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Top 3 Bodyweight Exercises

By Greg Brookes

I’m a huge believer in simplicity. Keeping exercise and workouts simple is vital for success. Nothing is more demotivating than a complex workout with lots of confusing exercises.

Recently I’ve been experimenting with one exercise per day bodyweight workouts and my ‘How to Perform 100 Push Ups‘ is a good example of this.

Push Ups are great and so are many other bodyweight exercises but it’s important to choose exercises that target the whole body, this way you avoid muscle imbalances, postural problems are also increase your fat burning potential more efficiently.

So I asked myself a simple question:

“What would be the minimum amount of bodyweight exercises I could use to target the whole body effectively?”

The answer produced the title of this blog post: Top 3 Bodyweight Exercises

OK, lets not waste any more time and get straight into the 3 exercises…

Bodyweight Exercise # 1 – Inverted Rows

The inverted row is a highly underused exercise, in fact I rarely see anyone performing this exercise in a gym when I’ve been training.

I chose this exercise because:

It works the posture muscles at the back of the body and counteracts sitting
It works most of the pulling muscles in the body
It’s the exact opposite of a Push Up
It integrates all your core muscles beautiful
It improves scapula retraction

How it’s done

You lie underneath a bar and keeping your body in line from shoulder to heel you pull your chest up towards the bar. It is important to keep your body straight by activating your core muscles. The more parallel your body is during the movement the more difficult the exercise will be.

My Inverted Row Tips:

Always keep your core engaged and body in a straight line
Never let your hips sag
Pull your sternum to the bar
Never reach with your chin keep it neutral
Breathe in as your pull up to the bar and out as you lower
Use a tempo of 2 seconds up and 2 seconds lower
Never use wrist straps let your grip improve naturally

Beginners

Start with the bar high and lower the bar each time you can perform 12 good quality repetitions.

Intermediate

Continue to lower the bar until your back almost touches the floor on the downward part of the movement. Once you can perform 12 good repetitions at this height raise the bar again and place your feet on a bench.

Advanced

Once you can perform 12 good repetitions with your feet on a bench and the bar as low as you can go without your back touching the floor advance to instability exercises. For instability exercises try using just one leg on the bench or swapping the bench for a stability ball. Once you can perform 12 good repetitions of these try using a TRX or Suspension Straps. You can even try one arm rows as you get really strong.

Performing these at Home?

If you are working out at home then chances are you won’t have an adjustable bar in your house. You can still perform inverted rows by lying underneath a table and pulling yourself up to the underside. Just be careful if you use this method that your table is strong enough and doesn’t tip over.

Bodyweight Exercise # 2 – Push Ups

Everyone knows the Push Up and how effective they can be. Performing proper Push Ups is not as easy as you think and I would advise everyone to take a look at the tutorial video below to get it right. If you want to find out more about training your Push Ups then please see my 100 Push Ups Article

I chose this exercise because:

It works most of the Pushing Muscles in the Body
It’s the complete opposite of the Inverted Row
It perfectly integrates the core muscles and strengthens the Abs
It improve shoulder stability

How its Done

Face down with weight on hands and toes lower and Push Up the body keeping the body in perfect alignment from shoulder to heels. Most people will find they are weak in the core and sag at the hips, if this starts to happen stop the exercise.

My Push Ups Tips:

Keep the Core engaged throughout the exercise and the body in a straight line
Breathe In on the way down and Out on the way up
Ensure that the elbows bend backwards and NOT outwards
Contract the buttocks to stabilise the core
Descend down until your elbow forms a 90 degree angle
Pull yourself down into the exercise by rotating the arms inwards as you descend

Here’s my Complete Push Up Tutorial Video

Beginners

If a proper Push Up is too much for you then start by doing Push Ups against a wall, when you can perform 20 repetitions move on to your hands on a table or chair.

Intermediate

You are performing proper push ups. Practice different hand widths, closer will be more difficult. Also try one foot on top of the other one or tapping your opposite shoulder after each repetition.

Advanced

Practice more strength based Push Ups by raising your feet on a chair or bench. Try improving your shoulder stability by performing them with your hands on an exercise ball. Develop explosive power with clap push ups.

Have trouble with your Wrists?

Many people suffer with there wrists when doing Push Ups. If this is the case for you then try either using Push Up bars or performing the Push Ups off your knuckles (use a mat to cushion them).

Bodyweight Exercise # 3 – Pistol Squats

Pistols are an advanced exercise that combine the elements of both a lunge and a squat together. Not only will this exercise work the entire lower body but it will elevate your heart rate rapidly as well as improving your one legged strength and stability.

