No it’s not a Kit-Kat bar…

But the message behind their advertising slogan is one great way.

Gimme a Break!

1. Breakway from the Barbells

For us Gung-ho guys sometimes the hardest part of working out is NOT working out at all.  As hard as it may be when you feel you’re making progress with your workouts and the WEIGHTS are going up while your WAIST is going down, it’s always a good idea to have rest weeks designed into your training the same way you have sets and reps.

So that’s why after 12 weeks of hard and intense workouts, it’s time I take a break from the gym…and maybe you should too! Usually I try and take an entire week off from the gym every 8-10 weeks to give my body as well as my mind a rest so I can recharge my body’s batteries and be ready to start a new workout routine for another couple months.

2. Deload the Dumbbells.

Wether you are focusing on fat loss or getting stronger, when doing a longer training routine of 12-16 weeks it’s probably best to have a deload week every 4 weeks in your workouts. This is usually where you reduce the normal working weights and reps in your workout by 50%.  If you don’t have the mental muscle to stay away from the gym entirely, deload weeks are a great way to prevent burnout, get strong over time and avoid injury in the process while still remaining active.

3. Alternate don’t Adapt

Your body is made to adapt, otherwise you wouldn’t be here to read this… Research shows your body adapts to your workouts after 4-6 weeks. It adapts to your rep ranges first, then it catches on to your movement patterns. This is why it’s important to do different exercises from many different angles to stay one step ahead of that dreaded training plateau where your gains come to a screeching halt.

An example for chest would be to do barbell bench press for 4 sets of 6 reps on Monday, 2 sets of 12 of incline dumbbell presses on Wednesday and 3 sets of 8 of decline pushups on Friday…

I also like to cut myself some slack with my nutrition during my recovery week and not follow such a set eating schedule of eating 5-6 meals a day, every 3-4 hours.

Although I follow this structure 90% of the time as I believe in the benefits it gives me of higher energy and better health it’s good to go Primal every once and awhile and just eat when you’re hungry and even try intermittent fasting for 24 hours once a week.

I think the future of of food and healthy nutrition is in the past and that we should eat like our primal ancestors did most of the time sticking to wild meat, plants, nut and berries.

Eating this way and avoiding all the manufactured grains prevents our body’s fat storing hormone insulin from going on a constant roller coaster ride with our blood sugar. This way our body is burning fat for fuel, giving protein to our hungry muscles and we don’t have to worry if we go longer than 3 hours without stuffing our face.

So if you want to prevent workout burnout and be healthy and happy for the long term, sometimes it’s best to take 2 steps forward and one step back…

No matter what level of fitness knowledge you think you may have, you always need to look and learn from other trainers and coaches to improve your mind and body. As the author of Dad Fitness, I still strive to learn and improve my knowledge to help others get the fastest results possible.

After spending 5 days hanging out with guys like Craig Ballantyne of Men’s Health and fitness icon Shawn Phillips, I started to pick up on some of the secrets these guys use to stay in awesome shape even while traveling.

So here are 5 Tips To Stay Fit While Traveling.

1. Workout No Matter What. After a busy 5 days of sitting on my butt in meetings and seminars I still managed to workout 4 out of the 5 days while in Florida. Which is even more than I workout at home!

The first day I got together with Rommel Acda of FitInAHurry.com, and Deb Froehlich of CelluiteCircuits.com and we trained together in the hotel gym. It wasn’t very big but had enough to get a great workout using our bodyweight and a few dumbbells.

Then the next day along with Craig Ballantyne of Turbulence Training we all headed to the local Powerhouse gym to get a great workout in a more upbeat gym atmosphere.

Wether it’s a quick hotel room bodyweight workout, a hotel gym workout or a Powerhouse gym workout, just make sure you do some exercise while traveling to offset all the sitting down on airplanes and in meetings.

