Plan Your Fitness Lifestyle

Workout Warm Up

It is essential to warm up before beginning any exercise session. Use this warm up before doing any of the workouts below.

• Start with 10 minutes of vigorous walking. While you’re walking you should have some difficulty speaking and walking at the same time.
• Then perform 5 sets X 1 minute of burpees at a comfortable pace followed by 30 seconds of rest.
• Next, do 5 sets X 1 minute of jumping jacks at a comfortable pace followed by 30 seconds of rest.

Body Weight Workout

Squats

3 sets x 15 – 30 reps.

Once you can perform 30 reps in each set for a few workouts, slow the movement down as follows: Down/ 4 count, Pause/ 2 count and explode back up. To increase the intensity, perform as described but jump up instead of standing up.

Push Up

3 sets x 15 – 30 reps

Once you can perform 30 reps in each set for a few workouts, slow the movement down as follows: Down/ 3 count, Pause/ 2 count, and explode back up. To increase the intensity perform as described but push your body explosively so that your hands leave the ground. If you have difficulty performing standard push ups at first, start on your knees and progress to your toes.

Single Leg Romanian Deadlift

3 sets x 15 – 30 reps

Once you can perform 30 reps with each set on each leg, slow down the movement as follows: Down/ 4 count, Pause/ 2 count, and explode back up.
If you have difficulty balancing while throwing your back leg up try setting up with the leg not being used split backwards, and your toes lightly touching the ground to provide a counter balance.

Decline Pushup

3 sets 15 – 30 reps

Once you can perform 30 reps with each set, slow down the movement as follows: Down/ 3 count, Pause/ 2 count, and explode back up. You can use a chair, a couch, a bed, or even the wall to brace your feet during this movement
To increase the intensity, pause for longer at the bottom in increments of 1 second.

Mountain Climbers

Do 5 reps with both legs to 5 jumping jacks. Once the workout has been completed, for an extra calorie burn add this conditioning routine to the end of your workout. Do this for 1 minute followed by 30 seconds of rest. Complete 5 – 10 sets.

Take a 5 minute walk at a comfortable pace to cool down.

At Home Dumbbell Only Workout

These exercises are designed to be done one right after the other until all exercises are completed followed by a rest period of 60 – 120 seconds (1 – 2 min) depending on level of conditioning. This is called a complex and they are used to build muscle, increase cardiovascular conditioning, and amp up your metabolism to burn as many calories as possible.

If you cannot complete the entire complex without needing rest, that’s ok. Simply take 5 to 10 seconds to get rid of the burn and catch your breath and continue. Do this until the entire complex is finished and take the prescribed amount of rest. If needed, take more rest before starting your next set of exercises. The idea is to work up to being able to complete the workout as written.

Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift x 10 reps

Dumbbell High Pull x 10 reps

It is important that this movement be performed explosively. From the start position pull the dumbbells up as fast as you can and drive your elbows up as high as they can go.

Complete 3 rounds progressing to 5 as your conditioning improves. For an extra calorie burn walk at a vigorous pace for 10 minutes after your workout has been completed.

Access To a Gym/Gym Equipment Workout

Some of you guys may be planning to get or already have a gym membership. If that is the case here is a workout to maximize your time in the gym to get the most of what Optimum Men’s Health has to provide. Walking into a gym for the first time (or the first time in a long time) can be intimidating with so many options available. We aim to point you in the right direction to ensure you get it right.

This workout is based on a push/pull scheme which groups pushing muscles and pulling muscles together in the same workout. The total volume of work or each workout is relatively small to account for the high frequency. This workout can be done as many as 6 times a week but works just fine with 4 days. There will be 3 workouts for each push and pull session to allow for variety whether you go 6 days a week or 4 days a week.

The first 2 sets of each exercise is considered a preparation set gearing your body and neuromuscular system to get ready for the final working set. They are performed at 60 – 70 % of your max capacity. Perform 6 to 8 reps. It should be moderately straining but not very difficult.

The last set is your work set where you give everything you got left in the tank.
This workout can also be performed on every other day schedule where you may start the week on Monday, rest on Tuesday, workout on Wednesday, etc. Simply alternate workouts based on what you did the last time you were in the gym. For an extra calorie burn try adding 10-20 minutes of cardio after each workout. This can be as simple as 20 minutes of walking or can be divided into segments where you perform some high intensity interval cardio (like sprints or any of the dumbbell complexes listed above) followed by low intensity cardio like walking.

