Simple fasting and HIIT

Football season- at least  for me means beer and TV. Both are not great for the body. This year no exception, I drank my share of favorite brews and enjoyed a lot of games. I especially like the array of craft beer locally for sale.
The weight gain was minimal but still annoying. In order to trim off the extra poundage I followed a simple fasting plan.

-Eat normal most days, but no food or snacks after 7PM, and then the next day no food until noon.
 I chose black coffee to start my day. Stevia sweetened. Minimal calories.

At noon I returned from a morning work out and had salad, or egg/bacon lunch.

I dropped about 6 pounds pretty quickly and was glad to see it go.
This is the method called EAT STOP EAT, form the book by the same name. Also a web site.
This is a simple to follow method of fasting intermittently which has great results for weight control.

Another method is the 5 and 2.  You eat five of the seven days each week, and fast on two. Pick two you can deal with, like Friday and Monday or whatever, The method is also great for weight control and is easy to follow.
Combine an intermittent fasting program with HIIT Training and see results that will astound you.

Less weight, great blood chemistry and overall well being.

How's that working for you?

I constantly see guys killing themselves at the gym. Too many sets, too much time on the treadmill, or straining themselves to lift way too much weight. That last one will hurt your back and make you miserable.

I use a simple theory- keep the workouts short but steady. One machine to another with little time in between. Do HiiT training to warm up, if you need it, and maybe some moderate stretching for  keeping the back limber.

Train 4-5 times a week so you have enough rest to recover fully.

Thats it - If you want an example here:

Warm up-  Cycle 4 to 5 minutes, 30 seconds moderate, 20 seconds at max pace.

Ab training- alternate Leg raises with machine crunches. Use as much weight in the crunch as you can for 5-8 reps. After a warm up set with moderate weight for 8 reps.

Day one - Legs, Back , Bicep.    Use machines or free weights, and after a moderate set to warm up, use max weight for 6-8 reps or failure. Whatever your choice of exercises are. Change these frequently to keep it interesting and different.

Day 2- Chest ,shoulders, triceps.. Same idea as above. AB work, cycle, then you choice of routine for these muscles.

I take a sauna afterwards for 15-20 minutes, Shower and done.

The whole thing takes 45 minutes .... IT works!
Combined with proper nutrition this can make a big change in your life without killing you, or taking hours and hours to get through.

Remember to max out on the weight after the initial warm up on each machine or movement.

You should only be able to get 6 or so reps before you fail.

3 Moves for a Stronger You

Keep it simple, that is one way to be sure you are progressing in maintaining your body.

Here are 3 moves, basic but beneficial. 

Practice these at your ability and then work up to get more out of them. 

Squat- no weights needed. Just squat as low as you can, trying to keep your feet flat on the floor or ground.
tips-  extend you arms if you have trouble with balance.
Hold on to a chair, table, or whatever for stability to start.
Stand on slightly angled ground to help with balance as well.
You should after a time be able to get lower and more steady.
 This is a simple but effective move for  legs, back and overall tone.

Push up= we all know how to do these correctly, or do we? 

Arms directly under shoulders, elbows back, push down not out. 

Go all the way down flat, not stomach or chest first. Push up slowly. Breathe!

For more challenge, put one leg on the other crossing the ankles. Do one good one if that is all you are able. Aim for 20-25 repetitions.

That's it for now. 

Just these two moves when done correctly and often can be very helpful for overall fitness.

Update on new workout

So how is the 15 to 20 minute workout going for me?

Just great!

In a short time I have put on a few pounds ...4 to be exact...and all muscle. I can tell because my waist size is the same 31 as when I started this routine.
My strength has increased, for example the crunch machine: I used 40 to 50 pounds for a set prior to this, now using 70 and ready to go up to 80. My abs are more defined, and for sure stronger in my mid section. This at age 66 is hard to accomplish for sure.

My only issue is some tweaking in my left elbow, from using cables for curls, and elevating them to above horizontal for the most effect.

To reiterate the workout:
Start with 4 HIIT exercises ... 30 seconds all or effort (after a brief warmup)... Followed by 30 seconds of recovery, then rinse and repeat. All together 4 times each for a total of 4 minutes.
Sounds easy huh? It isn't.

I use the stationary bike for this.
Then choose your weights...machines or free weights are fine.
A warmup on each activity for enough light reps to get the blood going. Then a low rep set of maximum weight. I do 4 to 5 reps with as much weight as I can handle. The last rep is a failed on, where I am unable to complete it. That is the secret to challenging the muscles.
So there it is a total of around 20 minutes.

I do this two days on, splitting back,legs,biceps one day...chest, shoulders, triceps the next.
If I feel,overworked or need extra rest, I take another day or two between workouts. Simply stretching on those days, or walking.It works!