I chose this exercise because:

It works all muscle of the legs and lower body
It improves balance and single leg stability of the hip helping protect the knees
It beautifully integrates the core and back muscles
It’s hugely cardiovascular
It works hip and trunk mobility often in decline due to excess sitting

How it’s Done

Standing on one leg with the other leg held above the floor. You then sit back onto your heel and drop down into a one legged squat. Next you drive back up to the standing position. At no point does the the one leg touch the floor.

My Pistol Squat Tips:

Keep your weight back on your heel at all times
Lower your body slowly keeping your knee in straight alignment
Keep your arms and weight forwards to counteract the movement
Never let your heel come off the floor
Breathe IN on the way down and breathe OUT through pursed lips as you stand

Here a Quick Video of the Pistol Squat

Beginners

The pistol Squat is a very tough exercise, the beginner should first master the basic lunge exercise, the basic squat exercise and finally the Bulgarian lunge which simply elevates the back foot during a static lunge.

Intermediate

Once your Squats and Lunges are strong then you can practice the lowering part of the Pistol onto a chair. Lower slowly down on one leg until your thigh is parallel with the floor. The chair can then take your weight and you can stand with both feet. You can also practice the pistol squat by using a chair, pole or strap to hold onto. Work up to 12 repetitions per leg.

Advanced

If you can perform the pistol squat for 12 reps with assistance then it’s time to go for it. You may find holding a weight in front of you helps as a counter balance. My rolling version of the Pistol Squat is also another way to practice this movement.

Here’s a Video of the Rolling Squat

Once you have the Pistol Squat perfected work on adding load to the squats either by wearing a weight vest, holding dumbbells or kettlebells.

Problems with the other leg?

For many people holding the other leg off the ground can be a problem. In this situation you may need to work on your hip mobility. Practice spending time in the bottom position of the squat and opening up your hips, you can hold onto a post for support if needed.

To continue to develop strength while your hip mobility improves you can practice your pistols by standing on a box and letting your free leg hang over the side. Using this method allows the free leg to not touch the floor as you squat down.

Putting it all Together into a Workout

Now you understand my Top 3 Bodyweight Exercises you can now work on putting them into a workout.

There are 2 basic options that I have used successfully:

Workout # 1 – (One Exercise per Day):

You chose one exercise per day, for example:

Monday: Inverted Row (12 reps, 60-90 sec rest, 3-5 sets)
Tuesday: Pistol Squats (6 reps each, 60-90 sec rest, 3-5 sets)
Wednesday: Push Ups (12 reps, 60-90 sec rest, 3-5 sets)
Thursday: Inverted Row (12 reps, 60-90 sec rest, 3-5 sets)
Friday: Pistols Squats (6 reps each, 60-90 sec rest, 3-5 sets)
Saturday: Push Ups (12 reps, 60-90 sec rest, 3-5 sets)
Sunday: Rest

Workout # 2 – (3 Exercises per Day):

Here you perform all the exercises in one day but you have more days off:

Monday: Inverted Row (12 reps), Pistol Squats (6 reps each), Push Ups (12 reps), Rest 60-90 sec rest, Repeat 3-5 sets
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: As Monday
Thursday: Rest
Friday: As Monday
Saturday & Sunday: Rest

Workout 1 is going to be a lot easier and allows for more focus on just one exercise. It will however overload that exercise each day so you will get strong fast this way. You also only perform each exercise 2 x per week compared to 3 x with Workout 2.

Workout 2 will be more cardiovascular as you perform more exercise and target more muscle groups per workout. So I would chose this option more for general fitness and fat loss. You also have 4 full days off for total body recovery.

With both of these workouts you will want to work through your progressions so start at whatever level you feel comfortable (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced) and look at improving over the weeks, not days!. Most importantly keep the quality of each exercise high and NEVER sacrifice numbers for quality.

Have you tried any of these bodyweight exercises? Let me know more below:

Kettlebell Complex Flow Using Over 600 Muscles

By Greg Brookes

Today’s workout is for all those Kettlebell Fans out there.

This Kettlebell Complex takes just 4 exercises and puts them together into a nice flow.

The beauty of Kettlebell Training is the ability to take an exercise and then seamlessly move into another exercise without having to put the kettlebell down. Using this flowing style of workout ensures that you keep your heart rate elevated while hitting all the muscles of the body.

The following workout is demanding and very cardiovascular. You could use it as part of your Cardio training program rather than traditional running methods.

