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The Weightless Workout
Okay everyone,
For legal reasons, I should advise everyone about seeing/consulting a doctor before starting any exercise regime, and all that kind of thing. So please heed that advice. [SD, feel free to add a disclaimer bit to this post].
This is a simple workout designed to bring up the fitness level, increase strength, but also make you feel good.
There are points on this thread that will be highlighted with notes about how doing something different will achieve a slightly different result. But that'll be self explanitary with the notes.
Okay, so let's get started.
This will be a simple 4 day cycle for everyone over the age of 29. The reason for that is hormone level decreases, reduced flexibility, reduced ability to recover, and things like that. If you're under 25, you can increase the intensity, but that'll be another post. If you're between 25 and 29, you'll have to play it by how you're feeling after week 3 or 4. But this system will still be fine to get you started.
The principle is very simple. There are 4 'workouts' that you do, one a day, for 4 days. Then you have a day off.
Please note, this is the kind of thing I'll be doing after I've bugged out, because even then, fitness is important.....no wait.....it'll be more important ;-)
Day 1: Cardio
Cardio Vascular exercise is not the most entertaining on earth. However exercise isn't always exciting or fun for everyone. Maybe I'm just a freak. Either way, day 1 is about getting that heart rate up and keeping it there for about 20-30 minutes. Examples of cardio exercise are swimming, running, rowing, and those kinds of exercises.
The key is the intensity at which you do it. If you jog for 10 miles and are hardly out of breath, or run hard for 3 and can hardly breath (ignoring the fact it may be an asthema attack) the 3 miles will develop your heart and lungs more than the 10 miles. But remember, intensity is different for different people. For me, a 5 mile run, with a 12kg pack, will have me out of breath at the end. However, a fitter person would do 10 miles up hill with a bigger pack. Other people that are less fit would find just walking up a big enough hill will be their maximum intensity. Or maybe even a running shuffle thing.....as long as it's their maximum effort.
Please note, you don't have to do that level of intensity for the whole 20-30 minutes!!! If you do that, you're either super fit beyond my wildest dreams, or you're lying haha. We all start with small steps. Shorter legs take shorter steps, but they're all heading in the right direction.
You want to give that massive intensity for 2-3 times for 1 minute at a time, MAX, while running. I like to hit them at minute 15, 20, and 26, if I'm doing 30 minutes of cardio. If it's only 20 minutes, I'll hit my max twice, on minutes 12 and 16. However, I'll do the intensity for just over a minute on the first, and until I can't keep going on the last hit. Please remember, your intensity is what matters. Build up to it. Make 20 seconds of intense cardio your goal to begin with, if you're worried about a minute, and hit that level just once.
Note, those wanting more endurance, try to increase the over all intensity of the run. If you're jogging around at a medium intensity, increase the overall intensity of your run. Some things, like a small pack can really make a difference. One thing I do to increase my lungs capacity is to run with my GHB. I make the shoulder straps tight, but I also do the chest strap a little tight as well. The idea is to stop my lungs taking in their full allotment of air. That will force me to run on a reduced supply of oxygen for my muscles. The way the body reacts to that is that over time, your muscles become more efficient with the oxygen supplied to them, as do your lungs become more efficient passing a higher percentage of the oxygen into your body. At first you get harsh build-ups of lactic acid, but take a little bicarbonate of soda before you run, and that sorts that problem out.
Word of caution, do not use ankle weights while running.....EVER! They stress the ankle, knee, and hip joints beyond what is reasonable. You'll do more damage than good. Just put those weights either around your arms, or in a pack and run with that.
I've used running as an example, just because anyone with trainers can get to it. But swimming is an awesome exercise, especially if you're older. There is no impact on the body, so no wear and tear on any of your joints.
Day 2: Upper body muscles
This is where the guys smile and think.....Arnie in a month. If it was that easy, we'd all be looking chunked wouldn't we?
This is very simple, but it takes effort.
The upper body is made up of 5 main muscle groups. Chest, back, shoulders, arms, abs. But we're going to save abs for the lower body workout day. For those of you that don't know, abs are your tummy muscles.
