Posted by Marianne in Articles, Questions About Training | 56 Comments
My Training – What I do in a week?
I train MyoMy Way!
Hey everyone,
Everyday I get asked “what training do you do each week?”, “Marianne, how often do you train?”, “Marianne, do you only do these KB workouts?”, “Do you train on consecutive days?” “Do you do upper/lower body splits or full body workouts all the time?” etc etc. So I think it’s about time I wrote a post on this so that everyone will know what I currently do.
It’s good to share what is currently working for me, but I will say that everyone’s tolerances will be different for volume, frequency, intensity so just be aware that what I do, might not be appropriate for your goals or your current fitness level. I also mean that there are people who can and should do MORE than me, but others who should be doing less. But I shall talk about this more at the end.
Over time, the emphasis on certain exercises will change but overall they will stay pretty constant. I like variety, but I also stay with what works, so I have a “Capsule Wardrobe” of exercises that I accessorise differently from time to time. OK, I don’t know why I just compared my training to my clothing (especially since I am renowned for never buying new clothes because I hate shopping), but I thought it was a good metaphor 
ANYWAY!
My first point is to clarify that with my shift work, and my blogging “schedule” my training may be on consecutive days, or there may be gaps. This isn’t planned – it is simply the way things work out sometimes with my timetable and tiredness. If I am working consecutive nights then I usually train in the morning after the second night. After the first night, I am a Zombie. However if I am in for a one-off night shift then I am more energetic when I get home, so I usually am up for training (I can do this because I know there is no pressure to sleep before another shift that night, plus I want to make the most of my day off rather than sleep through it).
So what do I do in a week?
As there are no set plans for set days, I aim to train in total about 4 times in a week (sometimes 3, sometimes 5). Two of these days I do gym-based Strength Training, the other two I do a Kettlebell and Body Weight Conditioning Workout (which I record for the blog). Occasionally I might do another Home Workout that I don’t record for the blog; this is normally when I am just in from a shift and can’t make it to the gym, or I think I look like crap LOL! Just being honest; there are some days I don’t want to be on camera – I just want to do my thing 
What do I do in the Gym?
After my warm up (which I need to review and make better as I tend to rush this out of eagerness to train), I typically focus on compound exercises. Sometimes I super-set these compound exercises and other times I just perform all the sets of one exercise before moving on. This often depends on how busy the gym is. I rarely just train upper or lower body because my body responds best to full body training. If I am short of time I might do a lower body workout, but unless my legs are really sore I rarely train upper body alone.
My “Capsule Wardrobe” of gym exercises:
Deadlifts (sumo and conventional), Squats (back and front), Barbell Glute Bridge, Front-Loaded Reverse Lunges, Good Mornings, Pull Ups (BW and weighted), Dips (BW and soon-to-be weighted).
Each time I visit the gym I always do a combination of exercises that includes these exercises. I choose exercises that I can’t get the most out of at home. There are certain exercises; like my horizontal Push and Pull (push ups and rows), my Vertical Press (military press, push press) and my Unilateral Hip Hinge (Single-Leg RDLs) etc that can be performed at home, or on random days in the gym when I have extra time.
My accessory gym exercises:
On one of the days per week, I add in some additional exercises. Each exercise may not be included every week, but I rotate them as I see fit:
Barbell Overhead Press, Seated Cable Rows, Tricep Cable Push-Downs, Hanging Leg Raises, Back Extensions, Lateral Raises, Single-Leg Extension, Olympic Lifts and some boring core exercises.
As of early November 2011 I have added 15 – 20 minutes of steady-paced cardio to the end of my gym session. This is my attempt to compensate for a temporary increase in calories, due to the coming Christmas season. I don’t care if it’s “right” or “wrong” to do this, it’s what I have decided to do this year because I know what I am like around food LOL! Not that I am always thinking about my body composition, but I can pack away A LOT of grub, so I want to stay happy and stress-free. Cutting out food in December is NOT an option for me, so I’ve added a little extra to my training instead. Please note that this is temporary and I would not plan to do this all year.
