Fitness journey

A week in my life as a fitness fanatic

How I have learned to achieve my fitness goals and maintain a healthy lifestyle

Avatar Kenya Barcus

How I started my fitness journey

Fitness has become a very vital part of my routine within the past 3 years. Lifting weights and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is something I am very passionate about and sharing how I do so can possibly encourage others to also adjust their lives to reflect a healthy way of living.

My fitness journey started sometime around my senior year of high school. I had seen many influencers on TikTok and Instagram that had the physique that I was trying to accomplish, I just didn’t know the correct ways to go about obtaining that goal. I have always been a smaller build and was insecure of being so little. My gym goals were to gain weight in a healthy way and improve my strength in the process. I had been a cheerleader and dancer throughout middle and high school, so I knew little to nothing on weightlifting, and the proper way to obtain my goals.

The first year and a half, I can confidently say I went about fitness from the wrong approach. I wasn’t focused on lifting heavy and eating enough to see the results I worked so hard to achieve. Watching influencers on TikTok was a huge source of my education of fitness training the correct way. I started becoming very intentional on increasing my weights when exercising, while also committing to a high protein diet and staying in a caloric increase. After staying consistent for the past two years, I feel I have got a good handle on what fitness and health should look like for my body.

Monday

Monday, I always start my week with a rest day. Taking breaks is very important for your muscles. It allows your muscles to rebuild after all the heavy lifting throughout the week and by allowing those breaks, your muscles will be stronger and in better condition to lift heavier throughout the week. Instead, I take this free time to go grocery shopping for all the meals I will be prepping throughout the week.When grocery shopping, I am always looking for high protein food items that will help me reach my protein intake for the day. Eating a high protein and high calorie diet are key to achieving my fitness goals. Chicken, eggs, yogurt, peanut butter, and cheese are a few food items I eat weekly that are high in protein and keep me full throughout the day.

I will also take time on Monday to meal prep for the rest of the week. This Monday, I made beef and pork burgers with cheese, homemade french fries in the air fryer, and broccoli. Making this meal in larger quantities means I don’t have to cook as much throughout the week, and I was able to get three meals out of it. This meal is high in protein, carbs, and healthy fats.

Tuesday

Tuesday is the start of my workout split, and I go in with a chest and shoulder day. Upper body days have become a new favorite of mine, and I love challenging myself to lift heavier. Girls constantly tell me they are too worried about getting bulky or too masculine by lifting heavy weights, especially on upper body days. This is very untrue, women naturally have to work harder in the gym to obtain a muscular physique, and the overly muscular girls they are basing this accusation on have to train extremely hard to obtain those results.

Normally after every workout, I try to intake a protein shake. Whether it is just protein powder and milk, or my own personal protein shake recipe, getting protein in after you workout is key to seeing results. When I am making my own shake, it can have upwards of 55 grams of protein in it.

My protein shake recipe:

  • 8oz of milk
  • 1 banana
  • 2 tbsp of peanut butter
  • 24 grams of protein powder
  • greek yogurt
  • spinach
@kenyabarcus♬ Trap Money so Big (Remix) – Iqbal12

Tuesday: chest and shoulders

  • Shoulder press 4×8 12.5 kg then 15kg for last set
  • Chest press 3×10 12.5 kg then 15 kg for last set
  • Close grip chest press 3×10 12.5kg
  • Standing lateral raises 3×10 5kg each hand
  • Dumbell front raises 3×10 5kg each hand
  • Upright rows 3×10 15kg
  • cable flys 3×10 10kg each side on cable machine
  • cable incline chest press 3×10 10kg each side on cable machine

Wednesday

Wednesday, I have a glute and hamstring focused leg day. Splitting up your leg days by targeting certain muscle groups will allow your muscles a break between leg days. I lift very heavy on my leg days, since my goals align with growing my leg muscles as much as possible. Lifting heavy is key in seeing the most muscle growth. Progressive overload is an important habit to continually see muscle growth. Progressive overload is taking the weight you are used to lifting, and then adding weight until you can only do about 6-8 reps. Once that weight becomes comfortable and you can do 10-12 reps comfortably, move up in weight again.

