Advice for a Dad

[Bruin0]

Hi All,

First off, I want to say I'm loving this site. There's lots of great info from great contributors.

I was hoping I could get some advice on my situation. I'm a new father and my schedule has made it difficult to stick to a large number of training plans because of the difficulty in being able to carve out a lengthy session 3-4 days per week on consistent days. Since having our baby (almost 6 mo ago), training has been erratic and unsatisfying. I'm looking to go a simpler route and focus on just a few exercises/movements.

My question is, if you were to restrict someone's training to 3-5 exercises/movements to work on, what would those be?

I don't currently have any body composition goals, so my main goals are to build some strength and improve a little on conditioning. I don't compete in anything, so training is more for enjoyment, stress reduction, help me sleep better, and move better. I've also never had a problem exercising (always enjoyed it, the habits ingrained), but I've just become too flustered with my current situation to make it satisfying.

Since training is erratic, I'm favoring a 20 minute workout (warm-up incl) anywhere from 2-5 times per week. I figure I can mix up the frequency, volume, and intensity of the movements so that I can progress (harder sometimes, lighter others), but thought that by narrowing my movement pool, it'd allow me to see better gains and make training more satisfying. I'm currently 31 years old, have been exercising regularly since my teens. Right now, my strength levels fall into the beginner range. I've got pretty good proficiency with a number of movements, but have never spent enough time focusing to give me an intermediate level of strength. That said, I workout at home and have access to a wide range of equipment (Barbell (no sqt rack), DBs, KBs, pullup/dip station, suspension trainer, sandbags, jump rope, adjustable bench (not for BB Bench Pressing)). I feel confident in my ability to properly execute a range of movements, even some of the more technical movements like KB TGUs, C&Ps, C&Js, swings & snatches, but not BB olympic lifts except for cleaning the bar to the shoulders for front squats & OH presses.

Sorry for the long post. I guess my main question is if you had to limit your training to 3-5 movements to cover both strength and conditioning needs, what would you recommend? Thanks.

[winslow]

First off, Bruin0, excellent job making exercise an ingrained part of your life and looking for help when you feel stuck. Feeling flustered and frustrated is often caused by the same thing in workouts as it is in the rest of life: not having a plan (knowledge of starting point, a specific goal, and a methodology to bridge that gap over time.)

You have a few distinct advantages that you should leverage as much as possible, imho: you're intelligent, you're committed to improvement, you have 0 commute time to the gym, you have access to plenty of equipment

You didn't mention any injuries or mobility issues, so i'm going on that assumption.

I'll start with a quick and direct answer to your overarching question:

Deadlift, Pushup, Pullup, Handstand(pushup), KB swing. if you take that and run with it, at least you won't be doing too many exercises to get any major benefit from any particular one. level one solution- better, but not by much

now a longer answer with more meat to it:

progress through the levels of difficulty with the movements above. level 2 solution- a better idea of your starting point and that there is a goal. the road is long from here to "somewhere," though, and it's easy to get distracted by fields of poppies, crying babies, and so on.

and, finally, what I would actually do (given what little info I have about you) if I were you (level 3 solution):

Deadlift, Pushup, Pullup, Handstand(pushup) for your strength workouts

KB Ladders (deadlift, swing, clean, squat, press, snatch, first on one side then the other, from 1 rep up to 6 reps and then back down) for your cardio

all of this would be progressed in an organized and structured fashion over time (and logged for reference) according to your response to the exercises from the easiest (beginner strength) to the more challenging and heavier versions of each exercise goal strength.

you can stop reading here and run with it, or feel free to read on for my long-winded explanation of all this.

still with me? awesome.

short version of your post: i know how to do a lot of exercises and i do them, but without consistency so i'm still at a beginner level of strength despite significant time invested. limit me!

improved version: I have knowledge of a variety of movements and access to equipment. how can i get from 1 set of 10 pushups, 1 set of 5 pullups and run a 10 minute mile to 3 sets of 20 pushups, 3 sets of 10 pullups, a 7:30 mile, and feel better all the time, in 20 minutes 2-5X/week?

i'm glad you asked! the answer is right there in the two versions above. consistency (i call it "the big "C" and I always hold my hand up in a "C" in my client's face when i say it) coupled with a plan, a roadmap, elucidating that there is a starting point, a destination, and a path (20 minutes 2-5X/week) to follow to reach the destination. figure out where you are exactly, where you want to be exactly, set a time period for the goal and interpolate, basically.

