By Darren Floro-Bryant
New year, new body. We all want to look a certain way for the summer months, whether it be to be thinner, be more fit, more muscular or a total body transformation. No matter what your goal or your motivation, the work starts now!
It all begins with commitment and discipline. You’ll need to set a final goal, but also break it down into smaller, more incremental achievements to keep you on track and motivated. Another factor you need to consider and accept is that you are accountable only to yourself. No matter what assistance you choose to acquire to help you achieve your goal, you are responsible for you. One additional aspect you have to accept and understand is that no matter what your goal, it will take hard work to achieve it.
You also need to account for hurdles and roadblocks along the way that you can plan for and allow for setbacks. For example, you will need to know how to handle certain celebrations along the way like birthdays, holiday celebrations, business or personal dinners or nights out. This is where forgiveness is a big factor in achieving your goal. If you skip a workout or mess up a meal, own it and get right back on track. No one is going to do it for you.
With all of this being said, I will give you a few tips and tools to help you start your journey. Seek the help of a professional or professionals. If your goal is to get fit or lose weight, speak with a registered dietician. In addition to this, you will want to enlist the help of a personal trainer. If you are looking to get more intense and train for a specific sport, you will also want to be more targeted with the professionals you choose to help achieve that goal.
Let’s start simple. Simple moves that can challenge anyone at any level!
Simple but Effectice with 100’s
Every single exercise will consist of 100 repetitions. These will target the “Mirror Muscle,” the muscles that everyone sees. The great thing is, with the higher repetitions, these exercises will also enlist the help of a lot of the auxiliary or supporting muscles, to complete the sets. Every exercise will have another exercise paired with it (a superset) to allow for active recovery. Choose weights so you know you can complete all the repetitions, but also have some lighter weight ready to go to ensure you complete the set number of reps specified.
Set 1: 30 reps of each
Set 2: 20 reps of each
Set 3: 30 reps of each
Set 4: 20 reps of each
Flat Dumbbell Chest Press superset with Stability ball abs
Seated Cable Row superset with Kettle Bell Goblet Squats
Incline Dumbbell Chest Press superset with Bench Pikes
Wide Grip Cable Lat Pull-Down superset with Alternating Side Squats
Twisting Dumbbell Skull Crushers (together) superset with Alternating Forward Lunges
Twisting Bicep Curls (curl together) superset with Narrow “grip” Push Ups