HIIT REVISITED

I last wrote about a short workout that is very effective. I myself have increased muscle and strength using this workout.
Basically you are employing the HIIT training method. This is High Intensity short interval training.
Weightlifting is already a HIIT method as done right you are using short bursts of high intensity, then resting for a moment before doing it again.
If you do any movement that you can expend a lot of energy quickly, then rest for a few moments, the repeat, you are getting a HIIT benefit.
For example. Walk really fast, as fast as you can for 30 seconds. Then stop or walk slowly for 30.
Then repeat.
Bike as fast as you can for 30 seconds, the. Slowly to catch your breath for another 30, etc.
Once you can do this with ease, shorten the rest or recovery segments.
I do 30 and 30 on a stationary bike for only 4 minutes. Yes 4. This has been found in studies to be very effective cardio work and improves blood pressure, heart and lung function after only a month or so of two times a week repetitions.
I do every other day.
Then I go to the weight machines and do a warm up set followed by a set of low reps with as much weight as I can do for 4 to 6 reps.
For example on the bench press machine, I start with 100 to warm up. Then 170 for as many reps as I can get until I can't get even one more. This might be only 4 total, but it wears you out and does what you need which is getting to FAILURE of the muscles involved. It builds you up.
If you can only use 5 pounds to warm up, then try 15 for the failure set. Get the idea?
When you train this way the whole workout takes 20 minutes or so and gives better benefits than an hour of steady biking or walking.. Try it for 30 days and see!

Check this out if HIIT is new for you
http://www.everydayhealth.com/fitness/high-intensity-interval-training-for-beginners.aspx

10 Minutes to Fitness

You see them at the gym every day. Men and women on a cardio machine for 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 60 minutes or more. They might be reading, listening to their iPod or just daydreaming while they pedal or walk at a steady pace. How boring, and worse than that- how unproductive.
The only good thing is that they are moving rather than sitting on the couch.

They could gain a higher level of fitness, and health in just 10 minutes if this time was spent better.

Here is a plan for you to try - 10 minutes to strength and fitness. Give this plan 5 or 6 weeks to work for you.. You can choose to alternate body areas daily for 4 to 6 days a week, or do two days of split upper and lower body work then rest.
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Start with whatever cardio you are comfortable with. I choose a stationary cycle. You could walk..or run,

Warm up for 30 seconds to 1 minute at a comfortable pace. At the 30 second mark, go all out as fast and hard as you can for another 30 seconds.  Then drop back to the slow steady pace for 30 additional seconds. Rinse and repeat.
Once you have done this 4 time in total...STOP. You have just used the first 4 minutes of workout time.
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Now go to your strength training...Machines, dumbbells, free weights, cables WHATEVER you like.
Start with a moderate weight to warm up the muscle. For example on a chest press machine - do about 8 reps at moderate weight to get blood flowing into the muscles.

Then raise the weight significantly. For me I start with 70-80 lbs, then go to 130-140. ( 140 is my body weight)

Now do as many reps as you can until you simply cannot do one more rep. This should be only 4-6 reps. If you can do more the weight is too light.

Then move onto another machine or movement. If you were on the chest press, go to a shoulder machine or movement. Do the same sequence.
Continue onto other exercises until you have used up about 5 minutes of steady work.

Now go to the  shower!
This 10 minute plan will force your body to evolve and create muscle, eliminate fat and increase cardio fitness.
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One caveat- here it comes; you must eat right... Lower carbs, preferably little or no grains or sugar. Eat whatever you like that is not highly processed and as close to fresh food as you can. Vegetables, meats, fruits, dairy with full fat.

Remember to Monitor your progress, and raise the weight whenever it becomes too light...

Tell us how you do on this program.

Any workouts you do are at your own risk and we assume no responsibility for your safety. Use common sense and caution when starting any new program.

A great warm up

 A great exercise for a quick warm up or a short workout is the HINDU SQUAT.
Not sure why it is called this, but there are also Hindu pushups to go along with these.

These squats warm up and strengthen the legs and help with balance problems.
You perform them like this-

Stand straight with your back a few inches from a wall. Rise on your toes as you squat down with your arms just behind you. The wall will add some security to the balance part of this exercise.
Also if you lightly touch your fingers to the wall it will help you go down straight and increase your balance.

Do not do these if you suffer from bad knees. Instead only go down partially until you are comfortable with a deeper squat.

No weight are necessary, rather aim for 12-15 reps to start, then go for as many as you can.

In the Hindu pushup you do a floor push up, but as you go down you move forward on your hands into an arched stretch, the curve backwards as you go up. This adds an extra challenge to the pushup. Start with your butt up higher than you normally would.

Combine these two moves for a great quick work out. You will be surprised at the results.

In this video there re modified versions of these two moves..