This post may be a little out of the ordinary as it introduces a weight loss method not commonly used or known by your everyday fitness enthusiast.

I wrote this post because…

• I want to introduce readers to up and coming topics in the fitness industry
• I want to encourage people to try and explore new things that can help their training lifestyle
• I am dedicated to making this blog entertaining to read.

So, I hope you enjoy this introduction to cold showers (cold hydrotherapy).

The process of subjecting your body to cold water is not a new or breakthrough method for improving health. It has been used throughout history by societies like the Spartans and Samurai.

Spartans believed that bathing in hot water was for the weak and only used cold water. Any discomfort endured during this process was a bonus and helped train their bodies for war.

The Japanese Shinto Samurai would stand under an icy waterfall, known as Misogi, in a ritual to cleanse their spirit.

Even today, cold hydrotherapy (ice baths) is used with athletes to promote quicker muscle recovery and aid in soreness from bouts of intense exercise.

And now…

The benefits of exposing your body to cold temperatures have reached the fat loss and fitness industry through methods like cold showers.

But before we dive any further into this, I have to make one thing clear.

I’m not claiming that this will work for everyone. In fact, not everyone should try this (Those people are mentioned later on) and if you hate being cold, this definitely isn’t for you. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of other ways to successfully achieve fitness success and live the fit life that you want.

Also, I am not an expert in hydrotherapy. All of the advice, tips, and results I share are from my own personal experimentation with cold showers, the experiences of my personal clients, and conclusions from research studies.

With that being said, let’s get right into the good stuff.

Cold Showers Can Help You Lose Weight and Boost Metabolism

In a 2008 study, “Human Skeletal Muscle Mitochondrial Uncoupling is Associated With Cold Induced Adaptive Thermogenesis“, researchers claimed that it is possible to lose weight with cold showers.

The study states that brown fat tissue can increase fat burning when the body is exposed to cold temperatures. Exposure can also potentially have more effects on increasing metabolism than diet and exercise.

Cold temperatures activate the fat burning fat tissue, brown fat, that your body burns for energy to stay warm. Brown fat (brown adipose tissue) burns fat and glucose, the excess calories that would become white fat (the fat most people think of, like the stuff you cut off a steak) that may end up around your waist, for heat.

“Higher amounts of brown fat can lead to more energy being burned and more weight loss.”

With a combination of increased blood pressure from the constriction of your veins/arteries (explained later), body temperature (thermogenic effect), and brown fat levels – your body’s metabolism is increased. A higher metabolism can help burn calories and fat more effectively along with increasing muscle growth.

Cold therapy for weight loss was recently popularized in The 4 hour body (awesome book) by Tim Ferris and highlighted in a case study that showed the weight loss effects of intermittent exposure to cold.

The 4 Hour Body Trailer

The case study observed one individual’s attempts at weight loss…

Following a basic exercise and diet plan, Ray Cronise – a high-ranking material scientist at NASA who specialized in biophysics and analytical chemistry (crazy right?), was able to effectively utilize cold exposure as a catalyst to fat loss.

Without cold exposure – Ray lost 17.8 pounds of fat in 12 weeks. (1.48 pounds per week)

After gaining the weight back and getting back on the same fitness/nutrition protocol.

With cold exposure - Ray lost 28.6 pounds in 6 weeks. (4.77 pounds per week)

"61%  more fat loss in half the time."

“I found Ray’s results both incredible and believable.”

– Tim Ferris

You can see more insight on cold therapy for fat loss in the Tim Ferris interview at AskMen or in his book “The 4 Hour Body”

So, cold showers have been shown to increase the bodies ability to burn fat, by increasing brown fat levels and burning more energy but…

There are more benefits your training lifestyle can gain from.

Lifestyle Benefits of Cold Showers

Kick Start your Morning

If you’re a night owl like me, mornings can be a struggle.

I’ve noticed that a cold shower can be invigorating and highly effective in revving up your system. When the cold water first hits you, it can be a little shocking. I’ve definitely questioned my sanity a handful of times but the increased heart rate and rapid breathing was 100% effective in waking me up.

Cup of coffee vs. Cold Shower

Who Wins?

Helps With Depression

The effect of cold water improving depression is perhaps one of the most interesting benefits.

Research at the Department of Radiation Oncology at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine indicated that cold water could have a stimulating effect on the brain’s “blue spot“, which is our body’s primary source of noradrenaline. Noradrenaline is a chemical that may have an ability to alleviate depression.

Study - http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/12/18/depression-cold-shower.html

Improve Circulation

When your body is exposed to cold temperatures it constricts veins and arteries in a process called vasoconstriction. The tightening decreases the space and increases the pressure for blood flow. Your body rapidly forces blood to vital organs to keep warm.

The opposite effect, when your body is exposed to heat, is called vasodilation and pushes blood flow to the surface of the skin.

Although there is a lack of studies that support the claims of increased circulation, some researchers strongly believe that by alternating hot and cold exposure, you can benefit from this activation of the circulatory system.

Improved blood flow and circulation can aid in quicker recovery time along with overall cardiovascular health. It can also help prevent problems such as hypertension, appearance of varicose veins, and hardening of arteries.

Stronger Immune System

In a study done in Prague, researchers immersed athletic men in cold water (3x week for 6 weeks) and found that there was notable activation in the immune system.

The most notable was an increase in 2 white blood cells, monocytes and lymphocytes.

• Some specific Lymphocytes play an important role in eliminating bacteria, viruses, and toxins.
• Monocytes are indirectly responsible for engulfing and consuming pathogens and foreign materials.

Exposing the body to cold can increase metabolism and rev up the immune system for more production of white blood cells as a response to the body warming itself.

Healthier Skin and Hair

Hot water can dry out skin and hair.

Cold water on the other hand, can help hair and skin look healthier by tightening cuticles and pores, preventing them from being clogged.

For even more cold shower benefits, check out “21 Health Benefits of Cold Showers“.

Now It’s Your Turn

With research backing the benefits of cold showers like increased fat loss and metabolism, you may be eager to start utilizing them on your own.

But before you jump into a freezing shower, there are some things that you should consider.

Listen to your body and be progressive.

It may be tempting to dive head first into this cold shower method but the key to long-term success is rooted in a progressive approach.

In any situation, it will be important to listen to your body. If you experience your heart rate beating uncomfortably fast, notice any numbness, or pain in your body – it will be a clear indicator for you to take things slower.

Let your body progressively build a tolerance and experiment with different lengths of time/temperatures.

Stick with it long enough to see if it works for you.

Like any other lifestyle strategy, in order for it to be effective you have to give it a chance.

Most of the cold hydrotherapy studies were done over a course of 1-3 weeks with notable results recorded after the first week. This is also the length of time I recommend you experiment with this protocol.

Also, don’t jump out too soon. Stay in the cold shower long enough to benefit from the physiological and mental effects it can have.

Cold showers are not for everyone.

Warning: Cold showers are not for everyone and in many cases can be harmful to certain individuals.

Especially if you…

• Have or have had a history of Heart Disease
• Have High Blood Pressure
• Are pregnant
• Have an illness, the flu, or sickness

Consult a doctor if you have any concerns.

The Cold Shower Protocol

Directions: Take 2 cold showers a day, once in the morning and once in the evening, for 2-3 weeks.

Start progressively with the temperature and time, slowly working your way up to 10-15 minutes. An effective approach can be to work in short 30-second bursts of cold water or to slowly increase your water temperature as outline below.

Lastly, this is an opportunity to improve your fit training lifestyle, not a life long commitment so don’t over stress on results. Like I mentioned earlier, this isn’t for everyone.

If it works for you great, you’ve found a new lifestyle strategy to utilize.

If it doesn’t work, no worries, don’t stress about it. You can move on knowing that you gave it an honest effort + now you have a great conversation starter…

“The 3 weeks I froze my ass off!”

How To Do The Cold Shower

1. Start your shower off with a warm temperature.

2. Complete you’re shampooing and washing with the warm temperature.

3. Now, gradually turn the water to a colder temperature. This colder temperature should be comfortable. Allow your body to adjust.