Ensure you have a base level of Kettlebell Skill before attempting this Workout.

The Warm Up

Run through the following warm up 2 times. If you find this warm up too difficult then the warm up is your workout and you should not proceed on to the following workout.

All exercises are performed with bodyweight only except the Turkish Get Up.

10 x Yoga Squats
10 x Single Leg Forward Reaches (each leg)
3 x Turkish Get Ups
Repeat Once more

The Kettlebell Workout

Complete the following exercises in order, try not to put the Kettlebell down until the whole sequence is finished. Feel the flow!

Finish the exercise on both sides before moving onto the next exercise.

(Click to watch videos of each exercise)

Single Arm Swing
High Pulls
Snatch
Clean, Squat & Press
Rest for 1 minute and repeat

The Numbers

Start by getting used to the flow of the exercises, don’t worry about times and repetitions at this stage, just practice. When you are comfortable try the following repetitions:

Stage 1

Perform 5 repetitions on each side before moving onto the next exercise. Rest for 1-2 minutes at the end and repeat 1-3 times.

Stage 2

Perform 8 repetitions on each side before moving onto the next exercise. Rest for 1-2 minutes at the end and repeat 2-4 times.

Stage 3

Perform 12 repetitions on each side before moving onto the next exercise. Rest for 1-2 minutes at the end and repeat 2-4 times.

Have fun with this little workout and really get into the flow of the transitions as you move from one exercise to the next.

Quick tip: take a rest at the top of the Snatch if needed!

How Often?

As with all training your recovery will be dependent on your lifestyle, nutrition and occupation. As a guide I would recommend at least 1 days rest between this workout and the next.

If you like this workout then you will enjoy my Kettlebell Workouts website

Top 5 Bodyweight Exercises for Interval Training

By Greg Brookes

When many people think about Interval Training they think about running but there are other options.

Using bodyweight exercises is another way to elevate your heart rate and if done correctly you can get many other benefits too like:

Full Body Muscle Development and Activation
Injury Prevention through Core and Joint Stability
Limited Overuse Injury through Better Load Distribution
Improved Balance and Coordination
Optimal Mobility and Flexibility of Joints

In order to get the correct response from these intervals it is important to use Bodyweight Compound exercises, that means exercises that use as many joints and muscles as possible.

You will find all these exercises demanding so the idea is to work hard for a short period and then rest for a short time before repeating the exercise.

To get a better understanding of interval training and the philosophy behind this type of exercise please read my article ‘Complete Guide to Interval Training for Quicker Results‘

Top 5 Bodyweight Exercises for Interval Training

# 1 – Fast Mountain Climbers

A fast paced exercise that uses most muscles in the body. I particularly like this exercise because it works your core stability hard as you try to maintain alignment in the push up position. You will need good shoulder stability and the ability to hold a good push up position in order to get the most from this exercise. From a push up position you keep the core tight as you alternatively drive the knees up and between the arms.

Be aware that this exercise heavily utilises the hip flexors, the muscles that bring the knees to the chest. It is common for many people to have over-active hip flexors due to faulty core activation so you will want to work on stretching out your hip flexors with deep lunges and back bends to counteract this over time.

Greg’s Tip: Get yourself some Sliders for this exercise or try it on a wooden floor wearing some old socks. Using sliders will eliminate the need for impact during each repetition so its a better option for beginners.

Tutorial on How to perform the Fast Mountain Climber Exercise:

3 Bodyweight Workouts:

Fast Mountain Climbers x 20 seconds
Rest 10 seconds and repeat 4-8 times

Fast Mountain Climbers x 30 seconds
Front Plank x 30 seconds
Repeat 3-8 times

Fast Mountain Climbers x 30 seconds
Squats x 30 seconds
Rest 30 seconds and repeat 3-8 times

# 2 – High Knees

This is a standing exercise that will have your heart rate shoot up very quickly indeed. Like all these exercises it works most muscles in the body but this particular exercise works into the Core Rotational muscles as well as the legs.

The exercise is very simple just run on the spot lifting the knees as high as possible. Your optimum goal is to get the knees above waist height.

Be very careful with this exercises because it uses a lot of high impact through the calf muscles. Please ensure that the ankles and calf muscles are warmed up first and that you have no calf or Achilles issues. This exercise would not be recommend for beginners or those who carry too much excess weight as the impact would be too high. Fast Mountain Climbers with Sliders would be more appropriate for a beginner.

