Summer is right around the corner. It'll be time to shed your clothes, put on your swim trunks, and hit the beach. Ahhh, such a liberating experience; unless of course you've sat around and accumulated a hefty amount of junk in your trunk. If so, you may find yourself looking at your reflection hoping it's actually a circus mirror.
Never fear, you've still got a few weeks until the Fourth of July and plenty of time to repair the damage. But you've gotta do it now. No more procrastinating. Here's your ultimate summer workout plan, and it all starts with the commitment to yourself.
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Commit
OK, so you've made up your mind to get in shape. What next? You must have a plan. "Fail to plan and you will plan to fail," as the saying goes. Keep a basic monthly calendar on your fridge. That way, every morning when you get up and walk into the kitchen, you'll see what your daily fitness appointment is that day. Treat this as an important—a cannot-be-missed meeting. It's that important; and yes, you are worth it.
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I'm committed so what's the plan? I've been doing this fitness stuff for many years. It's my passion and my life, but I've had speed bumps too. Throughout most of these years I've had a basic weekly plan that I've followed. It's the same one we teach daily at my boot camp company, Gut Check Fitness. You don't need a gym or any fancy equipment. All you need is your imagination, a little fire in your stomach and a few pounds of determination.
If you're truly serious about getting fit and shredding some weight, I recommend you try working out at least 5 days a week. Consistency is the name of the game. Get yourself some cool, comfortable workout gear and a good pair of running shoes. The last thing you'll need is a pair of dumbbells (or a 2-liter bottle, a heavy book, brick or jar lying around your house if you don't have the equipment). Most guys use 15 to 25-pounds and the gals use 8 to 12 pounds.
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Next is the workout plan. I'll break down a week for you to give you an idea of how it works. The goal is for you to take this format, get creative, and build your own plan. Or find a great strength training workout program on Active Trainer for beginners, intermediates or advanced fitness levels.
Monday
Start out with five to 10 minutes of walking or jogging to get warmed up. It's time for some bodyweight calisthenics. There are a few ranges you can work with. Beginners may want to start with less and the more advanced fitness folks can use the upper range. We're going to do two sets of 10 (beginners) to 50 (advanced) of each exercise. Go through the list and do each exercise one time with 10 jumping jacks in between. Then do the circuit again.- Pull-ups (regular or modified)
- Burpees
- Sit-ups or crunches
- Starbursts
- Push-ups
- Speed skaters
- Dips
- Alternating lunges
- Leg lifts
Repeat and remember to do the 10 jumping jacks between each exercise. Finish it off with five to 10 minutes jogging or walking and 10 to 15 minutes of stretching.
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Tuesday
It's time for hill or stair repeats. Always remember to start with a five to 10 minute warm-up and finish with a five to 10 minute cool down and 10 to 15 minutes of stretching. Find a hill or set of stairs—the steeper the better. I always say, "Gravity and fat are bitter enemies and one's gotta give!" We're hoping it's the fat. You can do 20 to 30 minutes of straight repeats up and down or change it up. I like to do forward up, then backward. Do side shuffles. Add a burpee every 10 feet. Change it up and have fun.
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