Short Intense Workout Ideas

Ok here's some quick workouts that I do when I only have 10-20 minutes. I pick usually 2 exercises, then perform 20 reps of each, followed by 15, 10 and 5 reps of each. If I have any gas left, I will run through it again.

• Jump squats / double kettlebell clean and press.
• Tuck jumps / plyo push ups.
• up downs /medicine ball jumping jacks
• double kettlebell clean /double kettlebell snatch
• Plyo jumps / donkey kicks (post hands on the plyo box and kick your legs like a donkey. These burn tons of calories and are good for your ass. "ASS" get it? like "donkey," but I said "ASS." hahahahaha!!!! you're welcome.)

These are great little time saving workouts that will rev up your metabolism, and hit all of the major muscle groups.

Have fun!

Stuff I do, Stuff I eat

Today, after a brutal workout in the park with some of my clients, we were talking about diet and such. One of them asked me what if any supplements that I take, and what I ate. So, on their suggestion, I'm going to "blog" it.

Ok, so a little about me; 41 year old male, 6'1 208lbs. For the past 2 1/2 years I've hovered around 207-213. My body fat has been between 8 and 13%. My whole life (up until around age 39) I've battled my weight so to speak. Getting lean always seemed to elude me. My body fat was usually in the mid to high 20s.

I usually eat 4 to 5 large meals a day. This is pretty typical:

1) smoothie: 1 cup of greek yogurt, 1 cup frozen berries, 2 scoops of whey (gladiator). sandwhich: 2 slices of ezekiel bread, 2 tbl almond butter, handful of blueberries OR 1 cup of oatmeal, handful of blueberries, 2 tbl almond butter, 3-4 eggs

2) salad: 2-3 cups of spinach, 1 tomato 1 -2 chicken breasts (or 3-4eggs), 1 cup of beans (red, black, or lentils), 2 tbls of olive oil, lots of vinegar. OR 2-3 cups of spinach 6 oz turkey, 1 tomato, 2 tbls olive oil, vinegar, 2 slices of ezkiel bread.

3) smoothie: smoothie: 1 cup of greek yogurt, 1 cup frozen berries, 2 scoops of whey (gladiator).

4) pretty much the same as meal 2, except usually bigger portions. so, 2-3 chicken breasts, etc.

5)sometimes before bed I'll have almond butter on 2 slices of ezekiel, or a smoothie, or 1 cup of yogurt with blueberries, or vegetables with hummus...lots of hummus.

So, I eat a fair amount. Usually between 27-3500 calories. Here is what I do EVERYDAY:

-Workout. 2 days a week I do a weight lifting workout (about 30-45 min). 5 days a week I do a very high intensity anaerobic workout (see "Brining the intensity" on this blog). That usually takes me 10-15 minutes

-Supplement. Whey protein, mutivitamin, fish oil, vitmin D, baby aspirin.

-Drink 6-8 cups of coffe, 2 cups of green tea, 2-3 big glasses of water, use crushed red pepper or hot sauce on everything

- take in 30-40 grams of fiber, and at least 220 grams of protein.

Also, it's worth mentioning, that my job is extremely physical. I work in a huge gym with tons of floor space. One end of the gym to the other is about the length of a football field. 5 days a week I'm walking or sprinting back and forth, carrying weights, demonstrating exercises, holding focus mitts etc etc. I'm certain that is a major factor in my staying lean. That, and being totally awesome.

Hope this helps! Until next time.

Conversation I heard today

I was in a sporting goods store and overheard a conversation between the sales associate and a customer.

customer: my husband got me P90X for Christmas. I'm going to try it finally.

associate: yea I did P90X twice...well once actually. I started it and then tore my shoulder up. as soon as it healed I got back on it. I lost 8lbs of fat and gained 9lbs of muscle! Personal training and gyms are a waste of money if you ask me.

customer: WOW! (pause) did you tear your shoulder up doing P90X?

associate: oh no, no way...

So, I have no idea how he hurt himself. But I will tell you this, I've heard many different versions of that story; people doing P90X and getting hurt.