Greg’s Tip: place your hands at waist height and work hard to slap your hands with your knee for each repetition.

Tutorial on How to Perform the High Knees Exercise:

3 Bodyweight Workouts:

High Knees x 20 seconds
Rest 10 seconds and repeat 3-8 times

High Knees x 100 reps
Rest 60 seconds and Repeat 3-8 times

Push Ups x 10, 9, 8 etc
High Knees x 30 seconds
Countdown, 10 Push Ups then High Knees, 9 Push Ups High Knees etc

# 3 – Squats or Jump Squats

Nothing is more practical than working on the Squat exercise and if done correctly and at a good pace they are very cardiovascular too. Squats use most muscles of the body but in particular the legs and buttocks.

For the beginner regular squats will raise the heart rate rapidly but for the more advanced you may need to up the tempo or add in a jump. Jump squats are definitely not for the beginner so if you are new to squats work on your regular squats first.

If you are not getting as much from your squats as you think you should you are probably not squatting low enough and/or driving your hips to full extension at the top of the movement.

Greg’s Tip: Get down deeper. For beginners squat down to a chair, stool or bench that puts your thighs at least to parallel with the floor.

Tutorial on How to Perform the Jump Squat Exercise:

3 Bodyweight Workouts:

Squat or Jump Squats – 20 seconds
Hold in bottom squat position – 10 seconds
Repeat 5-8 times

Squat or Jump Squat – 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10 reps
Fast Mountain Climbers – 20 seconds
Countdown, Squat 20, Fast Mountain Climbers, Squat 18, Fast Mountain Climbers etc.

Squat or Jump Squat x 20 reps
High Knees x 20 reps
Repeat 5 times as quickly as possible

# 4 – Squat Thrusts

Similar to the Fast Mountain Climber more even more demanding and placing more emphasis on the leg muscles. Squat thrusts are a huge core exercise too!

Beginners should reduce the impact of the Squat thrust by limiting the length of the jump or my using Sliders or socks on a wooden floor.

Try to keep your weight over the hands as much as possible as this takes the emphasis away from the legs slightly. Ensure that you extend the legs fully during each repetition.

Greg’s Tip: Use a line on the floor or use some tape to create one. Next ensure you jump your feet over the line each time. As you improve place the line closer and closer to the hands.

How to Perform the Squat Thrust Exercise:

3 Bodyweight Workouts

Squat Thrusts – 20 seconds
Rest 10 seconds and Repeat 3-8 times

Squat Thrusts – 30 seconds
Pull Ups x 1,2,3,4
Ladder, Squat Thrusts then 1 Pull Up, Squat Thrust, 2 Pull Ups, See how high you can go

Squat Thrusts – 50 reps
Rest 60 seconds
Repeat 40 reps, Rest, 30 reps, Rest, 20 reps, Rest 10 reps

# 5 – Burpees

The classic burpee just had to be included in this list. For the beginner just performing 5-10 good Burpees can be very cardiovascular. Like the exercises above the Burpee uses most muscles in the body. You can modify the exercise to eliminate the jumping aspect if you are new to the exercise and you can increase the demand by adding in a jump at the top of the exercise. Good core stability is essential for this exercise especially during the jumping back of the feet.

Greg’s Tip: Make you you don’t just fall to the floor, perform a good squat and then place the hands down. The downward phase is an important part of the exercise.

How to Perform the Burpee Exercise:

3 Burpee Workouts

Burpee x 10 reps
Rest 60 seconds and Repeat 3-8 times

Burpee with 2 Push Ups x 10 reps
High Knees x 50 reps
Repeat 3-8 times

Burpee x 30 seconds
High Knees x 30 second
Rest 30 seconds
Squats or Jump Squats x 30 seconds
Fast Mountain Climber x 30 seconds
Rest 90 seconds and Repeat Full Circuit 2-3 times

Conclusions

Bodyweight Intervals when done correctly are highly effective and can be performed almost anywhere. Start off with only 1 or 2 circuits and add an extra circuit each week. Only perform this style of high intensity interval training 2 times per week because your body will need time to repair and recover between workouts.

Most of all enjoy these intervals and progress at your own speed safely.

Have you tried any of these interval training exercises? Let me know more below:

21 Quick Actions That Will Radically Improve Your Health

By Greg Brookes

#1: Drink a Pint of Water as Soon as you Wake Up

We all know the importance of water, right?

We evolved from water. Our body is made up of approximately 70% water. We are basically a walking, talking, big mass of mostly water.

