FREE GUIDE

FEBRUARY

WEEK 5 / 2022
HI YOU
‘How do you stay motivated?’
This is one of the most frequently
asked questions I get. A lot of people
associate motivation with getting
results. Does someone have the
physique you want? Or the career? The
relationship? The car or house? They
must be motivated all the time to get
them to where they are. But guess
what.. that is not the case. You can’t
solely rely on motivation to get you the
results you want.
This guide is all about motivation as
it is deemed important in so many
areas of our life (be it motivation in
fitness, in school and university, or in
our jobs). Thus, it is helpful to have
an understanding of what the term
means, the difficulty that comes with
it, and action steps you can take.
This guide also contains different
sweaty and challenging workout
schedules based on the follow along
workouts that are uploaded on my
YouTube channel. And we got 2 fun
recipes: Pizza Snacks (because who
doesn’t love Pizza?) and a Valentine’s
healthy truffle treat for all chocolate
and lovebirds out there! 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
Motivation 6

#2. THE WORKOUT SCHEDULE

30 Min Schedule 8
Full Body Schedule 9

#3. RECIPES

Recipes 11

#4 . EXTRA INFO

FAQs 16
Support 19

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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 at-
home workout schedules 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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M OT IVAT I O N
WHAT IT MEANS
mo·ti·va·tion
/ˌmōdəˈvāSH(ə)n/
noun
The reason or reasons one has for
acting or behaving in a particular way.
"escape can be a strong motivation for
travel"
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. short-term goals.
T H E D I F F I C U LT Y
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.
TIPS
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
• Celebrate the little wins, and learn
from setbacks and mistakes.
• If there are things you’re not
confident about, try working
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.
• Don’t solely rely on motivation, build
discipline.
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#2.
The Workout
Schedule
WEEK 5 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 5 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 11

 Pictured on previous page

Pizza Snacks 2 Servings 20 min Vegetarian

M A C R O S (per serving*) CAL: 250 FAT: 14 g CARBS: 20g PROTEIN: 11g

INGREDIENTS METHOD

• 2 pieces 10 x 10 cm pastry 1. Spread tomato ketchup on your puff pastry

dough piece.

• 1 tbsp tomato ketchup

2. Sprinkle on your cheese and Italian herbs.
• 100 g grated cheese
3. Roll puff pastry.
• Italian herbs
4. Cut each roll into 5 smaller pieces.

5. Brush with water.

6. Bake slightly below the center of the oven for

about 15 min, until golden brown.

7. Leave to cool for approx. 5 min.

8. Serve and enjoy.

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RECIPES

Recipe on next page 13

 Pictured on previous page

Valentine’s Day Healthy Truffles 3 Servings 40 min Vegan

M A C R O S (per serving*) CAL: 271 FAT: 15g CARBS: 24g PROTEIN: 10g

INGREDIENTS METHOD

• 9 dates 1. Cover the dates in water and soak for 20-30

• 90 g nut butter minutes to soften.

• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• ½ tbsp melted coconut oi
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
l
2. Drain. Remove the pit from the dates.
3. Put the dates, nut butter, cocoa powder,
vanilla extract and melted coconut oil in a
food processor.

