This program is designed to get you up and moving and is based on recommendations by the National Academy of Sports Medicine(that’s who my CPT certification is with). The NASM takes a scientific approach to training and I really like their recommendations for beginners.
This guide is specifically designed for those individuals who have been completely sedentary or performed less than one hour total exercise per week.
I’ve focused this guide heavily on two aspects: Core stability and building work capacity.
What is Core Stability?
Core stability means that all of the muscles in your core(think abs) are able to keep your trunk stable during movements. This ensure that your spine stays in a neutral and protected position as you exercise. A lack of core stability is one of the chief reasons that 80% of Americans experience lower back pain.
All power originates from the core. Thus people who neglect core training will not be able to reach their max strength and power potential. Building a strong core is the most important thing for a beginner to accomplish and dramatically reduces your risk of injury and also increases your strength and performance as you progress.
Work Capacity Explained
Work capacity is simply how much work you can do before your muscles run out of energy and you reach exhaustion. Initially your work capacity will be very low. You may run out of energy in 4 to 5 minutes. In order to burn maximal calories and induce muscle growth we must build up your work capacity so that you can workout for longer periods of time.
By following a structured program you can build work capacity safely without overtraining or “burnout.” Trying to do too much too fast is one of the chief reasons that people don’t stay with exercise plans. If you overtax your body at the beginning you will experience loss of motivation, loss of energy, and a compromised immune system that may lead to sickness. Therefore it is vital that you stick to the plan and build up your work capacity gradually.
How these workouts are structured
There are four different workouts in this plan. A, B, C, and D.
- Workout A – Is designed to build your core stability and is the most important workout in this program.
- Workout B – Is designed to build muscular hypertrophy(grow your muscles) and is performed in a circuit fashion to promote calorie burning and improve your cardio and work capacity.
- Workout C – Is a cardiovascular circuit that is designed to burn calories and build both anaerobic(strength) and aerobic(cardio) work capacity
- Workout D – Is a light, low-impact workout designed to improve recovery by promoting bloodflow through your body without overly taxing your system.
Workouts
Workout A- This workout is designed to create core stability.
- Plank – 30s: Squeeze core the entire exercise, ensure that hips are aligned with body.
- Quadruped Opposite Arm/Leg Raise – 45s: Hold each raise for 5s, then switch to opposite site. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtVQ8MQts9E
- Glute/Ham Bridge – 30s: Squeeze and perform static hold, ensuring that hips are in line with your body and core, butt, and hamstrings are squeezed tight. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSco-4N0irQ
- Side Plank – 15s each side: Again ensure hips are in line with your body and squeeze core the entire time.
- Floor Cobra – 30s: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOen-Y4nHDg
- Perform for 3 sets. When you are able to perform 3 sets without any rest in between add +15 seconds to each exercise.
You can see a second marker next to each exercise. Your goal is to work up to doing all of these exercises for the full time(30s, 45s, etc.) and then moving on to the next exercise with no rest.
Starting off I would recommend taking half of the time in each exercise to rest. So for example with the plank you would plank for 15 seconds and then rest for 15 seconds and move on to Quadruped Opposite Arm/Leg Raises. Then for the Arm/Leg raises you would perform them for 20 seconds then rest for 25 seconds before moving on to Glute/Ham Bridge and continue in this fashion.
You will move from exercise to exercise. When you finish the floor cobra begin planks immediately. When you are able to complete three sets with no rest then add 15 seconds to each exercise and continue to progress in this manner.
Workout B – This workout is designed to build total body stability and endurance.
- Pushups – 30s: Ensure that your hips are in line with your body. Looking up helps keep spine neutral. Start with kneeling pushups for beginners.
- Crunches – 30s: The goal is to keep your core tight through the entire exercise
- Bodyweight Squat – 45s: Go as low as you can without pain. Focus on keeping core stable and pushing through your heels. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AeGXjAW02A
- Milk Jug Rows – 30s each arm: You can use a chair, your bed, your desk in lieu of a weight bench. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYcpY20QaE8
- Lunges – 45s: Focus on keeping core tight as you perform the lunge, if you experience any pain perform a box step-up instead(you can use steps, a chair, some textbooks) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_RYVmpWDq4
- Perform 3 sets. When you are able to perform 3 sets with no rest then add 15 seconds to each exercise.
Again perform the exercise for the allotted time and then move on to the next exercise.
Initially you will likely need to rest for half or more of the allotted time. For example you may only be able to perform pushups for 10 seconds. That’s fine, just rest for 20 seconds and then move on to crunches. As your work capacity increases you will be able to perform the exercises for the entire allotted time.
Ideally you’d want to use dumbbells or kettlebells for the rows, but you can fill a milk-jug with water/sand/coins to create home-made dumbbells.
Move from one exercise immediately into the next one. When you can perform three sets without any rest then add 15 seconds to each exercise.
Workout C – This is a full-body cardiovascular circuit. It is designed to burn calories and improve your cardiovascular function.
- Milk-Jug Squat Press Tabata – 8 rounds: This is a great total-body exercise and will challenge your cardiovascular system in addition to improving your muscular strength and endurance. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5ugX5Hnhns
A kettlebell would be ideal to use but a milk-jug filled with water/sand/coins will work. A tabata is 20 seconds of work with 10 seconds of rest. So for this exercise “1 round” equals 20 seconds of squat presses with 10 seconds of rest. Eight rounds would equal 4 minutes of work.
When you first begin do the squat presses at an easy pace. You should be slightly winded at the end of each 20 seconds but not completely gassed and you may find that you need to stop after 2 or 3 minutes. As your work capacity builds you want to increase the intensity and tempo of your squat thrusts. Your end goal is to go as hard as you can each 20 seconds for a full four minutes.
As you progress you can increase the effectiveness of this exercise by performing the reps with higher intensity and adding more rounds to the tabata. Progress at your own discretion.
Workout D – This is a low-impact workout designed to help aid your body’s recovery by improving bloodflow through your system.
- Walk for 15-30 minutes at a pace that is slightly challenging but light enough so that you can still maintain a conversation with someone.
Walking on your off-days will help improve your recovery, increase your metabolism, and improve your overall mood and energy levels. It will also help you build a habit and routine of workouts.
If you have any questions about this plan please ask in this thread: http://www.thehealthygamer.com/forums/topic/8-week-beginner-at-home-workout-guide-is-live/