Project Whitney | Why I want to look like Whitney Simmons

For a highly competitive, 'Type A' personality, I love a good challenge. In May, I decided that I was going to challenge myself to look like fitness YouTuber and Gymshark athlete, Whitney Simmons. Now I might be a driven type, but I'm not an absolute moron, I realise I look NOTHING like Whitney. She is 5'5 with long blonde hair and a flawless fake tan and I'm pushing 5ft with short brown hair and a face full of freckles and acne scars. So here is what I determined was possible- I am entirely capable of having a strong, toned, Whitney-esque physique. There is also potential, that if I follow some of the particulars of Whit's skincare routine that perhaps my acne scars will clear up and I will have glowy skin just like Whit.

Birthed from this came 'Project Whitney'. I decided that for a minimum of 6-8 weeks, I was going to follow Whitney's workout split using routines from her 'Workout with Whit' playlist on YouTube. To prepare myself for this challenge, I started by watching her workout split video and making notes. Whit does specific muscle groups on specific days. I knew straight away that this wasn't going to work for me. Her job is to be a YouTuber and influencer. My job is to be a high school teacher and my passion for fitness and YouTube needed to fit around work, meetings and travelling. Despite this detour, it was entirely possible for me to adapt her split to the days that are suitable to me.

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To prepare myself for more intense workouts, I bought some protein and pre-workout- both Whitney staples. This challenge also called for new Gymshark gear, obviously! I scrolled all the way to the bottom of her workout playlist and determined that each workout would be a different video- this would add to the challenging nature of the workouts as my muscles wouldn't have a chance to adapt to a routine. And I've gotta say, this certainly worked as there was never a day where my muscles weren't sore afterwards.

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After getting into the challenge and really enjoying the experience, I decided to extend the completion date from 8 weeks to 12, taking me from the Autumn school holidays, all the way through Term Two into the Winter school holidays. This would also be perfect timing because Dave and I had planned a short trip to Darwin. Throughout this whole experience, I documented everything on my YouTube channel, including some of her workouts and creating a Whitney-inspired look for an event. If you are interested in seeing my Project Whitney journey, make sure to

head to my channel

and hit the subscribe button!

Carly xx