Hello friends. 👋

It’s been awhile since I’ve written anything. A couple of major things happened this past year: we had a baby, we bought a house, and I built a home gym in my basement. All great things, but needless to say the newsletter definitely took a backseat.

I put on some considerable muscle using Mike Mentzer’s High Intensity Training principles but I’m now looking to pull back a bit and focus on my big lifts. Years of traditional hypertrophy training has allowed me to build up some strength and size, but my mobility and compound lifts aren’t quite where I want them to be. I’m making some solid improvement in this category already, and I’ll share the results and strategies as I learn more.

In the meantime, here’s some fun stuff from the past months.

The Rower is King

For those of you who have worked out at a Crossfit gym or at a HIIT-style gym like Orange Theory, you might be well acquainted with the Concept2 RowErg. I had only used a rower as a “finisher” to my big lifts on days when I didn’t want to exhaust my legs running or cycling.

When we had the baby I knew I wasn’t going to be leaving the house to run during nap time, so I opted into buying a Concept2 instead of a treadmill. Our basement hadn’t been waterproofed yet (it is now, so expect some treadmill content soon) so I didn’t want to put anything electric into the space.

The Concept2 RowErg met all of my needs. It’s not cheap, coming in at about $1,000 after taxes and shipping, but compared to the cost of other at-home cardio equipment it’s a steal. These things last forever, have amazing build quality, and allow you to get a great workout in at half the speed of other equipment. It’s also battery operated so feel free to put this thing in your basement or garage without having to worry about damage from the elements.

I’m excited to get back into running soon, but until then I find myself wanting to hop on the rowing machine more than I want to lace up my running shoes.

The Tasty Pastry

I love buying “healthy” snacks. Yes, it would be more cost effective to just take a protein shake, but it would also be 100% less fun than eating something that tastes like dessert and gives me the macros I need.

The Tasty Pastry from Legendary Foods is one of the best tasting diet treats I’ve found. The macros are amazing at only 180 calories, 5 net carbs, and 20g of protein. For something that tastes like a Pop Tart and is more nutritious than a protein bar you can’t go wrong.

These things are pricey, so don’t go wild thinking you will eat these for every snack, but it’s a great alternative when you want a quick breakfast and are craving something to go with coffee.

Juggernaut AI

This past couple of months I have been balancing a pretty intense rowing plan with strength training. A couple of weeks ago I decided to try out JuggernautAI to do a bit of “powerbuilding” to build strength as well as mass.

So far, I’m loving the experience. I train four days a week using their app and it guides me through the program using RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) and RIR (Reps in Reserve) to ensure I’m pushing myself at the appropriate levels.

The combination of accountability through progress metrics and the smart programming that it provides is well worth the $35 a month. If you have a home gym or have a gym membership it’s a no brainer. Compared to a specialized powerlifting or Crossfit gym membership you can easily get the job done with something like this for much less.

Community Update

I mentioned previously that I was toying with the idea of creating a Discord or Slack to build an online community of folks who are training together and hitting their goals. I’m still planning on launching this! The tentative launch date is mid July.

It will most likely be free, but the community programming will be paid. If you’re interested, reach out and let me know! Would love to hear what you would want out of something like this.

Thanks for reading. 👊

There are few things more fun on the internet than lists of stuff. Here’s a list of things that I currently find interesting.

On Running

There are few things better than getting a new pair of running shoes. Something about running in a new pair of shoes makes you feel faster. It might be a placebo effect that boosts your confidence, but I think there might be something special in new shoes.

I just finished my first pair of On Running shoes. I got the Cloud in White Sand because the second best thing to a pair of running shoes is a pair of white shoes that has been beat to hell.

I really loved these shoes and was worried at first that the absence of laces would bother my feet. After putting in serious miles I would definitely buy these again. I even wore them for four days in Yellowstone.

BPN Supplements

I have taken a lot of supplements and despite having the same active ingredients in all of them, they are not created equal. The industry isn’t regulated and you never really know what you’re going to get. While BPN supplements aren’t the most cost-effective option I can say that you get what you pay for. As far as quality goes, I would highly recommend spending your money on Nick Bare’s stuff. Its tested, reliable, and it tastes good.

