This President’s Day is another defining moment in American history. Whether you voted for him or not, the recent election of President Barack Obama has brought about significant change. Though we’ll have to let President Obama’s accomplishments in office dictate to what degree the change will actually be, it’s true that the new president is a leader with confidence….something he will surely need in the face of a fragile economy or the many other challenges facing our world.
For the most powerful man in the free world, it has got to be the most demanding job, both physically and mentally exhausting.
Although Obama is reported to continue his one hour a day workout regimen, there are going to be plenty of occasions where world duty will call and his workout time will have to be cut short. Like many Americans, his intentions may be good but the reality of spending hours in the gym is not possible.
So, to be the most efficient with the limited time you do have, I want to offer my expertise to cut your workout time by more than half, but still offer all the benefits without having to spend hours plugging away in the weight room. This will enable you to stay on track, even with the most hectic of schedules.
Let’s take it one step further and simplify the system by allowing for body weight exercises, using nothing more than one set of dumbbells. In addition, we’ll set it up so you can pick the most appropriate workout…ranging from just 5 minutes to 20 minutes.
President’s Day Time-Saving Workout
- Perform all strength workouts on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays - Perform all cardio workouts on Tuesdays, Thursday, and Saturdays
If a super busy person like Obama (or you) had just 20 minutes to workout:
Strength Workout- Continuous Work: Perform two different 10-minute work zones. For work zone one, perform max rounds of 10 reps of an upper body pushing exercise (push-ups, dips, presses, etc.) and 20 reps of a double-leg lower body exercise (squats, deadlifts, hip extensions, etc.) for time. For work zone two, perform max rounds of 10 reps of an upper body pulling exercise (pull-ups, rows, curls, etc.) and 10 reps/leg of a single-leg lower body exercise (lunges, step-ups, single-leg hip extensions, etc.) for time.
Cardio Workout- Tabata Intervals: Select one body weight cardio exercise (stationary running, jumping jacks, jumping rope, squat thrusts, alternating split jumps, ice skater jumps, etc.) OR one total body exercise (squat to presses, deadlift + curls, lunge + curl to press, swings, etc.) and perform 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off for four straight minutes, followed by a one-minute rest. Repeat this five-minute sequence three more times with the same exercise or with the exercise(s) of your choice.
For a shorter 10-minute fat burner workout: Cut each workout in half
For a quickie 5-minute booster workout: Cut each workout in quarters
Whether you have a hectic schedule as a busy parent, CEO, or even as the President of the United States, you’ll find this killer fitness plan actually works with, not against, your on-the-go schedule. So if the new President can still find time to stay in shape, I know you can do it too.
Here's a short, 4 minute core training routine you can use today...
Keep in mind the first exercise, Cross Body Climbers can be swapped out for something easier...regular climbers or even a front pillar hold.
Also, if you are planning on activating a free trial for Phase 2 of 2009 boot camp workouts (that start this Monday, Feb. 16)...this is your final chance! Registration CLOSES at 5pm Friday, Feb. 13.
Chocolate (hopefully the DARK variety ;) ), romance and love abound…it’s almost Valentine’s Day!
Sounds pretty good…but let’s twist things around a bit and throw in some partner style workout fun. You can get a quick workout with your significant other, burn a ton of calories and get a jump start on better fitness for both of you…just follow this easy interval format below.
When you use “partner training” approach, you both reap the massive health benefits:
1.) Encouragement and Accountability (No Excuses)
2.) No Special Equipment Needed (Bodyweight Only)
3.) Endless Exercise Variety (No Boredom)
4.) Friendly Competition Can Get You Better Results (More Sexyness!)
5.) It’s Fun!
So grab your Valentine and crank this one out!
The Couples Valentine’s Day Sweatfest - Interval Tabata Twosome Training
You will use only your bodyweight for this 20-minute total fat blaster session. For each exercise at each outlined station below you will alternate between 20 s of work and 10 s of rest. You will repeat this 30-second sequence eight times for four total minutes followed by a one-minute rest and transition before moving on to the next station listed:
Station#1- Duo Push Up & Row Combo
Duo Push-ups: Hold your partner’s feet from a standing position as they do as many push-ups as they can, then switch roles
Duo Rows: Hold your partner’s hands from a standing position as they do as many body weight rows as they can, then switch roles
Station #2- Duo Resisted Stationary Lunges- Static or Dynamic
Duo Lunges: Drop into a full lunge position and hold as your partner applies downward force on your shoulders for you to fight against as you come back to starting position, then switch roles (can also be done with resistance in static holds)
Station #3- Duo Resisted Pillar Circuit
Duo Pillars: Get into a pillar position and hold as your partner applies downward force with hands on your core midsection, then switch roles (alternate between front and L/R Side Pillars)
Station #4- Partner Resisted Squats- Static or Dynamic
Duo Squats: Drop into a deep squat position and hold as your partner applies downward force on your shoulders for you to fight against, then switch roles (can also be done with manual resistance in full range reps)
Some say that sweat-driven pheromones are some of nature’s most powerful aphrodisiacs…you agree? ;)
Hey everyone...I wanted to share something sweet (literally) with you this week for V-Day.
