The SunnyFitness Workout Tips series continues!
If you haven’t read the first 10 tips, you can do so HERE!
Table of Contents
(click on the titles below to quickly jump to the specific tip)
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #11 Write a Training Diary
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #12 Prevent injuries
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #13 Training is lifestyle and community
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #14 Train for adaptation
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #15 Reach a good HorsePower/BodyWeight ratio
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #16 Move around the injury
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #17 Move like a human
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #18 Focus on the compound exercises
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #19 Train barefoot
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #20 Improve mitochondrial function
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #11
Write a training diary
Write a Training Diary. Or DON’T! 😉
Its not essential, but it can help a lot in the long run. It depends on the personality and the type of the sport. Its worth to write especially when you train alone without a coach and without team mates.
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I have seen succesful olympic level athletes with and also without a training log. However most of them were very conscious about their trainings, nutrition, recovery and usually they had a diary.
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Why to track your training data?
– It keeps you focused, organized, motivated, confident.
– You can see the progress or lack of it.
– You may know more clearly what to do in the next workout.
– If you review the diary later you can recognize patterns which methods worked well or not so good. You can understand better why you reached a plateau or injury.
– It keeps you honest with yourself, which helps to go on the optimal path.
– You will plan and execute more quality training sessions and less garbage.
– Your coach – especially if you work together online – will have more information about you to make better training plans.
Bonus tip
Track consistently a few data!
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1. First page: Your main training goals
2. Each workout: Date, time, spot, duration
– Strenght training: exercises/weights/sets/reps/tempo/rest intervalls
– Endurance training: distance, time, tempo, heart rate, HRV, etc.
– Your feelings that day in general and about the workout performance (give a score from 1-10)
– Any comments
3. Extra: sleep last night(s), previous meal(s), bodyweight
And feel free to track different or extra data then the standard bulletpoints above!
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #12
Prevent injuries
Not all injuries can be prevented, sometimes they can happen even in the best families.
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Some injuries are the result of an unexpected accident or our own stupidity. In many cases there is little we can do about them. The best we can do is to always pay attention to safe conditions, minimise risk, dangerous situations and become more aware.
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Then there are injuries from over-exertion, unilateral exertion over a long period of time, mindless training. These are absolutely preventable!
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How?
– proper warm-up (see TIP 4.)
– choosing the right sport and workload for your fitness and health level
– following a smart, progressive training plan
– gradualness in each training session and in the long term
– move with variety, build solid foundations (see TIP 2. and 9.)
– if you already have an injury, repair it before you train harder
– pay attention to recovery (see TIP 10.)
– choose the right equipment
– correct technical execution of exercises
– less ego, know where you are, push your limits with common sense
– be there in mentally
– reach the “flow” state
– listen to your body’s feedback, especially when you start to feel tired
– work with an experienced coach, physiotherapist
– minimise the own stupidity
Bonus tip
Movement is a joy. The training should make you feel better. A workout isn’t a compulsory homework assignment, a punishment because you ate too much, you’re in pain, you don’t look like a cover model or you haven’t exercised in a long time and need to catch up. Exercise is the best way to recharge, liberate and bring joy. Physically and mentally. If you don’t feel like it, you’re doing something wrong… Train smart and with joy! /excerpt from the SunnyFitness book/
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #13
Training is a lifestyle and community
Make the regular workouts, sporty lifestlye high priority in your life. For your physical fitness, metabolic and mental health, performance, good looking body etc.
High priority like going to work, school, brushing your teeth, eating etc.
You can choose a lifestyle (or identity) as a doctor, nurse, engineer, lawyer, musician, truck driver, farmer or as an alcoholic, gambling man etc. None of them exclude that you can also choose being sporty.
Being a runner, bodybuilder, crossfitter, natural mover, OCR fan, yoga or calisthenics practicioner, surfer etc. means you are part of a world wide community. All you have to do for the membership is to choose your sport(s) and practice it regularly.
Of course everyone is much more than just a label, representing one area of life but being a sporty human beeing means you are part of those people who love doing sports.
