We sometimes struggle with getting everything in. Like this past Monday. My alarm clock had
Things you can do at home
gone off at 4.45 am, my martial arts training started at 5.30 am and the first client trained at 6 am. I still got the rest of my training later that day but it almost did not happen and I sure did not get my lunch break.
Sometimes no matter how much we try, we just don’t make it. We have to cut our workout short, or, just skip it altogether.
It seems though, that even short bouts of exercise are highly beneficial for our mental and physical well being for that reason I want to provide you with something you can do on those days when it just simply does not happen.
Here are a couple of workouts that you can do when you have 30 min or less. You can do them as a circuit training or in order.
TRX reverse flys followed by arm raises 3 sets of 10ea
20 min Workout gear required same as above
Alternating Lunges 3 sets of 20
Burpees 3 sets of 20
TRX Squat to Row (single or two legged) 3 sets of 15
Atomic Push Ups 3 sets 10-15
10 min Workout
Speed Squats 3×20
Jab/Cross Combo 3×30 punches
Burpee + Push Up 3×15
TRX Chin Ups 3×12
5 min Power Break
Push Up max
Squats 1×40
Plank w/ alternating leg lift for 5s 1x60s
Jumping Jacks 80
This gives you several different workouts that you can do whenever you are short on time. I hope this will help you maintain your fitness during the coming busy holiday season.
This exercise is often performed wrong. Rounded back, too much of squatting. You name it.
A great way of shaping your butt and keeping the hip stable
Here is a short video I put together to help you clean up your deadlift and hope you get this great exercise down.
Setting up your deadlift
Inhale deeply into your stomach
Pack your shoulders
Make sure your back is straight
Picking up the weight
Press through the heel
Focus on pushing the floor away with your feet
Exhale during the motion or on the very top
As you can see in the video despite me telling you to keep the cervical spine aligned you see a slight curvature of the my neck. I decided to leave it in the video to demonstrate the difficulty of the exercise. I was sure that at the time my neck was aligned which tells you that your own feedback is deceiving at times!
It is important to have either people check your form or you checking it yourself with a camera.
Last week I wrote about the 21 day fat flush. Today we have completely different topic. The eternal
Is your muscle mass increasing?
quest for lean muscle mass and what we can do to not primarily gain body fat.
This is not nearly as easy as you think unless you have by nature a more mesomorph body type. You are one of those people who look at weights and gain a pound of muscle doing so.
For most of us that is not true. If you are the person that is really lanky and lean, aka have an ectomorph body type, then gaining lean muscle is more difficult. The same goes for someone who is shorter and more prone to accumulate body fat. Changes in their nutrition can easily lead gaining weight…the wrong kind that is.
What is the best way to approach it?
Your pantry
Throw away cookies, candy. You can keep whole brown rice, potatoes, & whole grain bread if you desire. Try to keep low processed carbs in your pantry.
As with the fat flush I recommend consuming foods that are highly unprocessed. For that reason I like the paleo forum for my protein & veggie recipes.
Veggies are an important source of vitamins, phytonutrients, etc, so they stay an important part of your nutrition.
Prep your food (slice veggies, fruits). Cook your meals for the whole week (5 days at least)
If you are still working out at home, this is the time you might want to get a gym membership. If you really want to gain muscle mass then the more diverse equipment at the gym (cables, dumbbells, barbells, medicine balls, etc) are more likely to be what you need then your two rubber bands and three dumbbells. Don’t get me wrong, you can get it done at home but the gym is the better place.
How to eat!
The food rules are different for someone who wants to gain muscle mass versus losing body fat. Here is the reason why. You need fuel and not too little of it. If you are constantly below your caloric needs you will never gain mass. Just like weight loss, habit changes introduced one at a time over the course of a couple of weeks have the biggest chance for success.
Eat faster and until you are full with each meal unlike weight loss clients who should eat slowly and until they are about 80% full.
Have protein with each meal. Women: 1 Palm size, men: 2 palm sizes. Your choice of beans, fish, meat, poultry, greek yogurt, some cheese, etc.
Have fats: Women: 1 thumb-tip size, men: 2 thumb-tip sizes
Carbs is where the big difference is. You need energy to perform well in your training. Taking in 1-2 cupped handfuls of carbs/meal for women or 2-3 cupped handfuls for men will provide you with a higher carbohydrate intake that supports gaining muscle mass in conjunction of your high protein intake (~1-1.25g/lb of body weight)
Supplements taken daily: Creatine (5g) during submaximal training and a carb+protein drink (30g of carbs/10gs of protein) prior & during workout.