What I do at home … Conditioning!
At least twice a week I put my max effort into providing both you and me with a Kettlebell and Body Weight Home Workout. This has worked wonders for me to maintain other areas of my fitness and my body composition. You can see the variety of exercises I use in the workout archives There are simply loads of ideas there!
Planning and Time Management
While I never have a true set plan of what my training will look like each day of the week (as it often depends on how I feel), I do have a rough plan made out in my head of: when to train (usually mid-late morning), what exercises to start with (the big lifts) and how much time I have to spend in the gym. I hate being in the gym longer than 90 minutes, so I keep my weight training to about 1 hour and then my cardio takes it to 1 hour 20 mins or thereabouts.
My conditioning sessions last anywhere between 18 – 40 minutes, depending on workout design. I prefer them to last 24-30 minutes, especially if they are being filmed (coz editing a lot of footage is a pain when your software sucks).
Active Recovery
It is better to still be active on the days you don’t train, but often this is something people neglect. I am one of them…
On my off days, I have to admit to being a little lazy 
I often want to go for walks or do some stretching, but I have other “more important” things I need to get done first and then the day is gone. I used to walk everywhere, but now I drive! This is something I need to change. Walking is a great way to clear your head of stresses and worries; so even for my mental health I think it will be a positive addition to my weekly training regime. My aim is to go for 1 long walk (of about 1 hour) each week and go from there.
Final Thoughts.
I am quite sure you only ask me these questions out of curiousity and perhaps to see a rough template of what you could do too; it might give you a few ideas etc. But I want to say that I have found more recovery has worked wonders for my progress. This may not be the same for everyone, especially if your goals are related more to body composition; in which case you may need to review your active recovery days, your conditioning volume and your diet etc. What works for me (in terms of training volume) may not be optimal for your training goals. It takes a little planning, research, trail and error, evaluations (listening to your body, ability to measure progress, reassessing goals etc), and the ability to understand what will get you more for your training buck to get a training regime right.
My own “regime” will evolve slightly over time, but I can’t see it changing too much from this in the near future. I am still enjoying my training and seeing progress – so why fix what ain’t broken.
The other thing I have learned in my short training history is that I like to be more spontaneous (or perhaps head-strong) than I previously thought. I do NOT respond well to training or diet plans that are set in stone. I rebel against anything that tells me I have to do X,Y or Z, regardless if it’s good for me or not! Maybe I should work on that (lol), but then I would never have got to where I am today without having that in me – to just DO IT MY WAY! But, I don’t just make stuff up; I take advice on board, I respect what the experts have to say, I give things a try and figure out how to adapt it for me. Just reading this paragraph back makes me seem awful arrogant, but I guess there is only so much following I am prepared to do. I do it myomy way 
hehe!
Basically this is a complete 180 on the attitude I held before. I used to train everyday for over an hour and sometimes twice a day. Most days after work (after freakin’ night-shift) I went to the gym to do 30 – 60 minutes of the StairMaster! Then later that day maybe a Kettlebell Class, or a KB Workout (for the blog), or weight training. I recall times when I did 3 workouts in a day; cardio, blog workout, KB Class! Was I any leaner or stronger? NO! I was exhausted and probably a little crazy! Crazy Marianne no longer exists (except when she gets “The Bloat” and freaks out a bit) – so I have established some boundaries in my life and can now enjoy my life outside of my training goals. It’s actually a pretty good way to be Happy! My goals are in the weights room and the rest of the time I can relax and live a little. Turns out there’s no need to panic that you “lose it when you don’t use it” FOR A FEW DAYS!
I hope this post will help you understand that you don’t always need to do more training to get better results – just smarter training and less stress!
If you do have any queries about what I have written, then leave me a comment below.
