Kettlebell Total Body Circuit (for any level)

**ALWAYS CONSULT WITH A PHYSICIAN PRIOR TO BEGINNING ANY EXERCISE ROUTINE!  Choose your kettlebell based on your level (better to go too light than too heavy).  ALWAYS "listen" to your body.  You should push yourself for results, but KNOW when to STOP.

Active stretches

Warm-up:

• kettlebell swings x 20
• rest 45-90 seconds (breathing test: When your breathing goes back to normal, start the next set)
• 3 rounds

Workout:

• kettlebell clean and press x 10 (5 each side)
• kettlebell bent over row x 20 (10 each side)
• kettlebell squat x 10
• push up x 20
• kettlebell upright row x 10
• plank (1 minute)
• rest 60-120 seconds (use breathing test)
• complete 3 rounds

Static stretches
**please take a few seconds and let me know if you like the workout or if you have a question

Thanksgiving Special (calorie burning circuit from home)

I highly recommend performing this workout on Thanksgiving morning - this will get your metabolism up for the rest of the day.  Drink plenty of water, have a healthy breakfast, and lunch.  Enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner!

Active stretches: hamstrings, quads, traps, delts, pecs, and lats

Warm-up:

• 25 kettlebell swings -or- jumping jacks

Workout:

• 25 mountain climbers
• 25 push-ups
• 25 kettlebell rows
• 25 kettlebell clean to presses (13 on weak side and 12 on the other)
• plank for 1 minute
• Repeat as many times as you can in 20 minutes

Static stretches
Have a protein shake and enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner without the guilt!

Playground madness (full body strength and endurance circuit for anyone at any level)

Active stretches

Warm-up:

• jog or brisk walk for 10 minutes

Workout:

• 10 burpees to pull-ups (if you can't perform a pull-up, just do the burpees)
• 10 walking planks (if you can't do the walking plank, hold hardest plank version you can for 30 seconds)
• 10 lunges
• 10 push-ups (most difficult version you can complete the reps)
• 10 "monkey bar walks" - just like when you were a kid...feet aren't touching the ground and you swing from bar to bar with your hands (no monkey bars? do 10 body rows)
• COMPLETE as many rounds as you can in 30 minutes

If you are unsure about any of the exercises, check out my exercise videos.

ONE exercise workout - GAIN strength and endurance while burning fat

Active Stretches: toe touches, trap and delt stretches, and triceps stretches (do NOT bounce)

Warm up:

• kettlebell swings (choose the weight best for you) x 10
• rest 60 seconds
• repeat 3 rounds

WORKOUT:

• squat-to-press or thrusters (your choice - either exercise can be performed with kettlebells, dumbbells, or a barbell) x 10 reps
• rest 60 seconds
• repeat for 5 rounds

NOT ENOUGH? NEED MORE? Try five more rounds or check out my other blog (link is under my picture)
Static stretches: toe touch, tricep, trap, and delt
Have a protein shake!

Training Dad (67yrs) and Mom (64yrs)

Dad has finished phase 2 in training, and since he is primarily interested in weight loss and strength, we will be returning to phase 1.  This time we will be using more weight of course!

Dad's workout:

• stretches
• intervals on the treadmill for 30 minutes

Core and balance:

• plank (30 seconds)
• side plank (30 seconds each side)
• standing cobra x20
• REPEAT
• lunge to balance x5 each leg
• rest 60 seconds
• REPEAT

Resistance (circuit)

• shoulder warm-up (circles both ways, scaption and adduction with 2.5 lbs each hand x10)
• squat to press 35lbs x10
• kettlebell rows 35lbs x10
• single leg biceps curls 25lbs x10
• triceps extensions on exercise ball 12k x10
• exercise ball/wall squats x10
• REST 90 seconds
• REPEAT
• REPEAT STRETCHES

Mom's workout:

• stretches
• Treadmill intervals for 30 minutes

Core and balance:

• plank (bench) 1 minute
• standing cobra x 20
• REPEAT
• Single leg balance 15 seconds each leg
• rest 60 seconds
• repeat for four rounds

Resistance (circuit):

• shoulder warm-up (same as dad's)
• machine bench 25lbs x15
• pull downs 25lbs x15 (2nd round kettlebell rows 10lbs x15 each side)
• military press 2.5lbs each hand x15
• leg press 85lbs x15
• rest 90 seconds
• REPEAT

Train like a Couch Potato!

