I just finished making a ginger bread house with my daughter while my wife decorates the Christmas tree.

Last night I put up lights on the house Clark Griswold style!

But all the snow we had here in New Brunswick disappeared over night thanks to heavy rain. Hoping we get some back for the big day…

With all that’s going on this time of year I like to keep things simple with my workouts and after moving with just a couple weeks to get back to my workouts before the holidays I like to ditch the complicated program design and go with my “Simple Man’s Workout System”. Plus I am not running on all cylinders with this flu that’s slowing me down…so I will probably keep my training on cruise control until the New Year.

No specified rest periods, no fancy exercises, just plain old liftin’ designed in way that is easy to follow and requires only 3 hours a week.

Don’t underestimate the effectiveness as it’s all about QUALITY over quantity…

2-3 sets, 4-8 reps

Day 1, Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

Flat BB Bench Press
Incline DB Press
Standing BB Shoulder Press
Side DB Raise
Lying EZ Tricep Extensions
Cable Tricep Pushdowns

Day 2, Legs and Abs

BB Back Squats
DB Lunges
DB Romanian Deadlifts
Standing Calf Raise
Hanging Leg Raise

Day 3, Back and Biceps

Deadlifts
Chinups
One Arm DB Rows
BB Curls
DB Curls
DB Shrugs

Use this workout system as your “standby” workout when you just want a simple program that gives you complex results!

Well I created for you the Busy Gym Workout that works every muscle in your body and only requires a bench and ONE set of dumbbells…

For days when your local gym is packed liked sardines and probably don’t smell much better, head over to an empty corner of the gym with a flat bench and a set of dumbbells and crank up your ipod to blast out the Busy Gym Workout.

*Warmup with 10 reps of bodyweight squats, pushups and lunges.

Pick one set of dumbbells that you can perform at least 3 sets of 8-10 reps for all exercises.

A Db bench squat to shoulder press, rest 60 secs (hold dumbbells at shoulder height and squat back on bench until your butt touches then stand up and press dumbbells overhead),
B1 One Arm Bent Over DB row, no rest go directly to
B2 One Arm Flat DB Chest press, rest 60 secs
C1 Seated DB Bicep curls,no rest go directly to
C2 Lying DB Tricep Ext, rest 60 secs
D1 Cross Body Mountain Climbers, no rest go directly to
D2 Ab Plank From Floor, rest 60 secs

By using supersets and exercises that keep you in the same space you get an intense workout without the wait!

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…

Hiking up around a mountain in a couples inches of snow with my 32lb 16 month old daughter on my back!

Yep, that’s what us crazy Canadians do for a workout this time of year.

So try not to let the cooler days keep you from getting out and staying active with your family.

The seasons may change but your healthy habits should stay the same…

To keep you on track with your workouts I am giving you one of the famous Dad Fitness workouts straight from The Dad Fitness System

Enjoy!

Bodyweight Warm-up (this should take you no more than 5 minutes)

• Prisoner-Squat – 12 reps
• Arm Circles – 8 reps per side
• Pushups – 8 reps
• Walking Lunge – 8 reps per side

Dad Fitness Strength Workout

1) DB Step-Up (10-12 reps) 2 sets: Rest 90sec between each set
2A) Flat DB Bench Press (10-12 reps) 2 sets: no rest – go directly to:
2B) Standing Hammer Curl (10-12 reps) 2 sets: Rest 90sec between each set
3A) One Arm Elbow In DB Row (10-12 reps) 2 sets: no rest – go directly to:
3B) One Arm DB Shoulder Press (10-12 reps) 2 sets: 90sec between each set.
4) Lying Reverse Crunch (10-12 reps) 2 sets: 90sec between each set

Who needs bottled water?

Fat Burning Interval Cardio

Interval consisting of 14 minutes on stationary bike or regular bike,
Low intensity pedaling for 2 min, high intensity pedaling for 1 min until 12 min, then low intensity pedaling for remaining 2 min

Cooldown Stretches

Do you have a “crazy” workout? Let me know by posting a comment below!

But sleep takes a back seat when I got two ladies to take care of.

Not only was our 11 month old daughter Matea up a few times throughout the night as she is teething and has a little head cold,

BUT my wife woke up with a bad headache, high fever and ended up getting sick all night and this morning.

So while I tended to my wife resting in bed I thought the best thing for today would be to let her have some piece and quite while I packed up Matea and headed over to my parents house for the afternoon. My wife liked the idea so we left and let her rest…

I did have a workout scheduled for today so while Matea was happy playing and getting her workout at Grammie’s and Grampies I headed across the street to the gym for a quick and intense Dad Fitness Workout.

I loved the convenience of growing up with that little dungeon of a gym just across the street from where we lived. I have been working out there for about 14 years and it is like having my own little gym as there is hardly anyone ever there.