2. All You Can Eat. The great thing about travelling to new cities is experiencing new places to eat. But if you’re not careful you could be paying the airlines extra weight on the way home, and I am not talking about your luggage…

So do what all the fit trainers did every morning to start their day off right; eat a nutritious breakfast. Even though our hotel served a FREE buffet breakfast every morning, most everyone who is in great shape skipped the bacon and breads and had a huge freshly prepared omelet stuffed with veggies with a little fruit on the side, me included. Keep lunch small with a salad or whole grain wrap so you don’t get sleepy during the afternoon meetings, and enjoy a nice dinner with some lean meat and veggies and even a glass of wine.

3. Drink Up. I don’t mean spend your nights at the hotel bar getting sloshed. I mean drink lots of cold refreshing water. It will keep you full and focused and your mind off the donuts and croissants sitting across the conference table.

It’s really easy to drink lots of H2O during these hotel conferences as they usually serve you pitchers of water in your meeting rooms and in the big conference rooms. Just to be sure you always have water on hand, pick up a couple of litres of spring water at the hotel gift shop and keep on ice in your room.

4. Ditch the Cab. If you are up for some sight seeing or heading to a nearby restaurant for dinner, ditch the cab fare, get some directions and walk there instead. Google Maps on your smart phone works great for this!  Walking is a great way to see a new city and burn some calories. Strolling back to the hotel after dinner is a great way to end the evening and ease the guilt from that decadent dessert.

You can also try to find a park or gym a couple miles away and walk or run there to get your heart pumping and your warmup out of the way.

5. Recharge. If you’re traveling solo, staying at a hotel is a great way to get some extra rest and relaxation. You get the bed to yourself, and you have no worries of the kids jumping in the bed at the wee hours of the morning.

It’s also a great time to catch up on some work or read that book you have been trying to get through. A dip in the hotel pool and a hot sauna afterwards might be just what you need to recharge your batteries before you get back on the road.

So there you have it, 5 Travel Tips To Stay Fit so you’re wife still recognizes you when you get home…

How do YOU stay fit on the road? Let me know and leave a comment below.

Frozen orange juice anyone?

I am here in beautiful Tampa Bay, Florida and just finished a long day of seminar meetings with other fitness professionals. It’s been supposedly cooler here in Florida than normal with stories of the oranges freezing over and all that but 22 degrees Celsius is summer weather where I am from, so no complaints from me!

It’s going to be hard to go back home to cold Canada after enjoying the warm Florida sun!  But I look forward to getting home with my wife and daughter after 5 days away…

So before I hit the sack I wanted to give you a heads up on my new shoulder training article that just came out in the newest issue of Inside Fitness magazine.

Besides back pain, shoulder problems is probably the next biggest complaint I get from busy dads who have been working out for awhile.

So to get bigger and stronger shoulders, try these tips the next time you workout.

“What do YOUR workout routine look like?

Well ever since I created The Dad Fitness System I would just point them to www.DadFitness.com where they can get their own copy of The Ultimate Fitness Plan For Busy Dads downloaded instantly to their computer.

It works for me and it’s working for other busy dads all around the world.

But this year I have been improving the Dad Fitness workouts to better fit MY busy lifestyle and for all of YOU living the Dad Fitness lifestyle as well.

You see, being a busy dad and husband working a full-time job and running a business on the side doesn’t allow me to spend 5-6 days a week working out at the gym to stay fit.

I will be honest though, I LOVE working out at the gym, especially our little dungeon of a gym here in town. No lineups, no machines, just torn up benches with some rusty barbells and dumbbells. I guess you can call me “old school”.

But as much as I would like to I can’t always get there as often as I wish as I spend most of my days off from working shift work staying home with my 19 month old daughter while my wife is at work.

Some weeks I find it hard to get to the gym even 3 days a week so I had to adapt and tweak the Dad Fitness workouts.

So I designed a workout routine that focuses on 2 gym workouts a week and one bodyweight workout a week, totaling 3 short but intense workouts a week. …Which is all most of us really need to get in great shape anyway.

I have been loving this routine as I can get in 2 intense gym workouts a week and have no problem getting in the 3rd bodyweight workout as it can be done at home with minimal equipment, at the gym or even at my local playground when the weather permits.

