When it comes to achieving fitness goals, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Each individual’s body responds differently to exercise, which is why custom workout plans are so effective. Here’s what goes into creating a plan that’s as unique as you are.
Understanding Your Current Fitness Level
The first step in crafting your custom workout plan is assessing your current fitness level. This isn’t just about how much you can lift or how far you can run—it’s about understanding where you are holistically: your nutrition, sleep, stress management, etc. This assessment helps ensure that the plan we develop is appropriately challenging without being overwhelming.
Analyzing Your Current Workout Plan
What activities are you currently engaged in? Do you enjoy running or are you more of a lifter? Understanding your current activities helps us build upon what you already do, making the transition to a new routine smoother and more enjoyable. It also allows us to identify any gaps in your current workout plan that we can fill to make you fitter and stronger.
Consistency and Commitment
How often do you exercise? Are you able to stick to routines? Your answers help us tailor a plan that fits into your lifestyle. A custom plan needs to be realistic—something you can commit to consistently. Whether you can dedicate three days or six days to exercise, your plan will align with your real-life commitments.
Defining Specific Fitness Goals
Next, we pinpoint your specific goal. Are you looking to lose weight, gain muscle, improve endurance, or just get healthier? Your goal dictate the exercises, intensity, and frequency of your workouts. This goal-setting phase ensures that every part of your plan is designed to move you efficiently toward your desired outcome.
Motivation and Preferences
Understanding what motivates you is key to maintaining your interest and commitment. Do you thrive on challenges, or do you need gentle encouragement? We also consider what types of activities you enjoy most. This insight helps us craft a plan that not only challenges you but also keeps you coming back for more.
Determining how many days per week you can realistically work out allows us to structure your program for optimal results. We balance workout days with rest days to optimize recovery and performance, ensuring that your plan is sustainable over the long term.
Gym Access and Equipment Familiarity
Do you have a gym membership, or do you prefer working out at home? The availability of equipment and your familiarity with it help shape your workout plan. We create workouts that utilize the equipment you have access to, ensuring your exercises are effective and doable.
If you have any pre-existing injuries, we take these into account to avoid aggravation and facilitate recovery. The plan will include modifications and alternative exercises to ensure your safety while still allowing you to make progress.
Age and Lifestyle Factors
Age impacts how your body responds to exercise. We consider age-related metabolic changes, potential joint concerns, and endurance levels to tailor a plan that’s effective and appropriate. Lifestyle factors like job demands and family commitments also play a role in shaping your schedule and workout intensity.
Sleep and Stress
Quality sleep and managed stress levels significantly impact fitness results. Your workout plan will include tips on how to improve sleep patterns and manage stress, integral components of a holistic approach to fitness.
Building a custom workout plan is a thorough process that considers a multitude of factors to ensure it’s perfectly suited to your needs. When we focus on your individual characteristics and preferences, we craft a roadmap to success that’s tailored just for you.
We’re all constantly being told what to do, what we’re doing wrong, and or how to do something better. Many times those messages are opinion-based and unreliable. And other times they’re science-based, but overwhelming and potentially even unrealistic to follow. In our case, after decades of working in the fitness space, seeing it and hearing it all, we like a blended approach of opinion and science, or as we like to consider it: art and science.
Fitness is something that’s incredibly personal. We’re all built differently, move differently, and lead different lives and lifestyles. It’s impossible to create one absolutely-perfect plan for everyone, but in our opinion there is a way to design a very strong foundation for one.
Whether you’re feeling it’s time to reset and restart your fitness, or simply optimize what you’re already doing with a new approach, read on.
Eat cleaner. Get leaner. The Fat Loss Meal Planner helps you build high-protein, macro-aligned meals that actually support your body — and your goals.
Your High Performance Workout Plan Overview
In developing this workout plan, we considered the following: strength, power, mobility, heart health, and recovery. Those are essentials.
Strength training is the base of any high performer’s programming. We’ve designed three days of workouts that cover all the major muscle groups.
And considering that research shows power begins to decline by 1% each year after 35, we’ve designed a HIIT (high intensity interval training) and metabolic conditioning workout that incorporates movements that enable you to be explosive and move fast.
As for heart health, 150 minutes of moderate intensity cardio (or 75 minutes of vigorous or a combo of the two) per week is the recommended amount according to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. So, we’ve programmed in one low and slow cardio day within the program along with that day of HIIT training, and if you’re walking daily, you should be able to reach that threshold.
And as far as recovery and mobility goes, we’ve provided a pre-workout warm-up to prepare your body for action and a post-workout stretch to support recovery. We’ve also included a couple days per week of low intensity activities to ensure the body has the time it needs to fully recover.