If you love healthy and yummy dark chocolate, this is your chance to try some Craver on-the-go snacks.
You've got to try these things. The taste is out of this world good.
They are touted as the best tasting healthy snack on the planet for good reason - they taste THAT good.
And I really love this part...they have no preservatives, are only 180 calories and they come in three delicious flavors: peanut butter, almond butter and spirulina. (I am partial to the peanut butter, myself...and YES, these have been cleared for safety by the FDA).
The even better news is they are on sale all this week for Valentine's Day.
Here's everything you need to know:
- Again, because it's Valentine's Day, the sale is 14% off all purchases of Prograde Cravers
- When you checkout you will enter this coupon code to save the 14%: vday0909
- Shipping will take 3-5 days, so while I HIGHLY recommend you jump all over this sale, don't purchase these as a gift expecting them to be their for Valentine's Day itself. Buy them as a healthy gift for yourself or others.
- The offer cannot be combined with others from Prograde and it ends this Saturday, February 14th at 11:59pm EST.
- Prograde Cravers are NOT available in stores anywhere. You can only find them online here: Prograde Cravers
Look, I'm not kidding about how great they taste. They are the EXACT opposite of the bars you are used to that taste like cardboard and chemicals. In fact, if you go to Prograde Cravers and watch the video of a real life taste test, well, I know you will be blown away.
It's all about the love! ;)
Curtis
PS - Remember, it's 14% off all Prograde Cravers purchases this week only. The sale ends this Saturday, February 14th at 11:59pm EST.
So by now you've probably heard that Olympic champion Michael Phelps has gotten himself into a little bit of hot (bong) water. I felt I couldn't let this opportunity slip by without sharing some lessons from his mishap.
First, we all have to remember that we're role models. Somebody somewhere is looking up to us for guidance. It's a shame Michael Phelps screwed up, but he did. What's done is done. I know it reminded me that as a fitness pro, I MUST lead by example.
Second, again, he screwed up. And while I'm not one to give people a million chances, I do believe in second chances. And forgiveness. Which, when it comes to melting fat and getting fit, is VERY important.
I can tell you from experience working with hundreds of people with similar goals to yours, you WILL screw up somewhere along the way. The key to success is to forgive yourself and move forward. The people who truly fail are the ones that just give up the first time they make a mistake.
Third, this has nothing to do with what Michael Phelps has recently done, but it's another great reminder. If you want a lean, hard body and 6 pack abs, you're going to need to WORK. Regardless of his recent actions Michael Phelps is an Olympic Champ because he worked his rear end off. Don't fool yourself into thinking achieving your fitness goals is going to be a piece of cake.
Fourth, much was made during the Olympics of Michael Phelps and the massive amounts of calories he was consuming. If YOU want to get into peak condition then you need proper nutrition, not a bazillion garbage calories from every source on earth.
Look, if you're not eating enough fruits and vegetables you need a Whole Foods based multi-vit like Prograde Nutrition's VGF 25+
If you aren't optimizing your workouts by refueling with the correct blend of carbs to protein (based on the research) then you need to start using something like this post-workout drink like I do.
Anyway, when you see a news story like this one involving Michael Phelps, always remember to look for the positive lessons you can learn.
There is a reason few people reach their goals and make their dreams come true.
Know what that reason is?
It's because they actually HAVE goals written down. The vast majority of people on this planet do not.
And not only do people that achieve goals actually set goals, they also create a a plan to make sure they make things happen.
So where does that leave you?
Do you keep telling yourself you are going to "lose some weight?" Or do you have specific goals and a plan to reach them?
Do you have a plan for what you're going to eat each day so you're not tempted to fill up on fast food? Do you have a deadline for when you're going to reach your goal?
Here's another one: you KNOW you need to be eating breakfast every day. Do you have nutritious food in the house you PLAN on eating each morning?
If not have you looked into taking advantage of a delicious meal replacement shake like Prograde Lean?
This is YOUR life. Whether you want your body to look better naked, you want to improve your health, you want to have more energy, or whatever your goal is, you MUST have written goals and a plan to achieve them.
Till next time everyone...
Curtis
PS - Fail to plan, plan to fail. Life is easy when you plan for it to be.
I don’t care who you are…we all would love to look in the mirror and see flat, lean, sexy midsection. But truthfully, most people are going about the wrong way. Hundreds of crunches and endless hours of cardio…still they don’t get the results they want.
