A few months ago I got an email from someone who said they loved the blog and the overall philosophy here of your health acting as a key driving force in you living a fully engaged life. However, they wished that I had some more workout examples available to follow.

Well, it only took me a few months but I finally got around to it (my apologies).

I’d like to introduce you to the Limitless Living Ninja Toolkit. Lets just call it the LLNT for short. In the LLNT you’ll find 18 workouts to match any  level of fitness. Regardless of your knowledge, experience, or confidence – there is a workout for you in there.

The workouts in the toolkit include:

• 6 levels of Bodyweight only workouts
• 5 levels of Barbell workouts
• 5 levels of Dumbbell workouts
• 30 days of Crossfit for fitness workouts
• 30 days of Crossfit for performance workouts

WHAT’S INCLUDED IN EACH WORKOUT?

Note: If you want to go right to the workouts this link will take you there.

Each workout has its own booklet with multiple tabs at the bottom for easy navigation.

The first tab is the recommended workout days

This acts as a map for which days to workout on the program and which days to rest. If the recommended days don’t work for you and your schedule just adjust them so that it meets your needs. However, each workout was planned out to maximize recovery and results. All of the workouts, with the exception of the Crossfit ones will have you working out on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday with active recovery in-between each workout.

Active recovery is a chance for you to try something new that you’ve put off. Always wanted to try rock climbing, yoga, Pilates, a spin class, surfing, hike, tennis, paddle boarding, slack lining, gymnastics, animal flow or move nat, salsa dancing? You can also use it as a day to stretch out, foam roll, or prep any healthy meals you may need.

I also like to use these days to focus on accomplishing a task that gets me one step closer to a personal goal. 

• Learning a new language
• Reading a book I’ve put off
• A trip I’ve put off.

Sometimes using your active recovery days to just rest and relax is best. You could meditate, practice a little gratitude, do some volunteer work. It really depends on you but try to enjoy the day.

The second and third tab is where you’ll find the workouts

Each workout has a notes section at the top briefly explaining the workout. Feel free to drop this and use it as a place to write your own notes. After the notes section the workout will be outlined and include the exercises, reps, sets, rest, and temp. Please visit this post for reference about reps, sets, rest, and tempo.

Each workout then has some bonus work you can do. You don’t have to do the bonus work but if you’re feeling pretty darn good that day and want a bit more of a challenge then go for it!

The fourth and fifth tab are your workout trackers

You can use these to record notes, reps, sets, the dates you did the workouts, and if you made any changes to them. Feel free to use a personal notebook or any other method to track your results but PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE record your workouts. If you’re not assessing what you’re doing you’re just guessing.

The sixth tab is an exercise substitutions list

If you can’t do a certain exercise, say pull-ups because you’re not quite strong enough yet or don’t have a pull-up bar, you can use the exercise substitutions list to help you figure out what you might be able to do instead. You can also use the DIY exercise chart to help with this. The DIY exercise chart will show what exercises work what muscles and how you can use various exercises to do the same thing.

The seventh tab is to track any bonus work, cardio, or other activity

Here you’ll be able to record how far you’ve run, rowed, biked, etc.. You can even log the incline, speed, or resistance you use on various machines.

What if I don’t know how to do one of the exercises or not sure if I use proper form?

I’ve got you covered. The L365 Exercise Library includes video descriptions of every exercise included in the free workouts. If I happen to not have one included you can contact me here and I will get one up and loaded.

So boss right? 🙂

THE BODYWEIGHT ONLY WORKOUTS

There are six levels of bodyweight only workouts. Level 1 being a beginners with each subsequent workout being a little bit more difficult and ending with level 6, the hardest of the bodyweight only workouts.

Who are the bodyweight workouts for?

They were designed with someone pressed for time in mind. For the busy Mom or Dad, student, executive, or maybe someone just going through a really hectic time in their life but wants to starting chaining their body. Just about all the workouts can be done in the comfort of your own home and with little to no equipment. In the later levels a pull-up bar would be nice but is not necessary.

How are the workouts done?

All of them are done in a circuit style so you’ll be moving from one exercise to the next as quickly as possible with little to no rest. However, work as hard as is comfortable for you. If you need a little extra rest in-between exercises then take it but try to push yourself a bit harder each workout.

What kind of exercises will I be doing?

All the ones that give you the most bang for your buck. These use the biggest muscles, burn the most calories, and build strong lean muscle.

• Bodyweight squats
• Lunges
• Step-ups
• Pull-ups
• Inverted rows
• Push-ups
• Dips
• Situps
• Running
• Jumping rope

Just to name a few. You can view all of the exercises in the L365 Exercise Library.

