FREE GUIDE

JANUARY

WEEK 1 / 2022
HI YOU

Sometimes the problems or issues

we face can seem so big that they
paralyze us.

Where do you start? How do you start? will inspire you to make some delicious
Isn’t it too late to start? If you break meals for yourself.
down those bigger things into smaller
ones, everything seems much more This is an at-home workout schedule,
manageable. Take small steps and and the only things you need to be
focus on the tasks in front of you, while able to follow along are: yourself, this
keeping your long-term goals in mind. guide, access to the internet and a
That’s how you create momentum and place to follow the workouts.
set out to change.
If you are looking for a gym (or another
Every workout is a step. Getting this home) workout that is built upon the
guide is a step. Every small thing you principle of progressive overload over a
cross off your to-do list, is a step. And longer period of time (6, 12 or 15 weeks)
those tiny steps yield great results over and that you can do on your own and
time. Just keep going. without internet access, feel free to
check out all my workout programs
This guide is all about keeping track here.
of your progress and accountability, as
those two topics are key for seeing how Keep an eye out for the weekly guides
far you’ve come, and what you need to following this one - because we are
do in order to get where you want to in for a (long) ride! We’ll be training
go. It also contains a full, sweaty and multiple days per week, and will do
challenging workout schedule based different workouts each day. But don’t
on the follow along workouts that are worry, you’re not alone! We’re training
uploaded on my YouTube channel. partners now & we’ll be doing the
And we’re getting festive with the workouts together! Don’t forget to tag
recipes! Making a non-frying version me (@gainsbybrains) on your stories
of a Dutch dish called oliebollen, and on Instagram so I can see how you are
a high protein yoghurt dip! Hope this keeping up with the workouts.

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CONTENTS

#1. BEFORE STARTING

Equipment Needed 5
Keeping Track of Progress 6
Accountability 7

#2. THE WORKOUT SCHEDULE

30 Min Schedule 9
Full Body Schedule 10

#3. RECIPES

Recipes 12

#4 . EXTRA INFO

FAQs 17
Support 20

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 #1.
Before Starting
4
EQUIPMENT NEEDED

The goal of this guide, and the ones

to come, is to provide you with an at-
home workout schedule based on the
workouts I upload on my YouTube
channel.

Most of these workouts consist of If you don’t have dumbbells, you can
bodyweight exercises that don’t also use something else that’s easy to
require additional equipment to be hold and has the right weight. Make
effective. But some workouts might sure to listen to your body and evaluate
include dumbbells or other equipment. your form before adding weight.

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KEEPING TRACK OF PROGRESS

Keeping track of your progress helps

with knowing that you’re heading into
the desired direction.

CHECK-IN DAY body transforms over time really

Pick one day of the week as your motivates me to keep going, and I
check-in date. What your check-in keep track of my workouts. Seeing
looks like, is completely up to you. how much progress you make over
However, try to keep the circumstances time with your training makes you feel
the same every week by doing the empowered!
check-in at the same time and in the
same environment. TAKE AWAY
Keeping track of progress is a great
WAYS OF TRACKING PROGRESS way of seeing how far you’ve come!
There are different ways of keeping It can also be discouraging; we often
track of progress. Loads of people are want to go from zero to a hundred
a fan of journaling, as that shifts the and are discouraged when it doesn’t
focus from the physical changes to the work that way. But you know what?
mental changes. Some like keeping Get comfortable with the principle of
track of their progress by taking girth delayed gratification. Anything that is
measurements of the waist, hips, worth having requires effort and work,
thighs, calves, chest and/or upper arms, but it won’t give you results right away.
and use the previous measurements
as a benchmark to evaluate progress. That doesn’t mean that you aren’t
You can also weigh yourself, but not making progress. Try to see every small
everyone is a fan of the scale. So, if that step as an accomplishment. You did
bothers you in any way, shape or form your workout that day? That’s great!
– don’t use it! You can also go by how You’re one step closer to your goals!
you feel or by the changes you notice
when you’re looking in the mirror. As said in the beginning, these tiny
steps yield great results over time.
I personally prefer taking progress Keep going.
pictures, as actually seeing how your

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ACCOUNTABILITY

Keeping track of your progress doesn’t

necessarily keep you accountable, and
in order to achieve your goals and
become the person you want to be,
you have to take responsibility for your
actions and own your results.

GOAL SETTING • Prep the meals you want to eat.

