During my transformation I did cardio between 5 and 7 days a week. Part of the reason that I ran so much was that my dogs Bailey and Riley are my running partners and they pretty much demanded that we went almost every day. It was also their job to motivate me to run every morning. I would not say that I am big on running, however, I do love to run outside instead of on a treadmill. I would rather have some scenery instead of a TV or something else indoors. My normal running route is through my neighborhood and out to a cornfield surrounded by woods. The dogs love it because it gives them the opportunity to chase deer, rabbits and other wildlife on a daily basis. In some cases the wildlife were chasing them.
As far as my workouts went, I did hire Matt McCarthy from Emerge Fitness to help me achieve my goals. I decided that I wanted to get an outside perspective and wanted to train in a new atmosphere. Somewhere, where it was all about training. Listening to someone else was kind of tough for the first couple of weeks because every day I wanted to open my mouth and say let’s do this instead, I realized that I was paying him to put my program together, not to listen to me tell him what I thought I needed. I never said a word. After working out so long on my own, I must have been getting lazy and was blowing off certain exercises that I should have been doing because I didn’t like them or was having a problem with them. Now I had to do them. I was also cheating myself on certain exercises by using bad form to get through the exercise. On top of that there was the positive reinforcement from the motivational aspect of having someone work with you. My workouts changed frequently but all of them were High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).
I can honestly tell you that I spent less time on my workouts and cardio during my transformation than prior to it. I currently spend more time around my training. What I mean by this is that not only do I enjoy it but people have told me that I have been making an impact on their lives by providing them with information involving training and nutrition. It took me less than 46 years, but I have found my true purpose.
The following is program that I have used and have found very effective. It is perfect for the person who says that they don’t have time to workout. It also fits in with the type of training that I do with both weights and cardio which is High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). This type of training is very intense (figured that I would point the word intense out. It’s not like the word is in the name of the method), high reps, low rest, sprints and walks. HIIT is awesome for conditioning. It helps speed up recovery and burns fat more efficiently.
Bill Phillips created this specific program for Transformation : 5:25 (that’s 5 sets 25 minutes) I would personally recommend doing at least 3 days of each a week. Days 1, 3, 5 would be weights (Upper Body on days 1 and 5 and Lower Body on Day 3) and Days 2, 4, 6 would be cardio.
Cardio (Spin, Run, or Bike) 5 Sets
Slower pace for 2 minutes Jog for 2 minutes Sprint for 1 minute (repeat 5 times)
If you are on a bike or do spinning start with low resistance (6-10), increase (10-14) and increase again (14 or higher).
Make sure that you increase your speed each time as well.
During the sprint you want your heart rate up there
140 to 160. Don’t go higher than 160
Take a pulse when you end the run and then throughout the walk. You will recover during the walk. Your heart rate should end up going down below or around 120 during recovery.
Weights (Change your exercises up in future workouts)
You will do a complete circuit before resting.
10 reps per exercise and 1 exercise per body part
5 sets with a 2 minute rest between sets.
Upper Body
Chest (Dumbbell Press)
Shoulders (Shoulder Press)
Back (Lat Pull Downs)
Biceps (Preacher Curls)
Triceps (Kickbacks)
Rest
Repeat 4 more times
Lower Body (5 exercises, mix in quads and hamstrings and something for Calf)
(Squats)
(Lunges)
(Stiff Leg Deadlift)
(Step ups)
(Calf Raises)
Evolve My Life ™ 