4. Increase the cold temperature, about halfway from the max, and maintain for 2-3 minutes. Allow the water to pass over your neck and upper chest as these are the areas that have been found to have the highest brown fat levels. You may experience some shivering which is a sign of thermogenesis and the body warming itself. Let your body adjust to the cold.

5. Turn the handle to the maximum cold temperature and maintain for up to 10-15 minutes or as long as you can handle. Again, listen to your body and take a progressive approach to allow your body to build up a tolerance to the cold over the 2-3 weeks. Make sure you end your shower with cold water.

If you liked this post, make sure you sign up for the FREE newsletter. Take 2 seconds and fill out your email at the top of the page so you can receive updates, Bonus Workouts, and members only training lifestyle content that never make it to the blog.

I want to hear from you! If you’ve tried cold showers in your training lifestyle, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Share any tips you might have, results you saw, or memorable experiences.

Every time I attend a conference, seminar, or workshop – I get 10 times more value than what I pay.

The most recent, Perform Better‘s 1-Day Training Summit was awesome. It was an opportunity to network/catch up with great people, learn from the best in the industry, and have fun.

(Gray Cook doing his thing @ Seattle Perform Better 2012)

2. Food Network and Cooking Channel

I don’t watch TV very often but when I do, the Food Network and The Cooking Channel are my favorites. I’m always learning something new and useful about cooking.

Just learned how to cut peppers and onions from Chef Gordon Ramsay.

3. Morning Breakfast Shakes

The reason I’m starting to become a morning person. (still a long ways to go)

Check out my recipe in “The Breakfast Solution“.

4. Your Support

This site started as a way to journal everything I was learning in the fitness industry. Since then, it’s become another avenue for me to inspire and help people improve the quality of their life.

All of the support has been encouraging and motivates me to get better. Thank you for caring about what I write.

5. Pull Ups

Pull ups are a great exercise. They work a ton of muscles and can help you build a great physique.

I randomly do pull ups while at work and with so many different variations to practice, it never gets boring.

Check out this great article “The Importance of Pull-up Bar Training” from Mark’s Daily Apple on how to improve your pull ups.

6. What Do You Want To Do Before You Die by: The Buried Life Guys

This is a book I picked up after reading the guest post “Playing B-Ball With Obama: 6 steps to crossing anything off your bucket list” they did for Tim Ferris. You might remember The Buried Life guys from their MTV show.

They inspire you to overcome fears and challenge yourself to do more.

7. The Minimalists

This is a blog site dedicated to minimalism. They have great advice on simplifying, de-cluttering, and using minimalism to live a meaningful life. Check them out – The Minimalists.

8. The Black Keys

I can listen to them riding in the car, when I’m working out, or just chilling. These guys simply know how to jam.

Can’t wait to see them when they come to Seattle next month.

9. Great Seattle Weather

If you think it rains a lot in Seattle, your absolutely right. But when it’s nice, it’s freaking beautiful and perfect for an active lifestyle. Check out some of the areas best hikes and how to get your body ready them – “How To Dominate Your Next Hike“.

(downtown Seattle on an awesome spring day)

10. Running with my girlfriend

I’m not the biggest fan of running but when you have someone to do it with, it makes it so much better.

Another opportunity to spend time together.

11. Ted Talks

I absolutely can’t get enough of Ted Talks. They are inspiring and if you haven’t seen one, go check one out asap.

Ted, the “non-profit devoted to ideas worth spreading”, hosts videos of all of their presentations at www.Ted.com or you can find their channel on youtube.

Some of my favorites:

• “How To Feel Like The Incredible Hulk” - Tim Ferris
• “How Great Leaders Inspire Action” – Simon Sinek
• “Teach Every Child About Food” – Jamie Oliver
• “Mystery Box” – JJ Abrams

“Why We Do What We Do, And How We Can Do It Better”  - Tony Robbins

12. Coming Home To A Happy Dog

She’s full of unconditional love. Especially if you have a T-R-E-A-T.

13. Wine Getaway To Recharge

A quick getaway can recharge your system and do a lot for your fit training lifestyle. You don’t have to travel very far to benefit from a getaway either.

I had an awesome time de-stressing and recharging, traveling only 45 minutes to Woodinville, for a 1 night wine getaway.

(Novelty Hill-Januik Winery)

14. ZMA’s

I take 3 ZMA pills, about 45 minutes before I go to bed and it helps me get quality sleep. When I wake up, I feel recharged and ready to start my day.

Helps a ton after training days.

15. Watching My Nephew Grow Up

Kids simply enjoy life. My nephew is constantly active, outside playing, and using his creativity to have fun.

His energy is contagious and whenever I’m around him, my cheeks hurt from smiling so much.

(Fighting Neighborhood Fires)

Before you leave, if you haven’t already signed up for the Training Lifestyle Newsletter, make sure you take a quick second to go up to the top of the page and put in your name and email. As a member, you will get FREE updates, extra tips and advice, Member Only workouts, and content that never makes it to the blog.

I would also love to know…

What are some things YOU can’t get enough, that are making your training lifestyle great?

Working out in the gym can quickly become monotonous and boring.

It can be plagued with the same exercises, weird gym personalities, and sweaty training equipment.

Which is why when the rain breaks, here in seattle, I like to get out for a hike and enjoy everything the pacific northwest has to offer.

Hiking can be a bad ass way to stay active and enjoy the benefits of your training lifestyle. It can also be a spontaneous and fun to workout, if your looking for some extra leg training and fat loss work.

But I know finding a trail, plus the physically demanding nature of hiking can be overwhelming and even prevent you from going out and trying it yourself.

So in this post…

I am going to

• Share some tips to make sure that your next hike is a bad ass experience
• Give you a workout that will prepare you for the physical demands of a hike and help you dominate it
• Plus, if your from the Seattle area or plan to visit, I will list some of the best hikes the area has to offer. (even some easier walks/hikes that will help you progress to more difficult trails)

And for those of you who are ready to trail blaze and go explore nature’s playground, I’m going to give you a kick ass workout to do, once you reach the top, to help you take your fitness and training to the next level. There’s nothing like training in the woods.

Crazy? A little.

But before I go on, I want to touch base on one important aspect about the training lifestyle and make sure you avoid this major pitfall, so many people make.

“The gym is only a tool to help you get the body and fit lifestyle you want.”

Whether it’s getting into a bikini on your vacation, taking your shirt off this summer (guys), or being able to go out and do the active things you’ve always wanted to do – it’s important to remember that your efforts, watching your nutrition and training your tail off, is to enable you to go out and enjoy your results!

One mistake I see so many people make, is get too obsessive with the numbers on the scale and their results.

They become slaves to the gym, diet nazis, and forget the reasons why they’re training so hard. Sooner or later, when the results slow down or even plateau, they burn out and gravitate back to bad habits.

My clients who see the most results and successfully achieve their fitness goals, learn to get hooked on the feeling the training lifestyle gives them.

They take time to enjoy the journey by finding active hobbies, like hiking, that help them supplement their training lifestyle. Finding different avenues to enjoy your results and staying in touch with what motivated you to change is an important way to maintain and accelerate your results.

Okay, let’s get back to helping you dominate your next hike.

I won’t lie to you.

I’ve had some bad hiking experiences.

Like the time I wore tennis shoes on an advanced 15 mile hike and ended up twisting both ankles multiple times. My ankles looked like grapefruits by the time I got home.

“Or the time I forgot to check the weather and wore jeans on a 95 degree day. I ended up in my underwear for 80% of the hike.”

But over time, I’ve learned from my mistakes and realized that my fitness level wasn’t the only determining factor of the experience.

Here are some tips, I’ve compiled from my experiences, to help you have a kick ass experience!

How To Have A Kick Ass Hike

1. Put Together A Day Pack – make sure to pack plenty of water plus a light snack that will give you an energy boost when you reach the top. Getting up is only half the battle and refueling will help you get back down with plenty of energy. Pack a couple pieces of fruit, a protein bar, maybe some beef jerky, and some raw veggies.

