The 7-Day Balanced Workout

In the next five years, I believe people will start to embrace smart training – exercising more for longevity and less for the fun of sweating it out. Of course, new fads will come and go, but more people will opt for intelligent, affordable training with reputable coaches. If you’re a fitness professional, be far-sighted and adapt to the situation. If not, you’ll be caught in an ecosystem of stifling competition with those who are better versed in the science of the industry. Change your approach right away to stay ahead of the trend.

Corporate gyms will also have to embrace change (as they’ve already had to in recent years) while boutique gyms will need to constantly upgrade the quality of their employees. This has always been true, but will be even more pronounced in the next five years. If you’re in the fitness industry, the next five years will spell options, perhaps confusion, but also the opportunity to seize a bigger piece of the pie if you play your cards right.

If you’re reading this, you’re someone who understands the value of a healthy lifestyle. If you’re ready to train smart, the best place to start is at the beginning.

The sturdiest of buildings are built on solid foundations. Similarly, your body needs that foundation of strength and mobility to keep you moving – and living – well. So before you jump straight into a fitness programme, I recommend assessing your base fitness level to make sure you’re exercising safely. In my first Power Read ‘A New Take on Fitness’, I’ve outlined how you can go about assessing yourself. Ideally, you’d get yourself assessed by a fitness professional who would then design a balanced workout catered specifically to your body’s unique needs.

Once you’ve assessed yourself and double-checked any concerns with a doctor or physiotherapist, you’re good to go. All you need to do now is to master the basics.

The Benefits of Tempo Training

Tempo training is very useful in establishing how much control you have over your body. Assuming you can squat within reason, can you take 5 seconds to control the movement from a standing position to a squat? If you don’t have this kind of motor control, you’ll find your knees knocking together as you squat down. Tempo training is a measure of this control: whether you can take a few seconds to perform a movement in perfect form without collapsing. When you’ve mastered this, you can add load.

Let’s take the example of a tempo 4011:

• The first number is the lowering “eccentric” component of the lift - so you’d lower for 4 seconds.
• The second number shows any pause at the midpoint while lowering - in this case, 0 means you don’t pause.
• The third number is the lifting “concentric” component - so in our example, you lift for 1 second.
• The fourth number is any pauses at the top of the lift - so you’d pause for 1 second at the top.
• An X denotes a rapid change in movement without pause.

Equipment you’ll need

• Assault Bike
• Dumbbells
• Kettlebell
• GHD Machine

Know Your Basics

These are the exercises that will be covered:

• Bear Crawl

Get down on all fours with your arms straight, hands below your shoulders, and your knees bent 90 degrees below your hips. Only your hands and toes should touch the ground. Keeping your back flat, crawl forward moving opposite hands and feet in unison - right hand and left foot, left hand and right foot.

• Goblet Squat

Grab a dumbbell or kettlebell. Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and toes pointed slightly out. Pin your elbows to your ribs and hold the weight right under your chin. If using a dumbbell, hold it vertically so that your wrist is touching the bar and your hands are cupping the top end of the weight; for a kettlebell, grip it by the horn, right-side-up. Keeping your arms close to your chest and elbows pointing down, bend your hips and knees to lower your body as far as you can. When you're in your deepest squat, pause, then drive through your glutes, legs, and heels to stand back up to the starting position.

• Ring Row

Grip the rings in either of your hands, and step your feet out from you such that you’re hanging from the rings, facing away from the floor. Your elbows are extended, and your body is in a straight line. Now, bend your elbows while keeping your core engaged, lifting yourself up until your chest touches the rings. Keep your body in a straight line as you slowly lower back down, straightening your elbows. Aim to find a foot position that enables you to finish the complete set while maintaining a perfectly straight body position and control.

• Single Leg RDL

Stand balancing on your right leg and hold a dumbbell with your left hand in front of your thigh. Keep your eye gaze ahead of you. Sit your hips back, and allow your right knee to bend slightly. Your left leg should be straight and in line with your body throughout the rep. Keeping your back flat, continue to bend at the waist until the dumbbell is at about mid-shin height. Drive through your heel and push your hips forward to stand up to the starting position.

• Pushup

Lie down with your face towards the floor and eye gaze at a point slightly ahead of you. Position your hands shoulder-width apart, or a little bit wider. As you bend your elbows and lower toward the ground, your elbows should be at about a 45-degree angle to your body. If this doesn’t feel too comfortable, adjust your arms a little either towards or away from your body, but always close to a 45-degree angle. Spread your fingers apart. Keep your core engaged and your back flat such that your body forms a straight line from your head to your heels. Keep your core engaged the whole time.

• Reverse Bear Crawl

This is simply a Bear Crawl, except you would move backwards instead of forwards.

