Drop Two Sizes Page 4
I prefer to not even call it a warmup. Instead, I call it RAMP, which stands for range of motion, activation, and movement preparation. This simple change in nomenclature immediately makes it sound more important (because it is!).
The Get Moving RAMP workout does several important things.
Addresses soft tissue quality, like a massage does, to reduce any tension and/or knots (via the foam roller and the lacrosse ball)
Improves muscle length/extensibility
Improves mobility of the joints
Elevates body/core temperature and increases bloodflow
Takes the body through multiple planes of movement to improve mobility
Charges up and excites the nervous system to prepare the body for the demands of the workout and the movement patterns (exercises) that will follow. We need to prepare the body for the squat, bend, single leg stance, lunge, push, pull, and core movements.
Every 4 weeks, you’ll have brand-new Get Moving RAMP exercises to learn. This workout serves multiple purposes.
Your First Workout: Take yourself through these moves first before doing anything else. The goal is to get through them in 10 minutes. On Day 1, this may be all you do as you get moving. Each time you do it, though, you will feel less challenged and ready for more.
Your Warmup: Use this as your warmup throughout the 12-week program at the start of every strength workout and metabolic workout.
Your Recovery Workout: Throughout the 12 weeks, use the Get Moving RAMP exercises on your off days to regenerate and improve your recovery, get your blood flowing, work on range of motion and flexibility, and get moving without putting a training demand on your body.
Part of Your Strength Workout: You’ll see four of these moves throughout your strength workouts, instead of resting: Hip Stretch/Mobilization, Hip Stabilizer Activation, Ankle Mobility, and Thoracic Spine Mobility. These four moves are a priority and will be done almost every day throughout the 12 weeks.
You’ll really get to know all of the exercises in the RAMP workout because you’ll do them almost every day, either as your warmup, as part of your workout, or as your recovery. You’ll also see these exercises throughout your strength program—they fill in your rest periods and make the most effective use of your time. Use these Get Moving RAMP exercises to start every workout you do.
Some of the key areas that you’ll need to focus on during these movements are the thoracic spine (upper back), the hips, and the ankles. These areas often tend to need increased mobility in most people. You’ll also want to activate several key muscles such as the hip stabilizers (glutes) and the scapular stabilizers (small muscles around the shoulder blades).
The Get Moving RAMP workout contains the following:
Range of Motion: Stretching and/or mobility exercises.
Activation: Specific activation exercises for the often-dormant muscles around the hips and shoulder blades.
Movement Preparation: Dynamic stretching and movements that take the body through large excursions and multiple planes of motion.
A primary principle of “RAMPing” is that you start with exercises that are ground-based (done on or near the floor), done in place, and of fairly low intensity. You’ll then progressively move to exercises that are done standing in place. Next, you’ll start moving (locomotion), and the movements will become more dynamic in nature. As you can see, exercise intensity and exercise complexity gradually “ramp” up as you move through this period. This tends to make the RAMPing flow well and follow a logical sequence. It’s like starting up a car in colder months and letting it warm up for a few minutes before you put it in gear, pull out, and drive it.
It should be noted that the order of the exercises can be changed a bit to follow the RAMPing principle that we discussed earlier—always starting on the ground, then standing, then moving. More than one exercise in a category can be added if needed, but the total amount of exercises should not exceed 8 to 12 (not including the foam roller/ball self-myofascial release).
The bottom line: Take your RAMP warmup seriously! It will better prepare you for the best training session possible, and it will help to keep your body healthier in the process.
RAMP Template
Each Get Moving RAMP workout has a minimum of 10 exercises plus foam rolling, all of which are there for a specific purpose. In Phase One you'll start by building a base strength. In Phases Two and Three you'll incorporate more dynamic movements into your warmup, to wake up your nervous system and improve your speed of movement.