Also, Nick is a pretty cool guy who has been able to balance strength and endurance training at the same time. (The kind of training we do at PUSH.) His Youtube is a great source of motivation if you’re looking to get inspired.

My daily stack is:

• Flight Pre-Workout

• Endopump Pump Enhancer

• Creatine Monohydrate

• Whey Protein

• Electrolytes

Now that I’m getting back into running as my primary focus I’m excited to work more carbohydrate supplementation into my routine. The recently introduced G1M Sport looks like the top contender.

GOWOD

I suck at stretching. I have tried everything I can to be consistent with stretching and foam rolling but it never sticks. With that being said, GOWOD has been a useful tool to ensure that I at least have a plan to follow. The structure of their protocols has not only helped me with stretching, but it’s shifted my focus towards mobility.

Luckily, there is a free trial so you can try before you buy. If you have a Theragun or Hypervolt they even work those tools into their plans. (Theragun is their official partner, but I use my Hypervolt with it and it works great.)

✨ Community ✨

It’s been hard for me to scale my personal training business. Some of you might know that this isn’t my full-time role! However, I am super passionate about this community we are building and I’m hoping find new ways to explore this space. Instead of limiting my reach to a select group of clients I’m looking for creative solutions to this problem.

I plan to launch a Discord soon to chat with you directly and share workouts, tips and tricks in more of an open setting. I’d also love to hear from you more! If this is something you’re interested in let me know by replying to this newsletter and I’ll add you to the beta list. ✌️

Consistency Is Key

If you have been subscribed to this newsletter for a bit you will know that I haven't been consistent with my writing. It's something I hope to change moving forward. Simply put, consistency is the key to unlocking growth. We rarely see progress in efforts where we lack consistency.

This is true for any habit. Work, fitness, personal growth. It's all tied to how consistent we are with our efforts. I often think of James Clear's principle of continuous improvement when I slack with my habits. It’s better for us to embrace a mindset of
”one percent better every day” than trying to make huge gains in explosive steps forward.

In order to achieve consistency we need to establish habits that are easy to repeat and schedules that are easy to stick to. My personal downfall has been trying to achieve too many 1% gains at once. Volume is a huge contributor success. Don’t spread yourself too thin!

Nowadays I stick to five achievable tasks per day and use habit stacking to get more out of my daily routines. (I have a previous post about habit stacking here.) Here are my current habit stacks:

• Personal Morning Routine: Daily workout, meditation, and post-workout breakfast

• Morning Work Routine: E-mail, work communication, and other small tasks.

• Workday: Tackle the days top five tasks

• Work Cool Down: Respond to any immediate communication, plan the next days top five tasks

Planning things out help us keep track of our progress and make it easier for our habits to stay consistent once we start. Hoping to add my writing to one of these routines in a way that makes my progress meaningful and hopefully valuable for you. I would love to hear about your ways of staying consistent! Have a strong rest of your week. 💪

My time at home has been kind to me in many ways. I am extremely grateful that I’ve been able to maintain a fairly normal life over the past two years. Of course, being stuck at home has forced me to adapt in many ways. My training went from weights in the gym to kettlebells in the living room, and my diet shifted to whatever was in my kitchen.

This shift forced me to be much more aware of the decisions I was making. For the first time in awhile, I had to make deliberate decisions about every single thing I was doing on a day-to-day basis. I had never considered how I was going through the motions without questioning my daily actions.

Today’s letter isn’t about training or diet, though. It’s about something much more important. Today we are talking about sleep.

The average person spends 26 years of their life asleep. (We also spend 7 years of our lives trying to fall asleep.) That’s a considerable amount of time, so it’s worthy of discussion. How do we get optimal sleep? How does it interact with your training? I am not a sleep physician, but here are some tips and tricks I’ve learned while playing with my sleep.

Sleep Impacts Everything

This should come as no surprise, but it’s easy to forget that sleep impacts every aspect of your life. We need sleep to survive and higher quality sleep leads to a higher quality existence. There are a couple of reasons I suggest getting better sleep:

• Mental Clarity

• Improved Recovery

• Improved Training

When we get better sleep we have more mental clarity. This helps us perform better at work, learn more efficiently, be more present in our daily lives, and make better decisions. Studies show that lack of sleep causes hormone imbalance, which leads to shifts in our eating habits. Having a tough time sticking to your macros? Sleep more. There is also a link between our sleeping habits and our training habits. In fact, they have a reciprocal tie to each other.

