Total Body Workouts (with or without a weight vest)

Want some guidance before jumping into the workout?

This video will cover techniques and tips for each of the 10 exercises in Leg Focused Workout #1.

10 exercises for 1 minute each with 5 seconds in between:

1. Ellipticals

2. Inch Worm Legs

3. Pogo Hops

4. Squat Front Kicks

5. Low Back Lunge (left side)

6. Low Back Lunge (right side)

7. Mountain Climbers

8. Breakdancers

9. Skater Jumps

10. 10 Fast Feet/4 Squats

OPTIONAL: Weight vest

Want some guidance before jumping into the workout?

This video will cover techniques and tips for each of the 10 exercises in Leg Focused Workout #2.

10 exercises for 1 minute each with 5 seconds in between:

1. Jog

2. Squat Side Leg Lift

3. Pulse Lunge Hand Roll (left side)

4. Pulse Lunge Hand Roll (right side)

5. Jumping Mountain Climbers

6. Blast Off Push-ups

7. Criss-Cross Hops

8. Single Leg RDLs

9. Deep Lunge Hops (left side)

10. Deep Lunge Hops (right side)

OPTIONAL: Weight vest

Want some guidance before jumping into the workout?

This video will cover techniques and tips for each of the 10 exercises in Leg Focused Workout #3.

10 exercises for 1 minute each with 5 seconds in between:

1. Lateral Bounce

2. Beast Up/Down

3. Ramp Hold (left side)

4. Ramp Hold (right side)

5. 1 Foot Hop (left side)

6. 1 Foot Hop (right side)

7. Rapid Roundkicks (left side)

8. Rapid Roundkicks (right side)

9. Squat Hold

10. 4 High Knees/4 Sidekicks

OPTIONAL: Weight vest

Want some guidance before jumping into the workout?

This video will cover techniques and tips for each of the 10 exercises in Core Focused Workout #1.

10 exercises for 1 minute each with 5 seconds in between:

1. Low Step Jacks

2. Bird Dogs (left side)

3. Bird Dogs (right side)

4. Forearm Side Plank (left side)

5. Forearm Side Plank (right side)

6. Duck Unders

7. Slow Sidekick (left side)

8. Slow Sidekick (right side)

9. Beast Kick Throughs

10. Forearm Plank Knee Dips

OPTIONAL: Weight vest

Want some guidance before jumping into the workout?

This video will cover techniques and tips for each of the 10 exercises in Core Focused Workout #2.

10 exercises for 1 minute each with 5 seconds in between:

1. Wall Climbers

2. Plank Up/Downs

3. Archer Plank (left side 30/right side 30)

4. Table Side Crunch (left side)

5. Table Side Crunch (right side)

6. Torso Rotations

7. Dip Bridge Swing

8. Standing Crunch (left side)

9. Standing Crunch (right side)

10. High Plank Knees

OPTIONAL: Weight vest

Want some guidance before jumping into the workout?

This video will cover techniques and tips for each of the 10 exercises in Core Focused Workout #3.

10 exercises for 1 minute each with 5 seconds in between:

1. Toy Soldiers

2. Back Lunge Hook

3. Butt Lift Crunch

4. Hip Rotation

5. Supine Plank

6. Side Plank Hip Dip (left side)

7. Side Plank Hip Dip (right side)

8. Knee Hugs

9. Alternating Side Plank Knees

10. Plank Toe Touch x2/Push-up/Hop

OPTIONAL: Weight vest

Want some guidance before jumping into the workout?

This video will cover techniques and tips for each of the 10 exercises in Arm Focused Workout #1.

10 exercises for 1 minute each with 5 seconds in between:

1. Beast Crawl

2. Side Press (alternating)

3. 3-Way Lunge

4. Push-ups

5. Side Plank Reach (right side)

6. Side Plank Reach (left side)

7. Down Dog Hold

8. Grounded Sidekick (left side)

9. Grounded Sidekick (right side)

10. Beast Hops

OPTIONAL: Weight vest

Want some guidance before jumping into the workout?