Cheers
Marianne
Intermittent Fasting:
Learn and Train:
I love how you emphasized that this works for you and might not work for someone else. It is not a blueprint to look like Marianne! (But, of course, it is if you ARE Marianne haha).
Haha! Love this
Thank you, interesting! Do you have periods of time when you just “maintain” or are you always working on improving one or other area of your fitness level/body?
I know this site is about home workout but would you do a post about what you do in the gym? With photos (or film!)? I would love that even though I hardly ever make it to the gym (too hard with mine and my husbands conflicting schedules and two kids, home workouts rock…).
I´ve been looking through a lot of your videos but is there a certain one (or two) you would recommend that really focuses on strength, no conditioning/cardio? I need to build up my strength a lot and I´m afraid that doing the “regular” kb-workouts where my heart works a lot too decreases the focus on strenght. Am I making any sense?! I´d like to think that my english is pretty good but it´s always hard when I need to make sense
Cheers!
Hey, I am always trying to make some sort of progress with my training. Usually strength and form. I am just maintaining my body comp right now because I am happy with it
I want to post a video of a gym workout too, but I need to get permission to film in there as they are very strict. It is on my “to-do” list.
The great thing about KBs is that even with the conditioning elements you will still gain strength as long as you are progressing the weights. I would also recommend changing the workout set-up so that you do set reps rather than intervals. This will allow you more time to recover between exercises and focus on progressing the weight rather than number of reps. There are quite a few workouts in the archives from about this time last year that I did sections for strength and separate sections for conditioning.
Even when all I did were KBs, I still got stronger. Just because your heart rate is higher and it seem like more cardio, doesn’t mean you aren’t building strength. Your body is good at building both types of fitness. Plus it rolls both strength and conditioning into one workout
JES*SUS Marianne look at the size of your biceps in that pic!! Always thought you’d a gorgeous strong physique in the K.B classes but wow that’s class… wouldnt want to get into a headlock with you lol I put muscle mass on my legs easy and struggle with upper half.. would love strong arms like yours! have to keep lifting and doing push ups. working my way up to do a full body pull up
Thanks Chrisy. I struggled with my lower body strength for so long because of my Arthritis that I managed to build good upper body strength instead. Maybe you should add an upper body training day – maybe you already have. Especially with your knee issue at the minute. You can focus on redressing the balance between your upper and lower body strength/muscle mass
Work on that pull up
Love this post. I train 4 days and do upper body twice and lower twice but have thought about full body days. I recently added some HIIT training but I have to be so careful I drop weight so easy and am already thin.
Hey Marianne,
Can you explain the benefit of front- versus back-loaded exercises? Squats for example? I’ve never thought about doing front-loaded exercises. Is there anything I should be conscious of?
Hey Ali,
Front squats place more emphasis on the quads over the hips (which are more dominant in the back squat). Also the positioning of the bar adds more load to the upper back and core as you NEED to keep the chest up to stop the bar rolling off. This means you will never build your MAX squatting strength with a front squat because your upper back will likely fatigue before your legs. Back loaded squats can put more stress on the lower back, but will activate more into the whole leg (glutes, hammies and quads), plus you will build more MAX strength.
As for which one you will benefit more from, I say mix it up. Personally I love both. If you have long femurs then you might find your depth better with the front squat.
Be conscious of form; practice with the bar first then gradually add the weight. The front squat bar position can take a while to get used to.
Marianne,
Are there any substitutes for rear-loaded squats? Due to surgery to both shoulders, I can no longer locate the bar behind my neck so I do front-loaded squats crossing my arms in front. Any suggestions? Thanks
Does your gym have a safety bar? This would allow the bar to be on your back, but would save your shoulders. Other than that, perhaps DB + weighted vest single-leg squats or Bulgarian Split squats, but this will still target the quads more OR weighted High deficit reverse lunges (these will hit more hamstring and glutes like the the back squat). But, If front squats are all you can do with your injury then work around it be including RDLs, glute bridges, reverse hypers, back extension or cable pull-throughs to really balance out anterior/posterior exercises.
