I have a friend that has managed to elicit a response from his body requiring him to go to the gym everyday whether he went out the night before or not. If he doesn't, he feels like people who don't go to the gym at all, groggy, sick, irritable, and just plain sluggish. I personally think this is incredible. How many people can say that they don't just WANT to exercise, they physically NEED to in order to feel great. Instead of needing coffee, caffine, energy drinks, and every other product out there designed to get you going, how about just lifting some weight or moving your body around for an hour a day.
Here's this week's workout. This is designed more for increasing strength over a period of 5 weeks and it has helped me out tremendously. This week I will post the lower body workout and next week will be the upper body. Good luck.
-Dynamic Warm Up
each week you move up 5% of your 1 Rep Max in order to increase your strength gains. This is my loose derrivation of the 5-3-1 workout created by Jim Wendler.
1A) Barbell Squats
- 5x5@ 85% 1RM week 1
- 4x4 @ 90% week 2
- 3x3 @ 95% week 3
- 2x2 @ 100% week 4
- 1x1 @ 104% week 5
2A) Deadlifts
- 5x5@ 85% 1RM week 1
- 4x4 @ 90% week 2
- 3x3 @ 95% week 3
- 2x2 @ 100% week 4
- 1x1 @ 104% week 5
3A) foam roll, stretch
As you can see, you apply all of the same percentages to each lift you're performing. I found it to give me significant increases in strength, power, and overall muscle definition. I performed the lifts once a week as it took that long to recover after the initial jump into the program and I wanted to be fresh for the next weeks weight increase. This can be continued for another round and taken up to 10 weeks but after that long, I strongly suggest a decompression week where the weights lifted are reduced to about 65% of your 1RM and you allow your muslces to recoup and prepare for your next bout. Good Luck.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Hard Working...Or Hardly Working
Its been another great week in terms of life in general. Some things haven't gone as planned, such as getting my workouts in for the week, but others have gone exceptionally well; namely my client's training.
For those who don't know, I train out of the Bangor YMCA. Along with training single clients, I also work with a group of 4 women who are part of our "Biggest Mover" program. These ladies are kick ass. They do exactly what I tell them (sometimes with a little attitude) and they do what it takes to accomplish their goals while in the gym. Over the past 14 weeks, they have each lost a significant amount of weight, which is the goal of the program, toned up their bodies, lost inches from their waist, arms, hips, thighs, and numerous other areas; and they're still driving head on to keep that progress up. Not only do they push themselves during their workouts, but they continue that work outside the gym (or so they tell me, but I have to believe them because it physically shows) with their diets, daily walks, and other forms of exercise.
Now when these ladies first came to me 14 weeks ago, I have to say they struggled. And I don't mean they struggled simply because they had a hard time catching their breath, moving a weight, or completing another rep, but they also struggled mentally. They complained....ALOT! Luckily, I was able to let it go in one ear and out the other until it ceased. (Now they just complain for the sake of complaining)
But the point is, they had to push themselves past limits they didn't know they'd even be getting to, let alone conquering. These ladies did quite a bit of hard work in a very short period of time. I drove them into the ground each and every workout and they did everything they could to come out on top. For this I am not only proud, I am simply amazed. Not only for the fact that they are accomplishing their goals, but now they are showing not only a NEED to work out, but a DESIRE to work out as well. After one of our sessions this week which ended up a little shorter than normal, these 4 ladies stayed and not only completed the workout I had intended them to finish, BUT THEY STARTED TO GO BACK THROUGH PREVIOUS WORKOUTS!!!!
I couldn't believe it. They had finally gotten to the point where they seemed to enjoy the workouts enough that they couldn't get their fill of them, and this is a desire that needs to be instilled within the entire population. Working out shouldn't be a chore, a struggle, or a problem, it should be fun, enjoyable, and effective. When it comes down to it, hard work, should feel like you're hardly working.
