SunnyFitness Workout Tips #91-100

The SunnyFitness Workout Tips series continues!

If you haven’t read the first 90 tips, you can start HERE!

(click on the titles below to quickly jump to the specific tip)

SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #91 Balance out the sitting lifestyle

SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #92 Be gradual at all levels

SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #93 Vary the tempo of the exercise

SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #94 Rest enough for yours goals

SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #95 Run your own race

SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #96 Train for your brain

SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #97 Careful with the gadgets

SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #98 Be strong to be helpful

SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #99 Manage your resources wisely

SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #100 Ask your 100-year-old self

SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #91
Balance out the sitting lifestyle

Welcome in the 21st century where we spend 2-12 hours a day in 1-2 type of common sitting positions. Usually it means: sitting in a chair, car, public transport, around the table and we even relax by sitting on the sofa…

However our musculature was not designed for this long term static postures. Rather for sitting on the floor with more variety and for a lot of movement!

After few hours of sitting, there is a state of mind when we become ‘pseudo tired’ and there is no willpower to do any exercise just relaxing with more sitting on the sofa 🙂

The first step, to start doing some movement is the hardest. After you get the flow it’s usually very rewarding and you won’t regret it!

Fortunately there are many solution to be not eaten completely by the chair!

Frequent, short breaks from sitting
Frequent light, mini workouts: Movement Snacks
Sitting with much more variety, changing positions
Building muscles in the whole body so they hold better
Special strengthening for the muscles which became lazy while sitting
Lots of walking and doing variety of sport activities

Bonus tip

Be aware of the problem, you are not alone. 80-90% of the world has the same issues. Instead of being a victim of the sedentary life, take conscious actions to make the sitting lifestyle sustainable in the long run!

SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #92
Be gradual at all levels

Gradualism should be present in every training session and at the level of weeks, months, training cycles too.

This is also the reason why it is important, for example, to do (general and specific) warm-up exercises to prepare the body and nervous system.

Gradualism is also smart idea when it comes to introduce new exercises and training methods or equipments.

Development in sports is usually a slow, step by step process (weeks, months, years). Think long term and you can develop continuously and staying motivated. Without disappointments or setbacks.

On the scale of weeks/months gradually increase the Volume, Intensity, Complexity within one training cycle depending on the goals.

At the end of a cycle have a deload week, rest period or enjoy your peak performance on a test, in the mirror or in a competition.

Then continue with new goals on a higher level!

Bonus tip

In strength training it’s worth to ’sacrifice’ the first 1-2 working sets with a littbe bit undershooting the weight, resistance. This way you will know what are you capable that day. After you can make one or more peak sets and you can stay in the flow, you will be satisfied with the workout.

SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #93
Vary the tempo of the exercise

Back in the days I knew only 3 variables in strength training: weight/resistance, reps and sets. I thougth I made the best workout I could do with this 3 parameters only.

Don’t worry, it works very good for months and years! Especially in the beginning, you don’t have to overcomplicate things and it’s still much better then doing nothing!

However, when you reach the first plateau or have big goals or less time, then you may start to think… How can you make the time spent with training more efficient?

Later I read the books of Charles Poliquin and it was a big discovery that if we change the TEMPO of the exercise we get different outcomes and we can reach certain goals faster.

We can take advantage of eccentric („negative”) part of the exercise, where we are stronger. Like lowering yourself in the pull-up, squat, push-up, etc.

So the eccentric part can be longer, like 3-6 second tempo and the concentric („positive”) part a normal 1 sec tempo. This way we can gain muscle or strength faster.

You can add few sec pause as well at the end points of the exercise.

Slow eccentrics are coming in handy also in mobility and rehab work or when you are not ready yet for a pull-up. You can practice 5-10 sec pull-up negatives only and you can reach your first pull-up soon.

If you want to be more athletic and explosive, then make the concentric part as fast as possible and lower in controlled way in 1-2 sec or skip the eccentric part completely.

Of course all above is more complex and depends always on individual context!

Bonus tip

Playing with the tempo depends on also how far you are from a competition or desired peak performance. In general, slow eccentric tempo suits best in the base building period, because it creates more muscle soreness. As you get closer to the peak it’s usually better to shift more to the fast tempo and focus more on the explosive concentric execution.

SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #94
Rest enough for yours goals

Many people would like to finish the training as fast as possible and doing as much volume, intensity as possible. Feeling a good pump in the muscles or feeling exhausted and than everything is fine…

However, in many cases it’s not the optimal way.

Usually we do multiple sets from an exercise within one training session. Different fitness goals require different rest periods between sets! To have enough time to recharge the energy systems and nervous system and to have optimal hormonal effects, adaptation triggers.

How much should we rest between sets?

It depends on the main goal and individual context of course!

In general…

Strength, speed, movement skills: 3-5 minutes (sometimes even more!)
Strength-endurance, muscle building, endurance, fat loss, light movement practice: 10 to 60-90sec.

In short: don’t rush with the rest or don’t rest too much, depending on your goals.

After training for a while (months and years), it can be more automatic and based on body awareness. Especially if you know why are you doing certain type of training.

Keep learning and moving!

Bonus tip

The most common time saving trick is to use supersets/trisets or even longer circuit training stlye. When you pair exercises for different muscle groups/movement patterns, you always have more time before the next set of each exercise. This way you may lose a few % from your best performance but save a lot of time and possible to do more volume.

SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #95
Run your own race

You may be impressed by some higher level fitness ‘gurus’ or professional athletes on social media.

You may feel jealousy or anxiety that you will never be able to reach that level. The good news is that you can do almost every movement as those people but in the appropriate level!

Scale the training to your level and schedule! And if you are consistent enough, then you can make a spectacular progress in a few years (many times even in few months).

Not able to do a push-up yet? Put your hands on a box and go fo it.
Not able to do a pull-up yet? Use your feet or a rubber band as assistance or practice negative pull-ups.
Not able to squat, deadlift or bench press a huge weight? For sure there is a weight where you can start.
Not able to run a marathon yet? Start runnig 5-10K…
Not able to do the front/middle split? Step by step you can reach it!
Don’t have that lean and muscular body yet? It will come by exercising regularly, paying attention to nutrition and lifestyle.

Most advanced fitness goals are possible for most people. It’s just a question of decision, passion and consistent, smart work. Celebrate the weekly/monthy (small) progress!

Bonus tip

I don’t believe everything is possible in sports (or life). I won’t be an Olympic champion weightlifter or marathon runner tomorrow, not even 4 years later but I can reach a good level. Everyone has some limits, finite time and energy what can invest into training. However for sure there is still a huge untapped potential in everyone which is possible to unleash!

SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #96
Train for your brain

Did you know that you become smarter by exercising?

And also preventing cognitive decline, so you can keep your brain sharp and young!

Both aerobic and resistance training can improve various cognitive functions on different pathways:

memory, learning
planning and persisting for long term goals
task management, problem solving
focusing and also multitasking
stress-anxiety-depression management

How does it work?

Any sport activity requieres a high level of brain/nervous system activity. You should coordinate your whole body, firing the right muscles at the right time to execute even a simple movement. You need a super computer for this!

Increasing and maintainng good cardiovascular health
Better blood sugar and inflammation management
Increasing the number and efficiency of mitochondria
Hormonal level: boosting testosterone, growth hormone, better stress hormone tolerance
Neuroplasticity: the brain’s ability to adapt or change over time, by creating new neurons and building new networks.

Regular and various (endurance, strength, speed, complex movements) physical activities are probably the best tool for the ageless, sharp brain! It would be a shame to miss it!

Bonus tip

Play complex (sport) games. Challange yourself physically. Learn and practice new movement skills. Improve the skills of your non-dominant hand and leg. Practice improvisational moment flow or free dancing. Walk every day. Run, swim, bike, crawl, jump, lift heavy…

SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #97
Careful with the gadgets

The various measuring devices (heart rate-, lactic acid-, blood sugar-, ketone-, sleep monitors, smart watches) that allow us to measure and analyse our various physiological processes and exercise parameters are proof of ingenious scientific and engineering achievements.

They can give you good feedback and help you optimise your training load. I wrote my diploma thesis on this topic…

Yet, nature and the human body are rather complex and it’s almost impossible to measure and take into account all the important parameters at the same time.

Also, it is one thing what biochemical processes are going on inside, another is the mental component, which is just as important and difficult to monitor.

Lots of elite athletes calibrate precisely every workout and meal, supported by a whole staff in the backgound. This scientific method often works, but not always. Even to this day, there are champions who rely heavily on non-so-scientific empirical training methods, their coach’s eye and ‘training by feel’ with relatively cheap tools.

