Lazy Bum Fitness

This month we are going to focus on only four core exercises rather than the normal 13. Not only will this change up the routine a little bit, it will force our bodies to get leaner and stronger by solidifying muscle mass and revving up the metabolism.

How can four exercises do all this? Simple, we’re going to be using big, compound exercises. In case you don’t know, “Compound Exercise” is a fancy word for any movement that requires the activation of more than one muscle group and set of joints. A push up, for example, is a great compound exercises because it uses the pectorals, triceps and even the front deltoids; while requiring the shoulder and elbow joints. A simple movement, like an arm curl, is not a compound exercise because it only uses the biceps in terms of muscles, and the elbow in terms of joints.

What’s the big deal about Compound Exercises?

Because compound movements use more muscle fibers, they require more calories to perform. And because we’ll be working the big muscles, they’ll demand more calories throughout their recovery process, meaning… You’ll Burn More Calories Even When You’re Not Exercising!

Pretty cool, eh? I’m all for maximum benefit with the least amount of effort.

Here’s this month’s routine. Be sure to scroll down farther for more instructions since this month is a little different than normal.

Oh, and read the How-To page before you get started, it explains the Lazy Bum Fitness system.

April 2010 Workout Routine

• Ace: Push Ups
• Two: Push Ups
• Three: Push Ups
• Four: Chin Ups*
• Five: Chin Ups*
• Six: Chin Ups*
• Seven: Squats (body weight)
• Eight: Squats (body weight)
• Nine: Squats (body weight)
• Ten: Crunches
• Jack: Crunches
• Queen: Crunches
• King: Crunches
• Jokers: Not used – take them out of the deck this month

*For Chin Ups: You can choose to only perform one rep per draw regardless of the card value.

Instructions

Treat each individual face value the same way you would if they were separate exercises. That means you might have several days when more or one suite corresponds to, say, crunches. That’s okay. In fact, you may have some days when it seems like all you’re doing is body weight squats. That’s okay, too!

Similarly, the monthly goal corresponds to each individual face card value. So if you draw an Ace and a Two, track them during your daily workout the same way you would if they were separate exercises. When you add them up, you might find that you’ll hit the goal of 300 for “Ace push ups” before “Two push ups.” That’s the point!

CARDS PER DAY: 20 cards per day.

GOALS: 300 total reps per overall card value. *If you’re only performing one rep per set of chin ups, the goal is 35.