So once again for those who are ready for the challenge, here's this week's workout designed to sit you on your ass and make you feel like you did something you may thought you wouldn't be able to accomplish when you finish. Best of luck!
Dynamic Warm Up
- prisoner squats 12x
- arm circles 8x both ways
- reverse lunges 5x each leg
- walkout to pushup 6x
- walking lunges 5x each leg
- seal jumps 20x
- hip adduction 8x each leg
- side lunges 8x each leg
1A) Diesel Rows 4x10
1B) DB Incline Chest Flies 4x12
1C) DB Cleans 4x10
- use a weight that is challenging for both the Flies and the Cleans
2A) Rope Walkouts 3x5
2B) Planks 3x fail
2C) Bridges 3x15
2D) DB Chest Press 3x12
2E) Stairs 3x3
3A) Mountain Climbers 5x20
3B) Jump Rope 5x100
3C) Turkish Get up 5x3
For those who don't know, I train out of the Bangor YMCA. Along with training single clients, I also work with a group of 4 women who are part of our "Biggest Mover" program. These ladies are kick ass. They do exactly what I tell them (sometimes with a little attitude) and they do what it takes to accomplish their goals while in the gym. Over the past 14 weeks, they have each lost a significant amount of weight, which is the goal of the program, toned up their bodies, lost inches from their waist, arms, hips, thighs, and numerous other areas; and they're still driving head on to keep that progress up. Not only do they push themselves during their workouts, but they continue that work outside the gym (or so they tell me, but I have to believe them because it physically shows) with their diets, daily walks, and other forms of exercise.
Now when these ladies first came to me 14 weeks ago, I have to say they struggled. And I don't mean they struggled simply because they had a hard time catching their breath, moving a weight, or completing another rep, but they also struggled mentally. They complained....ALOT! Luckily, I was able to let it go in one ear and out the other until it ceased. (Now they just complain for the sake of complaining)
But the point is, they had to push themselves past limits they didn't know they'd even be getting to, let alone conquering. These ladies did quite a bit of hard work in a very short period of time. I drove them into the ground each and every workout and they did everything they could to come out on top. For this I am not only proud, I am simply amazed. Not only for the fact that they are accomplishing their goals, but now they are showing not only a NEED to work out, but a DESIRE to work out as well. After one of our sessions this week which ended up a little shorter than normal, these 4 ladies stayed and not only completed the workout I had intended them to finish, BUT THEY STARTED TO GO BACK THROUGH PREVIOUS WORKOUTS!!!!
I couldn't believe it. They had finally gotten to the point where they seemed to enjoy the workouts enough that they couldn't get their fill of them, and this is a desire that needs to be instilled within the entire population. Working out shouldn't be a chore, a struggle, or a problem, it should be fun, enjoyable, and effective. When it comes down to it, hard work, should feel like you're hardly working.
So once again for those who are ready for the challenge, here's this week's workout designed to sit you on your ass and make you feel like you did something you may thought you wouldn't be able to accomplish when you finish. Best of luck!
Dynamic Warm Up
- prisoner squats 12x
- arm circles 8x both ways
- reverse lunges 5x each leg
- walkout to pushup 6x
- walking lunges 5x each leg
- seal jumps 20x
- hip adduction 8x each leg
- side lunges 8x each leg
1A) Diesel Rows 4x10
1B) DB Incline Chest Flies 4x12
1C) DB Cleans 4x10
- use a weight that is challenging for both the Flies and the Cleans
2A) Rope Walkouts 3x5
2B) Planks 3x fail
2C) Bridges 3x15
2D) DB Chest Press 3x12
2E) Stairs 3x3
3A) Mountain Climbers 5x20
3B) Jump Rope 5x100
3C) Turkish Get up 5x3
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
The Good Life
Its been a great last week before getting back to school and ramping up my thoughts again. Met a lot of fun people, had a blast with friends, and even though I had one of the busiest weeks of my summer, I felt as though I was completely relaxed. Taking a few moments to think about how that was possible led me straight to the 80/20 principle I talked about in my last post.
