Quick Holiday Workout

Yeah yeah I get it, you are soooooo busy. All day, every day, every week.. You work 3 jobs daily, have 12 kids and have absolutely no time to cook or work out.

Right?

I don't know about you but I get tired of these excuses. But I do understand. I can relate. I sympathize because I am human and I'm also busy.

Real quick story here-  Back when I was working 3 jobs (for real), being a single dad taking care of a child a few days a week and living alone (cooking/cleaning for myself) I had to find a way to get in some workouts. 

I had to "find" time.  What I really did was MAKE time.

No way to get to a gym? I would do a quick bodyweight workout on my lunch or at the end of the day or in the morning (my least favorite)

Truth be told, I hated bodyweight workouts. They felt lame. No weights, no clanging of plates and dumbbells. No benches or pulleys or cables or racks.

I would dread those workouts. But I found a way. Which meant I just did it. Even if it was just 20 minutes.

So today is a holiday and we are all busy, including myself. I had some clients this morning and I have family gatherings all day but I had a small window (that I created) of 30 minutes between clients and going home to get ready for the family holiday party.

Not enough time to drive to a gym and get warmed up and work out with weights, cardio etc..so I did a bodyweight circuit.

And honestly, I don't dread them anymore as much as I used to.  Maybe it's my age or the years of lifting under the barbell, but lately I almost (stress- almost) enjoy these high-intensity bodyweight circuits. Today's felt good.

Here's what I did- squats-15 reps, pushups 15 reps-bird dogs-12 reps-reverse crunchesx15-side crunchesx12-planksx30-reverse pushupsx15-

I went from one exercise to the next without rest. After the circuit I rested 30-45 seconds. I did 5 rounds. It took about 25 minutes. For the next 5 minutes I did some stretching/yoga/mobility flow movement. Done.

Work up a little sweat and feel better about your day and your self.

Take pride in the fact that you chose to do something. Instead of saying you have no time (but you have time to watch tv/play on the internet/social media etc.. Have some pride, it's ok. It means you worked on improving yourself today. And that's nothing to be ashamed of. Even if it's only bodyweight exercises and not anything exciting like a big heavy squat or deadlift.

Happy holidays to you and your family. And if you don't celebrate any holidays, have an awesome day!

Do You Need a Workout Plan?

Here's a great answer to the question Do you need a workout plan? 

It depends.

That's the truth,

If you need structure, maybe you do.

Or you crave variety and being surprised then having no set 'plan' may work better for you.

Either way, you need to show up and work your ass off consistently.

You can be one of those guys with the little notepad, writing down every set, weight and exercise. Or you can go into the gym and wing it all the way from your warmup to your workout and cooldown. You do a cooldown right?  I didn't think so.

I've had great training plans and made progress. I've also had no real plan and made progress.

Depending on what you want to get out of your training, you may need to track your workouts and stick to a plan. There's some flexibility here too. The best plans allow for changes to be made over the course of the weeks/months.

There are a million ways to structure a workout/plan so I won't get into that here.

I'll leave you with this.  You should try a program at least once. Stick to it for 3-4 months. If you hate it or just don't like being tied to a single program then you've learned some valuable information.

You don't always have to have a goal with your training. Fitness is good enough on it's own without a specific goal, but if someone has a burning desire for a goal, then I say go for it with all you have!

Rules are Made to be Broken

When you are running a fitness business you absolutely must have a presence on social media.  Or so they say. Who are "they" anyway? What else do "they" say?

You must have your post-workout shake within minutes of your last set or else all your lifting will be wasted and you will not grow any muscle... so they say..

"They" say a lot of things. Full range of motion. Compound movements first. Machines are worthless.. squat ass to grass..be hardcore, hustle.. Most of which I have learned. Then I learned to forget them.

I've been doing this all my life.

Whenever I didn't do this and I did what I was supposed to do, my results were average at best. It doesn't matter what I was doing. And more importantly, I am not happy when I go according to the "rules"..

What does this have to do with you and your fitness pursuits?  Glad you asked.

You have to learn the basics first. Of nutrition and training. The most effective ways to lift weights, burn fat, gain muscle and strength..

Once you learn your way around and you achieve some results you can start to tweak to your own design. Eventually you may break every rule.

