You Can Workout Hard Or Long
You don't need any fancy equipment to get a highly effective workout. In fact, the program I will lay out here, and which I will be following a daily basis, can be done with a simple set of barbells and dumbbells in a home gym or any fitness center. It's not so much about what exercises we do but rather how we do them that matters most. We must perform these exercises intensely to produce rapid results.
The program we'll follow, again from the Body For Life program, uses a tool called the "Intensity Index". This "meter" is used to measure the level of focused energy being put forth and goes from level 1 to level 10.
On the low end -- at level 1 -- you've got the intensity of sitting on the couch watching TV. Level 2 would be standing; level 3 might be walking; level 4 might be carrying a couple bags of groceries in from the car; level 5 might be carrying those groceries up a flight of stairs; and so on, up to level 10, which is an all-out, 100 percent focused effort.
The proper use of the Intensity Index makes the workout experience, by design, self-regulating. And that's why virtually any healthy adult, regardless of prior exercise experience, can begin this program. For example, if you're a beginner and you can bench press 30 pounds for 12 reps, that's your high-intensity effort. Now, someone who's been training for several years might reach a high-intensity effort by bench pressing 185 pounds for 12 reps. The point is, your high point is yours. And as you adapt and grow the program grows with you.
It's very important you become aware of what your high points are. A true high point on this workout, a true level 10 experience, is one where you can honestly tell yourself you gave it every single last ounce of energy you had -- that you tapped into your inner strength.
After you finish your highest intensity set (for that muscle group) and before you write down whether you had a level 8, level 9, or a level 10 experience, you need to answer this question: Could you have done one more rep if someone was standing there, encouraging you to reach even higher - to push yourself further? If your honest answer is, "No Way!" then congratulations! You scored a 10!
You won't reach a high point every time. That would be like Brett Favre expecting to throw a touchdown pass every time he touched the ball. You see, a high point is kind of like a touchdown pass -- it's a challenge, which is why it's a worthwhile goal.
It is important to plan your workout before you step into the "gym". Plan which exercises you're going to do and what weight you're going to use.
Now, if this is your first time working out, or you aren't sure what weight you should use for an exercise, start with a fairly small weight, say 10 pounds and do your first set. If it were really easy (like a level 3 intensity), you wouldn't pick up a heavier set of weights and re-do that set. You just mark down what weight you used and what intensity level it required. Then the next time you work that muscle group you know you can increase the weight. It's a fine tuning process, but you'll get the hang of it, quickly.
Now, for the actual plan. There are two sets of plans to follow -- an Upper Body Workout and a Lower Body Workout. The Upper Body Workout includes the following muscle groups: Chest, Shoulders, Back, Triceps, and Biceps. The Lower Body Workout includes the following muscle groups: Quads, Hamstrings, Calves, and Abs.
For each muscle group you conduct 6 sets and each set requires a different intensity level. Also, in each muscle group you want two different exercises each time. The first 5 sets are one exercise and the 6th set is the other exercise. In between each set take a 1 minute break, except for between the 5th and 6th set don't take a break at all (except for the time it takes to switch positions for the alternate exercise).
The number of reps and the associated intensities are as follows:
Set #1: 12 Reps, Intensity Level 5
Set #2: 10 Reps, Intensity Level 6
Set #3: 8 Reps, Intensity Level 7
Set #4: 6 Reps, Intensity Level 8
Set #5: 12 Reps, Intensity Level 9
Set #6: 12 Reps, Intensity Level 10
Then take a 2 minute break before beginning the next muscle group.
There is a definite prescription to the workout you perform each day of the week. The program consists of a 6-day workout, with the seventh day being a rest day. The first, third and fifth days of the week you do strength training; the second, fourth and sixth days you do cardio training. The strength training is performed in a specific manner also, the first week you do upper body workout on the first and fifth days and lower body on the third day. The next week you switch that, lower body on first and fifth and upper body on the third. This switches back and forth each week.
Today I officially begin my journey and later will post the details of my day. In there you will see a specific plan laid out for my workout, both with what I planned to accomplish and what I actually accomplished (regarding intensity level).