Let me say this; I have nothing against P90X. I've not done it, but when it was at it's peak of popularity, I'd see people all day at the gym X'n. I've seen so much of it in fact, that I believe that I can spot anyone doing it. Here's what I think about P90X; it's a kick ass workout plan. Tony Horton is a motivational tour de force. I love the informercials. Sometimes, I'll watch a bit of one before I get my own sweat on. I love the intensity. It fires me up!

Here's the problem with X'n on your own. Bad or lazy form, and biting off more than you can chew.

So the dvds teach proper form (I assume). But what happens when you fatigue? Unless you're very in tune with your physical self, your form will likely turn into lazy shit.

So Tony Horton has you fired up to really push yourself. You're ready to go for it! But what happens when you pick up the 35lbers when your body can only handle the 20's? OUCH!

That's when the pain starts. Try this scenario: you're out of alignment when you do the plyos, or you press or pull too much weight. But you were able to finish the workout so its all good right? Afterward you're dripping sweat, cursing and praising Tony Horton, feeling good, flexing in the mirror, beach weather is coming! Then you bend over to untie your shoes and *pop* *tear* *snap* (pick one) and there goes your back, knee, shoulder, neck (pick one).

That's where a guy like me comes in. If you're my client then you know 2 things that set me off. Excuses, and lazy form (excuses are another blog entry). Lazy or bad form is DANGEROUS. When I see it, I stop it, and I change it. The chances of injury are then dramatically reduced.

So, if you want to get you X on, here's what I suggest; do it under the guidance of a trainer. Or at the very least, take personal inventory on what you're made of. No workout plan is effective if you're too injured to do it.

2011!!!

Well so far 2011 has been pretty awesome. And, how could it not be? Life is good. I have a wonderful wife, a career that I love, great friends and family. I'm happy and healthy, and in a great place. Since this blog was originally a way for me to keep in touch with my clients, and do some fitness writing, I will leave the personal stuff at that.

Ok, so here's whats on tap for 2011; I am making a commitment to keeping this blog active. Look for updates often. There will be at least one every week. Every day in my industry, I learn something new. And, I plan to share. See you soon!

Intensity, and How To Bring It…

How are your workouts going? Are you reaching your goals? Is your time in the gym paying off? If the answers are “eh,” “not really,” and “nope,” then something has to change.

Let’s face it, we all know that you have to switch stuff up in order to keep progressing. But, before you scrap your current workout plan, ask yourself another question; How hard am I working? There’s a simple way to know. If you can easily talk while you are working out, you are not working hard enough. If you can talk during your workout, but your breathing is labored, you are heading in the right direction. If you cannot form a complete sentence, and you are doubled over gasping for air, then you are bringing the intensity! Let’s face it people, it’s called “working” out, right? If you want to achieve dramatic results, then at the end of your workout, your ass should be KICKED! It should be all you can do to get dressed and go home. Here’s the good news though, if you are working that hard, then you can get away with only working out for 15-20 minutes.

So, the next question is; “How do I bring it?” The simple answer is, “just move fast.” But, that doesn’t really help, does it? Nope. Here’s a couple of ways that I like to do it:

Count Downs & Ladders

If you are one of my clients, or have been reading my blog, then you are very familiar with count downs & ladders. Here’s what you do; pick two or more exercises, perform each exercise back to back for a certain number of reps (say 10). Then, repeat that circuit again, doing only 9 of each. Repeat the circuit again for 8 reps, then 7, then 6, all the way down to zero. Rest one minute, then start at 1 rep, and work your way through the circuit each time, adding a rep until you get back to 10. Here is a sample bodyweight workout:

10 jump squats, 10 pushups, 10 tuck jumps
9 jump squats, 9 pushups, 9 tuck jumps
8 jump squats, 8 pushups, 8 tuck jumps
7 jump squats, 7 pushups, 7 tuck jumps
6 jump squats, 6 pushups, 6 tuck jumps
5 jump squats, 5 pushups, 5 tuck jumps
4 jump squats, 4 pushups, 4 tuck jumps
3 jump squats, 3 pushups, 3 tuck jumps
2 jump squats, 2 pushups, 2 tuck jumps
1 jump squats, 1 pushups, 1 tuck jumps