With the choice of regular trainings, you will have all the benefits mentioned above, you wont have more excuses to skip the trainings and you also become a family member.
Anywhere you go in the world you will find like minded people, friends and you will have a common language.
Bonus Tip
If you have a calendar or to do list, write down each week the time window for your upcoming training sessions. There is more chance that you will make it!
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #14
Train for adaptation
Adaptation is the body’s physiological response to training. Adaptation can occur in many ways in the body, depends on the type of training, the indivdual’s sport background.
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Muscle size-strenght-power-neuronal efficiency, connective tissue stiffness,
more aerobic-anaerobic metabolic enzimes, lower basic heart rate, enhanced cardiac output, mitochondrial biogenesis, capillary density, better balance-coordination-skills, better heat-cold tolerance etc.
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Any kind of sport activity has its place, even a 5 minute light movement routine or walking in the park, but they wont make you stronger, bigger, or more persistent.
If you would like to see serious development in the performance or looks, you need to push a little bit the limits and trigger the body for adaptation most of the time.
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Play smart, progressively with the VOLUME, INTENSITY, COMPLEXITY of the exercises and the workout.
And dont forget to give enough rest for your body to regenerate and adapt. If you give enough time between workouts, proper sleep and nutrition then you will be one step better next time.
Bonus tip
Listen to your body and pay attention for the tiny feedbacks each workout, dont train like a mindless robot. Each day can be different how the body reacts for the prescribed training, you may push a bit harder if you feel exceptionally well or cut down from the volume, intensity, complexity if you are tired that day.
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #15
Reach a good horsepower/bodyweight ratio
With other words: Be strong for your bodyweight!
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Except you want to compete in sumo wrestling, too much extra bodyweight is not beneficial in most sports and in everyday life.
Also a good level of strenght is recommended for most sports, longevity and everyday tasks.
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You can run, climb, swim, surf, practice martial arts, basketball, learn calisthenics, etc. faster with a good HP/BW ratio.
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How can you reach a good horsepower/bodyweight ratio?
– Prioritize maximal strenght, bodyweight strenght trainings
– More sunlight, less artificial lights
– Quality sleep
– Healthy, sustainable nutrition
Bonus tip
Make a research in the world of bodyweight strenght and calisthenics. You may find exercises, movement skills which are kind of impossible to reach in the next months, years (like chin up – muscle up – handstand.. all with one arm!), but for sure you can find more simple exercises (like push up – pull-up – L-sit, basic handstand), where you can see the light in the end of the tunnel.
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #16
Move around the injury
Pulled a muscle? Injured? It happens. I have been there many times and also recovered many times! And I rarely stayed still, doing nothing.
Of course it depends on the severity of the injury, there are cases when complete rest is the best solution.
However if its a mild-medium muscle pain, you not necessarily have to avoid exercising. You can still enjoy movement with different exercises, targeting different body parts, doing a light mobility-physiotherapy workout, walking, swimming, balancing, breathing exercises.
If you stay active smart way, the body heals faster and you can go soon full power again!
Bonus tip
Try to find out what caused the injury! Too much effort? Too crazy workout for your current level? Too much stress in life? Lack of focus? Lac of sleep? Overtraining? Unsafe training equipment? Weak links in the whole body structural balance?
If you are smart, you learn from it, fix it and next time you won’t make the same mistake. If you listen to your body, you can enjoy a continuous development without setbacks and plateaus.
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #17
Move like a human
What are the basic human movement patterns?
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Walking, running, swimming, crawling, climbing, rolling, balancing, hanging, jumping, lifting-carrying, throwing-catching, various self-defense and offensive techniques, playful exercises. Plus the variations and combinations of all these.
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Modern man has moved very far away from our ancient movement habits and also from the amount of movement. There is simply too much sitting, sedentary time, and too little walking, varied movement.
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Our hunter-gatherer ancestors – and today’s native people – were good in the above genres, because their lives depended on their ability to get food or escape from a predator.
