Most people make a ton of mistakes when it comes to working out. Some of the more common problems I see are:

• Falling into the cardio trap. Doing tons of cardio because they don’t know or feel comfortable lifting weights. Cardio is familiar to them, easy to do, and they’ve heard it’s what you need to do to lose fat.
• Working out too much. You don’t need to workout 60, 90, or 120 minutes 6 days per week to make progress. More is not always better and often counter productive.
• Waste time doing exercises that don’t help with their goals.
• Lack proper intensity and progression with these exercises to see results.

Simple steps for starting an effective exercise plan

Start by moving more – This includes taking stairs, standing more, walking when you can

Build a more meaningful movement routine – Exercising in a gym can be tedious and boring sometimes. Start moving your body in ways that you really enjoy. Rock climbing, dancing, hiking, surfing, pick-up basketball and rec sports leagues, mountain biking, yoga, tumbling.

Gradually work up to 3-5 hours of total exercise per week – I’ve found that most people make significant progress when they get a total of 3-5 hours of exercise per week. Mix and match things like resistance training, cardio, and active hobbies to reach this level. You don’t need to do this all at once. Slowly start adding more and more activity in each week. 

Progressive overload – Track your workouts and challenge yourself to do a little more, a little better, and work a little harder each workout. This could be trying a little heavier weight, bumping up the speed or incline on the treadmill, or trying to beat a time you had in a previous workout.

As long as you do those 4 things, you’ll lose fat quickly and for good. You’ll even build some muscle too.

A Workout Plan To Get You Started

You might need some help putting it all together.

Below is a simple 4-week full body conditioning program I use with some of my clients that are super busy. They have a tough time getting to the gym consistently but still want to lose fat, build muscle and feel great.

20-minute Superhero Workout: Lose Fat, Build Muscle, and Improve Flexibility at home

What you’ll need for this workout:

• A pair of dumbbells
• GoFit Gravity straps (olympic rings or TRX)

Monday: Complete 3 to 5 rounds of.

• A1. Goblet squats, 15 reps
• A2. Couch stretch, 20 seconds
• A3. Inverted rows (using gravity straps, rings, or a bar), 10 to 15 reps
• A4. Arm chair stretch, 20 seconds
• A5. Jump rope or jumping jacks, 30 seconds

Wednesday: Complete 3 to 5 rounds of.

• A1. Dumbbell walking lunges, 20 total steps
• A2. Half pigeon stretch, 20 seconds
• A3. Push-ups, 10 to 15 reps
• A4. Arm chair stretch, 20 seconds
• A5. Mountain climbers, 30 seconds

Friday: Complete 3 to 5 rounds of.

• A1. Dumbbell Straight leg deadlifts (or barbell), 10 to 12 reps
• A2. Standing hamstring stretch, 20 seconds
• A3. Renegade rows, 10 to 15 reps
• A4. Shoulder opener, 10 times
• A5. Speed burpee, 10 reps

In-between workout days try to schedule in your meaningful movement. Hiking, yoga, rock climbing, or other activities you like. You can also include some cardio. This could be long walks, bike rides, or high-intensity interval training like tabata’s.

For the next 4-weeks follow this 20-minute hero routine.

Don’t forget about progressive overload. Each week try to add a little weight to your lifts, move a little faster without sacrificing form, or up the cardio intensity a little.

In yesterdays email I covered nutrition. Today we took care of training. Tomorrow I’ll be back to chat supplements and which ones you can use to improve your performance and speed up your progress.

Chat tomorrow,

Justin

Photo by Redd Angelo on Unsplash