2. Plan Around The Crowd - if your planning to head out on a weekend and you live in an active city like Seattle, your probably not going to be only one planning a hike. Check local sites to see when hikes and trails are most crowded. There’s nothing worse then a bunch of people hogging up the trail, talking on cell phones, and ruining the experience.

3. Ditch The Technology -  hiking is a great way to de-stress and brining your i-phone or blackberry along is a sure fire way to stay connected to stress. Ditch the technology and enjoy the adventure.

“When’s the last time you voluntarily stepped away from your i-phone and technology?”

De-cluttering mental stress can be a great way to revamp your intensity back in the gym!

4. Pick a Hike That Fits Your Level - I remember going on a 10 mile hike during a strength program that had little to no cardio. I ended up twisting both of my ankles and getting my ass kicked. I never wanted to go on a hike again!

With time, my ankles healed and I got over the ass kicking but learned a valuable lesson. To lose the ego and pick a hike that fit my experience and fitness level. Even if you want to challenge yourself, make sure your aware of the difficulty level of your hike if you want to enjoy the experience.

5. Recruit Hiking Buddies - you can enhance the experience by recruiting some hiking buddies that you know will enjoy the adventure. A little word of advice, don’t bring an out of shape friend to a difficult hike, unless you want to hear a grown man(adult), whining for a couple hours.

6. Dress Appropriately – this may be common sense but you’d be surprised at how many people misjudge this one. Make sure that you check the weather and prepare to wear the appropriate clothing. Don’t wear jeans if you know it’s going to be a hot day and don’t skip out on brining along a windbreaker if the weather’s questionable. (especially if you’re in Seattle) Also, tennis shoes may not be the best choice of shoes for your hike. Check the difficulty of the trail and find the right footwear to keep your ankles safe. (I learned this one the hard way)

Now that you have some basic hiking guidelines to follow to help you get the most out of your experience…

It’s time for you to pick one to do.

Why do you have to pick one?

Because talk is cheap and we are great at convincing ourselves not to do something!

When you make a decision, start planning, and pick a day to do it – you will be more likely to actually follow through on the hike.

Another great strategy you can use to follow through on doing a hike is, #5 from the  ”How To Have A Kick Ass Hike” list, and recruit some hiking buddies. With more people making the effort to free up their schedule to go, you’ll feel more obligated to go.

But I know that even researching and finding a hike can be used as an excuse to go out and be active, (I used this one all the time) so, for those of you who live close by or plan to visit - I’ve come up with a quick list of some of the best hikes in the seattle area.

If your not from Seattle…

Check out some local national park sites or city web pages. They usually offer a huge list of trails and hikes in the area. (Be sure to let The Training Lifestyle Nation now below in the comments, when you find a kick ass hike)

(view from rattlesnake ridge)

No excuses now.

Best Hikes Near Seattle

1. Rattle Snake Mountain To Rattle Snake Ledge

2. Little Si

3. Big Si

4. Tiger Mountain

5. Cougar Mountain

6. Spray Park

Shorter Walks/Hikes

1. Seward Park Loop

2. Green Lake

3. South Lake Union

4. Discovery Park

5. Burke-Gilman Trail

6. Carkeek Park

Preparing your body for the physical demands of a hike.

On any hike, your body will have to be ready for uneven terrain, moving over obstacles, and cover distances that can range from 3 – 15+ miles. The combination of all of these challenges can take a toll on the lower body, core, and your cardio.

So, I’ve prepared a workout that will help you dominate all of these challenges.

Implement it into your normal training program 1 or 2 times a week to help you get ready for any hike on your list!

The “Dominate Your Next Hike” Workout

Directions: Perform the exercises in a circuit, one after another with no breaks in between the exercises. Rest for 1-2 minutes when you finish the last circuit in the workout.

1. Box Jump x 15

2. Dumbbell 360 Lunges x 3-4 circles

3. Med Ball Rotational Chops x 12 each side

4. Med Ball Mountain Climbers x 15 each leg

5. Walkout Pushups x 10 reps

Finisher: 20 seconds each exercise with no break in between the exercises. Repeat 2 times with no break.

1. Lunges Left Leg

2. Lunges Right Leg

3. Russian Twist

4. Body Weight Squats (progression = prisoner jump squats)

This workout will prepare your legs, core, and cardio for the physically demanding nature of any hike.

Now, as promised…

Here is the “At The Top” Workout for you to do once you reach the top of your hike. It’s a metabolic workout that avoids over taxing the legs, since you still have to make it down the mountain.

This is a great workout to do on lighter hikes, to increase your fitness, fat loss, and results.

Don’t forget to check out the beast mode progressions if your ready for more of a challenge!

Disclaimer: Always use your best judgement and check egos at the door. I’m in no way responsible for injuries and always follow the general rule when your in nature. Don’t be a dumb ass.

Bonus Bodyweight Fat Loss Workout To Do on Your Hike – “At The Top” Workout

Directions: Perform as many reps as you can in 30 seconds for each exercise. Rest 30 seconds in between exercises. Repeat the exercises 2-3 rounds.

1. Jump Squats

2. Pushups + Knee To Elbows

3. Jumping Jacks

4. Mountain Climbers (so appropriate)

5. Burpees

If your feeling good after your reach the top and your ready to take it to the next level…

Here are some nature friendly progressions to increase the difficulty of your “At the top” workout

Warning: These progressions will tax the lower body. Be attentive to how much your legs are fatiguing because you still have to make it down the mountain/trail.

1. Log or Rock Front Squats – Hold a moderately heavy rock or log at chest level and perform full range of squats.

2. Feet Elevated Pushups (Knee to elbows are optional)

3. Log or Rock Overhead Squat Thrusts - Hold a moderately heavy rock or log at chest level and lower yourself down into a full squat. Using the momentum from your legs, explode up and press the rock/log above your head. Lower it back down to your chest and repeat for the 30 seconds.

4. Wide Leg or Cross Body Mountain Climbers

5. Rock Squat Explosive Throws – Hold a moderately heavy rock and hold it at chest level. Go down into a full squat. From the bottom of your squat explode up and throw the rock as far as you can. Run/jog to the rock and repeat for the 30 seconds.

Share with the The Training Lifestyle Nation…What hikes have you gone on that kick ass?

When you get to the point where your unhappy with your body, it’s important to remember that it doesn’t happen overnight.

In fact, it’s the exact opposite. Your body is a reflection of your lifestyle.

One lifestyle factor, that could be contributing to excessive weight gain is work. It’s where we spend a big portion of our day eating, socializing, working, stressing, and living.

According to the article “Gaining Weight At Work” from CNN living,

“49 percent of workers claimed they’ve gained weight at their current job…Twenty-eight percent of workers have gained more than 10 pounds at his or her present job, while an additional 13 percent of employees have gained more than 20 pounds.”

Inactivity used to be the only issue related to weight gain at work, desk Jockeys were eating more and moving less.

But now, more factors are contributing to your waistline expansion.

Eating Out

Eating out for lunch is not a bad thing when you have some healthy choices. But most of the time you go out for lunch, it’s not very healthy and bad choices can quickly cause weight gain.

Social Pressure

The alarming thing is that workers are not gaining weight alone.

There is social pressure to join the co-workers at lunch or even after work for happy hour. Even in situations where you bring a lunch from home, the fact that the rest of the group is going somewhere else for lunch can lead you to ditch the salad you packed for a greasy burger.

Traveling

If you travel for work, you immediately face some challenges and without preparation and planning, weight gain is almost a guarantee. Not only do you have long periods of not eating, when you do eat, the available food choices are not always the healthiest.

Also when your traveling for work, you may be on the company’s dime. Meaning, food and drinks are on someone else’s dollar. This can quickly lead to some serious gluttony and some serious pounds.

But this isn’t a post to just regurgitate what we already know and give you some happy “rainbow” strategies that seem to work.

This post is more like slap in the face, bucket of water on the head, a wake up call.

To get you to really look in the mirror and take a second from the monotonous routine of everyday life so that you can give yourself a chance to think.

Without getting some type of feeling or emotional response, change probably won’t happen and this article will be like the thousands of others you’ve read and failed to take action on.

