I swear the hardest part of having a gym routine in my 30s isn’t motivation – it’s deciding what the heck you’re actually meant to be doing when you get there. And honestly, I reckon that’s why most people struggle with the gym.

Not laziness.

Not lack of willpower.

Just confusion.

This is the gym routine I follow in my 30s to stay consistent, build strength, and keep fitness part of my life without it taking over.

There is so much fitness content now that it constantly feels like you’re doing something wrong.

One day it’s:
“Full body is best.”

Then:
“No, full body is terrible – you need splits.”

Then:
“You should be doing Pilates.”

Then:
“No, lifting heavy is the only way.”

Then:
“Walking is enough.”

So you end up doing a bit of everything, changing your workouts every week, never really progressing… and thinking what on earth am I doing wrong???

If you’re looking for a simple gym routine you can actually stick to in your 30s – without turning fitness into your entire personality – this is exactly how I structure my training. I’m in my mid-30s, I train consistently, I enjoy food, and I’m not interested in living off meal prep or chicken and broccoli forever.

The structure itself is simple and repeatable. How much you do with it just depends on where you’re at and how much time you have.

Quick context so this doesn’t feel weird or unrealistic.

Fitness is a big part of my life. I train a lot because I love it and I’ve been doing it consistently for years, not because I’m trying to be extreme or live like a robot.

It just fits into my life and makes me happy.

This isn’t about copying how much I train.

It’s about the structure underneath it – how I split things, why I keep the same movements, and how I tweak it depending on work, energy, and real life.

No hype.

No “best routine ever”.

Just what actually works for ME and why it might make your life easier.

Who this is for (quickly)

This is for women who:

• want to feel strong and fit long-term
• enjoy exercising, but don’t want it to dominate their life
• want something repeatable and realistic
• are not trying to compete, cut, or bulk

It’s not for:

• bodybuilding prep
• people who enjoy being sore everywhere all the time
• anyone who thinks exercise only counts if it’s extreme

My goals are very boring – in the best way.

I want to feel confident, vibrant and move well when I’m older, carry my own bags, still do yoga, still go for long walks without puffing… and yes, look and feel great in a bikini and short dresses for as long as possible. I don’t think that’s controversial.

My basic weekly gym structure (this is the backbone)

Strength training is the priority for me.

That’s the main event. Everything else is extra.

I love finishing a session with a walk outside if I can, because it means I can get my steps in, and because I genuinely enjoy it and it makes me feel good. If I can’t do that, I’ll hop on the treadmill and do a 10-minute incline walk instead.

Same vibe, less scenery.

Before any lifestyle context, this is the actual structure I follow each week.

It doesn’t change depending on motivation or mood. I don’t negotiate with myself about what I’m doing that day.

Strength training

• 2 leg days (this is exactly what my leg days look like)
• 3 upper body days
• Same movements each week
• Gradually getting stronger over time

Running

• Something I love
• Usually 1 or 2
• Also the first thing I drop when time is tight, because strength training is the priority

Walking / yoga

• Walking is just part of my day
• Yoga comes and goes depending on the week, but when I do it, it’s always first thing in the morning, as soon as I get out of bed
• Nothing forced or turned into a rule

The biggest win with this structure is that it removes the mental drama. I walk into the gym knowing exactly what I’m doing, get it done, and leave.

A bit of honesty about my life (because it matters)

I work on a superyacht, which means my life runs in two very different modes.

I’ll have a couple of months working away with long days, often a physical job, and not loads of spare energy. Then I’ll have a couple of months at home on leave with heaps of time, flexibility, and space for training.

So when I talk about my “routine”, I’m not pretending every week looks the same.

It really doesn’t.

And if someone tells you theirs never changes, I’m slightly suspicious.

What stays the same is the structure.
What changes is how much I do within it.

That’s kind of the whole point.

The big thing I stopped doing: full-body workouts

I don’t do full-body workouts.

Not because they’re bad, but because they don’t suit how I like to train.

I prefer focusing on specific areas, training them properly, and then letting them recover. When I tried to do everything in one session, it felt unfocused and harder to recover from.

Splitting my training by body part keeps my weeks simple, my recovery better, and my training consistent. That’s why I stick with it.

What a “home” week actually looks like

When I’m at home and have heaps of time, this is what a week usually looks like for me.

Monday
Run
Gym – upper body

Tuesday
Gym – legs

Wednesday
Optional extra run
Gym – back and biceps

Thursday
Gym – legs

Friday
Gym – chest and triceps

Saturday
Run (usually a 5km parkrun)

Sunday
Rest (my gym is closed, which actually helps)

This works well for a few simple reasons.

Legs always get at least a day off between sessions.

Upper body work is rotated so nothing gets hit constantly.

And I never have to decide what I’m doing when I walk into the gym. I already know, which removes a lot of friction and makes it much easier to stay consistent.

What a “working” week looks like (same structure, less volume)

When I’m working away, things look very different.

Most weeks, it’s somewhere between 2 and 5 gym sessions, depending on my schedule. Workouts are shorter, runs usually drop out completely (maybe one every few weeks if I fancy it and have time), and walking just becomes part of the day because that’s the reality of the job.

Some weeks it’s three gym sessions.
Some weeks it’s four or five.
Some weeks it’s none, and I just rely on walking.

And that’s genuinely fine.

There is absolutely no version of my life where I’m doing a full gym session before or after an 18+ hour workday. I don’t pretend that’s realistic, and I don’t beat myself up for it either.

The structure stays the same (leg days, back and biceps, and chest and triceps). The volume changes.

Fitness doesn’t disappear just because you adapted to your life.

