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The 1-Week Workout Plan to Kick-Start Your New Year’s Resolutions

Set yourself up to crush your strength and physique goals by easing your body into the new year without over-stressing your muscles.

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As countless New Year’s resolutioners have discovered the hard way, going balls-to-the-wall on January 1 typically means burning out before February. To truly translate your New Year’s resolutions into practical, everyday habits, you need to pace yourself. 

So rather than hitting the gym too hard and subsequently destroying your body, here’s a workout program that’ll help you stick to your resolution of getting positively jacked in 2020.

This one-week kickstarter plan, designed by Mike Krajewski, C.S.C.S., owner of MK Fitness in Nashville, TN, is designed to fire up every one of your body’s energy-burning systems to get you started on the right foot without going overboard. If you haven’t worked out consistently over the holidays, this total-body program will ease you into a heavier-duty regimen and set you up for success in the new year—and beyond.

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How to do it

Complete this workout program for two weeks straight. You’ll rest after Day II and Day III. (If you start with Day I on a Monday, that means you’ll be resting on Wednesdays and Fridays.)

One quick detail: On Sunday, when you lunge, you’ll complete front to reverse lunges with light dumbbells. You’ll step your right leg forward into a front lunge while performing a lateral shoulder raise with your left arm. Then you’ll step back with your right leg into a reverse lunge as you curl the dumbbells. That’s one rep. Do this pattern for 8-10 reps on the right leg, followed by 8-10 reps with the left leg.

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Routine

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New Year's Kick-start Workout Plan

Day I total-body strength circuit (do 2-4 rounds)

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 1 of 9

Goblet Squat

Equipment
Kettlebells
Sets
3
Reps
15
Rest
As little as possible
Exercise 2 of 9

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
3
Reps
15
Rest
As little as possible
Exercise 3 of 9

Plank

Equipment
No Equipment
Sets
3
Reps
30 sec.
Rest
45-60 sec.
Exercise 4 of 9

Lying Hamstring Curl

Equipment
Sets
3
Reps
15
Rest
As little as possible
Exercise 5 of 9

Lat Pulldown

Equipment
Cable Machine
Sets
3
Reps
15
Rest
As little as possible
Exercise 6 of 9

Ball Slam

Equipment
Medicine Ball
Sets
3
Reps
20
Rest
45-60 sec.
Exercise 7 of 9

Walking Lunge

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
4
Reps
45 sec.
Rest
15 sec.
Exercise 8 of 9

TRX Chest Press

Equipment
TRX
Sets
4
Reps
45 sec.
Rest
15 sec.
Exercise 9 of 9

TRX Row Pull

Equipment
TRX
Sets
4
Reps
45 sec.
Rest
15 sec.
Exercise 10 of 9

Mountain Climber

Equipment
Medicine Ball
Sets
4
Reps
45 sec.
Rest
60 sec.

New Year's Kick-start Workout Plan

Day II cardio & abs circuit (do 1 round)

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 11 of 9

Incline Treadmill Walk

Equipment
Sets
1
Reps
10 min.
Rest
30-60 sec.
Exercise 12 of 9

Sprint

Equipment
No Equipment
Sets
10
Reps
15 sec.
Rest
15 sec.
Exercise 13 of 9

V-Up

Equipment
Sets
1
Reps
20
Rest
30-60 sec.
Exercise 14 of 9

Incline Treadmill Walk

Equipment
Sets
1
Reps
5 min.
Rest
30-60 sec.
Exercise 15 of 9

Sprint

Equipment
No Equipment
Sets
8
Reps
15 sec.
Rest
15 sec.
Exercise 16 of 9

Alternating Shoulder Taps

Equipment
Sets
1
Reps
20
Rest
30-60 sec.
Exercise 17 of 9

Incline Treadmill Walk

Equipment
Sets
1
Reps
3 min.
Rest
30-60 sec.
Exercise 18 of 9

Sprint

Equipment
No Equipment
Sets
6
Reps
15 sec.
Rest
15 sec.
Exercise 19 of 9

Burpee

Equipment
No Equipment
Sets
1
Reps
15
Rest
30-60 sec.
Exercise 20 of 9

Incline Treadmill Walk

Equipment
Sets
1
Reps
5-10 min.
Rest
--

New Year's Kick-start Workout Plan

Day III total-body strength circuit (do 1 round)

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 21 of 9

Trap-Bar Deadlift

Equipment
Trap Bar
Sets
3
Reps
10
Rest
As little as possible
Exercise 22 of 9

Underhand-Grip Pulldown

Equipment
Lat Pulldown Bar
Sets
3
Reps
10-12
Rest
As little as possible
Exercise 23 of 9