1 Foam Roller/Ball SMR: Each session starts with foam rolling and lacrosse ball self-massage (or self-myofascial release) to address soft tissue quality and help to iron out trigger points, knots, or adhesions.
2 Hip Stretch/Mobilization: The hips are the centerpiece of the body and are an area of focus where we look to improve mobility. The first exercise is a stretch or mobilization for the hips (this can vary a bit depending on your needs, but will commonly be some sort of hip flexor stretch).
3 Hip Stabilizer Activation Exercise (backside): This will be some type of hip bridge to wake up the often-dormant gluteus maximus (butt) and develop motor control. Note that this is preceded by a stretch of the front side of the hips to better allow you to wake up your backside and take advantage of the new range of motion attained from the stretch.
4 Hip Stabilizer Activation Exercise (side): You'll move to an exercise such as a Side Lying Clam Shell to wake up the muscles on the outside of the hip, which help to control rotational and lateral movements of the upper leg. You'll want to turn up the "dimmer switch" on these muscles to wake them up as you prepare to integrate them into more complex movements.
5 Thoracic Spine Mobility Exercise: This movement improves the extension and rotation capabilities of the upper half of the spine. This is a problematic area in most people, and stiffness here can lead to a host of issues in the shoulders and lower back, so it is a major priority.
6 Ankle Mobility Exercise: This movement helps to improve dorsi-flexion, or the ability of the shin to move toward the foot. This is a critical component of several patterns including walking, running, sprinting, lunging, squatting, etc. Poor ankle mobility can be a component of knee pain as well.
7 Scapular Stabilizer Activation Exercise: Next up, you'll wake up the muscles that attach to your shoulder blades. We need to innervate some of the small stabilizer muscles such as the lower trapezius and the serratus anterior, which are often dormant and weakened muscles in the shoulder blades.
8 Squat Mobility/Patterning Exercise: You want to prepare your body for the demands of the squat pattern and integrate several of the key joints that you worked on earlier in the RAMP. Your goal is to develop a range of motion and control to enable you to squat deeply.
9 Hip Separation Exercise (SL Stance): This exercise will have you spend some time standing on one leg and working on flexing or rotating one of your hips while the hip on your opposite side is extended. You want to prepare your body for the demands of the single leg stance pattern.
10 Sagittal Plane Lunge Exercise: Next, you'll perform a lunge variation where your body moves in a more linear motion (straight ahead or straight back). Again, you're integrating several joints and "putting everything together." This prepares you for the lunge patterns that you'll use in resistance exercises.
11 Frontal or Transverse Plane Lunge Exercise: Finally, you'll perform another lunge variation that is performed to the side or with a rotational component of the hips. The hips require movement in multiple planes of motion, which is why they require several drills to properly address this need.
Strength Programs
The priority workouts in this plan focus on strength training. These are metabolically demanding, circuit-style routines that include all seven movements of the human body: squat, bend, push, pull, core stability, lunge, and single leg stance. You’ll gain strength and hypertrophy (increase lean muscle size) while boosting your metabolism and burning fat. I know it sounds counterintui
tive, but building muscle will help you shrink!
The strength workouts also include power and combination exercises along with core-strengthening exercises as priorities. You’ll have two different, yet complementary, full-body routines per phase that you can alternate back and forth for 4 weeks. In each new phase you’ll start all new routines to keep things fresh and fun.
Each workout has these components:
Core: For most women, this is one of the weakest areas, and specific core exercises need to be first in the program so that you can do them when you’re the most fresh and energized. All of these exercises are about building core stability, which will help you master every other exercise in the program.
Power/Combination: For the first two phases, you’ll perform a power exercise on Day 1 and a combination exercise on Day 2. Both of these are very athletic movements and are some of the most effective “bang for your buck” exercises.
