Putting theory into practice

UPDATED with links to videos showing proper exercise form.

I've had some offline questions about how I'm actually applying the training principles I outlined in an earlier post.

So, this post will break down my current approach (as I've said, you have to change things up periodically). My training "split" looks like this:

Saturday - conditioning
Sunday - strength / power, upper body
Monday - rest / active recovery
Tuesday - strength / power, lower body
Wednesday - conditioning
Thursday - strength / power, upper body
Friday - rest / active recovery

Here is an example of a conditioning routine I did the other day. You should complete this in approximately 20 minutes, including warm up.

warm up - 60 jumping jacks, 15 bodyweight squats and 20 "huggers" (swing your arms back and across your body as if you are hugging somebody)

6 rounds (no rest between rounds)...

1A) prison squat x 20 seconds
1B) hold the "down" position x 10 seconds

rest 60 seconds

4 rounds...
2A) pushups x 20 seconds
2B) hold "up" position x 10 seconds

rest 60 seconds

2 rounds...
3A) plank x 20 sec
3B) right side plank x 10 sec
3C) plank x 20 sec
3D) left side plank x 10 sec

rest 60 seconds...

4) 60-second banana x 2 reps (in this case, just hold the banana position for 60 seconds, don't do the rocking)

rest 60 seconds

5) high knees done in a Tabata sequence (Tabata sequence is 8 rounds of 20 seconds work, immediately followed by 10 seconds rest, rinse and repeat 7 times; so, the total 8 rounds takes 4 minutes)

While 20 minutes might not seem like enough time to really "get in shape", you have to try this approach to see how effective it really is and how the results are applicable to other areas of your life. I recently ran a personal best 5K race after not having done ANY training runs in the 6 weeks leading up to race day. My conditioning was done solely through workouts like the one above. Conversely, if I had being doing "traditional" 5K training and then tried to do the workout above, I probably wouldn't have been able to complete it!

Again, keep in mind the key principles:

- high intensity, short duration
- movements that use multiple muscle groups and / or your whole body
- strength and conditioning should go together

The next post will lay out sample upper body and lower body strength / power routines.

Let me know if this was helpful. I'm happy to answer any questions you have.

No excuses,

Jesse

I am a liar!

In my post on bodyweight exercises for strength building, I promised to provide some more challenging alternatives to the suggested movements in my next post. But then I got all distracted with that productivity and efficiency debate. Anyway, if you are finding any of the 'core four' movements I suggested too easy, try mixing in some of these alternatives:

• 10 great variations on the bodyweight squat
• if you are some sort of freak who finds standard pull-ups (done properly) too easy, try muscle-ups (btw - those Bar-barian dudes are kick-ass!!)
• you could also do weighted pullups, but that's adding in some equipment
• there are TONS of ways to switch up push-ups 
• instead of sit-ups, try hanging knee raises (the mistake most people make is to not raise their butts - try it both ways and feel the difference in your core)

If you do nothing other than what these two posts contain, switching up your set / rep / interval scheme and choice of movements occasionally, you WILL get in phenomenal shape.

No excuses,

Jesse

Stop being productive and efficient??

Leo over at Zen Habits has a post up today called "Get Less Done: Stop Being Productive and Enjoy Yourself" Now, I'm a big fan of Leo's, but I think he's missed the mark on this one a bit. (Despite our disagreement on this topic - see the comments of his post - I still highly recommend you read Zen Habits daily. Just a great blog.)

I totally agree that we could all use more simplification, relaxation and enjoyment in our lives. But I don't think the right way there is to stop being productive. As I talked about on my employer's blog, the key is to not let meaningless "stuff" get in the way accomplishing what's truly important. (That post is specifically addressing PR agencies, but the principle holds true here, too.)

Maybe self-made success Leo has created puts him in a unique position to not be productive at all and still be able to have the financial security and freedom he needs. If so, more power to him. But the majority of us have mouths to feed, bills to pay, diapers to change, etc. Doing nothing all the time isn't feasible.

Nor is it really desirable for most people. Generally, humans like the feeling of accomplishment. It adds value to our lives. Again, I believe we should all slow down and simplify. The key is to identify what is truly important in your own life, which gives you the freedom to ignore the rest. Do I want more 'down' time? Absolutely. Do I want only 'down' time? Uh...just kill me.

