“Perfection is the enemy of success”—a 48-year-old trainer shares the weekly workout routine she follows for strength, stability and mobility

Welcome to Workout Diaries, a series where we ask experts to talk us through what a week of exercise looks like for them, helping you figure out how to develop and maintain an effective workout routine.

Former dancer and choreographer Antonietta Vicario turned her passion for movement into a fitness career two decades ago.

As the founding trainer and chief training officer at fitness brand Pvolve, she now specializes in creating workout plans for the changing needs of women in midlife.

She is very clear on her own reasons for working out: “My priorities are to build and maintain muscle—as it truly is the organ of longevity—while remaining mobile.”

The top trainer aims to do five workouts a week but admits that she often only completes 60–70% of her planned sessions.

“As a mom who is also at the peak of her career, it’s sometimes hard to carve out time for five focused workouts a week,” she says.

“On days when my schedule is jam-packed, I still try to find 15 or 20 minutes because it really does affect my mental health.

“As the day goes on, my appetite for movement decreases, so my sweet spot is 8–9am, right after school drop-off,” she says.

Here's what her typical week looks like.

Vicario’s weekly workout routine

Monday 8am
Full-body weight training

Tuesday 8am
Jog

Wednesday 8am
Full-body weight training

Thursday 8am
Mobility and sculpt session

Friday 8am
Weight training

Saturday 4pm
Yoga on the beach

Sunday
Rest

Tips for creating a realistic, well-rounded routine

Start small and be consistent

“Often, people try to jump into a new routine with an all-or-nothing approach, which sets them up to fail,” says Vicario.

“Slotting in 15 minutes three times a week feels achievable, so I would tell people to start with that.”

Once the routine turns into a habit, people often feel motivated to exercise for longer.

“You start to crave the endorphin boost associated with exercise,” she says.

“I truly believe that perfection is the enemy of success. [Whereas] starting small and finding things you love to do will set you up for success.”

Keep it varied

If you want a body that moves well as you age, then you have to keep your workouts varied.

“I know that most women are hyper-focused on resistance training, but without mobility and stability, strength has an expiration date,” says Vicario.

“Mobility gives us access and freedom of movement across our full ranges of motion, while stability gives us the coordination and control to move safely and efficiently within that range. That becomes especially important as we get older.”

Don’t sweat skipping a workout

Vicario says putting too much pressure on yourself to work out can be counterproductive.

“If you miss a day of exercise, you shouldn’t sweat it,” she says.

“I have so many friends and co-workers who have a type-A personality and I see that perfectionism often creates self-critique and negative self-dialogue. I try to stay balanced and not worry if I miss a day.”

Vicario says progressing your fitness is a slow process but a “bad week won’t derail that.”

Exercise with an expert

“There is so much noise in the fitness space so I would recommend that anyone starting off checks that their trainer or workout routine is accredited,” says Vicario.

“This is why we’ve spent so much of our resources at Pvolve proving the method with clinical trials. Especially as your physiology changes, you want to select movement that is working with your body's needs, not against it.

“So find someone who can hold you accountable, who is trustworthy, and make sure you are moving in a way you enjoy, and it will become a habit!”

Antonietta Vicario will be joining the Lifelong Women’s Health Summit in NYC this month [September 25-26] with Pvolve clinical advisory board member Dr. Jessica Shepherd in a breakout session called Beyond Muscle: The Pvolve Formula for Body Longevity, where they will break down the research behind their methodology. She will also be on the What Your Screenings Are (and Aren’t) Telling You panel, speaking about her personal health history as a two-time Hodgkin's Lymphoma survivor.