Once you are training consistently you will need optimal sleep to recover. As your training load increases your sleep load will need to increase to allow your body time to rest. The great thing about exercise is that it makes sleep easier. If you have trouble sleeping, exercise is will be a great tool to kick start a more effective sleep cycle.

The combination of better sleep and better recovery will lead to better results. I don’t need to convince you further that sleep is important and that you need good sleep, but my goal here is to create a world where sleep is a critical part of your healthy lifestyle and training regimen. Plan for sleep and work to optimize it.

Everyone Sleeps Differently

We are all different. What works for me might not work for you. My wife could sleep through a plane engine falling through our roof, but I wake up if the dog shifts his weight. (We sleep with our dog, and it’s definitely not good for my health but it’s too cute for me to kick him off the bed.)

I say this only to suggest one thing: be curious about how you sleep. Much like training and diet, you should play around with different elements of your sleep to see what works for you and what doesn’t. For me, white noise (we use a Google Home) and a small fan next to the bed have been game-changers. On the flip side, I tried a sleep mask (this one is awesome) for a bit and it wasn’t much of a help.

Play around with variables like these and see what works for you:

• Room Temperature

• Body Temperature (Clothing and Blanket Weight)

• Environmental Noise

• Light (Reduce morning light with blackout shades)

• Medication Timing

Three Truths

While we are all different, there are three tips I would suggest for all of us.

• Reduce screen time. Screen time tricks our minds into preventing our natural wind-down associated with our circadian rhythm. Most phones have a setting to shift screen colors before bedtime. Make sure you use these settings if you have to use your phone in the evening.

• Reduce late-night eating. When we eat late at night our bodies have to work to process that food while we sleep. We should be letting our metabolic system rest while we sleep. If you need a late-night snack, make it a small nutrient dense snack.

• Reduce alcohol intake before bed. Alcohol prevents deep sleep. While some folks get sleepy when they get a buzz, the quality of sleep is still drastically decreased after a couple of drinks. It’s also much easier to get a good run in without a hangover!

That concludes my sleep PSA! According to my Apple Watch, I’m currently getting 8.3 hours of sleep every night. Try setting a benchmark for your sleep and see what you can do to increase the quality. Bad nights are inevitable, but like anything we train, keep an eye on the trends. Over time focusing on sleep will be a life-changing effort.

Have a great week!

My personal training philosophy is simple: find balance in your training. I'm a firm believer that if you incorporate strength training, endurance training, and high intensity training you will achieve the best long term results with your fitness. The caveat to this is that it's hard to "get better" at these training types without having an interval of focused effort towards each practice.

Last year I focused on building up my endurance training. Quarantine made it hard for me to lift consistently, so it was perfect timing for me to focus on running. After a year of running I felt confident as a runner, but my strength wasn't where I wanted it to be.

In March, I decided to kick-off two months of focused strength training. I had never done a traditional "bulk" cycle where I allowed myself to gain weight strategically, and I had never explicitly focused on strength training while reducing my cardio load. Here's what I learned.

1. Eat big to lift big

If you want to focus on building strength, you need to fuel your training appropriately. I had always eaten around 2,600 calories per day to maintain a weight of 180 lbs. During my two month experiment I increased my calories to 3,000 calories to properly fuel my lifts.

I added carbohydrates for energy and extra protein to help build muscle. Extra energy also meant extra weight. After it was all said and done my weight went from 180 lbs to 188 lbs.

That weight gain was a combination of muscle and fat. I use a Garmin Index scale to measure my weight and body fat percentage. My body fat went from 19% to 24% according to the scale. However, according to a handheld body fat measurement system and traditional calipers my weight stayed consistent around 12% body fat.

I would guess that the majority of my weight gain came from excess water I was holding due to the major decrease in intense running.

A note on body fat calculations: scales are great at showing trends, but not great at giving you real measurements on body fat. Combine different ways of measuring body fat percentage to get the proper reading for your body type.