4. Mix until smooth.

5. Roll the mixture into 12 even bites.

6. Dip in the sprinkles as desired.

7. Serve and enjoy.

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 #4.
Extra Info
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FAQS
1. Do I need a workout program?
Training with a workout program
comes with many advantages, let’s
cover my top 3 here.
R E A S O N N U M B E R O N E is that a
workout program provides you with
structure. Having a plan that includes
• a schedule with a workout split that
tells you when and how often to
target certain muscle groups,
• which exercises to execute in order
to effectively train those muscles
and
• how many sets and reps to do for
each of them takes the guessing out
of the equation.
This means that you can prepare
mentally for your next workout session.
Don't forget that you need to train your
mind just like you train your muscles.
When your mind is not ready, you most
likely won’t reach your full potential
during your workout. Following a
program will leave you prepared as
you will enter the gym with a set plan,
which ultimately helps you save time
and energy in figuring out how to go
about your workout that given day.
R E A S O N N U M B E R T W O is that
it allows for adequately tracking
your progress. Following a program
indicates that you’ll be doing the
same exercises over a set period of
time, which means it is easy for you
to retrace whether you are making
improvements regarding your
strength, endurance, form or time
under tension. This is important as
we need to progressive overload to
build muscle and/or strength. While
following your workout plan, you might
notice that it will get easier to follow
through with your sets and reps, and
thus that you will be able to increase
your weight. Or maybe you struggled
with doing the full amount of the sets
and reps in your program at first, and
over time you are able to work your
way up, thus increasing your volume.
Or you find that your form improves
the more familiar you get with your
program and the movements in it. No
matter how the progress in the gym
may look like for you, a program makes
it simple to keep track of it and take
note of your wins.
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R E A S O N N U M B E R T H R E E is that
a workout program helps to prevent
over- or undertraining. As we learned
in our previous guide, 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
2. How long should my workout last?
Your workout doesn’t necessarily
have to take hours of your time to
get you the results you’re thriving for.
As we learned above, over-exercising
can come with drawbacks as it does
not give your body sufficient time to
recover. This can i.a. lead to soreness
or stiffness which will adversely affect
your ability to train. However, we also
know that in order to build muscle and/
or strength, we need to progressive
overload, and one of the main factors is
training frequency and volume.
You might already notice that this is
not a clear answer (as so often when
it comes to training), as there are
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).
A workout program will (or should)
ensure that you train each muscle
group often enough, while giving your
body (and mind) enough time to reset
and recharge.
Shameless plug: Feel free to check out
my gym- and home workout guides
here.
several factors that will affect the
optimal duration for your training.
Some of these factors are your fitness
level (beginner, intermediate or
advanced), your goal(s), the type of
workout that you are doing, prior and
following workouts, the number of
your workouts, the amount of your
rest time and stimulation your muscle
needs to grow, and of course other
commitments such as family, work,
school etc. that you have.
In short, there’s no such thing as the
‘right’ or ‘wrong’ workout duration as
there are so many factors that play into
it. But one thing is for sure: Consistency
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is key when getting and staying in the
habit of exercising, so it’s important
that you find the length that works for
you and your daily schedule, so you can
feel your best and stay on top of your
routine.
A good rule of thumb to consider: the
more intense your workout, the shorter
3. I don’t have time to work out - what can I do?
You’re never going to randomly find
the time to workout, you’re going
to have to create it. Working out is a
matter of priority, just like everything
else in life - if it’s important to you and
your physical and mental health, you
will find a way, and you will make time
for it.
First, take a look at your life and your
habits: Which habits are serving
you and which ones do not support
you and your goals? Do you spend a
significant amount per day scrolling
mindlessly through social media? Do
you spend time watching TV or doing
other activities that do not necessarily
get you further in life? That’s great -
ditch those and exchange them for
(extra) workout time! Take a look at
your schedule and decide what days
you have the least commitments
and are thus most likely to be able
to schedule a workout in. Then, set
reminders – these are now dates with
yourself which you can’t cancel.
it can be to be effective - you’d be
surprised how much you can get out of
a 10 or 15-minute intense workout.
That being said, let me know how you
are finding the follow along workouts
from my Train with Gainsbybrains
YouTube channel - feel free to share in
the comment section of your fav video!
Not having time to workout basically
is an excuse and simply indicates you
are prioritizing other things over your
health and well-being. There’s nothing
wrong with this, just don’t use time as
a justification.
Look at the workout schedule above,
or at my channel for further videos -
you can find all kinds of workouts from
abs, legs and booty, HITT and full body
to upper body, stretching and more,
ranging from anywhere between 5-20
minutes.
So, you’re telling me you still, don’t
have time? Start small - just 10 minutes
a couple times per week and then go
from there. Just keep this up until you
are able to create more time or get into
the habit of working out.
I know what you’re thinking. Are 10
minutes per day a couple times per
week going to do anything? YES! It
gets you started. Now go!
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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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