Today, good movement skills are no longer essential for survival. We can survive without them, we can get food pressing a few buttons and with some money in our pocket.
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So why should we practice natural movements?
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I hope that you are not settling for this sedentary, ‘poor movement’ trend, but would like to experience the full human fitness. That’s why I’m keen to practice, teach and recommend the MovNat – Natural Movement system.
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Keep moving!
Bonus tip
When you start exercising, it shouldn’t just be about aesthetic or enhancing your performance in some sport. Strive to maintain and improve your quality of movement and versatility too!
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #18
Focus on the compound exercises
When it comes to strenght/muscle mass/fat loss training… and you are not a competitive body-builder, professional athelete or recovering from an injury… focus on the compound exercises instead of isolation exercises!
For most fitness goals they are more then enough and more time efficient. Isolation exercises can also have their place but its a bit of time luxury if you are training 1-3 times week.
What are the compound exercises?
Squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, rows, bench press, overhead press, push ups, dips, handstand press, olympic weightlifting exercises (snatch, clean)…
What are the isolation exercises?
For example: Sit ups, biceps curls, triceps pushdowns, leg extensions, leg ab-adductions…
*The compound exercises are using multiple joints and more muscles at the same time.
*They give much bigger hormonal and metabolic effect, so they trigger the body more adaptation for strenght, muscle growth, fat loss.
*They are more functional movement patterns, the whole body is working together as one unit which is better for coordination and everyday life.
*They elevate more the heart rate, they have better cardiovascular training effect.
Bonus tip
Practice regularly and progressively the exercises from the following groups: squats, deadlifts (hip hinge), pulling, pushing with a suitable, progressive training program and most of your fitness goals can be achieved.
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #19
Train barefoot
Train barefoot or in flexible, thin soled minimalist shoes whenever its possible. Except certain sports where a special footwear is neccessary, dangerous terrain conditions for safety. Or in competitive situations, where the speed is important.
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Who was born is shoes? Nature give us the perfect footwear for most activities! Use it or lose it.
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If you are always training in rigid, thick soled, super stabilized shoes it changes the whole body biomechanics from the base to top.
The muscles will not work in the natural, optimal ratios which can lead to muscle, joint weakness, stiffness and injuries, suboptimal coordination/body awareness in the long run.
Bonus tip
If you just start training barefoot or in minimalist shoes go gradually and give enough time the body to adapt.
In the transition peiod its also good idea to do some foot massage with tennis balls, foam rollers.
You can start with walking barefoot at home, in the garden, park, forest, doing the strenght trainings etc.
Later its also possible to run sprints, hiking or even a trail marathon without shoes!
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #20
Improve the function of mitochondria
Mitochondria are the tiny powerhouses in the cells producing energy for life from fats, carbohydrates and oxigen. There are hundreds and thousand of mitochondria in each muscle or nerve cells.
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So if you would like to feel more energetic in everday life, brain work and sports, its worth to improve their function, increase their number and not damaging them with some modern lifestyle choices.
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How to improve the quantity and quality of mitochondria?
*Natural day&night rhythm: sunrise, lot of sun during the day, limiting blue lights after sunset (artificial lights, phone and screen time)
*Quality sleep
*Aerobic exercises
*Intensive intervall workouts
*Breathing exercises, breath hold practices
*Deuterium depleted water (mitochondria dont like deuterium, they prefer normal hydrogen)
*More healthy fats in the diet. Fats are lower in deuterium. We can burn fat only in the mitochondria, so the body will produce more stoves to burn them.
*Fasting from time to time.
*Heat and cold exposure.
*Certain supplements.
Bonus tip
Instead of focusing too much on the fuel (diet and supplements) and the racing (heavy workouts) try to build bigger and more efficient engine first (or at least together with diet and exercise changes). If the engine is broken, it will not work 100% even if you put in the best, cleanest fuel on the world.
Read the #21-30 Workout Tips HERE!
Join the next SunnyFitness camp for more Fitness Tips and lifetime experiences!