Gymless. Free.

Over the last couple years I’ve seen these things on and off. They seemed neat, but a little out of my price range at the time. I’m also a pretty careful buyer, and even more wary of the multitude of “fad” fitness items floating around out there.

But, I cracked. And I now own a TRX.

I gotta say, this thing is absolutely fantastic. It’s by no means revolutionary, but offers a load of options for regressing and progressing exercises. I can use this one piece of equipment to perform the same exercise with myself and several clients, simply changing angle, grip or stance to vary the difficulty. Considering this, it’s a hell of a lot easier than owning 10 different kettlebells for a number of clients at different levels.

I’m still learning the moves, and more importantly how to cue them, but I’m definitely enjoying it. The TRX is now a staple in all of my programs, and I’m thinking it will remain that way for years to come.

Sundays used to be my lazy day – hang around the apartment, eat, relax. Now it seems they’ve become my long workout day.

Snowshoeing along Sandia Crest

This Sunday actually IS a lazy day, hence the blog post. But last Sunday’s workout (above) definitely wasn’t: 90 minute hike, 90 minute snowshoe, 40 minute snowshoe run, 25 minute run, total elevation gain and loss over 6000′.

These long workouts serve several purposes. 1) They make me feel alive and take me out of my comfort zone, 2) They let me consume stupid amounts of calories post-workout, and 3) They’re the most enjoyable thing I do.

After a week full of road running and bodyweight workouts, these extended ‘mountain workouts’ are a breath of fresh air. Throw something a little wacko into your routine now and again; you won’t regret it.

I ran across a post about this on Nick Tumminello’s blog the other day and thought I’d share my version. Every professional in this field has a handful of “go-to” exercises that they use with most or every client/athlete. Here are mine:

1) Dumbbell Swings – Or kettlebell, depending on the day. They get the heart rate up, incorporate both hip and shoulder mobility, and load most of the major muscle groups. Hard to go wrong with that.

2) Pullups – *THE* upper back builder. And with all the variations out there, it’s impossible to get bored with them. 

3) Cable Twists – I rarely see people performing rotation exercises; that alone is enough to justify this pick. They’re beneficial, tough, and feel good.

4) Romanian Deadlifts – A super functional movement that teaches proper bending mechanics, RDL’s are great either alone or as a supplemental exercise to aid the deadlift.

5) Split Squats – A pretty fantastic squat alternative that uses single leg movement and has many regressions and progressions.

If I were to pull aside a random number of folks on the street, asking if they considered personal training a luxury, what do you think the results would look like? Sadly, I don’t even have to follow through with this little experiment to give you an answer. I feel pretty comfortable saying that most of the population considers personal training and all it entails to be pure luxury.

Maybe it was a luxury 20 years ago. But today, in a country with a shockingly large amount of overweight and obese people? Nine out of ten clients I see have some dysfunction, that if not fixed, has the potential to wreak hell in the near future. We’re a population full of lower back, hip and core problems, and that’s just scratching the surface.

Looking at this issue from a purely quality of life standpoint, personal training is most definitely not a luxury. You’re probably not worried about future quality of life in your 20′s; even knowing what I know and being in my 20′s, I try not to think about it. But you should be. For at least a few sessions, see personal training as more than a luxury. At its core, with a trainer who understands dysfunction and its repercussions, personal training is a preventive investment in your later years.

My new ebook is now complete! It’s a mix of pushup, pullup, and burpee progressions with a few important points that just might help you achieve your goals. Check it out here!

More progressions, this time in pushup form!

(* = basic, ** = intermediate, *** = advanced)

Basic: *Standing incline → *On knees → *Standard → *Diamond → *Pause → **Feet Elevated Stable → **Feet Elevated Unstable (stability ball)

1. Pushup on Knees: Hands and knees contact the ground, both of which are perpendicular to torso. Keeping body erect, bend elbows and allow body to descend towards ground. Press up. Increase difficulty by increasing the distance between hands and knees.
2. Standing Incline Pushup: From standing position, lean forward onto a stable surface (desk, smith bar). Keeping body erect, descend towards bar. Press up.
3. *Standard Pushup: Hands and toes contact the ground. Feet together. Hands shoulder-width. Head to feet should form an angled downward but straight line. Descend to ground. Press up.
4. *Wide Grip Pushup: Hands and toes contact the ground. Feet together. Hands wider than shoulder-width. Head to feet should form an angled downward but straight line. Descend to ground. Press up.
5. *Diamond Pushup: Hands and toes contact the ground. Feet together. Hands narrower than shoulder-width, should form a diamond or triangle. Head to feet should form an angled downward but straight line. Descend to ground. Press up.
6. *Pause Pushup: Hands and toes contact the ground. Feet together. Hands shoulder-width. Head to feet should form an angled downward but straight line. Descend to ground. Press up.
7. **Feet Elevated Pushup: Hands in contact with ground, shoulder-width grip. Feet together and raised minimum of six inches, resting on stable surface. Head to feet should form an angled upward but straight line. Descend to ground. Press up.
8. **Unstable Feet Elevated Pushup: Hands in contact with ground, shoulder-width grip. Feet together and raised minimum of six inches, resting on unstable surface (stability ball). Head to feet should form an angled upward but straight line. Descend to ground. Press up.

With life being the way it is (ridiculous, chaotic, occasionally overwhelming), we all need an escape. It may be a daily thing for some, while only a monthly thing for others. Without an escape, we’d go nuts. I’m sure, if I wanted, I could find a study or two to back me up.

My escape is reading. My fantasy nerd fiction takes me to an entirely different world, one so foreign to what I know in real life. As in reality, I care for the characters I meet and the environment around me. It might sound insane, but even a short session with a good fiction novel can rouse from within more emotions than a full day of my usual routine. Without my daily journeys into this other-world, I’d probably be a much bigger asshole than I already am.

The good news for you? I rarely miss my escape.