Your Pre-Workout Dynamic Warm-Up Routine (10 minutes)
Strength Days
World’s Greatest Stretch x 5 each side Cat Cow x 5 Lateral Lunge x 10 each side Bodyweight Squat x 10 Lateral Lunge x 10 each side Push-ups x 5 Superman x 10 Plank hold x 20 seconds
HIIT/Cardio Days
World’s Greatest Stretch x 5 each side Cat Cow x 5 Lateral Lunge x 10 each side High Knees x 20 seconds Butt Kicks x 20 seconds Plank hold x 20 seconds
Your Post-Workout Static Stretching Routine (12 minutes)
Repeat 2x
Forward Fold x 1 minute Seated Twist x 1 minute each side Frog Stretch x 1 minute Pigeon Pose x 1 minute Lat Stretch x 1 minute Pec Stretch x 1 minute
Your High Performance Workouts
Complete the following workouts for 6 – 8 weeks. Each week, attempt to slightly increase the amount of resistance you use for the strength exercises. On HIIT / metabolic conditioning days, attempt to move slightly more quickly and/or efficiently. On the long and slow cardio days, increase your distance or time spent. Incremental increases should not exceed 10% each week.
After the eighth week, reduce your efforts by 20 – 30% for one week. Repeat the cycle.
Monday: Strength (Full Body)
Complete the exercise below as straight sets, one after the next before moving onto the next exercise. Rest 45 seconds between sets.
Plank 5 sets x maximum hold Weighted Squat (of choice) 5 sets x 10-12 repetitions Bent-over Row 5 sets x 10-12 repetitions Chest Press 5 sets x 10-12 repetitions Biceps Curl 5 sets x 10-12 repetitions Triceps Pushdown 5 sets x 10-12 repetitions
Thruster x 5-10 repetitions Mountain climber x 5-10 repetitions Lunges x 5-10 repetitions Push-Ups x 5-10 repetitions Squat Thrust x 5-10 repetitions Jumping Jack x 1 minutes
Thursday: Strength (Full Body)
Complete the exercise below as straight sets, one after the next before moving onto the next exercise. Rest 45 seconds between sets.
Hollow Hold 5 sets x maximum hold Lunges (Forward or Reverse) 5 sets x 10-12 repetitions Lat Pulldown 5 sets x 10-12 repetitions Overhead Press 5 sets x 10-12 repetitions Hammer Curl 5 sets x 10-12 repetitions Triceps Skull-crusher 5 sets x 10-12 repetitions
Complete the exercise below as straight sets, one after the next before moving onto the next exercise. Rest 45 seconds between sets.
Bird Dog Row 3-5 sets x 10-12 repetitions Leg Extension 3-5 sets x 10-12 repetitions Leg Curl 3-5 sets x 10-12 repetitions Pull-Up 3-5 sets x maximum repetitions Push-Ups 3-5 sets x maximum repetitions High Pull 3-5 sets x 10-12 repetitions Eccentric Biceps Curl 3-5 sets x 10-12 repetitions Eccentric Triceps Push-down 3-5 sets x 10-12 repetitions
Sunday: Long & Slow Cardio
30,45, or 60+ minutes of Zone 2 cardio of choice (e.g. run, row, bike, etc.)
Your High Performance Meal Plan
When it comes to nutrition, things get a bit more nuanced based on the individual. For general fitness, we like to consume 40% protein, 40% carbohydrate, and 20% fat in each of our meals, with some generous wiggle room on the percentages. That’s what seems to work best for body composition and day to day performance. However, it’s important to note that endurance athletes, such as triathletes, or hybrid athletes (those who do HYROX, Spartan Races, Tough Mudders, etc.), those numbers will look a lot different. Those types of athletes would need significantly more carbohydrates. Another consideration is everyone’s starting points are different and would change the total amount of food needed. Still, here’s a sample meal plan that looks a lot like what we eat daily.
Breakfast
Eggs (combination of whole & whites), oatmeal and/or whole grain toast, side of avocado
Snack
Mix nuts of choice
Lunch
Mixed greens salad with grilled chicken, tofu, or fish with two to three vegetable toppings, quinoa or brown rice, extra virgin olive oil
Snack
Performance Pudding: Protein powder, chia seeds, oatmeal, Greek yogurt, unsweetened almond milk, water
Dinner
Grilled chicken breast, turkey, or fish, brown rice or sweet potato, vegetable of choice
Your Deep Sleep, Low Stress Plan
Long gone are the days of operating on limited sleep and wearing it like a badge of honor. Quality sleep is non-negotiable for performance since it allows the body to rest, repair, and rebuild.
There are a few ways to set yourself up for better sleep at night that include winding down from stimulating conversations close to bedtime, not eating too close to bedtime, turning off phones, and blacking out the room from light. But one of the simplest ones, that’s quite easy to be consistent with, is turning the thermostat down. Our bodies need a core temperature drop to sleep well, and numerous sleep studies and research show that cooler (but not too cool) are best for sleep. In fact, the Cleveland Clinic recommends temperatures between 60-67 are best for quality sleep. And, temperatures above 75 or below 54 are disruptive.
Breathe Easy
The American Psychological Association has extensively broken down how stress affects every system in the body. Their suggestions for combating it: regular exercise, eating well, good sleep, and stress reduction techniques. One such technique that we’ve found to be helpful is 4-7-8 breathing. Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, exhale for 8 seconds. Focus on breathing into the belly and not in the chest. Inhales are from the nose, exhales are out of the mouth. We also encourage daily morning meditation and journaling.
My physical pursuit for life is to be well-rounded and durable. I’d like to remain as fit as I can to perform in the sports that I enjoy for as long as I’m on the earth.