2. Maintain your cardio, but don't overdo it

Don't lose your cardio gains during a strength phase. Use this time to let your body rest after an intense period of cardiovascular training. I'll share my weekly schedule below, but as a core principle try to incorporate low intensity cardio twice a week and high intensity sustained cardio once a week.

I tried to build HIIT into my strength sessions as a "finisher" as much as I could. This meant 10-12 minutes of cardio at 160+ BPM at the end of each workout. This helped keep body fat gain low while I was bulking.

3. Focus on strength numbers, not scale numbers

This period of training is about lifting heavier weight. The scale isn't important during this phase. If your strength is increasing, you are doing the right things. There is a reason I time boxed this period to two months. I didn't want to take my eyes off of the scale for too long, but giving myself the freedom to take a step back from tracking weight gave me the freedom to focus on performance.

As long as you are eating healthy foods and feeling good, don't worry about the weight gain that comes with increased calories and decreased cardio.

4. Have a plan for the end of your strength phase

As I end my strength phase, I'm transitioning back into a cardio-heavy "cut" phase. I will most likely drop a lot of the fat and water weight I gained in the last two months but the goal is to maintain my strength and muscle mass while doing so.

Without a clear plan you can easily end up holding onto the excess weight you gained while focusing on strength. I'll share my plan for cutting the weight after I complete this next phase of training.

The Weekly Plan

Here is what my weekly plan looked like for the past two months. A couple of key ingredients are at play here:

• Strength Training: For power

• Hypertrophy Training: For mass and conditioning

• Low Intensity Endurance Training: For maintaining endurance (Sunday)

• High Intensity Cardio: For maintaining speed (Wednesday and Saturday)

The weeks are front-loaded with strength and taper off in load to allow for recovery. While recovering from strength I would focus on low-intensity cardio that was usually in Zone 1 and 2 of my heart rate zones. My primary method of cardio during this time was indoor cycling to go easy on my legs.

Towards the end of this 2-month cycle I started incorporating more running to prepare for my transition back to a running-focused plan.

Strength days were compound lifts only, and hypertrophy days were focused on smaller muscle groups. Strength training was 5 sets of 5 reps per lift at heavy weight, and hypertrophy training was 4 sets of 8-12 reps per exercise at lighter weights. I personally like to constantly incorporate hypertrophy training, but if you wanted to focus solely on power you could swap out hypertrophy days for big lifts.

The Results

Now for the fun part. I'll keep this short:

• I hit personal records for every major lift.

• I gained 8lbs of mass while keeping body fat % gains low.

• I got faster with my 5k pace.

• I felt great and had a ton of energy.

If I had to call out any negatives of the past two months I would say that the only downside was eating. 3000 calories of clean eating is a TON of food. Most days I would eat a huge bowl of oatmeal, two protein shakes, chicken and sweet potatoes, 300g of egg whites, a big dinner with protein and veggies and a ton of rice cakes and peanut butter. At first it was fun, but after week two it's a burden. I'm really excited about cutting back.

That's it! If you're interested in focusing on strength training I hope my little experiment helps. Feel free to reach out with questions. If you're looking for a plan like this I'm always here to help at contact@push.fyi.

The Ultimate Pump Cover

Hey everyone, today I’m launching a fun t-shirt to help you get pumped for the summer. It’s the ultimate tee to cover up your gains for that big reveal at the beach. 😎

All proceeds will go to The Fresh Air Fund and help support NYC kids get fresh air this summer. 🚀

Buy The Shirt

When I first started lifting weights one of the first things I bought was a big tub of protein. Every day I would have a scoop after working out. In my mind, the key to unlocking a physique like Arnold was that little plastic scoop of powder.

Culturally, we are protein obsessed. Being big and strong is a trait reserved for barbaric meat-eaters. Men’s products are marketed as “protein-packed.” Women’s protein products often mention the benefits of “lean” muscle development. Simply put, if you want a nice physique you need protein.

So what’s the big deal? Is protein the key to unlocking your dream physique? The answer: it’s complicated. (Like most things.)

Here are some rules for protein intake that will help you get a grip on what protein is all about and how you can use it for your training:

1g of Protein Per Pound

One of the greatest things about protein is that it’s consistent for every style of diet. Carbs and fats can fluctuate but protein is always the same: 1g per lb of body weight.