This video will cover techniques and tips for each of the 10 exercises in Arm Focused Workout #2.

10 exercises for 1 minute each with 5 seconds in between:

1. Shuffle Punch

2. Pilates Push-up

3. Alternating Side Plank Reach

4. Down To Up Dog

5. Dip Scoot

6. Corpse Sit-up

7. Plank Wiper/10 Calf Raises

8. 3-Legged Dog (left side)

9. 3-Legged Dog (right side)

10. Jog Up & Back/Inch Worm Push-up

OPTIONAL: Weight vest

Want some guidance before jumping into the workout?

This video will cover techniques and tips for each of the 10 exercises in Arm Focused Workout #3.

10 exercises for 1 minute each with 5 seconds in between:

1. Crab Walk Foot Grab

2. Plank Swimmers

3. Squat & Alternating Back Lunge

4. Beast 2 Knee Taps & 2 Butt-Kicks

5. Standing Knee Strikes

6. Side Push-up (right side)

7. Side Push-up (left side)

8. Down Dog 2 Knee Taps/Knees To Ground

9. Twist Lunge Punches

10. Army Crawl Up/Plank March Back

OPTIONAL: Weight vest

Get a two camera viewpoint over-viewing each of the 10 exercises in agility ladder workout #1!

I feel like a kid again when I'm dashing through an agility ladder! And what better way to up that challenge than with a weight vest? A cardio and leg challenge lies ahead!

10 exercises for 1 minute each with 5 seconds in between:

1. Fight shuffle

2. Lateral scissors

3. Slalom hop

4. Grapevine

5. Squat hops

6. Bunny hops

7. Sidewinder bunny hops

8. Icky Shuffle

9. Swizzle

10. 2 forward 1 back

REQUIRED: Agility Ladder (or draw some boxes on the ground)

OPTIONAL: Weight vest

Get a two camera viewpoint over-viewing each of the 10 exercises in agility ladder workout #2!

More moves for an agility ladder workout.  My calves were burning on this one especially with the 1-footed moves!

10 exercises for 1 minute each with 5 seconds in between:

1. Step-step

2. 1 2 3 square jumps

3. Lunge walk

4. Lateral sidewinder

5. Swizzle step

6. Ali shuffle

7. 1 foot hops left

8. 1 foot hops right

9. 1 foot sidewinder left

10. 1 foot sidewinder right

REQUIRED: Agility Ladder (or draw some boxes on the ground)

OPTIONAL: Weight vest

Get a two camera viewpoint over-viewing each of the 10 exercises in agility ladder workout #3!

The final agility ladder & weight vest workout!  This one gets me down on the ground to work my upper body and core as well as my legs.

10 exercises for 1 minute each with 5 seconds in between:

1. Side shuffle, foot scissor

2. Backwards icky shuffle

3. Lateral push-up plank walk

4. 180 twist

5. Lateral in-out push-up plank walk

6. Backwards swizzle

7. Lateral plank-up-down march

8. Backwards slalom

9. Leaping icky shuffle

10. Lateral steps

REQUIRED: Agility Ladder (or draw some boxes on the ground)

OPTIONAL: Weight vest

BOX HIIT (30s work/15s rest) WORKOUT #1

HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts involve periods of extra hard work followed by periods of rest for each of the 10 exercises. Now that I'm only working for part of the minute I can put forth extra effort to reach high intensity!

Grabbing a chair, box, bench, or other platform I can mix up the exercises with elevation, declines, or use it as a target to kick over/under. Time to crank it up a notch!

1. Box shuffle

2. Feet elevated forearm plank

3. Box squat jump

4. Box crab kicks

5. Dips

6. Side box hops

7. Box crunches

8. Bulgarian split squat left

9. Bulgarian split squat right

10. Decline push-up knees

REQUIRED: Box/Chair/Platform

OPTIONAL: Weight vest

NOTE: There is no overview for this workout, but the movements are fairly simple.  You may want to watch the whole video first before deciding if you can perform these exercises as shown.  Listen to your body and feel free to modify, replace, or remove exercises as needed.  Have fun and make this workout your own!