So…

Before you scroll down and get to the strategies that can really help if your serious about some changes, ask yourself?

Am I happy with my body, my lifestyle?

Is my job making me fat and suffocating my lifestyle?

How is my quality of life? Where could it be?

What is my current body and lifestyle preventing me from doing, experiencing, feeling?

Once you can put some real emotions and feelings behind your goals to change, you will be ready to start taking action. My advice is to start with just 1 strategy at a time, don’t try to do too much. Once you master one, feed off the momentum and start mastering another.

“Here are some strategies to help you overcome work’s weight gain challenges.”

Cold Lunch

Get old school and pack your lunch a few times a week. Not only will this save you money, it will keep your food choices controlled. Easier said then done right? Get some more motivation to bring a lunch to work by buying a high tech lunch box, new tupperware, and fancy water bottle.

Walk Around

Instead of spending your entire lunch eating and sitting more, get out and go for walk. Walking can help you digest, de-stress, and burn some calories. Here’s a great article from the New York Times about the importance of intentional movement when working – “Less Active at Work, Americans Have Packed on Pounds.”

Make a Plan For Traveling

When I have clients who travel, we spend some time really planning out a game plan for their time away for work. I give them nutrition guidelines, tell them to make healthier choices, give them workouts that the can do anywhere without any equipment.

But the most important reason why we plan is to get them into the right mindset before they travel. If you travel, write out a game plan before you leave and include the things you will need to focus on for the trip.

What The Hell Are You Eating…Know What Your Eating For Lunch

This is one strategy that can absolutely rock the compliance meter.

If you don’t know what your eating for lunch when you get to work (when your not hungry), chances are that by lunch time when you are starving, your not going to care too much whether or not it’s healthy, as long as you get some food.

This is when after lunch, when your back to work, you start some serious self loathing.

What the hell did I eat?… Why the hell did I eat that?…What the hell?

Instead, make an effort to know what your eating for lunch and decide on something when you can think clearly and your stomach’s not making the decision for you.

Eat Breakfast and Plan Snacks

When you skip breakfast and miss snacking opportunities, you are probably going to be starving at lunch time. This can lead to consuming a huge lunch, self loathing, and some serious after lunch sleep coma. On top of that, a huge lunch can lead to a late dinner, and more weight gaining habits.

A great way to curb your hunger at lunch time, is to get in a balanced breakfast or morning shake (check out my morning shake recipe here) and snack every 2-3 hours.

Find like minded co-workers

Not everyone is health conscious at work. I used to work with a guy who would eat out for lunch everyday and systematically alternate mexican food (taco bell was his favorite), burgers, and Ivars.

I think you can understand why I didn’t eat lunch with him.

Instead of tagging along the going out to eat group, find like minded co-workers who keep a fit and training lifestyle as a priority in their life

Final Note:

We spend a large portion of our lives working and when you get lost in your work, you can easily forget to take care of yourself.

Today, the statistics are telling us all that, we are in fact getting lost in our work.

“Make sure your not forgetting to take care of yourself!”

David Goggins (Navy Seal/Ironman Athlete/Ultra marathoner)

I read a lot.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a book, internet article, or blog post, I’m addicted to anything that can help me improve the quality of my life and others.

But, my addiction leads me to a lot of horrendous content and useless information.

Reading a long internet article that offers no advice, inspiration, or education is absolutely a pet peeve of mine.

The alternative, a piece of information that could potentially lead to a breakthrough, is what feeds my addiction and it doesn’t have to meet any sort of criteria to be useful. It could be a 10 page article or a single sentence, as long as it triggers positive action and change.

In this post, I wanted to share some articles I’ve recently read, that have been influential in my own training lifestyle. You will notice that not all of the posts are related to fitness. Don’t freak out.

They are a reminder that the training lifestyle is more than working out and eating right but how you live your life. Enjoy!

10 Influential Articles I’ve Recently Read

(in no particular order)

1. Response (Show Now Weakness) – David Goggins (Bad Ass)

2. The Definitive Guide To The Primal Blueprint – Marks Daily Apple (Mark Sisson)

3. Do You Love Mondays - Martin Rooney (Training For Warriors)

4. The Painless Path To Endurance (Plus: Breville winner and more) - Tim Ferris

5. Life as a conscious Practice - Zen Habits

6. Lessons Learned From 14 Months of Adventure Travel – Nerd Fitness

7. Stay Hydrated – from: Robert Yang Inc.

8. 21 Things That Make Life Awesome – Nate Green

9. The 5 Pillars of Functional Movement – Nick Tumminello

10. Don’t Give Up (You’re On The Right Track) – Seth Godin

What posts have you read that have been influential in your own training lifestyle?

I’m finally seeing more and more…

Guys, realize that traditional bodybuilding training for big bulky muscles isn’t helping them achieve the bodies and results they really want.

Gaining weight and muscle mass is also leaving behind a layer of fat that’s destroying any hopes of a 6 pack and the fight club shredded look.

Ladies, figuring out that the skinny look is out and strong sexy bodies with lean muscles, is in.

Working out to be skinny is leaving more women catabolic (breaking down muscle mass for energy) and skinny fat instead of tight and toned.

These breakthroughs are helping so many people take back their training lifestyle.

But with more people redirecting their focus and transitioning to Lean Body goals, I see more are struggling to see results.

“The one MASSIVE mistake everyone that’s struggling is making… they are training, eating, and living the same way as they did before.”

To see the results you want with new lean goals, your training lifestyle has to appropriately change to supplement those goals.

So, in this post I’m going to give you 2 training methods to help focus your workouts and supplement the lean, shredded, and toned body your working for.

And since this site is all about giving you more, I’ve also included 3 different Lean Body workouts you can start using today. (If you don’t read anymore of this post, at least take the workouts and let me know how you like them)

But before we go on, it’s important to mention that it’s not just a physical appearance thing that’s getting more people to train for lean bodies.

I’ve seen more guys following a bodybuilding body part split program get injured, waste a ton of money on supplements, and even give up working out because they never see the results they really want.

I’ve also seen a ton of women struggle with crazy diets, waste countless hours doing steady state cardio, and also give up on their goals because they never see results.

The truth is, training to get lean is doing so much more for people than you think.

“It’s helping people live healthier, look fuc*in amazing, and train for long-term results.”

Okay let’s get on with the 2 Training Methods…

The first method that’s helping people Get Ridiculous Lean is bodyweight circuit training.

Training with bodyweight exercises is a great way to seamlessly move from one exercise to the next and it’s easy to change the intensity by adding a progression or regression.

Being able to move from one exercise to another quickly is important not only for results but also time and if you’ve ever trained in a big box gym you know how hard it can be to even do one exercise without someone invading your personal space or trying to take over your equipment.

Not only is this annoying, it’s probably the last thing you want to have to worry about while your working out.

But with bodyweight circuit training, nearly all the exercises can be performed pretty much anywhere, so you can spend more time training instead of fighting for equipment and space.

Bodyweight circuit training can also help you build lean muscle, increase muscular endurance, and when combined with high intensity intervals, it can yield higher levels of EPOC and boost metabolism for even more fat loss.

But be careful not to get sucked into thinking that bodyweight training is easy and that there is only one way to do it, because…

One misconception and mistake I see so many people make in their workouts is limiting themselves to only one training method.

Like I said earlier, you can tweak all of the bodyweight exercises to increase intensity and even incorporate other training methods to yield even more fat loss, as you will see in the Beast Mode Bodyweight Circuit Workouts below.

In it, you will see that I utilize a bunch of other training methods with bodyweight training including…

• Explosive movements
• Progressions/Regressions
• Bi – Lateral Movements (single sided)
• Core Exercises
• Isometric Holds

And lastly,

If you train mostly with weights and with little or no cardio – Bodyweight circuit training can help you lean out, drop body fat, and get a shredded look.

If your main goal is fat loss – incorporating this training method into your program can help add a variety in stimulus to your body and increase fat loss.

The second method that’s helping people melt away unwanted layers of fat and show off lean muscle is High Intensity Sprint Intervals.

If you’re like me and hate long steady state cardio this is going to appeal to you plus it is going to be highly effective at melting fat off your body without having to spend an hour on a treadmill or outside pounding pavement.