If your goal weight is 180lbs, get 180g of protein. If you aren’t exercising consistently the medical recommendation is 0.8g per kilogram of body weight for maintenance.

It’s a simple fact that our bodies will break down with age and keeping an eye on these numbers has been proven to protect our muscle mass as we age.

More Protein Doesn’t Mean More Muscle

Eating more protein than the number you calculated above won’t lead to more muscle. Think of protein as your fuel for muscle recovery. Once you fill the tank your body has enough fuel to recover. Anything more is going to be hard for your body to process and will end up in your intestines. You’ll be gassy and bloated and nobody will want to hang out with you.

Also, overdoing the protein has been proven to lead to long-term health problems. (However, this is often correlated to the diets that are high in protein like diets that are heavy in fatty meats.)

Supplements are Supplemental

Supplements are so popular in fitness culture that it’s easy to forget their purpose. They exist to supplement nutrients that you aren’t getting in food.

Protein powder is a tool to utilize when you aren’t getting enough protein through food. Some protein powders also help supplement carbohydrates for weight gain, so if you’re choosing a protein powder for supplementation make sure you check the label and get one that is low calorie.

To avoid needing to take ten scoops of protein a day you should pack your diet with high protein foods like egg whites, lean meats, and greek yogurt.

And that’s it! Keep these things in mind and good luck with your week of fitness and diet. As always, reach out to contact@push.fyi with any questions or comments.

Holy moly. I can’t believe we’re approaching May. This year has been flying by! In many ways, I have reduced the amount of fitness goodies that I’ve used this year, but there is still a lot of cool stuff floating around the internet that some folks might find interesting. Here’s a quick list of the stuff I’ve been into over the past month:

Non-Alcoholic Beer and Spirits

As an ex-WHOOP person I am well acquainted with how much alcohol effects my sleep and recovery. On top of that, I take medication that doesn’t play well with booze. Athletic Brewing Co. and Ritual Zero Proof have been a great way to wind down after a long day without having the extra calories from alcohol and the negative side effects that come along with it.

Athletic’s IPAs are super tasty, and Ritual’s tequila alternative makes a great margarita on taco night. On top of that, it’s an easy way to get some extra carbs into your system before a long run.

EliteHRV

Yes, yes. Another HRV tool. Not to dwell too much on kicking the WHOOP (Rest in Power) to the curb, but this has been a much better HRV tracking tool for me. That previously mentioned medicine messes with my deep sleep, so switching to a tool that lets me track my HRV (your stress score) after waking up has been much more accurate and much less stressful.

EliteHRV is a free app that works with any HR monitor you have. (I use a Wahoo Tickr!) The team at EliteHRV also makes CorSense, their finger-based HR monitor. It seems worth picking up if you’re dedicated to tracking metrics and don’t want to fuss with a chest strap. For now, I’ll use the Tickr.

Janji Multipass Sling Bag

I am addicted to buying bags. I have a couple of Filson bags, a set of Aer backpacks for every occasion, and recently I’ve acquired the Janji Multipass Sling. I was previously using the Aer Sling Bag for trips to the gym and had added a strap to keep it locked into my arm when running. It was working, but it wasn’t perfect.

For running to the gym, or running in general, the Multipass Sling is perfect. It’s super lightweight, the fabric doesn’t cut into the skin, and it’s fairly affordable for what it is. Also, the color selections are pretty nice. I went with Iron to mix it up a bit.

That’s it! Have something I should check out? Email me at contact@push.fyi.

A lot of people reach out to ask questions about losing weight. Simply put, losing weight is about being in a caloric deficit. To lose weight, you need to know how many calories you generally burn daily (find that here) and consistently take in less calories than what you burn. Sounds easy, but in practice it can be a challenge.

When we are on the hunt for low calorie foods it is easy to fall victim to hidden macronutrients. Even when we cook at home calories from fat sneak their way into our food by the way of cooking oils and butter and carbs show up as added sugar. This might put us on the path towards logging food, checking labels, and weighing our meals to ensure we are on the right track. But is that sustainable?

My advice for weight loss is this: build a plan to eat one-ingredient foods 80% of the time and exercise as needed. If you’re just starting with a clean eating lifestyle, shooting for 80% of clean foods will keep you full and help you stay low-calorie while trying to hit your goals.

