Personal Training and Sports Performance Excellence Blog
Question: The beach trip is 8 weeks away, my mind is already there but my body is stuck in mid January. I need to get lean. My food is now clean, I have lost 8 pounds in the last month and I feel like I am ready to peel the rest of the fat off. I have no health issues and am 36 years old. Can you provide a get ripped routine for the next 8 weeks?
Answer: 8 weeks is time enough to peel about 15 to 25 pounds depending on your work ethic and mental attitude which seems to be a go now. Since you said you have your food under control we will outline a training regimen only.
Start you day with cardio for 20 to 30 minutes. This needs to be done if you are using a treadmill at a full incline with a moderate pace of 3 to 3..5 MPH taking long strides pushing through your hips and glutes. Since your job has flexible hours, lunch will be your high intensity training session. We want to affect large muscle groups which require huge amounts of energy.
Using a circuit training system of 5 exercises combined with an aerobic portion: - Start this thing with bicycle crunches. 50, 25 on each leg gets your heart rate pumping,
- Next, move to reverse block lunges stepping back for 10 reps on each leg. Do each leg individually instead of alternating them.
- Follow those with a clean/press with a light weight for 10 reps.
- Finish the cycle with squats for 10 reps getting the center of your thigh parallel to the floor.
- Now you have 2 minutes of jumping rope.
- Repeat the circuit 5 times.
After work you have another 20 to 30 minutes of cardio similar to your morning session.
The second day begins as the first did with cardio.
Your training session at lunch starts with: - Hip raises for 20 reps followed by
- Jumping jack pushups. ( your feet spread out as you lower your torso and close back together when you push up).
- Horizontal pull ups for 10 reps are next.
- Deadlifts are the fourth exercise on your list and
- Finish off with dumbbell push/press for 8 reps.
- The cardio blast part of this routine is the burpee for 15 reps.
- You again have 5 cycles of this.
Your PM workout is 20 to 30 minutes of 70% intensity cardio.
Your third training day is a light day.
Do a morning run for 2 miles,
Stretch for 20 minutes at lunch and no late session.
Start the sequence again on day 4 repeating your Day 1 training.
Day 5 repeats Day 2 workouts and
Day 6 is light.
You are off for day 7. You will want it .
Training is not boring if it is challenging. This one is challenging.
God bless and keep training,
Daryl
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Posted by Daryl Laws on May 1, 2012 | Printer-Friendly
Question: The beach trip is 8 weeks away, my mind is already there but my body is stuck in mid January. I need to get lean. My food is now clean, I have lost 8 pounds in the last month and I feel like I am ready to peel the rest of the fat off. I have no health issues and am 36 years old. Can you provide a get ripped routine for the next 8 weeks?
Answer: 8 weeks is time enough to peel about 15 to 25 pounds depending on your work ethic and mental attitude which seems to be a go now. Since you said you have your food under control we will outline a training regimen only.
Start you day with cardio for 20 to 30 minutes. This needs to be done if you are using a treadmill at a full incline with a moderate pace of 3 to 3..5 MPH taking long strides pushing through your hips and glutes. Since your job has flexible hours, lunch will be your high intensity training session. We want to affect large muscle groups which require huge amounts of energy.
Using a circuit training system of 5 exercises combined with an aerobic portion:
- Start this thing with bicycle crunches. 50, 25 on each leg gets your heart rate pumping,
- Next, move to reverse block lunges stepping back for 10 reps on each leg. Do each leg individually instead of alternating them.
- Follow those with a clean/press with a light weight for 10 reps.
- Finish the cycle with squats for 10 reps getting the center of your thigh parallel to the floor.
- Now you have 2 minutes of jumping rope.
- Repeat the circuit 5 times.
After work you have another 20 to 30 minutes of cardio similar to your morning session.
The second day begins as the first did with cardio.
Your training session at lunch starts with:
- Hip raises for 20 reps followed by
- Jumping jack pushups. ( your feet spread out as you lower your torso and close back together when you push up).
- Horizontal pull ups for 10 reps are next.
- Deadlifts are the fourth exercise on your list and
- Finish off with dumbbell push/press for 8 reps.
- The cardio blast part of this routine is the burpee for 15 reps.
- You again have 5 cycles of this.
Your PM workout is 20 to 30 minutes of 70% intensity cardio.
Your third training day is a light day.
Do a morning run for 2 miles,
Stretch for 20 minutes at lunch and no late session.
Start the sequence again on day 4 repeating your Day 1 training.