Have a protein/carb rich meal after your workout.
How to go about exercise:
You will have 4-5 quality workouts per week.
Two rest days or cross training (~15-20 min of cardio)
Your warm up is still dominated by the sequence: foam-rolling, stretching + dynamic warm up
Cardio does not play a big roll during this training phase. Remember the goal is to gain weight, more specifically muscle mass. We want the signals to your body pretty clear, especially if you are ectomorph!
Weekly Training Routine
This routine is designed to preserve or build lean muscle mass, You will have 2-3 days off or have some light cardio during these days.
The holiday season has begun. It is getting rough now. Cookies, treats and many other delicious items keep popping up on tables. If you are one of those people who says: “This will be the year I won’t gain but lose some body fat and get fitter instead!”; then this training plan is for you. It is hard, it will take commitment but the results can be amazing!
The Clean Up
Throw away, all pasta, rice, cookies, candy, bread, packaged DAy meals, etc. I mean it, total clean up. Throw it away or give it away to someone you don’t like 🙂
Go online and search for paleo meals. You don’t have to eat paleo-style but what I like about the recipes is that they utilize unprocessed foods only. Make a list for one to two recipes that you will cook for the week. This Site is a good source! See more
Next buy veggies en masse (you can use the frozen kind you just steam), buy a little fruit, and whatever you need for the recipes you picked, some Omega-3s and a multivitamin supplement.
Prep your food (slice veggies, fruits). Cook your meals for the whole week (5 days at least)
Get out your gym bag, pack it and sign up for a gym. It is getting cold and I don’t want you to have an excuse not to work out.
Food Rule
I have written extensively on good habits when eating. Now usually I recommend people going slowly about changing habits. Most of the time a slow change is more successful in the long run. Check out my blog on habit changes if you are interested in more on that matter. Here is a quick summary:
Eat until you are 80% full over a period of 20 min
Have veggies/fruits with every meal in a 3:1 ratio; Women: 1 fist size, men: 2 fist sizes
Have protein (fish, meat, poultry, beans, greek yogurt, etc.) with each meal. Women: 1 Palm size, men: 2 palm sizes
Have fats: Women: 1 thumb-tip size, men: 2 thumb-tip sizes
Take out cereals, grains, pasta, rice, breads, etc. If you cannot forego it, only have it after an intensive workout (right afterwards).
Sample Nutrition: (double the portions for men)
Workout Drink: 5g BCAAs+ 20oz of water
Breakfast I: Women: 1-2 egg spinach omelette with a little bit of cheese and red bell pepper + 3gs of Omega 3s + Multivitamin
Breakfast II: Women: 1/2-1 cup whole fat greek yogurt with 1 cup of fruit
Lunch: Women: 1 palm sized boneless skinless chicken thigh, steamfresh veggies seasoned to taste w/ a little bit of grassfed butter/olive or coconut oil and seasoning
Afternoon Snack I: Women: 1 small handful of almonds/walnuts (about 22 pieces)+ 1/2 apple
Afternoon Snack II Women(optional): 1 small piece of at least 70% dark chocolate
Dinner Women: Mixed Salad greens, 1 chopped tomato, handful of chopped carrot matchstick, 1/2 avocado, + protein (2 eggs, can of tuna, palm size chicken, etc.)
How to go about exercise:
Your body is your guidance. If you are in pain don’t ignore it, stop doing what you are doing and find an alternative
Do something every day. Preferably alternate what you are doing for sufficient rest and recovery.
Warm up by foam-rolling, stretching + dynamic warm up
Do some cardiovascular activity, some high intensity interval training if you are medically cleared.
Weekly Training Routine
This routine is designed to preserve or build lean muscle mass, maximize your metabolism and have you lose body fat fast. You will only have one day off, which will be Sunday. You can move that around a little depending on your schedule:
Stretch: hamstrings, calves, quads, hip flexor, chest,
Active Warm Up: 20 bodyweight squats, 40 high knees, 20 side lunges, 20 knee push ups, 20 supermans, 20 squat+fist pumps.
Workout
Squat to press (3-5 x 8)
Chin Ups (assisted/weighted if necessary) (3-5x8ea)
Barbell Deadlift (3-5×8)
Spiderman push ups (3-5×8)
Alt. shoulder press, body leaning against wall or rack to maintain form (3x10ea)
Single arm cable row (3-5×8)
Saturday steady state cardio
20-30 min moderate intensity
Sunday off
Form is always the most important part. Make sure you work only until technical failure. If you need to start cheating in order to finish a repetition, you are done.
Skip to content 