What about you?

No money, no equipment, no time? No problem!

Too many people never start strength and conditioning training because they think they don't have the time or can't afford a gym membership or are intimidated by the equipment. Others start, but then quit because they were trying really hard (or, at least, they thought they were), but not seeing the results they wanted.

Ironically, a lot of women fear achieving results that are "too good" - ladies, unless you are using steroids, you WILL NOT become bulky, Hulk Hogan-looking creatures. You will build muscle, but not like a man does. (It has to do with our hormonal and muscle fiber makeups.) And, since muscle burns more calories than fat, you will actually become leaner through strength training than through the typical "cardio" routines you probably have tried in the past. I have to tell ya, a little muscle is a lotta sexy. Don't believe me? ask your male friends if they find Nicole Richie or Jessica Biel more attractive.

The following routine will improve your strength, endurance, conditioning and appearance, can be done at home (or at the local playground), for free, with virtually no equipment other than your own body weight, and will only take 15 minutes a day, 3 days a week. (Can you find that amount of time in your schedule? If you say 'no' you are lying!)

Here's what to do: perform the following exercises back-to-back, with no rest between. For each exercise, do as many reps as you can without sacrificing proper form (check the links for videos on how to perform each movement).

- bodyweight squats
- pullups (if you don't have access to a pullup bar, use a tree limb or a sturdy beam or joist in your house)
- pushups
- sit ups

That's it.

If you are just starting out, do just one round and then add more rounds as you progress over time. You should be able to get at least 3 rounds in within 15 minutes.

If you are not used to strength training, it's possible some of you won't be able to do standard pullups or pushups. That's OK, there are some alternatives to use until you build up more strength...

If you cannot do pullups, try chinups (the underhand grip described in the video). Or use momentum, jumping up to the bar and continuing in one fluid motion (rather than starting from a dead hang). If even that is too hard, do the flexed arm hang - just grab the bar and jump up so your chin is over the bar and hold yourself in that position as long as you can, then S-L-O-W-L-Y let yourself down, fighting gravity the whole way. The goal obviously, is to progress to multiple-rep sets of proper pullups.

If you cannot do standard pushups, start off doing them from your knees.

Try it for 4 weeks and let me know how it's going. (Folks, that's a total time investment of 3 HOURS in the next month...surely your health and appearance is worth that!) Oh, and if you think you haven't really worked out if you're heart isn't beating out of your chest and you don't look like you just got out of a pool...try this and tell me how it compares to those 45 minutes on the elliptical machine.

Next post, I'll tell you some alternative versions of these core movements that you can try if you find you are not challenged enough in one area or another. In a month, we'll explore some ways to mix this routine up even more. In addition to staving off boredom and keeping your motivation high, switching things up is important because your body adapts to stimulus / stress over time and you stop making progress.

(It's worth noting that, while this is intended for beginners, it's a great change of pace or maintenance program for folks already in shape.)

No excuses!

- Jesse

Fitting it all in

OK, so it's all well and good to say that your life can be filled with a full-time job, plenty of time for your family, lots of interests and consistent dedication to your fitness. But it's NOT easy. I've had to make a number of adjustments to my routine lately to embrace all that's important to me. I've tried many times before to fit it all in without doing the unthinkable...getting up a minute earlier than I absolutely had to. Frankly, it's impossible. My old routine looked a little something like this:

7:45 am - finally get my ass out of bed, scramble to get myself showered, shaved (occasionally) and fed (this part usually came in the car on the way to work), while pitching in what little I could related to the kids' and dog's morning routines

8:45 am - arrive at work stressed and harried

6:00 pm-ish - leave work

6:15 pm - arrive at the gym (this step was treated as exceedingly optional)

7:30 pm - arrive home, jam in some time with the kids before they go to bed)

8:45 pm - come down from putting kids to bed, generally after having fallen asleep next to my son in his bed; throw together some crappy dinner

9:15 - 11:00 pm - do something mindless like watch TV

The problems here are obvious - limited family time, inconsistent working out, no energy to pursue other interests.

