The Easiest Way to Lose Weight - Ever

I made this program for a client who did not have the motivation to exercise and couldn't keep a healthy eating plan for longer than a few days. For people like me, it is very easy to stay healthy, because I know how good exercise is for you. I also long for that feel-good endorphin high that I experience after every workout. For those who don't exercise regularly, it can be hard for them to understand, or even look forward to, these happy hormone encounters. Endorphins are released during exercise to uplift your mind and body and improve performance. The feeling is very similar to the dopamine release that you feel after eating chocolate. It makes you want more.

I have also been doing it for so long that I forget about how hard it might be for someone who is just starting out and hasn't built up the continual momentum yet. Many people are very overwhelmed by the idea of hard, physical effort. They see it as a chore, when I see it as a chance to experience a sense of achievement and progress.

This program makes healthy lifestyle changes simple, small and easy. All you need to do is start off with a single squat (Yes, just one squat and you are done for the day!). You are now following an exercise routine. Let that sink in for a moment - you are one your way to a healthier you. It does not sound as bad as you always thought it did, does it? Once you come to terms with the fact that you are already getting healthier; the idea of doubling the health effects by doing two squats doesn't sound too intimidating, and I'm sure that the idea has already crossed your mind. This is progress. Every step is not only easy and seemingly insignificant, but after no time at all you will be as fanatic about your health as I am.

This is the basic idea of the program: You start off by making small changes that seem too easy to make a difference, and they add up every day until you are taking down mountains. By starting out extremely low and increasing gradually, you give your mind time to come to terms with the new change. You will also start to change your mind-set about exercise. After some time, you will start to look forward to your little achievements. Once you start to see the changes in your face, weight, energy levels and mood, you will start wanting to do more and more on your own. This helps you to change your mind-set from the negative chore-like image of exercise to the positive, life-giving one that it actually is.

By now I'm sure you get the point, so let's jump right into the program:

The Progression Program

Week 1: Exercise: Squats

On day one, all you need to do is a single squat. Add one more squat each day so that you will do two the next day, three the next, etc. Keep adding a single squat to your routine every day (and continue to do so into the following weeks).

See: Benefits of squats and How to squat properly

After a week or two, you might start struggling with the amount of squats that you are doing, depending on your fitness level. If you reach this stage, firstly reward yourself for getting that far! Secondly, you can stick with the amount of squats that you are doing for a few days before you are comfortable with increasing the number by one again.

Week 2: Just add Water

As you continue to build up your squat count, start off this week by making sure that you drink at least 2 liters of water every day. Since you have been so good at keeping your past goal from the last week, you will be motivated to keep the ball rolling by adding this simple extension. This is the power of momentum. Once the ball is rolling, it gets easier and easier to increase its speed.

Most people are dehydrated, and water is needed to flush out excess sodium. Too much sodium (which is found in almost all processed foods and requires fluids to be flushed from the body) leads to high blood pressure and heart disease.

Proper water consumption also allows your body to eliminate toxins and regulate its internal systems through proper circulation and blood flow. According to Everyday Health; dehydration is a major cause of lethargy (lack of energy and feeling tired all the time), headaches, and even sugar cravings!

Since you are building up your new body, help it speed up the change by giving it the water that it needs to refresh and revive itself. Adding lemon juice to water will increase its detoxifying benefits.

Make sure that you drink at least two liters of water every day, and you will have successfully completed this step!

For those who are wondering, yes; it is possible to drink too much water. This usually only happens if you are drinking something like 5-10 liters of water in a day, or if you drink too much too quickly. Don't chug 2 liters in one go! Read more about getting too much water here.

Week 3: Que the Fruit

Fruit are full of nutrients, aid digestion, keep us young and get rid of toxins. This week, all you need to do is make sure that you have 5 servings of fruit and vegetables every day. They can be any fruit or vegetable - as long as they are fresh, uncooked, and different. Two apples do not count as two servings. Rather have an apple and a carrot to make two different servings. This gives you a greater variety of micro nutrients like antioxidants, vitamins, minerals (see their importance), trace elements, phyto-chemicals and more.

