So this coronavirus pandemic has shifted many workouts into the home. That is the first topic I will address on this 5th edition of Matters of Fitness.
1) This coronavirus pandemic has ruined my workout routine at the gym. What workouts can I do at home during this coronavirus pandemic to stay in shape?
During the COVID-19 pandemic the vast majority of businesses across the world have shut down. This includes gyms and even some public tracks.
I’m blessed and fortunate to own a garage gym.
Some other lifters and athletes in the game have this set-up as well. But we are in the great minority.
Right now 99.9 percent of lifters, athletes, and trainees (including my clients) have no access to a gym.
But just because this coronavirus has closed down gyms does not mean you cannot do workouts at home and get into great shape during the pandemic.
I love the barbell as much as all of my iron brothers and iron sisters.
But I also know there are multiple ways to get stronger and leaner that do not involve heavy barbells and plates.
In fact the vast majority of my training as a teenager and into my early twenties was sprinting and bodyweight training with limited tools.
Check out my links below to learn about some of the phenomenal home workouts that you can use during this coronavirus pandemic.
Some of them do not require equipment and some of them only require two dumbbells.
How To Workout During The Coronavirus Quarantine
5 Home Workouts To Do During The Coronavirus Pandemic
The Punisher Workout Home (dumbbells required)
Coronavirus Quarantine Workout #1 (Video)
2) I am a woman and I’ve got a flat, pancake butt. What exercises do I need to do to add some size to my booty?
You have been stricken with the infamous arse flattening disease known as Nassitol. You are not alone because I was born with it too.
The great news is that you can absolutely add significant size and shape to your backside. You may not ever turn into Serena Williams or Jennifer Lopez from Selena, but you will for dang sure no longer be Patty Pancake.
There are two things you must do to get a bigger butt:
A) Follow an accountable glute-building training program that focuses on the exercises below:
• Sprinting
• Barbell Hip Thrust
• Bulgarian Split Squat
• RDL
• Barbell Hip/Back Extensions
• Barbell or Dumbbell Reverse Lunges
B) Make sure you are eating enough food and getting enough sleep to support muscle growth.
Building a bigger and thicker backside requires you to eat enough food to support your training.
A common issue among many women who want to fill out their jeans is that they do not eat enough food.
Under-eating while trying to gain mass is like trying to swim against the current: you will be wasting a lot of energy to go nowhere fast.
Along with eating, you must get enough quality sleep throughout the week to let your muscles recover. You do not build muscle during the workout, but in the days after when you are recovering and eating.
We all do not win the genetic lottery but you absolutely have a big say in how your glutes look.
Check out my detailed guide on how to build your own gadonkadonk.
3) Hey Fitman, what should I eat when I go to Chipotle? Everybody says it’s healthy, but I have gained a lot of bad weight since I started eating there more frequently.
It is more than possible to have a healthy meal at Chipotle that will not add fat to your body.
The problem that most people have when they go to Chipotle is that they load up on meals that have too many carbs and fats.
Here is the equation for getting fat:
High carbs + high fats in the same meal = excess calories which = you carrying more body fat.
Here is the typical meal that most people get at Chipotle:
• Flour burrito (carb)
• Rice (carb)
• Beans (carb)
• Chicken (protein)
• Sour Cream (fat)
• Guacamole (fat)
• Cheese (fat)
This meal is a cot dang disaster for building the physique. It is low in protein, high in carbs, and high in fats.
Eating meals that are high in carbs and fats loads your body with too many calories (energy) at once. Because most people’s primary workout is running their mouth, this excess energy from the food is not used.
Over time this energy begins to store within your body as fat. And most of this body fat goes directly to a now protruding gut.
In this scenario, those people end up looking like Homer Simpson or Peter Griffin.
The better option for someone trying to lose body fat would be to choose a meal that is high in protein with moderate carbs or moderate fat.
This meal is higher in carbs and is perfect for pre and post-workout:
• Burrito Bowl
• Rice
• Beans
• Double Chicken
• Peppers and Onions or Mild Salsa
This meal is higher in fat and is better to be had on an off-day or outside of the pre/post-workout window:
• Burrito Bowl
• Double Chicken
• Peppers and Onions or Mild Salsa
• Guacamole
• Shredded Cheese
This meal has moderate carbs and fat and could be consumed at any time:
• Burrito Bowl
• Beans
• Double Chicken
• Peppers and Onions or Mild Salsa
• Guacamole
If you know me then you know I love Chipotle. But with this coronavirus pandemic I have not been able to go there, sit down, and enjoy my meal.
After we beat COVID-19 I’ll be back in full force! You can check out my full article on how to eat healthy at Chipotle below.
How To Eat Healthy At Chipotle
4) Fitman, what would you recommend to help me sleep throughout the night. Light and noise always wake me up before I can actually get a good night of sleep.
I used to live off of Germantown Ave in Philadelphia.
Between the Septa buses, the threat of my car getting vandalized (it got horrifically rear ended while parked overnight), the cops, and the gunshots at times, getting good sleep was an major issue.
As a result, my performances in the gym and on the track were both slipping due these truths. So to enhance my sleep I invested in a quality eyemask and a fan.
The eyemask ensured that all I saw overnight was pure darkness. Once sunlight hits your eyelids you will begin to naturally wake up.
The fan was to drown out the noise. Also the white noise from the fan is very calming and would put me into a deep, Captain America sleep.
5) What is the best way to increase my top speed in the 100 meter dash?
Top speed, also known as maximum velocity is the highest amount of speed your body can reach while sprinting.
In the 100 meter dash you have three distinct phases of the race. They are:
Phase 1: 0-30 meters is acceleration. Acceleration is how fast you get up to your top speed.
Phase 2: 30-60 meters is maximum velocity. Maximum velocity is your top speed.
Phase 3: 60-100 meters is deceleration. Deceleration is where your body begins to slightly slow down as you are unable to maintain top speed for that long.
To increase your top speed you will want to add fly sprints to your program.
Flys will typically be between 10m-40m with an equal acceleration zone. So for a flying 30 meter sprint, you would accelerate for 30 meters and then turn on the juice for the 30 meter fly.
Even though most public tracks are closed at this time to enforce physical distancing, you could still find an open field or a street to sprint on by yourself.
While these surfaces are not ideal they will get the job done. As an athlete, do you really want to come back after this pandemic looking like your feet are made out of cement?
Get yourself a measuring wheel and then get out there.
6) Fake Hustle
Remember when the Shake Weight was being marketed as a viable fitness tool?
Remember in recent times when many naive women all over the world were getting hot and bothered over the Waist Trainer?
Instagram charlatans convinced these women that the Waist Trainer would eliminate their guts and give them the rare and highly exalted hourglass figure. It didn’t.
Remember when many simple men thought they could walk around looking like Superman if they wore that disgraceful man girdle under their polo shirt?
Here is the truth: there are no shortcuts when it comes to building a great body. Consistent training, diet, and recovery is the only way to get to the mountaintop.
I’ll holla at you next time.
The People’s Trainer
Fitman
