The SunnyFitness Workout Tips series continues!
If you haven’t read the first 40 tips, you can start HERE!
Table of Contents
(click on the titles below to quickly jump to the specific tip)
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #41 Maintain your weight in the holiday season
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #42 Use a fractal training system
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #43 Make friendship with the cold
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #44 Maintain a good level of joint mobility
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #45 Spice up your legday with jumps
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #46 Keep active rest periods in strenght training
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #47 Have light, moderate and heavy workouts as well
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #48 Do HIIT and Sprint Intervals for fatloss and endurance
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #49 Crawl like a baby and the animals
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #50 Warm up and you’ll see
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #41
Maintain your weight in the holiday season
With the big choice of yummi foods, sweets and cakes, its easy to gain a few kg weight in a few days and the next year’s trainings starts sluggish.
If you dont care and just want to enjoy the holidays, than have fun and dont read further!
In case you would like to enjoy the meals and still maintenaning your weight, the following tips can come in handy!
The main reasons of building some insulating layer in the Christmas weeks are the processed, refined, high sugar and deuterium rich foods, carbs out of season, eating late, snacking all day, staying indoors all day under artificial lights, sitting too much, moving less.
Here are a few lifestyle hacks you can do:
- have limits in the quantity
- choose more natural food ingredients, instead of the refined, processed sources
- eat a few big meals instead of snacking all day
- start the meal with high protein, satieting foods before the sweets
- eat a high protein breakfast and you have less hunger during the day
- choose dry alkohols: wine, spirits without added sugar
- cold shower, ice swimming: they can burn a lot of calories
- maintain a normal circadian rhythm: watch the sunrise, go outdoors frequently, eat the dinner early, limit the artificial lights in the evening and use candles instead
- go hiking, walking, do some exercises even on holidays
- dont sit too long, stand up frequently, make some tasks, play with the kids
- do a set of push-ups, squats before or after the meals
Bonus tip
Take it easy! If you were consciously, diligently train, work, dieting the whole year you may deserve a lazy, not perfect week. Remember your mindset before and you can continue after the holidays.
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #42
Use a fractal training system
Use the principle of fractals for organizing your workouts, if you have limited time for training.
This way you can have everything like a full time athlete but in a smaller amount and with slower progress. Dont worry, think how far you can go in years and decades!
To be super fit, checking all the advanced bodyweight skills, lifting big weights and at the same time being able to run a marathon, etc. is a big challenge and requires quality training almost every day.
However most people dont have time for it or just want to be fit in general, fully functioning, looking good, injury and pain free.
To reach a well rounded, athletic physique, you should include:
- resistance training (bodyweight and/or weights) to get stronger and have good joint mobility
- movement skills training to improve coordination and confidence in any movement situation
- endurance training (HIIT, sprint-intervall and lower intensity aerobic) for cardiovascular fitness which is also important for longevity
Think about how many quality workouts you can do in a week and use similar training system like the elite athletes but in a smaller volume, appropriate exercise selection and progressions for your level.
Instead of 1 week cycles you can also separate the workouts into 2-4 weeks cycles.
Focus on 1-2 movement skills and fitness qualities for 2-3 month, than change for other one.
Its also possible to do complex workout like this: 5-10min warmup, 10-15min movement skill practice, 30-40min resistance training, 10-15min endurance.
Of course there are a lot of individual factors to take into consideration, these are just general guidelines.
Bonus tip
Prioritize strenght training because it gives the most bang for your buck. It will also give you a basic endurance stimulus as your heart rate goes up&down. You will be better in movement skills as well, because you can handle your bodyweight better in any movement situations.
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #43
Make friendship with the cold
A lot of sunbathing in summer, a little chilling in winter. With similar positive effects, just on other pathways. The former is more pleasant, but the other side is also worth getting to know.
Having some cold stimuli is an instant refresh and also anti-inflammatory. It improves the efficiency of mitochondria, expands your comfort zone, and you can sense the real, natural winter environment.
The most shocking experiences I had about my body were when I started to practice cold adaptation and cold water swimming around 2014.
Before I also wore a warm coat, gloves, and cap in the freezing winter. Later it was life-changing when I read about the biologic background and that we are capable of adapting to cold temperatures. So first, my brain accepted that it is possible, and then I started experimenting with it on myself.
In the first winter, after 1-2 months of practice, I was already able to swim for 5-6 minutes in ice water, cycling, hiking in T-shirts and shorts for hours in the freezing temperature.
Dont worry, I didn’t get cold and my joints are still perfect!
Chilling in the cold is completely safe if you don’t go crazy and gradually improve your cold tolerance. There are many ways to do it, the point is to cool the skin without overcooling the internal core heat (hypothermia).
