5 Strange Fitness Routines That Got Me In The Best Shape Of My Life
Plus a simple nutritious recipe
Consider this advice from entrepreneur and master skill developer Tim Ferris.
“Walk up to the strongest guy at the gym, ask him about his workout routine, jot down notes, and then…
Do the opposite.”
Huh?
He’s not saying their routines won’t beef you up, only that there are other ways to skin a cat. There’s a world of effective and safe exercises that you won’t see at Planet Fitness or Equinox.
I’m not a fitness guru. I have zero credentials — I played golf in college for fuck’s sake. However, my best friend and workout partner is a fitness instructor, and he’s really into alternative exercises.
We’ve been working out together for the past eight months, and I’m in the best shape of my life.
It’s not even close.
I present to you those strange workout routines.
Holds Training Till You Start to Cry
I’m 29 years old and not getting any younger.
Why do I need to look like a WWE wrestler? Who I’m I trying to impress?
I told Jonathan that I wanted a powerful body but wanted to stay away from maxing out on the bench press. Enter Isometric Holds Training. Or what we call “Holds Training.”
The Workout:
Hold a lunge for 5 minutes straight on each leg (with weights or without them). Your partner lifts you up when you fail. And you will fail.
Push-up holds 5 minutes straight. Your partner lifts you back up when you fail.
Wall sits for 5 minutes straight. Your partner lifts you up when you fail.
Biceps curl hold for 5 minutes straight. Your partner lifts your arms back up when you fail.
We do this once a week.
If you’re doing it right, it should be the most painful thing you’ve ever experienced, but the benefits make it worthwhile.
Isometric holds create time under tension, which improves muscle tendon energy storage. In other words, it conditions your muscles more effectively than doing three sets of 10, like they taught you in high school.
“They’re a complete exercise that works stability, flexibility, and strength in an unusually safe way.” —Jonathan
The pain sucks. I scream F-bombs the entire time. Other people at the gym think I’m having a stroke.
I’ve also never been stronger.
Get On a Track and Run Some Sprints
Most of us can point back to a moment in our past when we were in “the best shape of our lives.”
A time when you trained year-round for a sport and took part in speed training with a team. Then you graduated, and life became more pedestrian. Now, the hardest workout you do is a free yoga class at the local brewery.
Put speed training back into the workout schedule!
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Each Wednesday, Jonathan and I do track work with Fleetfeet.
The Workout:
8, 200-meter sprints on a track with a 2-minute break between each set.
Speed workouts increase your range of motion and work those fast twitch muscles you haven’t touched since JV basketball.
Join Fleetfeet if you’re interested in speed training. They’re everywhere and offer speed workouts for members. Last week, the coaches conducted a timed mile for our group so they could track our progress.
One kid in our group puked because he decided to eat pizza before the workout.
True story.
Which brings me to my next topic.
Eating Brain Food
Like most people, I don't have the time or the expertise to get granular about what I eat.
However, when you start working out six days a week, how you fuel your body and mind suddenly becomes vital to performance.
Again, I don't judge myself too much for eating junk food every now and then, but I try to create a diet rich in antioxidants, good fats, protein, vitamins, and minerals.
Here's my grocery list, which I stole from Jim Kwick's brain food diet.
Blueberries
Avocados
Salmon
Broccoli
Eggs
Apples
Bananas
Asparagus.
Here's an easy salmon recipe that makes me feel sharp the next day.
Salmon:
Preheat the oven to 400. Glaze a salmon flank with olive oil. Sprinkle a little salt, pepper, and whatever else you’d like. Add a tablespoon of butter and place it on top of the flank. Add a slice of lemon for zest. Wrap salmon in tin foil (glaze tin foil with olive oil, eliminate stick), and place in the oven for 20 minutes.
Broccoli:
Lay a sheet of tin foil on a cookie sheet. Wash and cut broccoli into florets and place florets on the sheet. Sprinkle with olive oil. Salt and pepper. Place in oven for about 15 minutes.
Spike Ball
That’s right that bro sport you see D-Bags play on Montrose Beach in Chicago.
A few friends and I play each Thursday after work. The game improves hand-eye coordination, and there’s some agility training, but in a greater sense, playing any sport with your friends adds something else to your weekly fitness regimen.
Fun :)
We worry so much about looking good at the beach that we sometimes forget what fitness is supposed to be about.
Fitness is leisure.
It’s something you do in your off hours to relax and forget about work. It’s supposed to be fun!
It’s the people who don’t make it fun who give up on their “New Year” fitness goals by February.
Those Boutique CrossFit classes
There’s a CrossFit “like” gym in my building that Jonathan and I do once a week called Studio Torch.
What I like about Torch is that they make you do exercises you’d never do on your own. The irony is, the exercises mimic movements we do in everyday life. Squats, running, core work, and deadlifts. True, full-body workouts condensed into hour sessions.
You’re also paired with an instructor who pushes you to actually do the work. No joke, these guys will actually follow you on Instagram, learn your name, and call you out in class.
Final Thoughts
I wanted to share our workout routine because I think most people place fitness in a box. What does that mean?
You do what everyone else does.
Nonsense.
Fitness should be hard, but more importantly, it should be work you enjoy doing.
When you still feel like giving up, remember why you’re doing it. Not only for a healthy body but for a healthy mind.
As Seneca says, “the body should be treated more rigorously that it may not be disobedient to the mind.”
That’s it..I’m going to introduce you to my granddaughter. She will finish Med School next May. I love your passion for life… you are your parents 100%..Keep pursuing your dreams!