Workout:
Chest
Press-Ups. Do 10 press-ups, 3 times. That is 3 sets of 10 reps. Rest for 30-40 seconds between each group of 10.
I bet that made a few of you laugh. Doing 10 press-ups straight away! I know, it ain't easy if you're not used to them. For those of you not used to press-ups or just general working out, you can do 'girls press-ups' which are the same as a normal press-up, but instead of having your legs straight out behind you, you are on your knees. Thing of if you were immitating a dog on, on your hands and knees (feel free to use a cushion under your knees, and you can put your feet against a wall if you find the cushion slides) then go through the motion of a press-up. The idea is that over time, as you become stronger, you can move your arms further from your knees until you're almost at a full press-up. Once you're able to do full press-ups, you're already doing better than most people. Remember, work up to 3 sets of 10 reps. But whatever you do, make sure you get a minimum of 15 attempts at press-ups. You might think you've failed, when actually what you've done is make progress. Small steps lead to a big achievement. You build a house one brick at a time. You build incredible fitness one step at a time.
Back
This is a really tricky one. Simply because the back is massively strong, but the lower back is hugely delicate as well.
To build your back stand by an open door, hold the handles on each side, then lean back. If you're quite big or you're using a wardrobe door, be careful, as you could pull the door off it's hinges. Something like a lampost or a solid block a little over waist height is idea. If you're using a lampost or small tree, use a towel to place around the tree, and hold onto the ends of the towel. Alternatively you could get a friend to hold onto the middle of the towel and you hold the 2 ends. Once you have your secure position and slightly above waist height handles, with your feet at the bottom of the secured item (tree etc) lean back, away from your friend/lampost/tree/door. Slowly pull yourself up to standing focusing just on pushing your elbows backwards. If you concentrate on pulling, you'll work your arms out more. If you think about pushing the elbows back, you activate your back muscles. This is a modification of the bent over row, or seated rows exercise.
Do 3 sets of 10 reps. One rep is moving all the way back, then pulling yourself all the way up. Again, work up to 3 sets of 10, but try at least 15 reps. Even if you do 1 rep, 15 times, that's still a building block in place. Rest 30-40 seconds between sets.
Shoulders.
This one is great fun.....kind of. Posture is key with this. Stand up and lift a small pole above your head. By pole it could be a broom handle or something. But do this slowly. Keep your back straight all the way through the motion. Lower the pole infront of your face, to shoulder level, then lift it up above your head so that your arms are fully streched above your head. That is one rep. This is a basic military press.
For people wanting to develop more muscle in their shoulders, you can easily find ways to make the pole heavier. Alternatively you can work up to doing handstand press-ups. At first they suck, because the blood rushes to your head and you feel really dizzy. But you get used to it and then your blood flow sorts itself out......after a few months.
A word of warning, if you find yourself arching your back, you can seriously injure yourself. It's all about good posture!
3 sets of 10 reps, with 30 second rests between sets. You take a smaller rest because shoulders are smaller muscles than the chest or back. As with all exercises, work up to the numbers if you can't do it at first.
Arms
These are really for posers. I hate training arms (I'm probably the only guy I know that doesn't train arms often....once every couple of months). Granted big arms look cool, but they're not massively useful except as a deterent.
If you want bigger arms, get a couple of bottles of water (the 5 litre ones) and do the classic bicep curl. Check youtube for videos on this.
3 sets of 10 reps.
You should also do tricep extensions with the same bottle of water. Again check youtube for videos.
3 sets of 10 reps.
That is your whole upper body workout sorted out. It should take 35-45 minutes, max. But again, remember, work up to your level. The same is true with the cardio, you want to reach your level of intensity. For extra resistance you can add weights in a bag for chest or back exercises.
Day 3: Cardio.
See day 1.
Day 4: Lower body workout.
I'm cautious on this, as I know some people will be new to exercises and that bad form can effect their lower back or knees. If you are concerned this may be you, perform these exercises holding on to a kitchen work surface, or another stable surface you can use to take a little weight until you're able to do the exercises unassisted.