• Farmer Walk

Simply hold a dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand, going as heavy as you can manage for a given duration. Grip tightly. Square your shoulders, and don’t crane your neck. Always make sure your ears are in line with your shoulders. Keep your core engaged, your back straight, and don’t flare your ribs. Once you’ve got your form right, simply walk, carrying the load.

• Ring Front Leaning Rest

This is an isometric hold. With your palms facing down, grip the rings and keep your body in a straight line, facing the floor, almost like an elevated pushup. Keep your core engaged, elbows straight, and hold this position.

• Kettlebell RDL

Begin in a standing position with a kettlebell held with both hands. Keep your back straight and allow your arms to hang perpendicular to the floor, with the elbows pointed to your sides. Start by flexing your hips, slowly pushing your butt as far back as you can. Think about your hips moving horizontally rather than towards the ground. Your knees should only partially bend, and your weight should remain on your heels. Drive your butt back as far as you can. When your hips cannot perform any further backward movement, pause, and then slowly return to the starting position.

• Dumbbell Overhead Press

Hold the dumbbells by your shoulders with your palms facing forwards and your elbows out to the sides and bent at a 90-degree angle. Keep your feet hip-width distance apart, with a soft bend in the knees, and brace your core. Without leaning back, extend through your elbows to press the weights above your head. Then slowly return to the starting position.

• Prone Dumbbell Hold

Lie facedown on a bench, with your chest and torso resting against the surface. Your legs may extend beyond the bench behind you, and keep them in a straight line. Keep your chin slightly lifted. In either hand, grip dumbbells, and hold them close to your chest. Keep your elbows pinned to your ribs, and they should be pointing towards your legs, not splayed out to the side. Hold this position.

• Sorenson Hold

To do a Sorenson Hold, lie face down on a bench and lock your ankles between the support bars. Your legs should be supported by the bench with your upper body extended over the edge. Hold your upper body parallel to the floor, with your arms folded against your chest for as long as you can. Write down this number, and note down how far away you are from the 2 minute minimum.

• Goblet Split Squat

Use a dumbbell or kettlebell. Pin your elbows to your ribs and hold the weight right under your chin. If using a dumbbell, hold it vertically so that your wrist is touching the bar and your hands are cupping the top end of the weight; for a kettlebell, grip it by the horn, right-side-up. Keeping your arms close to your chest and elbows pointing down, take a long step forwards as if performing a lunge. The heel of your back foot should be raised. Keeping your torso straight, lower slowly until your back knee almost touches the floor, then push back up. Switch between legs.

• Rotating Side Planks

Lie on your left side with your knees straight. Prop your upper body up on your left elbow and forearm. Brace your abs as if you were about to be punched in the gut. Raise your hips until your body forms a straight line from your ankles to your shoulders. Now raise your right arm straight above you so that it’s perpendicular to the floor. Reach under and behind your torso with your right hand, and then lift your arm back up to the starting position. Switch between sides.

Here’s a quick taster of what a week’s worth of balanced exercise would look like for a beginner. If you haven’t worked out in the past year and are looking to jump back in, this is a good way to get started.

Monday:

• Warm up with 1 minute on an Assault Bike, followed by a 25 reps on each side Bear Crawl, all while keeping your hips low. Finish your warm up with 10 Walking Lunges, and 20 seconds of Side Planks on each side. Repeat for a total of 3 sets.
• Then, perform the Goblet Squat at tempo 4011. Do 3 sets of 10 moderate reps, resting for a minute between each rep.
• Next, perform the Ring Row at tempo 3011. Do 3 sets of 10 controlled reps, resting for a minute between each rep.
• After that, Single Leg RDLs at tempo 3010. Do 3 sets of 10 reps, alternating between legs. Rest 30 seconds between each leg, and a minute between each movement.
• Pushups come next, at tempo 3010. Do 3 sets of as many reps as you can with perfect form. Rest for a minute between each movement.
• End your workout with Side Planks. Hold the plank for 45 seconds on each side. Do 3 sets, resting for 30 seconds between sides.

Tuesday:

• Warm up with a 1 minute Row, followed by a 50 seconds Reverse Bear Crawl. Then, do a 50 seconds Farmer Walk and a 30 second Ring Front Leaning Rest. Repeat for a total of 3 sets.
• Then, perform the Kettlebell Romanian Deadlift at tempo 4011. Do 3 sets of 10 moderate reps, resting for a minute between each rep.
• Next, perform the seated Dumbbell Overhead Press at tempo 3111. Do 3 sets of 10 moderate reps, resting for a minute between each rep.
• After that, Goblet Split Squats at tempo 3010. Do 3 sets of 10 moderate reps per leg. Rest for 30 seconds between each leg, and a minute between each movement.
• Prone Dumbbell Rows come next, at tempo 3112. Do 3 sets of 8 moderate reps. Rest for a minute between each set.
• End your workout with Sorenson Holds on a GHD machine. Hold 45- 60 seconds. Do 3 sets, resting for a minute between sets.