Are you happy enough with these suggestions?
Marianne,
Amazing post! You and I aren’t that much different in the way we train. Now that I an back and cleared from surgery I have taken a totally look at training. For example, Monday I worked chest and shoulders. Tuesday I did cycles of heavy bag and jump rope. Wednesday will be arms. Thursday I will get on my treadclimber….because I really love doing it, and Friday will be back and legs.
Next week I will most likely do KB workouts on Monday and Friday, and work chest and maybe arms on Wednesday (as we discussed KB workouts don’t really focus on those areas). As for cardio I will mix in some HIIT one day but will go back to the treadclimber for at least one of those days.
I look a week ahead and have a rough idea about what I would like to do. I am already putting together a week of BW exercises…..like they say shock and awe your body ……that has given me the best results.
Anyway, keep up that amazing thing you do for all of us here and keep rocking it girls gone strong style!!!!
Mike
Good to hear you are well
Glad all went to plan!
Sounds good to me Mike! Thanks for your continued support of me and GGS
(Single-Leg RDLs), can you give me a link that shows exactly how to do this, i think i know, but i don’t want to assume, and do it wrong.
tempest
great article btw. My problem now since you have introduced me to the barbell, is i want to use it all the time, but the problem is, as i’m adding weight i can’t just pick it up and hoist it over my head and onto my shoulders like before. Hence i need to be in a gym, but i don’t want to waste my money, when i can do the majority of the workouts at home. Any suggstions.
Tempest, check out Bret’s tutorial on the RDL. It gives you all the info you need
My suggestion is that you learn how to Clean the bar and do front squats (like we talked about before), or you invest in some sort of barbell rack. Other than that, you will be limited on your squat gains
If you don’t normally do any steady state cardio it will more than likely provide exactly what you’re looking to use it for, most simply because it’s a newish movement type for your body and what you’re already used to doing. Metabolic adaptation and all that stuff. But I think the most important “between the lines” thing for a lot of people here is you Don’t have to obsess over every calorie that goes in, but be aware of it and plan for it. Cheers!
I agree Brian, thanks
I think the way you train is great, I think the reason why a lot of people don’t train that way is that at first it is very technical and it also takes time and patience. People always want result right away or have weird fears when it comes to heavy lifting.
I follow a similar routine as you except I do a bit more cardio and I really switch things up from hot yoga to running to kettlebells, hiit body weight and now my favorite is weight lifting then swimming.
In regards to weight lifting I would love to go heavier, but I really think I need a spotter and someone to watch my form.
My swimming buddy is afraid of the weight room and the dudes in there are really seedy in sort of a pick up bar way.
Mickela, I appologize for all guys who act that way in the gym. I have discouraged that activity to the point of a fist-fight. Some guys don’t realise that not all females are in the gym for their pleasure, but actually are working out.
Great post! So nice to get to know you through these type of posts. Your the best inspiration!
Thank you Marianne for this post. I have been curious on what your training is like. I am interested in your Gym workouts and would like to see more of those.
Have you ever thought about doing a kettlebell and barbell workout?
Hey thanks, I will make sure I arrange filming in the gym asap
I have done a couple of Barbell and KB/BW workouts in Sam’s studio, but I can’t remember off hand what their titles are
I am going to have to go back and look for them. I am working on a surprise for you anyway. It will be a late Christmas present and a thank you for all you do.
OOOOH a surprise?? I’m intrigued
I found the Barbell and KB workout that I wanted to share – http://www.myomytv.com/back-to-the-barbell-strength-and-conditioning/. I will hopefully be able to put together other Ultimate Combos *sounds dramatic* down at Sam’s place since he has a good selection on KBs and the BB
Ya I am hoping you like the surprise. I have been working on it few a couple of months now.
Thank you for the link I forgot about that workout. Can’t wait to see the other Ultimate Combos.