Day 5 repeats Day 2 workouts and
Day 6 is light.
You are off for day 7. You will want it .
Training is not boring if it is challenging. This one is challenging.
God bless and keep training,
Daryl
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Posted by Daryl Laws on May 1, 2012 | Printer-Friendly
Question: The beach trip is 8 weeks away, my mind is already there but my body is stuck in mid January. I need to get lean. My food is now clean, I have lost 8 pounds in the last month and I feel like I am ready to peel the rest of the fat off. I have no health issues and am 36 years old. Can you provide a get ripped routine for the next 8 weeks?
Answer: 8 weeks is time enough to peel about 15 to 25 pounds depending on your work ethic and mental attitude which seems to be a go now. Since you said you have your food under control we will outline a training regimen only.
Start you day with cardio for 20 to 30 minutes. This needs to be done if you are using a treadmill at a full incline with a moderate pace of 3 to 3..5 MPH taking long strides pushing through your hips and glutes. Since your job has flexible hours, lunch will be your high intensity training session. We want to affect large muscle groups which require huge amounts of energy.
Using a circuit training system of 5 exercises combined with an aerobic portion:
- Start this thing with bicycle crunches. 50, 25 on each leg gets your heart rate pumping,
- Next, move to reverse block lunges stepping back for 10 reps on each leg. Do each leg individually instead of alternating them.
- Follow those with a clean/press with a light weight for 10 reps.
- Finish the cycle with squats for 10 reps getting the center of your thigh parallel to the floor.
- Now you have 2 minutes of jumping rope.
- Repeat the circuit 5 times.
After work you have another 20 to 30 minutes of cardio similar to your morning session.
The second day begins as the first did with cardio.
Your training session at lunch starts with:
- Hip raises for 20 reps followed by
- Jumping jack pushups. ( your feet spread out as you lower your torso and close back together when you push up).
- Horizontal pull ups for 10 reps are next.
- Deadlifts are the fourth exercise on your list and
- Finish off with dumbbell push/press for 8 reps.
- The cardio blast part of this routine is the burpee for 15 reps.
- You again have 5 cycles of this.
Your PM workout is 20 to 30 minutes of 70% intensity cardio.
Your third training day is a light day.
Do a morning run for 2 miles,
Stretch for 20 minutes at lunch and no late session.
Start the sequence again on day 4 repeating your Day 1 training.
Day 5 repeats Day 2 workouts and
Day 6 is light.
You are off for day 7. You will want it .
Training is not boring if it is challenging. This one is challenging.
God bless and keep training,
Daryl
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Posted by Daryl Laws on May 1, 2012 | Printer-Friendly
Question: I work out with 8, 10 and 15 pound weights at home doing sets of dumbbell bench presses along with a whole list of other exercises. I still cannot do a push-up and I need to be able to do them to join the military What do I need to do to be able to do a regular push-up?
answer: To do a regular push-up you need to be able to do a chest press with about 65% of your body weight. So if you weigh 120 pounds you would need to be able to chest press almost 80 pounds. The 8, 10 and 15 pound dumbbells aren't heavy enough to do the job. Instead of using just dumbbells you should consider that a whole lot more muscles other than the pecs are involved. One good exercise to start with would be the plank. It activates almost all the same muscles as a push-up. Simply assume the plank position and hold for 30 seconds to a minute to work your core. Those core muscles are great for posture and strengthening your lower back and abdominals. To work your chest, shoulders and triceps, which are the primary working muscles for push-ups, begin by doing incline push- ups using your bed or sofa. Using an incline reduces the over body weight percentage from 65% down to 45%. If that isn't enough of a reduction do them against a wall. As you get stronger using the incline version, you can reduce the angle slightly every week until you can do them flat. They are a great upper body and a core workout. When you are strong enough you can elevate your feet to make the exercise more challenging. Good luck with it and your desire to join the military.
God bless and keep training,
Daryl
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Posted by Daryl Laws on April 24, 2012 | Printer-Friendly
Question: I need the most effective abdominal routine I can get from you to get me in shape for the beach which is coming on fast. I heard that crunches were just not effective and I have been doing those. What else should I do to be beach ready?