Front of the legs (Quads/quadriceps)
Squats.
Yes, that dreaded word! Nobody likes squats, except the really fit or muscular. Maybe there's a reason they are fit and muscular....wait....maybe it's the squats?!?! It is ;-) Squats are a super exercise!
To start with, if you're worried you're too old or unfit, get a chair infront of the sofa, with it's back towards the sofa. Standing between the back of the chair and the seat of the sofa squat down until you're almost sitting down. Then, push with your legs until you're standing upright. That is 1 rep. For those of you that are better abled, you can do a free standing squat, using just your body weight. For those of higher fitness, get that broom out, place it along your shoulders, and use that to squat. If that's easy, you can add a bag to the front of your body. I say the front because that allows you to keep better posture and it isolates the front of the quads more. The bag on the front is immitating a 'front squat'. When I had big thighs, I LOVED front squats. Well, I loved them when I had small thighs, but the front squat made them get big.
Word of caution, when squatting, look at eye level, or slightly higher. The reason for this is that it will keep your vertibre in line and stop your back curving too much. You want to have perfect posture for this exercise!
3-4 sets of 15-20 reps. Take a minute rest between sets if you need it. 45 seconds if you can cope with that. Remember, as with everything else, work up to it!!!
Back of the legs (Hams/Hamstrings)
This is another exercise I'm hugely cautious about, because it can stress the lower back if not done correctly.
The exercise is deadlifts. I'd massively recommend you check youtube for videos on correct technique. Instead of using a weight, use that good old broom handle again.
Do 3-4 sets of 15 reps.
You can always add weight to the broom handle. Maybe tie water bottles to it, paint tins secured on with nails to stop them sliding off. You can then start to load up the paint tins to increase the weight. But this is super important to get perfect technique.
If you're unsure on deadlifts, you can opt for static lunges, or walking lunges. Again, I recommend youtube because they're awkward to explain the technique for. But they are one hell of a good exercise! You can always add extra weight just by holding things in your hands.....did someone say water bottles?
Calves
Women, you have high heels, so your calves will be better than most guys. If you play lots of football, your calves will be big as well. However, if not, you get to enjoy calf raises.
These are a really simple exercise. Stand on a step, maybe a curb, or something like that, and have your heels handing over the edge of the step. Stand on the step as if you're walking on your tip-toes. If you're as high as you can get, you're at the top of the rep. Lower yourself down slowly, until your heels are hanging down and you can feel a slight stretch on the back of your lower leg. The only part of your feet in contact with the step/curb should still be the balls of your feet, but your heels should be hanging below your toes. Then, using just the stretching muscle, push until you are standing back up on the balls of your feet, so that you're back on your tip-toes. That is 1 rep. So it goes, tip-toes, down, back to tip-toes.
Do 3 sets of 20 reps. Again, work up to it if you can't do it to start with.
If this is easy for you, try standing on one foot by crossing one foot behind the other. This will isolate one leg's calf muscle. After you've done your 20 reps, change legs and do it all again on the other foot. That means you will need to exercise each foot with 20 reps before you have finished 1 set.
For stability you can hold onto a lampost, or a handrail on the stairs (please don't do this at the top of the stairs, do it on the bottom step)
Day 5
OOOOOW, you didn't think there was a day 5 did you? Well there is!!! Suck it up!!! Today........rest and relax. Then start it all again. It's a continuous 5 day cycle. At first you're going to ache. But that's natural. After a while (a couple of weeks) you'll notice a difference in your strength and your appearance. After a month, everyone else will notice the difference, and you'll be feeling awesome!
