Skip to main content

12-20 Minute Model

It is Spring and I am making a push. I know from experience that slow steady training is my model for success- both in results and sustainability. I am back to the 12-20:00 model.

Without discounting the importance of rest, my program is now a daily prescription of 12-20 minutes of exercise. Strategically, HIITworkouts (high intensity interval training) are shorter, straight sets and cardio cross training are longer. My workouts target muscle groups and intensity relatively, allowing for needed rest even on "active" rest days. This approach ensures that my activity levels have consistency and equally importantly that stretching is an every day discipline.


Here is yesterdays workout, a 20:00 mid-high intensity session. I love the whiteboard or notebook workout logs- they quantify my efforts.


Workout 20:00 + warm up & cool down, active rest speed bag

Triple Kicks 3 x 20/side L/R = 60/set= 360
Dive Bomber Push Up Mods 10 x 2 + 5 full = 25
Hip Circle Knee Raise Challenge (Leberts) 50:10 x max L/R x 6 = 6:00 109 reps
Core trio 30:10 x 6 = 4:00 200 reps

Total = 694 reps in 20:00
Not bad.


I also logged a 5K"recovery" run last night with the Mississauga Half Marathon clinic, at a 5:50ish pace- a tich too fast but after my demoralizing sick race a week ago I think I had something to prove (to myself).... nothing wrong with that :)

Today's workout was a "get the blood pumping and don't overdo it" session which included 15 minutes of pyramid intensity stationary bike, speed bag active rest, knee raises (knees to chest!), sun salutations & stretching. It was about 30 minutes of fairly low intensity exercise- just enough to limber up and get my mojo firing.

The 12-20 model is friendly. It is accessible, manageable, and forces me to plan my days around that window of opportunity when I can get in my set. Consistent dedicated activity helps with my appetite, my sleep & overall fitness. Although I train clients daily, nothing substitutes a dedicated workout that is custom for ME. No matter how active a job is, you deserve the time dedicated just to YOU.

What does YOUR 12-20 look like today? Comment below :)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

I don’t have a Diastasis- Why is my abdomen still distended postpartum?

I get asked this question all the time! Here is my answer: Research has shown that 100% of pregnant women will develop some degree of diastasis recti. A diastasis is a lateral separation in the abdominal wall between the recti or “six pack”, due to a stretching of the midline connective tissue or “linea alba”. Although some diastasis will heal postpartum, in many cases a separation will remain without restorative exercise. Distention from DR will present as a doming in the midline. Women who heal a diastasis spontaneously or through restorative exercise may still find that their abdomens are distended, particularly after a meal and/or at the end of the day. If there is no diastasis, why is this? This abdominal distention does not occur in the midline, but rather across the entire abdominal wall. This is due to a weakened hypotonic TVA- transverse abdominis muscle. The TVA is the deepest anterior abdominal muscle, wrapping around the midsection like a girdle, with a left an

New Website & BodyRock TV Articles

I have been MIA building a website to launch for momentum into 2011. It is part of my "big push" master plan which, according to my wellness approach, applies to every area of my life- from workouts, nutrition, family, business.... I declare 2011 the Year of the Hard Body in every way! I just surfed onto my website dashboard to see that I have over 2000 webpage views, mostly referred from this blog and BodyRock TV ! Amazing! If you wouldn't mind taking a moment to complete my website feedback form when you are there I would greatly appreciate it! Further to, I have emailed with Zuzana from BodyRock about contribuing pre & postnatal information for adapting her workouts. I have written 2 articles "Prenatal BodyRocking" and "Postnatal BodyRocking" which I hope will appear on her website soon! I am gaining momentum heading into 2011! I have a modified raw food 7 day cleanse planned, as well as new fitness goals for myself. 2010 was the Year of t

Teaching!

I love teaching. It is one of my passions and I am working towards incorporating more of it into my professional repertoire. As a personal trainer I teach 1-on-1 all day every day. When I present to groups, I reach more people at the same time. Since 2006 I have been giving talks at the Running Room to clinics of all distances. I love educating runners about core, effective cross training, incontinence, and the importance of training smart. Knowing they all want to be uninjured and still running in 10 years, they are a captive audience and I am always very well received. My runners give me great feedback, they love my talks, and the instructors keep inviting me back. I think my genuine enthusiasm comes through, and is a tremendous strength of mine when teaching. In 2014 I designed a Trainer Trainer Workshop to educate other fitness professionals on Diastasis Recti, pelvic floor wellness, and safely training the pre and postnatal demographic. It's a 4 hour presentation that I