Entering the new year, I committed to posting my January workout plan every day. I plan to continue and provide recaps here on the blog at the end of each month. Follow along with this on-going blueprint and you’ll be in insane shape.
Since I’m personally not training for anything in particular at the moment, I would consider the January workout plan to be a maintenance block of training. In other words, a good way to maintain my endurance, strength, and body composition. For anyone just diving in, this might be an aggressive starting spot, so I made some notes underneath each workout on how to scale.
As a side note, I got violently ill for three days at the back half of the month so the training was interrupted and it is reflected in the programming below. When that happens, you just pick up where you started and get it done.
For this particular block, endurance was built and maintained primarily from running. In other blocks, there’s rowing, skiing, biking, swimming, and rucking. More on that in the future.
Core Strength
Core stability and strength exercises were integrated throughout this phase on multiple days.
Functional Strength
Pull-ups, push-ups, dead hands, lunges, carries — anything that translates to everyday life can be found throughout.
Brute Strength
Squats, deadlifts, presses, and rows played a role in maintaining general strength for injury prevention.
Mobility
Lots of stretching and different movement patterns have been included to keep joints and connective tissue functioning normally.
The Workouts of the January Workout Plan
Here is the link to all of the workout highlights on Instagram (@humanfitproject). Any time rest is not mentioned, you can assume it’s between 30-60 seconds between sets. Every night includes 5 – 10 minutes of unstructured stretching.
Day 1 – Monday
KB twists 3 x 12
Stability ball roll-out 3 x 12
Chest press 3 x 12
T-bar row 3 x 12
Pull-down 3 x 12
Push-up 3 x failure
8-mile walk
Day 2 – Tuesday
Hike & press x 10
Front squat x 10
Alternating row x 10
Push-up x 10
Repeat 4x for time
Day 3 – Wednesday
Heavy cable chops 3 x 8
Eccentric pull-ups 3 x 5
L sits 3 x 10
Eccentric push-ups 3 x 10
10 minutes of handstand practice
Day 4 – Thursday
OFF
Day 5 – Friday
12-minute Assault bike intervals
Heavy ham curls 5 x 8
Sumo deadlift 3 x 8
Eccentric single-leg deadlift 3 x 6
Weighted sit-up 3 x 10
Single-arm overhead hold 3 x as long as possible
Day 6 – Saturday
Plank row 3 x 10
Wheel roll out 3 x 10
Pull-up & push-up combo 3 x failure
Chest press 3 x 8
Curl 3 x 12
Boat row 3 x 10
Tricep push-down 3 x 12
Day 7 – Sunday
OFF
Day 8 – Monday
Slant board squat 3 x 15
Ham curls 3 x 8
Heavy reverse lunge 5 x 6
Light deadlifts 5 x 6
Ski erg intervals 200m x 6 (hard)
100 burpees
Day 9 – Tuesday
Gorilla row 5 x 10
Pull-up 5 x failure
Shoulder press 3 x 10
Lateral raise 3 x 15
Curl 2 x 25
Tricep extension 3 x 10
Leg raise 3 x failure
Day 10 – Wednesday
4 mile run
Split jumps x 30
Squat x 20
Push-up x 10
Pull-up x 5
Repeat x 5
4 mile run
Day 11 – Thursday
OFF
Day 12 – Friday
5 mile run
50 dips
50 sit-ups
Day 13 – Saturday
2 hours + of cardio of choice
30 minutes unstructured mobility / stretch
Day 14 – Sunday
OFF
Day 15 – Monday
Weighted sit-up
Roll out
Side plank / hip dips
KB reverse lunge
KB deadlift
Push-ups
10 reps. 5 rounds.
Day 16 – Tuesday
OFF
Day 17 – Wednesday
Chest press x 10 reps
Push-up x max reps
4 sets with 30 seconds rest between sets
Deadlift x 10 reps
Roll out x 10 reps
4 sets with 30 seconds rest between sets
Dumbbell shoulder press x 10 reps
Pull-ups x max reps
4 sets with 30 seconds rest between sets
Dumbbell curl x 12 reps
Tricep extension x 12 reps
3 sets with 30 seconds rest
Day 18 – Thursday
OFF
Day 19 – Friday
Lateral lunges
Jumps
Sumo DL to clean to squat
Traveling lunge
10 reps. 3 rounds
3 mile run
10 minutes unstructured mobility / stretch
Day 20 – Saturday
Half-kneeling shoulder press 3 x 8
Reverse flye 3 x 15
Ab roll out 3 x12
Heavy reverse lunge 5 x 8
Goblet squat 5 x 12
Stability ball roll out 3 x 10
V-up 3 x 10
2 mile run
Day 21 – Sunday
OFF
Day 22 – Monday
50 pull-ups
50 push-ups
5 mile run
Day 23 – Tuesday
1 mile run for speed
20 minutes unstructured mobility / stretching
Day 24 – Wednesday
4 mile run (very slow)
Day 25 – Thursday
OFF
Day 26 – Friday
3 mile run
100 push-ups
200 squats
3 mile run
Day 27 – Saturday
Scap pull-ups 3 x 12
Leg raises 3 x 15
Chest press 4 x 10
Shoulder raises 3 x 15
Heavy shrugs 5 x 8
Tricep push downs 3 x 12
Wall walks 3 x 3
Day 28 – Sunday
6 mile run
Day 29 – Monday
OFF
Day 30 – Tuesday
Offset slant board squat x 10
Goblet stant board squat x 20
Single-arm snatch x 5
Reverse flye x 10
Mountain climber x 30s
5 rounds. Easy pace.
3 mile run
Day 31 – Wednesday
8 mile run
Stay tuned for Phase 2: The February Workout Plan Recap
I know that getting fit and staying fit is going to help me do the things I love for as long as possible. That’s how I stay motivated.
For me, that’s riding waves, swimming, hiking… anything active. The better I take care of myself, the more longevity I’ll have. That’s my #1 motivation.