- cold showers
- ice-water face dunks
- put ice on yourself (first only through clothes, later directly to the skin
- bathe in the outdoor waters
- cold chambers, cryo saunas
Bonus tip
If all above sounds scary and freezing you to make even the first step, than have a step 0. like spending 1-2 minutes outdoors with less clothes or decrease the temprature at home a little bit. And read more about the topic
How is your relationship with cold?
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #44
Maintain a good level of joint mobility
Living in a human body is the best feeling when its fully functioning, strong and flexible, painfree.
Its not so fun when its rusty, stiff, always one step before a muscle strain.
The kids can move in any crazy angle, without pain and limitations.
However as adults (and unfortunately also many teenagers) we can lose mobility in our joints with the modern sitting and screen staring lifestyle, or overdoing certain movement patterns.
In this case we cant reach or best sport potential, the injury risk increases and we may have fear from certain movements.
Its better to have stong and flexible ankles, hips, spine, shoulders, wrists lifelong.
Mobility and flexibility are not exactly the same. Mobility is the ability of a joint to move actively through a range of motion.
Flexibility is the ability of a muscle or muscle groups to lengthen passively through a range of motion.
With other, simplified words: a good mobility is when we are strong and flexible at the same time.
Most people dont need an extreme level in mobility, just to be able to do any everyday task, basic exercises with joy and without pain, restrictions.
A few tips to rebuild and maintain a good joint mobility:
- minimizing sitting in the same position (and chair, sofa, car, etc.)
- being aware about our everyday movements, posture and dont overdo something (or at least balance it out)
- have variety in the everyday movements
- daily walking, hanging, squatting, sitting on the floor in various positions
- regular practice of special mobility exercises, natural movements, yoga, pilates
- resistance training in a smart way: both upper and lower body exercises, full range of motion, nice technique, controlled tempo
Bonus tip
Have a 5-10 minutes of daily, full body mobility routine. This way its easy to maintain a good level.
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #45
Spice up your legday with jumps
Its cool if someone starts or already practice regularly squats, deadlifts and other leg focused exercises. They are very popular and can be useful.
However we can rarely see people jumping in a gym. Except track&field, ball game athletes, or some crossfit-functional training folks with the box jumps here and there. BTW kids are also jumping…
Jumping is a basic natural movement. Use it or lose it!
Its a pure expression of power, cool feeling when you can fly for a short period of time.
You teach your fast muscles to fire and coordinate more efficiently, learn to absorb the big impact energies and its worth to teach the body landing safely. Jumps are building a fast, explosive, skillful athletic body.
There are hundreds of different jumping techniques! Pogo jumps, one or two legged vertical-broad jumps, squat jumps, lunge jumps, side jumps, depth jumps, target jumps, box jumps, various plyometric jumps, vaulting, obstacle jumps etc.
Start with a few month of basic strenght and mobility training to prepare the muscles and joints to make the jumps more safe.
Then start with the lighter impact jumps and build up gradually even to crazy plyometrics and jumping at challenging natural obstacles.
Bonus tip
Jumps can be done as a technical skill practice after warmup in the beginning of a workout. Or I like to do them in supersets with weightlifting or other heavy leg exercises. In low volume, only a few reps, highly focused.
Do you jump?
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #46
Keep active rest periods in strenght training
There are certain exercise+intensity combinations after we feel the muscles are burning, we breath even through our ears and we only want to lay down on the floor for a few minutes. These are usually the STRENGHT-ENDURANCE type exercises, when we push hard for 30sec-2min with high intensity. Like 10-20 reps of weighted squat or running a max. 400-800m.
However when you train for STRENGHT in the 1-5 rep range and the exercise takes maximum 15-20 sec, the heart rate is not going crazy high, you can still breath kind of normally and there is no high level of lactic acid accumulation in the blood.
When it comes to training for strenght, power, speed its wise to rest 2-5 minutes (sometimes even more) between the sets. So there is plently of time when you can choose to sit down and do nothing, scroll on your phone, talk to the people around or…
Or use this time for useful, not exhausting supplementary exercises and this way you also enhance the recovery!
Like easy mobility, yoga, breathing (and visualization) exercises, walking, juggleing! Do a few reps of jumps or pracitce other movement skills, movement snacks.
Bonus tip
A hack for more range of motion and power output in the primary exercise! Many times its the tension in the opposing muscles which prevents maximum muscular contractions in the primary muscles. Do some static stretching between the sets but dont stretch the muscles you are working! Instead, stretch the antagonist (opposing) muscle group. Like between pull-ups stretch the chest. Hang between pushing exercises.
How do you spend the rest periods in strenght training?
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #47
Have light, moderate and heavy workouts as well
Explore different intensities in training!
In order to improve your body awareness, master movement in general, develop wide range of fitness, how much your body can adapt and how much regeneration is neccessary…
Preferably each week spend some time with light, moderate and heavy training as well!