Now that’s the way workouts should be, they should fit around YOUR lifestyle, not the other way around like most programs you might find in the magazines.

I am building muscle, gaining strength and staying lean like never before and it’s all because of the intricate design of these workouts.

Every exercise, Every rep and Every set is specifically selected and has a scientific reason for being in the program.

This gives you the complete “Training Triangle” to build muscle, gain strength and burn fat all in minimum time and in one simple 3 day a week workout routine.

So here is the breakdown of what I like to call Dad Fitness 2.0

• 3 workouts a week consisting of 2 gym workouts and 1 bodyweight workout.

• The workouts rotate on a 2 week cycle meaning there is a Week 1 of workouts and a Week 2, before you repeat the same workouts.
• Each routine is followed for 8 weeks allowing each weekly workout to be completed 4 times.

This keeps my motivation high and prevents the dreaded training plateau by rotating exercises every 2 weeks instead of every week like most programs.

So here is an example of just of ONE of the weekly workout routines in the upcoming yet to be released Dad Fitness 2.0 Fitness Plan.

Day 1, Week 1, Gym

Chest, Shoulders and Triceps

Decline Barbell Bench Press, 2 sets of 4-6 reps.

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press, 2 sets of 6-8 reps

Standing Barbell Shoulder Press, 2 sets of 4-6 reps

Standing Triple Threat Dumbbell Lateral Raise Superset, (side, front and rear) 2 sets of 6-8 reps each

Lying Flat Ez Bar Tricep Extensions, 2 sets of 4-6 reps

Tricep Cable Pushdowns, 2 sets of 6-8 reps

Cable Crunch, 2 sets of 8-10 reps

Day 2, Week 1, Gym

Legs, Back and Biceps

Barbell Squats, 2 sets of 4-6 reps

Dumbbell Lunges, 2 sets of 6-8 reps

Weighted Pullups, 2 sets of 4-6 reps

Bent Over Barbell Rows, 2 sets of 6-8 reps

Standing Barbell Curls, 2 sets of 4-6 reps

Standing Dumbbell Curls, 2 sets of 6-8 reps

Standing Calf Raise, 2 set of 8-10 reps

Day 3, Week 1, Bodyweight

One Leg Squats, 3 sets of max reps

Medicine Ball Pushups, 3 sets of max reps

Inverted Pullups, 3 sets of max reps

Dips, 3 sets of max reps

Parallel Grip Pullups, 3 sets of max reps

Front Plank, 2 set of 60 secs

Side Plank, 2 sets of 45 secs

I don’t have an exact date yet for the release of Dad Fitness 2.0 but I am working hard to get it complete so it can be YOUR favorite workout of 2010!

and let me know your favorite workout of 2009 by posting a comment below…

You might remember this from your old high school math class.

It was Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity.

Despite Einstein’s well known brilliance, what amazes me even more was he was also a busy dad of 3 kids.

Einstein was known for challenging the status quo and I think if he was alive today he would tell us busy dads who continue to waste time on long boring workouts that leave us even more exhausted to smarten up and fly right!

Einstein doing his interval training

So let’s do the math…

A typical workout may look like this.

Pushups, 3 sets of 12-15 reps, rest 60 secs
Deadlifts, 3 sets of 6-8 reps, rest 60 secs
Bicep Curls, 3 sets of 8-10 reps, rest 60 secs
Shoulder Press, 3 sets of 8-10 reps, rest 60 secs

With each set taking almost a minute to complete and resting a minute in between sets this workout would take you about 30 minutes on paper.

But in reality, this workout would take even longer as you would have to move around the gym setting up each exercise and changing weights, not to mention actually getting to the gym.

Even a 40 minute workout is not bad compared to most endurance type workouts found in the muscle mags on your local newsstand.

What if I could show you how to get this same great workout using all the same exercises in half the time and without all the equipment?

Would you be interested? If your a busy dad, you should be.

Enter the Dad Fitness Theory of Efficiency, which is
E=Dad ^Fit

I am so smart…SMRT

Where E is Efficiency, Dad is well… you!, and Fit is what you will become using this workout routine

So it’s time we pulled a General Motors with our workouts by getting rid of the excess junk and focusing on what works…no offense Saturn owners.

