How I overcame my fear of working out (with fit52 and Carrie’s Leg Workout)

After a year of inconsistent fitness habits, I felt nervous to try and tackle Carrie Underwood’s Leg Workout.

After all, it’s no secret that Carrie is famous for her killer legs!

I felt relieved to learn that her leg workout can be customized for all levels in the fit52 app. This motivated me to try it! Her leg workout seemed like the perfect challenge to get back on track with my fitness routine before my upcoming soccer season.

Day 1 – Friday 

To kick off the weekend, I convinced one of my fitness enthusiast friends to join me on the beach for a sweat sesh. I was hoping that a workout buddy would help keep my spirits high during the workout! Before diving into Carrie’s Leg Workout, I started with a Flash Fit beginner workout. After I completed this 15-minute struggle fest, Carrie’s 40-minute leg workout felt intimidating (to say the least!). I decided to take the weekend to rest, recover, and try her leg workout the following week!

Day 2 – Monday

Monday came quickly, and I hadn’t fully overcome my nerves regarding the leg workout. I decided to join my friends for a surfing session instead. It felt great to honor my body how I needed to and move it in a different way! 

Day 3 – Tuesday 

Tuesday came and went. It was a busy day at work, and I had originally planned to work out in the evening, but by the time I had finished dinner, I was ready to call it a day. Instead, I picked up my knitting needles, a new hobby I had just started, and watched a cheesy early-2000s rom-com instead. I took the evening as a reminder that I deserve rest regardless of whether I get in a workout.

Day 4 – Wednesday 

Today was the day!  I put my favorite workout playlist on full blast and set my phone up in front of me to start the beginner version of Carrie’s Leg Workout. Immediately, I enjoyed the superset format. I loved how the workout provided more variety without being unpredictable. I also felt accomplished every time I finished a superset and could track how far along I was in the workout.

I also really needed the built-in rest time. If an exercise felt too intense, I could easily modify the move to lower impact, like a squat instead of a jump squat. Throughout the workout, I felt challenged, but it wasn’t as hard as I had built it up to be in my head. After finishing my first workout in ages, I felt accomplished and was convinced I wouldn’t be too sore the next day.

Day 5 – Thursday

On Thursday, I felt SORE. It wasn’t unbearable, but bending down or walking downstairs felt a little uncomfortable. I decided to push the last leg workout until Friday to end the week on a high note! 

Day 6 – Friday

Friday, after a few bites of my lunch, I decided to open up fit52 again and tackle Carrie’s Leg Workout. My lower body was still sore from the previous workout two days ago, but I knew getting my legs moving again would help release some of the tension. 

Once I started moving, I felt energized and empowered. With newfound confidence, I adapted some exercises to make them more complex, like changing the modified jumping jacks into regular jumping jacks. I noticed that I paused less during the breaks and felt stronger than I did the first time I tried the workout. 

I could have told you I did the workout every day for a week, but fit52 (and my body) is not designed like that. Besides the busyness of everyday life, I was realistic about what I could do in a week. This is a reminder not to let that voice in our head tell us what we should be doing; instead, we should make it work for us. Carrie’s Leg Workout is tough, as it should be, there is no easy way to get her legs, but you can do it. 

Set reasonable expectations, like trying to do her workout once or twice a week or whatever works best for you. Make the workout fun by getting friends together, putting on a great playlist, and modifying exercises for your level. And finally, just get out there and try it.