If you only do one movement a day, this is it!

Practice it daily and move well–forever. The Big 3 combines my three favorite dynamic mobility drills that I’ve used with kids as young as 7, adults as old as 87, and professional athletes alike.

Learn how to perform each of the 3 drills then try and feel the benefits now!

The Inchworm

At first glance this appears to simply be touching your toes, walking your hands to the pushup position, and returning to a standing position, but there’s much more to it. This dynamic flexibility drill is designed to lengthen the entire posterior chain. A kinetic chain is made up of each component of anatomy responsible for the movement. You can think of it like a strand of Christmas lights–if one bulb is out the circuit is broken and the entire strand won’t work. Similarly, each link in the kinetic chain must function properly to maintain an optimal length/tension relationship and to move well. This total body movement actively stretches all the muscles along the backside of the body including calves, hamstrings, glutes, and spinal erectors of the low back. It also reinforces the hip-hinge and proper lumbo-pelvic rhythm, (the way your hips, pelvis and low back are designed to move with the most mechanical efficiency.) As a sedentary society these muscles are often neglected, making for short, tight, in-active muscles that cause dysfunctional movement and undo stress on other areas of the body, most often lumbar spine, and knees. This movement is excellent to regain lost mobility, prevent injury, and improve athleticism. The end position is a high plank, offering a core stability benefit as well. Walking out on your hands requires a degree of upper body strength and shoulder stability. Because it is a total body, structural exercise that requires the cardiovascular system to pump oxygen rich blood to working muscles, there is also an aerobic benefit as well.

Execution:

-Start standing, proud posture, glutes tight and hips tucked
-Keeping chest high, push butt back (as if being pulled from behind by your belt)
(weight should be toward your heels)
-When you have maxed out your hamstring stretch with straight legs, let your hands find the floor by bending forward
-Walk hands out to the high plank (pushup position) keeping hips as still as possible
-Push hips back, feet flat (down dog position)
-Walk hands to feet keeping legs straight
-Stand tall, leading with your chest

Repeat for 5-10reps

The Spiderman Lunge

This drill, also called a runner’s stretch, works to stretch just about everything–hamstrings and glutes of the front leg, the hip flexors on the rear leg, groin and adductor muscles, and entire backside of the rear leg. It also requires (and as a result helps to maintain) adequate thoracic spine mobility. Because it is also executed from the high plank position there is a decent amount of core involvement and shoulder endurance as well.

Execution:

-Start in the High Plank (pushup position)
-Bring right foot flat next to right hand
-Lift chest to extend T-spine
-Straighten rear leg
-Sink into pelvis to create a comfortable stretch
-Return to starting position and repeat on the left leg

Perform 5-10 repetitions on each leg

The Pigeon

This movement, a popular yoga pose, when performed in repetitions is a dynamic flexibility drill designed to improve hip mobility. Everything we do in sport and daily life requires hip extension, from walking, running, jumping, to simply standing up. The glute complex, made up of our most powerful hip extensors, both extends and externally rotates our hips. To stretch these muscles we perform the reciprocal action of hip flexion and internal rotation. From the high plank we are able to use our body weight to apply leverage and enhance the stretch. Improved hip mobility increases overall range of motion and enhances athleticism. Hip mobility is also important for injury prevention as it reduces stress on the joints above and below (knees and low back.)
Execution:

-Start in the High Plank (pushup position)
-Bring one knee toward the center of your hands and rest it on the floor, and the foot of the same leg across your body,
-Keeping hips square to the ground to maintain a neutral spine position, sink into the hip of the bent knee.
-Straighten the back leg and lift your chest to enhance to stretch
-hold 3-5secs and repeat on the opposite leg

Perform 5-10reps on each side

Sometimes being selfish is the most self-less thing you can do. We must be full, (or fulfilled,) before we are able to give to others.

Bottom line is this. You deserve to be healthy and happy.

As a strength and conditioning coach I teach fitness as a foundation for health and wellness. Fitness, however, is just the component of wellness that deals with movement and the movement sciences. Health requires a balance where mental and emotional well-being are essential pieces of the puzzle.

It comes down to LOVE. How much do you love yourself? We are all born craving love and attention. Are you taking the time to give yourself what you need?

["Everybody wants to know what my achilles heal is... L O V E... I don't get enough of it. All I get is these vampires and blood suckers..." (Jay Z on Monster)]

It’s easy to fall back on the excuse, “I don’t have time,” but the truth is, there is no such thing as time–There’s NOW, and your priorities. That’s it.

Time is a indiscriminate resource, we all have the same amount: 168 hours every week. I’ve designed successful fitness programs for many people requiring just 3/168 hours.

So here’s my question for you: Do you love yourself enough to make your health and happiness a priority?