Check out this video to see the same Dad Fitness workout using the exact same exercises done in all in one movement but without the wasted time.

Plus all you need is a simple set of dumbbells!

Click here to view the embedded video.

*Warmup with 10 reps of bodyweight burpees.

Dumbbell Pushup, no rest, go directly to
Dumbbell Deadlift, no rest, go directly to
Dumbell Bicep Curl, no rest, go directly to
Dumbbell Shoulder Press, rest 60 secs

Complete this circuit 8-10 times before resting, and repeat the circuit 3 times.

Total workout time is about 15 minutes. How’s that for efficiency?

So lets get smart with our time and put the “work” back into our workouts so we can spend less time with the dumbbells and more time being a dad…

I made it through my first Strongman Contest…barely.

The events started shortly after 6pm on Tuesday , and luckily it was a warm summer’s  evening.

I loosened up at home first with some foam rolling, bodyweight exercises like squats and pushups, and some light stretches.

My wife and 15 month old daughter Matea as well as my sister and her family and my mother in-law and came along for support.

Feeling a little nervous when I arrived, I was glad to see a few guys from around town who I knew as regular gym goers who was to give this a shot.

First event was the Tire Flip. Man, this is the ULTIMATE WORKOUT! I can see why this lift has gotten so popular in the fitness industry. I am not quite sure how heavy this tire was but I am thinking around 300-400 hundred pounds?

I can see why this is such an intense exercise because it’s simulates a deadlift to lift the tire working almost every muscle in your body especially your lower body and your grip then to push the tire over it simulates a standing chest press. Plus it was probably the most INTENSE cardio workout I ever done! Man I don’t remember my heart rate ever being so high. I thought I was going to puke when I finished!

We had to flip the tire as many times as possible in 2 minutes. I got off to a great start and ended up tying for 1st place in this lift at 26 flips.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The 2nd lift was the Block Raise or in this case a car battery tied on to a stick which you had to raise off the ground for as long as you can. Not sure how heavy this was but after holding it up for almost a minute it starts to feel like a ton. I came 2nd place in this event with a time of 45 seconds.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The 3rd event was the Farmer’s Walk which involved holding two 110lb dumbbells and running a certain distance as fast as you can. Again I got off to a pretty good start until about half way I stepped into a big dip in the grass and almost dropped the weights. But I managed to hold on to the end to give me a 3rd or 4 place in this event.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Next up was the Log Press. Everyone was all pretty gassed by now but this lift dragged on a little too long as this was the only event which they didn’t time! Big mistake. Guys could take as long as they want to press the log and continue on.

The log was a sawed off telephone poll with screwed on handles that to everyone’s surprise made this lift  A LOT more awkward than it looks. Unfortunately in the end only 2 guys were able to lift the log at all!

I wasn’t one of them as it wasn’t reallly the weight as it was the handles which normally should be inset into the handles so you can rotate the log and clean it to your shoulders. After 3 attempts I decided it wasn’t worth it to  invite a serious injury.

By the last event we all felt like we were hit by a truck we were so tired and beat up. But for this event we had to PULL a truck!

I was one of the last guys up for this lift and by this time it was getting dark and I was starting to cramp a little and cool down. Not a good thing when you have to push your body to the limit in an event such as this.

My 175lb body was at the laws of physics against this truck as I had to give everything I had to get this truck moving and managed to pull it about half way before I had enough and had to call it quits. The key to this lift was to stay as low to the ground as possible as you drive forward with your legs…but it’s easier said than done when you are pulling a TRUCK!

Click here to view the embedded video.

After all was said and done I tied for 4 or 5th place. Not totally sure as the results will be out in this weeks local paper. But it was the experience I was after not the prize for some camping gear.

I have to say this was probably the hardest workout I have ever done. No matter how good of shape I thought I was in, these strongman events are way more physically demanding that I thought.

Not just strength wise but way more demanding on your cardiovascular system.