I'll use myself as an example-  I ate every 3-4 hours, decent amount of lean protein, small amount of carbs, very small amount of fats. I saw some results.

I also made sure to focus on the "most important meal of the day"- breakfast and the post-workout shake. I got some results.

Eventually I started to break those rules. And guess what,  I got results that way too.

So yes, you need to learn the tricks of the trade. Gain some discipline and make some progress. Then you will hit a plateau. This is normal.

Then you start to experiment. Find out what really works for you. What speaks to you. What do you really enjoy and know that you will be consistent with?

Maybe one exercise is not effective for you or makes you feel too much pain in a joint. Or maybe it's one specific food you think you're supposed to eat, according to the rules, but you can't stand the taste of it and dread packing it in your lunch..

Break the rules. Find your own way.

As Jim Morrison once said "Learn to forget"..

That's what we need to do. In fitness and in life.  There's only one you and I believe that within each of us there's some sort of wisdom, an instinct and knowledge that we can align with, that will give us great strength and lead us to evolve and adapt as we go through life.

3 Times Per Week for 30 Minutes is all you need!

Have you seen the articles that say all you need is 3 workouts per week for 30 minutes each session? 

Is this just a bunch of bull?

Nope.

In my experience with clients, if a guy hasn't worked out in awhile 3 days per week for a half hour each will be plenty.

If you are starting up at the gym after a long break or if you've never trained vigorously in your life, then 3 days will be plenty.

On the other days you need to do some walking. Yes, walking. Outside, inside, at the mall. I don't care. Just get in a walk every day. Ideally you will walk an hour every day, even on days you train with weights.

But I get it. You don't have time as it is. How are you supposed to do something physical every single day?

You start small. 20 minute walks. 30 minute workouts.

Find a way.

How does anyone do it?

You make it a priority. It should be anyway.

Once you establish this healthy habit for a few months you are ready to take it up a notch. You will no longer be sore from workouts (not AS sore at least) and you have already 'made time' for your health and fitness. Now it's time to take it up a notch.

Shoot for an hour of physical activity every day.

This could be weights or cardio. But just messing around in the yard does not count. This is your time. Where you are working on improving yourself. An hour a day. You can dedicate this time to your most important asset- your health.

Start small. 30 minutes. Even 15.. but eventually you will need to do more. Embrace it.

Now get started. Go for a walk today.

That Damn Snooze Button

How did you start your day today?

Did you hit the snooze button?

That damn button is no good!

I know you don't want to be preached at. To have someone tell you to "do this, do that" or "stop doing this, stop doing that"..  I get it. I don't want anyone telling me what to do or what not do do.

It needs to happen on your own terms. On your own time. When you are ready. When will you be ready to change your life?

What will it take to make you decide now is the time? Today is the day I change my life for the better...

I can't be the deciding factor for you. No one can except the man in the mirror.

What I can do is tell you the benefits of changing your life with weight training and fitness.

You will have more energy. When you feel drained at work, or after work when you get home to your wife and kids or home to your girlfriend. It may seem counter-intuitive that by working out you will generate more energy but it's true. 

You will notice your body change on the outside. Looking in the mirror you will see your muscles pop, your belly shrink.. your shape will take on more of a masculine, attractive look.

When it comes time to work in the yard, or to move furniture, you will be more confident. Up and down the stairs you will have more air, you won't be out of breath as easy.

You'll sleep better. Eat better. You're standard of living will improve. Yep, all this from lifting weights on a regular basis.

Get on a program today.

Do something daily.

Don't do it for anyone other than yourself. Or if you find your motivation comes from wanting to be strong for your kids or your wife or whatever, then use that as fuel for your fire.

Whatever it takes, find a way to just do it. Morning, on lunch hour, after work, late at night in the garage.. etc.. Find a way, not an excuse.

Most people find an excuse.

But not you.

Be different. Be strong.

What's this Blog All About?

There are a million different blogs out there on the internet. You can learn about everything and anything, including fitness, nutrition and health topics.

So what is this blog about? What's the point?

I had a blog before this one for 4 years. I wrote about strength training, specifically with tips on lifting form, exercise selection dietary strategies etc.. very much a how-to get started and how to make progress in the world of fitness and lifting weights.