Another motivation for me, which is simply another way to look at my primary motivation, is to defy what people think a 30-something or 40-something or 50-something, should look and perform like. I want to defy all of that. And the only way to do it is keep going for it. Stay consistent. Stay positive. Keep showing up.
Luckily for me I enjoy a good workout. I enjoy the uncomfortable feeling of a heavy lift, super long run, or grueling interval. It wasn’t always that way, but I trained myself to get there. The more disciplined I was with training when I first got started, the easier it became, and the more motivated I got to continue. Sort of like how I trained myself not to crave certain foods. I stopped eating unhelpful foods, and eventually I didn’t want them anymore. (See also: How to become an intuitive eater)
Stay Motivated: Your Success Is Guaranteed
I know that training, eating right, and being consistent will lead to success. Guaranteed. There are very few, if any, guarantees in life. But if you truly commit to fitness, you’ll be successful. No doubt. If you work out consistently, you will get fitter. Guaranteed. If you eat better, you will manage your weight and improve yourself, guaranteed.
You don’t need skill or talent to get fit.
If you go to your job everyday and work hard, while that’s definitely the way to approach it, and it should work for you, it won’t necessarily be a guarantee for success. That’s just the hard truth. With fitness and exercise, you just need to put in the work, nothing else.
For as complicated as people want to make fitness, it’s really not that complicated at all. As long as you have a plan, and the motivation to be consistent, then you will succeed. Climbing the corporate ladder is 10x more complicated. Starting a business is 10x more complicated.
Stay Motivated: Have a Support System
Another form of motivation that I think is very important to mention, is the HFP community. I’ve been at this for a very long time. It’s my duty to continue to do my best for readers, viewers, followers, friends, whatever you want to call it. I created HFP to help people and am seeing that through, the best I can. Even when it’s tough. And trust me, it’s been tough at times. There’s been great times, but there’s been a lot of challenges and struggles. Any time I see a workout that’s saved, or a thoughtful comment shared on one of our channels, it fuels my fire. And I’m appreciative of that.
You Have Time — Start Now
If you’re at a crossroads of sorts, always remember, it’s never too late to change. It’s never too late to start. Find what motivates you and constantly remind yourself every day: If I follow my plan and I’m consistent, I will succeed. Without motivation, you’re toast. And don’t look to other people for motivation—while it might work in the short term, long term motivation needs to come from within.
Good luck. I know my motivations. Find yours. Make things happen. I’m rooting for you. We (HFP) is rooting for you.
How to Get Started
If you’re a true beginner, your first day working out or first day in the gym can be overwhelming. Check out these four steps to getting started.
Everyone is talking about resolutions, working out, and eating right. It’s that time of year. But what you won’t hear about is a fear of the gym. For the longest time when I had first started, I was afraid of the gym. If you’re a complete beginner, you probably know exactly what I’m talking about.
“Where do I start?”
“Where is all the equipment?”
“Am I going to get in someone’s way?”
“Am I going to look like a complete idiot?”
Those were just some of the actual things I had racing through my head. It didn’t matter if it was solo or with friends. I was just so uncomfortable and felt out of place.
Now, maybe that’s all just me, but if you clicked on this link it says that you might have some hesitations and concerns yourself. I’m here to tell you that it’s completely normal and OK to feel that way. You’ve just got to get in the groove.
I thought long and hard about those days imaging a barbell come crashing down on me with weights spilling all over the floor. Luckily, that never happened, but it’s terrifying to think about.
Hopefully these 10 tips will help you with getting over the fear like l did so you can get down to business.
1. Find the right place for you
If you’re going to be spending an hour per day in a place, you better be sure you like it. Take a day to check a few places out and talk to the owners. Feel them out. The people that manage or own the place really set the tone. If possible, go at peak hours (before work, lunch, immediately after work). This will allow you to see how busy the place actually gets. I went to four gyms in one day. Really put some consideration into their approach as well. Do you want group fitness classes? Do you like the idea of small group fitness? Mom and pop shop? Chain facility? They’ve all got very unique feels.
2. Don’t be afraid to ask questions
There was a guy named Greg at one of the first gyms I joined. I didn’t know him well, but he kept in good shape and taught fitness courses at the college. Every once in a while I’d ask a couple questions. I soaked in as much information as I could. I recommend finding your own Greg.
3. Train during off-peak hours
While it might be a good idea to scope our your new potential gym during peak hours, it might not be the best idea when actually starting out. Those peak hours such as before work, lunch break, and post-work can be mayhem. And while your schedule may not allow for it in the long run, try and go at odd hours when the crowds are thinner in the beginning. It will be less overwhelming. Plus, that’s when most of the real hardcore-not-about-the-scene guys go so maybe you can learn some stuff from them.
4. Find your spot
To this day I’ll find myself in super-crowded gyms where I’m unfamiliar with the space and people. If you have a chest and back day planned that requires you to be all over the place, just slow down for a few minutes. Find a spot and do some push ups, planks, foam roll, etc. Take your time and feel it all out. Plus, you should be warming up anyway!
5. Pick a solid beginner plan
You’ve got to have a plan. Failing to plan is planning to fail. You 100% need a mission for everyday in the gym. After you’ve chosen one, learn and watch closely how to do each move. Got questions? Ask them! I personally like the Foundation workout plan for beginners. (Or the 4-week Very Beginner workout plan for very beginners).
When first starting out there was a period of time that for 10 or 20 minutes before I planned on going to the gym I would watch inspiring videos to get me excited. Guys just killing it with some cool beat in the background. Majority of this battle is mental and that was a big part of getting me riled. (I remind myself of that every day. In fact, I made sure to have those types of videos created for EVERY workout program we launch. That way you can get as stoked as I did.) I suggest watching all of these: The Holiday Schedule, The Detox, Built for the Beach, and Redemption.
7. Build your most epic of all epic playlists
A great workout playlist is clutch. Similar to the inspiring videos, this is clearly a given. I suggest making a few different playlists based on the different genres you like. Don’t listen to your party or chill music. Listen to your, “I’m going to beat the living hell out of the gym today” music. I personally have a several different ones lined up for lifting days, running days, and yoga days.
