DIA Blog 017 - EXPAT WORKOUT? It's Easy If You Do It SMART! by H8R

by H8R

So you've decided to get into better shape, right? Good for you! Now where do you start?

A lot of people will go and shell out a ton of money to join a fancy gym with nice amenities that you'd never use. Some gyms in Japan can cost up to $100 a month!

My advice is to skip the gym and either workout in your house or outside!

Aside from the money you'll save by not having to pay for a gym membership, you can also save some time in your day by not having to commute to and from the gym.

In today's post, I'll outline a SMART and SIMPLE workout plan that ANYONE can do almost ANYWHERE.

Three types of workouts

For my workout, I generally have 3 different types of workouts.

They all roughly take about 20 minutes to complete. They are:

• Cardio
• Strength training
• Circuit training

Cardio

This will boost your stamina and endurance so you can work harder without getting as tired.

Here are some activities to choose from:

• Cycling
• Swimming
• Running
• Jumping rope
• Aerobics
• Fast pace martial arts
• Any combination of these

Right now, I've been focusing on jumping rope. I just go to the park by my house early in the morning, put on a timer for 20 minutes, and put in as much work as I can!

*NOTE: For cardio, 20 minutes is the recommended minimum to get results. You can always go for more, but try to get in AT LEAST 20 minutes.

Strength training

Depending on your goals, the type of strength training you choose will be different.

I'm not exactly trying to get any bigger than I am, so I'm currently on a high rep/low weight plan.

If you want to bulk up/build more strength, you should go for higher weight with lower reps.

If you want to skip the weights, you can do a calisthenics workout.

You just need some room/equipment. Parks and playgrounds are perfect for this. You can even do some things on apartment buildings and other architecture.

For strength training, I currently use 10kg (22lb) dumbbells.

I do 2 sets of the following workout:

1. Military press x 12
2. Chest fly x 12
3. Lateral raises x 6
4. Front raises x 6
5. Lawnmower rows x 12 (right and left side)
6. Triceps extensions x 12 (right and left side)
7. Biceps curls (x 12 - simultaneously or reciprocating)
8. Push-ups x20
9. Situps x20
10. Repeat 1-9

This workout gets in the big major muscle groups in the upper body:

• chest
• shoulders
• back
• arms

The goal is to get in about 2 exercises per muscle group (although I only do 1 for back).

This doesn't include any lower body, but I ride my bike around town and I work my lower body in cardio and circuit training days so it has been working out for me.

Circuit training

Circuit training combines cardio and strength training into the same workout. 

This can get you some really good results and time really flies by when you have a variety of exercises in your routine.

Here's my current 20 minute circuit workout. Just do 2 sets of the following:

1. 3 minute run
2. 20 squats
3. 20 push ups
4. 3 minute jump rope
5. 20 lunges
6. 15 Australian pull-ups

If you do 2 rounds of exercises 1-6, it takes roughly 20 minutes.

You can change up this plan however you like, the basic pattern is:

1. Cardio
2. Lower body
3. Upper body

When you're starting out, the number of reps may be too much for you. It might be good for you to start off with a lower number. If they are too easy, try to do more or find a more difficult exercise. I think you get the idea.

Other exercises throughout the day

Getting into (and staying in) shape is WAY EASIER if it becomes a part of your daily life.

If you want to get into better shape, consider doing push-ups and sit-ups a once or twice throughout your day.

You can also get in some extra exercise by taking the stairs in buildings or walking/biking to get around.

If you do these exercises routinely, they'll become easier.

To quote a monkey from the hit Netflix show, BoJack Horseman, "It gets easier. But you have to do it every day. That's the hard part."

Scheduling

This can get tricky, especially if you get busy or unexpected things come up.

When trying to figure out when and how many of these workouts to do it's important to take a look at what your goals are.

If you want to lose weight, cardio should be a priority. If you want to get big, strength training with heavy weights or calisthenics would be good for you.

For me, I'm currently (supposed to be) doing 2 workouts, 6 days a week. That means I aim to workout Monday-Saturday.

I alternate daily between cardio and circuit training in the morning. When I get home from work, I do the strength training workout.

If I have extra time on Saturdays, I might throw in another workout after the first one.

• Monday
• AM - Cardio
• PM - Strength training
• Tuesday
• AM - Circuit
• PM - Strength training
• Wednesday
• AM - Cardio
• PM - Strength training
• Thursday
• AM - Circuit
• PM - Strength training
• Friday
• AM - Cardio
• PM - Strength training
• Saturday
• AM - Circuit+Martial Arts
• PM - Strength training
• Sunday
• Rest

The key is to find the plan that works for you and stick to it!

If you want to see some results, you should aim for at least 2 workouts 2-3 days a week.

Stepping it up

When the workout gets too easy for you, remember this acronym:
F.I.T.

It stands for Frequency, Intensity, and Time.

• Frequency - Get more results by working out more often
• Intensity - Boost your results by working harder in your workouts
• Time - Improve your health by working out for longer periods

That's it!

That's all for this post. Have you tried a workout like this? Is there something better that you recommend? Leave a comment!

Be on the lookout for the next post that will talk about what equipment you need to get into great shape!