Summer’s winding down and most people are getting back to their regularly scheduled programs of work, school, and a little fun on the weekends. The return to routine, is also a great time to start creating or mastering some healthy habits – especially in the workout and nutrition categories. It’s much easier to start a healthy habit when most other things in your life are relatively stable. So if you’ve let the spontaneity of summer slip you up a bit in your workout and nutrition routines, now’s the perfect time to get back on track.
AshLee and I get a ton of questions regarding which exercises people should be doing. Her Snapchat stories of our workouts are always a big hit. It seems people are really looking for more ideas and guidance to get in great shape.
With all the questions at hand, we came up with the idea to put together a 5-month program of workouts and nutrition to help everybody reach this goal. Each month will progress you a little bit in terms of exercises and specific nutrition habits to focus on. The program will take you all the way through the holidays (when people struggle the most) and into the New Year. Stick with the program and you’ll be in the best shape of your life by the end. Just in time, when everybody else is hitting the gym for the first time in months in hopes of working off that holiday stuffing.
Here’s how it’s gonna work. This will be a 5-Phase program, with each month being a new phase. Each successive phase will build upon the exercises and nutrition habits that came before it; with the foundational aspects coming within the first phase of the program.
For the exercise portion, each month you’ll get 3-5 workouts to do each week. These will be a mix of weights, core and conditioning/cardio workouts. The workouts will be the same for all 4 weeks of that month. However, you’re expected to keep track of things like weight used and reps completed. And each week try to do a little more weight or a couple more reps for each exercise. Even if it’s 2 pounds more or 2 reps more than the previous week. If you keep this up, you’ll be surprised how much stronger and fitter you are at the end of each month.
For the nutrition portion, each month you’ll get one, and only one, nutrition habit to practice daily. This may sound way too easy and like a big change from how most of the fitness population talks about improving nutrition habits. And indeed it is much different. But this system has been proven time and time again to be the only effective way of getting people to eat better consistently and long term. You WILL NOT get a meal plan or be told exactly what to eat. Because guess what? That method, while used ad nauseam in the traditional fitness industry, almost never works.
Are you excited yet? I know AshLee and I are excited to bring this to you! Let’s get started, shall we?
Phase 1
Workouts: Two Upper and Two Lower Body Weight Training Days Per Week (Four workouts total per week)
Nutrition Habit: Eat slowly
Workout Notes:
** For all the workouts you can do the following exercises as a warm up. Or choose your own.
3 rounds (Perform each exercise back to back with less than 30 seconds rest in between)
Fetal Position Breathing 30 seconds
Bear Crawl 30-45 seconds
Squat to Stand 5 repetitions
**Do all exercises listed in the A block together first, then B block exercises next, and then finally C.
**Always use as much weight / resistance 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 such. However, you can arrange the workouts to fit your schedule as needed.
Monday-Lower body 1
Tuesday-Upper Body 1
Wednesday-Off
Thursday-Lower Body 2
Friday-Upper Body 2
Saturday and Sunday-Off or light activity
Workout 1 Lower Body 1
A. Repeat both exercises for 8 rounds.
Goblet Squat 6 repetitions, then move to the next exercise
Plate Squat 3 repetitions, then move back to the first exercise
B. Repeat both exercises for 5 rounds.
Goblet Split Squat 5 repetitions per leg, then move to the next exercise
Goblet Lateral Squat 3 repetitions per leg, then move back to the first exercise
C. Repeat for 4 rounds.
Wall Press Abs 20 seconds, then rest and repeat
Workout 2 Upper Body 1
A. Repeat both exercises for 8 rounds.
Single Arm Dumbbell Row 8 repetitions per arm, then move to the next exercise
Single Arm Dumbbell Chest Press 8 repetitions per arm, then move back to the first exercise
B. Repeat both exercises for 5 rounds.
Single Arm Half Kneeling Cable Row 8 repetitions per arm, then move to the next exercise
Pushup 6 repetitions, then move back to the first exercise
A. Repeat both exercises for 4 rounds.
Dead bug 15 repetitions, then move to the next exercise
Front plank 20 seconds, then move back to the first exercise
Workout 3 Lower Body 2
A. Repeat for 8 rounds.
Goblet Reverse Lunge 10 repetitions, then rest and repeat
B. Repeat both exercises for 5 rounds
Dumbbell Full Squat 12 repetitions, then move to the next exercise
Dumbbell Cross Over Step Up 10 repetitions per leg, then move back to the first exercise
C. Repeat for 5 rounds.
Front Plank With Salute 20 seconds, then rest and repeat
Workout 4 Upper Body 2
A. Repeat both exercises for 8 rounds.
Single Arm Dumbbell Row 8 repetitions per arm, then move to the next exercise
Scapular Wall Slide 5 repetitions, then move back to the first exercise
B. Repeat both exercises for 5 rounds.
Single Arm Half Kneeling Cable Row 12 repetitions per arm, then move to the next exercise
Single Arm Half Kneeling Cable Press 12 repetitions per arm, then move back to the first
Exercise
A. Repeat both exercises for 4 rounds.
Pallof Press Iso-hold 20 seconds, then move to the next exercise
Mountain Climbers 30 repititions, then move back to the first exercise
Eat Slowly Nutrition Tip:
This is probably the most important eating behavior you can learn. Simple in concept, but can be super hard in practice. This is important because most of us eat fast and distracted. Which inevitably leads to over eating. Slowing down and paying attention to what you’re eating gives you back control and creates mindfulness. If you slow down, you’ll inevitably eat less. Without wondering and worrying how many calories you’re eating. You’ll also feel more satisfied at the end of every meal. Because your tummy and your brain have had enough time to tell each other you’ve had enough food for now. The other cool thing about this habit, is it can be done anywhere at any time. Out to lunch with coworkers? At a wedding ceremony dinner? At a nice restaurant with your significant other? You can do this at all those occasions. Here’s some tips to help. Try setting down your utensils between bites. Take a sip of water between bites. Use your non-dominant hand. Weird at first but also kinda fun. You can even download an app if you need extra help. Here’s one called EatSlowly on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/eatslowly/id659029209?mt=8)