What Works for Me...

In a word, CHANGE.

In the last year I have rarely repeated the same "workout routine". That's not to say I haven't repeated my favorite exercises or duplicated the structure of my workouts. But, by and large every workout is a new experience. And while they aren't all successes, they' have all contributed to the evolution of my personal physical fitness program.

Up until about two years ago I maintained the same approach to fitness:

• Day 1 - Chest and Triceps
• Day 2 - Back and Biceps
• Day 3 - Shoulders and Abdominal
• NO LEGS!

Throw in a 1.5 mile run every once in a while and there it was; a workout schedule that rarely changed and nearly always contained six exercises each day with ten sets per body part. Nothing imaginative or challenging about that. The older I got, the harder it got to maintain my strength. My body had long since adapted to the repetition of my routine and was not responding. I started to experience chronic injuries and could see marked decreases in my personal strength standard, "bench press". CHANGE became a matter of necessity and since then CHANGE has become the staple of my workouts.

I now have no workout schedule. No set muscle groups, no set number of repetitions. My workouts are not scripted days or even hours in advance. Generally speaking, with the exception of a few CrossFit standards, the majority my workouts fall into one of only four structures:
10 Sets of 10 for Time. Two exercises. Example of one set:

• 10 Deadlifts
• 10 Plyo Push-ups

5 Sets of 5 for Time. Five exercises, each having an ascending number of repetitions. Example of the set:

• 5 Burpees
• 10 Pull-ups
• 15 Kettlebell Clean & Presses (15 each arm)
• 20 24" Box Jumps
• 25 Sit-ups

5 Sets Interval Training. One run followed by two exercises of the same muscle group. Example of one set:

• Run 400M (1/4 mile)
• Max Reps Bench Press (set weight)
• Max Reps Ring Push-ups

Max Sets in 15-Minutes. Two exercises: one a push & one a pull. One set equals nine repetitions of each exercise done: 1-1/3-3/5-5. Example of one set:

• 1 Thruster (set weight)
• 1 Pull-up
• 3 Thrusters (set weight)
• 3 Pull-ups
• 5 Thrusters (set weight)
• 5 Pull-ups

Although I'm comfortable with these structures because of the flexibility they offer, I am not satisfied and continue to "test" other structures that appear to be interesting or would seem to offer a greater degree of challenge. The 1-1/3-3/5-5 you see above came from CrossFit Football and was the result of one of those tests.

If your not happy with your state of physical fitness or if it's just getting harder to "find" time to workout, I encourage you to consider a CHANGE. Explore the information resources we're offering and find what works for you.