BOX HIIT (30s work/15s rest) WORKOUT #2

HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts involve periods of extra hard work followed by periods of rest for each of the 10 exercises. Now that I'm only working for part of the minute I can put forth extra effort to reach high intensity!

Grabbing a chair, box, bench, or other platform I can mix up the exercises with elevation, declines, or use it as a target to kick over/under. Time to crank it up a notch!

1. Criss-cross

2. Declined push-ups

3. Half-dip hold

4. Lateral hops

5. Side plank kick under left

6. Side plank kick under right

7. Assisted pistol squat left

8. Assisted pistol squat right

9. T-Plank twist box touch

10. Sit-up twist elbow to box

REQUIRED: Box/Chair/Platform

OPTIONAL: Weight vest

NOTE: There is no overview for this workout, but the movements are fairly simple.  You may want to watch the whole video first before deciding if you can perform these exercises as shown.  Listen to your body and feel free to modify, replace, or remove exercises as needed.  Have fun and make this workout your own!

BOX HIIT (30s work/15s rest) WORKOUT #3

HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts involve periods of extra hard work followed by periods of rest for each of the 10 exercises. Now that I'm only working for part of the minute I can put forth extra effort to reach high intensity!

Grabbing a chair, box, bench, or other platform I can mix up the exercises with elevation, declines, or use it as a target to kick over/under. Time to crank it up a notch!

1. Lunge box hop left

2. Lunge box hop right

3. Face melter

4. Grounded kick over left

5. Grounded kick over right

6. Elevated push-up shoulder taps

7. Decline push-up hip taps

8. Elevated forearm plank rockers

9. Dips with leg out

10. Volcanoes

REQUIRED: Box/Chair/Platform

OPTIONAL: Weight vest

NOTE: There is no overview for this workout, but the movements are fairly simple.  You may want to watch the whole video first before deciding if you can perform these exercises as shown.  Listen to your body and feel free to modify, replace, or remove exercises as needed.  Have fun and make this workout your own!

HEAVY VEST HIIT (45s work, 15s rest) WORKOUT #1

DIFFICULTY NOTE: An extra heavy weight vest is not for everyone, however, removing the vest can make this the easiest workout in my entire course!  So the difficulty is easily adjusted with the amount of weight applied.

Sometimes I want a challenge with less movement required. Enter the HEAVY weight vest! I double my usual vest weight of 40lbs to a hefty 80lbs! 

That's roughly 50% of my body weight, which presents a lot of resistance and feels quite heavy. Now I'll push myself with even the simplest moves, in fact this first workout contains nothing but static holds!  Let the fun begin.

1. Full plank

2. Forearm plank

3. Lunge L

4. Same R

5. Beast

6. Warrior 3 stretch L

7. Same R

8. Full plank dog L

9. Same R

10. Forearm plank (again)

OPTIONAL: Weight vest

NOTE: There is no overview for this workout, but the static holds are fairly simple.  You may want to watch the whole video first before deciding if you can perform these exercises as shown.  Listen to your body and feel free to modify, replace, or remove exercises as needed.  Have fun and make this workout your own!

HEAVY VEST WORKOUT #2

Another workout utilizing a very heavy weight vest for extra challenge.  This time I'm adding a little movement to the heavy vest workout:

10 exercises for 1 minute each with 5 seconds in between:

1. Plank

2. Squat & arm swing

3. Wall climbers

4. Inch worm arms

5. Squat pulse

6. Bird dogs L / R

7. Calf raises

8. Alternating lunges

9. Supine plank march

10. Plank rockers

OPTIONAL: Weight vest

NOTE: There is no overview for this workout, but the movements are fairly simple.  You may want to watch the whole video first before deciding if you can perform these exercises as shown.  Listen to your body and feel free to modify, replace, or remove exercises as needed.  Have fun and make this workout your own!