Push Workout #1

Seated Shoulder Press

2 sets @ 60-70% x 6-8 reps.
1 set @ 70% x 8-12 reps.
After your last rep, rest 20 Seconds and crank out as many reps as you have left.

Back Squat

2 sets @ 60-70% x 8-10 reps.
1 set @ 70% x 12-15 reps.

After your last rep keep the bar on your back. Keep your abs and glutes tight to stabilize the bar and breathe in that position for 15-30 seconds then crank out as many reps as you have left. This routine should make you feel like your lungs and your whole body is on fire.

Pull Workout #1

Bent Over Row

2 sets @ 60-70% 8-10 reps.
1 set @ 70% x 12-15 reps.

On the last rep, rack/drop then rest 20-30 seconds. Then crank out as many reps as you have left.

High Pull

2 sets @ 60-70% x 6-8 reps.
1 set @ 70% x 12 – 15 reps.

On your last rep hold the bar, not letting it rest on the ground, and rest 20-30 seconds. Then crank out as many reps as you have left. When performing this movement, do it explosively and let the weight drop back into position to take advantage of the highly sensitive stretch receptors in the trapezius muscles for maximum muscle stimulation of that muscle group.
This movement can be started from the standing position with the bar resting against your legs or started from the ground as seen in the picture below.

Seated Incline Dumbbell Curls

1 set @ 60-70% 6-8 reps
1 set @ 70% 10 -12 reps.

On the last rep, decrease the weight and crank out as many reps as you have left.

Push Workout #2

Floor Press

2 sets @ 60-70% 6-8 reps.
1 Set @ 80% 3-6 reps.

These are done like a standard bench press except you will be lying flat on the floor which limits your range of motion and forces the tension to remain on the pecs throughout the rep.

Push Press

2 sets @ 60-70% 6-8 reps.
1 set @ 80% 3-6 reps.

Perform this like a standard military press, but instead start the movement with a slight push from your toes and the use of slight body english to initiate the bar upward ultimately driving the bar to overhead position using your shoulders.

Pull Workout #2

Pull Up

2 sets @ body weight x 4-6 reps.
1 Set @ body weight x failure.

On the last rep rest 20-30 seconds then crank out as many reps as you have left. Then hang from the bar as long as you can. This will help build grip strength
*With pullups there is no need to add weight. As you get stronger and shed body fat your rep ranges will increase naturally. Simply continue to increase reps for your work set to match your capacity.

Romanian Deadlift

2 sets @ 60-70% x 6-8 reps.
1 set @ 70% x 10-12 reps.

On the last rep hold the bottom position for a 2-4 count and feel the stretch in your hamstrings. Crank out as many reps as you have left.

Push Workout #3

Incline Bench Press

2 sets @ 60-70% x 6-8 reps.
1 Set @ 70% x 8-12 reps.

Finisher 1 Set Incline Flyes @ 60-70% as many reps possible.

The final set after each exercise is designed to “pump” the muscle with blood to stimulate growth. You should not be able to get more than about 20-30 reps on these finishers. If you can, either increase the weight being used for the finisher or increase the intensity of your final work set to pre fatigue the muscle.

Pull Workout #3

Single Leg Romanian Deadlift

2 sets @ 60-70% x 6-8 reps.
1 sets @ 70% x 12-15 reps.

Finisher 1 set hamstring curls @ 60-70% x as many reps possible

Barbell Curls

1 set @ 60-70% x 6-8 reps.
1 set @ 70% x 12-15 reps.

Finisher 1 set concentration curls @ 60% x as many reps possible.

The final set after each exercise is designed to “pump” the muscle with blood to stimulate growth. You should not be able to get more than about 20-30 reps on these finishers. If you can, either increase the weight being used for the finisher or increase the intensity of your final work set to pre fatigue the muscle.

If you are going to be training in any capacity using any of the workouts listed here you have to feed your body to meet your goals. That means matching macros and total calorie consumption with your current goal in the gym. A diet plan should always be tailored to the specific person but there are some generalized rules that can help everybody tailor their own diets for lifelong success.

Rule #1

Eat enough protein. Protein is essential for not just growing muscle, but for keeping all that hard earned tissue when dieting down. Your protein intake needs will hover somewhere between 0.8 – 1 gm of protein per pound of body weight. Don’t get too bogged down thinking about lean body mass vs total body mass. If you are significantly overweight with anything over 30% body fat you can play with this number a little bit, but sticking to the general rule will almost certainly have you on the right side of things. Have a significant amount of protein with each meal. Protein is very satiating, which means it combats hunger very well, and it has a high thermic effect meaning it takes a lot of calories to process.
If you are dieting down for a short cut or long term weight loss consider increasing protein to 1.15 – 1.25 gms.

