Being off of my exercise for a week and a half, I wasn't feeling up to a full blown P90X workout. So to get started I did a basic circuit of treadmill and arms. Even if you don't have a treadmill you could do something similar just going for a walk.
I did four, seven minute intervals on the treadmill varying speed and incline. I started out with more running, but as my knee began to hurt I shifted more to the incline. See my treadmill tips below for more ways to maximize your workouts.
Before my first treadmill interval, I did 30 wide fly push ups, 16 iso curls, and 10 wide front pull ups. My focus was on getting wide because that is my weak point. When you find exercises that are your worst, or least favorite, I recommend working on them more often toward the beginning of your workout before fatigue sets in. Also, try to do more of them so that you improve where it counts the most.
So my workout ended up looking like this:
Push ups, curls, pull ups (P/C/P)
7 min treatmill
P/C/P
7 min treatmill
P/C/P
7 min treatmill
P/C/P
7 min treatmill
P/C/P
Cool down
Without trying, I ended up with 50 minutes of exercise. And I don't just stand around between sets waiting to recover. I'm all about keeping my heart rate up. Granted, I do need to motivate myself toward the end, so that does add a little time, but I'm not relaxing - my heart rate never drops.
Treadmill Tips
Hate working out on a treadmill because it is long and boring? Then you are doing it wrong (in my opinion). Break things down into intervals.
For example, take a 5 minute period, walk for 2 minutes, speed up to a jog for 2 minutes, then slow it back down for a walk for 1 minute. Then get off the treadmill and do some jumping jacks, squats, push ups, or whatever you can do without any equipment right next to your treadmill. I like to incorporate curls, pull ups, and other exercises that require hand dumbbells, exercise bands, or a pull up bar, but that isn't necessary to do this sort of a workout.
Now get back on the treadmill. Do another 2 minutes of walking. This keeps your heart rate up, but allows you to recover from the anaerobic exercises you just did. Now increase the incline up to a reasonable level that makes you work - if its too easy you need to kick it in to gear, its only 2 minutes! Then slow it back down to a walk for the last minute. You guessed it, off the treadmill for more exercises.
Exercise Movement Tips
When designing my workouts I like to come up with 9 different exercise movements that work the same part of the body. For example, on an arms day I'll do push ups, curls, and pull ups. On a legs day I'll do squats, lunges, and a Yoga chair position.
Really Jeff, 9 exercises? I don't know that many!
Yes you do. For example:
Circuit 1: Wide push ups, iso curls, wide pull ups
Circuit 2: Regular push ups, regular curls, reverse grip chin ups
Circuit 3: Narrow push ups, full supination concentration curls, and narrow grip pull ups
But wait, what the heck are iso or full supination curls? It sounds worse than it is. You can Google them, have Coach Greg show you how to do them, or send me an email. But if you feel like that is too much, stick to regular curls, or just do push ups and pull ups.
The idea though, is to give yourself some variety in your workouts so that you use your muscles differently. This will make them stronger than if you are just pounding out the same movement all the time. AND this applies to EVERYONE, not just the guys on muscle beach. It would take you a LONG time to look like one of those guys.
The end result is that you will keep your heart rate in a good range your whole workout. Your body will be challenged both aerobically and anaerobically. The result will be great calorie burn while building good lean muscle.
IF YOU ARE TRYING TO LOOSE WEIGHT OR TONE YOU NEED TO DO THIS. When you work your muscles you significantly increase your burn. Without the exercises in between the treadmill time (in other words, treadmill alone) your burn will last a little while after your workout (depending on your length and intensity). But if you really bring it, and do some good treadmill and exercises together, your burn could last for hours, or even until the next day. Great up side right?
Take it Outside
If you don't have a treadmill, or just want to enjoy some fresh air, you should take it outside. Be sure to put on some sunscreen first!
You will need a stop watch, and you might even want to carry along an exercise band. You can do the same thing as the treadmill, mix up the walking and jogging. You can stop and do push ups, or if there is a pull up bar on your route do a few.
I need to do this. Coach Greg promised a park run tentatively tomorrow!! If this happens, I'm going to wear biking gloves. That way my hands won't get torn up when I do push ups. This may not be an issue for you, but I have wrist problems, so I do push ups on my knuckles. Knuckles + concrete isn't a pretty picture.
Lets Bring It People
I was very pleased to see David and Missy posing their workouts in response to my last blog post. I'd love to hear from more of you!
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