Spring is the right season to move our workouts outdoors.   Exercising outdoors offers besides the undisputable benefits – of which the importance we have repeatedly stressed – some additional, very important indeed:    - valuable fresh air   – serenity, relaxation and rest for the eyes and the mind   – the beneficial influence of the sun on our moods   – triggering of precious vitamin D production. Lack of adequate vitamin D can negatively impact us in many ways.   – avoidance of crowded gyms. Ample room to move freely.    This is a workout I like to perform in the hilly, Thessaloniki surrounding forest of Sheikh Sou (the forest of Sheikh).     WARM UP (5 MINUTES)     Spend 5 minutes to warm up your muscles and joints, elevate your temperature and gradually raise your heart rate.   Warming up is crucial to prepare the body for a strenuous workout.   You can do some jogging, brisk walking, jumping jacks, walking lunges, rope jumping etc.   Raise your heart rate to about 140 bpm.     STRENGTH TRAINING (10 MINUTES)     Here you will need some weights. Since it is mostly impracticable to carry your dumbbells – or whatever else – with you, you will have to use something else: By far your best choice is to use your own body’s weight.   Yes, you can perform a nice and vastly effective total body workout.   I consider this cruel, functional, versatile workout as the best investment for my limited time. It helps me preserve my muscle mass while in synergy with other exercises it allows for the control or even reduction of my body fat percentage.   Actually it’s a circuit of compound, multijoint exercises that involves all important muscle groups.    You will execute three types of exercises:     LOWER BODY EXERCISES     Emphasis is given on squats and lunges. There are practically limitless versions.     CORE (BACK + ABS) EXERCISES     You will perform exercises as:    * spiderman lunges   * mountain climbers (many variations) and especially mountain climber twists   * from a push up position: touch your right foot with your left palm in a coordinated movement. Go on.    In this workout you should avoid static exercises: planks etc.    End of 1st part    Chris Strogilis   Civ. Eng. – MBA – DipM   http://totalfitness-christos.blogspot.com   Civil engineer with postgraduate studies in MBA and Marketingportsmouth bilbao ferry

  Spring is the right season to move our workouts outdoors.   Exercising outdoors offers besides the undisputable benefits – of which the importance we have repeatedly stressed – some additional, very important indeed:     – valuable fresh air   – serenity, relaxation and rest for the eyes and the mind   – the beneficial influence of the sun on our moods   – triggering of precious vitamin D production. Lack of adequate vitamin D can negatively impact us in many ways.   – avoidance of crowded gyms. Ample room to move freely.     This is a workout I like to perform in the hilly, Thessaloniki surrounding forest of Sheikh Sou (the forest of Sheikh).     WARM UP (5 MINUTES)     Spend 5 minutes to warm up your muscles and joints, elevate your temperature and gradually raise your heart rate.   Warming up is crucial to prepare the body for a strenuous workout.   You can do some jogging, brisk walking, jumping jacks, walking lunges, rope jumping etc.   Raise your heart rate to about 140 bpm.       STRENGTH TRAINING (10 MINUTES)     Here you will need some weights. Since it is mostly impracticable to carry your dumbbells – or whatever else – with you, you will have to use something else: By far your best choice is to use your own body’s weight.   Yes, you can perform a nice and vastly effective total body workout.   I consider this cruel, functional, versatile workout as the best investment for my limited time. It helps me preserve my muscle mass while in synergy with other exercises it allows for the control or even reduction of my body fat percentage.   Actually it’s a circuit of compound, multijoint exercises that involves all important muscle groups.     You will execute three types of exercises:     LOWER BODY EXERCISES     Emphasis is given on squats and lunges. There are practically limitless versions.     CORE (BACK + ABS) EXERCISES     You will perform exercises as:     * spiderman lunges   * mountain climbers (many variations) and especially mountain climber twists   * from a push up position: touch your right foot with your left palm in a coordinated movement. Go on.     In this workout you should avoid static exercises: planks etc.     UPPER BODY EXERCISES     – Push ups (endless variations)   – Bear crawling etc.     Alternate these exercises with minimal breaks to have a tough and very demanding total body workout.   Your heart rate will be almost permanently over 140 bpm and it may reach 160 bpm. This is a very exhausting workout which combines aerobic with anaerobic training.     