Question: There are lots of workouts with pull ups, like the 15-10-5 workout. What can I substitute for pull ups since I can’t do them yet? Maria
Answer: Maria, great question! There are lots of options (I’ll add them to the Q and A). How about an assisted pull up? Can you do an inverted row on a bar? Do you have any DB’s? You could do a bent over row with DB’s or a bar. A TRX? Do low rows. The ‘problem’ with training your back is that it’s more difficult to do bodyweight exercises. A bar, DB’s, TRX or a pull up bar is needed. Unless you can drag your car around the block (walking backwards of course) to hit those back muscles.
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Question: I know that you’re in your late forties and that working out has been a big part of keeping you looking and feeling young. Do you have any special diet recommendations? Bill
Answer: It’s hard to know where to start Bill. I think one key to looking and feeling great is eating with MODERATION. If I want a treat once in a while, I’ll have it, but I won’t eat the kitchen sink. For the most part I’ve cut out a lot of foods that don’t make me feel great. My friend, Mike Geary, has a report about 4 foods that accelerate aging. It’s an interesting read. I agree with and follow a lot of his tips. Take a look and see what you think.
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I thought I’d throw this out there to all of you who tend to be pretty independent (instead of trainer dependent).
If you want the ‘inside scoop’ on a program that I highly recommend to my trainer crowd and I’ve used myself, take a look at what my friend, Rick Kaselj, has to offer. His programs are designed to help prevent and rehab injury. His most popular and successful program is called ‘Muscle Imbalances Revealed’. Muscle Imbalances Revealed goes beyond stretching what is tight, strengthening what is weak or just performing corrective exercises. It assists the fitness professional in understanding the synergies that exist within the body and walks you through the intricacies of muscle imbalances.
It’s designed with the trainer in mind, but at 60% off, many of you will want to take a look. Just thought I’d let you know, the Boxing Day sale is over at midnight tonight.
Check it out HERE.
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From Gerrie: I just wanted to tell you how much I love this one mini workout that included:
3 burpees,3 bodyweight squats,3 assisted pullups for 10 rounds. I can only do 2 or 3 pullups, but I can do 30 assisted pullups this way. That feels great.
From Shawna: I think this is the workout that Gerrie is referring to…This workout HERE. You can choose NOT to do the pull ups on the squats and the burpees. It’s a really great for those that can’t do a ton of pull ups in a row, but after a bit of rest can do more. You get a great sense of accomplishment by doing 30 assisted pull ups by the end of the workout. That’s A LOT of pull ups. (Thanks for your comment Gerrie!)
My mistake, the finisher pull up workout is HERE, (it appears I have several workouts with pull ups in them) 😉 Go figure.
Of course, if you haven’t grabbed my pull up program, it’ll help you get more pull ups in a row guaranteed 😉 Grab it HERE.
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Question: What’s all the hype about ‘metabolic training’? Isn’t that just fancy for HIIT? (high intensity interval training) Bob
Answer: If you read THIS POST from my pal, Ben Teal, you’d learn that metabolic training cranks up the calories you burn from exercise, and increases the calories you burn at rest. At the same time, it’s designed to maximize fat loss while maintaining (and even building) your hard earned muscle. So, yes, in a way, metabolic training is sort of like HIIT, but the key with metabolic training is using exercises that also build muscle tone. For example, if you were to superset squat jumps with pull ups, you’d have more opportunity to build muscle than if you just did HIIT on a treadmill. Get it?
By the way, grab Ben’s program before midnight on Sunday. It’s full of metabolic workouts, called, Metabolic Mayhem (go figure) and it’s only $7.