HEAVY VEST & DUMBBELLS WORKOUT #3

How do I add more challenge when I've maxed out my vest in a heavy vest workout?  I'm adding some dumbbells!  Be careful, a heavy vest and heavy weights creates EXTREME difficulty here.

10 exercises for 1 minute each with 5 seconds in between:

1. Shadow box light DBs

2. Renegade plank alt DB pull

3. DB Curls

4. DB alt Lunges

5. Hold side lunge R DB front/side raise

6. Hold side lunge L DB front/side raise

7. DB tricep press

8. Plank

9. Side plank L

10. Side plank R

OPTIONAL: Dumbbells, weight vest

NOTE: There is no overview for this workout, but the movements are fairly simple.  You may want to watch the whole video first before deciding if you can perform these exercises as shown.  Listen to your body and feel free to modify, replace, or remove exercises as needed.  Have fun and make this workout your own!

FLOOR SLIDERS HIIT (45s work, 15s rest) WORKOUT #1

Enter the floor slider! A simple disc, or maybe just a towel sliding on hardwood floors? Whatever method is used to reduce friction and let my feet slide - this opens up new exercise options. In this workout I'll mix the floor slider with the weight vest for a dynamic challenge.

1. Slider plank taps

2. Slider plank rockers

3. Slider cross-knee push-up

4. Slider lunge knee R

5. Slider lunge knee L

6. Slider squats

7. Slider circle push-up

8. Slider running feet L

9. Slider running feet R

10. Star hold

REQUIRED: Floor sliders

OPTIONAL: Weight vest

NOTE: There is no overview for this workout, but the movements are fairly simple.  You may want to watch the whole video first before deciding if you can perform these exercises as shown.  Listen to your body and feel free to modify, replace, or remove exercises as needed.  Have fun and make this workout your own!

RESISTANCE BAND HIIT (45s work, 15s rest) WORKOUT #1

Resistance bands, they make you stronger by trying to hold you back! I like them because they can be put around your arms, or your legs, or even both at the same time. Now how can I combine that with a weight vest? Let's see!

1. Band plank march

2. Band knees L

3. Band knees R

4. Band squats

5. Band side plank L

6. Band side plank R

7. Band plank punches

8. Band kickback L

9. Band kickback R

10. Band plank walk

11. Rolling push-ups

REQUIRED: Resistance band

OPTIONAL: Weight vest

NOTE: There is no overview for this workout, but the movements are fairly simple.  You may want to watch the whole video first before deciding if you can perform these exercises as shown.  Listen to your body and feel free to modify, replace, or remove exercises as needed.  Have fun and make this workout your own!

CABLES TOTAL BODY HIIT (45s work/15s rest) WORKOUT #1

Using a cable cross machine provides an even resistance even when moving perpendicular to gravity.  If I have a bosu (half balance ball) as well I can really make a challenging workout!  And here it is:

1. Bosu plank punches

2. Cable curls

3. Squat pulse

4. Bosu lunge press left

5. Same right

6. Side-plank pull left

7. Side-plank pull right

8. Baseball swing left

9. Baseball swing right

10. Tricep press

REQUIRED:  Cable cross machine (using hand attachment)

OPTIONAL:  Weight vest, Bosu

NOTE: There is no overview for this workout, but the movements are fairly simple.  You may want to watch the whole video first before deciding if you can perform these exercises as shown.  Listen to your body and feel free to modify, replace, or remove exercises as needed.  Have fun and make this workout your own!

CABLES LOWER BODY HIIT (45s work/15s rest) WORKOUT #2

With a leg attachment I can work my lower body on the cable cross machine.

1. Cable leg kick back L

2. Same R

3. Cable leg inner side lift L

4. Same R

5. Cable leg outer side lift L

6. Same R

7. Cable leg front lift L

8. Same R

9. Crouched SK L

10. Same R

REQUIRED:  Cable cross machine (using leg attachment)

OPTIONAL:  Weight vest

NOTE: There is no overview for this workout, but the movements are fairly simple.  You may want to watch the whole video first before deciding if you can perform these exercises as shown.  Listen to your body and feel free to modify, replace, or remove exercises as needed.  Have fun and make this workout your own!