H.I.I.T.: 60m sprints (about 13-14 min.).     Sprinting is a very powerful form of exercise. Great for the body, great for the spirit!! It combines harmony, coordination, power and will.   Nothing else – I speak for sports – can leave me more ecstatic and with a magic feeling of fulfillment!   Sprinting is unbeatable if you want to keep a lean, muscular physique. Either you need to lose fat or you want to gain muscle – and why not both? – sprinting is for you one of the best choices.   Sprinting will increase both your aerobic and anaerobic cardiovascular fitness.   Need more?     HOW TO DO SPRINTS?     Count a distance of about 60m. The path should be slightly uphill. After your body workout you are warm and ready to jump to sprints. Wait until your pulse falls to about 120 bpm.   Run at full speed the 60m distance. Your time for the first 2-3 sprints should be in the region of 12-14 sec.   Your pulse after the first sprint will rise to about 160 bpm.   Come back to the starting point by walking in a relaxed way (Don’t jog. You have to recover!).   This is the slow, resting part of your H.I.I.T. The time break between two sprints should be somewhere between 90-120 sec.   Repeat this ritual for a total of 8 sprints.   Your last 6 sprints should last less than 12 sec, if you want to reap the maximum benefits.   Sprinting will keep your metabolism raised for 1-2 days. This is a most welcome side benefit.   But the best with sprinting is that is a very effective natural way to increase your human growth hormone levels. This has positive influences on many facets of your fitness profile.     COOLING DOWN     After sprinting, decrease gradually your intensity until your heart rate falls to 100 – 110 bpm.   Permit lactic acid and other waste products to be removed.   Do some static stretching and you are finished. It was a really great workout.     – Do this workout 2 times/per week.   – Adopt an active lifestyle and a sound nutritional plan and leave the life you deserve!     Chris Strogilis   Civ. Eng. – MBA – DipM   http://totalfitness-christos.blogspot.com Civil engineer with postgraduate studies in MBA and MarketingSmartphone Software

    This perfect workout which I will describe in detail can be characterized as:     Non conventional, very demanding, multifunctional and holistic.     Besides the indisputable benefits that this workout will bring to your physical fitness and appearance, it will additionally offer you two very important advantages:     – it is perfectly suitable for busy people because with 3 workouts x 40’ per week, your results will be much more impressive than those of the most gym frequenters.     – you can complete it ‘outdoors’ or in your home, which will save a lot of time and money. You don’t need a gym!       On the other hand a main disadvantage is that it is suitable only for already fit people and only for those with strong self-discipline.     This is because this workout is really for tough guys.       Epigrammatically the workout consists of:     * 3 minutes for a general warm up   * 5 minutes for a total bodyweight workout   * 10 minutes of strength training with dumbbells   * 10 minutes of HIIT   * 7 minutes for cooling down and static stretching.       A) Warm up   First of all keep your body well hydrated and fuelled!     Warming up is very crucial to prepare the body for the strenuous exercise that will follow. Since the objective is maximum results in lesser time I keep it short: round 3min.     This is an essential phase: muscles become more flexible and pliable, heart rate rises and body temperature increases. At the end you are ready to proceed to the next phase.     The warm up should be of general type, nothing specific.     I recommend starting with light aerobic exercise and slowly building up speed. Specifically:       – jogging in place     – doing some jumping jacks     – also some flexibility exercises (not stretching! Keep stretching for after cool down).       B) Total bodyweight workout     These tough and functional workouts are the best investment for your time. You can do three types of exercise:       – lower body exercises     Emphasis on various squats and lunges.       – upper body exercises     Emphasis on the endless versions of push ups, bear crawling etc.       – core and abs strengthening     Emphasis on spiderman lunges, mountain climbers etc. I prefer these multifunctional, multijoint exercises than static planks.       You can mix these exercises as you wish but the most logical sequence is:       – Upper body exercise   – Lower body exercise   – Core strengthening.       For example:     – Plyo push ups   – Bodyweight squats   – Spiderman lunges etc.       Exercises are executed in a circuit form, with no or minimal breaks. One exercise is used as a break for the other.   