In recent months, I've made a big effort to get up an hour or so earlier, during which time I'll do yoga, read the paper and have breakfast with my family. I end up getting to work in a much better state of mind, feeling much more relaxed and like I've already accomplished something. Since I've adopted the training philosophy I described in my previous post, my workouts have been much more consistent because a) I'm doing most of them at home; b) they are much shorter in duration; c) I love the process and results, so my motivation is high; and d) my feeling of accomplishment from my morning routine carries through the day and I want to continue it. So, now my days look more like this:

6:30 am - get up, yoga, paper, b'fast, get ready for work (over time, I hope to get up even earlier and take more advantage of this time of day)

8:45 am - arrive at work

6:00 pm - arrive home, work out

7:00 pm - have dinner, spend time with the family

8:45 pm - come down from putting kids to bed and spend time doing something productive / enjoyable (work on blog, work on personal training business, read)

11:00 pm - bed

At first glance, the changes in the schedule aren't huge (although I'm still not even close to being a morning person, so the early get up feels huge to me!). But the changes in my mindset, lifestyle, stress level and happiness are substantial.

My hope is that this habit will be well-established by the time the days get much shorter...

What's in a name? (Or, WTF should I call the way I train?)

CrossFit, caveman, natural, underground, turbulence, renegade, HIIT...is there really a difference to these approaches to training and health?

By the letter, yes. But in essence, no.

My personal training could probably fit into most or all of these categories...or none of them perfectly. What's important isn't the details that make these systems different, but the core principles that they share. So, what are those principles?

• Using your body the way it was intended to be used. These means compound movements where all your muscle groups (or at least, multiple groups) and systems working together to squat, lunge, push, pull and rotate
• You are training for strength and conditioning you can apply in every day life. Certainly, looking better is generally a byproduct of this, but it's not the primary objective
  
• HIGH intensity, short duration of training sessions - not only is this a far more effective approach (a lot more to come on this in future posts), but it also gives you more time to spend with your family and to pursue other interests (in a well-rounded life, you, like, have other interests)
• NO "isolation" movements or machines - when is the last time in a real life scenario you needed to curl something using only your biceps power while your elbow was braced firmly against the inside of your knee? Right, I thought so
• NO long sessions of steady-state cardio (for example, an hour on the exercise bike on the same setting) - first, it's boring as all hell; second, it's woefully ineffective; and third, who has that kind of time? (My own exception to this rule is running outside. I like to run, I like to do races, so I do. If you love the elliptical machine as a hobby, I guess you should do it, but not until you've had your head checked for mental imbalances first.)
• Get outside often
• Train as naturally as you can. I try to be barefoot whenever possible and safe, I never use weight belts and straps. Expensive shoes, belts, straps, etc. are all just crutches that are actually creating imbalances and weaknesses in your body
• Variety - it stimulates the body, mind and soul
  

Again, there are details that vary between the systems I named (and others like them), but the principles above fit squarely into all of them.

It's working for me - I'm stronger, leaner, faster and have fewer aches and pains than ever before. Plus, my motivation doesn't wane and I have no excuses to not get in a great workout (I have techniques that kick my ass in as little as 8 minutes with no equipment necessary.)

Starting somewhere

Being in the middle of a journey to what I think is an improved me makes writing a first post feel awkward. So, I'll just hold true to one of my favorite tenets that simpler is better and keep this one short. What can you expect to find covered on this blog? Fitness - first and foremost, this is a blog about how guys like me (see the sidebar) can still get (and stay) in great shape despite life's many obligations and distractions. I'll cover my training methodology, detail workouts, share what's working and what's not and delve some into my (slowly improving) approach to nutrition.

But a healthy body is only one part of a healthy life, so you can also expect to read (and, eventually, see and hear) plenty about the things that nurture my mind, heart and soul, too. (Oh, and I promise to try to have a lower per capita use of parenthetical comments in future posts!)

These topics lend themselves to preachiness, so I'll do my damnedest to avoid that. My approach to the blog is going to be the same as my approach to life: direct and brutally frank offset with a lot of humor and self-deprecation. Feel free to tell me when I stray.

It's going to be fun for me and I'll do my best to make it enjoyable for you, too... (Oh, yeah, I'm also a big fan of ellipses...)