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A common theme I hear amongst my friends, colleagues and clients are the multitude of holiday parties, events and the IMMENSE amount of work that needs to be done at the office before the end of the year. How does a busy professional balance all of this and still have a life and maintain their current fitness levels. Sacrifice? Miss work? Blow off some of the holiday cheer? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Try some of the following to "maintain" or even shake up your routines.
Split your workouts up into two 20 minute sessions of resistance and cardiovascular.
Change your resistance program to a higher repetition and superset workout (superset sample would be chest presses with dumbbells followed immediately by dumbbell bicep curls). Doing this type of activity in the 12-18 repetition range with 30-45 seconds of rest between sets will also be an excellent substitute for your 20 minutes of cardiovascular work especially if you are at or close to failure with your resistance work.
Do more interval training when doing cardiovascular work. Instead of your "normal," get on the treadmill and go for 20 minutes at a set pace ... either program, the treadmill (or whatever cardiovascular equipment you use) or manually set the equipment to quicken, then slow the pace every 2 minutes. This will force your heart to work harder to keep up with the difference of activity.
For hardcore weightlifters who want a "power" workout and need to reduce to 2-3 workouts a week during this time ... try what I call the "prep, then failure routine." What you will do for this workout is simply this. Pick one exercise per body part (for larger muscles such as chest, legs back and shoulders, choose a major exercise, like squats, bench press etc). To perform this, you are looking a total of 12 sets.
You can go from one to the next with minimal rest (30-45 secs). Pick a weight you know you can do for 12-15 repetitions and not fail, but come close. Consider this your "prep-set." Then 30-45 seconds after the prep-set, select a weight that you can get for 7-8 repetitions. If possible, get someone to spot you to force out the last repetition.
Then simply move on to the next body part. Here is a sample ... Do 15 repetitions of squats, increase the weight and do 8 repetitions. 30-45 seconds later, move on to the bench press and do the same ... then on to back ... then shoulders etc.
For more information please see www.powertoyouinc.com for any inquiries and consultations. Best of luck with your fitness endeavors and a joyous holiday season!
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www.powertoyouinc.com
Anthony Saddy is a NCSF Certified Personal Trainer with degrees in Business Administration and Psychology.
For a complete bio, click here.
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Great tips! Very helpful during this time of indulging. Thanks Tony!
- Molly Powers
This information is extremely helpful. This article is something I can relate to at this time of year. As a marathon runner, i need a lot of time to train and the holidays tend to consume much more time than can be anticipated. I constantly feel like my workouts are in jeapardy. This approach can help us maintain our fitness and manage the time pressure effectively. Thank you very much.
- Kevin Brock
wow great advice tony...your the man !!
- Anne
No wonder why I hired this guy! Nice work Tony, you better NOT let up on me in the gym!!!
- Carrie
Wonderful Article ! Excellent and Informative tips and Clues. Thanks Tony
- Aaron K
Excellent advice as usual. It is especially helpful to know and understand the importance of changing your routine. Thanks!!
- Michael Longo
I expect nothing less than perfect advice from my brother. Great article Tony. Keep 'em coming!
- Christine
Nice alternative ideas, so that we can enjoy holiday cheer and keep our workouts working. You are the ultimate fitness professional! Great advice and implimentation Tony. Eggnog or bench press?
- Kerrie
Great article Tony....very well written and very informative....Keep up the great work!
- Cindy Hilton
Thanks for the enlightening,informative article Tony!! I knew there were reasons why I train with you: Your passion for good health & fitness and your professional expertise & personalized attention. You are definitely the bomb!! Continue to inspire and motivate me for reaching my lifelong fitness goals.
- Mona Luczkowski
Nice tips Cuz! You've got some great advice and your article is very informative. Keep up the good work!
- Maren