Run

Equipment
Sets
1
Reps
.25 mile
Rest
45-60 sec.
Exercise 24 of 9

Dumbbell Thruster

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
2
Reps
15
Rest
As little as possible
Exercise 25 of 9

Jump Squat

Equipment
No Equipment
Sets
2
Reps
20
Rest
As little as possible
Exercise 26 of 9

One-Arm Dumbbell Row

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
2
Reps
15 each side
Rest
As little as possible
Exercise 27 of 9

Pike-Up

Equipment
Sets
2
Reps
20
Rest
45-60 sec.
Exercise 28 of 9

Leg Press

Equipment
Sets
1
Reps
15
Rest
As little as possible
Exercise 29 of 9

Renegade Row

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
1
Reps
5 each side
Rest
45-60 sec.
Exercise 30 of 9

Russian Twist

Equipment
Medicine Ball
Sets
1
Reps
50
Rest
As little as possible
Exercise 31 of 9

Bicycle Crunch

Equipment
No Equipment
Sets
1
Reps
50
Rest
As little as possible
Exercise 32 of 9

Toe Touch

Equipment
Medicine Ball
Sets
1
Reps
50
Rest
As little as possible
Exercise 33 of 9

Situp

Equipment
No Equipment
Sets
1
Reps
50
Rest
As little as possible
Exercise 34 of 9

Run

Equipment
Sets
1
Reps
1 mile
Rest
--

New Year's Kick-start Workout Plan

Day IV core strength circuit (do 2 rounds)

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 35 of 9

Walking Lunge

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
3
Reps
10 each side
Rest
As little as possible
Exercise 36 of 9

Chest-Supported Row

Equipment
Sets
3
Reps
10
Rest
As little as possible
Exercise 37 of 9

Wall Ball

Equipment
Medicine Ball
Sets
3
Reps
20
Rest
45-60 sec.
Exercise 38 of 9

Barbell Hip Thrust

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
2
Reps
20
Rest
As little as possible
Exercise 39 of 9

Seated dumbbell overhead press

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
2
Reps
10-12
Rest
As little as possible
Exercise 40 of 9

Side Plank

Equipment
Medicine Ball
Sets
2
Reps
30 sec. each side
Rest
45-60 sec.
Exercise 41 of 9

Goblet Squat

Equipment
Kettlebells
Sets
1
Reps
10
Rest
As little as possible
Exercise 42 of 9

Dip

Equipment
Dip Station
Sets
1
Reps
10-15
Rest
As little as possible
Exercise 43 of 9

Incline Hammer Curl

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
1
Reps
10-15
Rest
45-60 sec.
Exercise 44 of 9

Pushup

Equipment
Sets
2
Reps
10-15
Rest
For remainder of minute
How to
Exercise 45 of 9

Jump Squat

Equipment
No Equipment
Sets
2
Reps
20
Rest
For remainder of minute
Exercise 46 of 9

Rear-Delt Flye

Equipment
Sets
2
Reps
15
Rest
For remainder of minute
Exercise 47 of 9

Mountain Climber

Equipment
Medicine Ball
Sets
2
Reps
60-80
Rest
For remainder of minute
Exercise 48 of 9

V-Up

Equipment
Sets
2
Reps
10-15
Rest
For remainder of minute

New Year's Kick-start Workout Plan

Day V rowing & strength circuit (do 1 round)

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 49 of 9

Dumbbell Lunge

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
3
Reps
8-10 each side
Rest
As little as possible
Exercise 50 of 9

Rower

Equipment
No Equipment
Sets
3
Reps
200m
Rest
As little as possible
Exercise 51 of 9

Inverted Row

Equipment
Power Rack
Sets
3
Reps
10-15
Rest
As little as possible
Exercise 52 of 9

Rower

Equipment
No Equipment
Sets
3
Reps
200m
Rest
45-60 sec.
Exercise 53 of 9

Dumbbell Thruster

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
5
Reps
See directions
Rest
As little as possible
Exercise 54 of 9

Burpee

Equipment
No Equipment
Sets
5
Reps
See directions
Rest
As little as possible
Exercise 55 of 9

Bentover Dumbbell Row

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
5
Reps
See directions
Rest
As little as possible
Exercise 56 of 9

Situp

Equipment
No Equipment
Sets
5
Reps
See directions
Rest
As little as possible
Exercise 57 of 9

Jump Squat

Equipment
No Equipment
Sets
5
Reps
See directions
Rest
45-60 sec.
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