First thing in the morning your body is dehydrated from 7+ hours of no water. Drinking a pint of water before you do anything else will give your body the top up it needs to start the day.

In Dr. Batmanghelidj famous book “The Body’s Many Cries For Water“ he explains, in great detail, the importance of drinking water. He believes that often we are not hungry but thirsty as the body confuses signals for water.

Drinking 2 litres of water per day is a good starting point for most adults. Performance, concentration and sickness are all symptoms of dehydration. Your intestines will also squeeze and extract water from your feces if you are really dehydrated and nobody wants their body made up of that type of water, do they?

#2: Start a Workout Habit of 7 Minutes a Day

It doesn’t take long to form a new habit, usually in less than 30 days.

Don’t try to do too much too soon. Start by just developing an exercise habit rather than killing yourself at the gym.

Using my Daily 7 Minute Workouts is a great start:

1. Choose one movement pattern for each day of the week (Monday – Friday)

2. Movement Patterns include: Squatting, Pulling, Lunging, Pushing, Bending

3. Try to perform as many of that movement pattern as you can in 7 minutes

My advice would be to run through your 7 minute workout nice and early before breakfast. Early workouts work in tune with your hormonal system and leave you not thinking about exercise for the rest of the day.

Start your 7 minute exercise habit today and before long it will feel as natural as brushing your teeth!

#3: Ditch the Table Salt and Start Eating Real Sea Salt

The majority of people are still overloading themselves with processed salt.

Salt isn’t actually the problem, it’s the type of salt that matters. Did you know that human blood has the same salt content as sea salt?

Table salt is highly processed, often using chemicals, that leave it clean, white and absent of all those precious trace minerals. Most table salt resembles something you would find in a science lab rather than in nature.

There are lots of great unprocessed sea salt brands out there. Look for sea salt that is slightly grey in colour. My favourite is a French sea salt is called “Gros Sel de Guerande”.

Buy a good brand of sea salt and it will last you for months.

#4: Set Up an Organic Food Delivery

Eating seasonal food is important. The more local seasonal food your eat the less time it has spent in transit and the more nutrients the food will have. Fresh fruit and vegetables lose nutritional value from the moment they are picked.

To ensure you get the most seasonal and local food I recommend you sign up with a Local Organic Food delivery service like Riverford (the one I use) or Abel and Cole.

Organic Delivery is great because:

1. You get fresh fruit and vegetables delivered to your door weekly

2. You get to try some weird and wonderful foods that maybe you have never tried before

3. Organic food is not drenched in nasty pesticides and other chemicals

4. It actually works out cheaper than buying from the supermarket

5. It saves you time and effort of shopping each week

Set up an Organic food delivery today and you will be amazed at some of the great food you will be eating!

#5: Start to Breathe Deeply Through Your Belly Again!

Stress causes shallow breathing through the upper chest and neck. The more shallow you breathe, the more of a stress response you get.

Have you ever watched a baby breathe? They breathe deeply through their bellies right? As we get older and stress starts to creep into our lives we start to take that breathing from the belly and shift up and into the chest and neck.

Shallow breathing causes headaches, upper back and neck tension! As well as keeping you highly charged and your hormonal system on overdrive.

Learn to slow down your breathing and take your breath to your belly. Deep breathing through the diaphragm stimulates the “Parasympathetic Nervous System” and causes the body to relax.

1. Try taking 10 deep breaths counting to 5 on the IN breath and 5 on the OUT breathe

2. Push your belly OUT as you breathe IN and pull the belly IN as you breathe OUT

3. 2 thirds of your breath should come from your belly and 1 third from your chest

Take some time each day and learn to breathe deeply. It’s a wonderful stress reliever!

#6: Re-Assess Your Medication and Make Some Changes

The sale of Drugs, whether over the counter or via prescription is a multi-million pound industry. Many people are far to easily convinced to take drugs based on TV ads or Doctors recommendations.

The truth is, ALL drugs are poison to the body. It takes a lot of energy for the body to process drugs and most drugs have side effects.

If your are suffering from a sickness or disease then start to question what may be out of balance in your life. Are you stressed out, eating dead foods, dehydrated, lacking in quality sleep?

If you have been taking medication for a long time then book an appointment with your doctor to reassess your situation. Don’t just reach for the drugs every time you have a headache, backache, constipation etc. Start to question the source of the problem rather than addressing the symptoms every time.

#7: Eat More Living Food

If you want to bring life into your body then you need to eat live foods. Dead foods only equal a dead body!

