Leverage your Body's Strength

“Every-Other Day” Routine

Perform this full-body workout every 48 hours or at least twice a week (minimum one day of rest between workouts).

Jump to:

• W.A.S.H.

• Cardio

• Resistance Training
  • Push
  • Pull
  • Squat
  • Core
  • Supplementary Exercises
• Stretches
• Notes

W.A.S.H. (Optional / Warm-up)

Cardio

Once or twice per week:

20 minute interval training:  6 minute warm-up at a low intensity followed by 2 minute work and rest intervals.  Each work interval should be sufficiently intense (resistance, speed, etc.) to cause you to “fail” the talk test. This is the point at which you have to catch your breath every 3-5 words in conversation.

Remaining workout days:

20 minute steady-state training: 6 minute warm-up at low intensity followed by 14 minutes at constant moderate intensity (just below talk test failure).

Resistance Training

[Back to top]

Push – Choose 3 sets x 10 repetitions of any of the following exercises:

[TRX Length: Long]                 [TRX Length: Long]
Assisted Push-Up (TRX high press OR TRX low press)

 

Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Keep elbows somewhat in front of body and use A-frame or incline bench if helpful.

 

Dumbbell Chest Press (High OR Low Press)

[Back to top]

Pull – Choose 3 sets x 10 repetitions of any of the following exercises:

[TRX Length: Long/Medium]                 [TRX Length: Short]
Inverted Row (TRX High- OR Low-Back Row)


[TRX Length: extra-short]
Assisted TRX/Low Bar Pull-up

One-Arm Dumbbell Row (High- OR Low-Back)

 

[Back to top]

Squat – Choose 3 sets x 10 repetitions of any of the following exercises:

[TRX Length: extra-short]
Squat (Row-Assisted, Full Body Weight, OR Dumbbell)


Step-Ups (TRX-assisted, Bodyweight OR Dumbbell-resisted)

Reverse Lunge (TRX-Assisted OR Full Body Weight )

[Back to top]

Core Exercises (Optional when body weight Push & Pulls selected)

Pelvic Tilt   1 set x 8 reps

Bird Dog   1 set x 8 reps

Cat/Cow   1 set x 10 reps

Bridge (Knee, Full, One-Leg, or Dynamic)     2 times for 30 seconds

Side Bridge (Knees Bent, or Full)    2 times for 20 seconds

Hamstring Bridge (low, medium, OR highest resistance)   2 times for 30 seconds

Modified Cobra (Sphinx Pose)    1 x 20 seconds

[Back to top]

External Shoulder Rotation (Dumbbell, Band, OR TRX)

[Back to top]

Stretches – Hold each stretch once (per side, where applicable) for 30 seconds

Piriformis (Outer thigh, supine, seated OR standing)

Butterfly (inner thigh, seated or supine)

BOSU Ball Chest / Shoulder / Cervical Spine

Child’s Pose with Side Stretches

Hip Flexor Stretch

Quadriceps Stretch (lying or standing)

Hamstring and Calf Stretch (Supine / Standing, toes on wall, chest up)

Shoulder Circles (8 circles in both directions)

[Back to top]

Notes

The best nutritional advice can be summed up as follows:

1. Eat food—what your great grandparents would recognize as food, not the stuff in the center aisles of the grocery store)
2. Not too much. Eat to 80% satiety. One helpful hack: drink a glass of water before each meal.
3. Mostly plants. Whole, unprocessed, and packed with fiber, phytochemicals, vitamins, and minerals!
4. Not to often. Extend your nightly fast as much as possible/convenient. The optimal feeding window for weight loss is likely something like 8am to 2pm.

Credit to Michael Pollan for the first three. The fourth acknowledges the increasingly confirmed benefits of allowing your body to return to a fasted state for several hours a day.

For minor musculoskeletal injuries, remember P.O.L.I.C.E.:

• Protection
• Optimal
• Load
• Ice
• Compress
• Elevate

P.U.F.F. up any sugar or simple carbohydrates you might consume to reduce blood sugar spikes, which result in food comas, pangs of hunger, and fat cell growth.

Add:

1. Protein
2. Unrefined food
3. Fat 
4. Fiber

Nutrient timing will also help you avoid blood sugar spikes. Whenever practical, exercise right before or after a meal.

Pointers for Minimalist Running/Jogging Technique:

1. Forefoot/midfoot strike instead of heel
2. More frequent steps (120 – 180 steps x min—two to three per second!) and shorter strides
3. Soft landings (earplugs will help you hear the ground reactive force)
4. Sweep back with your foot to reduce “braking”
5. Keep your feet engaged by lifting your arches and centering your ankle over the foot (see short foot exercise)
6. To the extent comfortable, keep knees/toes pointed in the direction of travel
7. Ramp up this style of running gradually—you’ll feel soreness in muscles you didn’t know you had! Take 1-7 days off from it anytime you need for full recovery and consider using the arc trainers on your rest day(s) instead of the treadmill.