Chris Reimagined

My trainer is a total sadist.  On the other hand, working out with him seems like it’s doing some good.  I am so, so tired.

So very tired, but it’s okay.  I feel reinvigorated after two bad weigh-ins.   That’s good.  Restaurant Week is almost over.  That’s better.

Okay, enough of that.  I have a couple of thoughts I wanted to share.  Namely, I want to pontificate over:

One Hour Work Outs

So, on Monday I asked my trainer what to do with a half an hour I had left over after our session (the one to which I was 30 minutes late).  He told me to get on the cardio machine and go and that I shouldn’t worry about lifting.  Instead, I should just burn calories.

I liked that answer.  I was also pretty happy he was all about getting in and working and getting out.  It’s a philosophy I share with him.  When I am at the gym, I am not there to mess around.  I am there to work.  So, here’s how I do it.

First, like everything at the gym, it’s 90% mental.  That may sound weird because you’re at the gym, the epitome of hard, physical work, but let me assure you, your mind is your strongest muscle.  If you go in with the right mindset: that you are going to work hard and not give up and won’t stop until the work out is over, then you won’t.

(Of course, I say that with the warning that you should always stop a workout if you feel light headed or have chest pains or are injured.)  But still, if you tell yourself you are going to work hard until through every rep or until the timer reads 00:00, you’re going to work harder and do better.  Even more important, if you go in with the mindset that you are there to work, you will work, and get out.

Also, the mental aspect goes beyond just the attitude.  You also need to have a plan.  Before you go into the gym, you need to know what exercises you are doing and how many sets and reps.  I have my whole week planned out.  The first day of the week, I do chest.  The second day, I do legs.  The third day, I do upper back.  The fourth day, I do arms.  The fifth day I shoulders and lats.  On the sixth, I just do cardio like a crazy person.

Now, with each of those body parts, I have three primary exercises:

1st Day – Chest

Bench Press
Incline Press
Decline Press

2nd Day – Legs

Squats (or Leg Press)
Leg Curls
Leg Extensions

3rd Day – Upper Back

Deadlifts
Lat Pull Downs
Decline Lat Pull Downs

4th Day – Arms (Okay, this is four exercises)

Arm curls
French curls
Reverse curls
Tricep pulldowns

5th Day – Shoulders and Lats

Shoulder Press
Upright Rows
Shrugs

So, with those three exercies I tend to do 4 sets of 20 reps, but you can do 3 of 20 or 3 of 12 if you prefer.  Just increase the weight accordingly.

Once you know what exercises to do, you’re almost ready to start off working out.  However, before you start to lift, you want to warm up.  (I cheat here.)  You should do 5-10 minutes.  I do 2. 

Okay, so that leaves me 58 minutes to work out.  That’s pretty good…except you also should do at least 30 minutes of cardio.  That leaves 28  minutes to work out.  (By the way, if you ever have less than an hour, make sure you get in your cardio.  It’s that important.)

That’s tight, but it’s doable.  Remember: just get in and get out.  No dallying.  Just don’t give yourself time.  In fact, you only want to rest 30-60 seconds between each set.  Part of the reason we’re doing high reps, low weight is so that we don’t have to rest as long between sets.  If we were doing a pure strength workout, we’d be resting at least a minute between sets.  Instead, we’re doing a lot of reps, little weight, and burning calories while we’re at it.

So, get in and do a set.  Look at the clock, your watch, or the time on your music.  Wait 30-60 seconds.  Then do the next set.  Wait 30-60 seconds.  Do another.  You’ll find that you have plenty of time to squeeze in your exercises.

Which brings me to my next point.  Once you’ve done your three primary lifts, check to see if you have time.  If you have 4-5 minutes left, go do 4 sets of abs.  Then hit the cardio.  Go as hard as you can without making yourself sick or dizzy.  Then you’re done!

It’s really that simple.

So what about the 10% physical?  Just get in there and lift.

Recap:

1.  Have a great attitude
2.  Have a good plan
3. Warm up!
4.  30-60 seconds of rest between sets
5.  Cardio, cardio, cardio

Now get to working!