First of all, I quit worrying about how I was going to pay for my car breaking down, the school supplies I had yet to buy, and the food needed to get me through the week. As soon as I just quit worrying and let things play out as they should, I gained 2 new clients (which more than made up for the hours lost at work due to school), got paid for all the ice hockey reffing I'd done over the summer, paid a bit less for my car than originally estimated, and threw one hell of a back to school party (which resulted in about 10 new friends). Who could ask for more when all that was required was to relax 80% of the time?
Secondly, I kept up with my idea of ramping up my workouts to push myself to new levels. In half an hour, I was able to smash out a workout that left me on the floor gasping for air and feeling like I'd just conquered the world. Somehow I had managed to set new records for my maximum number of burpees completed in a single set (100!!!!, yes I'm going to brag a bit until someone puts me in my place) and still push myself to grind out the rest of the workout. And it only took 30 minutes!!!
Examples such as this spark my thoughts as to why anyone (who hates boring cardio, hates mundane routines, etc etc..) continually goes to the gym and steps up on a treadmill "because its there and thats what people do." I say if you hate doing it, find something you love instead, and make it work. And thats exactly what I'm doing with these posts, the free workouts I'm providing on here, and living my life by the 80/20 principle because in just 1 week I've found out its a MUCH better way to LIVE!!
So for those who are waiting for this week's workout, I'm providing the one I wrote up and conquered in the last few days; if you push yourself, and I mean really push yourself until you physically cannot do anymore, you'll feel like you really did something at the gym. Good luck!
PS. for those who don't know what certain exercises are, leave a comment and I'll steer you in the right direction.
PPS. for those who complete the workout, feel free to post your burpee numbers! I'd love to hear how people did.
1A)Burpees x failure
-rest until able to move again
2A) Jump Rope 1000x – (perform these in as few sets as necessary to reach 1000)
2B) Hanging Straight Leg Raise 6x8 (perform with pull-up style grip)
2C) 85 lbs Sand Bag Carry 6x 150 ft.
3A) Bent Barbell Rows 95 lbs x failure (perform with knees slightly bent, about a 45 degree bend at the waist and an underhand grip)
First of all, I quit worrying about how I was going to pay for my car breaking down, the school supplies I had yet to buy, and the food needed to get me through the week. As soon as I just quit worrying and let things play out as they should, I gained 2 new clients (which more than made up for the hours lost at work due to school), got paid for all the ice hockey reffing I'd done over the summer, paid a bit less for my car than originally estimated, and threw one hell of a back to school party (which resulted in about 10 new friends). Who could ask for more when all that was required was to relax 80% of the time?
Secondly, I kept up with my idea of ramping up my workouts to push myself to new levels. In half an hour, I was able to smash out a workout that left me on the floor gasping for air and feeling like I'd just conquered the world. Somehow I had managed to set new records for my maximum number of burpees completed in a single set (100!!!!, yes I'm going to brag a bit until someone puts me in my place) and still push myself to grind out the rest of the workout. And it only took 30 minutes!!!
Examples such as this spark my thoughts as to why anyone (who hates boring cardio, hates mundane routines, etc etc..) continually goes to the gym and steps up on a treadmill "because its there and thats what people do." I say if you hate doing it, find something you love instead, and make it work. And thats exactly what I'm doing with these posts, the free workouts I'm providing on here, and living my life by the 80/20 principle because in just 1 week I've found out its a MUCH better way to LIVE!!
So for those who are waiting for this week's workout, I'm providing the one I wrote up and conquered in the last few days; if you push yourself, and I mean really push yourself until you physically cannot do anymore, you'll feel like you really did something at the gym. Good luck!
PS. for those who don't know what certain exercises are, leave a comment and I'll steer you in the right direction.
PPS. for those who complete the workout, feel free to post your burpee numbers! I'd love to hear how people did.