Rule #2

Keep track of your macros (protein, carbs, fat) as well as your total calories consumed in a day. It is very difficult to track progress without knowing these numbers. Fats should be calculated at 0.3 gms per pound of bodyweight and carbohydrates fill in the rest of your calories after protein and fat have been determined. Early in a fat loss plan you can be more flexible since your body will adapt very quickly at first, but as you lose more weight it becomes increasingly difficult to keep losing weight. This is when calorie and macro tracking come into play. Download a free calorie tracker to make your life easier with this.
A good place to start is to take your bodyweight and multiply it by 13. This gives you an estimated number of calories you will burn just by being awake. Take 250-500 calories away from that number and combine it with exercise to achieve a 1000 calorie deficit daily. This should net you about 1-2 pound weight loss per week. If you find the weight is not coming off anymore, slash another 250 calories. A calorie deficit should not be maintained for much longer than about 10-12 weeks. After this period bring your calories back up to maintenance for your new body weight (multiplied by 13) and stay there for about 2-4 weeks depending on the level of diet fatigue you are experiencing. After that, get back to it. Repeat this process until you have achieved your goal weight/physique.
If your goal is to gain weight in the form of muscle, add 250-300 calories to your maintenance number. Any more than that may result in weight gain that brings you more fat than muscle. Typically, you should only be gaining weight at about 0.25 – 0.5 pounds per week.

Rule #3

BE PATIENT……I can’t emphasize this point enough. I tell everyone who will listen that you should plan for a year as your time frame for a body recomposition. It has taken years to add all that fat tissue, expecting it to come off in a few months is unrealistic and can discourage you. The same goes for muscle gain, which is an even slower process the more advanced your training becomes.

Rule #4

Your weight loss/gain is significantly more influenced by diet than by any amount of training you can do. You can’t out train a poor diet. No matter what you are doing in the gym, your success will live or die in the kitchen. Make sure you eat to match your goals. That means healthy fats, an appropriate amount of carbs and lean proteins.

Rule #5

Nutrient timing is the idea that introducing specific nutrients at specific times maximize their benefit. For instance, fats slow down the digestion of carbohydrates making them easier to convert into a fat cell. A good rule to combat this is to avoid combining large amounts of carbs with your dietary fat intake. Also, when consumed just before, during, or just after a workout, carbohydrates are much less likely to be stored and instead are preferentially used to support exercise and exercise recovery. With these two principles in mind it is a good practice to consume your dietary fat with meals that do not line up with a workout and to save the majority of your carbohydrate consumption right before, during , and right after a workout. Also, consuming a light carbohydrate/slow digesting protein snack like cottage cheese and pineapple or casein protein shake right before bed will help you sleep better and feed your muscles while you rest facilitating fat loss and workout recovery

Calorie Tracking Plan

So now that we have covered some ground rules, let’s look at what a sample calorie tracking plan should look like. A 250 pound male with an approximate body fat percentage of 35% should run numbers that look similar to this:

250 x 13 = 3250 calories.
This represents the estimated amount of calories you will burn in a day simply by being alive. Eating at this level will net you no weight loss and no weight gain.

Next we have to figure out protein needs.
250 x 1 = 250 gms of protein.
At 4 calories per gram of protein that equals 1000 calories. (250×4)
So now I have 2250 calories left on my diet to be divided between fats and carbs.

Next we figure out fats.
0.3 x 250 = 75 gms of fat
At 9 calories per gram that equals 675 calories. (75×9)
So now I have 1575 calories left to be given to carbs. At 4 calories per gram of carbohydrates that equals 393 gms of carbs (1575 divided by 4)

Daily Intake looks like this below.
250 gms of protein
75 gms of fat
393 gms of carbs

When taking calories down for weight loss, always take from carbohydrates first. Once you hit 200 carbs a day you can consider taking from fats but avoid protein reduction during a diet. Once you have completed a full12 week diet, simply use your new body weight set point and recalculate for your next diet block.
Simply repeat this process until you have gotten where you want to be.

Optimum Is always here to help, and can offer tailored dietary advice. Simply talk to your provider for more assistance.