Strength: The strength section of each workout includes all of the basic movements just mentioned, working your full body every time. With each new phase, the exercises will progress from the phase before. The reps (or number of times you perform the exercise) will also vary. This keeps your body “confused,” so you don’t fall into a rut and will continue to see results. You’ll also recognize two exercises in each strength workout from the Get Moving RAMP, which are used during your rest period between strength exercises.
Finisher: At the very end of the workout, be prepared to dig deep and give everything you have left. You’ll max out intensity to give your metabolism a final boost right at the end. Don’t hold back! You got this.
Master the Movements
One of my goals when I designed these programs was for you to truly master the basic seven movements of the human body:
Squat
Bend
Push
Pull
Core Stability
Lunge
Single Leg Stance
You'll master all of them with these programs. Each movement can be practiced with a number of exercises. You'll notice that an exercise in your strength program in Phase One may show up in a later phase as a metabolic exercise. In addition, the metabolic workouts use many of the same movements more than once, which will help you become more familiar with them. Throughout the program, work on mastering each movement as you work out, and challenge yourself to get even stronger by adding additional weight.
Metabolic Programs
Welcome to your new cardio workout! The goal of these workouts is to get your heart pumping, rev up your metabolism, and work up a sweat in a short period of time. These workouts shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes max, making them easy to do any time of day.
A 2011 review in the Journal of Obesity entitled “High-Intensity Intermittent Exercise and Fat Loss,” author Stephen Boutcher, PhD, pointed out that the effect of regular aerobic exercise on body fat is negligible. In 2008, a study by the same author looked at the effects of high-intensity exercise versus steady-state, specifically with women, and found that after 15 weeks, only the high-intensity exercise group had a significant improvement in fat loss. There was a significant reduction in fat from their legs compared to their arms (usually a more stubborn spot for women).
I discussed these findings in detail in my first book, The Female Body Breakthrough . Since then, there continues to be evidence in support of ending the hours and hours spent on a treadmill and replacing them with shorter, metabolically demanding workouts. High-intensity, intermittent exercise has been shown to be more effective at reducing body fat than any other type of exercise. It has also been shown to significantly increase both aerobic and anaerobic fitness, lower insulin resistance, and improve skeletal muscle fat oxidation and glucose tolerance. These workouts are short and intense, lasting from 6 seconds to 4 minutes per interval, with a rest period of about the same time.
You’ll mix these up in four different ways: Timed, Countdown, Complex, and the optional 20-minute interval workout . You have the freedom to choose one of these four programs on your metabolic day or rotate through them as laid out in the plan.
Timed Metabolic Workouts: These workouts include five exercises that you will do in a specific amount of time. Push your intensity during the work period and then completely recover during the rest period before doing the next exercise. For example, you’ll do five exercises three times, performing 15 sets in a row before taking a 2- to 3-minute rest. Using high-intensity circuit-style routines like this has been shown to be more effective at improving body composition than doing endurance or lower-intensity routines.
Countdown Metabolic Workouts: These are a favorite at my gym, but they’re also one of the toughest workouts you’ll do. You’ll start with a certain number of repetitions on round one and perform four different exercises with that same number of reps, finishing with 20 to 40 seconds of hard sprinting or jumping rope. You’ll then rest and repeat with fewer repetitions counting down. As you get more tired, you will do fewer repetitions, making it realistic to finish with the same intensity.
Complex Metabolic Workouts: These workouts enter the picture in Phase Two. By then you’ll have learned the basic movements and built up a base strength. These workouts use dumbbells or a barbell heavy enough to get your heart pumping and create a metabolic disturbance, but light enough so you won’t cause any tissue damage or need too much recovery. You’ll perform 8 reps of each of four exercises in a row without stopping. This 2- to 3-minute set is your “interval.” Rest for 90 seconds and repeat.
Optional 20-minute interval workouts: If you have done three strength workouts and two metabolic workouts but you’re itching to do more on a sixth day, tackle a short intense interval workout. This can be done on a cardio machine such as a bike, stairmaster, or treadmill. Or get outside and run hill sprints, ride your bike, or climb stairs.
