Born and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, everything I ever encountered had reasoning and purpose behind it. I always found myself challenging whatever it was that came my way. It could be school work, chores, video games or sports. My parents always told me: "Never allow someone to tell you that you are not able to do something in life." I live by those words every single day and dream with my eyes wide open.
The video below encompasses my fitness journey in 2011 and it's just a taste for what's to come. Keep the Lord first, continue to live out the purpose that He has for me, and the rest is history in the making.
Below is my philosophy on fitness, as well as a baseline workout plan to stay on point and in shape. Keep in mind you can be fit and still not be healthy, so make sure you are hitting on all the necessary elements in order to be healthy and fit.
My style of training is quite intense but, there is a formula.
Cross training: This phase is composed of a series of circuit workouts, which allow the body to reach high peak intervals with short rest period in between. I choose this style because it has been the most effective and beneficial in preventing the body from reaching a plateau. Below are the three different phases my clients experience within my cross training regimen.
Adaptation phase: This phase is the initial shock stage where the stimulus effect is established, allowing the body to be more susceptible to stress (resistance training and cardio). This beginning phase helps the body prepare for change.
Transformation phase: This phase is the hardest to establish, because the physical element of training has to be complimented with nutrition. The body will begin to change both in inches and weight during this phase. The neutralizing factor is the discipline of the client maintaining their nutrition habits outside the gym. Of all the phases, this stage is the most rewarding because results are being seen and the client begins to become more motivated due to success.
Master phase: This phase is the complimenting phase. At this point clients now have established how to train and how to go about nutrition and with that equation the solution is at ease. This stage can be focused on little things that the client may want to focus on being that their big goals have already been met.
The Workout
Three times a week, follow a strength training plan working upper body, lower body and back, all using moderate to heavy weight pending on your stage of fitness. All exercises below are for three sets (aka superset) of 10-12.
Upper:
Chest press superset with pushups
Chest flies superset with pushup holds
Shoulder press superset with elevated pushup (simply any push up that is above leveled ground)
Lower Body:
Leg extension super set with body weight squats (simply doing squats with no weight)
Leg curl superset with squat jumps (squatting down, then exploding up and returning back to squat position)
Leg press superset with isolated lunge pulses
Back:
Lat pull downs superset with prone position
"Superman" (lifting both hands and feet up simultaneously, working upper and lower back strength)
Seated Row superset with lower back extension
Rear delt flies superset with plank pikes (simply get into plank position, transition body into a pike position by raising the hips up, then return to plank)
Cardio Zone Training
Figure out your Maximum Heart Rate (Max-HR) by using this formula (220-age) x .85. This formula is generic and you would be more accurate getting a metabolic test done so you can know exactly which heart rate zone you need to be in to be burning fat versus just carbs.
Zone training will allow your training to be more effective and efficient. To break it down, most folks burn most of their fat in zones 1-2 out of a total of 5 zones. Sadly the majority of people training are way beyond those zones. So to get on point with how cardio is beneficial to your overall workout you need to know your magic numbers.
Fitness is a journey. Ask yourself if you're ready to take the ride.