A couple years ago I completed our local duathalon which involved a 15km bike ride and a 7km run which I ended up finishing 4th even though endurance events are not my thing.

So I thought it was time to shake things up again and I am glad I gave this strongman contest a try.

Even if you are consistent with your busy dad workouts sometimes you have to get out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself. If you think “I could never do that”. You probably SHOULD.

The biggest benefits to these strongman lifts is they carry over to REAL WORLD everyday activities so you can be the strong dad you need to be to push your wife’s car out of the snow, lift your kids over your head without breaking a sweat or carrying in heavy bags of groceries to feed your growing family.

I am thinking of even getting a big tractor tire for the back yard as I was really impressed by how intense this lift was. Beats staying inside on a boring treadmill!

I wonder would the town miss one of their telephone poles?…

Do YOU have any fitness event you would like to try or you are currently training for? Strongman, Marathon, Powerlifting, Bodybuilding?

If so, tell me all about it by leaving a comment below.

By “going with your gut” I don’t mean you should accept that beer belly hanging over your belt.

What I mean is that sometimes you have to go by how you feel if you want to stay motivated with your exercise program.

I have no workout scheduled for today so it’s my wife’s turn to hit the gym as I stay home with our baby daughter Matea for the afternoon.

It’s a cool rainy day here so I guess we will have to keep things inside. I hope Hokey Pokey Elmo can keep up!

I am looking forward to tonight though as it’s “date night” with my wife and Matea will spend the night with her nanny and poppy.

Not sure if we will go out or cook dinner at home…

Yesterday I went to the gym for a busy dad workout but when I got there I wasn’t really in the mood to do the workout I had planned.

I just wasn’t up for heavy deadlifts and I wanted to just do whatever I felt like doing for a change so I threw my training journal back in my gym bag and did whatever exercises I felt like doing.

This is something I rarely do so when I have days like this I know it’s time to change up my workout.

So here is what I came up with after my warmup.

Dumbbell Pushups off hexagon dumbbells supersetted with Inverted Barbell Rows.

3 sets each, 12-15 reps

V Bar Weighted Pulllups with a 10lb plate attached to a dip belt.

6 reps, 2 sets, with a 20 sec negative lowering for the last rep

Bulgarian Split Squats

8 reps each leg, 2 sets

Standing Dumbbell Curls/Hammer Curls

I supersetted a set of dumbbell curls with a set of hammer curls

2 sets each

Seated Calf Raises

2 sets of 10 reps

Ab Wheel Rollouts

2 sets of 10 reps

I really enjoyed this workout, I got a great pump, worked up a good sweat and it was mentally refreshing to just “wing it” at the gym for a change.

I have been doing the same Dad Fitness workout routine for the last 4 weeks so I will design a new workout program and start Sunday or Monday.

]]> http://dadfitnessblog.com/go-with-your-gut-536/feed 0 http://dadfitnessblog.com/will-smith-turkey-bacon-dumbbells-130 http://dadfitnessblog.com/will-smith-turkey-bacon-dumbbells-130#comments Sun, 11 Jan 2009 19:27:00 +0000 smbarker http://smbarker.wordpress.com/2009/01/11/will-smith-turkey-bacon-dumbbells/ As I mentioned in my previous post of The Top 10 Things I Did To Improve my Health, Wealth & Happiness in 2008 my wife and I make sure to have a DATE night at least every 2nd weekend when I have the entire weekend off.

For you busy parents out there make sure you don’t let life get in the way and schedule time for just you and your wife as often as you can. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from family or friends to watch the kids every now and then.

Our parents take turns on taking baby Matea for the night and we have a rare night to ourselves to go out or stay in depending on what we feel like doing.

Last night we decided to stay in and rent a movie and I grilled some steaks outdoors on the BBQ in -30deg Celsius. To see how I do this check out my new article on FatherLife.com,
==>King of the Grill.

The movie we rented was Hancock, the Will Smith superhero action flick. We both really enjoyed it as the visual effects were incredible and it was a different twist on a common story.