You can add them as an entire meal or separate them into small additions to your current diet. Don't worry about changing anything else about your diet just yet, although at this stage you will probably start wanting to.

As you start to see a positive change in your body (which you definitely will at this stage if you have followed the steps correctly so far), you will naturally want to do more and more to keep the results coming. Acknowledge this and celebrate the fact that getting healthier is starting to become exciting for you.

Week 4: Alternatives

This is the week where the changes get a little bigger. I'm sure you've been wondering when we were going to address your current eating habits, and this is the week. Now that you have made small changes and seen results, you will be motivated to make the bigger changes. Even at this stage, I have good news for you: It is not going to be as horrible or dreadful as you have made it out to be in your head. Read this page for the alternatives that you need to make and start experimenting with a few of them. Try them out and see which ones you like the most. Discover which ones seem to make a bigger difference. You might be shocked about how easy the changes are (No substituting a burger with a carrot).

A simple example would be making a protein shake instead of buying a milkshake, eating nuts instead of your usual snack or having one of your daily fruit instead of a candy bar. Remember: Gradual changes stick, radical changes don't. After a while, you will start to crave a protein shake instead of an unhealthy meal. This will happen because your body will realize that it gets more useful nutrients from the one, compared to the other. It is important to experiment with different flavors and brands, because some will suit your taste and nutritional needs better than others.

Week 5: Time to Shine

At this stage you will feel better, have lost weight and be ready to take things to a whole new level after seeing what you are capable of - and how easy it actually is to change your body into the version that you want. Now that you have built up the momentum and started with the basic elements of a healthier lifestyle, you get to choose what you do next. Are you going to join a gym or fitness club, start a sport, add a running routine, experiment with other dietary ideas or search for the next item to add to your weekly list? The choice is up to you! All you need to do is realize that you can do anything through small changes and that getting healthy is a lot easier than you make it out to be in your head. Congratulations on making it this far and best of luck to you on your new journey. Stay Strong!

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Beginner and Standard Muscle Gaining Training Programs

2 Different training programs you can use to grow muscle. It is good to alternate between programs when you plateau or every 3-6 months for muscle confusion to keep growing muscle at a faster rate.

1. Beginner's Warm-Up Program

This workout program is great for beginners who haven't lifted weights before. It is lighter and has a lower intensity that 'wakes up' the major muscle groups and preps the body for harder programs that can follow it. It can also be used as a high-rep program to recover joints and ligaments after workout programs that have put a lot of strain on them (low reps), or to strengthen joints before heavier workout routines. Muscle growth is achieved here by working muscles more frequently, but less concentrated.

Day 1: Lower Body:

Exercise 1: Squats (3 sets of 20)

Exercise 2: Knee Extensions (3 sets of 20)

Exercise 3: Hamstring Curls (3 sets of 20)

Exercise 4: Calf Raises (3 sets of 20)

Exercise 5: Weight Crunches (3 sets of 20)

Exercise 6: Weighted Incline Back Extensions (3 sets of 20)

Day 2: Upper Body

Exercise 1; Bench Press (3 sets of 20)

Exercise 2: Dips (3 sets of 20)

Exercise 3: Pull Ups (3 sets of 20)

Exercise 4: Barbell Curls (3 sets of 20)

Exercise 5: Dumbbell Side Bends (3 sets of 20)

Tips:

• Each exercise is performed with 3 sets of 20. The weight used is the same with each set. For example, when you perform barbell curls, use a 20 kg barbell for all sets.
• If you are just starting a weight training program, follow a day 1, rest day, day 2, rest day, day 1 pattern until you are able to alternate between day 1 and day 2 without taking rests in between days (6 days a week = 3xDay.1 and 3xDay.2 per week).
• If you can perform 20 reps in all three sets, then increase the weight. Work until you can do 20 reps of each set before increasing the weight again.

2. Standard 5-Day Split

The standard 5- day routine is most commonly used in weight training. This routine is a great program to move onto after the beginner's warm-up program above. Instead of splitting workouts into 2 days, the 5-day split separates workout days into 5 major muscle groups and supporting muscles. Each muscle group is focused on and worked harder in this program, but is also given a longer time to recover before being stimulated again.