Working out v. Training …this is big!! It’s the difference between a ROUTINE and a PROGRAM. Routine’s are great because they allow for the repetition and practice necessary to gain skills and create a habit, BUT they quickly fail because they lack the most important variable: PROGRESSION. A program is a systematic and proven formula for success. By holding certain training variables constant and manipulating others through planned and progressive phases we can map out exactly where an athlete will be, to a science. An example would be an Olympians 4 year macro-cycle, carefully planned so their performance peaks perfectly for the world’s greatest competition. For the average exerciser this type of planning is extreme, but thinking 3, 6, or even 12 months ahead makes a lot of sense, (especially when you consider the seasonal challenges around Holidays, travel, beach season, ect.) I generally write programs for no less than 6 weeks in advance, with a 3 month vision of how the plan will progress. So, TRAINING means you have a program, with specific goals–a purpose. Everything else is just exercising, or work! Unless you love “working out,” it’s the number one trend plaguing most people’s success.

bleacherreport.com

1) WHAT GETS MEASURED GETS MANAGED.

Stats are constantly posted, updated, and analyzed all game long. Everything that effects the outcome of a game is measured: First downs, rushing attempts, rushing yards, yards per carry, passing attempts, completion percentages, sacks, fumbles, turn-overs, etc, etc,…oh yeah, and of course, points!

How are you measuring your progress toward your fitness goals? Are you tracking the variables that will lead you to a win?

If you’re goal is weight loss, simply focusing on the number on the scale is like keeping track of the score without any regard for all the stats that get you there.

Here are just a few stats I track to ensure my clients’ success:
# hours sleep per night
# meals per day
daily water consumption
# of weight training sessions per week
# cardiovascular conditioning sessions per week

When you focus on these things, you’ll start to see it reflected in your ‘score.’

2) CLOCK IS RUNNING.

In a game every second counts, and the amount of time on the clock determines which play will be made.  Are you using your workout time as efficiently as you could be?  Use a stop watch and track work to rest ratios, time under tension, and recovery periods to take your training to the next level!

3) “DROPPING LIKE FLIES”

“These guys are dropping like flies,” I heard someone say as yet another player limped off the field last night. While professional athletes leave themselves open to the direct trauma of taking a hit or making a tackle, many injuries are non-contact related. Deficient movement patterns, caused by a previous injury and resulting compensation patterns, or asymmetrical imbalances will eventually manifest in an over-use injury that side-lines players.

The number one goal of every strength training program is injury prevention. Are you aware of your imbalances and weak links?
4) GAME PLAN
Strategy is the name of the game, and a coaches play book may have hundreds of carefully designed plays. Periodized programming offers a game plan to help make sure you make it to the end zone. Know your game plan, don’t step onto the field, or into the gym without it.

5) STRONGER = FASTER

In football, like most sports, speed is all about acceleration. In order to be faster you must be able to produce force and direct it into the ground. Strength, your ability to exert maximal force, is therefore the number one determinant of speed. Want to be faster? Train for max strength.

Print this Calendar and follow the 4 simple instructions at the bottom to begin to manage your habits. Knowing how you measure up will allow you to see where you have room to modify.
February Calendar

Check out this PDF file for a new understanding of your metabolism, and how to elevate it accelerate your FAT LOSS!

Interval Training for Fat Loss

Despite our efforts there is very little in life that we can control. Save your mind the worry and body the stress by focusing on the one thing you can control–your attitude.

     “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our Attitudes.”
-Charles R. Swindoll

Q–I am in competition with my sister to lose 25lbs in 3months. Do you have any pointers? I am doing a Detox this week, and will be hitting the gym hard next week….any routines? diets?

-Ania

A–Hi Ania! Congrats on making the decision, and choosing to attack your goal. That’s the first step, and the fact that you have a deadline makes it even better! Plus, competition brings out our best–it’s great you and your sister are doing this together.

With that said, I don’t think 25lbs in 3 months is realistic, or safe. My first suggestion, change the competition slightly so you are competing for who can lose the greatest BODY FAT PERCENTAGE in 3 months. You should be able to have this tested at a local gym, (usually using skinfold calipers,) or they also have handheld devices or scales that can give you a decent estimate, (called bio-electrical impedance.) Take a new BF measurement every 6 weeks.

I’m assuming you want to fit into smaller clothing or clothes that are too tight now, want more tone/tighter arms, legs, flatter stomach, ect, ect.–ultimately, you want to LOOK BETTER NAKED (or in a bathing suit…same thing.) Right??

If so, your goal is to change your body composition, (fat mass v. lean muscle,) which is why weight isn’t the best indicator of progress.