Moreover, if you are competing, nobody is holding your hand or no gadget can guarantee that you will perform at your best.

If you love gadgets and have time to study and analyse your workout parameters, then you should go for it! It is also an exciting and rewarding learning period.

I think it is possible to train and make progress at a high level without technical tools, even for decades. An experienced coach can also be of great help, and they should be involved on a regular basis or at least from time to time.

Bonus tip

Sport is both a science and an art form. You need the scientific foundations, but also a good dose of creativity and intuition. So develop your knowledge and experience in both fields.

SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #98
Be strong to be helpful

I heard this ‘philosophy’ when I started practicing MovNat and I absuletly agree!

What is the purpose of training regularly and becoming stronger, more fit?

One purpuse can be selfish and in this case it’s totally fine. Why not to have a strong, healthy, agile, enduring, aesthetic body?

Then you don’t need help for everyday movement situations, like lifting and carrying something heavy or climbing the stairs, a tree, you can walk, run, swim longer distances, sitting longer without backpain etc.

Moreover there are many advanced level fitness goals which takes years to achive. It’s a great feeling to experience them once in a life and you can learn a lot on the journey.

Bonus side effect is that a sporty life with goals gives you a direction and requieres a healthier lifestlye. It may keep you away from many destructive habits, being lost with boredom buster and unproductive activities.

The other purpose should be that you will be helpful/useful for others if you are fit.

I believe for men it’s a must to reach and maintain a good level of strength to be able to take care and protect the older people, the women and kids.

For women it’s more optional but they can also benefit from being healthy, strong, enduring, more self confident and being able to do many tasks independently when they are alone.

Bonus tip

Sign up now for the ’Fit Grandma/Grandpa Club’ with regular training and enjoy life with youthful energy and function, lifelong. We are in this lucky era when all the information is there how to reach this.

SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #99
Manage your resources wisely

It’s very common that people go too hard, get exhausted in the first part of a workout or a competition when they feel fresh and very motivated.
Then in the second part their performance drops significantly and can’t execute the plan optimally.

There is a difference between a competition or maximum test compared to a workout or training cycle!

On the test of course do your best that day and go full power, don’t save your energy!
A workout or the whole training cycle is about to put in the necessary work with sufficient volume, intensity, quality to get better one day, later on the test! Nothing more, nothing less.
See SunnyFitness Tips #25: Build a new process with each workout.

A similar concept is true in distance competitions (running, biking, rowing sports, etc.) or multiple event races (like CrossFit, decathlon, pentathlon). The race finishes at the finish line. Nobody cares if you were good in the beginning but barely reach the finish line and everyone beats you to the end or you can’t show your best performance.

Of course each situation is different but manage your resources wisely!

Bonus tip

Zoom out, see the bigger picture and be happy if you executed the bigger unit properly (like a full workout, training cycle, race) instead of being the superhero in the beginning and then underperforming in the later parts.

SUNNYFITNESS TIPS #100
Ask your 100-year-old self

Play with the following thought experiment! Take a time travel and ask your 100-year-old self (hopefully still alive) what your sporting life was like.

You were a lazy couchwarrior?
Have you ever pulled your own bodyweight up (pull-up) at least once in life?
Did you manage to hold a nice handstand?
Did you reach a nice place in a competition?
Have you set a new world record?
Have you built a healthy, aesthetic, strong and flexible body?
Were you able to move your body in full function lifelong, and you did not need the help of others? In fact you were able to help others?
Or did you have all of these together?

I believe that developing and maintaining high-quality general movement skills for a lifetime can be a priority for most people. Other performance milestones are completely individual choices, icing on the cake.

Let’s go, you have a couple of years ahead to be satisfied with your sporting results when you are 100!

Bonus tip

Find your passion in sport. Don’t worry about what others think you have to achieve; this is your life! For me, every effort and result are equal. Be it the Olympic Championship title or the one who persuades themselves to train regularly. Who are you in the sport world? A competitive athlete, an enthusiastic fitness fan or a coach? Try more areas and come up with it yourself!

Here we are at the 100th and final episode of the SunnyFitness Tips!

I will continue them but with other format.

Thanks for reading them and I hope they will be useful tools in your fitness journey!

How did you enjoy them? Is there something you would add?