Active Recovery: At least 1 day a week you need to give your body a break! Let it rest and regenerate. You can go through the Get Moving RAMP workout two to three times to stretch and get your blood flowing, but otherwise, chill out and do something relaxing.
What I mean by “active recovery” is that just because it is your day off and you don’t have a structured, planned workout, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t continue living an active lifestyle. Do something you enjoy, such as going for a walk, enjoying a bike ride, taking a hike, or going golfing. If you have a hobby or have been meaning to revisit an old hobby, this is your time to do it! I love to take dance class twice a week as part of my active recovery.
The workouts in this plan are challenging and taxing, but that’s why they are effective. Don't be afraid to dive in and give it your all! You'll soon feel stronger and more confident than ever.
Keep Your Body Wanting More
Give your body at least 1 day off a week, no matter what. You need at least 1 day to regenerate every week. In addition, if you feel like you need additional recovery every other week, take off an additional day. Many times your workouts will be of better quality if you do less, and you won’t get burned out or start to feel exhausted. Don’t sacrifice quality for quantity.
Take note of your progress: Are you able to do more each week? Lift more weight? Do more reps? You should be getting fitter if you take the time to recover. If not, do fewer workouts, but focus on your movements and perform the exercises thoughtfully and with precision. Many times less is more.
THE MENU PLANS
"The Drop Two Sizes program came along right when I needed it. It gave me the motivation to put my energy into more healthy pursuits. And you know what I discovered again? Exercise is the best medicine. Healthy body, healthy mind. I don’t know what the future holds for me, but I know that when I’m taking care of myself, I’m better able to handle whatever life throws my way.”
—MICHELE ROSETTE, DROPPED TWO SIZES IN 8 WEEKS
Let’s talk a bit about what you need to get started in the kitchen. I’m certainly not asking you to go to culinary school, but it will be usef
ul to learn some basic kitchen smarts and “tools” to get you on track to eating more healthfully and fueling your body with the right foods to complement your workout routines and help you slim down fast.
I am not a chef (or even close!). In fact, my husband teases me that I don’t cook; I “heat things up.” Okay, so I’m a fan of the idea that simple is better. I tend to rotate a few of my favorite dinners, like chicken stir-fried with mixed veggies, buffalo burgers with portobello mushrooms and spinach, and turkey chili. But I can follow a recipe and have been known to make a pretty mean shepherd’s pie and pot roast, when I really want to impress. I’ve found that all you need are a few great, easy recipes to prepare a healthy, filling meal.
This is why I enlisted the help of Chris Mohr, PhD, RD, who has designed simple, delicious menus to give you (and me!) new ideas when it comes to creating healthy, tasty meals. (Believe it or not, I avoided tofu until I tried the Tofu Stir-Fry recipe.) Dr. Mohr developed a fitness challenge similar to the one laid out in this book and created these menus based on what worked with his clients—who also dropped two sizes in 12 weeks! Many of my clients have also used these recipes and gave them rave reviews.
GET TO KNOW YOUR KITCHEN
Sometimes the kitchen is so foreign that we stay away from it altogether and rely on unhealthy takeout or fast food. I had a client whose husband did 100 percent of the cooking. As she put it, “I only walked through the kitchen to get to another part of the house. I had no business even standing in there as I may have messed something up.” They had very defined roles: Her husband worked and did the cooking, and she tended to the kids and maintained the house, as long as that didn’t include food prep or cooking. One time, when their three kids were all under 10 years old, her husband had a meeting and was traveling out of town. He left my client a package of hot dogs, a box of mac and cheese, a pan, and a cookbook open to a page with a casserole recipe. It was pretty straightforward, or so he thought! “The kids ended up with very dry noodles that I had in the oven way too long,” my client laughed. “So long, in fact, they wouldn’t even touch the hot dogs. We ordered pizza that night.”