Here’s a look at the level 1 workout:

In this example you’ll start with 15 bodyweight squats. Once you’ve completed 15 squats you’ll move right to 10 push-ups. Immediately after finishing your 10th push-up you’ll go right into 15 toe touches, then 10 inverted rows, and finally 15 sit-ups. 

When you’ve finished your 15th sit-up this is considered your first set. You’ll now rest 1 to 2 minutes and repeat the circuit 2 to 3 more times.

What if I can’t do one of the exercises?

If you can’t do one of the exercises no worries at all. Just use the exercise substitutions list included as the last tab or use the DIY chart.

And remember, if you’re not sure how to do a certain exercise or just want to check your form you can use the L365 Exercise Library to view video descriptions.

THE DUMBBELL AND BARBELL WORKOUTS

The dumbbell and barbell workouts are structured just like the bodyweight workouts. You’ll find the exact same tabs, resources, notes, and suggestions.

The only difference, and a big one, is that you’ll need the right equipment to get these bad boys done. 

A gym membership or belonging to a Crossfit Box will make doing the workouts in these sections easier but you can also easily do them at home.  

Shop Craigslist, Ebay, Play It Again Sports, Amazon, or check out any of these sites (1 – 2 -3) For any deals on new or used equipment. When it comes to fitness equipment I highly recommend buying used stuff. Unless you plan on opening up your own place some day there’s no real need for anything fancy, you’re going to be dropping it, knocking it around, and basically beating it up anyway. 

If you enjoy working out at home or need to because of time the dumbbell and barbell recommendations below should help.

These suggestions should allow you to do most Dumbbell (DB) exercises based on your skill level with as little financial investment as possible. 

• Beginner Male: 10lbs to 20lbs
• Beginner Female: 5lbs to 15lbs
• Intermediate Male: 20lbs – 30lbs
• Intermediate Female: 15lbs – 25lbs
• Advanced Male: 35lbs – Up
• Advanced Female: 25lbs – Up

If you decide that you want to pick up a barbell and some olympic plates for home the suggestions below should help.

For the larger plates, 45#, 35#, and 25# I recommend spending a bit extra to purchase bumper plates. They’re great for doing olympic lifts, deadlifts, and back squats. You’ll have the ability to drop them in case of an emergency without much damage being done to them (or the area you are working out). 

For the smaller plates, 10#, 5#, and anything less I recommend picking up classic metal plates. 

As for the barbell you pick up, unless you plan on doing a lot of olympic lifting (snatch, clean, jerk) save yourself some money and see if you can get yourself a used standard olympic barbell.

Oh man how could I forget, you’ll definitely need some clips to hold those weights on.

Here are some recommendations for how much weight to initial purchase:

• Beginner Male:  Two 35# plates, two 25# plates, two 10# plates, two 5# plates
• Beginner Female: two 25# plates, two 10# plates, two 5# plates
• Intermediate Male: Two 45# plates, two 35# plates, two 25# plates, two 10# plates, two 5# plates
• Intermediate Female: 15lbs – Two 35# plates, two 25# plates, two 10# plates, two 5# plates
• Advanced Male: Follow the outline for the intermediate male and pick up smaller plates (5#, 10#, 25#) as you get stronger
• Advanced Female: Follow the outlined for the intermediate female and pick up smaller plates (5#, 10#, 25#) as you get stronger

Again, I really recommend saving yourself some money and shopping for used equipment. However, if you really like shiny new stuff and your budget allows for it try to find a fitness or Crossfit equipment distributor near you so that you can go check out the equipment, play with it a lithe, and save yourself some money by picking it up and avoiding any delivery charges.

THE CROSSFIT WORKOUTS

Love it or hate it Crossfit has built a strong brand and is doing some really great things in the health and wellness industry. Most of you know that I use to compete, still teach classes, and use a lot of the methods with my private and remote/online coaching clients. 

The support, accountability, and community a Crossfit box provides is one of the big perks but a membership to a Crossfit box isn’t cheap. It will run you anywhere from $150 to $300 per month depending on the location. If this is out of your price range you can still do Crossfit style workouts in a regular gym or at home.

In the LLNT I have two month-long Crossfit style workouts that you can try.

Crossfit Fitness Workouts

1. The first one is Crossfit Fitness:  These workouts will combine bodyweight exercises, dumbbells, and barbell work with running, jumping, and rowing.

Here’s a look at the first workout in the Crossfit Fitness workbook:

Notes: Complete workout (A) in a circuit style moving from one exercise to the next and by following the rest after each exercise. For example you will do a set of goblet squats, rest 30 seconds, then do a set of pull-ups, rest 30 seconds, do a set of alternating db lunges, rest 30 seconds, do a set of push-ups rest 30 seconds. This is one set (or round) continue this until all 4 sets are complete. After you have completed workout A rest 5 minutes and move on to workout (B).