Here was today’s workout.

Pushups off a fixed barbell with feet elevated on bench,3 max sets, 60 sec rest
Lying Flat Barbell Tricep Extensions, 4 sets of 8 reps
Pullups from rope, 4 sets of 6 reps
Standing DB Shoulder Press, 3 sets of 8 reps
Standing One Arm Cable Curls, 3 sets of 8 reps
Ab circuit of hanging leg raises and cross body mountain climbers

I am gonna refuel after today’s workout with my mother’s homemade spaghetti
…I couldn’t turn down her offer!… then we will head back home to take care of mommy…and maybe I will get a chance to check out the hockey game.

GO PENS!

Sean Barker, CPT

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

Not too sure if that applies to us here in Labrador, Canada though with the rain and wet snow falling outside…

So I decided I would give you time crunched dads a little kick start workout that I pulled from my training tickle trunk.

The One and Only release

For complete exercise descriptions and to get over 16 weeks of fitness workouts for men download the Dad Fitness System HERE<==

The Buff and Busy Workout is more of an advanced muscle building workout, but can be done at home with minimal equipment and will get you on your way to building strong lean muscle and goodbye to that gut before the shirts come off this summer.

If you are just starting out, do a couple sets of each exercise until you improve your conditioning.

Bodyweight Warm-up (to be performed before each workout)

• Prisoner-Squat – 10 reps
• Pushups – 10 reps
• Wall Slides – 10 reps

*Complete 2 circuits of this entire warm-up without rest

Bodyweight Workout

1A Jump Squat, 5 sets of 5 reps, no rest

1B Spiderman Pushup, 5 sets of 5 reps, 60 secs rest

2A Chin Ups or Bent Over DB Rows, 5 sets of 5 reps, no rest

2B Standing DB Shoulder Press, 5 sets of 5 reps, 60 secs rest

3A Standing Zottman DB Curl, 5 sets of 5 reps, no rest

3B Lying Floor DB Tricep Ext. 5 sets of 5 reps, 60 secs rest

4. Stability Ball Jackknife 3 sets of 8-10 reps, 60 secs rest

Cooldown Stretching (to be performed after each workout)

*Hold each stretch for 10-15 seconds
• Lat Stretch
• Chest Stretch
• Quad Stretch
• Hamstring Stretch
• Shoulder/Tricep Stretch

Alright guys, give this workout a try this weekend and let me know how it went!

Enjoy your weekend and your workouts…

Sean Barker, CPT

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

1. Leg extensions- Unfortunately this exercise seems to be the extent of most guys leg training. Probably because sitting down and pumping out reps of leg extensions are a lot easier than squatting down with hundreds of pounds on your back.

They all involve sitting or lying down, (which we are all experts at already) and they work only a small section of muscle, allowing you to pump out endless reps without much effort.

For you busy guys who want to get the most out of your short fat loss workouts, stop wasting your valuable time on these old school exercises that break your body down instead of building it up…

Sean Barker, CPT

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

I went to the gym this afternoon and had a good workout of:

The Midnight Meat Train full movie

Seated One Arm Cable Rows
Standing One Arm DB Shoulder Press
Bulgarian Split Squat
Standing One Arm Tricep Extensions

10 reps each and 4 sets to reach a goals of 40 reps for each exercise. Took 75 secs rest in between sets.

If that wasn’t enough after I got home the whole family went for a winter walk with baby daughter Matea in her winterized BOB Stroller.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Then we were all so hungry we headed to the in-laws for dinner consisting of pork roast, bbq chicken breasts, garden salad and some Mexican rice. I finished it off with a banana muffin for dessert and a hot cup of green tea.

When you keep active all year round you can eat good wholesome foods without the guilt!

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

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

Well, that’s EXACTLY what happened.

My wife had my 6 year old niece, Grace over for a sleep over and for her annual Christmas cookie bake. I think some flour did end up in the bowl as some ginger bread men were created in the process.

Baby Matea even got her little hands in on the action as there were flour hand prints everywhere!

This was only the beginning…

Then we all camped out downstairs in sleeping bags and watched Christmas movies. My favorite is National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. No matter how often I see this, it makes me laugh every time.

Ah, the joys of the holiday season!

Today was my last workout before Christmas.

I started to follow my planned Dad Fitness Workout this morning at the gym but decided half way through to have a little fun and add in a few other exercises.

I also kept the sets and reps fairly low so I wouldn’t be sore for the next few days.

It might look like a long workout but it was only an hour as I only did 2 sets of 5 for each exercise and pair up some supersets.

Underhand Bent BB Rows
DB Incline Press
Wide Grip Pulldowns
Dips
Inverted Rows
Block Pushups
BB Shoulder Press
Side Lateral Raise
Cable Curls
Overhead Rope Tricep Extensions
Reverse Curls

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