Day 1: Chest and Triceps

Chest

Exercise 1: Incline Dumbbell Bench Press (4x12)

Exercise 2: Dumbbell Bench Press (3x8)

Exercise 3: Close-Grip Bench Press (3x8)

Exercise 4: Dumbbell Flies (3x10)

Note: exercise 1 and 2 use dumbbells because barbells can often be hard to get a hold of during rush hours at the gym. If you are more comfortable using barbells for these exercises, that is OK.

Triceps

Exercise 1: Tricep Dips (3x20)

Exercise 2: Skull Crushes (3x12)

Exercise 3: Pull Downs (3x12) 

Day 2: Back and Biceps

Back

Exercise 1: Pull Ups (3x20)

Exercise 2: One Arm Row (3x8)

Exercise 3: Bent Over Rows (2x12)

Exercise 4: Low Row (2x10)

Exercise 5: Chin Ups (Machine) (3x8)

Biceps

Exercise 1: Barbell Curls (3x8)

Exercise 2: Hammer Curls (3x8)

Exercise 3: Incline Curls (3x12)

Exercise 4: Concentration Curls (3x8)

Day 3: Core

Lower Back

Exercise 1: Stiff Legged Dead Lifts (3x20)

Overall Core

Exercise 1: Weighted Planks (3x2 minutes)

Exercise 2: Cable Wood Choppers (3x20)

Ads

Exercise 1: Weighted Crunches (3x20)

Exercise 2: Bicycle (3x20)

Exercise 3: Captain's Chair

Obliques

Exercise 1: Side Planks (3x 2 minutes)

Exercise 2: Dumbbell Side Bends

Note: When doing weighted planks, build up until you can hold each set for 2 minutes, and then increase the weight by putting a plate on your lower back, increasing the weight of the plate as you get stronger.

Note: For cable wood choppers, swing the cable from the top handle down to use more of your core. Swinging from the bottom up will use shoulders.

Note: For bicycle, increase weight by holding a dumbbell behind your head.

Day 4: Shoulders and Forearms

Shoulders

Exercise 1: Machine Shoulder Press (3x15)

Exercise 2: Dumbbell Lateral Raises (4x8)

Exercise 3: Dumbbell Reverse Flies (3x8)

Exercise 4: Dumbbell Military Press (3x8)

Exercise 5: Upright Rows (2x12)

Forearms

Exercise 1: Reverse Dumbbell Wrist Curls (4x20)

Exercise 2: Barbell Wrist Curls (4x20)

Note: With forearms, the first exercise has palms facing down and the second exercise has palms facing upwards to target different parts of the forearms

Day 5: Legs

Upper Legs

Exercise 1: Squats (10, 8, 6, 6, 4)

Exercise 2: Knee Extension (3x12)

Exercise 3: Hamstring Curls (3x12)

Calves

Exercise 1: Standing Calve Raises (4x15)

Exercise 2: Seated Calve Raises (4x15)

Note: with squats, the reps should decrease as the leg muscles start to fail. Once you can do the amount of reps specified in the 5 sets above, increase the weight.

Tips:

• Even though this is a 5-day split, it can still be done 6 times a week. For example, week 1 can have day 1-5 Monday-Friday and day 1 again on Saturday, so that week 2 starts with day 2 on Monday
• If you miss out on a workout, don't skip that day's muscle group. For example, if you missed Core on Wednesday, do them on Thursday when you are back in the gym instead of moving over to Shoulders and Forearms. This way, every muscle group is stimulated a day later than usual, instead of one muscle group missing an entire week of training.

For an advanced training program, called the GARRY bodybuilding workout program, click here.

The beginners program is a great introduction to weight training for beginners and helps strengthen the joints and tendons. The standard 5-day split is a great workout program to use regularly. It is also beneficial to alternate between the standard 5-day split and other weight training programs to keep muscles on their toes, growing as much as possible to adapt to new stimulus. STAY STRONG!

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