Please lord, give me the strength.
The department of motor vehicles. George Carlin should have included this in his seven dirty words lists. I’m pretty confident I have never been out of there in less than 30 minutes, even with an appointment. This past friday was no different. I recently bought a motorcycle and am in the process of selling my truck and to no fault but my own, I have misplaced the title. Long story short I had to prepare some documents and submit them in person, as it was not something I could do online.
I know you’ve been to the DMV before and you’ve probably had to wait there just like I did. I won’t say it’s as bad as watching paint dry but it’s also not up there with skydiving, swing dancing, or a night out with your buds.
My wait there was roughly an hour so I had plenty of time to contemplate some things. How the hell can I make this go by a little faster, have some fun, and be productive at the same time. Well, I had not worked out that day and seeing as how I had some time to spare I figured why the hell not.
WHY WORKOUT AT THE DMV? WHY NOT?
The number one excuse I hear for not getting in a workout is time. Sometimes it’s justified but often times it isn’t. Whenever I hear “I just don’t have the time,” what that really means is it’s not a priority.
You don’t need an hour, a gym membership, or equipment to fit in a workout. A good twenty minutes is plenty of time to get in a total body workout with no equipment necessary. The entire world is a gym. Look around at the trees to do pull-ups in, the ground to do push-ups, the park bench to do box jumps, and all the open space to go on a run.
The second most common excuse I hear is I need to make it fun in order to do it. I definitely agree with that and I am a big proponent of “doing more of what you love, and less of what you don’t” but I’m guessing you do the laundry and that’s not quit up there with a trip to Hawaii, pretty confident you brush your teeth and I don’t really find that to be fun, and I’m fairly confident you spent quit a while in school and while at times it was fun 😀 it sure wasn’t always.
So problem solved. You had to go to the DMV today so you figured your work out was out the window.
Wrong!
You expected the DMV to be a bit of a bore and not so much fun.
Wrong!
Here is how you can get a workout in, have some fun, and get some funny looks your way.
THE DMV WORKOUT
B168…. that was my identity for the afternoon. No more Justin. Just a number. That is now how I would be identified.
For some reason or another that got me thinking. How can I turn those letters and numbers that are called out into some fun. After all, Bingo did it… why couldn’t I.
So here’s how to do the DMV Workout
The DMV uses just about every letter in the alphabet to give an identity to those eagerly waiting to be called. I found that the letters used most often are; A, B, C, D, E, F, and G
For the workout each letter will represent a different exercise. You can prescribe any exercise you’d like but for this workout I want to make sure you get a full body beat down that emphasizes all the major muscle groups.
- Chest
- Back
- Shoulders
- Legs
- Core
This is how I broke down my DMV workout last friday.
A: Air squats
B: Push-ups, incline push ups, or wall push ups
C: Planks
D: Jumping jacks
E: Door pull-ups/Inverted rows/or 1 arm rows with purse, backpack, or water bottle
F: Wall shoulder press
G: Steam engines
For updated video demos, Go here.
After each letter a number is given. You’ll probably see something like this on the TV’s as you wait.
A122
The numbers that are given represent the amount of repetitions you would perform. Simply add them up and that gives you the number of reps. In this case it would be 5 reps (1+2+2). Since the letter A is used you would be doing Air squats for 5 repetitions.
Every time a new combination of letter and number comes out you will perform that exercise for the required number of reps.
After you complete the exercise your rest time is as much time as it takes for the next combination to be called out.
Lets say you decide to take on this challenge and the first combination to pop up on the TV is C068. Well you know that this means you will be holding your plank for 14 seconds. You complete the exercise and nothing has been called out just yet so that means you get to wait. Lets say it takes another minute for the next combination to come up on screen. That means you are resting for a full minute.
But what if a combination, or two, or three, or four, comes up up while I am completing one of the exercises?
Sorry Charlie, that just means you will be working pretty hard. For example if C068 comes up and you start you planks for 14 seconds and in the middle of it D255 comes up you would then go right into jumping jacks for 12 reps with no rest.
THIS SEEMS CRAZY. WILL PEOPLE LOOK AT ME WEIRD?
Simple answer… YES and YES 🙂
But take a look around. Those same people are not have as much fun and are not spending their time effectively. This is just another opportunity to get comfortable with the uncomfortable and grow as a person.
Worst case scenario is that people look at you like you’re a weirdo or a security guard asks you to stop. Big deal yeah?
CAN I DO THIS WHEN I’M NOT AT THE DMV?
Hell yeah! Go visit your local bingo parlor and get your fitness on… just kidding.
If you want to give this type of workout a shot and have some fun at the same time while not at the DMV grab a partner, take out a bunch of ripped up pieces of paper and write down the letters mentioned above followed by three numbers.
You and your bud would then take turns pulling out a piece of paper and performing the exercise for the required number of reps.
For example:
Jane: Pulls out F293
John: Performs 14 wall shoulder presses
Immediately after John would pull out a pieces of paper
John: G412
Jane: Performs 7 steam engines
You can then alternate back and forth for 20 minutes for a pretty solid 20 minute workout with minimal rest.
I WANT TO MAKE THIS WORKOUT HARDER
Oh well pardon me Mr or Mrs Humble McGee… I kid, I kid.
You can easily make this harder. Try selecting more advanced or intense exercises like burpees, clapping push-ups, jump squats, or slow pull-ups.
If you are trying this at the gym or have access to some equipment at home you can factor that in as well. Maybe some bent over rows, kettle bell swings, or DB bench press. Use your noodle and get creative. Just make sure to pick exercises that will work your entire body.
AND IT’S JUST THAT EASY
There is always time to fit in a workout but you have to make it a priority.
Not every workout will be fun but neither are some of the things you do on a daily basis but you still do them anyway. If you want your workouts to be fun then it is up to you to figure out what you enjoy doing and spend more time doing that.
If you like to run and not lift weights so much then try hitting the weights 2-3 times a week and getting in runs the rest of the time. If you like playing soccer then do that more often. That is a heck of a workout. If you hate working out alone then call a pal and start a fitness challenge with one another.
If anyone trys this workout at the DMV record it and submit it to me. I’d love to feature it on the site. Maybe I’ll even send you a dollar or something?
Did any of this not makes sense to you? Just contact me and I will try my best to clarify.
Live limitless,
Justin
P.S. Fore more great workout ideas check out the Limitless365 Fitness Program, helping busy people get fit.