By sticking to foods with one ingredient (milk, oats, carrots, strawberries, etc.) you won’t be surprised by added ingredients and you will be in control of your diet. This will make it easier to add or subtract food as you see your weight change. The good news is that you can always make your meals and combine ingredients. The big factor here is that you are in the driver’s seat and you have a full awareness of what you’re putting into your body.

Exercise is a good for burning more calories. If you are looking to increase your deficit you can always add a little bit of volume to your training. However, you must keep your protein intake around 1g per pound of body weight (4 calories of protein per pound of body weight) to ensure that you don’t break down muscle for fuel.

If you are training (exercising with an intentional goal to achieve a certain level of fitness or outcome) your nutrition should adjust to meet your training needs. Don’t train in a deficit unless your training requires you to! Your performance will decrease and you will feel like junk. Remember, deficits are for weight loss.

I hope this helps! If you have any questions feel free to reach out.

At the beginning of the year I was wearing a Garmin Fenix 6 and a WHOOP strap at the same time. The WHOOP strap measured my HRV and heart rate and my Garmin measured all of my data from my runs and strength training sessions. I was really interested in collecting as much data as possible to push my training forward.

Earlier this month I bought a Garmin Index scale. Tracking my weight and body fat % with a smart scale was an investment I made while shifting my focus to strength training from running. (I also just like gadgets. Please don’t send me links to gadgets. I will buy them.)

I use Foodnoms on iOS to track my Macros. I use EliteHRV in the morning to check my HRV readiness. Strava keeps me up to date with how many miles I’ve run every month. It’s a lot to keep up with! There is a saying that you can only manage what you track and I don’t disagree. The caveat is that you have to know what your goals are or the data is pointless.

When the pandemic started I got obsessed with tracking my data. I thought that having a bunch of devices attached to me would keep me on track to hitting every goal I set my mind to. In my mind, more data = better results. After a year of tracking things obsessively I’m moving away from hardcore data tracking.

My days became consumed with hitting caloric intake goals or obsessing over getting an extra session in to beat the metrics from the week before. I would try to hack the system to crush a PR in Strava but get a perfect recovery score in WHOOP at the same time. I was out of touch with my body and I was burnt out. The data looked good but I felt terrible.

I recently ditched the WHOOP. I only wear my Garmin when I’m training. Calories are adjusted based on energy in the gym. EliteHRV is an easy way to track stress. Other than that, the focus is on the quality of my training and being mindful of how my body feels. Don’t get obsessed with data, get obsessed with results. Data is a tool to help you achieve results but it can’t be the goal in itself. It’s a recipe for burnout.

Focus on tracking what matters for your current goals and you’ll be on the right path. Right now I’m focused on increasing my strength trends and lowering my body fat %. Need help figuring out what data you need to track? Shoot me a note at contact@push.fyi.

Until next time. ✌️

Kettlebell AMRAP

10 Minutes
25 KB Cleans (Heavy Weight)
25 Diamond Sit-Ups

(2 Minute Rest)

10 Minutes
25 KB Swings (Heavy Weight)
25 Mountain Climbers

Enjoy!

For many years, I underestimated the importance of recovery. If I wasn’t seeing the progress I wanted I would attribute it to a lack of training. The concept of overtraining was completely foreign to me.

It wasn’t until I started running more aggressively that I saw the impact of overtraining. It was right there in my running data. I started strong with some of the best mile times I had ever had, but slowly noticed a trend that I wasn’t happy with. The harder I trained, the slower I got.

When we’re training hard, we need to recover hard. There are a lot of factors when it comes to recovery: diet, sleep, stress, myofascial release, etc. All of these factors will be extremely personal to you and will require some time to figure out. In the meantime, here is a quick little blueprint that should work for mostly anyone:

• Get 8 hours of sleep every night.

• Stretch before and after exercise.

• Foam roll after vigorous exercise.

• Hydrate.

If you can build habits out of those four bullet points you will be on your way to better recovery. The best thing about these recovery habits are the fact that they can be stacked on top of your exercise routine. If you’re low on time, I would suggest keeping a foam roller or Hypervolt close to your couch. If you’re watching TV you might as well get some recovery time in. (If you have a partner you might drive them crazy with a Hypervolt or Theragun.)