Hello marianne,
Another great article!!! Thanx 4 sharing that. You know I’m going to have some questions, right??? lol Ok so currently I’m working out 6 days a week for 2hrs…and thats if move fast from one excersice to the next. I need your help, I feel since I’m rushing I’m not focusing as good as I could be. How do you manage to get out of the gym in 90mnts. You mentiond compound movemnts…maybe you can give me some ideas on what I can do for the upper body & lower body. I’ve made a lot of changes already in my routine with the conditioning excersices you do & that’s actually working out great….I use to be in the gym 3 hrs or more…..soo please keep the adivce coming man, I really appreciate it. Ooh and ever since you sent me that link with the positioning of the feet…when squating, deadlifts, etc. My form has gotten a lot better and I can actually feel a better contraction in the glutes
Thnx,
Cita
Hey Cita, it sounds like you might be thinking that doing more is going to work better for you which is why you are rushing around maybe trying to add too many exercises to one session. Try limiting the session to 3 or 4 compound heavier lifts and then maybe 1 or 2 “smaller” exercises. For example one day I will do Sumo Deadlifts x 6 sets, Back Squats x 5 or 6 sets and then Dips, pull ups and seated rows. Another day I might do Back Squats, front loaded reverse lunges and good mornings or Glute Bridges then dips/pull ups, tricep push downs, lateral raises. I choose the exercises that I want to work on the most and I always ensure they have been done that week. For the rest of the exercises, if I don’t get them fitted in, then I just carry it forward to the next week. It means I am never in the gym very long.
Be more selective over your exercise choice and really think about what your goals are. Also think about whether there are some exercises that can be done with Kettlebells and Body Weight on your conditioning days. That way if you don;t get to do that movement in the gym (heavy), you can still benefit from practicing it in a different way. This will help maintain your function
2 hours is a long time, especially 6 days per week! I don’t know how you do it!
Marianne,
Great weekly routine! I was definitely over-training before with 10 workouts per week. Always did 2-a-days in my kickboxing days, but much older now and have to be cognizant of that fact. Now I’m doing Mon/Thur :Kettlebells, Tue/Fri :Barbells, Wed/Sat: 5K run. If I have to miss a day, I just resume. No big deal. I owe you big time for the KB in my schedule. Thanks!
thanks for sharing! love your training style.. as always
Thanx 4 your honesty, when doing each on you compound movements do you change your weight each time? And do you rest in between each set? I know I really have to change my train of thinking. For example the compound movements, I feel that when I do back squats, deadlifts, etc. I still have to do 3 additional leg excersices on the machines you know or when I do dips, I feel like I still have to do 3 additional isolated movements on top of that to see results. Which in reality is just making me, stressed (which is really not good) and over- train, with no results. (I get this information from magazines that really dont educate and tell the people the truth)
So my goals that I have for myeself is definitely get off this bad habit of over-trainning lol, be able to do BW pulls ups/dips (with no help), & pistols. I’m new to doing the pistols & I’m having a real hard time going low. What would you recommend for me doing? (holding on to a chair maybe?)
Thank u 4 all that u do, marianne
No problem Cita.
To answer your questions: I do increase the weight each set because I am working to building my 1RM on a lot of these exercises. Some times I work on increasing reps at lower weights, but I still increase the weight, I just don’t do it to the point of my 1RM, maybe 80% or my 1RM. Recovery? Yes, of course I rest between sets – else I would die
I don’t time my rest, I just wait until I feel ready and focused to start my next set.
I don’t think you need to focus on isolating muscles after your compound exercises, unless you are trying to redress a weakness, or you are looking to hypertrophy that particular muscle. The whole beauty of compound exercises is that you get more bang for your buck and can train less! Try it for a while and see. You will likely see that your strength increases and you are less stressed. Plus I doubt it will make you look any less defined. Maybe more.
