Bang For Your Buck

I must have written hundreds of workout programs over the years. These programs were for people from all walks of life, and with many different goals, yet more often than not, the same few movements made up the bulk of all the programs.

• squatting
• pulling
• lifting
• pressing

Within those 4 movements and their variations is almost all that is needed to build muscle, burn fat and improve your athletic performance. Only a minimum of extra exercises are necessary to individualise it to a specific desired outcome. These movements give you the most bang for your buck - the biggest improvements for the smallest time investment.

It seems very hard for people to accept this though. The number of times I have spent valuable time putting a program together, only to find 2 weeks later that the client has added bicep curls, lateral raises and leg extensions, because they felt 'it wasn't enough work'. But on many occasions the very exercises I prescribed are getting left out.

Those above 4 movements are DEFINITELY enough work. Exercises derived from them should make up the bulk of your training program if you want it to be successful. I'm talking at least 80% ......and preferably 90%. If you have and energy and time left after training these 'money' movements, feel free to work your guns, or add in some crunches, but what ever you do, don't substitute squats for leg extensions, or pushups for pec deck, or pullups for bicep curls. You know you're just avoiding the real work that is necessary to achieve notable results in your physique.

Travel Workouts

Some workouts for the holidays



You don't have to keep up the most punishing regime, relax a bit. But at the same time, its likely that you will be indulging in good food, and possibly being a bit more inactive during the day than you normally would be, so if you don't want to take too much of a backwards step on your 2008 progress, the odd workout would not go amiss.

Stick to something that doesn't require too much thinking, or too much time. After all, what will give you the most benefit - a full body 40 minute strength and conditioning workout that you put off all day and eventually don't do at all; or 4 minutes of sprints on the beach, or 100 pushups for time that has you done and dusted before you even have a chance to talk yourself out of it?

Here's a few simple workouts to try that require no equipment. Make sure you spend at least 5 minutes warming up though ok? Injuries are no fun on holiday........

1.
10 vertical jumps, 10 push ups, 10 sit ups, 4 rounds...for time.

2.
10 squats every 1 minute of a 1.5 km run.

3.
100 burpees for time.

4.
Run 3 km as fast as possible.

5.
10 push-ups 10 squats 10 sit ups 10 rounds.

6.
spend a total of 3 minutes in a handstand. Rest, then 10 vertical jumps, run 400 meters, 5 rounds.

7.100 squats for time. Rest 5 mins, then 100 situps for time.

8.
100 jumping jacks, 75 air squats, 50 push ups, 25 burpees. For time.

9.
Sprint 100 meters, Walk 100 meters, 10 rounds. Rest 5 min, then jog home the 2 km you just covered.

10.
100 push ups for time.

12 Days of Fitness starts today

The 2008 12 Days of Fitness Promotion has started today! It’s looking like this year will be the biggest promo yet…… ...and all of it is FREE.

Make sure you get on over to: http://www.12daysoffitness.com/ and update your details into the form set up over there.

Today's gifts include:

• 6 Fat Loss Gifts


• 2 Female Specifc Gift


• 1 Nutrition / Recipes Gift


• 1 Rehabilitaion and Injury solution Gift


• 1 Mindset and Goals Gift

Remember to forward the link onto anyone you know that might be interested in educating their selves more on health, nutrition and exercise. The aim is to help half a million people improve their health this year, and the only way to accomplish that is to get the word out through everyone we know.

http://www.12daysoffitness.com/

Are you going uphill or downhill?

Jack Lalanne knew his stuff, even way back then. This advice is still good today......and so damn simple. The hardest part is deciding to do it.

Fat Loss and Fitness: Who's on your team?

There's a saying "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with".
I read it in reference to financial success - the idea being that if you associated mostly with wealthy people, you were much more likely to be wealthy yourself.

I think it works with physical fitness as well. If your family, friends and workmates are living on crappy food, spending their leisure time drinking, smoking and generally living an inactive, unhealthy life, then it stands to reason that you are probably doing the same thing.

And how hard do you think it would be to make a change to a healthy diet and regular exercise, when these same people are constantly tempting you to give up and return to the status quo?

If your inner circle are not the type of people that provide a positive environment, you must consider finding other people to associate with. It's about doing things that fit people do - with other fit people. There's plenty of options. For starters, group exercise programs are a great way to get involved. Fitness classes at your local gym, touch rugby over the summer, running groups, tennis, yoga, dance classes.

At CrossFit NZ we get results because we do the right exercise, the right way. But for the majority of our clients, their results are mainly attributed to the social environment of our group workouts. We've got people who have never exercised properly before, banging out pullups, bodyweight deadlifts, swinging kettlebells and getting in great shape. And they do it while giving and recieving a ton of support to and from the group.

Now you don't have to disown your family and dump all your friends, but if they are not interested in helping you get fitter, leaner and healthier, it's up to you to search out an alternative. Who knows, once you start getting in shape, you may influence your 5 people to do the same!

Socialising with clients

Just got home from tackling the King of the Mountain 5km run in Panmure. A few clients also entered and we got together before and after the run for a coffee and a laugh.

There must be so many jobs out there where a person does not interact with others at all.
If they don't have a lot of friends outside of work that must nmake for a pretty lonely existence.

I feel like I've got the best job in the world. Not only do I get to meet a great bunch of people from a variety of backgrounds, but I get to meet their families and their friends; as well as getting to share in the awesome progress they make towards their health and fitness goals.

Next year we're going to do the wheelbarrow event......