So think about what foods you are eating. Do you eat fresh and seasonal foods (see action #4) or are you eating packaged and processed foods?

The fresher the food the better. Try steaming or eating some of your foods raw to get the maximum nutrition from them. Boiling vegetables only leaches all the vitamins and minerals out into the water. So if you do boil vegetables make sure you use the water to make soups and sauces.

#8: Get to Bed by 10:30pm, it’s When, Not How Much Sleep that Counts

The human being operates on what is called a circadian cycle.

We evolved from nature and have always been influenced by the fall and rise of the sun. In the mornings the hormone Cortisol is stimulated, this prepares the body for action. In the evenings Cortisol levels should be reduced and Anabolic hormones are released to stimulate tissue regrowth and repair during sleep.

If you go to bed too late then you miss out a large portion of the the Growth and Repair cycle which usually runs from around 10-2am. From 2am to 6am most repair is mental rather than physical.

We are creatures of the earth and need to work with our hormones rather than against them.

It’s not necessarily how much sleep you get that matters but more when you sleep that counts!

#9: Take Your Shoes off and Start Earthing

How often to you touch your bare feet on the grass or earth?

Earthing is based on the principle that we have lost our connection with the earth. If you think about it, do you ever walk around in bare feet anymore? Our ancestors used to have constant connection with the earth and this is something that has been lost today.

There is lots of research coming out now that shows positive reasons why we should all get out there and dance on the grass or paddle in streams.

Just connecting your body to the earth will give you lots of natural energy.

So get out there today for 5 minutes and get connected back with nature.

#10: Avoid Wheat for the Day, You Won’t Regret It

Wheat is a major problem and probably the most influential food action your could take today.

It’s not actually the wheat that is the problem but the wheat’s protein Gluten that is the real nasty. The sticky protein Gluten is a big irritant to most peoples gut.

Being Gluten intolerant doesn’t just mean having gut problems like wind and a bloated stomach. Gluten can also cause an auto immune response from Leaky Gut Syndrome resulting in: Arthritis, Headaches, Back Pains, Depression and more.

Gluten is everywhere so be careful. Common foods include: Breads, Pasta, Sauces, fillers in Sausages, and Cereals.

You can take a food sensitivity test to find out if you are Gluten sensitive or you can avoid Gluten for 30 days and see just how amazing you feel without it.

#11: Free Your Mind With 5 Minutes of Meditation

Stress is the number one killer. Meditation offers you a chance to take your mind away from the daily grind and be with yourself for a few minutes.

There are many ways to mediate, here are 2 of my favourite methods:

1. Sit quietly and breathe deeply through your belly. Concentrate on your breath as you breathe through your nose. Count each breath and see how high you can count.

2. Again sit or lie quietly and breathe through your belly. Concentrate your vision on an object about 10 feet in front of you. Keep your eyes relaxed and focus on that object ONLY.

If you do start to think about your worries and problems don’t give up just accept them and refocus on your meditation.

Start with 5 minutes and work up to 30 minutes per day.

#12: Avoid Drinking Caffeine in the Afternoon

Coffee and Tea both contain caffeine which adds extra stress to your body and mind.

The stress that caffeine causes effects your nervous system. With every cup of caffeine your adrenal glands release hormones that fire up your system and prepare it for action. As the system gets fired up glucose is released into the body to give it energy. This energy response all dates back to our survival days when we needed energy to fight or run from wild animals. We don’t usually need this energy anymore so it gets stored in the liver or in the fat cells for later.

The roller coaster that the blood sugar levels are put on due to caffeine intake and subsequent cortisol and insulin responses is very damaging to the body. Adrenal fatigue is all too common these days, as is Insulin Resistance and Diabetes.

Caffeine really does get on your nerves so take a break from it as much as you can, especially in the afternoons when you should be winding down.

#13: Choose BIG BANG Exercises and Save Time

If your goals are to improve your fitness and lose fat then you shouldn’t waste your time with small exercises.

Small exercises only target small muscle groups, like the biceps or triceps. To get a quicker response from your workout you need to focus on big exercises that hit large muscle groups.

Here’s my list of top 5 Big bang exercises:

1. The Lunge – a basic movement that not only works most muscles of the body but improves your balance and movement skills

2. The Row – pulling your hands towards you is excellent for recruiting most of the muscles in your back. Perform this exercise standing up and you will use the legs and core muscles too!

3. The Squat – uses most muscles in the body but in particular the buttocks and thighs

4. The Push Up – avoid the bench press and stick to the push up. The push Up targets the chest, triceps and core muscles and you can do them anywhere.