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) allows you to work at higher levels of intensity for longer periods of time.

When you run as hard as you can, your body goes into an oxygen depletion mode (anaerobic), which is why you can’t maintain this pace for a long time and when you do try to keep going…

“You eventually reach a breaking point either due to lactic acid build up or a lack of oxygen. The lack of oxygen breaking point is when your lungs scream at you to fu*kin stop.”

By alternating smaller bouts of intense work with active rest periods, you give your body an opportunity to recover so you can keep training at higher levels of intensity without reaching your breaking point.

And the longer you can train at higher levels of intensity, the more fat loss you can achieve.

Sprints are also great to incorporate into any training program because they can stimulate muscle growth and boost your levels of natural growth hormone/testosterone which are both essential for building lean muscle and burning fat.

Steady state aerobic running, just isn’t enough stimulus for your muscles to adapt and grow.

But I know what your thinking…

Sprints are fu*king hard.

Yeah, that’s the point, but don’t worry if this is a little overwhelming because I’m going to give you a few different levels of this training method so you can gradually progress and start at a level you are comfortable with.

Well, at least a little more comfortable.

THE CRAZY LEAN BODY WORKOUTS

Beast Mode Bodyweight Circuit (20 minutes)

I’m giving you 2 Beast Mode Bodyweight Circuit’s, one that you can do in the gym, and one that you can do anywhere. (outside, at home, in a hotel, on vacation, on a mountain, etc.)

Directions: For each exercise, perform as many reps as possible with good from for the specified work period. Rest for the set recovery period in between each exercise.

Finish all the exercises in the circuit to complete one round. Rest 1-2 minutes after each round and repeat for set number of rounds.

Note: As you get better, make sure you incorporate more progressions for the exercises you are crushing and shorten the rest periods after completing each round.

Progressive approach to shortening your rest period: 90s rest/ 60s rest/ 40s rest/ 30s rest/ 20s rest.

In Gym Beast Mode Bodyweight Circuit

Directions: For each exercise, perform as many reps as possible with good from for 40 seconds. Rest for 20 seconds in between each exercise.

Finish all the exercises in the circuit to complete one round. Rest 1-2 minutes after each round and repeat for 2-3 rounds.

1. Pushups (Check out this article from The Art of Manliness for a ton of pushup variations, 35+ I think with videos)

2. Jumping Lunges

3. Sprinter Sit Ups

4. Pull Ups (Check out this cool post from MarksDailyApple.com to help with pull ups)

5. Jump Squats or Speed Squats

6. Sprints in Place

7. Bodyweight Rows (You can either use a TRX or do it inverted on a barbell – here’s a great post from Nerd Fitness where he breaks down the inverted row)

8. Walkouts (Progression = Walkout + a pushup)

9. Mountain Climbers (Progression = Hands on top of a med ball)

10. Burpees

Anywhere Beast Mode Bodyweight Circuit

Directions: For each exercise, perform as many reps as possible with good from for 45 seconds. Rest for 15 seconds in between each exercise.

Finish all the exercises in the circuit to complete one round. Rest 1-2 minutes after each round and repeat for 2-3 rounds.

***Tip: Take this one outside on a nice day and get a killer fat loss workout while you enjoy some sun.

1. Alternate 2 Jump Squats with 1 Bodyweight Squat

2. Reverse Lunge + Knee Hike Left Leg

3. Pushup + Knee To Elbows (Progression #1 = Jump ins) (Progression #2 = Cross Body Knee To Elbows)

4. Reverse Lunge + Knee Hike Right Leg

5. Plank (Progression #1 = Single Leg) (Progression #2 = Single Arm) (Progression #3 = Single arm and Single leg)

6. Jumping Jacks

7. Mountain Climbers (Progression = Cross Body Mountain Climbers)

8. Sprinter Sit Ups

9. Skiers (Regression = Alternating Lateral Lunges)

10. Burpees

Burpee Progression #1 = Add a pushup at the bottom

Burpee Progression #2 = Tuck Jump at the top

Burpee Progression #3 = Single leg

HIIT – Sprint Interval (15-20 minutes)

Directions: Sprint at 90% intensity for the specified work period. Actively recover during your rest periods by lightly jogging or walking. Repeat for 15 – 20 minutes.

***YOU CAN EVEN DO THIS ON A TREADMILL/BUT TAKE YOUR TRAINING LIFESTYLE OUTSIDE IF YOU CAN.

Level 1

Work Periods = 30 seconds of intense work at 90%

Active Recovery Period = 90 seconds of active recovery

Level 2

30 seconds of intense work at 90%

60 seconds of active recovery

Level 3

30 seconds of intense work at 90%

30 seconds of active recovery

If this post helped you at all, I’d love to hear about it in the comments, so don’t leave without dropping a comment if you want to share!

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Athletes have always been the pinnacle of fitness for me.

Whether it was Arnold’s physique in Bodybuilding, Vernon Davis and Terrell Owens in the NFL, or even Georges St. Pierre in the UFC…

Professional athletes have set the physical and performance benchmarks that I’ve always wanted.

And just to note… athletic physiques are not just for guys anymore.

“More and more woman are training for strong and sexy athletic physiques.”

I’ve always known that an athletic physique was my goal.

However, I never really trained like an athlete because I couldn’t imagine in a million years of  looking like one.

“So I did what most people do and set half ass goals instead of shooting for what I really wanted.”

The athletes I looked up to were like super heroes with super human powers and they had the physiques to match. Average Joe’s like me, weren’t supposed to look like that.

Don’t get me wrong, I still loved to play sports and I can even say that I was pretty damn good at some but looking like one was out of the question. I threw the javelin in college, I wasn’t an olympic sprinter.

“This was my first mistake.”

Failing to believe that I could achieve a lean athletic body because I wasn’t a professional athlete. This mindset kept me from working out and training for these goals.

The truth is, it is possible to achieve a pro athlete worthy body and no, you don’t have to be a pro athlete.

Whether you played sports in high school, college, professionally, or not at all – an athletic physique is a goal that is completely achievable and in this post…

I’m going to share how I helped a friend and client of mine build the ultimate athletic physique.

But before the case study…

I have to say that I’m not the only one whose goals resemble those of an athletes.

When I sit down with clients or respond to emails from readers and discuss goals, most of them are similar to the goals we set for the athletes I train.

• Gain lean muscle mass
• Drop body fat
• Increase cardio
• Improve overall performance
• Prevent Injury
• Build Strength

Even the training programs, nutrition plans, and lifestyle strategies that we implement are closely related if not the same.

The one difference between athletes and the rest of the population is just how we utilize the results. For most of us it’s not on the court or field, unless it’s a recreational or intramural league, it’s more about enjoying and using the results to do everything else that we love.

So is training like an athlete for everyone?

Of course not.

But most goals are similar and if you want to look like one, just know you can. Training like an athlete can help you achieve the results you really want.

Here are some Benefits Of Training Like An Athlete.

• The explosive and strength training can help you build a solid foundation of lean muscle mass.
• More lean muscle mass can help you burn more fat and keep it off. Muscle requires your body to expend more energy than fat.
• An athletes nutrition is dialed in to serve mainly as fuel. This can help you keep a goal focused diet that will produce results.
• The athletes attitude and mindset towards training is focused.
• The athletes body and increased athleticism can help you do more of the activities that you love and do them better.
• Smart and thorough programming can help prevent injury in or outside of the gym.

Okay, let’s get to the case study.

__________________________________________________________________________

Brian came to me after college, where he played rugby for his University, looking to just stay in shape now that he was done with competitive sports.

He’s been a good friend of mine since high school so I was more than happy to help, plus I knew that he would love the environment of our training facility.

During his college career, he followed a traditional body part split program and saw some physical results and was still able to excel on the rugby field. He had a pretty damn good college career.

When he showed up, Brian came in with…

Bodyweight = 205 pounds

Body Fat = 21.5%

After 3 months of training like an athlete, Brian dropped 20 pounds and 11% body fat.