Pistols are tricky and I wonder sometimes why so many people want to do them. They are hard on your knees, SI Joint and your lower back. What I would recommend instead is single leg squats off a box. You stand on a platform or step and you don’t focus on keeping the opposite leg out in front (as this is a killer on the quads and hip flexors) and you will find this is much more comfortable as there is less of the above issues.
However if you REALLY want to learn to do Pistols, here is a great post on Bret’s site I found a while back that has lots of helpful tips
“How to Do Pistols“.
Hope this helps a bit more
I came across your site by fate a few months back and I have enjoyed checking in and seeing what you are up to and reading some of your postings. I have recently started my own blog in attempts to connect with like-minded gals. Your workout routines described above are similar to mine in some ways and quite different in other ways. But in all, we are similar in that we share a flexibility with our workouts and do not follow any ‘prescribed’ systems. For me it is all about balance… balance between my jobs, my eating habits (i LOVE to eat), my workouts, and my social life. And within my workouts its a balance too. Anyhow, thank you for having such a smart, real, honest, inspiring site! Keep it up:)
Thanks Shana, I appreciate the kind and supportive words
Nice to hear from a kindred spirit.
I am exactly the same way about wanting to keep my options open and not follow any prescribed regime. I couldn’t do it! I like to have a general sense about what body part(s) I’ll be working but honestly, i just wing it when I get into the gym and get creative with moves that might be in a part of the gym that is less crowded or better yet, “the prison yard” (an enclosed area with a bunch of functional and old-school toys). yah, the holidays are meant to be enjoyed- why not do a little extra cardio right?
Exactly Deb. And you know what, I kind of like the cardio at the end. I can zone out and enjoy something that requires NO thought
Hi Marianne,
You look really hot , and I mean it
Hi Marianne,
Thanks for your inspiring site.
Have you ever tried separate stretching sessions or yoga to
create even more of a balance in your personal fitnesstraining?
Happy holidays!
Ruud
Hi Marianne,
What would you recommend if the types of workouts here on your site were the only kind of training done? Would 4 – 5 days/week be excesive?
Thanks,
Kate
Not at all Kate. However, remember that everyone is different and every week may be different too. Some weeks you can handle more training and other weeks you need more rest. Just judge it as you go. If you feel yourself starting to be fatigued more and seeing less progress, then cut down. But I don’t see any reason why 4-5 of my workouts per week would be excessive
Hi Marianne, I’ve just been reading some of your articles and the things you do in the gym. You look fantastic, by the way! I was just wondering, do you think its possible to get good results (just toning and creating lean muscle) through doing superset bodyweight training at home? I’m also walking for about 5km (with loads of big hills) after each workout. I can’t run because of back problems, unfortunately. And the gym just doesn’t work for me. Will it be beneficial to continue to do full bodyweight trainings each day?
Thanks so much.
Helen
Hey Helen, it is possible to get some initial results for your goals using just body weight, but I always encourage progressive overload with weights, because the results will be quicker, better and help you burn more body fat in the long term. I recommend a mixture of weighted and body weight strength and conditioning workouts, like the ones I do here. They have gotten me, and many others, the best results at home
Always remember to recover properly too.
Hi Marrianne
Just wanted to tell you I love what you’re doing here. I’m in Kuwait working 6 days a week 18 hour days. I actually have a sandbag, kettelbells, and the TRX. I just bought the book beautiful badass yesterday trying to sty in shape and eat clean over here isn’t impossible but it is very tough due to the lack of sleep. My problem is never knowing how much I need to eat but I’m trying not to worry too much about it. My Husband and I actually just switched over to days and started getting back into the gym. They only give us 1 hour to workout after work so we try to get done as much as possible. I told him about just focusing on compound movements and hopefully he will give in and do these exercises with me. I would love for one day to actually train with you and Nia Shanks that would be awesome and hopefully one day I will to do 10 pull ups agin.
Thank you
Brittney Ikner
Hi Brittney. 18 hour days???!! OMG! No wonder you’re tired! What do you work as?
