Apollo Fitness Barbados: Narkissos's killer shape-up tips!!! Part 1

Narkissos's killer shape-up tips!!! Part 1

by Corey "Narkissos" Springer
Owner of: "The NarkSide" Fitness Forums,Apollo Fitness Barbados, & NarkSide Apparel.

September 2009

I've been told that I draw people to me when I step into a gym. Gym owners and gym-goers alike tend to gravitate towards whatever I'm doing, most of the times emulating what I do when I'm doing it. At first it was very, very odd. I mean hell, sometimes it seems like a dance scene from High School Musical 2. Having pondered over it quite a few times, I've come up with the reason.

I simply have a motherload of FUN when I'm at the gym.

No matter how gruelling the work-out, I have a blast. So, the purpose of this article is to share some of the tweaks and tricks I use to make it fun for me.

All Aboard!!!

1. Get in the groove.

A lot of the time I work out in silence... Namely because I find the experience to be a cleansing one. You know, because being in the office, commuting, and even being at home can be annoyingly loud.

However, there are times when I'm in the mood of music.

Music can be empowering (where a boost is needed), and it can be distracting (where distractions are warranted). Each of my music moods is different... So my playlist differs accordingly.

During hard cardio for example, I'm a hard rock fan.

During long-duration cardio, I like steady-state grooves.

There really isn't a need to limit your music taste to your workout mood either, as many external factors tend to influence one's work-out. Heck, many of us exercise to mediate the stress caused by these external factors. So, why not use music to support that process?

e.g. If you're having an "unpretty" day, where you feel insignificant, make sure your playlist includes songs like:

"Beautiful" (Christina Aguilera)
"Legs" (ZZ Top)
"Portions for Foxes" (Rilo Kiley)
"Baby Got Back" (Sir Mix-a-Lot)
"From a distance" (Bette Midler)
"Everything Little Thing She Does Is Magic" (The Police)
"Lovely Day" (Bill Withers)
"September" (Earth, Wind & Fire)
"Social Butterfly" (Kim Herold)
"Bonafied Lovin" (Chromeo)
"Calabria" (Enur)
"Disturbia" (Rihanna)
"Just Dance" (Lady GaGa)
"Summertime" (New Kids on the Block)
"Desperado" (Linda Ronstadt)

2. Be random as hell.

"Random?"

Yes.

"What are you talking about Nark?"

Anything.

Everything.

From weights, reps, range of motion on exercises, exercises themselves, the order of exercises, type of cardio, straight sets, to drop sets.

It doesn't matter what... just mix it all up!!!

Make it random... make it hard, make it interesting.

We're incredibly adaptable creatures. Surviving in this constantly-evolving world requires exactly that.

So why would we approach fitness any differently?

Consider stagnation in the gym being akin to going extinct. Let's not go the way of the dinosaurs!!!

Here are a couple examples of my mix & match approach to training.

A mixed and matched workout split:
(Weeks 1-2)

Monday: Legs
Tuesday: Abs & Cardio
Wednesday: Chest; Delts; triceps
Thursday: Calves & Cardio
Friday: Back; Biceps
Saturday: Cardio
Sunday: Rest

Weeks 3-4:

Monday: Chest & Triceps
Tuesday: Lower Back & Hamstrings
Wednesday: Cardio
Thursday: Quadriceps & Calves
Friday: Back & Delts
Saturday: Cardio
Sunday: Rest

Weeks 5-6:

Monday: Lower Body
Tuesday: Cardio
Wednesday: Upper Body
Thursday: Cardio
Friday: Lower Body
Saturday: Cardio
Sunday: Rest

A mixed & matched Chest workout example:

Chest work-out 1:

Decline dumbbell Presses: 10 sets (of 10 reps):

Chest work-out 2:

Decline Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 sets (of 6-8 reps each set)
Decline Fly: 3 sets (of 8-12 reps each set)
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 sets (of 12-15 reps each set)

Chest work-out 3:

Flat Barbell Bench press: 5 sets (Set 1: 10 reps; Set 2: 10 reps; Sets 3-5: 1-6 reps)
Vertical Bench Press: 3 sets (of 10 reps each set)
Flat-bench Cable Flies: 3 sets (of 10 reps each set)

Mixed and Matched Cardio sample:

Monday: Interval training (e.g. intermittent sprinting and walking)
Tuesday: Continuous Low-to-moderate Intensity (e.g.
Wednesday: Interval training
Thursday: Continuous Low-to-moderate Intensity
Friday: Interval training
Saturday: Continuous Low-to-moderate Intensity
Sunday: Active Rest (i.e. Moderate out door activities like swimming and paddle ball)

Interested in discussion pertaining to mixing it up? Then check out these active threads on the NarkSide message board!!!

Got Videos?!

3. Get into a routine.

"What the hell Nark? Didn't you JUST tell us to mix it up?"

That I did... Now hear me out.

Planning workouts ahead of time can cut down on your gym time, making each session more effective.

Personally, I customize templates for each of my clients which detail each workout for 12+ weeks.
Heck, I take it a step further... sometimes tweaking these templates each weekend, based on the previous week's performance(s). It takes the guesswork out of the gym experience.

Anyway, back on topic: Having a pre-workout plan means that you know what you need to do.

All that's left to be done, is to do it... and to do it as hard as humanly possible.

There's no time wasted thinking "what should I do next?"

Structure allows individuals to focus... and focus translates into results.

So, if you want results... get some structure!

Not sure how to about structuring a routine? Well here are some active training log running on the NarkSide forums right now!!!

Need advice on tweaking your current routine? Then ask a question in our forums:

That's it for this week guys and gals!

Stay tuned!!!

Regards,

-Corey "Narkissos" Springer

Owner of:
"The NarkSide" Fitness Forums
Apollo Fitness Barbados
NarkSide Apparel