Wednesday:

This is your active rest day. Take a 30-40 minute walk, or enjoy a hike in the sun.

Thursday:

• Warm up with 1 minute on an Assault Bike, followed by 10 alternating Step Ups at 10 reps per side, and end with 5 sets of slow Side Plank Rotations per side. Repeat for a total of 3 sets.
• Then, perform the Goblet Squat at tempo 4011. Do 3 sets of 10 moderate reps, resting for a minute between each rep. Increase the load slightly from Monday’s load.
• Next, perform the Ring Row at tempo 3011. Do 3 sets of 10 controlled reps, resting for a minute between each rep. Increase the load slightly from Monday’s load.
• After that, Single Leg RDLs at tempo 3010. Do 3 sets of 10 reps, alternating between legs. Rest 30 seconds between each leg, and a minute between each movement. See if you’ve improved on your balance and control since Monday.
• Pushups come next, at tempo 3010. Do 3 sets of as many reps as you can with perfect form. Rest for a minute between each movement. Increase the number of reps or just the quality of your pushups as compared to Monday.
• End your workout with Side Planks. Hold the plank for 45 seconds on each side. Do 3 sets, resting for 30 seconds between sides. Aim to hold your plank for an extra 15 seconds on each side if possible.

Friday:

• Warm up with 30 Single Unders, followed by 10 slow/controlled Air Squats. Then, do Glute Bridges, holding for 30 seconds per leg. Repeat for a total of 3 sets.
• Then, perform the Kettlebell Romanian Deadlift at tempo 4011. Do 3 sets of 10 moderate reps, resting for a minute between each rep. Slightly increase your load from Tuesday.
• Next, perform the seated Dumbbell Overhead Press at tempo 3111. Do 3 sets of 10 moderate reps, resting for a minute between each rep. Again, try to increase your load in comparison to Tuesday.
• After that, Goblet Split Squats at tempo 3010. Do 3 sets of 10 moderate reps per leg. Rest for 30 seconds between each leg, and a minute between each movement. Increase your load from Tuesday.
• Prone Dumbbell Rows come next, at tempo 3112. Do 3 sets of 8 moderate reps. Rest for a minute between each set. Increase your load from Tuesday.
• End your workout with Sorenson Holds on a GHD machine. Hold 45- 60 seconds. Do 3 sets, resting for a minute between sets. Aim to hold for a few seconds longer than you did on Tuesday.

Saturday:

This is your active rest day. Take a 30-40 minute walk, or enjoy a hike in the sun.

Sunday:

This is your active rest day. Take a 30-40 minute walk, or enjoy a hike in the sun.

Active rest days are important to make sure fitness is sustainable and you don’t suffer from burnout. The human body can only take so much. We tax our bodies a great deal on a day-to-day basis. Most of us have jobs, families, businesses to run, we often travel, and don’t get enough sleep. If you were to do high-intensity workouts everyday, the heightened cortisol that results would end up doing you more harm than good.

In order to train hard, you need to rest well. For example, deadlifts and back squats aren’t just taxing on your muscles. Such exercises demand a lot from your central nervous system (CNS) as well! If you find yourself feeling battered, fatigued throughout the day, or your appetite drops and you have interrupted sleep, these are signs that you’ve overloaded your CNS by overtraining.

To make fitness a part of your lifestyle, it needs to be done sustainably. As you train consistently and complement your training with ample rest, you’ll be able to take on more CNS stress and thereby get even stronger.

Ideally, you should consult a fitness professional who can tailor-make such a fitness plan for you based on your specific needs. When you follow a clear plan, you’ll find yourself getting progressively stronger and able to do “more” than ever before.

1. Read Up on Smart Training

Before you sign up for a generic gym membership, think about what you want to achieve from your training. Especially if you have a history of injuries, read up on smart training and how it can help you exercise safely. Find a coach who can guide you through it all.

2. Schedule It In

If you’ve been inactive for a while, don’t wait for motivation to strike. Schedule it in your calendar instead! Take the plan outlined in Chapter 2 and schedule in chunks of your day that are dedicated to helping you get fitter.

3. Enjoy Your Active Rest

Resting doesn’t have to mean “Netflix-and-chill”ing your weekend away. Take time to be outdoors and explore nature. Go for a long walk or a short hike, or even a relaxing swim. Find ways to make exercise feel less like work and more like leisure.