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?
Isn’t it too late to start? If you break
down those bigger things into smaller
ones, everything seems much more
manageable. Take small steps and
focus on the tasks in front of you, while
keeping your long-term goals in mind.
That’s how you create momentum and
set out to change.
Every workout is a step. Getting this
guide is a step. Every small thing you
cross off your to-do list, is a step. And
those tiny steps yield great results over
time. Just keep going.
This guide is all about keeping track
of your progress and accountability, as
those two topics are key for seeing how
far you’ve come, and what you need to
do in order to get where you want to
go. It also contains a full, sweaty and
challenging workout schedule based
on the follow along workouts that are
uploaded on my YouTube channel.
And we’re getting festive with the
recipes! Making a non-frying version
of a Dutch dish called oliebollen, and
a high protein yoghurt dip! Hope this
will inspire you to make some delicious
meals for yourself.
This is an at-home workout schedule,
and the only things you need to be
able to follow along are: yourself, this
guide, access to the internet and a
place to follow the workouts.
If you are looking for a gym (or another
home) workout that is built upon the
principle of progressive overload over a
longer period of time (6, 12 or 15 weeks)
and that you can do on your own and
without internet access, feel free to
check out all my workout programs
here.
Keep an eye out for the weekly guides
following this one - because we are
in for a (long) ride! We’ll be training
multiple days per week, and will do
different workouts each day. But don’t
worry, you’re not alone! We’re training
partners now & we’ll be doing the
workouts together! Don’t forget to tag
me (@gainsbybrains) on your stories
on Instagram so I can see how you are
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
bodyweight exercises that don’t
require additional equipment to be
effective. But some workouts might
include dumbbells or other equipment.
If you don’t have dumbbells, you can
also use something else that’s easy to
hold and has the right weight. Make
sure to listen to your body and evaluate
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
Pick one day of the week as your
check-in date. What your check-in
looks like, is completely up to you.
However, try to keep the circumstances
the same every week by doing the
check-in at the same time and in the
same environment.
WAYS OF TRACKING PROGRESS
There are different ways of keeping
track of progress. Loads of people are
a fan of journaling, as that shifts the
focus from the physical changes to the
mental changes. Some like keeping
track of their progress by taking girth
measurements of the waist, hips,
thighs, calves, chest and/or upper arms,
and use the previous measurements
as a benchmark to evaluate progress.
You can also weigh yourself, but not
everyone is a fan of the scale. So, if that
bothers you in any way, shape or form
– don’t use it! You can also go by how
you feel or by the changes you notice
when you’re looking in the mirror.
I personally prefer taking progress
pictures, as actually seeing how your
body transforms over time really
motivates me to keep going, and I
keep track of my workouts. Seeing
how much progress you make over
time with your training makes you feel
empowered!
TAKE AWAY
Keeping track of progress is a great
way of seeing how far you’ve come!
It can also be discouraging; we often
want to go from zero to a hundred
and are discouraged when it doesn’t
work that way. But you know what?
Get comfortable with the principle of
delayed gratification. Anything that is
worth having requires effort and work,
but it won’t give you results right away.
That doesn’t mean that you aren’t
making progress. Try to see every small
step as an accomplishment. You did
your workout that day? That’s great!
You’re one step closer to your goals!
As said in the beginning, these tiny
steps yield great results over time.
Keep going.
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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
help:
• Lay all your workout clothes in a
visible spot.
• When you do groceries, focus on
buying items you want to eat.
tracker as that can help with actually
seeing the progress you are making.
Other tools include creating daily
alarms or reminders for yourself,
sharing your progress and goals with
a loved one and keeping them up to
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
soreness can vary from individual
to individual as many different
factors, including genetics, play a
big role. Getting sore when training
is inevitable, especially when you
are starting a new training program,
you are increase training stimulus or if
you had a break from working out.
Now, whether you should train or not
when you’re sore depends on your
personal 'level' of soreness. If you only
have minor soreness or stiffness, you
might feel okay to train once you get
through your warm up. Make sure
to spend some extra time warming
up to increase your internal body
temperature and thus to reduce the
risk of injury.
However, a good rule of thumb is to
not train when you have a level of
soreness that compromises your range
of motion. In this case, a form of low-
intensity activity can help in relieving
muscle soreness. Stretching, yoga,
going for a walk, swimming or cycling
are some good examples of LISS (low-
intensity steady state cardio) activities
that can do wonders by supporting
blood flow to your muscles, which then
can fuel your recovery process.
In order to further reduce your muscle
soreness, make sure to stay hydrated as
well as to include a warm up and cool
down routine in your exercise regime.
Further, make sure to schedule in rest
days when needed and to prioritize
your sleep and stress management.
Recovery is important, and so is
progressive overload as one of the
main factors that contributes to muscle
growth. So, in order to be able to hit the
gym multiple times a week to increase
your training frequency, your body
needs to be able to recover.
This implies that training smart is key.
Muscle protein synthesis (MPS), which
is stimulated by resistance training, is
present for over 72 hours after training
specific muscle groups, but it peaks
at 24 hours post-exercise. That is why
it is recommended to have at least
48 hours of rest between training the
same muscle group(s).
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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
derives from an urge inside of us that
longs for change. It may be a drive
or a wish to change ourselves or our
environment.
In its essence, motivation is a process
that activates goal-directed behavior.
When we feel motivated, we take
action. In our everyday life, the term
‘motivation’ is often used to describe
why we do something.
If you ever had a goal such as wanting
to lose or gain weight, you probably
know that simply having the desire to
accomplish it is not enough. Achieving
your goal(s) requires you to have the
capability to push through obstacles
and to keep going when you face
difficulties.
It is normal that you experience shifts
in your motivation and willpower.
Some days, you might feel fired up and
ready to put in the work to reach your
goals, while on other days you might
feel too tired to put your head down
and grind, or you are hesitant of what
you want or how to achieve it in the
first place.
However, even if you're feeling low on
motivation or you don’t have any at all,
there are still actions that you can take
that will keep you moving forward. A
few things that you could do are the
following:
• Make sure to set goals that matter to
you, figure out your ‘why’.
• If you're trying to tackle a goal that
seems too big or overwhelming,
break it up into smaller steps or
short-term goals.
• Celebrate the little wins, and learn
from setbacks and mistakes.
• If there are things you’re not
confident about, try working
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 on making improvements in
those areas so that you feel more
accomplished.
• It’s all about repetition - don’t
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
or white as it depends on your personal
goal.
If your main goal is to build muscle and
strength, it is recommended that you
do your weightlifting session first and
your cardio session afterwards. Why?
If you are depleted from your cardio
session, you are more likely to sacrifice
your form, tempo, range of motion,
balance and overall strength and
energy. Thus, you might be better off to
hit the treadmill, stairmaster, elliptical,
bike or your fav cardio machine
after you're done with your strength
training.
However, if your main goal is to
improve your aerobic endurance, then
• Don’t solely rely on motivation,
create daily habits and systems
that support your goal, and learn
discipline.
doing cardio first might be the better
option for you. A good example would
be if you're training for a marathon or
a long-distance run, or if you want to
become a good runner overall. In this
case, doing cardio before weights will
ensure that you're not fatiguing your
legs or other muscle groups during
your weight lifting session and that
you can dedicate all your energy to
bettering your running skills.
Cardio and resistance training both
have their place and time. Ultimately,
the best order is the one you're seeing
the best results with related to your
personal goal and the routine that you
can stick to long-term.
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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 hello@gainsbybrains.com. 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 hello@gainsbybrains.com and we’ll get back to
you as soon as possible!

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