STAIRS HIIT (45s work/15s rest) WORKOUT #1

I always take the stairs to and from my gym, which means every-other-day I'm zooming through a stairwell. That got me thinking "it's fun to push myself off the railings, I wonder if I could do dips on them?" And then, it was only natural to consider an entire workout taking advantage of stairs and their railings!

Enter the stairwell HIIT workout!

1. Inverted rows

2. Incline push-ups

3. Calf raises

4. Dips

5. 2-step up-down right

6. Same L

7. Backwards stairs

8. 1-Step Up-downs

9. Decline push-ups

10. Decline plank

REQUIRED:  Stairs (with 1 or 2 railings)

OPTIONAL:  Weight vest

NOTE: There is no overview for this workout, but the movements are fairly simple.  You may want to watch the whole video first before deciding if you can perform these exercises as shown.  Listen to your body and feel free to modify, replace, or remove exercises as needed.  Have fun and make this workout your own!

STABILITY BALL WORKOUT #1

Stabilizing on an unfriendly surface while weighted?  That's the idea for this workout - which kicked my core!  Even without the weight vest this can challenge me, but I'm going to need to have a stability ball or bosu (half-ball) on hand to do these moves.

10 exercises for 1 minute each with 5 seconds in between:

1. Inverted rows

2. Incline push-ups

3. Calf raises

4. Dips

5. 2-step up-down right

6. Same L

7. Backwards stairs

8. 1-Step up-downs

9. Decline push-ups

10. Decline plank

REQUIRED:  Stability Ball (or Bosu)

OPTIONAL:  Weight vest

NOTE: There is no overview for this workout, but the movements are fairly simple.  You may want to watch the whole video first before deciding if you can perform these exercises as shown.  Listen to your body and feel free to modify, replace, or remove exercises as needed.  Have fun and make this workout your own!

HOW DO YOU HAVE SO MUCH ENERGY?

I attribute high energy levels to getting enough sleep and keeping my stress low.  If I'm stressed, I'm not going to sleep well, and if I lack sleep, then everything suffers.  I can't think right, I'm moody, and I don't have the same physical abilities. 

So sleep is key, but stress seems to be underrated.  Not only can stress impact sleep but also my mood and how I handle my daily challenges.  I will say some stress can be positive as it is converted to fuel for putting forth greater effort!  But prolonged stress seems destructive as it just wears me down.  Therefore I've removed stressful things from my life wherever possible and I think that helps a lot.

Lastly, motivators are key.  If I seem to have tons of energy to those I'm teaching it's probably because I know I'm training a group and I need to bring it.  I must have that energy in front of the class or everyone (including myself) will have a miserable time.  How do I ensure I have that energy?  In addition to what I've mentioned already, I can employ little tricks.  For instance, I don't listen to music when I exercise by myself.  But in a training session with one other person or a whole class I'm likely to have music on.  Therefore the music can motivate me and the others at the same time, and this is a motivation I'm not accustomed to having!  So, I get the pick-me-up from the energy of others, plus the music, plus I'm in a position where I'm expected to deliver.  Given all that, it doesn't matter if I'm at the end of a long day and working my 2nd job, the energy is there!

WHAT DO YOU DO?   (for fitness)

See my usual workout video (at the end of the course) for details on my current usual workout!

My fitness base comes from sports, basketball and martial arts were influential in improving my agility, strength, and flexibility.  Tennis was also important for hand-eye coordination and more quickness.

Nowadays I love weight training and mixing up my workouts.  Every other day I'm training with weights, and I may add or substitute, an ab routine, or yoga, or go hiking, or join a fitness class.  The joy of not training for any particular event or challenge means I can just do whatever is fun and challenging on any given day.  I don't need to worry about maintaining a certain weight class or being good at any skill in particular.  Instead I aim for all-around agility, strength and flexibility.  The addition of a weight vest opened up doors to many exercises and inspired this course!