You don’t need to go nuts, but the gear you wear just becomes a part of the whole process. There’s nothing wrong with making it a little special. Doesn’t matter what it is, this is your world, get set up the way you want to.
9. Crush it with a friend
If you really think you can’t do it on your own just yet, that’s cool. A good training partner when first starting out makes things 100x easier. You’ve got someone to get through the grueling sets and reps with, but it can also help with getting acclimated to the social scene. (Yeah, there’s probably a scene of some sort at your gym.) Also: make sure it’s someone that’s down to really make it happen. A crappy training partner can kill you—and your plan. Check out this 3-day strength-building plan we produced for training partners with brothers Ryan and Eric Johnson.
10. Remind yourself every day why you’re doing this
There were plenty of days I didn’t want to go to the gym (and there still are). But the most important thing to remember is that with every single day you step foot in the place, you’re getting better. A 1 mile run is better than a no mile run. Three sets of 10 of one exercise is better than no sets of 10. Go at your own pace, the more you do it, the more you love it. But never, ever forget to continuously remind yourself why you’re doing it.
It’s your first day, you’ve got no idea what to do or where to start. That’s OK. No reason to be overwhelmed or nervous. Separately from this post, you might find my piece about how I got over my fear of the gym to be helpful.
Take these steps as your guideline to navigating the weight room. Let’s go—you can do this!
We have a new private community and you’re invited! Join now to meet others, ask questions, share progress updates, and find out about upcoming live events.
1. Get a little warm up in
If this truly is your first time in the gym and working out, you can’t just start banging out bench presses and squats. Find a spot away from people and do a set or two of push ups, pull ups, body weight squats, planks, shoulder circles and walking lunges just to get the blood pumping. While you’re at it, observe the gym floor, get a good feel what machines and free weights are where. Use this time to get comfortable and acclimated with the space—as you progress, you’ll get into a flow with your workouts.
While a warm up is very important for obvious reasons (primarily injury prevention), there’s a lot folks out there that go overboard and use up valuable energy with their warm up instead of actually working out. Check out this piece on the two ways you can warm up, plus what you don’t need to do.
2. Do a little bit of everything
Similarly to the above, when starting out for the first time, your body will go through a shock when you hit it with any kind of training. Muscle soreness actually can feel pretty good, but walking around like you got hit by a truck means you probably went a bit overboard. We recommend starting out with three workout days per week (on-off-on-off, etc.) and performing 2-3 sets of an exercise for each muscle group of the body at about 60% of your maximum ability. For example: Legs, squat. Chest, dumbbell bench press. Shoulders, dumbbell lateral raises. Biceps, dumbbell curl. Triceps, cable pushdowns. Abs/core, planks. (Speaking of core, check out these 20 ways to give your core a great workout). We also suggest starting with dumbbells vs. barbells when first starting out as it will help with developing muscular balance. With barbells, the body tends to favor the dominant side.
Whether your gym is immaculately clean, or a bit rough around the edges. Always put away your weights and wipe off your equipment. No one wants to smell and feel your sweaty stinky ass—it’s disgusting. And no one wants to re-rack dumbbells and plates either. It really is a basic, understanding among gym-goers to clean up.
4. Refuel the right way
Once your workout is over there’s still one more thing you need to nail down—a solid meal. Make this a serious habit because it’s legitimate. You’ve worked up a sweat, pounded your muscles and they need to recover and rebuild. But you can’t refuel with just anything. Cortisol, a stress-hormone in the body begins to build up during workouts and can strip away gains if not suppressed. Give your body a shot of protein and carbohydrates. Whey protein, and a banana (or two) should cover you. However, try to avoid fats such as peanut butter and oils as these slow down the digestion process. Your goal at this point is the ship nutrients in the muscles via the blood stream as quickly as possible.
After you’ve put a few weeks in the gym and you’re getting more and more comfortable with performing different exercises, it might be a good time to get onboard with a more regimented plan. We have a massive collection of 35+ FREE complete workout plans for every type of goal including building muscle, losing weight or increasing athletic performance. Another great option would be our premium program.
Do you follow us on social media? Well, if you like great workouts, fun recipe ideas, and inspiring stories on a regular basis, give us a follow on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
2023 is here. It’s scary how fast time goes by. Let’s get stronger — both physically and mentally — in 2023!
How are you looking at the new year? Are you seeing it as a time to start fresh? Or, as a time to build on what was built the year before, and the year before that, and the year before that?
Every year, HFP grows because we’re able to add to our collection of content that we’ve created to bring value to your life. Since our inception in 2009, we spent a tremendous amount of time and energy creating new material and refreshing and expanding our older pieces to improve your experience.
As we head into 2023, we’re more committed than ever to serving this community as best we possibly can through the creation and curation of new thoughtful, useful, and authentic content. As we work on all of that, we thought it would be a good idea to get you set up with everything you might have missed or might need as you make your fitness and wellness plans in the coming weeks and months.
The following is a curated collection to get you started off strong in the new year.
Give this a bookmark and a follow on all your favorite social media channels (@humanfitproject). Click the highlighted links listed below to read the full feature.
It doesn’t matter what your goals are, we’ve probably got it covered, and if we don’t, let us know. While the fitness industry is always changing, our plans remain timeless. If they’ve worked for the dozens of experts we collaborated with then they can work for you too. Click the link above for everything from hardcore, heavy-lifting strength plans to very beginner bodyweight programming.
While in pursuit of getting fitter, physically and mentally, you can always find ways to optimize how you feel and perform. Over the years, we’ve experimented with several strategies, methods, and techniques to be more efficient in the gym, get better sleep at night, be more productive at work, and generally feel more energetic throughout the day. Click the above link for the current daily protocol that works.
