CHANGE #29

Perform a 60-Minute Workout 3X a Week

SIMPLY PUT… Starting today, I want you to do some form of a 60-minute full-body strength-training workout three times a week. You’ll stop doing the workout from Change #24 (the 45-minute workout I showed you), but you’ll continue to walk 10,000 steps each day.

Let’s crunch some numbers and play with a little perspective here: A 60-minute workout is only 4 percent of your day. Four percent is nothing!! And I’m only asking you to do that three days a week. That’s 180 minutes, or exactly 1.786 percent of your entire week. And if you look around at some of the other nonproductive things we waste just under 2 percent of our time doing weekly—sitting in meetings, online shopping, texting, posting, friending—exercising for that short a time has way more to offer you.

Praise the Pyramid

Remember I told you about my friend Marni who lost twenty pounds in eight months after I switched her old workout to a pyramid routine (ten exercises done in a row that decrease in repetitions while increasing in difficulty)? Well, now it’s your turn—and here’s why:

When I was younger—single, carefree, and childless, with no responsibilities or demands on my time—I would fill up my social calendar with gym classes every night. Cycling, boot camp, kickboxing, Pilates, yoga, kettlebells, step, abs—you name it and I did it. (You’ll be surprised to know I was single a lot during that stretch!)

Some of those classes had staying power, like cycling and boot camps, while others… well, didn’t. I still have flashbacks of a ridiculous stretch band class where we tied exercise bands to our ankles and walked across the floor. Those cheap bands were snapping apart all over the place! We all limped out of class afterward with band marks all over our legs!!!

The point is that I had time to do it all—even the stuff that wasted my time.

And then life happened. Between my job, family obligations, traveling, social engagements—you know, grown-up stuff—my free nights filled up fast. I no longer had the time to venture out every night (or any night) to try new classes, test out new equipment, or visit little boutique gyms. But my appetite for a great sweat was still there.

So I put together a workout that could be done in ten-minute chunks of time. A workout that required no equipment, space, gym, instructor, or money to do it—so I had no excuse not to do it. A routine that hit every muscle group, combined cardiovascular training and strength training, and, because it could be repeated over and over again without boredom setting in, I could use it whether I only had ten minutes to give—or twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, or sixty minutes.

It’s called a pyramid workout, where you do ten exercises back-to-back for ten minutes. The first exercise you’ll do for 100 reps, followed by 90, 80, 70, and so on (down to 10 reps). Even though you’ll do each exercise for ten less reps as you go, the order of the exercises is from easiest to hardest—so believe me when I tell you, doing the last exercise for 10 reps will be just as demanding as doing the first one for 100 reps.

I use pyramids all the time now, and they’ve become the backbone behind how I stay in “on-air” shape year-round. If I only have twenty minutes to spare because of my hectic schedule, I’ll try to get through two full pyramids without stopping. On days when I have more time, I’ll aim for a full six in an hour.

The Game Plan: These two final workouts should only take you about ten minutes each to complete, using exercises you’re already familiar with from previous chapters (and a few new ones I think you’ll love). You’ll run through all ten exercises without resting. After you’ve completed a pyramid, you’ll rest for only one minute, then repeat the pyramid.

Once you’re finished:

• You can repeat the pyramid five more times (for a total of six pyramids) to achieve a 60-minute workout.

• If you’re not quite there yet physically, you can repeat the pyramid two, three, or four more times for a full 30-, 40-, or 50-minute workout (then work your way up until you can complete six pyramids).

Just like every other workout you’ve pulled off up until now, there are those few rules you must follow to make sure your muscles are ready for what’s ahead—and get enough of a break between workouts:

• Before each workout, do a quick five-minute warm-up.

• Take one day off between sessions to let your muscles rest and recover.

THE WORKOUTS

Start with Level One first. Trust me, you won’t grow bored with it—and the day you do, look down, because you’ll be in incredible shape. But if you’re looking for even more of a challenge, move on to Level Two when you feel you’re ready.

BTW, no one knows your muscles better than you do, so I’m letting you know this: You’re not limited to these two pyramids. In fact, I encourage you to create your own, once you get the hang of these. So long as you take ten cardio and strength exercises that collectively work all your major muscle groups, then place them in order of difficulty from easiest to hardest, the sky’s the limit. Just make sure that anything you create is as taxing as the workouts in this chapter.

