Well, it's Saturday...and for many of us that means a little college football watching or at least a little "recliner time" as one of my clients would say.
I am just as excited about taking a little time to enjoy the athletic showdowns as the next person (my Michigan State Spartans are going into the "Big House" at U of M...Michigan...today with both teams undefeated and my Spartans looking for a third straight win against the Wolverines for the first time in decades), but I am even more excited about improving my fitness level and athleticism along the way.
Sure none of us are likely high-level athletes like the ones on the field, but we can still keep improving from where we are day after day.
So while you enjoy the games and a little tv time throughout the day (or the weekend), take a few minutes at a time to improve your fitness on the commercial breaks. In just a few minutes throughout the course of a game, you can burn off a bit of the snacks you're consuming to counteract the effect, and better yet you can maintain that lean tissue that keeps you burning calories throughout the day simply by existing.
Check out the circuits below for a few quick and effective mini-workouts you can sneak in during the commercial breaks. If you're TIVO-ing or DVR-ing the games, simply choose NOT to scan through the commercials and make yourself do the exercises then:)
Enjoy!
1. 10-10-10 by 3: Here you do a compound leg exercise (like squats), a pushing exercise (like push ups) and a core exercise (like crunches) for 10 reps each back-to-back-to-back, rest 15-30 seconds and then repeat the circuit two more times for a total mini-workout of 30 squats, 30 push ups and 30 crunches, all in under 4.5 minutes. Do this bad-boy a few times during the course of the game and you'll get more of a workout than many people who hit the gym this morning!
2. Modified Burpees: Many people don't like to do (or are unable to do) the jump portion of a full burpee, so you can just remove that part for a modified version. In this exercise you go from standing to place your hands on the floor, then shoot both legs out behind you into the push up position, then you can choose to do a pushup (or skip this if you're doing the other workout above) before drawing your feet back in under you and standing back up. Repeat this sequence for 8-12 reps, rest 30-60 seconds then repeat. This should take you through the length of the commercial break (finish it even if not).
3. Jumping Jacks and Mountain Climbers: For a heart-rate builder, simply do 50 jumping jacks, rest 15 seconds as you get in position to complete 30 mountain climbers, then rest 30 seconds and repeat both. Mountain climbers are from the straight arm push up position and you switch legs coming forward almost to the hands in a smooth and consistent pace. They're a little harder than they sound, but well worth the little extra work during the break in the action.
Combine any of these throughout the 3.5 hours that most games last and you should get a little bit of a "pump" or "sweat on."
If you are with friends, get over your pride and invite them in on the action...you might just start a new trend or tradition that will incorporate more fitness and fun in your daily life...and that's what the True Way to Fitness is all about!
Take care and enjoy...go MSU!!!
Sincerely,
Chad R. JohnsonPersonal Trainer (ACE-CPT)
Strength Coach (NSCA-CSCS)
Youth Fitness Specialist (IYCA-YFS)
Martial Arts Instructor (Taekwondo 3rd Degree)
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