This morning we slept late which for us is like 8am and I got up and cooked a rare Sunday breakfast feast that we only have a couple times a month.

Despite a higher calorie meal I still try to stick to nutrient dense foods to get the best of both worlds. I knew I would be hitting the gym later and would be sure to make use of the excess calories.

Turkey bacon, omega-3 eggs, cantaloupe, pineapple, cheese, clementine, tomato, half a whole wheat roll with natural peanut butter, 4 fish oil caps on the side and a glass of water and a cup of mint green tea. Léon ipod

Usually I would hit the gym early and have this breakfast afterward but with my gym’s new hours of not opening til 12pm! I had this a couple hours before my workout.

Today at the gym I did this.

Workout B, 10 -12 reps, 25 total reps for each exercise, however many sets it takes to complete until my form slows down. Mostly 4 sets of 10.

Dynamic Warmup

Seated One Arm Cable Rows
Standing One Arm DB Shoulder Press
Bulgarian Split Squats
Standing One Arm Overhead Tricep Ext.

Static Stretching

Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the “The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly” in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

My strained left thumb that I had a few weeks back has come back to haunt me.

I was scheduled to train Chest, Shoulders & Triceps today but didn’t get very far with that. As soon as I tried to warm up for Incline Barbell Bench Presses I knew it wasn’t good.

I couldn’t even stand the pressure of the 45lb Olympic bar pressing against my thumb. I then tried to salvage the workout by trying different angles with barbells dumbbells and even variations of pushups.

Gripping any bar or even dumbbells were out of this question. I could manage some back pulling exercises using a thumbless grip. Also some pushup variations were ok as long as I kept the pressure off my left thumb.

These are the exercises I managed to do with out much pain.
3 sets each 10-12 reps

Wide-Grip Front Pulldowns supesetted with
Block pushups with feet elevated on swiss ball

V-Bar pullups supesetted with
Regular pushups with feet elevated on flat bench

Rope upright rows

Rope overhead tricep extensions supesetted with
Rope cable pushdowns

I got a busy weekend of Dad stuff (birthday parties, etc.) with baby Matea so I will see how I feel as the weekend progress for my next workout.

I would give this workout 1 thumbs up! lol

Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the “The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly” in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

by Sean Barker, CPT

1. Never go to a restaurant starving! You are setting yourself up for failure right from the start. Have a quick snack before you go if at all possible. A piece of fruit, some mixed nuts or a protein shake will help satisfy you without filling you up so you can enjoy your meal. If you are really stuck, just grab a bottle of water on the way and drink it before you arrive. This alone will help you avoid ordering the entire menu.

2. Once you arrive and sit down at your table, skip the bread and alcohol. There is a reason they serve you this before your meal. It’s because it has been proven in studies bread and alcohol stimulate your appetite. If you really want a drink, stick to one glass of wine or one light beer without the bread.

3. When looking at the menu, remember that you don’t have to order something exactly as its shown on the menu. You are paying for the food, so don’t be afraid to ask for certain dishes with or without certain ingredients.

4. You don’t have to be a nutritionist to know you should stay away from the obvious food choices that are breaded, battered or deep fried. Also be wary of anything smothered in sauces. Remember to ask how the dish is prepared.

5. Go for any lean protein source such as beef, chicken, pork or fish. Pair it with any side dish like a green salad or fresh grilled veggies. Think protein and fats for your meal and avoid the processed carbs.

Take the time to relax and eat slow, have some good conversation with others and learn to enjoy the whole dining out experience instead of just focusing on the food.

…As for my workout today it was one of those better days in the gym this morning as I trained chest and back in the TT For Meatheads Training Program.

I felt strong and pushed some max weights using the 82lbs dumbbells for incline presses.

Our little dungeon gym has homemade dumbbells and they go from 60-67-73-80-82-97 and 100 pounders.

It makes it difficult when you are trying to increase the weights in such big jumps so I usually just work up to higher reps until I move up to the next weight.

Get stronger and build lean muscle with Dad Fitness.
==>Workouts For Busy Dads

Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the “The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly” in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com