I’m one year out from shoulder surgery and I just completed my first muscle up. (Original publication of this piece was March 6, 2022) For some, that’s nothing, to others, it’s impressive. To me, that’s a very strong signal that I’ve gotten healthy again and I’m able to be more dynamic with how I move. I won’t be doing any of those at volume, but it’s nice to know I have that survival skill back. And it will indirectly carry over into to my bodyboarding.
I’ve also returned to my normal weight and body composition. Lean, but holding slightly more body fat from a looser meal plan. My endurance is fair as I’ve never been much of an endurance athlete, but have slowly been moving in that direction over the last few years.
My belief or driving force for this program was that after nearly two decades of commitment, I was able to achieve and maintain a good level of well-rounded fitness. My programming became intuitive. After somewhat-recently getting injured, I couldn’t be intuitive anyone. It was back to square one. I needed to be prescription and even more disciplined.
The elements of this program include: running, lifting, rowing, swimming, stretching, and breathing.
Over the course of 6 weeks, the work varied a bit. Some runs were longer or shorter, some strength days had additional movements or heavier loads, or were lighter. If I were following this with a more specific sport oriented goal such as running longer distances, I’d scale back the strength training. If it were more for body composition, I’d run shorter distances but at higher intensities and focus more on strength training.
Sample Training Schedule
Day 1 – Running & Strength
Day 2 – Stability
Day 3 – Strength
Day 4 – Heart & Lungs
Day 5 – Recover
Day 6 – Endurance
Day 7 – Recover
Recovery days include multiple long walks, mobility, targeted physical therapy, infrared sauna or mat, percussion therapy, and contrast showers.
Every day standards: include morning and evening mobility, contrast shower, infrared mat, apnea training, and easy to moderate core training.
Note on apnea training
I’ll do CO2 tolerance and O2 deprivation. Sessions last around 15 – 20 minutes and are designed around my personal best for holding my breath. This practice has been beneficial in two ways. The first being that it’s a good alternative to meditation. Making it “breath training” which gives me a measurable goal has made it easier for me to be consistent, rather than simply, “do 5, 10, 20 minutes of meditation in the morning”. And secondly, I started this after noticing that when I spend extended time out of the ocean, it takes me too much time to acclimate. I decided breath training would simulate being in the water so when it’s time to jump back in, it feels as though I haven’t missed a beat.
Boogieboarding, or bodyboarding as it is also known, is a dynamic sport that demands high levels of strength, endurance, power, and mobility. Paddling out, catching waves, and executing high-power or high-risk maneuvers necessitate robust physical conditioning. With over two decades of experience riding waves around the world, I’ve tailored the boogie boarder workout plan to focus on the unique demands of the sport.
For boogieboarders, it’s so important to target specific areas of the body for not only enhanced performance, but injury prevention:
Neck: Essential for maintaining stability and handling impacts.
Shoulders: Require strength and endurance for effective paddling and wave manipulation.
Thoracic spine: Mobility in this area is critical for maneuverability and overall spine health.
Lower back and core: Core stability is vital for power generation and balance.
Legs (especially calves): Strength and endurance in the legs are crucial for propelling the board and maintaining positions.
Hips: Flexible hips improve board control and ease of movement.
Cardiovascular system: A strong heart and lungs ensure stamina for prolonged sessions in the water.
How it works
Close out in Hawaii
The plan integrates four types of workouts: strength, mobility, high intensity, and endurance. The strength workouts aim to build muscle and power, essential for vigorous paddling and wave riding. Mobility workouts enhance joint flexibility and muscle elasticity, crucial for performing complex maneuvers. High-intensity sessions replicate the demanding conditions of tough paddle-outs and navigating impact zones, while endurance workouts increase your capacity to handle long, challenging sessions in the water.
Directions
Follow the outlined schedule below, adjusting only as necessary to accommodate your recovery needs.