If you lost only 10lbs on the scale but looked your BEST EVER, I’d call you a winner! Simply dropping 25lbs doesn’t mean it will all be fat. Of course there are ways to make it happen, but if you did you would likely be losing a decent amount of muscle, (not good) leaving your metabolism depressed and making it harder to keep the weight off. As an extreme example, imagine the body type of an anorexic who weighs, say, 95 pounds…that may be 25lbs less than your weight, but not an ideal body image, not to mention the severe health risks, ie, DEATH.

Okay, with that to consider, here’s my advice for how to drop fat:

1) Nutrition – Eat Breakfast and EVERY 3hours after.

The # 1 thing that gets my clients results is habit modification around meals, particularly timing. If you think of your metabolism as a fire, you want to feed the fire regularly to keep it burning hot.

We all know skipping meals slows down your metabolism and leads to weight gain. If you skip breakfast, (break-fast,) you have been fasting since dinner the night before and that fire is down to just the pilot light. Throw a log on the fire first thing in the morning.

The fire is a good image to have, but here is a second one that usually drives the point home: There is one professional athlete who only eats 2 meals per day. Any guess what sport??

….

SUMO Wrestling!! As a strategy to GAIN fat sumo wrestlers start their day by skipping breakfast, training hard for several hours, then eating a big meal at 11am before a nap, then have a second meal at 6pm.

In an ideal world you would get exactly the number of calories (energy) you need to perform whatever task you are about to do… Imagine having an IV that delivers fuel to your body as you need it, more in the morning and during the day while you are moving around, and less when you were just sitting/watching tv/relaxing, ect.

Some people eat like that–they “graze” all day long and stay in great shape.

Sumo wrestlers on the other hand, (who actually don’t really over-eat for their size,) split there calories into two meals rather than spreading them throughout the day.

Your goal is to do something in between that is realistic. Shoot for 5-6 meals per day.

What’s a meal?
A meal is all 3, Protein, Carbohydrate, and Fat together. Your body wants and needs all 3 of these things.

At each meal, EAT REAL FOOD. Real food are creatures that can be hunted, or things that grow in the ground and on plants. If it comes in a package and has a paragraph of ingredients, it’s not real food. For every ingredient that you don’t recognize, do what I do and just substitute the word “CANCER,” it will help you make better choices.

Carbohydrates…YES! You gotta eat them. But first take a moment to think of what foods come to your mind when you think of Carbs. Most people think of bread, pasta, rice….

I want you to take those foods and put them into a new category–”starches.”

Instead, think Carbs = COLORFUL VEGETABLES and FRUIT

Protein should be from a lean source, boneless skinless chicken, lean beef, pork, fish, beans, nuts, soy.

Fat makes it’s way in no matter what so you are probably okay with just making sure you get the Protein and Carbs at each meal.

You can, and probably should, avoid most if not all starches. In fact, my roommate recently lost 9lbs in 2 1/2 weeks by cutting bread, rice, pasta, and dairy 6 out of 7 days of the week.

Also, print a list of Low Glycemic Carbohydrates. These should be your go to foods. The glycemic index is a rating system that measures insulin response of foods and how quickly they are absorbed into your blood stream. Everything is eventually broken down into sugar, but the higher the glycemic index the faster this happens and if you can’t use it right away it will be stored as fat. If you know you will eat, or want to eat higher GI foods you should have these immediately before or immediately after a workout session when your body can use them. Lower GI foods, and foods high in fiber also keep you full longer, help you maintain stable blood sugar levels and energy, and won’t cause you to crash or crave as much.

Front load your food.

Most people I work with are used to eating more as the day goes on, with dinner being their biggest meal and between dinner and bed being their trouble time.

Flip it.

Eat the majority of your calories in the first 5-6 hours of your day and try for the fewest during the last 4 hours of your day. I told a client the other day to eat 6 chocolate cookies for breakfast. This sounds ridiculous, and normally I would never advise it, but for this busy corporate exec he was having them anyway at 2pm in the office, and skipping breakfast. If he were to simply move them earlier he would be better off. He saw my point and now he is eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on his morning commute instead

Drink water. Lots of it. It will keep your metabolism going, and most people are chronically dehydrated. Sometimes hunger is really just thirst so drinking a glass of water 10 minutes before a meal is a good way to curb your appetite and not over-eat. You know you’re hydrated if you’re peeing clear.

Sit down to eat.

It takes about 15 minutes for you to feel “full.” Eat slowly, enjoy your food, after all you are blessed to have plenty to eat.

Sleep. Your body needs 7-8hrs a night, if you’re not getting a restful night’s sleep your fat loss will not happen as quickly as you want it to.

Hmm….what else. Funny, I haven’t even gotten to exercise yet! You can lose a lot of fat with proper nutrition alone. Exercise will complement your nutrition plan, and is super important just for overall health and wellbeing, but working out like a maniac without modifying your diet won’t necessarily yield any results–that’s why it’s number one!

