Get in Shape #4: Trust Your Training, Trust Your Equipment

You only need to train 90 minutes a day if you're going to be in some pretty serious -- not elite, but serious -- athletic competition.<p>If you're not already lifting weights, this will do you pretty good for about 4 months (no weights needed):<p>As many times as you can in 20 minutes, 3x a week:<p>10x deep squats<p>10x pushups<p>6x pull-ups (you may have to buy a doorway pull-up bar)<p>If you can't do 6 pull-ups, start with a lower number and work your way up. After 20 minutes of that finish with 10 minutes of abs &#38; stretching.<p>Go on a 20 minute run 3x a week. Stretch afterwards. This regimen will take up just over 2 hours from your week, but I promise it will make a big difference.After 3 months of this you'll be pretty bored with it. If you want to save money on a gym membership and/or free weights of your own, buy a kettlebell &#38; Google some workouts for that -- good stuff.

I like how he emphasises buying from small local shops where you get to know people.<p>Sadly, I live in a country where people who operate this kind of small shops aren't that passionate about their work.

He's correct about this taking 90 minutes. That's 20 minutes warming up on any of the treadmills, 10 minutes stretching, 10 minutes per machine (3-5 seconds per rep, 8-12 reps, 4 sets including a warmup set, a minute between each set, and a minute or two between each exercise to setup the machine, wait for somebody to finish up, etc.), and about 4-5 exercises. So, 20+10+50+10 minutes to change = 90.<p>I disagree on the frequency. I think coming into the gym to do a routine 4x a week is about perfect, and 2x more times a week just to jog for 20 minutes and that's all (to keep the habit up.) And if one is too sore and tired to put in full effort on one of the 90 minute days, then just jog for 20 minutes (again, just to keep the habit up) and resume the next day.

Wumi's advice is generally pretty good... but once again, nobody needs to exercise for 90 minutes a day. That's just a little crazy.<p>All it takes is 30-45 minutes, 3-4x a week. A day of rest in between each session.<p>Don't forget a whole body workout! Weights are your friends.<p>Even some pilates is better than nothing. Actually, pilates is really really great. It's a wonderful toning/stretching exercise. If you're a guy, I would definitely suggest trying this out a bit, you'd be surprised how tight people can get... but get a special book for men (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Pilates-Men-Performance/dp/0060820772" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Pilates-Men-Performance/...</a> is a great one).

This is a lot of info. I really think the most important point is to promise yourself to do <i>something</i> every day.<p>How you train is secondary to having the discipline to it every day (or x times per week, x &#62;= 3).