Just try and get a little training in after work. It doesn’t have to be an hour. Just 20 mins of KB/Sandbag/TRX full body workout and you’ll feel much better!
I hope you get more time off soon!
Hey Marrianne
Thank you for replying I’m over here as a contractor doing security. It’s very long days and the only time we get to workout is right after work we can go to the gym here. So, I usually just go 3 days out of the week with my husband . We get a 4 day vacation very soon and other vacation in October but that will be a month off.
What a busy life! Kudos to the both of you for being so dedicated to your fitness
Hi Marianne! I just wanted to say thank you for posting your routine and all of your kettlebell beginners workouts. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the “Train Along with Me” videos, they really help me make sure I am using proper form.
It is great for me to hear that you generally only train 4-5 days a week. I make it a point to get in 4 workouts a week and sometimes I get a bonus 5th in but generally I find if I don’t get a day of rest in between I am not as motivated to do it and I frankly just don’t enjoy the workout. If I take a day off, I can’t wait to do it. I was feeling inferior to a lot of people in excellent physical shape that train every single day or only have one rest day a week, and I kept thinking I needed to push myself to work up to more workouts per week. It is refreshing to see someone in as great shape as you saying you don’t have to be sweating your face off every single day to look great and be in good shape (although I fully heed your disclaimer that this is what works for YOU), because I too feel that that will just not work for me (at least where I’m at right now).
I am about 100 pounds overweight and have lost 45 pounds in the last 4 months, so being in good physical shape is a totally new thing to me, but I have to say I love kettlebell because I can get in an excellent cardio workout while also building my strength, in a short period of time. I broke my ankle 6 months ago when I was first starting out in roller derby and I am just getting back to skating again, and I can already feel how much stronger I’ve gotten just in the past few weeks of doing full KB routines. Everything is easier for me now with the increased strength in my core and lower body. I did a lot of research before I started doing any kettlebell work at home because I wanted to make sure I was practicing good form so I did not injure myself, and that is what lead me to you. Thank you for providing such an excellent resource for beginners like myself, you are amazing!
Great to hear Ariel. I think you must find a balance between what works for you, and what you are prepared to do without it stressing you out. If you really hate training more than 4 days per week, or just can’t fit it in, then don’t. As long as you put your all into what you do get done, and you are good with your diet, then I am sure you will see steady results.
Thanks for sharing
Hello
Wow just found your website and am really impressed thank you so much for sharing all your knowledge.
Just one question i currently run an hour every day on a treadmill and really want to start doing your workouts. only problem is i dont have time to do both my run and your workout. will i benifit more from missing out a run and replacing it with just a 20minute kettlebell session sounds to good to be true.
Jay
Hi there Jay. Thanks for leaving a comment, and what a great question.
You will benefit SO much more from cutting out all that running and replacing half to 2 thirds with resistance and interval work instead. My brother started to go to the gym about a year ago and all he did was run and some light weight machine work. He started complaining about his joints being sore and that he was a) not seeing any more weight loss unless he ran EVEN more, and b) that he would gain the weight back a little if he stopped running for a while.
I had him start my beginner workouts (mastering body weight exercises and some basic resistance work), and he started seeing such a difference. He no longer runs as much, maybe 20 min a couple of times per week (and he would have run for 45 – 60 mins x 5 -7 days per week!!). He does my body weight workouts and has now started visiting the weights area in the gym instead. He maintains his fat loss, has a better looking physique (because he is building muscle not burning it off), and his joints feel better (he is squatting, deadlifting etc and moving many more ways that he was during the running), and he can fit it all in to 30 – 45 mins. And, because he has built some muscle, he no longer gains fat when he is taking time off.
It really isn’t too good to be true. Cardio, such as the type you are doing, is considered aerobic exercise. During aerobic exercise you only burn calories during the activity. Plus, if it’s long-duration, your body learns to conserve energy and stops losing fat. Fat does not require as much energy to be kept on the body; muscles does (higher blood supply and more energy cells etc). Therefore, the body is smart enough to start removing the “energy-draining” muscle. This is why, when you stop running for a while, you gain fat. Your metabolic rate has lowered because you now have less muscle.