Travel is always an inspiring experience. We’re always coming up with new ideas and writing a whole lot more during a trip away. The only downside is, it’s hard to stay in that optimal routine for maintaining fitness. Having travel essentials make it a little easier and convenient. Click the link above for a list of six absolute essentials. Also, we did not receive any product or receive any payment from any of the products on the list at the time of publication.
If you’re a complete beginner, these are the exercises you need to know how to do—and these pointers will get you there. On the other hand, if you’ve been working out for quite sometime, there’s no harm in going through a refreshing. It’s not uncommon to catch yourself going through motions of a workout and miss out on gains, even if you’re seasoned and experienced. You might surprise yourself when you take a minute to actually think about what you’re doing during your workouts.
Many people who start a workout plan or a new diet for the first time fail. They’ll stick to it for a couple days—maybe a couple weeks—feel good, then start to slip little by little until they’re over it. One skipped workout turns into two, one cheat meal turns into an entire cheat day. Why? It’s most likely not the plan or the diet, but the personality traits of the individual following the plan and/or diet. Find out if you have the traits that lead to success.
Waking up with some aches and pains are a part of the game. Instead of rolling out of a bed slow and sluggish, start things right with these quick and gentle moves to get the blood flowing. You don’t need to use all of them or do it every single day, but there’s no better to way to compliment a morning meditation than with these.
For some, getting into the gym regularly is the tough part, for others it’s the nutrition that gets them. Then there’s the ones that can’t get a lick of sleep and their hormones and mood get all out of wack. The research around the importance of sleep is only going to keep piling on. Instead of walking around lethargic or fighting it with obnoxious amounts of caffeine—try this pre-sleep routine.
Sitting at a desk tightens us up. Low back pain? Knee pain? You’ve got to get up and walk around a bit to keep things from getting rusty. There are also a series of moves or exercises that you can easily do at your desk. These are by no means a workout, but little things like this make a difference.
The number one excuse for not going to the gym or working out is a busy schedule. To be frank, that’s a pretty lame excuse. A workout is an hour or less per day and it’s going to make a huge long-term difference in the quality of your life. Even if you couldn’t careless about abs or muscles, you should care about your heart, lungs, and blood pressure, just to name a few. These workouts are quick, basic, and can be structured in several different ways to fit your schedule.
Yeah, you’ve got life goals too. It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to climb the corporate ladder or make it out there on your own, burn out can catch up to the best of us. For as much time as you spend working your muscles, you should be showing as much love to your mind and soul. While on your rise to the top, follow these strategies to stay as positive, productive, and sharp as possible.
Career-ending injuries are tragic, but if the doc says things aren’t that serious then don’t throw in the towel too soon. Inactivity only makes things worse. Do you have a bad knee? How about low back pain? Maybe it’s a stiff neck or elbow tendonitis? Our mobility expert has the workout prescription you need, minus the toxic pills you can probably do without.
There are no secrets when it comes to fitness and wellness. It’s about working out hard, trying to progress over time, and treating your body with respect. Eating quality foods are key in that. While you shouldn’t eat processed junk food, you can cheat here and there. After taking the time to learn what works for you, everything becomes intuitive. Don’t forget to check out the piece on how super-popular foods like avocado are nothing but a fitness facade.
These are a complete no-brainer. If you wiped out your refrigerator and pantry and need to restock everything, you can’t fail with what’s on this list. It’s got your macronutrients like protein, carbs, and fats covered. Stock up here—it would be impossible fall off the fitness wagon when fully supplied with these.
Doesn’t it feel like salmon is always in the spotlight when it comes to seafood? It’s not that other options aren’t mentioned or available, but it just seems like salmon, salmon, salmon. For the most part, all seafood is very good for building lean muscle and maintaining weight, and let’s not forget, it’s a good source of those healthy fats that everyone likes to tout. These 5 dishes are a fun ways to eat seafood while giving the salmon a rest.
The word “moderation” is a tricky one. Moderation for one person could mean something completely different for another. The idea of, “just a little bit won’t hurt” is flawed. How often are you doing “just a little bit”. Once you’re in-tune with how your body works and responds to things like food and exercise, then that saying makes sense, but when just starting out, it’s a bit harder to justify. (More on this concept in the intuitive eating story). Snack foods can quickly catch up to you—these are the best and worst.
High-intensity intervals have been proven time and time again to be a very effective fat-burner, especially when coupled up with strength training and good eating habits. They’re also a great way to get one heck of a sweat going. This is a collection of the best from HFP and it’s contributors.
There are loads of different training plans and dietary approaches to fat loss, but there are some hard and true guidelines that always seem to drive results. If you’re just getting started down the weight loss path, or have come against some headwinds recently then it’s worth making sure you’ve tried all of the possible options. Follow this list and you can’t fail.
The fitness industry is notorious for it’s ever-changing trends. One minute you should train this way, then the next minute it’s all about that way. The same goes with food and diet. The shifts are exhausting, and confusing, even for the experts. Above we listed some of the best exercises. They’re the best because they’re the basics and they won’t go anywhere. As for this list: these have gotten a bit more buzz the last year or so and are worth using as well.
Making changes to your routine and workouts has merit. While it’s a good idea to give your plans a chance to work, it’s also very easy to fall into the same ol’ same ol’ rut. If you’re following an actual plan, it’s good to track progress over a few weeks: anywhere from as little as 4 and upwards to 12+ isn’t uncommon. Now, there’s most likely some small changes over those course of time like reps, sets, and rest periods, but nothing major. When things get stale, it’s a good idea to try some new methods—these will make things fun and could trigger a good response from your body.
There’s no debate that a strong core is the foundation of everything. If your workouts are primarily focused on the entire body and you’re using the basic big lifts like the squat, deadlift, and variations of presses, you’re most likely well-covered. However, there’s no reason why you can’t give your core a little bit more work as long as you’re still seeing progress. On the other hand, if you’re following more of a bodybuilder’s type workout, not every muscle of the core could be getting enough work—this will cover your bases.
