I have the attention span of a 2 year old…that is probably why I love teaching boot camp! No rules…be crazy and have fun! The key to long term fitness success is making your workouts fun, short, but effective! Your workouts should inspire you. Everyday you should look forward to your daily dose of workout medicine! When was the last time you left your workout thinking…”Wow that workout was AWESOME!!” Visualize the family dog riding in the car hanging his head out of window…that dog is so EXCITED for that moment! He waited all day for that ride or his daily walk! Are your workouts providing this?!?
Try mini workouts to KICK START your mind, body, and soul! Years ago I asked a great trainer why he worked out everyday. I mentioned that we should take a day to rest our bodies. He replied that his workouts were short and sweet and he did “multiple mini workouts” a day. I asked him about his rest days. He said,” do you take a day off from brushing your teeth or taking a shower?” I did not want to tell him I was a typical college student 
! So after this conversation I revamped my program to offer multiple mini workouts a day! This left me feeling fresh and inspired and I craved the next workout.
Many of the world’s leading exercise scientists, pro-body builders, triathletes, gymnasts, olympic lifters, athletic teams, fitness guru’s and powerlifters use mini workouts. Here a few examples of mini workouts. Countries like Russia, Bulgaria, China, Germany, and other Eastern Bloc countries have used these theories since the 70′s.
Each week maybe choose an area of your body that is lagging behind. For example maybe your triceps need some extra focus. Maybe the bat wings are driving you crazy. So here ya go…every day for 1 week do 3 sets of 20-15 reps of your favorite tricep exercise. Even if you worked them yesterday do them again. BLAST those arms. Dorian Yates, a multiple Mr.Olympia, used this theory help muscle groups that were lagging behind pick up the pace.
Mini workouts are similar to a proper nutrition program. Instead of eating 1-2 big meals we eat multiple smaller meals spread throughout the day!
The whole theory behind the mini workouts is to be efficient for a short amount of time. Use these workouts to kick start your metabolism, shock your central nervous system, and help break fitness plateaus! These mini-workouts can last roughly 10-20 minutes. Remember your time is precious. A full hour of commitment sometimes is a deterant for people to commit to a fitness program! Extremely busy people use these little programs for their tight schedule!
Here is my workout for today. At 6:30a.m. I did a 20 minute HIIT training program on a recumbant bike…an amazing sweat. Now at 10:00a.m. I will do a 10 minute bicep/tricep program that will provide a good pump. Then at boot camp tonight I will join in and do 1-4 exercises. This could be the pushup track, burpees, run 1 mile, abs, mountain climbers, or jump rope.
Every single day I never dread my workouts! I look forward to mini workouts. I use them to refresh my mind, work off excess stress, and also keep me feeling toned every day!
Now I know you are thinking…well Steve you do this for a living and you live in a gym all day. I have a normal life and how can I do this with my schedule. Well I understand this but these workouts can be done at home, on your break, at lunch or anywhere? Sometimes I never even change clothes. I might do 3 sets of 30 tricep dips off the kitchen chair or 50 ab crunches during the commercial of my favorite show. Make it simple and convient for you. Your workouts do not have to require a full hour every single day at the gym! Use these workout during your busy holiday season! A great way to burn some extra calories!
Time management is the key to long term fitness success. Do not let the excuse of being to busy or not enough time to workout keep you from improving your health!
Have fun and be young at heart! Treat your workouts like a child on the playground!!! Be crazy!! Be creative!
” Your mind is like a parachute…it only works if you open it”
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