The workout schedule
Monday: Mobility & Rest
Tuesday: Strength
Wednesday: High Intensity / Conditioning
Thursday: Mobility & Rest
Friday: Strength
Saturday: Mobility & Rest
Sunday: Endurance Day
The workouts
Monday – Mobility
Neck Circles 2 sets x 60 seconds each direction World’s Greatest Stretch 2 sets x 5 reps each direction/side Overhead Squat 2 sets x 10 reps 90/90 External & Internal Stretch 2 sets x 2 minutes each T-Spine Rotation 2 sets x 5 breathes each side Prone Swimmers 2 sets x 60 seconds Lying Butterfly 1 set x 2-3 minutes
Tuesday – Strength
Side Planks 2 sets x 45 seconds or more each side Front Squats 3 sets x 10 reps Bench Press 3 sets x 10 reps Shrugs 3 sets x 10 reps Shoulder Lateral Raise 2 sets x 15 reps Hammer Curl 3 sets x 10 reps Lying Tricep Extension 3 sets x 10 reps
Wednesday – High Intensity / Conditioning
Option 1
Complete 5, 7, or 10 rounds for time
10 Dumbbell Thrusters
10 Mountain Climbers
10 Lunges
10 Push-ups
10 Squat Thrusts
1-Minute Jumping Jacks
Option 2
10-15 sprints for 30 yards
Thursday – Mobility & Rest
Neck Circles 2 sets x 60 seconds each direction World’s Greatest Stretch 2 sets x 5 reps each direction/side Overhead Squat 2 sets x 10 reps 90/90 External & Internal Stretch 2 sets x 2 minutes each T-Spine Rotation 2 sets x 5 breathes each side Prone Swimmers 2 sets x 60 seconds Lying Butterfly 1 set x 2-3 minutes
Friday – Strength
Side Planks 2 sets x 45 seconds or more each side Deadlifts 3 sets x 10 reps Overhead Shoulder Press 3 sets x 10 reps Reverse Flye 2 sets x 15 reps Shrugs 3 sets x 10 reps Hammer Curl 3 sets x 10 reps Lying Tricep Extension 3 sets x 10 reps
Saturday – Mobility & Rest
Neck Circles 2 sets x 60 seconds each direction World’s Greatest Stretch 2 sets x 5 reps each direction/side Overhead Squat 2 sets x 10 reps 90/90 External & Internal Stretch 2 sets x 2 minutes each T-Spine Rotation 2 sets x 5 breathes each side Prone Swimmers 2 sets x 60 seconds Lying Butterfly 1 set x 2-3 minutes
Sunday – Endurance Day
Complete any form of low intensity cardio exercise for 45+ minutes. Swimming or paddling is ideal, but running or rowing is fine too.
Pushing the limits is a trait that defines high performers. We’re relentless, and always striving for that extra mile, that extra push, and that extra bit of excellence. But like a finely-tuned machine, even high performers need downtime. Anyone who claims to run at full throttle without rest is lying. Just as rigorous training is essential to peak performance, so is an optimized recovery protocol.
Here’s a blueprint for a day dedicated entirely to recuperation—a perfect day of recovery:
1. Low Intensity Movement
Sometimes we all need an off day, but most of the time, what we really need are active recovery or low intensity days to counterbalance the high intensity ones.
Restorative activities like walking, hiking, yoga, or light stretching and mobility are top of the list for us. It helps with circulation and allows nutrients to reach muscle tissues. We love gently moving around on a Manduka PRO yoga mat.
Dehydration is sneaky. And it doesn’t take much to make an impact.
Research published in the Journal of Human Kinetics in 2021, asked over 250 coaches of track and field athletes about their knowledge around hydration. Over 97% of coaches and players knew not drinking enough water would make them compete worse, but about half of them thought they need to drink only when they are thirsty, but that’s not exactly true. Being thirsty means dehydration has already started.
For us, staying hydrated begins first thing in the morning by downing a glass of water with a pinch of salt. We also fill up our 64-ounce Stainless Steel HydroJug* one to two times per day to track our intake.
3. Soft Tissue Work
Tough workouts can lead to knots, adhesions, and tight spots in our muscles and fascia.
A comprehensive meta-analysis, published in the journal Frontiers in Physiology, which looked at 99 studies, looked at the best techniques to combat muscle soreness and tiredness after exercising. Their findings showed that massages came out on top. Not only did they help reduce that post-workout ache (DOMS) and tiredness, but they also significantly lowered signs of muscle damage in the body.
Do soft tissue work like foam rolling or percussion therapy are daily go-tos, but deep tissue massages are clutch when we can swing them. We like the Theragunand the Hypervolt for percussion therapy.
4. Heat Therapy
Heat therapy can boost blood flow, aid in detoxification, and soothe sore muscles. Our preferred methods are regular sessions of infrared sauna and the occasional hot bath with Epsom salt.
As for Epsom salt baths, the actual research is a bit less solid, there are plenty of reported users (ourselves included) that report feeling more relaxed, experience reduced muscle soreness, and sleep better after a soak.
5. Mental Resets
High performance isn’t just physical, it’s mental. Both physical exercise and mental work are stress on the body, and over time, it can wear you down. In fact, time off and vacations are non-negotiable.
Coincidentally, an Ernst & Young study showed that for every 10 hours of vacation an employee took, their year-end performance increased by 10%.
Dedicate a day to engage in practices that clear and calm the mind. This could mean meditation, deep-breathing exercises, journaling, or simply sitting in nature, free from digital distractions. We love a classic Moleskin journal for daily writings.
Research continues to pile up showing just how important sleep is.
One of the largest sleep studies published in the journal SLEEP in 2018 that included over 10,000 participants confirms 7-8 hours of sleep is the sweet spot for optimal cognitive function. And in order to make sure you’re getting those 7-8 hours, creating a sleep-conducive environment is key: dark, cool, and quiet.
Our pre-sleep routine includes dropping the room temperature to 66-67 degrees, not eating a heavy meal 1-2 hours before bed, turning off electronics 1-2 hours before bed, and taking a hot shower before laying down.
We also like to run our BLUEAIR air filter to keep our air clean of dust and other allergens.
When we get quality sleep at night we feel a whole lot better the next day. That’s a given. We’re full of energy, enthusiasm, and as alert and sharp as can be. Quality sleep keeps our hormones balanced which is an important factor when it comes to building muscle, fighting weight gain, and recovering from our workouts faster.