If you were to do 5 exercises, each for 10 reps, and needed to finish as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes, you’d probably be sweating like hell. Now, if you stay consistent with your training for several weeks, months, and years, you’ll be able to crank out several more rounds in that same amount of time. (And probably be sweating a whole hell of a lot less.) That’s progress, and that’s the purpose of these workouts. Pick one, or a few, and try them every few weeks or months. They’re also great workout challenges for friends and training partners.
Absolute-beginners: This piece dates back to the 2014-2015 time frame but has been periodically updated as it’s very relevant to anyone that’s just getting started. The gym can be an intimidating and sometimes even awkward environment, this piece should help ease those feelings as you learn how to pick the right gym for you, work around crowds, and establish your schedule. You might also find our guide of the 4 simple steps to your first day at the gym to be helpful.
Fitness is an ongoing process of learning. You learn what works, what doesn’t work, and what you body likes and doesn’t like. If you’re not careful, you can learn some very hard lessons along the way that can result in injury, burn out, or frustration from not seeing any results. Before you start your very first (or next) workout, give this a read-through. We made almost all the mistakes so you don’t need to. Train safe.
What was learned could save your life, and make you a more focused person.
I remember a traumatic experience at a swimming class when I was very young. I don’t remember how old I was, but I do remember the instructor simply asking me to put my face underwater, but I would freak out. I left the class completely defeated. Even to this day, the smell of an indoor pool or chlorine brings back a sliver of a memory of that time, place, and moment of defeat. It was hard, and I quit. That apprehension in the water still exists to this day, even after years of riding waves. Who would have thought that one day I’d be training with a former Marine Raider?
Fast forward many years and I slowly trained myself to be more comfortable in pools and the ocean. I learned to ride waves in my teens from the older guys. Eventually my love for riding waves overrode some of that apprehension. Key word: some. It’s obvious that the more you do something the more comfortable you get, so over the years, I did just that: got more comfortable by default.
As I got more into fitness and training in my late teens and 20s, I started to get even more confident as I got bigger, stronger, and improved my cardiovascular fitness. I started to experiment with making my own workouts in the pool and ocean, usually small circuits mixed with swims, but nothing with any sort of professional prescription. Even more recently, like in the last couple years, I’ve seen a lot of success with apnea training and using an apnea training app for O2 and CO2 tests. All of this has been great, but it’s just a scratch on the surface to what I learned in two days with a former Marine Raider, an actual professional in the water.
Discovering Deep End Fitness
Master Instructor Rick Briere leading an group session for Deep End Fitness
I stumbled on Deep End Fitness a couple of years ago on Instagram (@deependfitness) after seeing some intense underwater training. I said to myself that I needed to experience this. It’s something I wish I had in my teens.
On a recent trip to San Diego for an insane multi-day running event, I decided to take an extra two days to get in a session with the Deep End guys. I reached out and was connected with Rick Briere, a 34-year old Master Instructor with Deep End Fitness and a former Marine Special Operations Raider with combat experience in Afghanistan. He served 8 years before becoming an instructor. For more background on Marine Raiders, they were originally formed during World War II but were no longer active at the end of the war, then they were reactivated in 2006. They are considered to be highly elite forces that are trained to be ready for anything.
I learned a tremendous amount from Rick in just two days…
The Initial Recon
After connecting with Rick, I sent over a list of about 10 questions to learn as much as I could about him, Deep End Fitness, and this training so I’d be best prepared for the experience and to tell the story afterwards. What was most interesting from this initial exploration was just how important mental fitness and resilience is to what they do and teach.
We showed up at the pool at 8AM. Rick had a few pairs of goggles, a GoPro, and two dumbbells. I was instantly excited. Although, it was a little chilly.
We started the session with breath work. Rick explained how to take deep breaths from the belly or diaphragm and not just the chest. We then practiced some basic box breathing where we took deep inhales, paused at the top for a few seconds, then slowly released. Then, we worked on recovery breaths, much slower, natural-like breathing but with intense focus. The slight nervousness I had slowly shifted to calmness here.
From there we tread water. I was surprised to learn that I tread water like shit. I was wasting a ton of energy by fluttering my feet and not closing my fingers together. Rick taught me to kick my legs out to my sides more like a frog and to close the gaps in my fingers.
Then we moved into Bobs, the act of sinking to the bottom while slowly letting out air, then exploding to the surface only to repeat again and again. On the first day it was much harder than it looks on the gram, but I slowly picked it up. (Day two was significantly better, in fact, quite euphoric at one point.)
Next up was max breath holds. Simply grabbing the wall, the goal was to just take a deep breath and hold for as long as possible. Initially I struggled, but progressively improved with each round, but still, could hold for significantly less time than I can on land. My max breath hold on land is about 2:30, in the water, it was 40 seconds this day. To put it into perspective, Rick is about 5 minutes in the water. On land, God only knows.
After the breath holds was a small circuit including something called Gutter Ups (essentially muscling yourself up and out of the pool) followed by a short Freestyle swim, followed by a series of Bobs. It was surprisingly quite hard.
Finally, the main event, the Dumbbell Walk. Rick jumped in the pool with the two dumbbells straight to the bottom, 13 feet. Here, he explained the importance of remaining calm, focused, and taking the task one step at a time. His first directive was to simply swim to the bottom, touch the dumbbells, then return to the surface. The first time was a little shaky, and I thought there was no way I could swim all the way down, then carry those dumbbells anywhere. I recovered, focused, went down, touched the dumbbells and stood up, then returned to the surface. His next directive: Grab them, stand up, lean forward, and walk to the first line. I did it. Then it became the second line, then he tweaked my form a bit to be more efficient at carrying them. Then, I made it to the middle of the pool! Wild! Couldn’t believe it!
At this point, Caitlin, who was also going through the training, did her walks in the 7 foot lane. Inspired by her successful carries, I decided to give the 7 foot lane a try. To my own surprise, I was able to make it all the way to the other side. Completely stoked!
Day One Training Takeaways
Being able to focus on your breath, breathing, and focus is an incredibly powerful tool, I think a lot more powerful than we even may realize. There’s a lot of talk of mental resilience, mental fitness, and breath work, but being put into a situation where it needs to be applied in a survival / life situation, it really shows what we’re capable of.