During your favorite sitcom's commercial breaks:

1st round of commercials:

• hop off the couch and stretch out...yes, the entire time the commercials are on

2nd round of commercials:

• complete as many push-ups as you can during the commercial break

3rd round:

• grab your kettlebell and complete as many rows as you can during the break (see exercise demos - u can use the coffee table or couch as a bench!), and don't forget to switch sides

4th round:

• complete as many prisoner squats (see demos) as you can during the break

5th round:

• plank for 30 seconds then rest for 30 seconds - continue this cycle until your show returns

6th - infinity

• start all over and continue to work your way through until your show is over

*****TRY this workout during a football game or other sporting event that you are watching!

Dad's upper body strength and stability workout

Stretches: toe touch, trap and delt stretches, adductor stretch, and lat stretch (30 second holds on each)
Warm-up: intervals on treadmill (30 minutes)

Core:

• plank (from floor) 30 seconds
• side plank both sides (upper body elevated on bench) 20 seconds each
• standing cobra x20
• REPEAT

Balance:

• lunge to balance x5 each leg
• Rest 90 seconds
• REPEAT

Chest and Back:

• warm-up shoulders (arm circles forwards and backwards, scaption and adduction with 2.5lbs each hand)

Supersets

• barbell bench press 80lbs x 6 reps
• stability ball single arm bench press 12k (26.4lbs) x 6 reps each side
• Rest 90 seconds
• REPEAT

• cable pull downs 145lbs x 8 reps
• kettlebell rows 12k x 8 reps each side
• Rest 90 seconds
• REPEAT

REPEAT stretches.

RELAX...killer! (isometric workout - almost NO movement involved)

Stretches.
Warm up: 25 burpees or walk at a brisk pace for 15 minutes

Work out:

• wall squat (just like in school - squat to a 90 degree angle with your back against the wall) hold for 1 minute
• RELAX 30 seconds
• push-up half-way position (upper arm and forearm form a 90 degree angle) hold for 1 minute
• RELAX 30 seconds
• floor bridge (sit up position - knees bent but arms are on the floor at your sides - lift your hips towards the ceiling creating a straight line from your knees to your head which is still on the floor) hold for 1 minute
• RELAX 30 seconds
• plank hold for 1 minute
• RELAX 30 seconds
• complete 4 rounds dropping 15 seconds on each exercise each round

Stretch again.
Have some protein and RELAX, Killer.

Day in the Park (total body circuit)

Stretches.

Warm-up: walk or jog for ten minutes -OR- knock out around 50 jumping jacks

Workout: (see my exercise demos if you aren't sure about an exercise)

• burpees x 20
• plank (60 seconds)
• mountain climbers x20 (10 each leg)
• plank (45 seconds)
• push-ups x20 (for easier or more difficult versions, see my demo)
• plank (30 seconds)
• pull-ups or body rows x20
• plank (20 seconds)
• lunges x20
• REST 90 seconds
• REPEAT three times

Mom and Dad's training

They are continuing to make progress.  Mom at 64 years old has gone from not being able to stand on one leg without holding on to something to standing on one leg for 4 sets of 15 seconds!  My dad at 67 years old has been training longer - he has gone from standing on one leg to doing two sets of 5 lunges to balance on each leg!

Dad's upper body workout (phase 2 in training):

Warm-up

• stretches: toe touch, trap and delt stretches, adductor stretch,  and lat stretch (30 seconds each)
• intervals on the treadmill for 30 minutes (demanding pace)

Abdominals (core) and balance

• exercise (stability ball) ball crunches x15
• reverse crunches x15
• 2 rounds - no rest
• lunge to balance x5 each leg
• rest 90 seconds
• repeat

Upper body workout

• shoulder warm-up: "arm circles" x10 forward and backward, 2.5lb front raises x10 (scaption), 2.5lb side raises

SUPER SET (Chest)

• barbell bench press 75lbs x6
• stability ball bench press 12k (26lbs) x 6
• rest 90 seconds
• repeat

SUPER SET (Back)

• cable pull downs 140lbs x6
• kettlebell rows 12k x6
• rest 90 seconds
• repeat

REPEAT stretches

Mom's circuit (phase 1 in training)
**keep in mind that mom has had a knee replacement (needs one in the other knee too) and she has had shoulder surgery in the last 5 years

Warm up

• stretches: toe touch, traps, delts, adductor
• intervals on the treadmill for 25 minutes (demanding pace)

Abdominals (core) and balance

• plank (iso abs) on bench for 1 minute
• standing cobra x20
• marching x20
• 2 rounds - no rest
• single leg balance for 15 seconds each leg
• repeat 4 times

Circuit (total body)

• squat to press 10lbs for 15 reps
• single arm bench press 10lbs x15 each arm
• (round 1) cable pull downs 25lbs x10(round2) kettlebell rows 10lbs x15
• single arm standing military press 2.5lbs x15 each arm
• leg press 65lbs x15
• rest 90 seconds
• repeat

Repeat stretches

Day at the Play ground (total body workout)

Stretch. Hold each stretch for at least 25 seconds.
***DRINK WATER throughout the workout and after.

Warm-up:

• burpees (see exercise demos) 3 sets of 10 reps
• REST 60 to 90 seconds between sets

Workout: (If you aren't sure about any of the exercises, watch my exercise demos.)

• 25 push-ups ( the most difficult variation with which you can complete the reps) 
• 25 prisoner squats
• 25 pullups or body rows or mixture of the two
• 25 lunges
• REST 60 seconds
• REPEAT for 4 rounds (total of 100 reps on each exercise)

STRETCH AGAIN.
DRINK some protein (chocolate milk is a great post workout drink) within 30 minutes of completion.

