15-Minute Workout from Stew Smith

15-Minute Workout from Stew Smith

Here are some ideas for those of you who only have a few minutes a day to exercise. Regardless of the hours you keep, here are some options for you to get in quick workouts that are both affective and will wake you up whether it is done in the AM or PM after dinner.

Wake up with Crunches – Here is an exercise that is JUST a little harder than sleeping and it WILL wake you up by doing simple movements:

Do a complete crunch cycle complete with the following:

Regular Crunch – 10-20 reps – Just lift shoulder blades off the floor

Reverse Crunch – 10-20 reps – Lift hips off the floor

Double Crunch – 10-20 reps – Lift BOTH hips / shoulders off the floor simultaneously

Left Crunches – 10-20 reps – Take right elbow to the left knee

Right Crunches -10-20 reps – Take left elbow to right knee

Bicycle Crunches – 10-20 reps – Take right/left elbow to left/right knee by bicycling the legs

Plank pose – 30-60 seconds

Stomach stretch – 30 seconds

This takes about 3-4 minutes to complete. Refer to this Lower Back Plan PDF provided by Stew Smith for detailed explanations of these exercises.

Jumping jacks / Pushups – Do 10 jumping jacks / 10 pushups and repeat the non-stop cycle 5-10 times, depending on your fitness level.

This takes 3-5 minutes if you push all 10 sets.

Jumping jacks/ Squats – If you want to add in a leg workout, try replacing pushups in option #2 with squats.

Multi-Joint Dumbbells (MJDBs) Exercises – With a set of dumbbells, mix in a few exercises into one movement:

Bicep curl, military press, tricep extensions – do 10-15 reps

Squats, bicep curl, military press, tricep extension – do 10-15 reps

Squat thrust, pushup x 5, stand up, bicep curl military press, tricep extension – 5-10 reps

If you select one of these to do, it only takes about 30 seconds per set. Mix in a few sets of each exercise and you have completed a challenging and effective full-body workout cycle. Visit Stew Smith’s website for detailed photos of how to perform these MJDB exercises.

Cardio option – You can skip all the above and just run, bike, walk, elliptical glide, or row for 15-20 minutes or you can add in a quick burst of cardio for the remaining time you have.

 

STEWART SMITH, USN, is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, a former Navy SEAL, and author of several fitness books including The Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Fitness, The Special Ops Workout, Maximum Fitness, and The S.W.A.T. Workout. Stew has trained thousands of students for Navy SEAL, Special Forces, SWAT, FBI, ERT, and many other military, law enforcement, and fire fighter professions. He is currently the Special Ops Team Coach at the US Naval Academy that prepares future candidates for SEAL, EOD, and MARSOC training and runs a non-profit called Heroes of Tomorrow where he trains people seeking tactical professions for free.

How to Recover Fast from Hazy, Hot and Humid Workouts

How to Recover Fast from Hazy, Hot and Humid Workouts

Hazy, Hot, and Humid Summer Workouts/Practices: How to Recover Fast by Stew Smith

Any person or team who exercises in the heat needs to hydrate during workouts to stay cool and avoid over-heating and even potential death from heat stroke. Fatigue is part exertion and part body heat so your hydration plays a huge part in your athletic and tactical performance. Dehydration can occur during excessively sweaty workouts no matter how well you hydrate prior to your workout, but you also need to add electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium as well.) Foods rich in many of these elements are essential to your recovery from significant water/electrolyte loss. If you are not sweating profusely during your workouts, the need for these salts are less and you will likely get the required salts from your regular diet. However, if you are in an arid environment like the desert, you will dehydrate without sweating and all you will see will be salt stains and chapped lips as the air is evaporating the moisture right off your skin.

 

If you are doing multiple hours in the heat with long races, long days working outside, two or three a day practices preparing for Fall sports, you need to think of the meal in between your working hours as not only a post workout meal but also a pre workout meal. Adding more water, salts, protein, carbohydrates, will help you feel better and have more energy for training or working. Once the day is done, it is even more essential to prepare for the following day in hot and humid environments.

(NOTE: The same applies to dry arid environments but you will not be able to wring the sweat out of your clothes – your sweat evaporates too quickly. You will see salt stains on your clothes and that means you need water and salts in your recovery meals.

If you can wring out your shirt after a workout, it will be beneficial to add more of these “salts” into your post exercise diet. Sure, you can add sports drinks but stay away from the extra sugar and electrolytes if you are not sweating. Sports drinks with sodium, potassium, carbohydrates (sugar) are a safe bet for hydration during hard sweaty exercise. If you are not sweating profusely, there is little need for these sports drinks during exercise unless you are in a desert environment where you do not sweat as it evaporates immediately. Bananas, kiwi, coconut juice and water are some of the best natural aids in re-hydrating and replacing electrolytes. Here are some more ideas for hydration:

Before Workouts– Do not drink too much 1 hour prior to hard workouts if you are doing significant running since the bouncing will potentially cause cramping. Although, most would rather deal with cramping than dehydration so think about your effort level when sweating profusely and what will work for your level of exertion in the heat.

During Workouts– Sip water or a carbohydrate/electrolyte mix every 10-15 minutes to maintain high intensity performance training.

 

A ballpark equation for daily consumption of liquids for highly active person is: 50-75% body weight in lbs = oz per day of H2O

 

Finding the right mix of carbohydrates, protein, fats, electrolytes and water all depends on your age, sex, weight, activity level, weather, and goals. Every day that you have a challenging workout with above average times and feel great afterward, make a note of everything you did that day. Often that is the formula that works best for you and your fitness performance goals.