LIGHT workouts for feeling good in your body, for warmup, for mobility, as movement snacks, daily movement routines, walking. They are perfect for everyday movement practice and body maintenance.
MODERATE intensity workouts for technical development, building work capacity, aerobic fitness, enjoying the movement. They are not easy but also not exhausting. They can also be done almost every day.
HEAVY, intense workouts for development in any sports, exercise or movement skill, pushing the limits, expanding the comfort zone. However, we have limited capacity to train hard, so its better to do it only 1-4 times a week and leaving enough recovery after, having rest days between.
Bonus tip
If you still feel tired after the warm-up and feel that you can’t perform any better than in the previous workout, it’s probably worth replacing the heavy workout planned for that day with an easy or moderate intensity training.
Do you always push full power or are you afraid to train hard or do you vary the intensity?
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #48
Do HIIT and Sprint Intervals for fatloss and endurance
High Intensity Intervall Training and Sprint Intervals are similar to each other and very time efficient workout methods.
Repeat a couple of times: short (10-30sec) intense work + short rest, 1-3 times a week
With the right implementation they give better results (endurance, strenght-endurance, fatloss) in 10-20 minutes than a slow-moderate intensity longer duration cardio exercise for 30-60min.
Super methods for getting lean fast without the fear of losing muscle or strenght.
However, they are not for complete beginners and with high obesity, but you can start gradually after 1-3 month of diet&lifestyle changes, basic strenght and endurance training.
HIIT is when you give your 85-100% in each intervall and have very short rest periods, like 10-30″, high number of sets.
- Tabata: 1-3x (8×20″ work / 10″ rest)
- 30-60 x (8″ work / 12″ rest)
- 10-20 x (50-100m run / 10-20″ rest)
The Sprint Interval is a bit more advanced workout with always 100% intensity, longer rest (30″ to 2-3min) and less repetitions
- 4-8 x (30″ work and 60-90″ rest)
- 1-2 x (400, 300, 200, 100m run and 1-3 minute rests)
- 8-10 x (50-100m run and 60-90″ rest)
Bonus tip
For optimal individual adaptations, listen to your body! Stop the workout when your performance is dropping about 20% below your best or if your body gives you any other indication that you shouldn’t push yourself any further or started to lose the motivation for the next set.
Do you practice HIIT and Sprint Intervals?
Read my ARTICLE about the topic with much more details!
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #49
Crawl like a baby and the animals
What if a few simple movement on the ground, for a few minutes, could make you more flexible, more energized, ready for anything?
What if those simple exercises could fix most of your mobility issues, training plateaus and give you a well rounded-basic fitness level?
Re-introduce crawling exercises in your movement life!
Crawl like a baby, a bear, tiger, lizard, crab or spider, a soldier under barbed wire.
Jump like a rabbit, monkey, frog etc.
Use them:
- as movement snacks anytime
- as warmup
- for basic strenght, endurance, coordination
- for joint mobility and stability
- refreshing basic movement patterns
- muscle-joint stiffnes from doing the same exercises for long time
Bonus tip
There are countless crawling techniques, learn many of them! Once you have them in your movement library, mix them together! Few steps with one technique, then transition to an other one, etc. Spend a few minutes with this improvisation and you will feel more alive, guaranteed!
SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #50
Warm up and you’ll see
Sometimes you have a workout scheduled, but the work, lots of sitting, previous workout fatigue or other life situations leave you feeling tired, powerless, stiff, unmotivated. You feel like skipping the workout.
Sometimes it really is the best solution! Otherwise, you’ll end up with a foggy, mediocre workout that won’t make much progress and could even be higher injury risk. Instead, get some rest and train fresher in a day or two!
BUT! Based on years of experience, both my own and others, often all it takes is a 5-10 minute thorough warmup and you’ll be rejuvenated and ready for action, even for a serious workout! You can tap into your hidden reserves.
This way you can maintain continuity and finish the day with a positive experience.
You don’t necessarily need extra coffee or a pre-workout drinks! Just oil up your joints with some mobilisation or yoga/pilates exercises, hang for a couple of 10 seconds, increase your circulation, get balanced with breathing exercises, etc.
So if your schedule allows, give your workout a chance with a thorough warm-up and then you’ll see!
Bonus tip
A more advanced training philosophy, if you are already well educated in the exercises, training principles and have a high level of body awareness, it’s still worth deciding the workload for the day after the warm-up. Even when you feel completely fresh.
You don’t necessarily always have to stick strictly to your training plan, weights, sets, reps, time intervals, just stay within the limits of your planned training goals (strength, endurance, speed, muscle mass, etc.). So you may be able to get an even better workout than the original plan. Science and art.
Have you experienced it?
Read the next workout tips #51-60 HERE!
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