If you’re constantly tossing and turning, waking up in the middle of the night, or can’t ever seem to fall asleep, you’re not alone. In a recent HFP study with ~382 participants, 45% described their sleep as “Eh, OK, Average” and 28% described it as “Inconsistent”. It’s also worth noting, these are HFP followers (you!) who exercise regularly and consider health a top priority.
Give some of these lifestyle tweaks a try, they may just help you get more shut eye.
1. Drop the temperature in your room to create a quality sleep environment
Our bodies need a core temperature drop to sleep. Trying lower your heat a few degrees at night and see if it helps. Sleep studies and research show that temperatures between 60-67 are best for quality sleep, and temperatures above 75 or below 54 are disruptive.
2. Take a hot shower or bath to fight restlessness
We might prefer a cold room, but a nice hot shower before getting in bed can be helpful too. In a study of both young and elderly people who researchers had take a warm baths before bed found that body movements were less frequent during the first 3 hours of sleep, suggesting an enhancement in sleep quality.
3. Scale back the caffeine and pre-workout supplements
The half-life of caffeine, or how long it remains in your body, is around 5-6 hours. If you’re chugging coffees or pre-workout supps before sprints or squats, don’t be surprised if you can’t fall asleep. It might be worth switching over to a morning workout routine or at least nixing the caffeine after 12PM.
4. Stop having a “night cap” as a sleep aid
Around 20 percent of American’s use alcohol to help them nod off, but that little buzz could be throwing your circadian rhythm out of sync. In fact, even more moderate use of alcohol has been shown to suppress melatonin production, an important sleep regulating hormone. This doesn’t mean you can’t have a cocktail or beer before bed, just don’t use it as a sleep-aid.
Text message and notification pings are unintentional alarm clocks. That’s obvious. What’s not obvious is the dose of blue light you’re consuming while you mindlessly swipe through your feeds in bed. To the brain and your body, blue light is interpreted as sunlight, and it suppresses melatonin production. Stop confusing your brain into thinking it’s time to go outside and play. It’s 2AM. Turn your phone off.
Noises at night can be disruptive, but not all noise is same. Similarly to light, noise comes in different colors based on the distribution of the frequencies. White noise is all of the frequencies a human can hear and are equally distributed. Examples of white noise are the static from a TV or steam blowing from a kettle. Pink noise is common in nature, such as waves on the beach or wind in the tree. A recent study found that white noise effectively masks other environment noises, as a result, improving and maintaining sleep.
7. Get in a good stretch
Maybe it’s the stress and tension keeping you up at night. Stretching has been shown to lower our blood pressure and breathing rate. Come on, that’s why you’re feeling so good after yoga class. Take 5-10 minutes for a quick relaxation flow. It doesn’t need to be anything elaborate or extensive, just a few dedicated minutes to focus on moving the muscles and being conscious of your breathing.
In order to shut down the body for the night, you need to shut down the mind. Mindfulness meditation has been shown to initiate a relaxation response which provides a reprieve from life’s many stresses. A study found that adults who practiced between 10 and 30 minutes of mindfulness exercise experienced less insomnia, fatigue, and depression after 6 sessions. Read also:How to start a breathwork practice
9. Quit smoking or other tobacco products
We don’t need to tell you the horrible side effects of smoking and tobacco use. You’ve seen the images. But there’s more you might not have known about it. A recent study found that smokers experience daytime sleepiness more frequently, get less total sleep, take a longer time falling asleep, and have altered sleep patterns from nonsmokers. Yet again, another reason to quit.
10. Keep training hard, day or night
Regular exercise, as you know, has several benefits, and research continues to show its positive effect on fighting depression and anxiety. And less depression and anxiety yields more quality sleep. But are you worried those late-night sessions could be keeping you up? This study of fit athletes suggests that sleep quality is unaffected. (Unless, to our point above, you’re hopped up on caffeine.)
I wanted to resurface this deeply personal piece around my daily attitude readjustment project that reflects on my journey of overcoming challenges and embracing a positive mindset. I’ve lightly edited the original article and updated it with additional resources to better support and inspire those seeking to improve their mental well-being. The original version was first published on October 19th, 2019.
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I have a few confessions to make. I’m not always the most positive person, in fact, I admittedly have pessimistic tendencies, but it’s something I work on every day. This must sound strange coming from the creator of a fitness and wellness brand, but it’s true.
I’ve gone through ups and downs as I grow as a human, but not too long ago, I dug out of one of my deepest holes yet, and it was my attitude that saved me.
Facing Rejection and Loss
I had lost my dream job and was devastated. I lost a best friend too. And as all of this was happening a lot of my contacts were no longer there for me either. I was alone and was experiencing the most amount of rejection to date. I was very lucky to have my family, a couple of very tight relationships, and my health, but a lot of other things were completely going in the wrong direction.
I thought I had peaked out. Hit my prime and everything was downhill from there. I thought my time had come and it had passed me by. That was the cycle of thought that repeated over and over in my head. And things only got worse from there.
