Archive for November, 2010

Recently I spoke to my long time friend Jason Ferruggia about training and time effective workouts:

Q: Jay, What’s the biggest mistake most people make in their fitness programs during the holiday season?

The biggest mistake people make around the holiday season is thinking that because they don’t have 60-90 minutes free to train they may as well skip their workouts all together. There are parties to attend, gifts to buy and cards to mail. Oh, and don’t forget about all the year end stuff that needs tending to at the office.

Even in my own gym I used to see attendance drop off around this time of year. That was several years ago before I shortened up all of our training sessions. Now that doesn’t happen anymore because I’ve found I’m able to get better results with people by keeping all of their workouts around 45 minutes or less.

Your body’s production of muscle building and fat burning hormones such as growth hormone and testosterone actually peaks at around the 27 minute mark of your workout. So by keeping them short you’re actually enhancing your results; not cheating yourself out of gains.

What more people need to realize is that you don’t need more than 30 minutes for an effective workout. The majority of my own personal workouts, in fact, only last an average of 35 minutes and I do the same with most of my clients. This helps you avoid overtraining and the excess production of cortisol, which is a hormone that eats muscle tissue and leads to the storage of bodyfat.

So please don’t think that you need a full hour to train. Nothing could be further from the truth. What might sound crazy to some people is that on really busy days I may only do ONE exercise for a grand total of 10-15 minutes and that’s my entire workout.

Q: How can you get an effective workout with just one exercise?

Easy. You pick a movement that works the entire body, like a clean and press from the hang or the floor. Warm up and work your way to a heavy set of 6-8 reps. This won’t be a true max but just a good clean heavy set that’s the best you can do on that day without letting your form get ugly. After your top end set strip about 20% of the weight off the bar and do 3-5 more sets of 8-10 reps with about two minutes rest between each.

That will come to ten or fewer total sets but I guarantee you that you’ll get a good workout. And all you need is three 15-20 minute training sessions per week like that!

If you have a half hour free, three times per week I suggest a hang clean and press, a deadlift and a modified muscle up using the TRX as your three exercises, using one at each session.

If you have the time for four 15 minute workouts per week try something like this:

Monday- Front Squat/ Push Press Combo

Tuesday- Chin Up

Thursday- Trap Bar Deadlift

Friday- Suspended Pushup

These moves will cover your entire body from traps to calves and your core will get a great workout at every session. Do two heavy sets of 5-7 reps and three lighter back-off sets of 8-10. That’s five total sets that will take you no more than 15 minutes.

And that’s all it takes to get a powerful anabolic (muscle building) and fat burning stimulus.  Let’s face it; we’re all human and we’re probably going to succumb to eating too much dessert or having a few too many drinks between now and New Year’s Day. The short workouts I listed above can help combat the poor eating habits and stress that tends to take over at this time of year.

If you do things right and follow any of the wide variety of programs I’ve put together in my new manual, Minimalist Training there’s no reason why you can’t prevail this holiday season and actually get in better shape than you are right now… while everyone else around you is letting themselves fall apart.

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AC
PS – to check out FIFTEEN time-effective exercise programs – get over to Minimalist Training

Guest blog from Jason Ferruggia

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I don’t know about you but there are plenty of days where I could use a lot more than 24 hours to get everything done that I need to. Especially around this time of year. With the holiday season upon us extra time is going to be a precious commodity that’s hard to come by.

That’s why I don’t have time to agonize over what to do in the gym. I only have 30-45 minutes total, to get in and get out. And that usually includes warm up time. I can’t waste valuable minutes figuring out confusing, overly complicated set and rep schemes or mess around with 15 different exercises per session. I need something quick and easy that’s going to produce results; not stress.

So what do I do?

Easy- I take the Bruce Lee approach and cut out all of that which is not essential. I know what exercises work better than all the others and I know what loading parameters elicit the fastest gains in size and strength. I’ve been using them for 23 years on myself and for the last 16 with hundreds of clients.

These are the same principles that have been embraced by some of the biggest, strongest men in history, from George Hackenshmidt to Franco Columbu to Matt Kroczaleski.

At this busy time of year I can’t be futzing around experimenting with new stuff in the gym. Like you, I have family commitments and other important responsibilities to tend to. So my workouts must all be minimalistic in nature. It’s either that or I have to skip them.
And that’s not an option for me. I’m sure many of you can relate and feel the exact same way.

With that in mind I hit it hard and fast, never focusing on more than three exercises per workout. If you think a workout consisting of only three movements can’t produce impressive size and strength gains I have to question your exercise selection and training intensity.

There are very few people on the planet that couldn’t get fantastic results with squats, chin ups and military presses. Or maybe a combination of ring dips, pull ups and deadlifts? Either one will develop muscular bulk and strength quite efficiently.