Sound familiar?
So here’s what I have for you today...your very own “No Crunch Abs Blueprint” workout.
But before I reveal the fat attack, let me erase the top 4 misconceptions on getting 6-pack abs:
Myth #1- “I want to lose weight so I can see my abs.”
WRONG!
The key to seeing your abs is fat loss, not weight loss. Let me explain…your body consists of fat mass and lean body mass (water, muscle, bone, organs, etc.). You want to minimize your fat mass and maximize your lean body mass to skyrocket your metabolism, which in turn will eradicate fat cells and build muscle 24/7. By changing your body composition, you will be setting yourself to reveal the 6-pack everyone craves.
For example…let’s say you lose 15 pounds.
That’s good…but hold on a moment. What if losing those 15 pounds came at the expense of losing some precious, lean muscle tissue burned away by all that long slow cardio and caloric restriction (ie: useless diets)? Guess what…when your muscle goes bye bye, so does your metabolism. Your performance goes down and you lose muscle tone. Not sexy.
But if you lose 15 lbs on the scale and you manage to keep or even increase lean muscle tissue, you will increase performance, see more visible definition throughout your body, and lose body fat.
That’s why I do NOT encourage you to get on a scale. That little evil machine has far too many variables it doesn’t understand inside your body, such as hydration levels, sodium intake, and for women, your menstrual cycle. The last time I weighed myself was at the doctor’s office…and not because I wanted to. You really shouldn’t either.
Instead of getting caught up in those 3 little numbers on a scale, focus on fat loss - not weight loss. It can be so discouraging (and misleading), especially for you women.
Next, focus on clothing size reduction (how do your clothes fit), before and after pictures (take some right away), and, of course, check yourself out in the mirror for the most accurate progress tracking.
Myth #2- “Ab exercises burn tummy fat.”
WRONG!
Spot reduction doesn’t work. I’ve said this before. You can’t just work the muscles of a certain area of your body and expect to have the fat in that region go away…it does not work like that. Put down those stupid magazines that tell you otherwise.
Think about the last time you saw people working out at the gym. You see almost everyone doing some crunches or one of those useless crunch “ab machines”. If that really worked, everyone who jumped on the “crunch bandwagon” would have flat, sexy abs. Take look around, you know that isn’t the case.
So put down those silly fitness magazines that tell you to burn belly fat by doing this ab move or buy this ab gizmo…save your money and listen to what I’m telling you now…spot reduction does NOT work!
The most surefire plan is to burn as many calories during your workouts as possible by engaging your whole body each and every training session (not just your abs). Also be sure to use compound, multi-joint movements like squats, push-ups, lunges, etc. (or better yet, total body exercises like squat to curl to presses). These movements burn a lot more calories than isolation movements like crunches and sit-ups.
Focus on these movements first and then if you have time (and desire), you can do some extra core work.
Myth #3- Crunches and sit-ups are the best exercises to trim fat and show off your abs. WRONG!
Ok, so you want to show your “rectus abdominis” aka your “abs”. Since the dawn of fitness magazines, we have been brainwashed to believe the best way to work your rectus abdominis is by doing endless crunches and sit-ups since these exercises traditionally get you to feel “the burn”. However, the true function of the rectus abdominis is to prevent hyperextension, not to flex forward over and over again. Anytime you brace your abs (think slight crunch before you get punched in the gut) and pull your navel into your spine you effectively stabilize your spine into a safe, neutral position. And the moment you relax your abs and lose that braced abs position; your back will begin to hyperextend putting you at greater risk for injury.
So, an efficient workout would focus on “stabilization” exercises in all three planes of movement (saggital- front to back, frontal- side to side, and transverse- rotational) by using pillar exercise variations (some know these as planks). Besides training the true “anti-extension” function of your superficial ab muscles, these bridging/stabilization exercises also activate the key transverse abdominus muscles, or your deep abdominal stabilizers, that wrap around your spine and support your internal organs. Strengthening these “inner” ab muscles is the key to optimal posture, better performance and helping to prevent lower back pain or even injury.
Myth #4- Do lots of long, slow cardio in the “fat burning zone” will torch tummy blubber.
WRONG!
There is a ton recent research and real world examples that support the fact that aerobic training for fat loss alone simply does not work. Total body resistance training is the true foundation of any solid, long lasting fat loss plan. Period. If you hear or see anything to the contrary…hogwash!
In addition, interval training (which is what we focus our boot camp workouts on), will have you alternating between bouts of maximum effort and active recovery…which is scientifically proven to burn nine times more fat than ordinary exercise.
Please note that you can perform both interval strength training and interval cardio training to combine the best of both worlds. I’ve got more on this later…
Now the myths are debunked, excuses are over…let’s snap into reality and layout your No Crunch Abs Solution Blueprint!