The Impact of Negativity on Health
I got sick more often, I felt weaker, I didn’t want to work out as much, and when I did, I was killing myself. I got very sad and ended up in a deep, scary depression. I hid it to some extent and kept producing and fighting to be an inspiration that I always wanted to be, but holding a lot of that negative just doesn’t work. Eventually, things reached a new breaking point.
I can’t quite pinpoint exactly what my wake-up call was, but I started to realize just how negative I was thinking and allowing it to spiral.
This was one of the most difficult things for me to write and share openly because I think it makes me sound like a complete hypocrite or fraud. Then I would beat myself up even more because I would think about how I sound like a brat because there are others with far less or are worse off.
My attitude needed to change on so many levels.
“While chatting with a friend through some of these issues, he asked me a very interesting question: ‘When you’re meeting with people, what are they picking up from the conversation?’ ‘What do you mean?’ I asked. He said, ‘How are people feeling after meeting you? What sort of vibe are you giving off?’ I don’t know why these particular questions made me stop and think for a minute about how I was interacting with people, but they did.”
A lot of my internal struggles and negativity were probably showing without me even really knowing it. You can only hide sadness and depression and anger and resentment so much. It comes through in some way or another. It was after that conversation that I started to seriously reassess my attitude and how it was impacting my progress.
A Life-Changing Book
“The same friend sent me a book the very next day, ‘Today Matters’ by John Maxwell. Initially, I thought to myself, ‘Oh no, I’m not a self-help guy! I’m the one who helps other people!’ What an ego, right? But the truth is, I needed help.”
While the book is loaded with ideas on how to be a better leader, one chapter in particular that stuck with me was all about attitude. As I was reading, I had to put the book down and email my friend a thank you as I held back tears. I was moved. Finally! I felt something in my bones that I hadn’t felt in many years. It was the same exact feeling I got when I decided I wanted to work in fitness, and magazines, and media, and content.
Creating a Daily Attitude Readjustment Project
I decided to start my own daily attitude readjustment project. Here it is:
This is my daily attitude readjustment project
My attitude discipline every day will be to read this document every morning.
I will forget all of the bad things that happen to me.
I will see the positive in all work assignments or projects — no matter how difficult or daunting.
I will look for the positive in people and trust more.
I will stop using negative words.
I will recognize my depressive tendencies and acknowledge things I am grateful for.
While I obviously am far from perfect and can’t always shake bad or negative thoughts, at least this morning ritual got me off on the right foot. Some mornings were tough, I didn’t want to read it, I didn’t want to believe its power for some reason, but truth be told, almost immediately after putting this into place, I was significantly more productive, was far less depressed, and more and more positive things were happening in my life.
The Power of Consistency
I started working more, making more money again, and my workouts were getting back on track. Fast forward and I even derailed from reciting my daily attitude readjustment messages, and sure enough, I noticed I started going negative again. So I started back up, and felt immediately better.
It’s actually quite unbelievable how a paragraph of words can alter my perspective and as a result start moving in a positive direction again.
A Suggestion for Everyone
I highly suggest everyone starts their own daily attitude readjustment project.
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Fitness model, online coach, and athlete Michael Dean has spent years building his immaculate physique. He’s learned how to train, how to eat, and how to recover to build a body made of solid, lean muscle mass. In collaboration with Spartan Race and Dean, we produced this 4-week lean muscle workout plan.
When COVID restrictions lessened and racers returned to Spartan courses in droves, Dean decided to take on his first Spartan race to put his physique to the ultimate test. To hear more about that story, check out our interview with him here. While training to race and training to sculpt a physique are very different paths, Dean has developed a way to balance the two goals well.
Dean’s training program consists of a mix between strength training, HIIT, and balance/coordination work, all of which are designed to build muscle, burn fat, and maintain cardiovascular endurance and race-simulation skills.
Each day of the week has an entirely different focus on the body, he says. Dean likes to begin the week with an intense strength session to get the body stimulated to grow muscle. “Day two and three will put the final touches on the fatigue initiated in day one,” he adds.
Recovery comes into play on Thursdays to give the body a rest before subjecting it to his intense cardio and metabolic conditioning session on Friday, which includes a lot of core exercise at high intensities. This optimizes fat loss while keeping your race-day endurance up.
Toward the end of the week is when your central nervous system should be utterly fatigued, but this will initiate lots of growth, Dean says. “I’ve also incorporated a few things that will challenge balance and coordination to keep racing and focus skills sharp,” he adds.
Finally, active recovery comes at the end of the week, giving the body a chance to fully recover.
Monday: Full-Body Strength Tuesday: Upper-Body HIIT Wednesday: Lower-Body HIIT Thursday: Full Body Rest Friday: Full-Body HIIT and Core Saturday: Calisthenics and Balance Sunday: Active Recovery
Directions
Complete the following program as prescribed for four to six weeks. Work toward increasing the amount of resistance or weight you use week over week. Endurance is baked in throughout the program, but if you feel your endurance isn’t as strong as it once was, pull back the amount of sets you do on strength days and add in some additional running mileage.
Use this day to focus on complete recovery. Do a series of stretches and foam rolling. If you have access to a cold plunge, use it. It will help reduce inflammation and speed up the recovery process.
