Balanced strategy

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/07/2022 (1196 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s a real catch-22 this time of year, isn’t it?

You want to look and feel comfortable in your own skin, but you also want to partake in all the extra fun that summer brings — which usually involves food and drink that has the opposite effect on helping you look and feel your best.

I get it. The problem is the plan you think you have to follow.

I used to do that too. I’d get super lean with extremes like a keto diet and hours of exercise. But then I’d struggle to stay lean and eventually gain it back when I tried to regain some semblance of a social life.

It took years of playing around with strategies to finally figure it out, and I want to share a simple framework with you today.

Here’s my “3M strategy” (movement, meals and muscle) you can use to lose five-plus pounds in July while taking weekends “off” to enjoy life.

Movement: 8,000-10,000 steps per day (not high intensity!)

I go for a 15-20 minute walk twice per day and I don’t deliberately sit around apart from that, even though I spend 10 hours a day on my computer.

Meals: CAP 5/2 strategy

Calories and protein (CAP) targets are set, with lower days during the week accommodating for higher on weekends. I eat below my CAP targets while keeping protein high four to five days per week and I conserve 50 per cent of my calories for the evening when I have more time to eat and get hungry.

Then I have two above-CAP target days on weekends to enjoy life, guilt-free

Muscle: Strength workouts

I train each muscle twice per week but in short 35-45-minute home workouts.

I mix up my workouts every four to six weeks and focus on the big three key elements of training — progressive overload, metabolic stress and muscle damage.

Take note that most royally screw this up by trying to burn a bunch of calories exercising, only to break down their body and tank their resting metabolism.

Time-crunch travel workouts

We also know how important it is to move your body and get in regular exercise, but life gets busy. Things pop up all the time. Especially nowadays.

It’s all too easy to move your workout to “tomorrow.” And in reality, that’s what most of us end up doing this time of year. But it doesn’t have to be all or nothing on exercise, either.

I’m going to share some results-driven workouts that will fit into even the busiest schedule and are suitable for all fitness levels.

Are you ready to learn one of the secret formulas many trainers use to create fat-burning and muscle-building workouts?

It’s based on something called Peripheral Heart Action (PHA training). It has been around for decades, and it’s incredibly effective.

PHA-style workouts put together exercises in a way that increases strength and your body’s maximum oxygen consumption (cardio-respiratory fitness).

Basically, the exercises work different muscle groups back-to-back — commonly alternating between the upper and lower body.

The added bonus in pairing opposing muscle groups is that you can maintain good form while getting a lot of work done in a short time frame without risking an injury.

Three-minute warm-up

• 30-second squats

• 30-second push-ups

• 30-second bicycle crunches

• 30-second reverse lunges, alternating legs

• 30-second plank

• 30-second mountain climbers (slow-paced)

Five-minute quick body-weight blast

Complete each exercise back-to-back for five minutes, taking recovery periods as required.

• 10 jump squats (or regular squats coming up onto the toes each rep)

• 10 push-ups

• 10 reverse crunches

10-minute high-intensity interval training

Do as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes.

• 10 body-weight squats

• 10 reverse lunges (five on each side)

• 20 mountain climbers

• 10 lateral lunges (five on each side)

• 10 second rest

Total-Body metabolic conditioning

Repeat this circuit for 15 minutes. You’re done when the timer dings!

• 50 reps jumping rope (can substitute high-knees marching in place)

• 40 squats

• 30 push-ups

• 20 burpees

• 10 inchworms

Dumbbell variations

Better yet, keeping a set of dumbbells at home or bringing them with you to the lake, if feasible, is the perfect insurance policy against setbacks. They’ll support maintenance and even progression when you can’t make it to the gym. In fact, a good dumbbell workout may be just what you need to keep the gains coming, even if you do have access to a big gym.

Full-body workout

For added intensity, try it Tabata (20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, cycling through the entire routine. Repeat for three to four rounds).

• Dumbbell press

• Dumbbell row

• Military dumbbell press

• Goblet squat

• Dumbbell stiff-legged dead lift

• Dumbbell curl

• Triceps extension

Arms and abs

This involves 30 seconds of work per exercise, 10 seconds off, then repeating for three rounds each.

A1) Hammer curls

A2) Close-grip push-ups

A3) Planks

B1) Zottman Curls

B2) Skull-crushers

B3) Inchworms

C1) Dumbbell 21s

C2) Overhead extensions

C3) Feet elevated crunches

‘Butt-like-Beyoncé’ lower body burn

This involves 30 seconds of work per exercise, 10 seconds off, then repeating for three rounds each.

• Clamshell with hip lift (right side)

• Clamshell with hip lift (left side)

• 1.5 rep goblet squats

• Stiff-legged dead lifts

• Glute bridges (toes in/toes out, 15 each way)

• Reverse lunges to thrusters

Three-minute post workout cool down

Walk around for several minutes so your heart rate can return to normal, then do:

• 20-30 hip flexor stretches (both sides)

• 20-30 hamstring stretches (both legs)

• 20-30 quadriceps stretches (each)

• 10 arm circles, forward and backward

If something doesn’t feel good, don’t do it — and take extra breaks as necessary.

Note: If you have any concerns, injuries or health conditions, or are newly or just returning to fitness, be sure to check with your doctor before attempting these workouts.

Mitch Calvert is a Winnipeg-based fitness coach who has helped more than 1,470 people transform their bodies and lives over the past decade. Visit mitchcalvert.com to grab a free copy of his metabolism jumpstart or drop him a message to get direct coaching to drop a size without sacrificing all the fun this summer.