HOW DO I LOSE WEIGHT?

This is my number 1 question, although it usually implies getting in better shape in a healthy manner, rather than strictly making the scale read a lower number.

• As everyone says, nutrition & exercise...but what is not emphasized enough is FUN.  Make it fun or you'll quit.  And you need it to be a lifestyle to have long term success.

• Fun, how?  Add friends, new moves/equipment/etc, new challenges, go outside your comfort zone, interchange hikes, rowing, sports, whatever you find fun.

• Bad news: genetics will determine where the fat collects, only way I know for spot weight loss is surgery. The healthy/natural way is overall weight loss through exercise.

• Good news: while effort is required, you can chip your way there with natural and simple exercise.

• It's not just about cardio but muscles with weightlifting can help weight loss too!  Recovering muscles burn more calories than fat!

• Lastly, you may be slimming down and not realize it because the change is gradual. Try taking photos to compare!  The weight indicated by the scale is just a number, feeling good and liking how you look is the real goal.

HOW DO I BUILD MUSCLE?

My 2nd most common question!  To build muscle I suggest...

• light weights and more reps for "toning"

• heavier weights and fewer reps for "bulking"

Me? I go for both!

How much is enough weight? How many reps?  Start with minimal weight. Whatever weight you can lift 8 times or 10 times, without straining, grunting, etc, is a weight that's easy for you. A weight you can only lift a couple times and may fail to lift a 3rd or 4th time is a heavy weight for you. Of course if you keep repeating an easy weight it eventually becomes hard!

You may think you can lift more weight right at the start, I used to think that before lifting much, as non-conditioned people have no endurance. but it's dangerous to lift as much as you think you can before warming up!!  Especially since non-experienced lifters don't know how much they CAN lift…this is a recipe for injury.

WHAT DO YOU EAT?

People often ask me what I eat.  So, healthy or not, I'll show you just that. I'm not a nutritionist, I'm just going to discuss what I eat (with some insight into why) and you can draw your own conclusions.  When eating I try to keep this in mind:

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Poor nutrition is associated with major health risks like heart disease, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, stroke, and cancer. According to Healthy People 2020 which is a program run by the office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, the typical American diet is low in things like vegetables, fruit, dairy and oils, but high in grains, protein, added sugar, sodium, saturated fats, and other foods with excess calories.

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I love food, I could talk a long time about it, but I won't bore you. In this video I'll discuss how I try to eat balanced meals while showing a slideshow of many things I've eaten in the past year. I almost get hungry watching it.

I don't measure food. I don't restrict myself from much either. I let my body tell me what is good or bad (a good meal makes me feel great after, but fast food would make me feel sluggish or sleepy, and too much sugar makes me want to run through a wall). To get ahead of age-related metabolism slowdown, I do try to inject healthier eating into my life. I like to add baby spinach to many meals as I believe it to be healthy (and relatively tasteless), but I also treat myself with ice cream and cake on occasion. I hardly ever eat fast food (because of the negative feeling after), don't smoke (it's gross), don't drink coffee (tastes bad), and don't drink alcohol either (tastes even worse). I'm sure avoiding all that helps me get away with loading up on ice cream and not detecting any negative impact to my energy levels, abilities, or appearance! At least it's working into my 40s.

Which is another thing, people will say "oh when you turn [insert age here] then you'll see!" Not necessarily, if you allow your lifestyle to turn sedentary then you'll pay for it at any age. It's just extra noticeable later in life as your metabolism slows, but if you remain active then you're only limited by your willpower and your genetics. Not only is that a more positive outlook but I also find it to be true!  I do believe my nutrition will need to change with time, and I fully intend to sacrifice the calorie-dense processed junk foods that I enjoy to maintain a happy lean/muscular build into my later years.

HOW DO YOU MOTIVATE YOURSELF?