Tomorrow I will give an explanation of how the cardio program works and then later will follow up with my daily progress report detailing what I planned and what I actually accomplished.
Your fellow pilgrim,
Larry
The program we'll follow, again from the Body For Life program, uses a tool called the "Intensity Index". This "meter" is used to measure the level of focused energy being put forth and goes from level 1 to level 10.
On the low end -- at level 1 -- you've got the intensity of sitting on the couch watching TV. Level 2 would be standing; level 3 might be walking; level 4 might be carrying a couple bags of groceries in from the car; level 5 might be carrying those groceries up a flight of stairs; and so on, up to level 10, which is an all-out, 100 percent focused effort.
The proper use of the Intensity Index makes the workout experience, by design, self-regulating. And that's why virtually any healthy adult, regardless of prior exercise experience, can begin this program. For example, if you're a beginner and you can bench press 30 pounds for 12 reps, that's your high-intensity effort. Now, someone who's been training for several years might reach a high-intensity effort by bench pressing 185 pounds for 12 reps. The point is, your high point is yours. And as you adapt and grow the program grows with you.
It's very important you become aware of what your high points are. A true high point on this workout, a true level 10 experience, is one where you can honestly tell yourself you gave it every single last ounce of energy you had -- that you tapped into your inner strength.
After you finish your highest intensity set (for that muscle group) and before you write down whether you had a level 8, level 9, or a level 10 experience, you need to answer this question: Could you have done one more rep if someone was standing there, encouraging you to reach even higher - to push yourself further? If your honest answer is, "No Way!" then congratulations! You scored a 10!
You won't reach a high point every time. That would be like Brett Favre expecting to throw a touchdown pass every time he touched the ball. You see, a high point is kind of like a touchdown pass -- it's a challenge, which is why it's a worthwhile goal.
It is important to plan your workout before you step into the "gym". Plan which exercises you're going to do and what weight you're going to use.
Now, if this is your first time working out, or you aren't sure what weight you should use for an exercise, start with a fairly small weight, say 10 pounds and do your first set. If it were really easy (like a level 3 intensity), you wouldn't pick up a heavier set of weights and re-do that set. You just mark down what weight you used and what intensity level it required. Then the next time you work that muscle group you know you can increase the weight. It's a fine tuning process, but you'll get the hang of it, quickly.
Now, for the actual plan. There are two sets of plans to follow -- an Upper Body Workout and a Lower Body Workout. The Upper Body Workout includes the following muscle groups: Chest, Shoulders, Back, Triceps, and Biceps. The Lower Body Workout includes the following muscle groups: Quads, Hamstrings, Calves, and Abs.
For each muscle group you conduct 6 sets and each set requires a different intensity level. Also, in each muscle group you want two different exercises each time. The first 5 sets are one exercise and the 6th set is the other exercise. In between each set take a 1 minute break, except for between the 5th and 6th set don't take a break at all (except for the time it takes to switch positions for the alternate exercise).
The number of reps and the associated intensities are as follows:
Set #1: 12 Reps, Intensity Level 5
Set #2: 10 Reps, Intensity Level 6
Set #3: 8 Reps, Intensity Level 7
Set #4: 6 Reps, Intensity Level 8
Set #5: 12 Reps, Intensity Level 9
Set #6: 12 Reps, Intensity Level 10
Then take a 2 minute break before beginning the next muscle group.
There is a definite prescription to the workout you perform each day of the week. The program consists of a 6-day workout, with the seventh day being a rest day. The first, third and fifth days of the week you do strength training; the second, fourth and sixth days you do cardio training. The strength training is performed in a specific manner also, the first week you do upper body workout on the first and fifth days and lower body on the third day. The next week you switch that, lower body on first and fifth and upper body on the third. This switches back and forth each week.
Today I officially begin my journey and later will post the details of my day. In there you will see a specific plan laid out for my workout, both with what I planned to accomplish and what I actually accomplished (regarding intensity level).
Tomorrow I will give an explanation of how the cardio program works and then later will follow up with my daily progress report detailing what I planned and what I actually accomplished.
Your fellow pilgrim,
Larry