Your heart rate will probably reach close to 160 beats/min.This is really hard stuff!     After you finish with your five minute total bodyweight workout, you are ready to grab the dumbbells and go on.       C. Strength training with dumbbells     After your bodyweight workout you are warm and ready for the dumbbells.     I choose dumbbells because they are much more convenient to use and store.     Now the biggest mistake with weight training is that generally very few people use enough weights to properly tax their muscles.     Thousands of people “play” with 5Kg dumbbells with minimal impact ?n their strength and muscularity.     Probably this is because of the big myth/fallacy that more repetitions will lead to a better definition. This is nonsense. Definition will come only with fat loss.     So please stop losing your valuable time and choose weights heavy enough to put decent stress on your muscles.     For maximum results please take into account the following principles:       1) Try to avoid isolation movements e.g. biceps curls, triceps extension etc. You will get much more profit if you execute compound exercises with the participation of multiple joints.     2) Choose a weight which will permit you to do about 8 repetitions with an impeccable style. Right style is much more important that heavier weights.     3) To gain more time try to exercise with the participation of both your hands or legs.     4) Don’t lose your time with weighted crunches or similar stuff.       The best exercises with dumbbells     1) Overhead presses for shoulders (avoid extensions)   2) Squats or lunges for quads, glutes, hamstrings   3) Deadlifts for back, glutes, hamstrings   4) Chest presses and chest flies for chest   5) Bent over two armed dumbbell rows for back.       That’s all!     Don’t search for exotic, glamorous exercises!     You are already in the paradise!     You can do tenths of variations of these exercises but do respect the basics.     For 10 minutes do as many sets as possible with minimal breaks and alternating between upper and lower body exercises.     This is a tough workout which combines anaerobic with aerobic exercise.     Your pulse will climb up to around 150 beats, especially when you are doing the shoulder presses.     This workout is excellent for fat loss purposes.       D) H.I.I.T (High Intensity Interval Training)       H.I.I.T. is a nice way to burn calories and lose fat in limited time.   I won’t claim that H.I.I.T. is a panacea.     Long, medium to high intensity has definitely its’ place in a fat-loss programme.     Though, for our workout which is scheduled for really busy people, H.I.I.T. is the king hands down.     Before you proceed, make sure that you are fit enough and you have a clearance from your doctor.       D1. If you are at home…     The best option is stairs climbing. You will need at least 3 floors.     Climbing vigorously will be your energy burst and going down in a relaxed manner your active recovery phase. There are tenths of versions you can do H.I.I.T. by adjusting:       – burst duration   – recovery duration   – intensity   – total duration etc.     Specifically for stairs climbing you can:     – walk up or run up   – cover one – two stairs / strides etc.     Start conservatively, gradually build up your speed and continue for 10 minutes.     At the end your pulse should reach 160-180 beats.       D2. If you are outdoors…     Try 60m all-out sprints. They should last round 12 sec, not more. Walk back for recovery. Do this 8 times.     Alternatively you could run for 30″ and jog back in a relaxed manner. Repeat this 6 times.   Again there are endless variations.       D3. If you are in the gym…     You can execute your H.I.I.T. programme on a treadmill, elliptical or bike.       E. Cooling down     Take cooling down seriously. For 2-3 minutes decrease gradually your exercise intensity. Your heart rate should come down to 100-110 beats. Lactic acid and other waste products will be removed and adrenaline will be reduced.     Do some static stretching for all your taxed muscle groups. 1×20″ for each muscle group is a must.       EPILOGUE     This workout really makes wonders and is ideal for busy and determined people. To fully reap its’ benefits:       – Do it 3 times a week   – Adopt an active lifestyle and perform some lighter activities in your free days.   – Adopt a sound nutrition plan.         Think about it…     * You don’t need money!   * You don’t need much time!   * You don’t need a gym!   * You only need…       – Fitness which you can acquire relatively easily     – Knowledge: abundant and accessible     – Guts and self-discipline.       Chris Strogilis   Civ. Eng. – MBA – DipM     http://totalfitness-christos.blogspot.com/     Civil engineer with postgraduate studies in MBA and MarketingWordpress Autoblog Software

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