Rest 1 minute, die a little bit

1 jump squats, 1 pushups, 1 tuck jumps
2 jump squats, 2 pushups, 2 tuck jumps
3 jump squats, 3 pushups, 3 tuck jumps
4 jump squats, 4 pushups, 4 tuck jumps
5 jump squats, 5 pushups, 5 tuck jumps
6 jump squats, 6 pushups, 6 tuck jumps
7 jump squats, 7 pushups, 7 tuck jumps
8 jump squats, 8 pushups, 8 tuck jumps
9 jump squats, 9 pushups, 9 tuck jumps
10 jump squats, 10 pushups, 10 tuck jumps

Got it? Good. Depending on your fitness level, it should take you between 10 and 20 minutes. Now, when you finish that, go home. You’re done! No I’m not kidding. You just performed a total of 330 reps. That is enough. GO HOME.




CARDIO INTERVALS

Jump on the stair master. Ride an easy level for 2 minutes. If your stair master tops out at level 20, start at level 5. At 2 minutes, go to level 20 (yes, 20) and run that shit for 20-30 seconds. Back it down to level 1 or 2, recover for 30 seconds, then back to level 20 for another 20-30 seconds. Do that 8 times.

If I only have 20 minutes, and in that 20 minutes, I have to have time for a shower, that is what I do. The workout itself is barely 12 minutes long. It is SAVAGE.

Since I am fortunate enough to work at a gym, I have access to a stair master. The stair master is my favorite piece of cardio equipment. The beauty of cardio intervals are that ANY machine works. Just follow the protocol.

Brining the intensity is not for everyone. I promise you this, if you give it a shot 4-5x a week for a month, you will physically and mentally reinvent yourself.

Now go and wreck some shit!

It's 2010! Here, have an update!!

Well it has been awhile hasn’t it? Miss me? I missed you. Lately I’ve been extremely busy with kicking hot asses, so my blog time has suffered. Hey, I’m not complaining. I do what I love, and love what I do.

For those of you who have not heard, I am now a certified instructor through the American Kettlebell Club. I am proud to say that I was certified by Catherine Imes, who is one of the top kettlebell lifters in the country, if not world. I look forward to eventually competing in kettle sport, and running some KB groups at the gym.

Also, I will be doing more writing. 2010 will be a year that I will spend more time expanding myself professionally. Writing helps me do that. So, look for future articles, and “Daily Sweat” posts. For now please enjoy my first article “Intensity and How to Bring It..”

Stay awesome!

Who would trade places with you?

As a personal trainer, I deal with body image issues every day. It never ceases to amaze me how many people do not like the way they look. Regardless of thier age, fitness level, looks, they do not like themselves. If you are one of these people, I can tell you that it is all in your head. And, I will bet any amount of money that you know someone who would gladly trade places with you. Does that mean you should just be thankful and leave it at that? No. Try to imagine what that person would do if they could be you for a day.

This is what I mean;

Are you having a bad hair day? Yea? I'm bald. what little hair that I have, I shave off. If I could trade places with you do you think that I would bitch about how bad my hair looked? HELL NO! I would run my fingers through it, comb it, wash it...HEY I HAVE HAIR!!!! I would be ECSTATIC.

Are you a "fat girl with a pretty face?" Yea? Many girls regardless of being slim, never hear that they are pretty. Do you think that they wouldn't enjoy trading places for a day, and hearing about how pretty they are?

Are you under 100 pounds overweight? Yea? Have you ever watched The Biggest Loser? The first show of every season when the new contestants arrive to the ranch they get weighed in. Many of them are 150 -250 pounds overweight. Just look at what they can accomplish. Not only on the ranch, but at home. Imagine if they started at only 40 pounds overweight!

I came to this conclusion when I was 37 years old. I was at a health expo watching former professional wrestler Diamond Dallas Page at the age of 50, do 10 one armed pushups. I thought to myself "Wow my dad is in his 70's, what would dad do with 50? For that matter, what would Diamond Dallas Page do with 37?" It was then, that I stopped worrying about getting older. I'm 40 now, and it still holds true.

So, practice appreciating yourself. Because, you can bet that somebody else is.

Until next time.