His new numbers were…

Bodyweight = 185 pounds
Body fat = 10%

“On top of that he was faster, more conditioned, and stronger than ever.”

His transformation would even help him to start playing rugby again at a club level, equivalent to semi-pro in other sports, and he would shatter his strength and performance personal records.

So where did we start?

We set goals for his program.

Some of his Goals included:

• Increase muscle mass
• Drop body fat
• Increase cardio
• Increase multi-directional speed/breakaway speed, agility, and endurance
• Build power and explosiveness
• Improve mobility and flexibility
• Keep him injury free

Again, I have to mention that most of these goals are similar to nearly all of my athletes and other clients.

Especially, increasing muscle mass, lowering body fat, and increasing cardio.

Brian was an awesome client and ready to commit to these goals in and outside of the gym. Another benefit that I see with athletes or former athletes is the mindset and attitude they bring towards their training.

They understand and accept that their results really depend on their lifestyle.

They know that everything they do outside of the gym counts just as much if not more towards their performance and results.

When it came to how many times a week Brian would be training…

The training sessions were split each week into the following.

Monday – Upper Body

Tuesday – Lower Body

Wednesday – Rest

Thursday – Conditioning/Speed and Agility

Friday – Full Body

Saturday – Conditioning/Speed and Agility

Sunday – Recovery

We utilized upper and lower body days plus one full body to hit bigger muscle groups more often. This would require the body to expend more energy each workout and stimulate more muscle growth.

You will also notice that we included conditioning days that incorporated speed and agility work. This is a fun and creative way to do anaerobic conditioning which is more effective for fat loss than steady state aerobic cardio. (get off of the treadmill)

He would only train with me 2 or 3 times a week and the other days he would train on his own, following the program I wrote for him.

(Check out some of the conditioning anaerobic intervals we used below.)

It is also important to highlight the proper rest and recovery days we incorporated, which allowed his body to recover and achieve maximum results. Recovery also played an important role in his ability to train at maximum intensity every workout.

Lifestyle Strategies we incorporated.

• Proper sleep and recovery
• De-stressing before workouts.
• Pre planning training and nutrition.
• Preparing for obstacles. Specifically protein shakes and snacks for long work days.

These lifestyle strategies played an important role in his ability to balance everything considering that he had a job like the rest of us and wasn’t being paid to just workout. All of these strategies can be applied to any training lifestyle and can help with results.

When it came to nutrition, we wanted to target fat loss and lean muscle mass and focus on strategies that would help him maintain consistency. Athlete’s are the same as everyone else and can’t get by on will power alone. Nutrition programs that utilize strategies are the most effective ways for long term success.

His nutrition program followed these guidelines.

• Breakfast is a must.
• Every meal must contain a full serving of protein.
• Every meal must contain a serving of veggies.
• Carbs are only allowed on training days – at breakfast and in the post workout meal.
• 0 calorie beverages, water can have a pinch of celtic sea salt for mineral supplementation and electrolytes. (better than sports drinks)
• Fish Oil was taken with every major meal.
• BCAA’s were taken pre and post workout.
• 4-6 meals were consumed each day.
• 1 cheat meal each week after a hard training session as a post workout meal. Helps reset body.

When it came to his workouts, I was adamant about following a specific outline that would help him feel as good as he looked. So we included foam rolling and mobility exercises.

We also spent 5-10 minutes activating certain muscles, something I also do with athletes. Muscles can become inactivated due to trigger points, tight muscles, and overall inactivity. Waking them up before a workout can get them firing properly.

The dynamic warmup was also an important aspect and prepared his body for all the movements he would do in each workout. Running on the treadmill for five minutes isn’t going to prepare you to squat, press, pull, jump, sprint, and perform.

Each workout followed this basic outline.

• Foam Rolling
• Dynamic Warmup
• Mobility and Muscle activation
• Explosive Movement
• Heavy Strength Exercises
• Core Training
• Metabolic Conditioning

When it came to his weight training, we targeted exercises that worked big muscle groups and utilized the following training methods…

• Dumbbell and Barbell Complexes
• Escalating Density Training
• Cardio Strength Intervals
• Max Outs
• Olympic Lifts
• Circuit Training
• Bodyweight Training
• High Intensity Interval Training (time efficient and highly effective for fat loss)
• Kettlebell Training

But before I go on and forget, if you haven’t signed up for the training lifestyle newsletter, take 2 seconds to go up to the top and put in your name and email. It’s free and not only will you get updates for new blog posts, you will receive even more training lifestyle tips that only subscribers get.

Now for the good stuff…

Sample Upper Body Athlete workout.

Foam Rolling – 10 minutes (if you don’t have a foam roller, you absolutely need to get one, check this one out – my favorite)

Dynamic Warmups (10 minutes) Check out this article for a complete warmup.

Mobility/Muscle Activation Circuit (Glute activation, Thoracic mobility drills, ankle mobility drill)

1a. Olympic Clean – 4 sets x 6 reps

1b. Glute Bridges + 2 second hold – 4 sets x 6 reps

1c. Band shoulder health complex or Band Pull Aparts x 10-15 reps

2a. Dumbbell Bench Press 3 sets x 8 reps 3/1/1 Tempo (3 second negative, 1 second pause at the bottom, 1 second explosive movement up)

2b. TRX Bodyweight row 3 sets x 15 reps (progression = weighted vest)

2c. Med Ball Slams 3 sets x 10 reps

3a. Standing Dumbbell curl & press 3 sets x 8 reps

3b. Weighted Pull ups 4 sets x 6 reps

Finisher: Rope Slams 30 work/30 seconds rest for 4-6 rounds.

Sample Lower Body Athlete Workout

Foam Rolling – 10 minutes (if you don’t have a foam roller, you absolutely need to get one)

Dynamic Warmups (10 minutes)

Mobility/Muscle Activation Circuit

1a. Dumbbell Squat Jumps 4 sets x 6 reps

1b. Planks x 30-45 seconds

2a. Deadlifts 4 sets x 6-8 reps

2b. Kettlebell swings 3 sets x 10 reps

3a. Kettlebell Front Squats 3 sets x 10 reps

3b. Dumbbell reverse lunges 3 sets x 8 reps

3c. Hamstring curls 3 sets x 10 reps

Finisher: Body Weight Squat Jumps x 20 seconds, Body Weight Squats x 20 seconds, Squat Hold x 20 seconds for 2 rounds no break.

Sample Full Body Workout

Foam Rolling – 10 minutes (if you don’t have a foam roller, you absolutely need to get one)

Dynamic Warmups (10 minutes)

Mobility/Muscle Activation Circuit

1a. Dumbbell Snatches 4 sets x 6 reps

1b. Med ball Slams 3 sets x 10-12 reps

Barbell Complex on Full Body Day

All for 8 reps and not setting down the bar. Performed for 3 rounds.

1. Hang Cleans

2. Front Squats

3. Barbell Rows

4. Back Squats

5. Push Presses

6. Deadlifts

Finisher: Kettlebell Swings 30 seconds work/30 seconds break for 4-6 minutes.

Sample Conditioning Session

Foam Rolling - 10 minutes (if you don’t have a foam roller, you absolutely need to get one)

Dynamic Warmups (10 minutes)

Mobility/Muscle Activation Circuit

40 seconds of work/20 second break for 15-20 minutes no break.

1. Kettlebell Deadlifts

2. Pushups

3. Trx Rows

4. Sprints x 15 yards

5. Rope Slams

Take Aways:

Brian started off like any new client who wanted to get in shape, look better, and improve their quality of life. He didn’t have to be an athlete to train like one.

The crazy thing is, when he was an athlete he wasn’t training like one and never reached the physical goals he wanted.

When he wasn’t an athlete, he trained like one, reached his goals and was able to achieve an incredible athletic physique.

The truth is,

“You don’t have to be an athlete to have an athlete’s physique, you just have to commit to training like one. Focus on…”

Dedicating yourself to developing lifestyle strategies and habits

Putting in the work and being patient with your results

Training with intensity

Following a program that helps you achieve your results

Nutrition that supplements your performance, recovery, and goals

Check out how I’m training Brian now…

Strong shoulders can improve the look of any physique…

Guys, you can command the attention of any room with a set of broad shoulders that will fill out any suit or stretch out any t-shirt.

