Just try...

No matter how little sleep you got....

No matter how much work you have piled ahead of yourself...

No matter how sick you feel...

No matter how many bills you have to pay...

No matter where you need to be...

No matter who you have to deal with...

No matter what life deals at you... Just remember one thing...

While you can't always control the incoming stress, you are always in complete control of the outgoing response. Start every day as positive as you can, suck it up and just try to have a good day!

Pick 3

Pick 3 exercises:

1. Upper Body Push or Pull (eg. Push Ups, Dips, Pull Ups, Reclined Pull)
   
2. Full Body (Kettle Bell Swing, Dead Lift, Squat Curl Press, Burpee)
   
3. Hi Intensity Cardio (Sprints, Incline Walk, Bike, Rower, Swim)

Now pick your repetitions/time/distance (make sure to challenge yourself):

1. (20-30) for the Upper Body Push or Pull
   
2. (20-30) for the Full Body
3. (60-100 seconds of work) For the Hi Intensity Cardio

Repeat your "Pick 3" 5 times for time. You can also make this a "No-mercy" workout by choosing a duration of time (2-3 minutes) to finish each set. The quicker you finish a set, the greater the rest you will earn.

Good luck and remember to hit your 100%. The higher the intensity the more belly fat you'll burn!

More Travel Workout Ideas

Here are exercises that travel well.... and require no equipment....

1. Push Ups (modified, plyometric)
   
2. Squats/Squat Jumps
   
3. Lunges/Lunge Jumps
   
4. Burpees/Squat Thrust/Burps
   
5. Crunches
6. Leg Raises
7. Planks (Plank to Pushup, Side bridge)
   
8. Reverse Bridging
9. Jumping Jacks (Seal Jacks, X-Cross Jacks)
10. Mt. Climbers
11. Triceps Dips (on chair)
12. Inch Worms
13. Bicycle Crunches
14. Anterior Reaches (1 Leg)
15. Single Leg Romanian Dead Lift
16. Knee Tucks
17. Supermans/Bird dogs
18. Sprints
19. Penguin Crunches
20. Russian Twists

Now, what to do with all these exercises....

• Option 1: Pick 10 and do 30 reps of each with no rest between exercises; Repeat 3 times
  
• Option 2: Pick 10 and do :45sec o each with :15 rest; Repeat 3 times
• Option 3: Pick 5 exercises, do 20 reps of each and repeat every 3 minutes with no break; Repeat 10 times
  
• Option 4: Pick 5-10 exercises and do 100 reps of each exercise before moving to the next

Each of these workouts will take you 20-30 minutes to complete. As long as you have good intensity, this will be more than sufficient for your daily exercise requirement!

Travel Band Workout

Here are few ideas for a workout you can do on the road using some very inexpensive equipment. The keys to this workout are:

• Using all movements to hit all muscles in the body (Push, Pull, Lowerbody and Core)
• Minimize rest: Move from one exercise to the next without rest and limit the time between sets.
• Add intensity: Make sure you maximize the resistance the bands are placing on your muscles.
  

You can purchase these resistance bands at Perform Better. For more information email cheston.bogue@gmail.com or visit www.westloopgym.net

15 Minute Kettlebell Complex

Kettlebells are a great way to build strength, cardiovascular endurance and flexibility all at the same time. Here is a 15 set workout designed to challenge all levels of fitness. Perform each set for 1 minute with no break in between:

1. Kettlebell Push Up
2. 2 Hand Swings
3. :30 RH Swing, :30 LH Swing
4. Alternating Swings
5. Russian Twists
6. Tactical Lunges
7. RH Full Clean and Press
8. LH Full Clean and Press
9. RH Windmills
10. LH Windmills
11. Alternating Rips
12. Push Squats
13. Renegade Rows
14. RH Getup Situp
15. LH Getup Situp

Below is a video explanation of all the exercises. You do not have to use the same weight of kettlebell for every exercise, so make sure you have a variety of kettles available during your workout.

Weights and Reps

I get a lot of questions about how much weight and how many reps you should be lifting during your strength workout. My lame answers is always... "it depends". It is important to vary your routine in order to maximize your results and get the quickest/safest Fat Loss possible. Therefore, depending on where you are in your current program will dictate how much weight and how many reps you should be doing. Here are the 4 phases of lifting and the recommended weights/reps for each:

1. General Strength (12-15 reps, sub-maximal weight): This phase serves the purpose of teaching your body proper technique and coordinating your muscles for the more intense phases of lifting. It is important to activate the correct muscles and in the correct sequence before you attempt heavier lifts. I'll recommend 12-15 reps for each set. You'll choose a weight that you can control without major struggle through the 15th rep. Every lift should be smooth and symetrical (both limbs moving at the same rate).
2. Maximal Strength (4-6 reps, maximal weight): The purpose of this phase is to activate as many muscle fibers as possible. When you first start resistance training, your brain will only be able to activate a small percentage of fibers in each muscle. The heavier your lifts become, the more fibers the brain is recruiting. When in your strength phase I recommend lifting the heaviest weight you can successfully move for 4-6 repetitions. The final rep should look strenuous and slow, otherwise you haven't truly hit your maximal effort.
3. Hypertrophy (8-12 reps, near maximal weight): The purpose of this phase is to stimulate the growth of lean muscle. The most important variable is how much time your muscles are in tension. I recommend lifting as heavy weight as possible for 8-12 repetitions. However, because time under tension is critical we are going to adopt a 4/1/1 tempo. This means you will decelerate (lower) the weight for 4 seconds, pause at the lowest point for 1 second and then accelerate the weight for 1 second returning it to its starting position. Each set you perform should take around 60seconds to complete.
4. Power (4-8 reps, less than 1/2 of your max weight): The purpose of power is to teach your muscles how to move explosively. I usually only recommend hi-intensity power training for athletes, however general populations can also benefit for lower-intensity versions of power training. Power teaches your body how to produce maximal velocity while under tension. You will use lower repetitions (4-6) and lower weights (often just your body-weight). However you will perform the exercise as fast as possible. While power training will make you tired, it is important and unsafe to get this style of training confused with circuit training. Power lifts require skill and complete focus. Therefore you should rest completely between each set or attempt.
   

Stay tuned for more blogs on how to utilize the phases of strength and assemble a program.

Workout of the Month (April)

Check out the latest workout from my gym....



April Workout of the Month from Cheston Bogue on Vimeo.