What’s the best ways to prevent workout burnout?
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…
What can you do in 3 minutes?
You can make your bed…
You can update your Facebook status…
You can cook 3 batches of Minute Rice…
OK maybe there is a lot of things you can do in 3 minutes.
But one of the biggest obstacles we have as busy dads is finding the time to stick with our workout routine.
But in reality we all have the same amount of time in a day, so it’s really about how we MANAGE our time.
No matter what your situation, there are other dads out there juggling a lot more than you when it comes to family and fitness.
So for those days when you are about to write your scheduled workout off because of no time, I got you covered.
The 3 Minute Workout.
This bodyweight workout can be done anywhere at anytime without any equipment.
No, this shouldn’t replace your regular workout, despite what the TV infomercials want you to believe, you won’t get abs in 7 minutes!
But for a quick metabolic boost that will give you some energy and burn up some calories, put this workout in your training toolbox as an Emergency Workout.
So you now have NO EXCUSES. But you do have 3 minutes…
Do you have an Emergency Workout? Let me know by posting a comment below.
After watching an episode of Sponge Bob Square Pants with my daughter it got me in the mood to try a new recipe…
So in honor of Sponge Bob’s tasty Krabby Patties (if you have kids you know what I am talking about…)
I created another Dad Fitness Meal In Minutes!
It’s a super simple recipe that is high in protein which is good for building lean muscle but without all the gut busting fats that are found in the deep fried batter and tartar sauce covered cakes you might see at your typical seafood restaurant.
Crispy Crab Cakes
1 can of crab meat
2 tbsp minced jalapenos
2 green onions
1/2 of minced red bell pepper
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 tsp dijon mustard
juice of 1 lemon
garlic seasoning
salt and pepper
3/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 425 F
Mix everything in a bowl except 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
Using your hands form the crab cakes into patties.
Spread the remaining bread crumbs on a plate and coat each pattie in the crumbs.
Shape each breaded crab cake into patties the size of hockey pucks….
GO CANADA!
Place them on a non-stick baking sheet. I like to cover the baking sheet with parchment paper for no stick and easy clean-up.
Bake for 15 minutes or until brown and crispy.
Top with a spoonful of plain yogurt or seafood sauce. Enjoy!
For more meals plans for men go to www.DadFitness.com to get the Dad Fitness Cookbook for FREE!
Do you have a favorite quick and healthy recipe? Let me know by posting a comment below.
Before I head off to Florida to attend some fitness business seminars I wanted to share with you some super healthy snacks that I had this weekend AND a quick and healthy recipe that only requires 2 ingredients!
…On Saturday night we headed over to my parents for some HNIC. HNIC is a Canadian tradition and stands for Hockey Night In Canada which airs on CBC for any of you south of the border.
My beloved Pittsburgh Penguins (defending Stanley Cup Champs) played and beat the Toronto Maple “Laughs… I mean Leafs 4-1.
But instead of the regular gut busting sport time munchies like chips and wings, we had two “Super Snacks” that tastes great and is great for you!
Wild Spicy Elk Sausage and Smoked Wild Arctic Char…
This was my first time trying Elk Sausage as Caribou and Moose is more common in our province. The Elk came from Alberta.
The Arctic Char was local and is a lot like the more common smoked salmon.
I can’t emphasize enough the importance of trying to eat wild and local whenever possible to obtain the enormous health benefits of naturally wild foods.
These super snacks were given to us from friends and is a lean source of high quality protein rich in omega 3 fats which help fight inflammation in the body and actually help to burn fat.
But they also taste great!
…and speaking of sausage I got another quick and healthy recipe that you can try this week that to keep you fitter in 2010.
I know you probably don’t want to see another Turkey for awhile after the holidays but that doesn’t mean you have to turn away every recipe with the word Turkey!
So here is a simple healthy recipe for Turkey Sausage Stir-Fry that can be whipped up and on the dinner table in 20 minutes and it’s so simple even a Turkey can do it, no offense…
It only requires 2 ingredients so I don’t even know if you can call this a recipe.
It’s just a damn tasty and healthy meal that you can feed your family without having to worry about all the heart pounding fat and nitrites found it regular sausage.
Here is what I used:
1 pkg of Lilydale Tailgate Italian Turkey Sausage (hot)
1 bag of Artic Garden’s frozen mixed veggies (Thai)
For the sausages: Pre-heat skillet over medium heat, then add sausages and 250ML (1 cup) of water. Cover and heat for 10 minutes, turning sausages once. Remove cover, and cook until golden brown (Approximately 10 minutes).
Slice up sausages and set aside.
For the veggies: Pour vegetables in a microwaveable dish with 1/4 cup of water. Add vegetables. Cook in microwave on high power for recommended time.
Throw cooked sausage slices and cooked veggies back in skillet and stir and fry for a couple minutes.
That’s it. Serve and relish in the applause coming from the family dinner table!
Got a “Super Snack” idea you would like to share? Be sure to post a comment below!
You won’t believe what I am going to do tomorrow…
I am competing in my FIRST strongman contest!
No, I am not 8 foot 2, 450lbs, and my name isn’t Mariusz Pudzianowski
…try saying that name 3 times fast!
But I thought it would be fun to take on a new challenge and I believe that these “strongman” type movements are the future of fitness because they challenge your body the way it was meant to move in real life by pushing and pulling heavy awkward objects.
That’s why big professional athletes to lean ripped celebrities train this way because it carries over to real life movements AND it get’s you lean and muscular faster than any other type of workout!
Somebody have a flat?
Tire Flipping
Truck Pulling
Log Press
Farmer’s Walk
Cinder Block Lift
Finding out about this only a few days ago I haven’t had time to train for these lifts specifically.
So here is a quick workout video of me training to be the “World’s Strongest Dad”.
I will try and get some pics and video of the event so you guys can see me lying on the pavement in pain and making a fool out of myself…
Wish me luck!
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