How many people did I really inspire or help?

It's hard to know for sure but when I decided to start a new blog I thought that kind of website was already done and gone for me.

We are constantly changing, evolving and I felt it was time to move on.

This blog is then what feels natural to me.

Running a personal training business is my number 1 focus. This blog serves as an extension of that. I can flesh out ideas and share some concepts that I find to be effective. Hopefully they help you.

I also write because I feel compelled to. I am a writer at heart.  So part of this blog's purpose isto tell stories and to entertain.

I realized that a lot of people read articles online just to read and not for advice perse.

From almost 20 years in the gym to the screen here. Hopefully something strikes you and even if it doesn't I must do it. You ever feel compelled to do something and you don't know exactly why?

Another idea that keeps creeping back into my mind is to write a book. Multiple books really but one about my fitness journey, in particular.

So this is another way to flesh out ideas to see where they lead.

I'm open for suggestions on article ideas also, as I truly enjoy helping people with specific questions. Send me an email with your question (try to keep it short- 1 paragraph) and I will give you an answer.  My opinions may not be mainstream as I don't fall into any category of fitness (powerlifting, crossfit, bodyweight only, functional, paleo etc..)

Thanks for reading.

Jim

Case of the Mondays or Holiday Hangover?

Today I woke up feeling rough.

Nose a bit runny. Sore in areas unexpected. Sleepy.

It's the Friday after thanksgiving, what do I expect right?

It made me think of the movie "Office Space".. and that famous line from the movie "somebody has a case of the Monday's"...

Do you ever feel that way on Monday morning? Or certain days like today, after a holiday or party,wedding..etc..?

You're human, it's bound to happen. But what do you do about it?

Just deal with it. Slog through the day. Just waiting for it to end.

Here's what I did today, and what I propose you do from now on when you get a "case of the Mondays".

Train. 30 minutes to 45 minutes of weights and bodyweight movements. Followed by 20-40 minutes of low-intensity cardio. (about 100-120 bpm heart rate)

The key is to just train. It doesn't need to be your best day. You aren't trying to undo all the damage of the booze and/or extra calories you consumed.

But you will feel much much better when you do this.

For the cardio I prefer the low-intensity work as I rather put more effort into the weight training and when you are feeling rough like this you don't need to do that high-intensity stuff. It won't make that much of a difference anyway. So why bother killing yourself with hardcore cardio (if there is such a thing)

After you do this workout of about an hour or so, you should do some stretching. You probably won't but if you do 10-15 minutes each day you will notice the difference.

When I don't do any stretching my body lets me know.

What stretches should you do?

There's all kinds, of course. And you can search some up on the internet.

My advice is to pick out some that you will do. They don't need to be complicated or fancy.

Just stretch out the hips, shoulders,calves,pecs, and wherever else you have tight spots.

Don't give up on it either. One day will not provide miracles. But consistent stretching over time will add up to make you feel much better long-term.

Split Personality?

We finished our last set of our leg workout.

As I turned around from the water fountain, he looked at me and said, "sled?"

It was time. He had his game face on.

This guy seemed to always train like a madman.

There was no tomorrow. Today is the day. Give it all you got.

We were both exhausted already but then we pushed into another level with sled pushes.

Have you trained with guys like that? Or is that you? Maybe that's you every once in awhile. You let the animal out.

I've had phases where I've gone all out, every session. Then there were times I just went in and did the work.

Then there's those days you just turn it up a notch.

What's the best way?

Where I'm at in my fitness/strength training journey I believe it's best to train hard but live to fight another day. I enjoy a little soreness but I don't want it interfere with my next two or three days of workouts.

I enjoy training every day. Even if it's just a 30 minute session. You can do 3 sessions per week and make progress. Even 2 or 4 days. I just crave something physical daily. It makes my days better. More complete.

So what's your fitness personality? How does it affect your workouts and your recovery from training?

Sometimes you're in the gym and you just have to hit it hard. You need that push. That burn. The strain and struggle.

The fight with the iron. To see what you are made of. How far you can go..

Then there are those days you just need to show up and put in work. It's not going through the motions just doing the minimum and watching tv while coasting along. But it's not giving every single ounce of your energy either.

There's a time and a place for many fitness personalities. Choose wisely.