Get a workout without going to the gym

I like bodyweight workouts because they are convenient, quick, and they don't have the risk of creating strength imbalances like traditional work out routines. For example, a reoccurring hamstring injury is likely the result of a strength imbalance between the quadricep and the hamstring. The quad will continue to injure the hamstring because the hamstring cannot handle the force exerted by the quadricep. Bodyweight workouts avoid this because they focus on compound exercises, where multiple muscle groups are worked in natural motions.

Quality Running routines

Running is one of the most effective ways bar none to get a lot of exercise in a very short period of time. There is no activity that is easier to find a suitable place to participate in. You can run in a park, on a street, or on a treadmill. If you live in a big city you can take up tower running. The only limits for places to run are the ones you set yourself. Today I’d like to list my favorite running workouts that either help improve your body overall or are specially targeted for one aspect of fitness.

Note: before you begin any running regimen make sure you wear appropriate footwear. Done safely, running is a fun, healthy way to get in shape and will make your legs stronger and healthier. However, running with old, damaged, or improper footwear will greatly increase your chances of injury. I recommend the Brooks GTS Andrenaline or the Mizuno Wave Inspire but the best shoe is the one that fits.

· The moderate distance run- This is by far my favorite run nowadays. This is also what most people think of when they hear running. The idea here to jog at whatever pace makes you breath harder than normal but not make your muscles burn. Do this for one to five miles (it’s quite ok if you start jogging half miles or less) and repeat as able and desired, typically two or three times a week.

· The long distance run- Distance running—running five miles or more at a time—is bar none, the fastest way to get in shape and lose weight. Distance running is considered an aerobic activity, or one that involves the body processing oxygen for energy. Aerobic activity raises a person’s heart rate to the fat burning level. The only downside to distance running is it can get boring, however I find bringing an iPod with me helps during the slow times of a run, but that’s usually avoidable if you vary where you run.

· If distancing running is a caramel macchiato with cream and sugar, sprinting workouts are the triple shots of espresso you use to keep yourself up all night. Sprinting workouts are anaerobic and are more effective at building speed and muscle than they are at weight loss. Sprinting workouts are usually done on a 400 meter oval track.

o 200 meter repeats- 200 meter repeats are sprinting around half the track at about 75-80% of your total speed. After each 200, take a 4 minute break, and then repeat. A good goal to work towards when starting is 5 intervals per session and then improve your time on each 200.

o 500 meter ladder- 500 meter ladders work different areas of your body and are aerobic and anaerobic. To do this workout run 500 meters (1 ¼ times around the track), rest, 400 meters, rest, 300m, etc. To increase difficulty, go back up the ladder or start at 1000 meters and go to 500 meters and back up.

Consistency is the most important part of exercise.

In my last post I talked about consistency be the key to the 5 minute workout plan. While that is true, I feel the consistency is a topic that requires its own blog entry to fully cover. Like it or not, you can’t lose 100 pounds in a week. There is diet, plan, or workout that will accomplish that. The key to enjoying successful and fulfilling long term physical fitness is consistency.

In my years running track competitively I often ran into people that I affectionately labeled ‘work out champions.’ These people would skip or breeze through practice most of the week except for one day, when they would run so hard they could barely walk the next day. Now this pattern results in a few things. The first is no real improvement in a person's running. The second is that because they never saw any improvement in their physical capacities, their body began to fall apart due to the stress put on it that it wasn’t prepared to handle. Finally, they couldn’t run their race well because they quite often chose to pull a ‘superman day’ one or two days before a track meet.

Now unless you want to end up like my track friends with frustration and hurt legs, you need to make a promise to yourself that you are going to take a long term approach to fitness. 25 push ups each day is much more productive than 100 push ups in one day. The real secret to a great body is getting on a schedule that gives your body a moderate work out several times a week. There is no special workout technique that will magically get you in shape. If you put in the time to get in shape you will enjoy the benefits of feeling better, waking up more refreshed, a more fulfilling sex life (women like tight butts for a reason fellas), and having a body that turns heads. However, it will never happen if you aren’t consistent in your exercise.