5. The Deadlift – again uses most of your 600 muscles but heavily works the back of the body so great for posture

Put these exercises together in a circuit in the same order as above and you have a quick and highly effective workout.

#14: Take a Walk in Nature

There is nothing more natural and uplifting than taking a walk in nature. If your mind is busy, you are feeling the pressures of the day, or you simply need a break from the office. Taking a quick stroll through a park, fields or woods, is great for the soul.

Walking in nature can offer you some active meditation. A time to let yourself go and reassess your situation. Remember we all come from nature so get out there and reconnect.

#15: Plan Out Your Meals for the Week

OK, don’t turn your nose up at this suggestion. A little planning can go a long way.

There is nothing worse than opening the cupboards and finding them bare. Empty cupboards usually means eating and drinking things that you know you shouldn’t.

Take 5 minutes and write down a list of meals for the week. Once you have your meals jotted down, split each meal up into ingredients required. You then have your shopping list for the week.

This is a simple technique that only has to be done once a week, but the time and aggravation it saves is well worth it. Also, once you have written down a few weekly lists you can combine them to save even more time.

#16: Follow the Rainbow Diet

It’s a fact that different coloured vegetables contain different nutrients.

Next time you are out grocery shopping try and choose as many variations of colours as you can find. The brighter and more colourful your shopping basket the better.

#17: Dream about What You Really Want

Do you know what you really want out of life? Have you ever taken the time to think about it?

Setting goals and taking control of your life is important for your overall happiness. There is something very intrinsically rewarding about achieving a goal. Generally the harder and longer a goal takes to achieve the more rewarding it will be.

The subconscious mind has a clever way of finding solutions for you but you have to set it a goal first. Dream big and don’t worry about how you will get there, just let your subconscious take care of it.

Here’s my proven goal setting technique:

1. Close your eyes and dream about what you want your life to be like in 5 years. How will it look and feel?

2. Now ask yourself what skills you need to achieve your dream? List them down.

3. Next work backwards and plan out your pathway to your dream. Where will you need to be in 3 years, 2 years, 1 year, 6 months, 3 month, 1 month, 1 week?

4. Write out your road-map and stick it on the wall. Tick off each week as you progress towards your 5 year dream.

This technique is highly effective. Don’t sweat over the small stuff, it will sort itself out. As I said before trust your subconscious to find a way. Take control of your life and you could be living your dream in only 5 years!

#18: Spend More Time Standing

For some people the idea of standing more often terrifies them but the truth is sitting down is not very good for our backs.

When we sit down huge amounts of pressure is transferred to the lower back, far more than when standing. It always amuses me when people say their back hurts and so they need to sit down. If you have a bad back you are better to either lie down or stand up.

I’m sure you know that we live in a sitting world. We sit going to work, at work, going home from work, and finally at home in the evening.

Try to spend more time on your feet. One simply technique to prevent prolonged sitting at work is to set a stopwatch on your computer. Every 50 minutes take the time to get up, move around, drink some water and look at something other than the computer screen. You will be amazed at how much more productive you will become by using this simple method.

#19: Turn the Lights Down and Chill Out in the Evening

Dig out those candles, dim the lights, and play some soft music. In the evening it’s time to relax and work with your hormones not against them.

I mentioned earlier how we are influenced hormonally by the sun and how these hormone levels change throughout the day. Well, in the evening we should be winding down and preparing to sleep. Bright lights and stimulating TV will activate the cortisol hormone. High cortisol levels should naturally occur in the morning when its time to wake up and get going, and not in the evenings.

So in the evenings try to avoid all stimulants, relax and wind down the right way.

#20: Limit Your Fruit Intake to 1 Piece Per Day

What? I know what you are thinking. Reduce fruit, I thought that was good for me?

Fruit is good for you but only in small doses. Fruit contains high amounts of sugar. I know it’s the natural sugar Fructose but it’s still sugar.

Sugar is the largest cause of obesity today. No its not fat, its sugar. Sugar consumption has drastically risen over the last 50 years and fat consumption has drastically dropped, but we are all in worse shape than ever. We have more gyms, medical practitioners and health carers than ever before but we still can’t stop the obesity epidemic. Stop sugar and it all goes away!

Here’s my quick guide to Fruit and Sugar:

1. Avoid all Sugars including syrups and artificial sweeteners (they are even worse than sugar).

2. All ingredients that end in “ose” are a sugar. For example: Sucrose, Glucose, Fructose, Maltose etc.

3. Limit fruit to one piece a day. Only eat seasonal fruit. Fruit is not a meal.

Fruit has changed a lot over the years. Our ancestors would have eaten fruit that was much smaller and more sour. They would have only eaten it when it was in season and usually to fatten up for the winter.

