TOTAL GYM TIME SAVING CARDIO & RESISTANCE INTERVAL TRAINING – Part 1

Guess what the most common excuse for not working out is? That’s right, you guessed it, “I don’t have time”. I’m going to give you some awesome, timesaving workouts that will squash this excuse! Read the below points and think about where you find the time to workout:

Avoid the time suck of going to the gym!

You’re already saving a ton of time by working out at home on your Total Gym. Even if you live only 15 minutes from a gym, you can easily waste an hour not even counting your workout time. Consider the drive, parking, checking in, going to your locker, waiting for machines, chit-chatting, etc. So blast your own motivating music at home, rock your Total Gym and bank all that extra time. Bonus: Avoid the inevitable gym germ cesspool!

Working out doesn’t take time, it creates time.

How you ask? You can probably guess but I’ll elaborate on this point fully in Part 2. (That’s my big cliffhanger!)

Compare your ROI on activities

Compare your Return On Investment, on time you spend working out versus the time you flitter on other daily undertakings. Facebook, Twitter, video games, senseless emails, news feeds, Instagram, etc. It happens to the best of us. You intend to go on Instagram or your ESPN app for “just 5 minutes” and 35 minutes later, you’re still mindlessly exploring that rabbit hole. Ask yourself this: Do you want to be mindlessly entertained or vibrantly energized?

Self care can be a full time job. You’re told to do cardio, resistance training, stretch and do yoga, practice Pilates and strengthen your core, meditate, etc. Daunting right? I’ve created these three, 30 minute workouts to accomplish all of these aspects. Check out how:

– You’ll intersperse your Dynamic Total Gym Resistance Exercises with 45 second Cardio Blasts to keep your heart rate up the whole session. Thus, you’ll torch maximum calories during your workout and you’ll strengthen and tone all your muscles especially the most important muscle in your body, your heart.

– I call them Dynamic Resistance Exercises as I will keep your body moving as much as possible to help keep that heart rate pumpin’.

– Whenever feasible I’ll throw in a core component and teach you some Pilates principles so your training and challenging your core in every exercise. I’ll delve deeper into the Pilates concept in Part 2.

– Stretching the muscle you just worked after each set.

– Turning your workout into a Moving Meditation is another juicy topic I’ll save for Part 2.

The Total Gym Workout Format

All three workouts will roughly follow the same format:

– A 5 to 8-minute warm-up to get your heart rate into your cardio training zone.

– Around 8 Dynamic Resistance Exercises with your Total Gym set at a level so you’ll take the muscle you’re working to fatigue right around 15 fast paced repetitions.

– 45 second Cardio Blasts in between your Dynamic Resistance Exercises. This can be anything so mix it up to keep it fresh and do movements you enjoy!

Cardio Blast Examples

• Jumping Jacks
• Good ole Burpees
• Dance Party! Channel your inner Ellen DeGeneres 🙂
• Jumping Rope
• Running your stairs
• Using a Step or a Bosu Ball
• Lunges with Arm Movements

The list is as endless as your imagination. Or a great option is to get your hands on a Total Gym CycloTrainer and take your home gym to the next level. Check out the two versions: CycloTrainer or the CycloTrainer 2.

The 3 Part Workout Split

This 3 Part Workout will split your body into 3 sections:

1. The Pushing Muscles: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
2. The Pulling Muscles: Back, Biceps
3. The Lower Body: Quads, Glutes, Hips, Hamstrings, Calves

The great news is you can do these workouts on successive days as the muscle groups are unrelated. Or, you can simply space them out to accommodate your time constraints.

I’m very proud of the workouts I’ve come up with so check out the video and remove the words “I don’t have time to work out” from your vocabulary!

Enjoy,
jd