Why I keep the same exercises every week

This is the bit people tend to overcomplicate.

I don’t change my exercises every week. I don’t need to, and I don’t want to.

Each session has a handful of key movements that do most of the work, then some extra exercises to round things out. On a leg day, that might mean a couple of bigger lifts I really focus on, followed by single-leg work and smaller movements.

Upper body days are similar – a few main presses or pulls, then cables and things that finish the muscles off.

Nothing fancy. Nothing random.

What I’m actually focusing on is:

• getting stronger in the movements I do regularly
• improving how they feel and look
• and finishing the session feeling like I’ve trained properly

When you change exercises all the time, it’s hard to tell if you’re actually progressing or just staying busy. Keeping things the same makes progress much easier to see, and honestly, a lot more satisfying.

One thing that’s completely non-negotiable for me: the right shoes

Footwear is one thing I don’t mess around with.

I wear road running shoes for running, trail shoes for trail runs, and proper gym trainers for lifting. My running shoes are great for what they’re meant for, but I would never wear them in the gym.

Running shoes are designed to absorb impact and move you forward, which is exactly what you want when you’re running. Under weights, though, they just feel unstable. When I’m lifting, I want my feet planted and solid, not wobbling around.

I also had my running checked properly a few years ago, which made a big difference. I went to a proper running shop where they get you on a treadmill and actually watch how you run, which I didn’t even realise was a thing. They can see what your feet are doing and recommend shoes based on that, rather than just guessing.

My feet used to roll inwards when I ran, so I wore shoes for that. Over time that stopped being an issue (probably from getting stronger, who knows), and neutral trainers just started feeling way better. Once that was sorted, everything felt easier on my body.

Anyway, it’s not about owning loads of trainers (I wish!). It’s just about wearing the right ones for the workout you’re doing.

I’ve heard this from so many people as well. Even people who’ve never run before or assumed running just “wasn’t for them” often find it feels completely different once they’re in the right shoes. Sometimes that one change is enough to make things click.

Running: what actually changed everything for me

For a long time, I thought running only counted if it felt hard and like I’d really pushed myself.

So I’d do one run a week, go out too fast, feel fine while I was actually running… and then feel awful afterwards.

Headache, wiped out, lying on the sofa, thinking SURELY I can do this without needing a 2 hour nap after. I’d also spend the rest of the week confused about why my running never really improved.

Shocking outcome, really.

What actually changed things was realising that most runs are meant to feel easy and slow.

Like, almost embarrassingly slow.

Some of my runs are genuinely so slow that if anyone was watching, they probably thought “aw bless her, she’s out for a very enthusiastic walk”. And honestly, that’s kind of the point.

Now, most of my runs are slow enough that I could chat if I needed to. I only really push it once a week. The rest of the time I just go out, keep it comfortable, and get round without needing an afternoon in bed.

That’s how running started to feel easy.

Not effortless, but manageable.

I built it up gradually, stopped trying to prove anything, and suddenly, longer runs didn’t feel like such a big deal anymore. I literally ran 21km the other week without planning to, just because I felt good and kept going. A few years ago that would have sounded unhinged to me.

Another thing that completely changed things for me was fuelling properly – WHO would have thought that the experts were right?!?!?!?!?!

I used to finish anything over 10km and then spend the rest of the day in bed with a banging headache. Since I started eating properly before I run and having electrolytes before and during, it’s honestly been night and day. I feel better on the run and I don’t feel wiped out afterwards.

I also used to get shin splints and a bad knee all the time. Since I’ve been strength training my legs properly, I just don’t get them anymore – (thank GOODNESS!!)

That alone made running feel a gazillion times better and more enjoyable.

Knowing the difference between lazy and tired

Some days I train for ages because I feel great.

Some days I walk in, do two exercises, think “nope”, and leave.

Some days I skip a run and just go for a walk instead.

I’ve trained long enough to know the difference between “I can’t be bothered” and “I actually need a break”.

If I’m just feeling lazy, I’ll usually train anyway because I know I’ll feel better after (and I always do). If my body’s clearly not up for it, I don’t push through for the sake of it.

One thing that’s helped recovery waaaay more than I expected is sleeping with my feet up on pillows after leg day or a run.

I wake up feeling less stiff, my legs feel better, and recovery is easier. I noticed the difference immediately, so it stuck. (I also do this whenever I’m at work and it makes such a difference for sore feet!)

Why this structure works – and why I stick with it

Honestly, this works for me because it makes everything easier.

I’m not standing there faffing around deciding what I should do, second-guessing my plan, or convincing myself I need to try something new because Instagram said so.

I already know what day it is and what I’m training.

It also gives things time to recover properly, which makes a bigger difference than people like to admit.

And most importantly, it fits around real life instead of going tits up the second things get busy.

That’s it.

There isn’t a more exciting answer than that.

If you take nothing else from this

You don’t need:

• a brand new routine every month
• a “perfect” split
• workouts that leave you completely destroyed

What you actually need is:

• a structure you can repeat without thinking too much
• enough recovery that you can come back and train again
• and the confidence to stop changing things just because the internet told you to

If your workouts feel a bit boring in the best way, you’re probably doing it right.

Where to go next

If this post made you realise you don’t actually need to change your routine again – good. That was the point.

You don’t need to overhaul your week, start from scratch, or add more for the sake of it. Letting something simple run for a bit is usually the move, and honestly, working out like this has TOTALLY changed my life – in both how I feel, but also what my body looks like.

If you want something really concrete, this is exactly how I structure my leg days – same exercises, every week, no barbell squats, or unwanted back pain.

And if you’re curious about the gym and fitness gear I actually use and rate, that’s coming in my next post!