Resistance and Interval workouts are anaerobic, and they use a different energy system. You are training in a more intense way for a shorter time and you continue to burn fat afterwards (provided your calorie intake is not chronically low). Plus, this way you are supporting muscle growth and you get stronger, more powerful, and you don’t need to spend as long training.
I would start to mix both into your regime for about 4 -6 weeks to phase out the running. Maybe do 3 of my workouts per week and 2 short runs plus 1 longer run. I would recommend you time more total rest days in too. Make sure your diet supports muscle repair (eating enough protein, fats and carbs), and you’re good to go. Spend this period getting used to new exercises and mastering form, and intervals (it’s so different to your current exercise).
After 4-6 weeks, you will be able to increase the number of these workouts to 5 days per week and just run minimally. But I think you’ll enjoy the faster pace of intervals and could even change the treadmill runs to interval sprints instead. So, rather than run at one or two speeds for an hour, sprint as fast as you can for 20-30 seconds (or as long as you can), then walk until you are recovered enough to sprint again (2-3 mins). You would only need to do this for 10 – 20 mins. No need to do more.
Does this all make sense?
Hope it’s helped.
Cheers
Marianne
Absolutely! I’m sure Marianne will have a better answer but basically as long as you are doing the right exercises. Kettlebell is strength, endurance, cardio, you name it, all rolled into a little cannon ball. Depending on your fitness goals will determine what type of workouts you will do but in 20 minutes you can, for sure, match the intensity and benefit of steady state treadmill work. As former 13 years military, law enforcement, and still working security I know the baseline of fitness has long been running and I can attest to the functionality of kettlebell work (or fun!) whole heartedly.
Just to add – I do not have anything against running (depending on your goals), but for your question I was trying to show you that less can be more – and certainly more time-efficient.
Hi
Thank you so much for replying. I think i really needed to hear this. I have not lost any weight this year and have actually started to gain weight, a friend told me to increase my running and i felt like hitting my head against a brick wall my legs constantly hurt and i have ended up planning my whole life around the times the gym is open.
Reading your reply made me smile especially as your brother had been through the same, i worried if i stopped running the weight would pile on. i have decided to actually take a day off tommorow and start kettlebell traing, interval training and just one long run. (Hopefuuly no weight gain)
Thanks Again this really meant alot
Jay
You’re welcome Jay, I hope you enjoy the KBs
Hi Marianne,
I love your website and workouts, if I need inspiration I also go straight to your site. I am from Ballyclare but I’m living in New Jersey for a year. My trainer told me about your workouts, I have really got into training this year in America and your workouts are so helpful. I am heading back to Bclare in 6 weeks, before I left I was a member of Zest fitness. Zest is Bclare, Valley and Ballyearl none of which have kettle bells which is really annoying. Do you have any reccomendations of a good gym I am always in Belfast so even a gym there would be fine. Any information would be helpful? Thanks
Hi Laura! I am from Ballyclare tooooooo
What school did you go to? Maybe you know my brother – Richard Kane?
As for somewhere for you to train with KBs? Well, there’s always me
But Andrew Firth still runs his Kettlebell Classes in Finaghy, South Belfast. I don’t know of any that are good except for Andrew’s.
Can’t believe you’re from BC too
Hey, My trainer told me you were from BC and I couldn’t believe it. I was following your workouts for a few months before I found out. I was so proud!!! You have put BC on the map, well you and Woodsides lol!! I went to BC Secondary school, I dont think I know your brother… maybe to see. Yea I would def be interested in training with you when I get home. Not looking forward to getting back to sunny NI to be honest. Thanks for the info, would there be any gym in particular you would recommend for general training. I tried Queens for a while but no one puts the weights back were they found them and it was becoming really frustrating. Thanks for your help