Be very very careful with fruit and sugar!

#21: Do Something Different

Remember the feeling you last had when you did something different? We are creatures of habit and although most habits keep us safe they don’t always challenge us.

Have some fun by changing a habit and doing something you haven’t done before. It can be as simple as taking a different route to work or waking up in the middle of the night and looking at the stars. The challenge is to experience something new.

Spend 5 minutes looking through Google for something new. Try a new sport, join a new club, start a new business, try a new hobby, reconnect with an old friend, go to the theatre, book a weekend break.

Life is short. It’s amazing what happens when you try something new. With new experiences come more new experiences. Without change you get the same results so get out there and explore.

How many of these Quick Actions will you take today?

GB Success – Workout Format Secrets

By Greg Brookes

Happy Tuesday to You!

Firstly, thanks for following along with this series on how best to put together your workouts for maximum results with minimal effort.

If you missed the rest of the series you can view it here:

As we have discussed using the 6 fundamental movement patterns makes exercise programming very simple but highly effective.

Just as a recap here are the 6 movements and the order that I recommend you perform them in:

Lunge
Push
Squat
Pull
Deadlift
Core

So now you have the movement patterns and the order you just need to know how to put the actual workout together.

So here goes, 3 effective formats that most workouts will fall into:

1. Fat Loss & Conditioning

If fat loss or just general conditioning is your goal then this is your best solution. These workouts will hit every muscle in your body as well as raising your heart rate and burning fat both during and after your workout.

Lunge (30-60 secs)
Push (30-60 secs)
Squat (30-60 secs)
Pull (30-60 secs)
Deadlift (30-60 secs)
Core (30-60 secs)

Rest 60 sec or less and repeat 2-3 times

It is essential for these types of circuit based workouts that you keep the rest periods to a minimum to keep your heart rate elevated.

2. Muscle Building

This is probably more for the guys but if you want to build muscle then this is one of the best options.

Lunge (8 – 12 reps)
Push (8 – 12 reps)
Rest 90 – 120 secs Repeat 3 times

Squat (8 – 12 reps)
Pull (8 – 12 reps)
Rest 90 – 120 secs Repeat 3 times

Deadlift (5 – 8 reps)
Core (8 – 12 reps)
Rest 90 – 120 secs Repeat 3 times

You will also need to work with a weight or exercise that really pushes you for the final few repetitions.

3. Time Starved & Habit Building

This is one of my favourite options and great for building an exercise habit and getting some great results in minimal time.

Monday – Lunge (3 x AMAP)
Tuesday – Push (3 x AMAP)
Wednesday – Squat (3 x AMAP)
Thursday – Pull (3 x AMAP)
Friday – Deadlift (3 x AMAP)
Saturday – Core (3 x AMAP)
Sunday – Rest

On each day you perform as many repetitions as possible (AMAP), then take a 60 seconds rest and repeat.

So those are 3 of my favourite formats and the ones that I have seen the best results with.

Apart from format 3 I would recommend you exercise Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with the weekend off. If you find that you are still sore when you start your next workout, take another day off.

———

Progression and Variation is the Key to Success!

As you know by now every movement pattern has lots of variations. So to keep your workouts interesting and encourage your body to keep changing I would recommend you mix up your exercises.

For example the Lunge Pattern:

Monday: Reverse Lunges
Wednesday: Side Lunges
Friday: Step Up & Press

You may also want to mix up what type of equipment you use too.

For example the Deadlift Pattern:

Monday: Kettlebell Swing
Wednesday: Dumbbell Single Leg Deadlift
Friday: TRX Bridges

All this can get very confusing and knowing which exercises are easier or harder than the next does take a lot of experience. Choosing the wrong exercise can lead to injury or a lack of adequate muscle activation.

It is for this reason that I developed a perfect solution for putting togther all your exercises and workouts called:

GB Success

Basically I have professionally filmed and listed for you every single exercise (over 500) based on movement pattern. Then I have arranged them all from easiest to hardest.

So now putting your workouts together is simple:

Step 1: Select Your Exercise Equipment
Step 2: Select Movement Pattern
Step 3: Select Exercise

On Thursday I will be launching GB Success so you can get access to all these exercises and online videos.

GB Success is Now Open! Click here for more info.

Take care,

Greg