- Make it fun, focus on results/positives, make it a lifestyle, treat myself (cakes, donuts)

- if I have negative emotions I try to use them as workout fuel

- if I have nether positive or negative emotions, I try to zone out and think productively as my body goes through the usual workout

I also gain motivation from working alongside others, either in classes or partner workouts.  Goals, can also motivate me to reach certain targets such as pushing a certain amount of weight, completing X reps, or beating a certain time.  I found videoing myself helps me check my form and also causes me to mix up my workouts more lest my videos get boring.  This proved to be another form of motivation!

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF EQUIPMENT _____?

I love trying new exercises and equipment.  Fortunately, there is always a new machine or fitness device for sale!  But are they any good?  People like to ask me what I think about them and I'm happy to give my opinion.

Generally I'm skeptical of new fitness equipment mainly because of all the misleading advertising which exists in the fitness industry.  However that's common to most advertising, and companies will try whatever will work...even if that means using a model to sell the product which has never used the product!  This allows you to associate using the product with looking like the model and arrive at your own misleading conclusion, to their benefit.  I don't like that slimy business-side of sales.

The other reason I'm skeptical is that equipment tries to be beneficial, easy, and fun.  Unless you have a sporting/competition element, or something else to make it "fun", then it's probably not going to be enjoyable for long.  That's one issue.  Anything which produces results is tearing down muscle fibers, so they can rebuild stronger, and that's not "fun" or pleasurable.  That's another issue.  Lastly, anything which is easy to do is unlikely to produce results, and that's why fun, beneficial, and easy don't really work together.  Hence the old phrase "no pain, no gain" - tends to be accurate.

Given all that, I tell people the most important aspect of any equipment is actually...their WILLPOWER.  Because if you don't have the willpower to use the thing even after it stops being fun, then it will gather dust and won't matter how many features it has or how much it cost.  If you don't use it, it won't do anything for you.  But if you enjoy it, are getting fitness gains from it, and have the will to continue using it, then the sky is the limit!  There are no easy shortcuts.  Using weights may get you stronger than just pushing your body weight, so it seems like a shortcut, but pushing weights is still not easy.  This tends to apply to all fitness equipment.  If you get results, it won't be easy.

WHY DO YOU WEAR BANDANAS AND EAR BUDS ALL THE TIME?

Since I shave my head, I wear a hat or bandana (nearly always) when exercising to keep the sweat out of my eyes!  Exercising without a hat or bandana is possible but usually annoying as I have to wipe sweat away repeatedly, especially for non-stop and cardio-based workouts.

I'm actually wearing ear plugs, not ear buds.  I'm not listening to any music, instead I'm trying to reduce annoying sounds around me such as a television or a person grunting. I also can hear my own breathing better which is a nice plus to help monitor my effort level.

SHOULD I WORKOUT WHEN SICK OR HURT?

The short answer is I don't exercise when sick, but if I'm hurt with something I feel is minor I'll try exercise lightly and see how it goes.

In my experience keeping the basics right (sleep, food, stress levels) doesn't lead to lacking energy for workouts..unless I'm getting sick. Should I exercise when I feel an illness coming on?

Generally no, and I learned that the hard way.  Years ago I knew I was getting sick but stubbornly worked out hard anyway.  During the workout my congestion went away and I felt great!   Alas there was no time to celebrate.  I felt the congestion returning even as I stepped into the shower.  That night I was so congested that I had to sleep sitting upright because my weakened immune system was no match for the cold I had now!

So I don't mess with sickness.  But, if I were just tired, or feeling lazy, then simply getting past the first 5 minutes is always enough to overcome lethargy.  And, even if I had to quit early, a half-workout is better than no workout! 