I was interested to learn that Othership, a new hot and cold exposure therapy concept, was coming to NYC so I had to give it a go.
In addition to the saunas and ice baths, Othership classes include guided breathwork, aromatherapy, visualizations, towel-waving, and somatic release, which, according to them, was developed to help shift your state and regulate your emotions. This is exactly what my nervous system needed, which I plan to get into at some point in the future, but for now, more on Othership!
Cold exposure, ice baths, plunging, whatever you want to call it, has gotten incredibly popular the last several years, but what it’s always reminded me of has been riding waves in the winter and how miserable it can be, but how good it feels afterwards in a hard to explain kind of way. I’ve always felt there was something more to all of those winters in the ocean.
And on the opposite end of the spectrum, a super-hot sauna can also be very uncomfortable, but there’s definitely something therapeutic to gently stretching in a pool of your own sweat.
And as for breathwork, this is something I’ve been practicing for the last few years which has been huge for helping to calm down anxiety and racing thoughts. But, I’ve always found it extra helpful to have a guide lead me through the exercises.
Long story short, the health benefits of all the practices and services at Othership are solid, but the sober curious community component is a great added touch. The overall vibe I was getting from everyone there was really nice and I felt everyone was excited to take in the entire experience. And as someone that hasn’t drank alcohol in over 10 years, and doesn’t go out too much, it’s nice to know there’s a place to meet people in a health-focused environment besides a gym.
For me, I don’t have the space or place for an ice bath and or a sauna, so going somewhere for it once or twice a week is very appealing. And having the option to have it guided, so when I don’t want to take a plunge in the cold, there’s someone there to gently nudge me in is a game changer.
My thoughts going into the class were: I like cold therapy, heat therapy, and breathwork. It will be very therapeutic to my body and my mind. And, it will force me out of the house after 6PM.
The facility is phone-free so I didn’t capture video, which I didn’t want to do anyway. (Burnout!) So, you’ll just have to continue to read my words instead.
Here’s what it was like inside Othership’s new Flatiron location for their 75-minute Guided Nervous System Reset class.
We were greeted at the check-in and given two towels, one to dry off and one to sit on in the sauna to maintain the integrity of the wood.
After changing, we all met in the lounge. There, our two guides greeted us and explained the structure of the class and what to expect.
It started with 20 minutes in the sauna where we practiced a series of different breathwork techniques to stimulate the nervous system. I was surprised at just how large the sauna was, in fact, I think it may be one of the largest in the US.
They released different essential oils into the sauna via snowballs and would wave towels through to circulate the oils and hot air. I didn’t expect that getting hit with a wave of hot air every so often would be something I’d enjoy, but I did.
After completing the breathwork in the sauna, which was actually quite intense, it was time to transition to the cold. We all rinsed off in the showers and headed for the ice baths.
Here we were instructed to immediately get into the bath up to our necks while breathing quickly, in and out, then progressively slow down the breathing after a 10 or so seconds.
A few interesting points here:
It’s much better to get in right away instead of slowly so you’ve got to just commit!
When you practice the breathing technique the guides share it works like a charm.
Getting in up to your neck is so that you truly stimulate your vagus nerve — a giant, complex nerve that carries sensory and motor signals through the body.
After about 90 seconds in the cold, we slowly came out and sat in silence for a few minutes. Believe it or not, it was insanely relaxing. I could have sat there for 4 hours and not moved.
From there we were led back into the sauna for another 10 minutes or so for more breathwork. In this short session we did something called progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) which is essentially a relaxation technique where you tense up specific parts of the body with your inhales, then release them on your exhales. I’ve personally found this technique to be very relaxing. Even though we targeted specific areas, by the end I felt way less tense throughout my entire body.
Overall, the experience at Othership was excellent. The facility is beautiful, the guides did a great job, and the techniques and practices are not only anecdotally beneficially, but the science seems to back it all up too.
I highly recommend everyone give this type of class a try. It’s going to be a bit uncomfortable at times, but that’s the power of it because eventually that discomfort will give way to a calm in the body and mind that I don’t think many people are aware of. It’s 100% worth it. I’m even considering the idea of rallying together some small groups to experience it again. And, if you don’t want to take a class, or go with a group, they also offer “free flow” passes where you can go and do your own thing.
For more about Othership, or to book a class, check out their site at othership.us.
Reality is: As we get older our strength, power, and endurance declines, we ache a little more, and take a little longer to recover. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t things we can’t do to slow down the decline. In fact, there’s a lot we can do. And, there’s a lot of incredible body transformations that can happen. Sticking to a workout plan like this over-40 workout plan is a perfect place the start.
Train smarter. Recover better. The Simone OS helps you adjust your workouts, check in with your nervous system, and stay consistent — even on the off days.
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What Over-40 People Need to Know
Working out over the age of 40 really isn’t too much different than in your 20s and 30s, there’s just some things to be more mindful of. Here’s what we factor in:
1. Heart health
The Department of Health and Human Services recommends 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per week to keep the heart strong and efficient. The best way to do this, in our opinion, in several walks throughout the day, everyday, along with two dedicated “cardio” days. One that’s “long” or around 45-60 minutes, and another that’s short and intense, around 15-20 minutes. Coupled with 3 daily walks (around 10-20 minutes each) should have you well covered.
