planks are the most important exercise to stabilize and pull in your core abdominal muscles--which makes sense--so I've been making them the focus of every ab workout.

For that matter, I don't think it's necessary, or even beneficial, to do extensive ab work or ridiculous amounts of crunches. The only way to get well-defined abs is to eliminate the layer of fat covering the muscle. You do this through your diet and overall total-body exercise--you can't just spot-train your way to a six-pack! If you take care of the lifting and clean eating, then you only need a few minutes of abs a couple days a week to see results.