As some of you have probably noticed, I've not mentioned abs (abdominals/stomach muscles). There's a reason for this. I HATE training abs more than I hate training arms!!! But they are an exercise worth doing. A bad lower back is often a sign of weak abs! So this section is kind of my gift to everyone for reading this far. There's an exercise called the "Cat Sick" exercise. It's really weird, but it works a beaut! You get on your hands and knees, like a cat, then 'violently' exhale all the air out of your lungs for 8-10 seconds. Oh yes, it is possible to exist without air in your lungs. It's a weird feeling to start with, but you get used to it. Then you try to curl your belly button into your spine, while still keeping the air out of your lungs. After the 8-10 seconds, you breath in again, breath out normally, then breath in again, and start another rep of blowing out all the air....Each 8-10 second period of tucking your belly button in, using just your stomach muscles, with no air in your lungs, is 1 rep. You'll need to work up to 3 sets of 10 reps, simply because this exercise is so intense, and you're likely to go a little light headed when you first do it. It's okay though. I did, so you're not alone. But you should do these twice a week. They are one of only 3 exercises that work all 8 of your stomach muscles (oh yes, it's actually an 8-pack, not a 6 pack, but most people don't know how to work those lower 2 abs), as well as your obliques (side of stomach muscles), and the internal stomach muscles, including the intercostals (between the ribs). Now that's made this whole post worth reading. Think of it as insider info from the inner circle of bodybuilding ;-)
Thank you for reading this far. I hope you've enjoyed this massive post.
I've really enjoyed writing it, and I'd love to hear how everyone gets on with it.
If you're finding it too easy, or maybe too hard, tell me, and I'll bring another routine to your level. But this is a good all rounder for each person to get to grips with.
In summary:
Day 1: Cardio for 20-30 minutes
Day 2: Upper body workout
Press-ups 3x10reps
Back pulls 3x10 reps
Shoulder press: 3x10 reps
Bicep curls: 3x10 reps
Tricep extensions: 3x10 reps
Day 3: Cardio for 20-30 minutes
Day 4: Lower body workout
Squats: 3-4 sets 15-20 reps
Deadlifts:3-4 sets 15 reps
can change deadlifts for walking lunges or static lunges, same number of reps, 3-4 sets of 15 reps
Calf raises 3x20 reps
Day 5: Rest and Recover.
Day 6: start again from day 1.
Thank you for reading this far and if you do all of this, you'll love the benefits of not just how you look, but also how you feel, and how you'll see yourself, as well as how everyone else will see you.
I look forward to hearing about the developments in peoples fitness, confidence, and everything else.
I wish you all the best, and remember, we all started from somewhere. Small steps of progress add up over time. Like building a house, you add one brick at a time.
Worryingly enough, I didn't think it was going to post, because my internet kept flaking out.
But seriously, fitness, health, and the alike are a HUGE passion of mine. I'd love to help each person achieve their potential.
I believe bugging out could easily be speed intensive, so fitness will be one of those things that saves your life. I'm all for being crafty, but there's no reason you can't be both, unless you're either lazy, medically unable to (however, I know a guy that's very over weight, but still able to run a good few miles, even though he's medically a 'chunker' as we both joke about), or any number of things.
Also, please note, age has very little to do with your level of fitness. You can still make improvements at any age. If you look at yourself 2 years ago, and thought "I wonder if I should start working out.......nah it's too late for me." Well you've already lossed out. If you start today, in another 2 years time you won't be looking back thinking...."Damn, I should have started training a few years ago. Think where I could be today if I had started."
Think of it as digging a tunnel if you're in prison. You're going nowhere. You're not going to leave your body for one of better quality. You're going to have the same one as you have now. So, since your not going anywhere without your body, you might as well start working on it. To dig out of a prison would take 5 years (for example). If doesn't matter whether you start that 5 years today or whether you start digging in some other time. The tunnel will still take 5 years. The difference is that if you start today, instead of starting years time, you'll already have a years worth of progress! Only 4 years to go. Whereas someone that started in say 3 years time, they'll still have to work for 5 years. The difference is, they'll have waited 8 years to achieve what you have done in 5 years. Which means, they've wasted 3 years!!! Is that madness or what? No, it's probably just an unclear example of what procractinating can do to you. But instead of faffing around waiting for the right time to start, just get up and do it. Better to be a year down the right road, than waste time going nowhere.
Dissent is the highest form of Patriotism - Thomas Jefferson
Those who sacrifice freedom for security deserve neither - Benjamin Franklin
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