Of course, there is more to recovery than these points. The next step in learning how to recover is knowing when to push yourself to your max and when to let off the gas. As I said, this can be extremely personal. To understand this better I would suggest some sort of device that collects your data. Garmin and Apple make great fitness devices, but WHOOP is the best device I’ve used that quantifies your needs for recovery. I’ll give a full breakdown of WHOOP in my next edition.

EMOM (21 Minutes)

• 10 Burpees

• 10 American Kettlebell Swings (Heavy)

Rest 3 Minutes

Running

Zone 2 Endurance Run

• 1:15 long run in Zone 2

• Hip Mobility Session

If you’re feeling like you’re running out of energy during your long runs, I would suggest adding a carbohydrate supplement like Maurten to your supplement stack. I have always done my cardio fasted, but this has changed the game for my endurance training.

One of the biggest challenges with training is consistency. Starting a new habit that requires an hour of your time on a daily basis is a large ask. On top of that, it's not uncommon to bite off multiple new habits at once: start exercising, eat healthy food, go to sleep early, limit caffeine, start meditation.

For better results, try stacking your habits. Create small mini-routines composed of multiple habits to get more out of your day. In example, I wake up every morning and do the same four things: read, exercise, meditate, and eat a healthy breakfast.

Reading gives me time to warm up (and usually let the coffee hit), my workout is usually either an intense running session or a strength session followed by running, my cool down is a five to ten minute meditation, and I finish with a high-carbohydrate breakfast to replenish my energy for the day. All of this is one routine that allows me to hit multiple habits at once.

Habit stacking can come in many shapes and forms. Your "before bed" routine could be taking a shower, reading a book, meditating, and getting to bed at a decent hour. Your work habit stack could be listing your priorities for the day, answering emails, doing a five minute meditation, and starting on task #1.

If you're having trouble with building a workout routine that works for you, try to tack it onto other established habits you have throughout the day. Stacking habits on top of each other can be a powerful way to build a sustainable routine that actually sticks.

Ab Workout

• 1 Minute Side Plank (right side)

• 1 Minute Side Plank (left side)

• 30 Alternating Toe Touches

5 Rounds with no rest in between.

Running

Long Run

1:00 Long Run at Zone 2. To find your heart rate zones, check out this link.

Try stacking these two together. I would also suggest trying this one first thing in the morning while fasted. Follow with a high carb breakfast to replenish your energy.

• Building a foundation for training

• Post-workout breakfast cereal

These two topics might seem unrelated, but foundational training (specifically Zone 2 training when running) and low glycemic foods post-workout can be combined to lose body fat quickly. If you’re looking to take your diet and training to the next level, keep reading.

Foundational Training

A common mistake people make when starting their training is maxing out in every session. This isn’t surprising. The majority of fitness content pushes an agenda of pushing yourself to the max to achieve your potential.

If you’re starting out, this mentality might lead to instant results. Going from 0 to 100 is going to force your body to adapt rapidly, but that adaptation has a ceiling. Unfortunately, this will quickly get you directly to a plateau in your training.

In order to train effectively, you need to establish a solid foundation to build on top of, and then establish a targeted program based on your goals.

With races and competitions canceled, right now is the perfect time to focus on building the proper foundation for training by going slower. With running, that means more Zone 2 training. For strength training, this means a focus on functional movement and form.

For more information on this topic, I highly recommend listening to this episode (starting at 15:00) of the Rich Roll podcast.

Post-Workout Cereal

For the past couple of months, I have been experimenting with something called Carb Cycling. It’s a topic we will cover a bit later once I have the opportunity to put some of my thoughts together. For now, let’s think of it as timing your carbohydrate intake as close to your workout as possible (and limiting fat) to get the most out of your diet.

With this new style of eating I try to keep my carb sources lower on the Glycemic Index scale. This has led me to stick with post-workout plain oatmeal and protein shakes. (Kinda gross.)