Answer: To be able to see abs you have to strip off the fat that covers them. This means Eating for Performance and doing the necessary cardio as a part of your training. As for crunches, while they may not be the most effective exercise for building those blocks they are an easy one to begin your training, so your time and effort have not been wasted. Your abdominal muscle is one big sheet of muscle accompanied by intercostals on each side and oblique's which sit below the intercostals. Knowing the function of the abdominals is a big factor in learning how to train them. The function of your abs is literally to pull your pevic bone towards your shoulders so the simplest movement and one of the most effective is the hanging knee raise or, the harder version, hanging leg raise. The difference between the two is the knee raise allows you to bend your knees as you lift your legs. During the leg raise you keep your legs as straight out as you can while you lift. Either version can be done hanging by your hands from a chinning bar, hanging from Ab Slings or from a high ab chair. Hanging from a bar by your hands works your whole body and is the toughest overall to do. The chair version allows you to crunch forward as you lift your lower body upwards targeting your abs more effectively.
1) Do three sets of 15 to 20 reps of hanging knee, hanging leg, or chair, keeping the tempo of the exercise at 2 up 3 down. Fight the impulse to drop your legs instead controlling them down.
2) To hit the obliques and intercostals you can do rope crunches from either a standing position or kneeling. Either way keep your hands on your forehead resisting the urge to pull from your shoulders by holding the rope on either side of your neck. As you pull down, slightly twist right for 5 reps, then left for 5 reps alternating sides until you complete 20 reps. Usually you can increase the weight quickly as you learn the movement, just don't scissor your body downwards using momentum to complete reps.
3) The third exercise will be the plank, This is an isometric exercise that effectively targets the core and will shape you up a bit. Assume the push-up position, or as the army calls it, the front leaning rest position, and lower yourself onto your forearms instead of keeping your arms extended. Maintain a straight line body position from the contact points of your forearms through to your toes. Hold this position a minimum of 30 seconds and up to 60 seconds. Repeat the 3 exercises 3 times resting after the third exercise each cycle.
These exercises accompanied by your performance food selection, water, weight training and cardio should give you the body you want by the time you hit the beach.
God bless and keep training,
Daryl
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Posted by Daryl Laws on April 17, 2012 | Printer-Friendly
Question: I didn't really understand what you mean when you say to eat clean. Is it not to eat fast food from a burger or pizza place? Does it mean to eat just chicken and broccoli? What are we talking about? I am trying to eat better but I need clearer guidelines to do this .Summer is coming and I need to get some weight off this body.
Answer: You're exactly right, summer is coming and the unusually warm weather we have enjoyed recently gives us a taste of what's to come. To be ready for it, you will have to eat "clean". A better phrase, which we use at Body Unlimited, is "Performance Eating". You are also correct in your conclusion that eating food from fast-food establishments is off the list with a few exceptions. Though the Egg McMuffin is a healthier choice than a biscuit it is no longer the best fast food choice for breakfast. Subway breakfast uses egg whites on English muffins or whole wheat flatbread. This one is the healthiest choice available now. Chick-Fil-A has the grilled chicken strips on a good salad for lunch. Be stingy using the dressing though.
Eating for performance, or to lose accumulated body fat, is more than that though. You have to forget about white bread, preferably use brown rice and avoid sugar and high fructose corn syrup.
High Performance Eating goes even further than that though. There are no crackers or cold, milk drenched cereals, no pasta, very restricted bread consumption and avoid all processed foods and fried foods when ever possible. Some of you may being thinking, well, what do I eat? To be your best you have to cook and plan. Many will say that they don't have time. If you want it badly enough you will make time. It's that simple. Not every day will go as planned with your food, just make it as close to good every day as possible. Consistency over time will make the difference.
While it is true that you will be eating lean meats like chicken, fish, lean beef, turkey and even venison and eating vegetables by the pound they are not the only things you get to eat. Fruits like local strawberries as they come in season, cantaloupe, blueberries, blackberries, plums, apples and even watermelon this summer are all fine. They are fresh, full of nutritional value and great tasting. Bread is allowed but only the whole wheat or Ezekiel bread in limited quantities. Almond butter or natural peanut butter are good choices for fat sources as are a variety of other raw nuts in limited amounts. The type that are roasted and flavored are not such good choices. Green beans, spinach, green leaf lattice, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, turnip greens, celery, asparagus, broccoli, field peas and black beans are just some of the vegetables that enhance performance and fat loss. Is it OK to eat out? Sure you can but only once or twice a week. Cook food in advance and plan to take food with you whenever possible to prevent you from getting hungry and eaten junk.
Performance Eating can be challenging, especially at first, but it is worth the effort making you feel and look better.
God bless and keep training,
Daryl
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Posted by Daryl Laws on April 10, 2012 | Printer-Friendly
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