2. Mobility
When you’re over 40, everything tends to get tighter and / or stiffer so making sure to thoroughly warm-up and practice mobility-specific routines to prevent injury. What typically causes an injury is a movement or action that the body is either not ready for or isn’t able to handle. For example, if you sprint without warming up, your hamstrings, calves, quads, and glutes are compromised. Or, if you press a weight overhead when your shoulders don’t have adequate range of motion, you’re also compromised. Everyone should be stretching and performing mobility exercises everyday, but the older you get, the more important it is.
Research has shown that power starts to decline rather quickly after the age of 35. That means things like jumping, sprinting, or anything done explosively might be done less explosively as we age. The best way to mitigate that decline? Make sure to power exercises remain in your workout plan. Think: sprints, box jumps, jumping lunges, explosive chops, clapping push-ups. Anything plyometric is an important addition.
4. Joint Health
Similarly to our point about the importance of mobility and warming up, sometimes exercises need to come into play for the over-40 athlete. For example, if your lower back hurts from back squats, you could switch to front squats or goblet squats to minimize the strain in the lower back. If your shoulders get achy from overhead presses or bench presses, you could switch from a traditional press to a neutral grip position. Another excellent option is to incorporate more 90-degree movements with eccentrics. Dr. Joel Seedman, a PhD in Kinesiology and owner of Advanced Human Performance cites a lot of strong evidence for this style of training. To put it as simply as possible, instead of putting the body through full ranges of motion under heavy loads, he suggests only 90-degrees and with more focus on the eccentric. This is relevant to all age groups, but can particular helpful to the over-40 athlete.
When you’re in your teens, 20s, and even your 30s, you can come back quickly from tough workouts or regular dose of tough ones, but for the over-40 crowd, recovery becomes a bit more difficult. The best way to look at this is, you still put in hard work, but maybe instead of 4 strength days, there’s just 2 or 3. One of our favorite ways to monitor recovery is with a Whoop or Oura Ring. If your HRV is high and recovery is high, it’s OK to go hard. If you HRV and recovery is low, it’s best to pull back a little bit.
How The Over-40 Workout Plan Works
There are two strength training days, two mobility/active recovery days, one HIIT day, one long cardio day, and one total off/recovery day. The two other days are dedicated recovery days. On the strength days, the volume (or amount of sets and reps you do) is on the lower side. If you notice you’re very sore, cut it back even further.
The Over-40 Workout Plan Directions
Follow the program below as prescribed for 6 to 8 weeks. Your goal, as always, is to slowly increase the resistance your user on strength training exercises. For the cardio, just try and stay in the zone 2 range, or 60% of your max heart rate.
The Over-40 Workout Plan Weekly Schedule
Make sure to thoroughly warm-up before each and every session for a minimum of 10 minutes.
Monday – Lower Body
Walking lunge 3 sets of 12 reps Box jump 3 sets of 5 reps Trap bar deadlift 3 sets of 8 reps Bulgarian split squat 3 sets of 8 reps per side Goblet squat 3 sets of 10 reps
Rest 30-60 seconds between sets.
Tuesday – Lower Body Mobility
World’s Greatest Stretch 2 sets of 5 reps per side 90/90 transitions 2 sets of 10 reps per side Low lunge 2 sets of 30 second holds per side Cossack squat 2 sets of 10 reps each direction Scorpion 2 sets of 5 reps per side Pigeon pose 2 sets of 30 seconds per side
Minimal rest between sets.
Wednesday – Full Body HIIT
High Knees x 30 seconds Mountain Climbers x 30 seconds Squat Thrusts x 30 seconds
Rest 30 seconds. Repeat 5 rounds.
Jumping Lunge x 30 seconds Butterfly sit-up x 30 seconds Skaters x 30 seconds
Rest 30 seconds. Repeat 5 rounds.
Thursday – Upper Body Mobility
Cat cow 2 sets of 6 reps in each position World’s Greatest Stretch 2 sets of 5 reps per side Shoulder CARs 2 sets of 5 rotations (forward and back) Thread the needle 2 sets of 5 reps each side Bretzel stretch 2 sets of 30 second holds per side Seated twist 2 sets of 30 second holds per side
Minimal rest between sets.
Friday – Upper Body
Pull-up or Lat pulldown 3 sets to failure or 12 reps Seated row or Dumbbell row 2 sets of 12 reps Neutral grip floor press 2 sets of 12 reps Dumbbell push-up 3 sets to failure Neutral grip shoulder press 2 sets of 12 reps Curl (dumbbell or cable) 3 sets of 12 reps Cable tricep pushdown or Dumbbell tricep extension 3 sets of 12 reps
Rest 30-60 seconds between sets.
Saturday – Long Cardio
There are several options: Go for a long run for 45-60 minutes, go for a bike ride for 60 minutes, or combine multiple pieces of cardio equipment like the rower, ski erg, and bike for a total for 60 minutes. Another option would be to go for a long hike or ruck.
Sunday – Off
Take this day completely off to allow for full recovery.
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