Luckily, the folks at Three Wishes sent me some cereal that has saved my post-workout meal. (I am not getting paid for this, I just love the cereal.) It’s made with monk fruit sweetener and doesn’t have that fake sugar taste that some of the other low carb cereals on the market have. It comes in a couple of flavors (Cinnamon, Honey, Unsweetened, and Cocoa) and ships in either 6-Packs or solo boxes.

Alternative idea: If you aren’t worried about the Glycemic Index of your food, you might want to try a sugary cereal after your workout. Read about that here. This is best for those of you who might be looking for more of a bodybuilder physique.

EMOM

• 150 KB Swings

• 5 Burpees (Every minute on the minute)

Do this workout for time.

Running

Long Run

1:00 Run in Zone 2

(Build that aerobic engine!)

Not having access to a gym can be rough. I have been able to get some good results with bodyweight workouts, but after months of doing HIIT in my living room, I started to hit a bit of a plateau.

If you’re looking to take your home workouts to the next level, here are my three essentials that will increase the intensity of your training and boost your results.

Gear Essentials

Adjustable Kettlebell

While I’m a fan of barbells and dumbbells, the kettlebell is my go-to weight training tool for working out at home. It’s easy to store, super versatile, and pretty cost-effective. My recommendation is the Bowflex SelectTech adjustable kettlebell. It only goes up to 40lbs, but for most people, this will be the only tool you need for functional fitness at home. With a couple of adjustments, you can also get hypertrophy bodybuilding sessions out of a single kettlebell.

Resistance Bands

If you’re just getting started with resistance training, bands like the Xertube from SPRI will do the trick. They will also save you some cash. I love working with bands while doing my kettlebell workouts to add some extra resistance when I’m hitting a wall with a movement. You’d be surprised how hard these can push you. The best part about working with bands at home is that they are easy to store, and as a bonus they are easy to travel with.

Fitness Watch

I am a big fan of tracking fitness data. While having the right gear is important, the most important part of training is getting a little bit better every day. The best way to know how to push yourself is knowing where you can make improvements. Tracking your pace while running, and TDEE through calories burned is a huge step in the right direction if you want to see results.

I have used an Apple Watch since it first came out, and for most people, I would recommend it as the best fitness smartwatch. If you use an iPhone, get the Apple Watch. If you’re looking for something a little more sport focused and don’t care about smartwatch features, go with a more affordable Garmin like the Forerunner 35, or get a top of the line watch like the Fenix 6. It just depends on your fitness goals.

If you’re looking for a cheap Apple Watch and want to save the planet a little, try getting a used/refurbished watch on Backmarket.

And that’s it! No need to spend a ton of money setting up a massive home gym to get a great workout in. Of course, if you train hard you will want to mix it up, but if you’re new to training at home and haven’t worked with gear before, this is a great place to start. Feel free to reach out for more tips, or hit me up with any questions.Bodyweight Workout

AMRAP

5-Minutes (As many rounds as possible)

• 10 Mountain Climbers

• 10 Push-Ups

• 10 Sit-Ups

• 10 Burpees

Repeat this 5 times with 1:00 rest in between each 5:00 round.

Cardio

Interval Running

• 10:00 Warm-Up

• 6:00 Running in Zone 4

• 1:00 Rest (Walking)

Repeat the 6:00/1:00 four times, then cool down.

Focusing on Fitness

When I started PUSH I was focused on experimenting with training and gear, and sharing my findings. Over the past couple of years, I have slowly transitioned from a traditional hypertrophy-focused bodybuilding routine, to an endurance training routine, and into a more Crossfit-style functional fitness routine. My conclusion: mix it all together.

After a ton of trial and error, I am relaunching PUSH as my personal training practice. Every week I will be sending out a sample workout you can try at home, and share some of the tips and tricks I have discovered through trial and error.

Today, we’re focusing on a combination of functional fitness and endurance base training. By mixing it up, we can push your heart rate, build some strength, and also build endurance. It’s the perfect way to become a well-rounded athlete and become more fit.

If you’re looking for remote personal training, feel free to reach out directly, or schedule a consultation. More information at push.fyi.

Kettlebell Strength Workout

8 Rounds

• 10 Kettlebell Cleans

• 10 Burpees

5 Rounds

• 10 Kettlebell Bent-Over Rows

• 10 Push-Ups

Easy Run

30-minute run in Zone 2.

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