The fact of the matter is that beginners NEVER need more than three exercises per workout. Advanced lifters could do more than three exercises per workout if they so desired, but there’s not necessarily a need for it. Especially around this time of year when the clock is always ticking and there’s always somewhere to be and a deadline to meet.

The are two major differences between the training programs of beginners and the training programs of advanced lifters that’s worth noting, however.

Beginners always do best on full body workouts while advanced lifters seem to excel on upper/lower splits.

The other major difference is that beginners should always use the same weight for all of their work sets, using what’s known as a “sets across” approach. Advanced lifters should always “work up” to a top end set, increasing the weight each set.

An effective minimalist workout for a beginner would look something like this:

1) Trap Bar Deadlift- 5 x 5 with straight weight
2) Standing Military Press- 5 x 5 with straight weight

An effective minimalist workout for an advanced lifter would look like this:

1) Trap Bar Deadlift- Work up to a top end set of 3, followed by one back off set at 90%
2a) Hanging Leg Raise- 3-4 x 8-10
2b) Glute Ham Raise- 3-4 x 8-10

These workouts will have you in and out of the gym in 30-45 minutes, tops. They will save you time, frustration and stress. Best of all they’ll allow you to still make incredible gains all throughout the holiday season without impeding on your social life or family commitments.

Sounds like a win, win if you ask me.

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AC
PS – Jason has just released a collection of short, Minimalist workouts, some less than 30 min, some are only 3 exercises or less.
It’s a great resource for trainers working with busy clients, who need to write, short effective workouts.
I actualyl had Jason design some minimalist workouts for me when I was recovering from cancer treatment.

You can check it out at Minimalist Training

Starbucks has changed the service industry forever. They took a commodity — the coffee bean — and transformed it into an experience. I’ve studied them since the first day we opened our gym, and continue to do so.

Consider this — in the last fifteen years, the value of the S&P rose 200%, the Dow rose 230%, the NASDAQ rose 280%, but the Starbucks stock?–5000 percent!
Despite that tremendous growth – Starbucks has maintained it’s quality while expanding at a current rate of 5 stores per day, 365 days per year.

There is a concept known as the “Third place”. Most people have work, home and one more place that they spend time. It’s the idea behind the “local” in terms of the pub culture in the UK (as embodied in the TV show “Cheers” – ‘where everybody knows your name’…”).

The coffee shop (as seen in the TV show “Friends”) has become that – actually more specifically – Starbucks has become that for most people.
That’s why I study them – as I want my gym to become that “third place” and overtake Starbucks.

Do yourself a favor and pick this book up immediately — and then STUDY it! We recently interviewed the author of the book – Joseph Michelli – for our coaching group.

I’ve mentioned this book before, but I re-read it on a recent flight. If you’re in the service business — or you own a studio — you need to forget about just looking within our industry for ideas — look outside of your industry.

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AC

I was recently at a seminar where Bill Parisi finished his presentation with a great story to remind us that sometimes a weakness may actually be a strength in disguise…

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A young boy who was born without a left arm was sent to Judo lessons by his mother in a bid to help with his confidence. So he began taking lessons with an old Japanese master.
Ever practice session the master taught the boy one throw. Just one technique over and over again.

Every so often the one-armed boy would see the other students learning different techniques and ask the master why he wasn’t learning anything else.
The master always replied – “Just focus on this one throw. Keep practicing”

Several months later, it was the state Judo championships and the old master entered the young boy.

The young boy was terrified.

The first match began and the one-armed boy grabbed his opponent and to the shock of all the spectators – easily flipped him to the ground. Instant win!

The second round was a little harder but the one-armed boy again pulled off the technique – the only technique he knew, and won.

The third and fourth round amazingly went the same way and the young boy found himself in the tournament final facing a much bigger, stronger and tougher opponent, who had won the tournament for three straight years.

The young boy was overmatched it seemed. Te referee and the organizers of the tournament spoke to the master and asked him if he wanted to withdraw his student..

“No” said the master. “We will fight”.

As the final match began the entire crowd were on the edge of their seat. The opponent stepped and grabbed the young one-armed boy and pulled him towards him. For a second it looked as if it was all over…

But then the one armed boy reached with his right hand, stepped in and BOOM – he threw his opponent flat on his back, to win the match!

The crowd went nuts – the one-armed boy was the state Judo Champion!

On the drive home, the young boy asked his teacher – “Was this a set-up? Did they just let me win because I only have one arm? I only know one technique – these guys know hundreds!”

The teacher replied “No – you won fair and square. But there are two reasons. You won because you mastered one of the most devastating techniques in Judo. And the only known way to defend against that throw is to grab the left arm!”

What appeared to be an incredible weakness – was in fact his greatest strength.

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AC

Guest blog from Rachel Cosgrove

You can see the full details of the TRX Tornado workout HERE

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AC
PS – make sure you are keeping up with me on Facebook — > Alwyn Cosgrove Facebook Page