Starting the day with bodyweight exercise
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I've been enjoying a bit of strength training for a few years now - mostly in the form of compound exercises with free weights. In the last year or so I've thrown a few bodyweight exercises into the mix; generally as part of a warmup for something a little heavier.
Recently, however, I came across Craig Harper's interview with the venerable Tom Hafey, a football coach well known for his physical prowess. Of particular interest was his morning routine, which included :
- 200 squats
- 700 situps
- a brief outdoor swim (regardless of water temperature)
- and a 7-8km run
This is in addition to the 3-4 visits to a local gym per week, and a bit of strength training at home.
It'd be a lot for anyone, but Tom Hafey is 75 years old.
After listening to the interview, I decided that a daily dose of bodyweight training was in order. Naturally, this is in addition to the usual bouts of weight training I perform.
When?
I generally wake up at 7-7:30 (this may sound late, but I usually don't go to sleep until 2:30 or 3:00am) and perform a few sets of bodyweight squats, push-ups and chin-ups before breakfast. I work from home, and I figure I'd usually be spending this time (perhaps 15-20 minutes) commuting. Probably far more than that.
NB : if you're saying to yourself 'I'd be lucky to last 5 minutes, never mind 20', by all means start with 5. Add a push-up or two each day and you'll be amazed at how soon you're easily filling 20 minutes.
What are the benefits?
15 minutes of bodyweight exercise is enough to wake you up and energise you for the day, not tire you out. If you usually wake up and head straight to the kitchen for a cup of coffee*, try this instead. At least for a week or so.
Of course, a bit of regular exercise has a wealth of benefits for your long term health (in general, your body will perform better and be more ready to face the minor illnesses that everyone gets from time to time). More immediately, however, you'll feel focussed and alert for the rest of the day. It's a great way to start things off.
* I still drink coffee on a fairly regular basis, so I'm certainly not suggesting you give it up. Just try not to use it to wake up.
© 2006 - 2007 Scott Andrew Bird.
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See also:
- Man regains speech after brain stimulation
- The effects of caffeine on biphasic sleeping
- 77 Brain Hacks