Everything starts by determining what • Put your alarm at the opposite end
your goals are. With goals, you focus of your bedroom so you have to get
on a specific result or outcome. Having up to turn it off.
goals is the starting point. Having a
system in place that will make sure
TAKE AWAY
that all your actions align with your
But the work doesn’t end here. It’s
goals is even better.
important to know what your goals
are and to have systems in place
SYSTEMS
that help you reach them, but you
Systems are based on your values,
have to keep yourself accountable
and who you are or who you want to
in order to actually reach your goals.
become as a person. For example,
Make sure that you set deadlines with
eating healthy and consistent exercise
consequences.
is a system towards weight loss.

Some work with an accountability

Some example systems that might
tracker as that can help with actually
help:
seeing the progress you are making.
Other tools include creating daily
• Lay all your workout clothes in a
alarms or reminders for yourself,
visible spot.
sharing your progress and goals with
• When you do groceries, focus on a loved one and keeping them up to
buying items you want to eat. date, tracking apps and more.

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#2.
The Workout
Schedule
WEEK 1 Remember, you can click the thumbnails of the videos to be redirected to them.
The new uploads will be uploaded that week on my channel.
30 min Daily

MON New Upload

TUE

WED New Upload

THU

FRI New Upload

SAT

SUN Rest Day

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WEEK 1 Remember, you can click the thumbnails of the videos to be redirected to them.
The new uploads will be uploaded that week on my channel.
Full Body

MON New Upload

TUE Rest Day

WED New Upload

THU Rest Day

FRI New Upload

SAT

SUN Rest Day

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#3.
Recipes
 RECIPES

Recipe on next page 12

 Pictured on previous page

Homemade Skyr Dip 2 Servings 10 min Vegetarian

M A C R O S (per serving*) CAL: 160 FAT: 8g CARBS: 11g PROTEIN: 11g

INGREDIENTS METHOD

• 250 g Skyr yogurt 1. Heat a frying pan without oil or butter and

• ½ cucumber roast the pine nuts until they are golden

brown.
• 25 g pine nuts

• fresh dill, parsley and 2. Chop the fresh herbs finely.

chives
3. Cut the cucumber into small cubes.
• garlic powder

• pepper 4. In a bowl, mix the Skyr with the pine nuts,

fresh herbs, cucumber and season with garlic
powder and pepper.

5. Serve with carrots and/or vegetable chips.

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RECIPES

Recipe on next page 14

 Pictured on previous page

Healthy(ier) Oliebollen 10 Servings 1 hr 40 min Vegetarian

M A C R O S (per serving*) CAL: 189 FAT: 5g CARBS: 31g PROTEIN: 5g

INGREDIENTS METHOD

• 325 g spelt flour 1. Make sure the milk is lukewarm and mix with

• 250 ml milk (alternative) the yeast.

• 75 g raisins 2. Add a pinch of salt and cinnamon to the flour

• 4 tsp oil and stir.

• 1 egg 3. Pour the milk with yeast into the flour mixture
• 1 apple and add the egg. Combine well.

• ½ bag dried yeast (3.5 g)

4. Peel the apple and cut into small pieces. Add
• pinch of salt these to the dough along with the raisins.
• pinch of cinnamon
5. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel, put in a
warm place and allow to rise for 1 hour.

6. Heat the oven to 200°C/400°F.

7. Pour a tsp of oil into each muffin tin and

grease the edges.

8. Spoon a generous spoonful of the risen batter

into each muffin tin.

9. Bake the oil balls in the oven for 20- 25

minutes until golden brown.

10. Remove them from the tins and let them

drain on kitchen paper.

11. Sprinkle it with some powdered sugar.

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 #4.
Extra Info
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FAQS