1A)Burpees x failure
-rest until able to move again
2A) Jump Rope 1000x – (perform these in as few sets as necessary to reach 1000)
2B) Hanging Straight Leg Raise 6x8 (perform with pull-up style grip)
2C) 85 lbs Sand Bag Carry 6x 150 ft.
3A) Bent Barbell Rows 95 lbs x failure (perform with knees slightly bent, about a 45 degree bend at the waist and an underhand grip)
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Life Starts NOW
Recently I've decided that I will start making the most of my life with what I currently have, in hopes that what I already have will turn into what I want. This is not going to be an easy task by any means but I found a great starting point, reading everything and anything I can get my hands on.
Just the other day I picked up the book " Living the 80/20 Way" by Richard Koch. Koch is the author of The 80/20 Principle which will more than likely be one of the next books I power through. The 80/20 principle applies to just about all aspects of life whether it be business, finances, relationships, or language. The overall idea is that 20 percent of the efforts put into a cause, result in 80 percent of the outcome. Basically this means that we are able to work much less at something and still gain just as many benefits as we would if we were to work balls to the wall. The book itself is a great guide to getting what you want without all the current pressures of working long hours and exhausting yourself to get the same results you would if you just took a step back and relaxed for a moment. One of the great examples he refers to is Archimedes and how he had an epiphany that changed science while simply sitting in his bathtub and splashing water over the sides. Who wouldn't want to be able to change the world while sitting in a bathtub?
So what does all of this have to do with me changing my life? Many things actually. I have been raised in Aroostook county and done my share of picking potatoes, picking rocks off of a potato harvester, working for my local water/sewer/electric company which involved at times, standing in basements full of liquid shit; working as a rink attendant, and several other jobs that led me to become who I am today; a personal trainer, college student, and a young man with the dream of making it big.
The only problem standing in my way is how exactly I'm going to make it big. Luckily for me, while doing something I enjoy, reading, I had an epiphany this morning on how I can make my life turn out exactly how I envision it. Take something I love and turn it into a profitable, enjoyable, and meaningful business. I'm going to use my skills of designing workouts, interacting with people (in person and online), my creativity and my knowledge of exercise physiology to get those who are willing to take the challenge into the bodies they feel they belong in. How exactly will I be doing this? Well luckily for those of you reading this, I'm going to start off by giving out free samples of some of the circuit training workouts I've come up with over the last year which will not only challenge you physically, but mentally as well. By mentally challenging I don't mean that you're going to have to sit around and think, I simply mean you're going to have to have the mental toughness to tell yourself to get another rep, another set, or simply get to the gym when your whole body just feels like sitting around and being lazy.
The workouts I will be providing have all been completed by myself and are all designed for the simple purpose of keeping myself interested in my training and my work. I am one of the first people to chime in and admit they absolutely HATE walking/running on a treadmill, sitting on a bike, or "climbing" on the stairmaster. I get bored in less time than it takes me to finish setting up the program and it basically kills my entire drive to exercise. This is the basic reason I decided to start designing these circuits and every time I've finished one of them, I feel a great deal better about myself and more energetic than before I started.
So for those of you who are interested in tackling their goals head on and ramping up their workouts to get some serious results, all while assisting me with my goals in life. Here is the first workout. The workouts take anywhere form 30-60 minutes depending on how hard you push yourself and will make you look like a badass at any gym. I will post a new one every week and all I ask is for some feedback on how the workout went.
Sidenote: I highly recommend reading "Living the 80/20 Way," it may change your life.