Ladies, a set of strong shoulders can complete any sexy physique (can help the waist seem smaller and help top off a great hourglass figure) and give you the confidence to show off toned arms anywhere from the gym to in a dress.

But when most people train shoulders, they revert to exercises and programs they’ve either seen or what they’re most familiar with.

Most of the time it’s traditional body building exercises that people have been using for decades. Following such exercises along with a traditional bodybuilder’s body part split program can be a recipe for some serious shoulder injury.

The truth is, in a body part split program,

Chest/Triceps, Back/Biceps, Shoulders, Legs, Arms (A sample workout schedule my friends and I used to use in college, not revolutionary at all)

You are overtraining your shoulders. After training your chest and back, your shoulders are already smoked by “shoulder” day. Continuing to train and overwork it can be counterproductive and eventually lead to injury.

Don’t get me wrong. I still think that the best workouts for shoulder development are from bodybuilding foundational lifts like heavy barbell presses but it’s not the only way especially if you have shoulder issues.

So it’s important to pay close attention to how much your shoulders are getting trained.

But even with a good training schedule, some of us face another problem.

Finding exercises that work.

So, in this post I want to share some shoulder exercises that you absolutely need to try and start utilizing in your programs because they work. But I didn’t want to just end with the exercises so I’m going to give you even more.

I’ve also written 2 workouts that I do with my very own clients to help you safely build some kick ass shoulders!

Shoulder Exercises You Have To Try!

Reverse Burpees

Reverse Burpees are an awesome exercise to utilize for shoulder training and throwing in extra metabolic work. Use this shoulder exercise to train explosiveness, muscular endurance, and as a finisher. Check out Nick Tumminello show you how to do some reverse burpees.

If you want fatigue, this is one exercise that can live up to the challenge every time.

Hindu Pushups

Check out Steve Maxwell, one badass dude – doing hindu pushups. He once told me an awesome story about a yogi from india who did these from sun up to sundown and when he finished, the clay underneath his body was sunken down into the earth from so much sweat.

This is a popular exercise that can be found more in yoga studios than in gyms but one that you shouldn’t ignore. The movement recruits a lot of muscles to be utilized but targets some serious shoulders.

Pike Pushups

Pike pushups are an awesome way to train your upper body without equipment. If regular vertical presses get easy, you can step it up with single leg, or even hand stand variations.

Dumbbell Uppercuts

Nick Tuminiello shows in this video how to perform the dumbbell uppercuts. This is an awesome exercise to utilize for hypertrophy and for explosive power. I also like to use this move with clients when we need to get a little sweat going.

2 Awesome Shoulder Workouts To Help You Build Dense Muscles

Workout A

1. Curl + Lunge + Press ( Curl both dumbbells up, then lunge out and hold the lunge with your knee about 2 inches from the ground. Then press the dumbbells up without letting your knee touch the ground, bring them back down before standing back up. Repeat on the other leg.) x 5 each leg

Rest 60 seconds and repeat for 3 sets.

2a. Dumbbell Uppercuts  x 8-10 each arm

2b. Hindu Pushups x 10

Rest for 60 seconds after the superset and repeat for 3 rounds.

3a. Pike Pushups x 10 reps

3b. Reverse Burpee x 30 seconds (as many reps as you can)

Rest 30 seconds. Repeat for 3 rounds.

Workout B – Complex

Variation A “Single Arm”

1a. Single arm Dumbbell Push Press 6-8 reps

1b. Farmers walk with arm at the top of press position x 20-25 yards

1c. Other arm 6-8 reps

1d. Other arm farmers walk x 20-25 yards

Repeat for 4-5 rounds. Rest 1 minute in between rounds.

Variation B “Dumbbell/Barbell/Kettlebell”

1a. Dumbbell Push Press x 6-8 reps

1b. Farmers walk with arms at the top of press position x 20-25 yards

1c. Dumbell Press without the explosive bounce x 10 -12 reps (drop weight if you need to)

1d. Other arm farmers walk x 20-25 yards

Repeat for 4-5 rounds. Rest 1 minute in between rounds.

Wrap Up:

Where do shoulders sit in your training lifestyle? Ignored or overworked?

Either way it’s time you show them the attention they deserve because awesome shoulders can really help complete any physique. Now it’s in your hands to make sure you take action!

The time you spend working out is valuable.

Whether it’s 20 minutes running around the neighborhood or an hour in the gym, it’s time you’re dedicating to improving the quality of your life.

But when you haul mental clutter and stress into your workouts, training can become counter productive to your goals.

It’s not uncommon for people to use working out as an outlet for mental stress but when it comes to getting the most out of each training session and working towards some specific goals…

Mental stress can limit the potential of your workout.

Have you ever had a workout, where you struggled to get in the “zone”? Maybe you couldn’t lift the same amount of weight, struggled to keep good form, or even wasted a bunch of time zoning out and losing focus.

All of these can stem from a cluttered mental state.

So for April’s National Stress Awareness Month, I want to share some strategies to help you de clutter your mental stress for a better workout.

Stress is messing with your workout.

When you go to the gym with mental stress, remember that working out and training is going to be putting physical stress on your body.

Your body doesn’t perform very well under all this pressure, in fact all that stress can put your body into it’s fight or flight mode. Being in this survival mode can lead to an excess of hormones that store fat and limit your potential for muscle growth.

By de cluttering your mental stress, you will be able to focus on your workouts, goals, and increase your potential for achieving even more results.

How To De-Clutter Mental Stress For A Better Workout

1. Change the time you train.

If your training after work and you know that trying to de clutter your mental junk is only going to stress you out even more, pick a different time to train like mornings, where you can workout with a clear mind.

Are you training in the mornings and your not a morning person?  Maybe you stress out about getting to work on time the entire time your working out? Try switching your workouts to after work and kiss getting up early goodbye.

2. Give yourself extra time to get to your workout.

Traffic can easily heighten stress levels, especially if you have a time commitment for your workout.

Just think of how easily your last episode of road rage was triggered and how quickly it was over. Not one my proudest moments.

Your move: Schedule a little extra time for travel. Give yourself a little extra cushion because even if you do show up early, you can spend that time for de cluttering your mental stress and transitioning into a training mind set.

3. Plan 10-15 minutes of de cluttering time before you workout.

Scheduling an extra 10-15 minutes for de cluttering before your workout can help boost your performance, attitude, and potential for results.

This time is to help you transition from work, home, or any other mental cluttering environments to a mind set that’s focused on your fitness goals and improving the quality of your life.

Some things you can do to help de-clutter.

• Listen to music - Listening to music is a complex task for the human ear and when you turn on a song, it can help divert attention away from mental stress. The music you listen to can also be associated with a separate feeling such as happiness, excitement, or peacefulness. Pick music that will help you get into the right mindset for training.
• Breathe - control your breathing by taking 3 seconds to inhale through your nose, hold your breath for another 2-3 seconds, and exhale for a final 3 seconds out of your mouth.
• Review Goals and Why Your There – Re-establishing the purpose behind your workouts can quickly boost

4. Brain Dump

A brain dump is when you take everything on your mind, such as a list of errands, things you have to do for work, or even a grocery shopping list, and write it out. Writing it out, can give you a visual layout that helps with organization and can keep you from over stressing.

Writing a checklist of your to-do’s can also help you feel confident in your ability to complete the errands. This can help you focus more on your workout and less on everything else.

Wrap it up…

De cluttering mental stress can definitely make an impact in your training lifestyle but remember, all the strategies in the world are useless without action.

So if you know that stress is messing with your workout, try one of these strategies and let me know in the comments. If you have a different strategy that you like to use, let me know too – I’d love to hear.

Also…

Check out some of my favorite stress reducing articles online.

How To Beat the Exhaustiveness of Stressful Work from Zen Habits.

Dealing With Overwhelm from the minimalists.

How To De-Stress Your Life from Discovery Health.

De-stress For Weight Loss from e diets.