Speaking of working out,

#2 – Stop working out. Yes, STOP working out.

Start TRAINING.

What’s the difference? Training is progressive, and has a purpose. Working out, following a routine is just exercising… Great, unless you are trying to get better.

The best place to start is by doing a little bit more than you are doing now. The idea is you should be increasing volume and intensity each week.

If you are going to the gym 3 days a week, add a 4th. If you did 10 reps with a certain weight last week, do 12 this week and 14 next. If you ran a mile last week, run 1.25 this week and try for 1.5 next. If you did 60lbs on an exercise, try for 65lbs next week.

When you begin to measure and track what you are actually doing, you can choose a progression and make each successive week more challenging. That’s what “training” is all about.

A great fat loss variable to manipulate? REST.

Time your rest. Day 1 just see how much time you need to between sets. Next time you repeat the same workout try to decrease your rest by 5-10s. If rest is the only thing you change you will quickly (within a few weeks) be able to do the same amount of work with half the rest time. At that point you may add one or two more exercises.

Lift Heavy Weights. This is how you will change your body for the better, permanently.

HEAVY.

Obviously you want to be safe, so only do something you feel comfortable with and can do with perfect form, but it should be heavy. If you can do more than 10 reps, it’s light.

Heavy lifting works your anaerobic energy systems and will keep your metabolism elevated for up to 48hrs. Light weights high reps will keep you elevated for only a few.

Train TOTAL BODY.

There are times when it makes sense to split your body into muscle groups, or upper and lower, but if you are not an athlete trying to increase strength or a body builder preparing for competition, it’s not for you.

Your goal is to work as much muscle as possible each time you are in the gym, and as often as you can. This is the most efficient way to lose fat.

Lift total body 2-3 times per week with a day in between. You don’t need to spend more than an hour each time you train.

Depending on how much you are accustomed to training currently, go for 6-10 multi-joint exercises in one session, skip the arms and abs…the idea is to work as much of your body as you can and elevate your metabolism, not to just work the little pieces you want to look better.

Go for sets of 8-12 reps. This is a rep range that will allow you to add some lean muscle and increase your metabolism.

YOU WILL NOT GET BULKY.
1) you’re a girl, you have 10x’s less testosterone than the guy next to you who lifts for 2hrs, much heavier and still can’t gain the size he wants.
2) You can only gain weight if you are eating more than your body needs

Do INTERVAL TRAINING
Alternate between rounds of moderate and very intense exertion. Shoot for a work to rest ratio of 1:3 to 1:1

This could be 8 rounds of 60s sprinting as fast as you can on the treadmill alternating with 60s walking, or something similar. To make it “training” there needs to be weekly progression, maybe you bump your sprint speed up .2mph each time you repeat, or add 5s to your work time.

That was all stream of conscious, and I hope it wasn’t too much to try to digest at once, but it should help you get a head start. Follow me on Twitter, and e-mail questions to frank@franklyfitness.com.

Your assignment for tomorrow:
1) Print a monthly calendar, at the beginning of the day write how many hours of sleep you got the night before. At the end of the day write the number of meals you ate. Add a sticker or smiley face if you trained. This calendar will be a huge tool to helping you determine your habits.

2) Take a picture. It can just be for yourself, bathing suit is best. Take a new picture every 4 weeks…nothing is more motivating than seeing your progress!

Q – For some reason, I keep having problems with my calves when I run….always seems to be the last muscle to feel strong when I am running.
Any exercise you can suggest to build them up?

A – To build up calves, sprinting, jumping, and running stairs will all do the trick, HOWEVER, feeling them from running doesn’t necessarily mean they are weak or need to be ‘built up.’ It may be that they are simply the link in the kinetic chain that is taking the stress. I would suggest stretching and foam rolling them (youtube SMR, ‘self myofascial release’ for calves.) If you spend a lot of time in dress shoes that have a decent heel you’re always in a slightly plantar flexed position, limiting your dorsi-flexion range of motion (ability to pull your toe up toward your knee,) and making for short, tight calf muscles. In addition to stretching, try some heel walks as a warm-up to strengthen your anterior tibialis, the muscle on the front of your shins.

JOIN US. Just a few weeks ago my sister Vicky completed running a mile for the first time in her life! Since then she’s set new personal bests each week, and at the end of September will be running her first race here in New York, the 5th Avenue Mile with me. Sign up to do it with us!

Whether you have a performance goal, aesthetic goal, career goal, or need a goal, competition has the magical power to inspire you to be your best self and gives you the confidence to achieve more from life.

“The world’s fastest milers will converge on New York’s world-famous thoroughfare this September to burn up 5,280 feet of pavement. Watch the professionals battle it out for the title after setting your own personal best. “