Breaking a task down into smaller steps is the key to everything.
Diving In: Day Two
Initially, there wasn’t supposed to be a day two. It was just going to be a day with Rick, but after sharing a meal together, learning about each other’s shared appreciation for the water and fitness and challenging ourselves, Rick said a second day would be another day of tremendous growth, and he was not wrong.
We started day two exactly the same way with breathwork, but this time, I went into it with even more hyper focus. My goal was to absolutely crush what I did the day before. I knew I was capable of much more, but may have been caught up in the moment of meeting someone new, being somewhere new, and trying something quite wild. In fact, many of the local swimmers were starstruck both times Rick showed up. He’s a kind, humble beast that wanted to just share every ounce of knowledge he had. Not only was I impressed with his physical abilities and coaching abilities, but his openness to help anyone and everyone that popped over to ask a quick one.
Next, the max breath holds. This time, because of my focus and extra attention during the breath work, I was able to smash my time by more than 30 seconds. Cait had a similar experience.
Then, onto the Bobs again. This time, after a few wobbly ones, I started to enter a state of trance or euphoria. I was completely comfortable, I flowed up and down, inhaling and exhaling in total harmony. Honestly, it’s one of the most peaceful moments in my life. Rick saw it and he pushed me to do it for 30 seconds non-stop. I felt as though I could have gone all day.
Next, we learned Crossovers. Simply (but not so simply) kicking off the wall, getting as streamlined as possible, and making it to the other side in one breath. This is something I still need some work on, but since we didn’t practice on day one, I’m giving myself a break. I was able to make it across, but with junky form. Rick gave me a few small tips like keeping my head down when driving forward, keeping my arms tight to my sides, and dipping my head and torso down when my body started to float up.
Next was a circuit, but tougher than day one. This one gassed me. Three rounds of 10 dumbbell snatches, 10 gutter ups, a 25 yard freestyle swim, and a 25 yard crossover. Considering I was feeling much better in the water and had some familiarity with this type of workout, I did fairly well. We didn’t time it, but I was definitely very tired during the freestyle swims and crossovers. Most of my crossovers needed an inhale midway through. But, I did it.
Finally, it was time to challenge myself with another dumbbell walk. This time, instead of doing it in the 7 foot lane, I was going all the way to 13, and my goal was to get 3/4 of the way instead of 1/2 of the way this time. Rick told me to take my time, connect with my breath. I told him I was going to take his advice from day one and take it in small steps, just touch them, return, and reset. He liked the idea. After completing the first task, it was time to go for it. I took the deepest breath I could, kicked to the bottom, picked them up, focused on one foot in front of the other and walked. Line one, line two, line three, line four… I started to feel a little convulsion, but relocked my focus on one step at a time, I was just about there and wanted to stop, I did enough, but I hear Rick screaming “YESSSSS” underwater, which pushed me further. I made it. I swam all the way to the bottom, grabbed those dumbbells and walked all the way to the other side of the pool. I was completely in shock. I was completely blown away by how powerful the mind is. Rick was just as stoked, if not more stoked than I was. What a great experience. We hit the hot tub the warm up, then it was off to the airport. But this is not a good-bye forever.
Day Two Training Takeaways
Everything I learned in Day One was just amplified in Day Two. The power of focusing on your breath and breathwork, and the power of taking things one step at a time.
Rick Briere, and Deep End Fitness are doing something very unique and special. For all the talk about the power of the mind, a lot of it is hard to actually measurably see. The power of the mind was proven time and time again during both days. Longer breath holds, longer carries, more efficient Bobs, everything.
I can’t wait to do more with Rick and Deep End Fitness and hope that others get to experience it as well.
A Human to Follow: Rick Briere
Rick Briere is a 34-year old Master Instructor with Deep End Fitness (DEF) and a former Marine Special Operations Raider with combat experience in Afghanistan. He served 8 years.
Marine Raiders are a special operations force originally established by the US Marine Corps during WWII to conduct amphibious light infantry warfare.
Rick and Deep End Fitness coach people on creating and developing a process on how to handle daunting situations such as being trapped underwater. He excels at teaching people to overcome the anxieties that come from those situations.
Rick describes the DEF practice as movement, breathwork, and strengthening one’s mind towards optimizing human performance both in and out of the water.
During our sessions, many of the local swimmers were starstruck both times Rick showed up. He’s a kind, humble beast that wanted to just share every ounce of knowledge he had. Not only was I impressed with his physical abilities and coaching abilities, but his openness to help anyone and everyone that popped over to ask a quick one.
Please follow Rick Briere (@rick.briere) and Deep End Fitness (@deependfitness) and tell them Mike Simone, Caitlin Carlson, and/or humanfitproject sent you.
Rick Briere is a 34-year old Master Instructor with Deep End Fitness (DEF) and a former Marine Special Operations Raider with combat experience in Afghanistan. He served 8 years.
Marine Raiders are a special operations force originally established by the US Marine Corps during WWII to conduct amphibious light infantry warfare. Rick has been trained to be essentially ready for anything.
During our recent training sessions, many of the local swimmers were starstruck both times Rick showed up. He’s a kind, humble beast that wanted to just share every ounce of knowledge he had. Not only was I impressed with his physical abilities and coaching abilities, but his openness to help anyone and everyone that popped over to ask a quick one.
I had some of my biggest breakthroughs in water training, once DEF came to life, I just had to be a part of it.
Why did you choose to get involved?
I wanted to make a positive shift in water confidence and resilience for all athletes no matter the skill level.
What does fitness mean to you?
Fitness is a way life for me, I always feel recharged after a workout both in and out of the water.
How about mental resilience?
Mental resilience is crucial to maintaining a growth and development mindset. The more resilient the individual the more they can endure.
How do you help people build mental resilience?