Pyramid 1 (Level One)

(Do this circuit 1 time)

• 100 jogs in place

• 90 hip raises

• 80 jumping jacks

• 70 one-legged reverse claps standing on your left leg, then 70 standing on your right leg

• 60 pikes

• 50 wall push-offs

• 40 crab kicks (left leg, right leg = 1 rep)

• 30 squats

• 20 plank toe lifts

• 10 slow mountain climbers

Pyramid 2 (Level Two)

(Do this circuit 1 time)

• 100 jumping jacks (To make the move even more intense, try holding a pair of 1-, 2-, or 3-pound hand weights.)

• 90 jogs in place

• 80 quad drops

• 70 butt kickers

• 60 pikes

• 50 squats

• 40 push-ups on your knees

• 30 toy soldiers

• 20 slow mountain climbers

• 10 high squat jumps

THE EXERCISES

Pyramid 1

Jogs in Place (see here)

Hip Raises (see here)

Jumping Jacks (see here)

One-Legged Reverse Claps

SETUP: Stand straight with your arms extended behind you, palms facing each other. Raise your right foot behind you so that you’re balancing on your left foot.

THE MOTION: Keeping your arms straight (or as straight as possible because of the angle), quickly move your arms in and out toward each other as if you were applauding, but don’t let your hands touch each other. Instead, try to get them as close as possible without touching. Bringing your arms in and pulling them out equals 1 rep. Do the required number of reps, then switch positions—this time balancing on your right foot only—and repeat.

Note: The higher you can raise your arms as you go, the more you’ll work the back of your arms—but don’t hunch over or look down.

Pikes (see here)

Wall Push-offs (see here)

Crab Kicks (see here)

Squats (see here)

Plank Toe Lifts

SETUP: Get in a push-up position—legs extended behind you, feet together with your weight on your toes. Bend your arms and rest on your forearms. (Your body should be in a straight line from your head to your heels.)

THE MOTION: Keeping yourself in the plank position, lift your right foot off the ground a few inches, then lower it back down. Repeat the same movement with your left foot—that’s 1 rep.

Slow Mountain Climbers (see here)

Pyramid 2

Jumping Jacks (see here)

Jogs in Place (see here)

Quad Drops (see here)

Butt Kickers (see here)

Pikes (see here)

Squats (see here)

Kneeling Push-ups (see here)

Toy Soldiers (see here)

Slow Mountain Climbers (see here)

High Squat Jumps

THE MOTION: Quickly squat down until your thighs are almost parallel to the floor, then jump straight up as high as possible, bringing your arms back as far as you comfortably can. As you land, gently bend your knees and return to a squat position (arms out in front of you) and repeat.

Tips and Tricks

You can use any of the tips and tricks I suggested with the 45-minute workout you’re no longer performing. But now that you’re involved with a full 60-minute routine, I want you to have even more to draw from.

Try working out on the same days each week. The more loosely and casually planned your workouts are, the more convenient it can be to cancel them. Instead, pick specific days of the week and block out that hour as if it’s an important meeting. You’ll be less inclined to miss it if you pencil it in first and then plan the rest of your day around it.

Breathe in and breathe out. Sounds easy, right? You’ve been doing it literally all your life. But a lot of people make the mistake of holding their breath at certain spots when they exercise. Don’t do that: It can raise your blood pressure and deprive you of the oxygen your body needs for energy. As you go, just breathe naturally and as deeply as you can with each breath.

Take your pulse before breakfast. When it comes to pushing your body too much from exercise, everyone’s different. But I want to be sure you’re not overtraining, which can cause fatigue, moodiness, persistent muscular soreness, and sleep problems.

One way to monitor yourself is by taking your pulse first thing in the morning. Once you have that number, just look for any changes by checking your pulse the morning after your workouts. If it’s more than eight to ten beats per minute above normal, your body may need a rest day to recuperate.

Sip according to what you sweat. Sixty minutes is a long time, so to make sure you’re replacing the water you’ll be sweating out, you could weigh yourself right before you begin your workout. After you’re finished, weigh yourself again—and no, that difference on the scale isn’t fat you’ve burned off like some trainers might have you believe (it’s just water). For every pound you’ve lost, drink around a pint (sixteen ounces) of water and you’ll be back to normal.

The “So You Know” Science

If 180 minutes still sounds like a lot of time to devote each week to exercise to have a stronger heart, build lean muscles, and torch excess body fat, would you do it if I told you it might keep you alive five years longer?

That’s right—research published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine1 discovered that doing some form of exercise for at least 150 minutes a week could extend your life by as much as five years. Part of that might be due to the fact that regular exercise has been proven to lower your risk of many chronic diseases and medical conditions (such as cancer, diabetes, and hypertension).