Smart workouts

[Epiphany Gumbo]

There's a guy I know, slightly, who is in great shape and can do all kinds of agile athletic maneuvers. I heard him say that he works out but only for about 30 minutes 3 days a week. He said he just knows the right way to work out so he doesn't have to waste time. And he works out at home with no machines. I was too shy to probe more deeply and it wasn't an appropriate time to keep talking about it anyway. I've just been baffled by what he could be doing, what his routine might be like. What do you think would be such an effective routine?

[Elena99]

That doesn't sound like enough to be in the shape you mentioned. Maybe he's just lucky and has the right body type to be in good shape even with minimal exercise?

[brownieB26]

I'm guessing here because I really don't know all that much about this...
But perhaps he's doing exercises that use multiple muscle groups at the same time. I would be surprised if it was just 30 minutes though. If he has a great body I'd assume he has to do cardio and strength training...

[Epiphany Gumbo]

Well, he's not ripped and muscular or anything, he's just in great shape. He does martial arts with me twice a week and can do all the moves and he doesn't seem to tire out easily.

In any case, I was mostly just wondering if anyone knew of any special at-home machine-free workouts that exercise multiple muscle groups at a time, or are especially effective at working core strength and balance as well as flexibility all at the same time....not short cuts necessarily, just any ways to increase the efficiency of exercising.

I've thought about doing things like standing on one foot while I do upper body free weights, or leg lifts while I do that. Things to make it more challenging just for the sake of being more challenging. Is this beneficial or would it only make the workout less effective?

[zoebird]

yes, yoga.

particularly, vinyasa styles of yoga.

once you learn the basics (through classes) you can do it anywhere, any time, on your own as much as you like (30 mins a day, or more, or less).

but, what this guy does--well, you'll have to ask him.

[Elena99]

Well, he's not ripped and muscular or anything, he's just in great shape. He does martial arts with me twice a week and can do all the moves and he doesn't seem to tire out easily.

In any case, I was mostly just wondering if anyone knew of any special at-home machine-free workouts that exercise multiple muscle groups at a time, or are especially effective at working core strength and balance as well as flexibility all at the same time....not short cuts necessarily, just any ways to increase the efficiency of exercising.

I've thought about doing things like standing on one foot while I do upper body free weights, or leg lifts while I do that. Things to make it more challenging just for the sake of being more challenging. Is this beneficial or would it only make the workout less effective?

Oh, the 30 minute workouts are on top of the martial arts workouts? How long are the MA ones? Martial arts can really kick your butt into shape.

And as zoebird said, try yoga. :)

[toadstool]

For at-home strength exercises without equipment, I am a big fan of "The Underground Guide To Warrior Fitness." It's basically a compilation of all types of bodyweight exercises. Nice variety, lots of info about developing a program, and lots of exercises that target multiple muscles (variations on push-ups, squats, lunges, etc.). I try and incorporate at least a few of his exercises into my routine once a week.

http://www.warriorforce.com/warriorfitness.html

[zoebird]

cool, thanks for that toadstool. it has some neat ideas. i'll pass it along to some people whom i know.

[Epiphany Gumbo]

Oh, the 30 minute workouts are on top of the martial arts workouts? How long are the MA ones? Martial arts can really kick your butt into shape.

And as zoebird said, try yoga. :)

Yes, he does the workouts on top of martial arts classes which are an hour and half twice a week. But I do those too and I'm still like a slice of white bread. And actually I finally did ask him about his workouts and he showed me a variety of pushups and sit-ups that he says he does quickly, and he said he does weights too. Besides the 30 minute workouts he said goes running - which apparently he doesn't count as "working out" sheesh! So his body may not be as magical as I had previously thought. I do admire people who know how to exercise independantly though.

Hey thank you toadstool. 30 dollar program?! Heh, but seriously, I appreciate everyone's input.

[shaolin man]

well there is this one workout program that goes 30 minutes that i know at uww.shaolinconditioningsecrets.cum

[Chaosveggiehead]

Cool! Another Shao-lin.:D

There are 49 postures of the I chin ching that are awesome for strength and flexibility. 30 minutes of that every other day will whip you into shape quick.

Outside of our system I don't know where to look for it, but you may be able to find a book... I do think it's important to vary your workout though. If you know martial arts, go through your forms 10 times in a row. Practice low stance training holding weights, etc.

Once you get to the point where you want to work out, you'll always be able to find something to train.

[shaolin man]

sooooooo have you tried it? what did you think of it? to be honest i havent got it. oh and by the way incase you where wonderin the Uww.cUm thingy is coz it wont let me type another site so i gotta change it a bit

[barrylove]

Hey there..
How are you?
You hit the nail on the head by mentioning core & Balance exercises.

THat is what my workout consists of. The BEST thing you can do for yourself is challenge you balance. You want to create a 'stable' environment from an 'unstable' environment.
Meaning: You can stand on one foot while doing a shoulder press with dumbells. At first you will be unstable, but your goal is to create stability. Guess what you need to concentrate on to achieve this? Your CORE! Your core is your center of gravity;where ALL MOVEMENT BEGINS. People forget this or are not aware of it. Training the core is the new wave in fitness, especially in athletic training. ALmost ALL pro athletes are doing it along with colleg, high school and olympians. This is called functional training. My next DVD will be a cardio workout, then the next, #4 will be a functional training DVD.
YOU SHOULD SEE THE GUYS IN THE GYM WATCH ME!!!! LOL They snicker adn make little comments, BUT none of them can do the things I can :)
So what can you do at home to work your core while challenging your balance? LOTS!

1) Stand on one foot with all your exercises.
2) If you use a stability ball for and exercises, lift on foot or leg off the floor. THIS IS AWESOME! To practice, just sit up right on the ball, shoulders directly over hips and SQUEEZE you core. By concentrating very hard, just lift one foot or leg straight out. Your goal is to bring your leg parallel to the groung and not higher then the top of the ball. NOW - TRYTO LIFT BOTH FEET UP! HEHE Only kidding!
Holf the one leg up for 2 seconds and gently lower. Switch legs.
3) Perform squats or lunges. the challange is when you come up from the suat or lunge, straighten all the way up and lift one leg with up and hold. You want your leg bent at the knee with you ankle directly under your knee and your knee as high as your hip. Hold for 2 seconds, perform another squat or lunge and switch legs. For intentisy, grab dumbbells and press them to the ceiling as you straighten up, lift the leg and hold the dumbbells up and leg for 2 seconds. THIS IS AWESOME!

THere are thousands of things you can do to train balance and core. Mark Vergesten has books and videos out. They are awesome! His books are titled Core Performance and you can find them at Borders and Barnes & Noble.

Hopefully this gave you some insight at just a few exercises you can do at home with no machines.

HAVE FUN!

[shaolin man]

hey is anyone listening go to wyw.shaolinconditioningsecrets.cim,buy it and tell me what you think about it is it any good?

[shaolin man]

and yes theres no machines involved