There are lot of people who spend a lot of time on the road and do not always have the time to train due to time constraints or lack of energy. This week, I had to go out of town to attend a conference which meant traveling, which always means added stress to your body.
For that reason, I decided not to perform my usual routine before I go on my trip. Instead I did a lighter session that would give me the same results in a smaller period of time. It also has the added benefit of being less stressful thus allowing me to recover on time without jeopardizing my immune system and health.
Table of Contents
The workout:
- Warm up
- 4-5 sets of 12 Squats with 2x 28kg kettlebells
- followed by 30 sec Calve Holds
- Cool down
Total Time of workout: 15 minutes.
About the workout:
Start off by warming up your entire body, especially if you train in the morning like me.
I did 4 sets of 12 reps for the main exercise.
To perform the squat properly:
Start by cleaning the bells off the floor. Then take a breath, brace your abs and descend down until you reach the bottom (we are not doing half squats here, we are going all the way down so make sure that you have the hip and ankle mobility to do this exercise).
Once down, exhale forcefully and come up (make sure you look straight ahead and slightly up), squeeze the quads for 2 seconds and then prepare for the next rep.
Alternative way (half squat)
Start by picking up the bells off the floor. In this variation you don’t need to clean them, you will just hold them by your side. Then take a breath, brace your abs and descend down until you feel the kettlebells reach the bottom and/or your things are parallel to the ground.
Hold that position for 2 seconds and then exhale forcefully and come up. That’s one rep.
To perform the calve holds:
Once done with the reps and without letting the weights down, rise up on your toes and hold for 30 seconds as you squeeze your entire body tight and BREATHE. This will give your calves, quads, arms and especially your forearms a good burn and force some good growth into them.
WHAT TO USE FOR THIS WORKOUT:
I used 2x 28kg kettlebells for this exercise. You can also use multiple kettlebels if you are doing the second variation. For example, I like to use a 20kg and a 12kg on each hand.
Of course, you can use normal dumbbells or load up a barbell instead.
WORKOUT BENEFITS:
This workout gives your entire body the stimulus it needs for both strength and hypertrophy (more on the hypertrophy side though).
ADJUSTING THE WEIGHT TO YOUR NEEDS
I weigh 155-160lbs (70-72kilos) and used the weight mentioned above. On a good day I can do this workout with 2 x 32kilos for 5-10 sets.
Also you might need to adjust the sets accordingly to your age and condition. For younger people, 4 to 5 sets are great (remember this is a light workout!). For older lifters over 35-40y.o, sometimes 2 sets might be enough especially if you expect to travel in the following days.
For the COOL DOWN
Always finish up with a cool down session. I personally do a cool down session that includes:
- Neck bridge holds,
- a set of ab-work (I do 10 Dragon Flags) and
- an extended Surya Namaskar (Sun salutation from yoga).
If you are not familiar with yoga, just replace the last part with light stretching.
Closing Notes:
Proceed with your post-workout shake (check out any of my shake recipes) and enjoy the rest of your day. This is a fast and easy workout for those who travel or for the busy businessman (or businesswoman) who does not have a lot of time and wants an effective workout.
I hope you enjoyed this article as much as I did writing it. Putting together this article took a bit of time but it will only take you a second to click on Share buttons and show your support to this blog.
Also if you have any comments or questions, feel free to leave a comment and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks!
by Nick Sigma SHF
CWC, EH, E-YRT200
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