you mentioned you had a hard time with a set schedule. to fix that problem, i usually simply say, for example, 4X/week instead of MWThS. That way, as long as there are 4 days left in the week I can still get it done. or, worst case, 3 days and i have to do two 20 minute workouts one day. you see the point...over a particular time period, I owe X amount of work. Using this method, I'm usually done by thursday (my week starts on Monday), giving me 3 days off of I want them. it's a sneaky trick that seems freeing but actually commits you because you can't use the excuse that you "missed Monday this week, so I guess i'll start with Wednesday's workout."

enough chatter! let me know if there's anything else I can help you with.

winslow jenkins
personal wellness coach
http://www.winslowjpt.com

[NickHorton]

Hey brother!

I'm going to assume you aren't currently proficient on the Olympic lifts. (If you were, my answer would include full Clean and Jerks because they cover everything all at once = time efficient!)

It is my belief that you should train the skills of strength and the skills of conditioning separately. They can be in the same workout, just not at the same time. Rank beginners can do both ... but they're rank beginners who can make gains doing anything at all.

You should also train strength first and conditioning second in your workouts or else you just won't have it in you to work hard enough on the strength stuff to make any serious gains.

Given those constraints, I like the combo of picking one or two big lifts - like a squat or deadlift variation - and working that hard as your strength movement.

Then pick a bunch of upper body stuff for your conditioning, and do them in mock-CrossFit style, a round ;-)

Here's an example program:

A-Day:

- Squats (front or back, doesn't matter) - work up to a heavy 3x3 reps, drop down and do a few sets of 5 focusing on speed.

5 Rounds with full rest:
- Chin Ups - 8 reps
- Push Press - 8 reps

B-Day
- Romanian Deadlifts - 5x5

5 Rounds
- Push Press - 8 reps
- Chin Ups - 8 reps


OK, that's exactly 5 exercises, and it's only 2 days a week, and you'll certainly get stronger on what matters most. You'll also get in some decent conditioning if you push yourself (and the weight) hard enough.

You could ride a program like that out for an easy 6 to 8 weeks.

The combos are endless (especially the upper body stuff). But the key is to make sure you don't skimp on the lower body strength work. Most people over emphasize conditioning and under emphasize strength. That is a mistake, IMO. Having decent cardiovascular health isn't too hard. Building any kind of true strength is.

Clearly, if you have endurance athlete goals, then conditioning becomes far more important. But for most people, strength and muscle gain (and maintenance) are the hard part that is overlooked.

---

LOL, looks like Winslow and I replied at exactly the same time!

It's actually instructive. Because though our solutions to your problem might appear different - and they are in the details - they are pretty similar at core.

- Pick big compound exercises.
- Work the living bajeezus out of them.
- Repeat

You can speed through to make it more cardiovascular, or slow down to make it more strength oriented.

The beauty of this stuff - and the great mystery - is that there aren't too many "secrets". Just a lot of hard work on the ultra-basics done over the long haul.

Happy lifting!

[Bruin0]

Winslow & Nick,

Wow, thank you guys both for the very detailed responses! You gave me a lot of good thoughts to chew on, specifically about setting good goals, how to structure the individual sessions, how to view the workload within the week, and (most importantly for me) how to keep it simple. I'm going to get some clear goals established with the movements you provided and get at them. Really, thanks a bunch. I appreciate the detail, will keep you posted, and will let you know if I have any questions.

[Lucas]

I know its very difficult to keep workout with work also with family, thanks to both of you guys for wonderful daily plans but according to me you can organize your workouts into any combination you like. Assemble the workouts into a routine that works well for you. If you're not sure what you want, you can use this schedule to get a good balance:

A 20-Minute Daily Exercise Plan for People Too Busy to Work Out

1. Monday: Upper Body
2. Tuesday: Core
3. Wednesday: Lower Body
4. Thursday: Upper Body
5. Friday: Core
6. Saturday: Lower Body
7. Sunday: Relaxation

Each set of exercises you'll do in a given day target your chosen muscle group and incorporate cardio as well. The goal is to keep moving with very short breaks for the full 20 minutes.