1. I’m feeling really sore. Should I still train?

DOMS or delayed onset muscle that can do wonders by supporting

soreness can vary from individual blood flow to your muscles, which then
to individual as many different can fuel your recovery process.
factors, including genetics, play a
big role. Getting sore when training In order to further reduce your muscle
is inevitable, especially when you soreness, make sure to stay hydrated as
are starting a new training program, well as to include a warm up and cool
you are increase training stimulus or if down routine in your exercise regime.
you had a break from working out. Further, make sure to schedule in rest
days when needed and to prioritize
Now, whether you should train or not your sleep and stress management.
when you’re sore depends on your
personal 'level' of soreness. If you only Recovery is important, and so is
have minor soreness or stiffness, you progressive overload as one of the
might feel okay to train once you get main factors that contributes to muscle
through your warm up. Make sure growth. So, in order to be able to hit the
to spend some extra time warming gym multiple times a week to increase
up to increase your internal body your training frequency, your body
temperature and thus to reduce the needs to be able to recover.
risk of injury.
This implies that training smart is key.
However, a good rule of thumb is to Muscle protein synthesis (MPS), which
not train when you have a level of is stimulated by resistance training, is
soreness that compromises your range present for over 72 hours after training
of motion. In this case, a form of low- specific muscle groups, but it peaks
intensity activity can help in relieving at 24 hours post-exercise. That is why
muscle soreness. Stretching, yoga, it is recommended to have at least
going for a walk, swimming or cycling 48 hours of rest between training the
are some good examples of LISS (low- same muscle group(s).
intensity steady state cardio) activities

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Don’t be hard on yourself if you have
a level of soreness that does not allow
you to do any weightlifting - it is part
of the journey. And don’t forget that
the first few days of a new workout
program or after a break are likely to be
your hardest — but keep going, it will
be worth it!

2. How do I stay motivated to workout?

Motivation stems from the inside. It ready to put in the work to reach your
derives from an urge inside of us that goals, while on other days you might
longs for change. It may be a drive feel too tired to put your head down
or a wish to change ourselves or our and grind, or you are hesitant of what
environment. you want or how to achieve it in the
first place.
In its essence, motivation is a process
that activates goal-directed behavior. However, even if you're feeling low on
When we feel motivated, we take motivation or you don’t have any at all,
action. In our everyday life, the term there are still actions that you can take
‘motivation’ is often used to describe that will keep you moving forward. A
why we do something. few things that you could do are the
following:
If you ever had a goal such as wanting
to lose or gain weight, you probably • Make sure to set goals that matter to
know that simply having the desire to you, figure out your ‘why’.
accomplish it is not enough. Achieving • If you're trying to tackle a goal that
your goal(s) requires you to have the seems too big or overwhelming,
capability to push through obstacles break it up into smaller steps or
and to keep going when you face short-term goals.
difficulties.
• Celebrate the little wins, and learn
It is normal that you experience shifts from setbacks and mistakes.
in your motivation and willpower. • If there are things you’re not
Some days, you might feel fired up and confident about, try working

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 on making improvements in • Don’t solely rely on motivation,
those areas so that you feel more create daily habits and systems
accomplished. that support your goal, and learn

• It’s all about repetition - don’t discipline.

be discouraged if you ‘suck’ at

something at first, keep trying.

3. Should I begin my workout with

weights or cardio?

The answer to this question is not black doing cardio first might be the better
or white as it depends on your personal option for you. A good example would
goal. be if you're training for a marathon or
a long-distance run, or if you want to
If your main goal is to build muscle and
become a good runner overall. In this
strength, it is recommended that you
case, doing cardio before weights will
do your weightlifting session first and
ensure that you're not fatiguing your
your cardio session afterwards. Why?
legs or other muscle groups during
If you are depleted from your cardio
your weight lifting session and that
session, you are more likely to sacrifice
you can dedicate all your energy to
your form, tempo, range of motion,
bettering your running skills.
balance and overall strength and
energy. Thus, you might be better off to Cardio and resistance training both
hit the treadmill, stairmaster, elliptical, have their place and time. Ultimately,
bike or your fav cardio machine the best order is the one you're seeing
after you're done with your strength the best results with related to your
training. personal goal and the routine that you
can stick to long-term.
However, if your main goal is to
improve your aerobic endurance, then

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DISCLAIMER

The contents of this document should not be taken as medical advice.

It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health
problem - nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician.
Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any
matters regarding your health. Use of the information in this program
is strictly at your own risk.

To avoid any injuries or harm, make sure you check your health with
your doctor before exercising. By performing any fitness exercises
without supervision, you are performing them at your own risk. See a
fitness professional to give you advice on your exercise form. Sophie
van Oostenbrugge will not be responsible or liable for any injury or
harm you sustain as a result of the videos.

Sophie van Oostenbrugge and GAINSBYBRAINS B.V. will not assume

any liability for any direct or indirect losses or damages that may result
including, but not limited to, economic loss, injury, illness or death.

SUPPORT

For support, please email [email protected]. I love to connect

on social media, but unfortunately I cannot keep up with DM’s or
explain things in detail in the comments. So for any questions or
remarks, please email [email protected] and we’ll get back to
you as soon as possible!

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