45 Second De-Stress Tips from Lifehack

During the work week, it’s a constant battle to balance your training lifestyle.

After all, the lifestyle is about more than just working out and eating right. It’s how everything fits together to support the way you want to live your life.

As crazy as the week can get, I know a lot of people who actually thrive monday – friday. It’s an organized chaos.

The scheduling and time management aspect of their work week, allows them to stay consistent with compliant behaviors, workout effectively, and eat for their goals. It just works for them.

“But when the weekend hits, it’s almost like they forget who they are, and act out of character.”

Whether it’s trying to do too much or nothing at all, the weekends can pose a little bit of a challenge – which is why I’m going to share, in this post, some ways to really make some progress over the weekends.

Let me tell you in advance that I’m not an advocate for trying to make something it’s not.

Like the fact that…

Some fitness and nutrition advice just isn’t cut out for the weekends.

So, I’m not going to give you tips that you may already do or strategies that may overwhelm you during the week. The weekend is a time to enjoy the results from all of our training but it still needs to be consistent with your fit lifestyle.

All of the strategies I give you, will help you either enjoy, improve, and stay compliant with your goals.

My advice is to only pick one or two things. Try them.

If they work for you, great.

If they don’t,  move to the next one.

“The biggest mistake I see people make is either overwhelm themselves and try too much or not try one at all.”

10 Ways To Enjoy Your Training Lifestyle and Make Progress Over The Weekend

1. Practice Mindful Eating

Life can get pretty hectic during the work week and make meal times completely chaotic.

Whether it’s your breakfast on the go, rush our lunches, or scrambling around the dinner tables – it’s important to slow down when you can. Which is what mindful eating helps you do.

Mindful eating is simply being aware and attentive in the moments when you eat.

Benefits of Mindful Eating…

• It can help you from overeating
• It gives you time to think about what your eating and why your eating it
• It can help with digesting
• It can help increase the enjoyment of food
• It can help you identify personal triggers and associations that you may have with food

Check out this post from Zen Habits on How To Master The Art of Mindful Eating

2. Make-up or Plan An Extra Workout

When you miss a workout, don’t forget about it, reschedule it when you can.

But it doesn’t have to take up a lot of time, after all, the weekend is for enjoying the results you work your ass for in the gym.

Keep it simple on the weekend and Crush a 15 min EDT or knock out some sprint intervals. Then be on your way. (check out this 12 minute killer workout here)

If your struggling to keep the lifestyle consistent on the weekends, especially with staying active.

Schedule an extra workout on the weekend to keep behavior consistent and morale high.

3. Try 1 New Thing

It’s amazing how much information and training lifestyle strategies you already know.

But all this information is useless without action.

So, take time on the weekends to try 1 new strategy that you think will help you improve your lifestyle.

If it works, great – apply it into the rest of your week. If it doesn’t work, don’t get stuck on it and move on to the next strategy.

4. Cheat Meal

Warning: This is only if you have been 80 – 90 compliant with your current nutrition program.

(Check out VooDoo Doughnuts – for the goodies above, may be the only non healthy thing I recommend)

Some trainers and fitness experts may think I’m crazy for doing this but I only offer strategies that I’ve seen produce real life results and this is one of them.

Scheduling a cheat meal on the weekends (I said 1 cheat meal, not cheat day) can give you motivation all week to stay compliant and work for your reward. It can also help you from over stressing and self loathing because it’s part of your program and is planned.

A cheat meal can also act like a reset button for your body if you’ve been on a low or no carb diet.

Check out John Romaniello’s post – Are your cheat days cheat-y enough.

Your Move: Plan a cheat meal after a workout on the weekends to help you stay compliant during the week and not stress out about eating something bad!

5. Plan and Strategize For The Week

On a scale of 1-5, how compliant are you with behaviors that match your training lifestyle goals?

The number can be a direct reflection of when and how much time your devoting to planning.

Are you planning and scheduling every morning, on mondays, or not at all?

When consistency becomes an issue, improving preparation can be a quick solution for increasing your success rate. Utilizing daily

Your move: Take 15 minutes, void of distractions, and work on planning and inputing strategies that will help your training lifestyle throughout the week.

6. Go Grocery Shopping

Rather than shopping for groceries during the week, after work when your starving or when your rushed for time, schedule a shopping trip on the weekends.

The weekends give you an opportunity to spend some time creating a shopping list that will support your goals and go to the store without stressing about time.

Tip: Plan your shopping list around major meals and check out this article – 13 Grocery Shopping Rules – for awesome Grocery Shopping strategies.

7. Read More

I used to struggle to find time for reading.

You know…

Distraction free and not right before you go to bed. I used to try to read right before bed and I’d get a few paragraphs in before passing out.

Schedule some time on the weekends to catch up on your reading and really get something out of it!

Here are some books I’ve recently finished:

Steal Like An Artist by: Austin Kleon

Awaken The Gian Within: Tony Robbins

The Primal Blueprint: Mark Sisson ( He also has a great blog called Mark’s Daily Apple)

You can also catch up on your favorite internet blogs, like this one (right?), but be careful no to get sidetracked. Bret Contreras has a nice list of some good reads – check it out here.

Tip: Get out of the house and go somewhere else to get this done. This will help make your reading feel even more worth scheduling. Go to a coffee shop, book store, park, or even your back porch.

8. Be Adventurous

The training lifestyle is about enjoying your results.

Why else are you in the gym training your ass off and working hard on nutrition.

But sometimes we forget about the enjoying part and get caught up in the working hard part. This is a quick way to get burnt out and lose focus on our goals.

So it’s important to take time on the weekends to go out and enjoy your results. One great way to do this is by creating your very own bucket list of training lifestyle adventures. Create a list of everything that you’ve wanted to do – kayaking, hike a certain trail, climb a certain mountain, check out a specific farmer’s market, etc.

Then take time every weekend to do one of the things and cross an adventure off your list.

Tim Ferris posted an awesome article to help you work towards experiencing some of the things you’ve always wanted to do Check it out – Playing B-Ball with Obama: 6 Steps To crossing anything off your Bucket List

Also, check out the Awesome Blog Nerd Fitness and see how Steve’s been working towards crossing things off his own Epic bucket list. Check out his epic bucket list – here.

9. Work On Becoming A Better Cook

At 25, I’m far from being an expert chef.

But I know this.

Which is why I work on my cooking skills at least once a weekend and cook a new meal for dinner. It’s not the typical mid week cooking, where I’m scrambling to get something made because I’m hungry, it’s mindful.

When I cook a meal on the weekends, I will plan, research, shop, prepare, and really focus on improving my skills. Okay, it’s more like focusing on how to make really great tasting meals that are still compliant but I learn a lot.

Learning to cook has significantly helped my training lifestyle and all it took was dedicating 1 meal on the weekend to getting better.

Check out this new book I’ve recently ordered Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution or his Guide To Making You A Better Cook.

10. Check Into a Hotel: Catch Up on Sleep and Recovery

It’s not breaking news that more and more people are becoming sleep deprived. Myself included.

“But information is useless without action.”

When it comes to the training lifestyle, sleep, and recovery is important for results. I see people overtrain all the time and never take an opportunity to recover or recharge. Not only are they losing the opportunity for more fat loss or muscle gain, they’re losing energy for their next workout. Eventually, they lose steam and momentum.

Trying to catch up on sleep sounds great but I know it can be challenging to do at home.

So leave.

Check into a hotel with just an overnight bag and get started on recharging.

If your in Washington check out Willows Lodge in Woodinville (My girlfriend and I just got back from this place and it was awesome + it’s in the middle of some great wineries), Salish Lodge, and Suncadia Resorts who all offer 1 night get away packages.

Tip: It doesn’t have to be expensive or even very far away, just go somewhere that helps you focus on yourself and recharging. Check out hotels with specific overnight recovery packages or even a cheaper bed and breakfast is a great choice to help you de stress and catch up on sleep. Plus they’ll take care of breakfast!

Don’t let your weekends slip by anymore.

They are great opportunities to enjoy your training lifestyle and make progress.

I want to know what you do over the weekends to help you make progress for you training lifestyle. How do enjoy your results?