Body weight exercises - no equipment needed

Check out my new video demos!  There are some great muscle building fat burning exercises that require NO equipment.

total body workout - NO equipment required

Perform the following stretches: toe touch, pec stretch, lat stretch, calf stretch (hold each stretch for a minimum of 25 seconds - DO NOT bounce)

Warm-up: jog in place for 5 minutes, walk at a brisk pace and exaggerate the swinging of your arms for 5 minutes, or perform 25 jumping jacks (the idea is simply to warm your muscles up)

Workout: Complete this workout for time!

• sprint 50 yards
• 25 push-ups (any variation - make as difficult as you can and still complete the reps)
• sprint 50 yards
• 25 reverse crunches
• sprint 50 yards
• 25 pull-ups (if you can't complete a pull-up, do body rows using whatever is available - see my pull-up video)
• sprint 25 yards
• 25 push-ups
• 25 mountain climbers

Repeat stretches.

Why Diets Don't Work

Why Diets Don't Work
If you go "on a diet", what does that mean? That you will eventually go "off the diet". If you haven't changed your eating and physical activity behaviors, what's going to happen? Rationally, you know the answer, but emotionally, you engage in wishful thinking, hoping that this time you will lose the weight and keep it off. What weight are we talking about? When people tell me they lost 12 pounds in two weeks, I ask "12 pounds of what?" On low-calorie diets, about 25 percent of the weight loss may be muscle (Ballor & Polehlman 1994).
Losing muscle is a bad thing. Muscle tissue is very active--it burns a lot of calories. Every pound of muscle burns about 35 calories per day. Using the above example, if you lost 12 pounds, then, you lost three pounds of muscle. You would be burning 105 less calories per day or 3150 per month. Since there are 3500 calories in a pound of fat, you would gain almost one pound of fat per month just from the muscle mass that you lost!
Why The Middle-Aged Spread Keeps Spreading
Inactive adults lose around one-half pound of muscle per year, or five pounds per decade. Since most people continue to eat as much as usual, what's going to happen? If you take in more calories then you burn, the extra calories get stored as fat. Fat is less dense then muscle---a pound of fat takes up more room than a pound of muscle. This means that as you lose muscle and gain fat, your weight might remain the same over the years, but your waistline will continue to expand!
Rev Up Your Metabolism--The Key to Permanent Weight Loss
How can we lose and keep off extra fat? You need to increase your resting metabolic rate (RMR), which is the pace your body burns calories at rest. Your RMR is closely linked to the amount of muscle you have--remember, muscle burns more calories than fat. Adding muscle will raise your RMR and will greatly increase the chance that the weight loss (more accurately fat loss) will be maintained.
Strength Training Versus Aerobic Exercise
Contrary to what many people think, strength training is as important, maybe more important to successful fat loss than aerobic exercise. The reason lies in the amount of calories that are burned when you aren't exercising. Depending on the intensity and your weight, an aerobic workout (walking, cycling, stair stepping) will burn approximately 300 calories per hour. If the exercise is strenuous enough (which is unlikely in the beginning exerciser) the RMR will be elevated temporarily up to a few hours afterwards. Compare this to strength training which elevates the RMR permanently. The RMR accounts for 60 to 75 percent of your daily calorie expenditure, so even a modest increase will help burn off more fat.
One study (Campbell 1994) found that a three-month basic strength-training program resulted in the subjects gaining three pound of muscle and losing four pounds of fat, while eating 370 more calories per day (a 15 percent calorie increase). Remember, aerobic exercise generally doesn't increase muscle tissue. In fact, excessive amount of aerobic exercise combined with a low-calorie diet can cause the loss of some muscle tissue. This is not to say that overweight individuals shouldn't do aerobic exercise--it offers many health benefits and is a part of a weight loss program. It's just that aerobic exercise by itself may not be the best solution for permanent weight (fat) loss.
Don't think that you need to workout in a gym for two hours to strength train. Significant gains can be made with a consistent 30-minute workout performed 2 -3 times per week.

-- unknown
**For training advice or to hire me as a personal trainer, email me at anthonymmvii@yahoo.com.

Dad's upper body workout

My 67 year old dad is in phase two of training (strength endurance).  The following was his workout for today.

Stretch: toe touch, trap and delt stretches, adductor stretch, and lat stretch (30 seconds hold for each)

Warm-up: Treadmill intervals for 15 minutes

Abdominals: stability ball crunch 15 reps, reverse crunch 15 reps, plank for 30 seconds (2 rounds - 30 seconds rest)

Balance: lunge to balance 5 reps each leg (2 rounds - 60 seconds rest)

Workout:
Chest (superset)

• barbell bench press 6 reps at 75lbs
• stability ball single arm bench press 8 reps each arm 12 kilogram kettlebell (26.4lbs)
• Rest 90 seconds
• Repeat (2 rounds total)

Back (superset)

• pull downs 8 reps at 120lbs
• kettlebell one-arm rows 8 reps at 12 kilograms
• Rest 90 seconds
• Repeat (2 rounds total)

Repeat stretches
** Don't have any weights?  Make your own with milk jugs and sand or water, OR buy your first kettlebell from me.  Don't have a treadmill?  Walk around the largest room in your home for 15 minutes.