Hello Everyone,
I hope that everyone had a great (and safe) time with their loved ones over the holidays. From the beaches of Southern California I would just like to say HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone. Let’s start this year out right!
So here we all are. January 1st. The proverbial clean slate for us all to start over again with out worrying about the amount of pie we just had throughout the Holiday season. Have you set your goals for 2014? If you have not yet, I would suggest reading one of my previous posts on SMART goal setting.
I was actually inspired to write on this actual topic after speaking with a lot of my friends and family over all the holiday parties from the past few weeks. It always gets brought up that I am into fitness and that typically leads into conversations like “I have been meaning to get back to losing this weight but…(insert 1 of a million different excuses).” Sound familiar? One of the the things that you have to remember is that if you continue to wait for the perfect timing to start your journey then you are going to be waiting forever. For 99% of us, life is not this perfect and predictable entity that hands us opportunities on a silver platter. What is TRULY stopping you from getting up today and starting your workout journey?
Top excuses I heard:
- I do not have the time for it.
- I cannot afford all the equipment.
- The gym is so far away.
- I used to walk but I got bored.
- I just do not like to workout.
The hardest one of these excuses to break through is definitely the last one. Working out and living a healthy lifestyle is a lot easier if it is something you enjoy. However, I do continually remind those people that everything great does come with a price. Even the people that are in the gym daily and eating all the clean meals tend to hit patches where they want to give up because but they do not because they believe in the results are worth it.
The excuses that always seem to get under my skin the most though are the ones that basically equate to not being able to go the gym. Whether it be financial, distance, crowded, etc… Before I get too far into this I will add a quick disclaimer: Yes, I do think it is necessary to have access to a full gym to look like a body builder/fitness model. However, I do not think it is a viable excuse for not being able to work towards your goals. Plenty of great programs are out there that are solely based of body weight exercises. Look at the success of the DVD set P90X which is all high intensity body weight routines. Do not want to spend over $100 on a DVD box-set? Don’t worry…either do I.
When I think of workouts that I do outside of the gym I chop it up into 2 different groups: Cardio routines and body weight routines. Much like you would build your routine with a traditional gym at your disposal.
CARDIO:
As I have explained in an earlier posts, your cardio does NOT need to be a long period of time. You do not need to set aside 2 hours so that you have ample time to jog to your neighboring county and back. Quick H.I.I.T. routines are more effective and take less time. The key for great HIIT cardio routines is control your exercise to rest ratio. I have found a rarely used basketball court around the corner from my home and that is where I perform most of my cardio. Here is one of my most recent workouts:
Warm Up:
- Walking lunges the length of the court and back.
- 3 laps around the court at a slow jog.
Workout: (all these start at the baseline and run the length of the court)
- Sprint to half court and back.
- rest 20 seconds
- Sprint to half court and back.
- rest 20 seconds
- Sprint full length and back.
- rest 40 seconds
- Spring full length and back.
- rest 40 seconds
- Sprint to half court and back.
- rest 20 seconds
- Sprint to half court and back.
- rest 20 seconds
- Sprint full length and back.
- rest 40 seconds
- Spring full length and back.
- rest 40 seconds
Cool Down:
- 3 laps around the court at a walking pace
- STRETCH —– DO NOT FORGET TO STRETCH
Of course all these times and lengths can be altered to match your experience level. Find the level where you really have to push yourself but you can finish and continue to progress yourself to harder levels. Do not be scared to jump out of your comfort level.
BODY WEIGHT EXERCISES:
There are truly SOOOOOOO many different options when it comes to what kind of routine you can do without anything but your own body weight, a wall, and maybe a chair. If you were going to buy 1 piece of equipment I would say to buy a pull up bar. You can find them pretty cheap (less than $20) that go in your door way and do not even need to be screwed in so you will not ruin the door frame. However, a lot of great exercises can still be completed. Check out this diagram below…
Furthermore, If you would like a short video of how to perform each exercise, you can follow this link and each picture is clickable and will take you to a short clip on how to properly do each one! Periodic Table of Body Weight Exercises
Here is one of my more recent workouts:
Warm up:
- March in place – 30 seconds
- Butt Kicks – 30 seconds
- Jumping Jacks – 1 minute
Workout: (All exercises are set up to do as many as you can in the time allotted….PUSH YOURSELF!)
- Jump Squats – 45 seconds
- Russian Twists – 45 seconds
- Front Planks – 45 seconds
- Push Ups – 45 seconds (can be done on knees if you have to)
- Tricep Dips using a Chair – 45 seconds
- Wall Sit – 45 Seconds
- REST – 1 minute
- REPEAT FOR A TOTAL OF 3 SETS A PIECE.
Cool Down:
- 5-10 mins of steady walking
- STRETCH —– DON’T FORGET TO STRETCH
Do not wait around for the time to be perfect and do not let excuses rule your life. You know that this is something you want so start looking for solutions rather than feeling trapped. Start 2014 on a good note and work towards your goals.
Until next time…
-Ryan
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