Can you all believe it? This is the last month of our 5 month session with Brandon Cole. Time has flown by. Looking back and hearing all of the progress you all have had has been amazing. Thank you for sharing your stories with me. I report them all back to Brandon too. You have worked really hard and I hope your own training and nutrition habits continue through out the year. Keep emailing me your progress, reports and images…I love hearing from you.
(Thank you Danskin for sponsoring this post. It’s been a blast teaming up with you all for the last 5 months. I love your clothes)
Phase 5 Workout + Nutrition
We’re now into the New Year and have reached our final Phase of the program! And if you’ve been following along with the last four phases then give yourself a big pat on the back! Many people don’t make it this far in fitness programs, which is why January brings so many New Year’s resolutions involving fitness goals. But since we’ve been rolling along for the last four months building better workout and eating habits, you’re way ahead of the curve. By now I expect you’re looking and feeling your best ever (especially in your Danskin outfit)… while everyone else is wondering if their bathroom scale is broken or whether that really is the right number.
By the way, if you’re wondering what to do next, or you’d like more personalized training and direction with your workouts and nutrition, I may be able to help! For a short timeframe I’m taking a few new clients into my online nutrition and workout coaching program. This is a full year of personalized workouts, nutrition and lifestyle coaching. All online, so that you can fit the program to your schedule. Go to www.LeanerOnline.com for more details. Oh and one more thing, message me stating that you were referred from Ashlee’s blog and you’ll get a 20% discount!
Now on to Phase 5 and the final month of the program.
Just like before, we’ll be doing three Full Body weight training days, along with two cardio days per week. For cardio days I recommend wearing tighter Danskin wear. This way you aren’t weighed down by your clothing. One day will be a moderate intensity Aerobic Recovery day. Simply meaning, go with any activity that gets you moving and sweating, but keep your heart rate below 150 bpm. Preferably pick an activity that is fun and doesn’t feel like an exercise (hide and go seek, anyone?) Do this for between 60-90 minutes. The other cardio day will be Dynamic Effort Repeats. This is a high power output type of workout. Short in duration, but high intensity. Pick two exercises that are explosive in nature – one upper body and one lower body. Examples would be power push ups, medicine ball slams or battling rope for upper body. And alternating split squat jumps, jump squats, or light weight goblet squats going as fast as you can for lower body. Do 10 seconds of the upper body exercise followed immediately by 10 seconds of the lower body exercise. Do each with as much power and speed as possible. Then rest for 60 seconds. Repeat this sequence for 10 rounds. Remember to warm up first!
This month’s nutrition habit rounds out your plate, along with the previous nutrition habits, by teaching you how to pick and portion out healthy fats.
Nutrition habit 5: Eat one serving of healthy fats per meal
Along side training having a healthy fat is crucial. How to measure healthy fats for your plate: give me two thumps up. That’s how to measure healthy fats properly. Believe it or not, that’s one serving. Healthy fats are in all kinds of foods, but the best kind are found in whole, minimally processed foods. Here’s a list of some of the best choices.
Oils such as:
- Olive oil
- Coconut oil
- Flax oil
- Hemp oil
- Canola oil
- Omega-3 oils such as in fish or algae(You can supplement with any of these if you’re finding them hard to include in your regular meals)
Some other healthy fat-containing foods are: - Butter
- Olives
- Avocado or guacamole
- Nuts such as almonds, Brazil, cashews, peanuts, pecans, pistachios, walnuts, etc.
- Nut butters like peanut, almond, cashew, etc.
- Seeds such as chia, ground flax, pumpkin, sunflower, hemp, etc.
Phase 5 Program
Workouts: Three Full Body Weight Training Days. One day of Aerobic Recovery (60-90 minutes) and one day of Dynamic Effort Repeats (10 rounds of 10 seconds work, 60 seconds rest). (Five workouts per week)
Workout Notes:
* Do all exercises listed in A block together first, then B block exercises next, and then C.
* Always use as much weight as you can handle without compromising form.
* Rest minimally, less than 30 seconds between rounds and exercises.
* It’s recommended to schedule the workouts as listed below. However you can arrange them around to better fit your schedule.
Monday – Full Body 1 (Danskin sports bra and shorts)
Tuesday – Dynamic Effort Repeats
Wednesday – Full Body 2
Thursday – Off or light activity
Friday – Full Body 3 (Danskin tank with bra plus cropped shorts)
Saturday – Aerobic recovery 60-90 minutes
Sunday – Off or light activity
Full Body 1
Repeat both exercises for 5 rounds
Dumbbell goblet squat (10 reps)
Dumbbell renegade row (8 reps per arm)
Repeat all exercises for 5 rounds
Dumbbell reverse lunge (10 reps per leg)
Push up (15 reps)
Dumbbell side lunge (10 reps per leg)
Repeat all exercises for 4 rounds
Squat thrust (20 seconds)
Cross body crunch (30 seconds)
Side plank (30 seconds each side)
Full Body 2
Repeat both exercises for 5 rounds
Dumbbell bench press (15 reps)
Dumbbell step up (15 reps per leg)
Repeat all exercises for 5 rounds
Dumbbell squat to overhead press (15 reps)
Dumbbell goblet rear foot elevated split squat (10 reps per leg)
Dumbbell single arm bent over row (15 reps per arm)
Repeat all exercises for 4 rounds
Cable overhead triceps extension (15 reps)
Dumbbell alternating arm curl (12 reps per arm)
Cable torso twist (15 reps per side)
Full Body 3
Repeat both exercises for 5 rounds
Dumbbell sumo deadlift (15 reps)
Chest supported dumbbell row (15 reps)
Repeat all exercises for 5 rounds
Cable face pull (15 reps)
Cable triceps pushdown (12 reps)
Dumbbell hammer curl (10 reps)
Repeat all exercises for 4 rounds
Front plank with knee up (15 reps per leg)
Squat jump (30 seconds)
Lying face up flutter kicks (30 seconds)
