Express training for business professionals

June 21, 2013

By Trudie German

Trudie is a certified personal trainer and the owner of Body Envy, a company that offers boot-camp classes and mobile and local personal training services around the Greater Toronto Area.

Trudie’s certifications include CANFITPRO, Reebok Spinning, TWIST BOSU and Resistance, as well as the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

Above and beyond her work with clients, Trudie placed second in her very first Figure Competition through the Ontario Physique Association in May 2011. FAJOs readers are invited to visit her website at www.bodyenvy.ca.


Does the following sound vaguely or acutely familiar? In the morning, you hit the alarm or are woken by your kids. Eyes wide shut, you jump out of bed and begin the day nearly instantly by checking your smartphone messages.

While getting dressed, you are returning messages. No time for breakfast — but, of course, you find time for the coffee. There are clients to meet, opportunities to advance on, negotiations to make and deals to close. Meetings, phone calls, messages and e-mails, all of which you urgently need to address, along with plans for lunches and presentations.

In a blink of an eye, bedtime has rolled around and, of course, you haven’t exercised yet. The brain tries to protest that you should — but the excuses start popping up just as quickly: “it’s too late, I’m tired, I don’t have an hour for this.”

Well, voilà! Here comes your “fairy personal trainer” with a few exercises to keep you fit, irrespective of a busy schedule. All you need is approximately 20-30 minutes two to three times per week.

Opt to complete them either at the beginning of the day (to provide the energy needed to start it), midday between meetings (to revitalize yourself) or at the end of the day (to give you a healthy “wrap-up”).

The following exercises can be performed at a gym, at home and/or at a hotel if you are travelling. They are called “compound exercises,” because they recruit multiple muscle groups as opposed to isolated exercises that target only one muscle at a time. The result is a shorter, more potent and invigorating muscle-toning and fat-burning workout.

The following exercises should be completed on inconsecutive days.

Complete each exercise in group 1 with 15-20 repetitions (reps), rest for 30-45 seconds, then complete Group 2 with the same amount of reps and resting time. After this, focus on Group 3. Rest for 60 seconds and repeat each group twice.

Let the workout begin!

Group 1

Exercise A: Squat

  • Stand hip-width apart, toes pointing forward, abs contracted (think of someone about to punch you in the stomach, and you bracing your stomach in preparation for the hit)
  • Bend at the knees and lower, as if you were going to sit in a chair, with your thighs parallel to the floor
  • Straighten your legs to return to the start position

Squat.

Exercise B: Push-Ups

  • Lie face down on the floor
  • With hands wider than shoulder-width apart and toes supporting your body weight, brace your abs, squeeze your core and ensure a flat back (your body should form a straight line)
  • Lower your entire body as close to the floor as possible by bending your elbows
  • Pause at the bottom for a second, then push yourself back to the starting position as quickly as possible

Push-Ups.

Exercise C: Mimic Run

  • Pretend to run on the spot as fast as possible

Mimic run.

Group 2

Exercise A: Static Lunges

  • Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, abs braced and shoulders back
  • Take a step backward, landing on the balls of your feet with your heels raised, your front knee slightly bent and in line with your front ankle
  • Slowly lower your body as far as you can (maintain an upright torso and the front knee in line with the ankle at all times), pause at the bottom for a second, then push yourself up as quickly as you can

Static lunges.

Exercise B: Tricep Push-ups

  • Lie face down on the floor with your hands as close to your body as possible
  • With your toes supporting your body weight, brace your abs, squeeze your core and ensure a flat back (your body should form a straight line)
  • Lower your entire body as close to the floor as possible by bending your elbows, ensuring that they don’t flare out to the side
  • Pause at the bottom for a second, then push yourself back to the starting position as quickly as possible

Tricep Push-ups.

Exercise C: Mimic Skipping on the Spot

  • Pretend to skip rope as fast as possible with your hands by your side, while lifting each foot about one inch off the floor
  • Mimic skipping on the spot with your arms as close to your body as possible

Group 3

Exercise A: Mountain Climber

  • Begin in a push-up position with your hands under your shoulders, your core tight and your body in line
  • Bring one knee toward your chest and hold for two seconds before returning to start
  • Repeat using your other knee

Mountain Climber.

Exercise B: Mountain Climber Crossover

  • Begin in a push-up position with your hands under your shoulders, your core tight and your body in line
  • Bring one knee up and cross it over to your opposite elbow, hold for two seconds and return to start
  • Repeat using the other knee

Exercise C: High Knees

  • Run in one place, but try to lift your knees toward your chest as high as comfortably possible

There you have it, your “no-equipment, no-excuses express workout routine.”

Remember, studies have shown that as little as 20 minutes of working out, two to three times a week, will make you sleep better, feel happier, be more productive, keep your body younger, increase your energy level and, of course, fit your clothes better.

With this workout routine, you’ll get the true Body Envy sooner than you think!


Contributors

2 Comments »

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