We coach people on creating and developing a process on how to handle situations that are daunting. For example, open water swimmers or surfer getting trapped under waves for an extended period of time. We excel at teaching people to overcome the anxieties that come with the aforementioned situation. That level of confidence and resilience can be applied in all parts of their lives not just in the water.
How would you describe the Deep End Fitness philosophy?
DEF is the practice of movement, breath work and strengthening one’s mind towards optimizing human performance both in and out of the water.
How is it different from other forms of fitness?
In a one-hour block, an individual can achieve the highest mental and physical benefits possible for them.
What is your advice for people who are intimidated by the water?
The only way to break through that barrier is to go through it. Start small, create small goals and then work with an instructor or a buddy to support you in achieving those goals. Another option is to take the leap and join the Deep End Fitness community. We will set you up for success.
What is your advice for staying calm in tough situations?
Focus on your breathing. If it’s sporadic, bring it under control. Once that’s accomplished, break down the situation into manageable pieces and go through it one part at a time.
What is the workout we’ll do together?
Master Instructor Rick Briere leading a group session for Deep End Fitness
Opening Circle
Breathing
Warm up (upper regulation)
Box Breathing (Recovery breathing)
Breath hold push ladder
Recovery breathing
Warm up
10 min tread (BSAFE & FREE)
Breath hold
25 yard Under water Swim
Mask retrieval
Brick Tow
Skill Development
Bobs
Dumbbell Walks
Under water swim
Workout (3 rounds)
5 Burpee bottom outs
25 yards Under water swim
25 yard Over-under
5 recovery breaths
25 yard Dumbbell walk
Rest 3 min
Recovery breathing
Mental Focus (Challenge)
2 min Bobs
Max DB walk
Max Breath hold
Lifting weights will get you big, but there’s much more to it than picking things up and putting them down. There’s what to train, when to train, how to train it; how to eat, what to eat, and when to eat it. Age, body type, and attitude also contribute to the end product you’re attempting to build. And while it can frustrating at times, it’s possible to accomplish.
If you’re having trouble adding the muscle you want, make sure you check out our top 10 ways to build muscle faster. If you’re still stuck try making the following changes to your workouts and diet.
If you’ve been lifting and lifting, and eating and eating, but still can’t gain, more than likely there are two things happening. The first is that you’re not eating enough, even if you think you are. Start tracking what you eat for a week, if you eat oatmeal in the morning, have 2 cups instead of 1. If you eat a single piece of chicken at dinner, eat two. Monitor your eating, and slowly eat more and more each week. The second snag that could be happening is that you’re metabolism is insanely fast (sucks to be a skinny dude), but that just means you need to eat more. Even if you don’t want to.
Don’t even know what the heck you should be eating? Update your grocery list with our top 25 muscle-building foods.
2. Start eating more often
Three squares is how most of the the civilized world consumes food, but if you’re on a mission to building more muscle, eating more frequently can be a bit more effective. Slamming down extra calories in three meals can get tricky, and even downright sickening, make it easier, spread it out through five or six. Eating more frequently can also keep up a steady flow of essential nutrients like protein in the body and muscles throughout the day with less spikes and valleys.
3. Don’t forget your post-workout meal
Post-workout is a critical, and quite possibly the most important meal. After heavy lifting your testosterone levels have dropped, cortisol levels have elevated, and the body and muscles are craving food and nutrients. Without getting super techy, your body needs two things… and two things, fast. Protein and carbs. You don’t need fats here, one scoops of protein, a banana and some oatmeal should cover you. (5’10” 160 lbs. trying to bulk up)
4. Start using “Monster Shakes”
Your post-workout shakes are one thing, monster shakes are another. Because you’re trying to eat more frequently and pile in calories, “Monster Shakes” can help fill that void. A monster shake is loaded with protein, carbs, and fats, and better for in-between meals. Go with one scoop of whey (about 100 calories, 25 grams of protein), two tablespoons of natural peanut butter (about 200 calories), one banana (about 100 calories, 27 grams of carbs), one cup of oatmeal (about 100 calories, 25 grams of carbs), 4-6 ounces of unsweetened almond milk (about 30-50 calories), plus water. You’re looking at a solid 500+ extra calories. (feel free to add more!)
How to change the way you train to build muscle
1. Drop the amount of sets you do
Lifting more means more muscle, right? Well, no. If you’re banging away at 20+ sets per large muscle group, drop down to 12. Take 60-90 second rest periods. Small muscle groups, go with 9 sets. Your lifts should be all out intensity with solid rest periods. Get in the gym, get out, eat, and recover.
2. Pull back on the cardio you’re doing
If you’re into running, it’s time to prioritize lifting weights. Cut back on your cardio workouts by 50% or more. At least until you start seeing the weight pack on. It’s very hard to be a consistent runner and hold onto muscle mass.
3. Switch to a completely new routine
You can’t take on a routine, give it a couple days, or even a couple weeks and think it’s going to get results you want. And it’s even more challenging to get into a gym without some type of structured program and expect to see progressive gains. One-off workouts are great for traveling, or once you’ve learned your body enough, but when starting out, structure is needed. However, if things aren’t moving along after 4-6 weeks, it might be time to reassess your program and try something new.
Bulking up is hard, and especially hard for guys with super speed metabolisms. Accept the fact that it’s going to take time, a lot of effort, a lot of food, and plenty of sacrifice. Stay clean, committed, and focused and you’ll get where you want to be before you know it.
I’d say that over the last year or so, more core workouts were completed than ever before. To be more specific, full or multi-body part workouts with supplemental core and mobility stuff was the typical routine. The 6-week Unlabeled plan, which was released December 2017, was sort of the start of that evolution or shift in training styles. If you look at the plan, you’ll notice it begins with single body parts then starts to shift towards multi-part and full body splits. At the time, that was what my body was telling me to do. It was incredibly intuitive.
Since then, workouts have also become trimmed down or simplified, reminiscent to the original daily workout series. These training shifts are temporary, not long-term philosophy changes. Look at them as a rotation of phases and transitions.