Just the other day I picked up the book " Living the 80/20 Way" by Richard Koch. Koch is the author of The 80/20 Principle which will more than likely be one of the next books I power through. The 80/20 principle applies to just about all aspects of life whether it be business, finances, relationships, or language. The overall idea is that 20 percent of the efforts put into a cause, result in 80 percent of the outcome. Basically this means that we are able to work much less at something and still gain just as many benefits as we would if we were to work balls to the wall. The book itself is a great guide to getting what you want without all the current pressures of working long hours and exhausting yourself to get the same results you would if you just took a step back and relaxed for a moment. One of the great examples he refers to is Archimedes and how he had an epiphany that changed science while simply sitting in his bathtub and splashing water over the sides. Who wouldn't want to be able to change the world while sitting in a bathtub?
So what does all of this have to do with me changing my life? Many things actually. I have been raised in Aroostook county and done my share of picking potatoes, picking rocks off of a potato harvester, working for my local water/sewer/electric company which involved at times, standing in basements full of liquid shit; working as a rink attendant, and several other jobs that led me to become who I am today; a personal trainer, college student, and a young man with the dream of making it big.
The only problem standing in my way is how exactly I'm going to make it big. Luckily for me, while doing something I enjoy, reading, I had an epiphany this morning on how I can make my life turn out exactly how I envision it. Take something I love and turn it into a profitable, enjoyable, and meaningful business. I'm going to use my skills of designing workouts, interacting with people (in person and online), my creativity and my knowledge of exercise physiology to get those who are willing to take the challenge into the bodies they feel they belong in. How exactly will I be doing this? Well luckily for those of you reading this, I'm going to start off by giving out free samples of some of the circuit training workouts I've come up with over the last year which will not only challenge you physically, but mentally as well. By mentally challenging I don't mean that you're going to have to sit around and think, I simply mean you're going to have to have the mental toughness to tell yourself to get another rep, another set, or simply get to the gym when your whole body just feels like sitting around and being lazy.
The workouts I will be providing have all been completed by myself and are all designed for the simple purpose of keeping myself interested in my training and my work. I am one of the first people to chime in and admit they absolutely HATE walking/running on a treadmill, sitting on a bike, or "climbing" on the stairmaster. I get bored in less time than it takes me to finish setting up the program and it basically kills my entire drive to exercise. This is the basic reason I decided to start designing these circuits and every time I've finished one of them, I feel a great deal better about myself and more energetic than before I started.
So for those of you who are interested in tackling their goals head on and ramping up their workouts to get some serious results, all while assisting me with my goals in life. Here is the first workout. The workouts take anywhere form 30-60 minutes depending on how hard you push yourself and will make you look like a badass at any gym. I will post a new one every week and all I ask is for some feedback on how the workout went.
Dynamic Effort Lower Body
- Dynamic Warm up*
- Body weight prisoner squats 12x (squats with hands behind the head like a prisoner)
- arm circles 8x both ways
- reverse lunges 5x each leg (hands behind the head)
- walkout to pushup 6x (starting from a standing position, lean forward putting hands on the floor, then walkout, perform a pushup, then walk back in and stand up again)
- walking lunges 5x each leg (prisoner style)
- seal jumps 20x ( similar to a jumping jack but hands come out front and clap)
- hip swings 8x each leg (swing each leg in front of you across your body and out to the side feeling a light stretch)
- side lunges 8x each leg (standing with feet shoulder width apart, step out to the side, straightening out leg on opposite side, stand up straight and repeat on opposite side)
- front/lateral hops 20x (feet together, quickly hop back and forth, stop, repeat side to side for 20 reps on both)
Perform each circuit as quickly as possible with minimal rest
Perform each exercise in the circuit one after another for a total of 4x through, short break between circuits
2 foot box jump x10 reps
broad jump x5
sandbag carry 1x100 ft ( if you don’t have a sandbag, a simple alternative is to grab some heavy (40+lbs) dumbbells and perform a farmers walk by simply keeping the weights to your side and gripping tightly)
Hanging straight leg raise x8
Lunge x6 x 20lbs each hand
Kettlebell swings 8x each hand 20-30lbs kettlebell
Sidenote: I highly recommend reading "Living the 80/20 Way," it may change your life.
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