This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tsamma Juice. All opinions are entirely my own.

What better way to kick off the New Year than with a focus on STRENGTH! I don’t know about y’all but when the temperatures drop, my motivation to workout outdoors does as well. I find myself heading to the gym more to lift and run intervals as well as wanting to take as many hot yoga classes as possible.

One of the topics that I get asked about the most by my female readers, students and clients is strength training. I get a lot of feedback that it’s confusing to know where to begin and what to do, that it can be intimidating to navigate the weights area of the gym (especially this time of year!), and that it’s just hard to get into/not their favorite way to sweat.

I get it. I used to be that way too. Luckily, I joined a friend for BodyPump during a time when group exercise classes were WAY out of my comfort zone, but I quickly fell in love with the class…and the results! Fast forward 10 years and I’ve been lifting consistently ever since and now teach group exercise and strength myself! Never say never people! 🙂

I have said this once and I’ll say it over and over again but nothing has changed the shape and composition of my body like strength training has. On average, I lift 3-4 times per week but I tell my clients if you can strength train 3-4 times a week, great. If you can strength train 2 times a week, great. If you can lift once a week, great. Just do it! As women, it’s SO good for our bodies and it promotes longevity and aging well. Also, more muscle = more calories burned = you can eat more. WINNING.

Over the last eight months since I’ve been teaching Y2 Strength, I’ve traded regular gym lifting sessions with barbells, machines, kettlebells, and dumbbells for dumbbells, bodyweight and bands pretty much exclusively. I can tell you honestly that I have still loved the results and have maintained my muscle mass working with dumbbells, bands and bodyweight. You don’t need a lot of fancy equipment to get a good workout in!

I’m excited to share a dumbbell workout with you today that I taught some of my strength classes this past week. I think you’ll love it and it’s something you can easily do in the comfort of your own home or at the gym without a lot of space.

BUT FIRST, let’s talk about today’s workout sponsor.

TSAMMA WATERMELON JUICE

It’s Tsamma Watermelon Juice (pronounced SAH-MAH)! I have so much interesting info to share with you guys about rehydrating after your workouts with watermelon juice.

First, it’s a 100% woman owned business! (wooo!) Tsamma Juice was founded in 2014 by Sarah Frey and is grown, made and bottled by Frey Farms’ watermelon farmers, who are one of the nation’s largest watermelon growers.

Each bottle of Tsamma Watermelon Juice is made from over one and a half pounds of cold-pressed watermelon!

Just look at that gorgeous pink color! There is no sugar, artificial color or flavor added and the juice is vegan, gluten-free and non-GMO. The ONLY ingredient in this bottle is 100% cold-pressed watermelon juice. (Although they do also make a formula with coconut water too…yum!)

Watermelons contain Vitamins A, B, and C. These vitamins are essential for many functions, including proper immune system function, skin health and increased metabolism. They also have antioxidant properties to remove harmful free radicals.

And when it comes to hydration, cold pressed watermelon juice is an awesome choice due to it being a natural source of L-citrulline, lycopene and potassium. L-citrulline boosts muscle recovery and blood flow for rapid rehydration with amino acids. Lycopene is a natural antioxidant and watermelons contain 4 times the amount of lycopene found in a tomato. And we all know what a powerhouse potassium is with its essential electrolytes!

WHERE TO FIND IT! 

Tsamma Juice is available in the produce section at Publix with other juices. If you’re curious to give it a try, there will be a $1 off coupon in the Publix weekly ad between January 27 – February 25 OR you can find the coupon online.

3 SET DUMBBELL STRENGTH WORKOUT

Let’s chat about that workout now!

There are three big sets of work. Each set has four exercises that you will perform 20 reps of for two rounds through before moving on to the next set. I have left no muscle groups behind here and by the end of this workout you will have trained your chest, back, shoulders, triceps, biceps, hamstrings, glutes, quads, calf muscles, abs and MORE!

When it comes to strength training, I prefer to train full body a few times a week rather than break up the days. It just works better for me and is more efficient for my time/energy.

And because I know you guys find it to be very helpful, I made a video where I coach you through each movement so you can understand the form, alignment and focus of the exercises.

I hope that you’ll make 2018 the year of committing to adding strength into your workout mix whether it’s 3x a week or once! I also encourage you to go out and get that Tsamma Watermelon Juice from Publix to try a new way to hydrate.

As always, I’d love to hear your feedback on the workout and the Tsamma Watermelon Juice!

FINAL QUESTIONS

For those of you who strength train regularly, when did you start? What got you hooked? Were there any “barriers to entry” that held you back? Have you noticed changes in your body since you’ve been strength training? 

For those of you who don’t strength train or are on and off with it, tell me a little more about why so that I can understand and better help in the future! 🙂 

Have you ever tried cold-pressed watermelon juice!?