The following workouts were used as general prep prior to the fall surf season. It’s created improvements in strength and conditioning, but more importantly, they’ve minimized aches, pains, and irritations that typically come along with all the extended surf sessions.
On the flip, the recent increase of my time in the water has meant more steady state cardio and even some higher intensity intervals tossed in. AKA: accidental exercise. That’s a lot of energy expenditure, and there’s been was some more than usual weight loss. Admittedly, some slightly overtrained days. (Hard to predict when back-to-back, all-day surf sessions will occur.) This has signaled it’s time for another seasonal shift.
Next up will be a potential reduction of the days in the gym and reduction of the amount of volume, but either an increase in load and rest periods, or the integration of even more mobility and active recovery.
In the meantime, while that’s currently in development, maybe you’d like to work some of these in for yourself, if you haven’t already.
There’s currently 20 here, but more will be added along the way.
Summer 2018 did start with a little joke. The spray on sunblock plank. In all seriousness though, different and repeat variations of the plank are seen throughout most of these workouts.
1A. Slow toe stub ? x 10 per side
1B. Modified hollow hold x 10-15
Minimal rest. Repeat 5 rounds.
2A. Single-arm, upside down DB press with elevated feet x 10 per side
2B. Plank walks x 5-10
Minimal rest. Repeat 5 rounds.
4. The 3 that got added on everywhere
An odd addition to this one seemed to make things pop.
1.Bird dog row 5 sets x 8-10 (30s rest)
2.Plank tucks 5 sets x failure (30s rest)
3A.Extended/walk plank x failure
3B.Elbow plank hold x failure
3C.Hand plank hold x failure
Rest 30-60s. Repeat 5x
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6. This one takes a whole lot of gas with legs involved
Originally going to be a leg-only day quickly turned into a whole lot more core work than expected. The original name for this was “the sweat stain” workout.
12. There’s a flutter kick challenge to a cool jam
A song I happened to get inspired by came on. I decided to do flutter variations (or didn’t allow myself to touch the ground with my feet) until the song was over.
Mountain climber-low lunge x10
Slow lying leg raise x10
*Modified plank row x 5per side + 5 push-ups
*Don’t touch the ground with the DBs during the plank.
Rest 30-60s. Repeat x5
16. Having some fun at the Bond Street Equinox
Spending some extra time downtown led to the guest pass being leveraged. An afternoon during the week at Bond Street is nice and quiet.
1. Modified beast+climb x60s
2. Boat pose+crunch x10
3. Modified Cossack squat/lateral lunge x8 per side
4. Modified down dog/scorpion x5 per side
5. Slow pause squat x10
Compete 5 sets of each exercise. Rest 30s between each set.
19. Give a little more for cardio and core
This is another addition to a workout from earlier in the day. Originally it was called the extra 10%. Add it to any strength workout.
5-mile run
Toes to bar x 10
Low lunge/MTN climber x 10/side
Star plank ⭐️ x 30s/side
MTN climber x30-60s
Minimal rest. Repeat 5 rounds.
7-10 all-out sprints w/60s rest
Alternating single-arm plank x 10 side
Controlled plank knee drive x 10 side
Heavy-heavy Russian twist x 10 side
Dip bar knee tuck x 10
Controlled bicycles x 60s
Stability ball roll-out push-up x 10
Rest 30-60s. Repeat 5 rounds.
Russian twist w/partial bicycle x 15/side
Single-arm weighted sit up x 10/side
Saw plank x15
Quick, but controlled hanging knee raise x15
Zero rest. 5 rounds will do the trick—more if you wanna be a beast.
All the junk food is out of the house. You’re in the gym 3, 4 or 5 days per week. But the damn scale won’t budge and you’re seeing the same reflection in the mirror.
Here’s what could be going on:
1. You cheat before even knowing the rules yet
Grabbing a beer here, eating a small piece of cake there, nibbling on a little this and a little of that actually adds up. It takes a while to learn what works and doesn’t work for your body. And until you’ve gotten that formula figured out, it’s best to stay away from the “cheat meals” for the time-being. Check out this comprehensive piece on intuitive eating for lean muscle and how to get your body there.
2. You’re starving your body
Huge mistake, and actually very common. Think if you eat less you’ll lose weight? You actually will, but you’ll also lose a huge percentage of muscle that you have. The result? Skinny-fat. You’re still fat, but just a smaller version of it. To successfully lose weight, you need to eat, and do it properly. Check out the intuitive eating piece mentioned above for a comprehensive analysis of diet.
3. You workout, but you don’t WORKOUT
Similarly to the above, you can’t really cheat until you’ve got it all figured out. But this also holds true for the gym and your workouts. You can’t be doggin’ it in there. Chances are you can do 1-2 more reps than you think you can. Going through the motions without passion and determination will hold you back. If you’re routines seem a bit flat, check out these 7 training techniques that produce insane muscular pumps.
4. Your consistency sucks
We’re not talking about missing a session here and there. Well, we are. But this actually pertains to longer-term consistency as well. If you train like an animal for 3 weeks, but flake out for the next 3 and want to get back into it, you’re really making it hard on yourself. Building the human body takes time and a lot of effort, if you’re not ready to make a realistic investment of focus and energy into it, then you need to be prepared to accept results that might not be what you want. Check out this piece on how to always have your best possible workout.
5. You run too damn much
Running is great exercise. And so is rowing and biking and swimming. But, but, but, believe it or not, too much cardio could be working against you. When your goal is to lose weight, you want to lose fat, not just weight. Too much cardio and it can eat away at muscle. If you’re doing tons of cardio and not seeing any progress, start prioritizing the resistance training 3-4 days per weeks, 1 shorter run and 1 longer run in a week. Check out the Redemption plan for a good combo of weight and easy cardio.
6. You stress out like a nut
Your head plays more of a role in the weight loss game than people like to give credit. If you’re freaking out over work, a bad relationship, or whatever—it’s going to impact your physical body. Without getting overly complicated, stress makes you want to eat, and eat more. Enough said.