If I'm injured with a bruise or ache I usually try to work around it.  But even then I'll carefully listen to my body and stop if I get any sign of sharp pains or dizzyness.  A tightness, a minor ache, or a popping joint is sometimes a non-issue, but then it may develop into pain because I tried to ignore it.   The bottom line?  When it comes to minor physical aches and pains I've learned to test the waters with light exercise and let my body tell me if it's a good idea to proceed.  It's always a bit of a gamble, not knowing if the next exercise will ultimately make me stronger or lead to an injury - but with my cautious approach of adding weight and seeing how it feels, I've been fortunate with very few injuries over decades of exercise.  Now, if I'm sore all over and I know I didn't work out that hard the other day, I probably have an illness weakening me!  In that event I just have to skip workouts and eat plenty of good food to fuel my body as it tries to fight off whatever ailment is headed my way.  When I think I'm getting better, I ease back into workouts with yoga and light weights to see how it feels.

That's my approach to sickness and injuries.

WHY DID YOU MAKE THIS COURSE?

As I publish this course no one has asked this question yet...but I'll answer it anyway, while including a little behind-the-scenes look at the making of this course.  So why did I make the course?  3 key reasons:

1) Many people asked me for fitness advice in a city which was voted the fittest in America for multiple years running!  That told me I have something to offer.

2) I enjoy exercise and was thinking of making a fitness course, but lacked a topic.

3) I received a weight vest as a gift!  When I went looking for workouts, I didn't like what I found. 

Combine all these and a penchant for video editing and what do you get?  My first fitness course!

Everything else I wanted to mention - combined into one video! Covering equipment cleaning, recording your workouts, protein/sleep, making the most of fitness, AM vs PM workouts, and more!

It's inevitable!  We all grow older and I've found it's smart to adjust my exercises accordingly.  Also, I learned to respect my injuries to avoid them becoming more serious.  In both cases I'm listening to my body while trying lighter weights, slower actions, and smaller ranges of motion - to find that happy path to fitness.

WEIGHT VESTS COMPARED

I used 3 different weight vests during the making of my weight vest workouts.  In this video I'll discuss each one and detail what I liked and disliked.  If you have yet to purchase a weight vest or are looking to purchase a new one, these insights may be helpful to you.

GYM WEIGHTS

Every other day (with rare exceptions when hiking, doing outdoor workouts, etc) I hit the gym for a weightlifting workout that lasts about an hour.  This usually consists of:

• Cardio Warm-up (elliptical machine)

• Weights (various machines)

• Stretching (see stretching video)

Sometimes I'll use free weights but I really like machines because they are easy to use and effective.  After this high-repetition and max weight workout, I reward myself with a rest day. 

This is my most common routine - so when people ask what I do to stay in shape, this is it!

ADDING LIGHT CARDIO

In order to shred more body fat I decided to add light cardio to my usual rest days.  An hour of cardio typically burns about 1000 calories for me.  That really adds up!

I often add some light weights and bodyweight exercises to avoid a full hour of repetitive running.  I want to keep it fun.  While this removes my complete rest day, it has the upshot of adding more stretching to my week and enables me to eat more food without gaining weight (as I'm burning many more calories).

Previously I might play tennis or do yoga on my rest day and that's great but it was not a regular event.  Now I make sure to get an hour of some sort of cardio every-other-day and it feels great.  Alternating with my usual weightlifting workout, this is my new routine in 2021.

STRETCHING

This video will cover the stretching routine I use regularly and have continued to tweak and repeat over the past 15 years.  When people ask "how are you so flexible?" - it's by repeating this regularly (every other day).

Stretching is crucial!  Benefits include:

1. Improved performance in physical activities

2. Decreased injury risk

3. Better joint movement through a full range of motion

4. Enables muscles to work more effectively

That's certainly worth 10 to 15 minutes after the end of a workout!

FOAM ROLLING

This video will cover the foam rolling routine which I enjoy doing periodically. 

In addition to a weight vest I also received a foam roller as a gift!  What is that good for?

1. Improved circulation (delivering oxygen, nutrients, and blood to my muscles)

2. Lowered injury risk

3. Increased range of motion

4. Cost-effective massage therapy

Pliable muscles are healthy muscles, so it's important to take time to keep muscles loose and strong.

COURSE COMPLETE!

Thank you for watching and I welcome your questions.