The No Crunch Abs Blueprint:
Zone 1: Lose the fat that is covering your abs so that you can actually see them.
How? Eat supportively to elevate your metabolism. Take a closer look:
- Drink at least 2-4 cups of water immediately upon waking and then drink at least 1-2 cups of water every 2 hours you are awake. Drink 1-2 cups of water for every 15 minutes of vigorous activity.
- Eat immediately upon waking and then every 2-4 hours after that for a total of 6-8 feedings per day (3 meals, 3 snacks- half the size of your meals, workout nutrition)
- Focus on a wide range of organic lean proteins, natural fats, and fruit and veggies
Here is a Sample One-Day Menu:
Breakfast- Scrambled Eggs, Greens, and Turkey Sausage or Bacon, 100% Whole Grain Toast
Mid-Morning Snack- Mixed Nuts and Fruit/Veggie of Choice (Raw Almond are my favorite)
Lunch- Chicken, Salmon, or Shrimp Caesar Salad (keep the dressing light)
Mid-Afternoon Snack- Cheese and Fruit/Veggie of Choice
Dinner- Turkey or Beef Meatballs and Spaghetti Squash (keep portion size appropriate)
Pre-Bed Snack- Protein and Flax Shake
- Take a daily multi-vitamin for your gender and an essential fatty acid (EFA) supplement
Zone 2: Exercise to lose fat and elevate metabolism
How?
Perform 3 “total body interval strength training” routines a week.
Here’s a 20 minute sample (not including five minute warm-up and cool-down).
50-10 Interval Five Exercise Total Body Circuit- You will alternate between 50 seconds of maximum effort and 10 s of rest for each exercise in the following five-exercise circuit. Perform this 5-minute circuit up to four times for a 20-minute total body workout:
Exercise # : Exercise Category : Exercise Variation 1 : Double-Leg: Bilateral Hip-Dominant : Hip Extensions 2 : Push: Horizontal Push : Push-up Variation 3 : Single-Leg: Unilateral Knee-Dominant : Single-Leg Wall Sit 4 : Pull: Horizontal Pull : Body Weight Rows 5 : Core: Linear Stabilization or Trunk-Dominant : Upper Body Twist Variation
Perform up to 3 (20 minute) cardio interval training workouts on your off-days.
Here’s a 20 minute sample (not including five minute warm-up and cool-down). 30-30’s Intervals : You will alternate between 30 seconds of maximum effort and 30 s of active recovery. You will perform this 1-minute round up to 20x for 20 total minutes. You can perform this workout on your cardio mode of choice (jump rope, spin bike, running, etc.) or by alternating between the following body weight cardio exercises:
Exercise # : Body Weight Cardio Variation : Body Weight Cardio Exercise 1 : Linear Locomotion Emphasis : Stationary Running 2 : Lateral/Rotational Locomotion Emphasis : Jumping Jack Variation
Zone 3: Train your abs based on their true function: STABILIZATION
Today our boot camp workout has been awarded the most loved and most hated core workout. No crunches, no sit-ups…simply using different planes of motion to full train every muscle fiber within your core. Give it a shot…there are variations for beginners to advanced, something for everyone.
The Power Pillar Workout – Interval Style
This 20-minute total body core workout focuses entirely on increasing your pillar stabilization. The “pillar” of your body collectively consists of your shoulders, hips, and core. It is your body’s powerhouse, foundational to all movement.
For each exercise below you will alternate between 20 s of work and 10 s of rest. You will repeat this 30-second sequence eight times for four total minutes followed by a one minute active rest and transition before moving on to the next exercise listed.
For maximum benefits, you must seek to maintain a tight pillar position during all movements by actively sucking your belly button to your spine, squeezing your glutes, and keep yourself in a nice smooth “plank” position, similar to that of a diving board.
Exercise#1- Front Pillar Variation (static or dynamic)
Exercise#2- Left Side Pillar Variation (static or dynamic)
Exercise#3- Right Side Pillar Variation (static or dynamic)
Exercise#4- Back Pillar Variation (static or dynamic)
Here's a short video demo:
The end has come for traditional sit-ups, outdated crunches, boring cardio and ineffective exercise routines. Follow what I have here and you’ll be revealing your lean, sexy 6-pack before you know it!
January 1, 2012 marked a new high and low in my personal life; my highest weight and the lowest point in my self esteem. Now, 30 days later, I am feeling much better about myself – healthier, happier, stronger and five pounds lighter—changes made possible by healthy habits and regular Rock Star Boot Camp workouts. While I still have 15 pounds to lose (and lean muscle to build), I’m looking at the challenge with more self-assurance than ever before. Thank you for my renewed confidence, positive outlook and for helping me to get on track.
Katherine
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