@kenyabarcus♬ no lie – favsoundds

Wednesday: glutes and hamstrings

  • Land mine RDLS 3×15(go until failure) w/ 20kg
  • Single leg step-ups 3×10 each leg w/ 20kg
  • Good mornings 3×15 (go until failure) w/ 18kg bar
  • Hip trusts and KAS glute bridges 4×10 each start with one 20kg on each side and then move up to 40kg on each side, last set load as much weight as possible
  • Hamstring curls 3×10 w/ 20kg
  • Glute Medius kickbacks 3/12 w/ 20kg

Thursday

Thursday, I have a back, biceps, and triceps focused upper body day. This has recently become my favorite workout day. I used to neglect doing upper body days about a year and a half ago, but now I have really enjoyed seeing the definition in my arms grow.

Thursday is another cooking day and decided on salmon, potato wedges, and broccoli. I try to make sure my meals have one source of protein, one source of carbs, and a vegetable. Having a well balanced meal helps your body perform better in the gym and allows for more energy throughout the day.

Thursday: back and bis w/ 10-minute ab video

  • Seated cable rows
  • Standing lateral pull downs
  • Rope tricep push downs
  • Rope lateral pulls
  • Cable bicep curls
  • Lat pull downs
  • Pull ups
  • Lawnmowers
  • Bar biceps curls
  • Seated backwards cable flys

Friday

Friday is a quad focused leg day, and is definitely my most brutal leg day. The quadriceps femoris is the largest muscle in the body by muscle mass, so it is natural to fatigue the most when exercising this muscle group. I do a lot of superset exercises on quad day, which is combining a circuit of 2 to 3 exercises and performing them closely after each other. This increases the burn you feel in your legs and gives a great quad pump.

@kenyabarcus♬ Afraid To Feel – LF SYSTEM

Friday: Quad focused leg day

  • Warm up leg extension light weight 3×8 each leg w/ 20kg

SUPERSET

  • elevated heel goblet squats 3×12 w/ 20kg
  • pulsing squats 3×20(go until failure)
  • jump squats 3×15
  • Squats 4×8 working up in weight each rep to 60kg
  • Leg press 4×15 165kg
  • Lunges 3×20 holding 15kg each hand

SUPERSET

  • Bulgarian split squats 3×10
  • Bodyweight Bulgarians for another 3×10 each leg
  • Leg extension 3×10 w/ 60kg

Saturday

Saturday is a cardio day. This allows my muscles a shorter break from lifting heavy weights. At this point, I am normally very sore everywhere, so a cardio day allows me to stay active without overworking my muscles. I normally will do 30 minutes on the Stairmaster or I walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes at an incline of 12 and a speed of 3.

Since it is a lighter workout day, I also tend to cook on Saturdays. This Saturday I prepared chicken and pesto pasta with brussel sprouts on the side. This is one of my favorite meals to eat and will last me with enough food for the rest of the week.

@kenyabarcus♬ After Last Night (with Thundercat & Bootsy Collins) – Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak & Silk Sonic

Saturday: Cardio & 10-minute ab video

  • 30 minutes on the Stairmaster

Sunday

Sunday is a full leg day. I like to go very hard on this day because I know I will have a 2-day break until my next leg day, so I tend to push myself. I try to work every muscle group equally, so I do a combination of my other two leg days. Also, incorporating machines and exercises that work the entire leg, like leg press and Bulgarian split squats. Training until failure is another very important training technique that will accelerate results. Not only just on this leg day, but every exercise that is performed. If you have to mindset to train until you can no longer do a rep, you will realize how much more you can push yourself and that you can lift more than you think.

Sunday: full leg day

  • Squats 4×10 increasing weight up to 60kg
  • Hip trusts and KAS glute bridges 4×10 each start with one 20kg on each side and then move up to 40kg on each side, last set load as much weight as possible
  • Bulgarian split squats 3×10 each leg w/ 15kg each hand, then drop set with 3×10 of body weight
  • Leg press 4×15 151kg
  • Leg extension 3×10 w/ 60kg
  • Hamstring curls 3×10 w/ 20kg
  • Glute medius kickbacks 3×12 w/ 20kg

Kenya Barcus

My name is Kenya Barcus and I am an Erasmus student studying abroad at Universitat de Abat Oliba CEU. At my home university, Western Kentucky University, I am a double major in Broadcasting and Spanish, and am continuing my Communications classes while abroad.