For workout (B) you will do as many medicine ball slams as you can do in 30 seconds, rest 30 seconds, and then do as many inverted rows as you can do in 30 seconds, rest 30 seconds, and then move on to doing as many burps as you can do in 30 seconds, followed by a 30 seconds rest. This is equal to one set. You will then start over again with the ball slams and do the same thing. Keep this up until all three sets have been completed.

You may be wondering what some of that junk even means up there. Reference this post about rest, sets, rest, and temp and check out this link for definitions of certain terms like AMRAP (as many rounds and reps as possible). And just as a reminder, you can view exercise demonstrations here if you’re not sure what you should be doing or how to do it properly.

Who are the Crossfit Fitness workouts for?

For: Those that are already familiar with basic movement patterns and can do squats, lungs, pull-ups (or assisted), push-ups, and overhead presses with confidence and good form.

Aim: To improve form, strength, conditioning, and speed up fat loss or muscle growth.

Learn: How to manipulate reps, sets, and rest to improve your results in and out of the gym.

Crossfit Performance Workouts

2. The second Crossfit style workout is Crossfit Performance: These workouts are similar to the Crossfit fitness workouts except they will ask you to do a few more advanced lifts and include olympic lifting (snatch, clean, and jerk). 

The workouts will also be more challenging and are geared more to someone who is interested in becoming a better athlete, getting stronger, and not as concerned with fat loss.

For: Those of you that prioritize fitness and have no issues staying consistent. You may be a weekend warrior looking to improve 5K, 10K, or Marathon time. You may be getting looking to improve your Mud Run time or compete in your first Crossfit competition (if that is the case I highly recommend personal coaching).

• You can deadlift at least 1.75X’s your bodyweight
• You can back squat at least 1.5X’s your bodyweight
• You can bench press at least 1X’s your bodyweight

Aim: To take your fitness to the next level and to challenge you physically and mentally. To help you become a better athlete in and outside of the gym.

Emphasis will be more on performance then body composition changes

Learn: How to build your own workouts to help you achieve your goals, manipulate sets, reps, rest, and tempo to improve strength and athletic performance.

HOW TO READ A WORKOUT

All those letters, names, and abbreviations can sorta get confusing. Hopefully this quick little outline will make reading a workout a tad easier for you.

The letters: You’ll notice letters before each exercise. This is a way to let you know the order in which the exercises are to be performed. In the example below you’ll notice that I’ve used the letters A and B. What this means is that all the exercises with the letter A in front of them will be performed together in a circuit or one after the other, before moving onto the B exercises.

Exercises: The first thing listed will be the exercise you are to do. If you are unfamiliar with the movement make sure to watch the video description.

Sets: This is how many times you will be performing each exercise.

Reps: This is the number of times times you will be moving the weight, your body, etc.. For each exercise and set. You may see a suggested range like this (12-15). This means you strive to do that exercise for a minimum of 12 repetitions and a maximum of 15.

If you are able to do 15 or more reps think about making the exercise a little more difficult by increasing the weight you are lifting (but still able to maintain good form with) or making a body weight exercise more difficult by slowing down the tempo at which you move. For example if you are doing push ups you can lower yourself to the ground slower which will increase the amount of time your muscles are under tension, thus making the exercise more difficult.

If you are not able to do the minimum suggested repetitions I would suggest lowering the weight a little bit or trying an exercise substitution. For example, if you cannot do 10 push ups with good form (all the way to the ground) then you could try knee push ups or elevated push ups instead until you build up the strength.

Tempo: This is something you will see as the workouts become more and more advanced. The first couple of levels will not have a suggested tempo to move your body or the weight. If this is the case you simply want to move your body or the weight in a controlled and smooth fashion. The video descriptions provide for a valuable resource for this.

As you advance you may see something like this: 31X1 – Each number represents the speed at which you should be moving you body or weight.

• First number: In this example it is (3). This is the speed that you are to lower the weight or your body. So for example if you are performing the bench press exercise you will take 3 seconds to lower the weight to your chest.

• Second number: In this example it is (1). This is the pause you take at the bottom portion of the exercise. So for the bench press after you have lowered the weight to your chest you will pause for 1 second.

• Third number: In this example it is (X). The letter X represents an explosive movement. So for the bench press you will want to raise the weight from the chest to above you as quickly as possible.

• Fourth number: In this example it is (1) This represents the pause after you have raised the weight or your body. So for the bench press you will pause 1 second after you have raised the weight above you.

• Rest: This represents the amount of time you should wait before performing the next exercise or set.

RESOURCES, TIPS, AND OTHER THINGS TO HELP YOU AS YOU’RE MOVING FORWARD