After Workouts– If hot sweaty or covered in salt stains, you have a huge selection of post workout meals and drinks that will help you recover. Consider protein and carb replacement first, but if you are still feeling sluggish from the workout it is likely lack of fluids and salts in your post workout meal.

  • One favorite post exercise quick snack is a can of chicken noodle soup (Campbells Noodle O’s) because it is loaded with potassium, sodium, carbs, and protein as well. In fact, it has about 3-4 times the potassium of a banana and about 5-6 times the potassium of Gatorade. If you are not sweating much and you’re not in arid environment, water will be enough to hydrate you.

 

STUART FISCHER, M.D., a graduate of Yale University, completed his residency at Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, and served as an Attending Physician at Cabrini Medical Center in New York City. He also worked with the late Dr. Robert Atkins as the Associate Medical Director of the Atkins Center. His expertise in alternative medicine, nutrition, and weight loss, is complemented by his strong traditional, hospital-based education. He is the author of The Little Book of Big Medical Emergencies and The Park Avenue Diet.

WATCH: Body Sculpting Bible “Secrets of Great Workouts” Video

WATCH: Body Sculpting Bible "Secrets of Great Workouts" Video

WATCH this exceptional video presentation from the authors of The Body Sculpting Bible for Men and The Body Sculpting Bible for Women, Hugo Rivera and James Villepigue.

HUGO RIVERA is an ISSA Certified Personal Trainer, engineer and international best selling fitness author with over 20 years of bodybuilding experience. He is also the New York Times About.com Guide to Bodybuilding and continues to educate others on how to use bodybuilding in order to achieve their goals. Hugo is the author of Hardgainers’ Bodybuilding Handbook as well as the co-author of the best selling Body Sculpting Bible for Men and Body Sculpting Bible for Women.

JAMES VILLEPIGUE is a bestselling fitness author of 23 books and has over 20 years of experience in the health and fitness industry. as a nationally certified personal trainer with National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA), with their prestigious Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) credential, The American Council on Exercise and The International Sports Science Association. He has received degrees from Hofstra University, the New York College of Health Professions, and the Institute for Professional Empowerment Coaching. He now lives in East North Port, New York. He is the author of Combat Fat for Kids and Mind Over Muscle as well as the co-author of the best selling Body Sculpting Bible for Men and Body Sculpting Bible for Women.

 

Light Weight Shoulder Workout by Stew Smith

Light Weight Shoulder Workout by Stew Smith

The shoulder is our most versatile joint. There is no other joint that can lift up, down, forward, backward, rotate left and right, or throw. The only joint in our body built similarly is the hip. But with the shoulder’s versatility comes its weakness. It is commonly injured due to tendonitis, ligament pulls, bursitis, dislocations, separations, and rotator cuff injuries. If you have had any of these injuries in the past or you want to help prevent shoulder injuries in the future, try the Light Weight Shoulder Workout below.

This workout is actually one used by many physical therapists and requires ONLY light weights – in fact no heavier than FIVE pound dumbbells is recommended. Start by using no weights at all and only lift “the air”. You will find that the air gets heavy on these small muscles of the shoulder. But these are the muscles that no one exercises. Most people will lift too heavy amounts of weight over their head and cause an injury mainly due to lack of stabilization of the shoulder joint. By exercise all of the muscles in the shoulder as with the Light Weight Shoulder Workout, you will build the balance needed in the shoulder to help prevent injuries and build nice, tone shoulders and arms. Try it below and see for yourself:

The Light Weight Shoulder Workout (with dumbbells)

Do the following sequence of exercises non-stop for ten reps each:

Lateral Raises – 10 (palms down)
Lateral Raises – 10 (thumbs up)
Lateral Raises – 10 (thumbs down)
Front Raises – 10 (thumbs up)
Cross overs – 10 (palms facing away from you)
Military press – 10

LATERAL RAISE A safe and effective shoulder exercise with light weights. Over 5 pound dumbbells is not recommended for this exercise. Keep your knees slightly bent, shoulder back, and your chest high. Lift weights parallel to ground in a smooth controlled motion, keep your palms facing the ground. Follow the next 5 exercises without stopping.

THUMBS UP After performing 10 regular lateral raises, do 10 lateral raises with your thumbs up, touching your hips with your palms facing away from you and raising your arms no higher than shoulder height.

THUMBS DOWN  Continue with side lateral raises. As you lift your arms upward, keep your thumbs down. Repeat for 10 times, always leading in the up and down direction with your thumbs.

FRONT RAISE (THUMBS UP) Now, for 10 more repetitions, time to work your front deltoids. Lift the dumbbells from your waist to shoulder height keeping your thumbs up.

CROSS OVERS With your palms facing away from you and arms relaxed in front of your hips, bring your arms up and over your head as if you were doing a jumping jack (without jumping). Cross your arms IN FRONT of your head and bring them back to your hips for 10 repetitions.

MILITARY PRESS Place one foot ahead of the other as shown and knees slightly bent to reduce strain on your lower back. Exhale as you push the weights over your head for 10 final repetitions in the mega-shoulder pump workout.. Slowly lower them to shoulder height and repeat. Muscles used are shoulders and triceps (back of arm).

Do this routine during any upper-body day workout.

 

STUART FISCHER, M.D., a graduate of Yale University, completed his residency at Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, and served as an Attending Physician at Cabrini Medical Center in New York City. He also worked with the late Dr. Robert Atkins as the Associate Medical Director of the Atkins Center. His expertise in alternative medicine, nutrition, and weight loss, is complemented by his strong traditional, hospital-based education. He is the author of The Little Book of Big Medical Emergencies and The Park Avenue Diet.