Thirty-four days to go before Christmas, it’s starting to look like a “Silent Night” with the pandemic still around the corner. Celebrations, gatherings and parties could be at a standstill unless people want to get infected and say to hell with the pandemic and party their heart out. Whatever, we still have to stay in shape, be strong, safe and healthy.
I have been hitting the gym for the past 20 years or more but it was exactly 9 years ago that I heard about this 4-minute workout created by the “Biggest Loser” Pinoy edition coach Jim Saret. At first, I was a little skeptical on how effective this 4-minute workout could be. We always have the notion in exercise, “the more the merrier”, but actually it’s not. What is important is the science of the exercise, proper form and intensity. In this - minute exercise, it focuses on the big muscle group like the chest and legs. The intensity is that after the 4-minute workout, one should be out of breath. If you don’t feel that way, it means you didn’t push hard enough. The concept is to spike your metabolism to have that after burn effect just like a bicycle when you pedal hard enough, the bike continues to cruise up to a certain distance over a period of time. Like the 4-minute workout, your metabolism goes up really fast that it continues to burn even after the 4-minute exercise. I was lucky enough to learn this secret that it helped me lose 124 lbs in 6 months during my life-changing stint at the famed reality TV show.
Now, I continue to preach the effectivity of this 4-minute workout and made it my standard in checking for fitness level. Every coach need a tool to measure fitness improvement of a person and with 4-minute workout, you don’t need so much space and time.
So what is this 4-minute workout? It comprises of 4 basic exercises that focus on the big muscle group and aerobic exercise. It combines strength and cardio that equates to a metabolic effect.
First workout: 10 jumping jacks. One of the basic cardio exercise that does not need much space and compared to jog, run and brisk walking, jumping has the one highest calorie burn per minute. The higher and faster you jump, the higher your heart rate will be.
2nd workout: 10 squats. Legs are one of the biggest muscle groups and squat hits your quads, hamstring and core. Just make sure your knees doesn’t go over your toes. When your butt go down, you need to squeeze it and activate your core as well. For beginners, you can use a chair then sit and stand. For stronger athletes, you add a hop or jump. The more space distance between your feet and the ground means intensity is higher. Just give it a soft landing just to protect your knees.
3rd workout: 10 push-ups. This is my favorite workout. Like I said, I have been working out more than 20 years ago but was only able to do push-up 9 years ago. Push-up focuses on chest muscle, core, bicep and tricep. for beginners, you can do knee push up or wall push up. For stronger athletes, you can add push variations such as elevating your feet or changing hand position or simply adding clap in between on your way up but make sure you don’t smash your face on the ground.
4th workout: 10 lunges left and lunges right. Position is really important so bring your left foot and make big step back. Bring your left knee down around 2 or 3 inch from the floor, bring it up and down and switch other leg after doing one side.
Repeat all the exercises until the 4-minute ends. The most I was able to finish is 6 rounds in 4 minutes but one of my student holds the record of 9 rounds in 4 minutes. In case you want break this record, give me call or message me so I can document your record-breaking feat and receive something special from yours truly provided you allow me the post the video.
This is the 4-minute workout that actually works. I am a living proof that it does but to set record straight, I did an experiment on my secretary. Day 1, she wore a heart rate monitor with calorie counter from 8 to 11 in the morning. On Day 2, I had her do the 4-minute workout only and continue with her office works which is mostly sitting down. The calories burn in Day 2 almost doubled although numbers may differ with each person. Again, if you are challenged to see if it really works, feel free to message me . We can schedule an actual test and compare the data for Day 1 and Day 2 and see the difference of calories burned with and without the 4-minute workout. Volunteers would get a special gift on a first-come, first-served basis. Bring your own smart watch or HRM with calorie counter.
Four mintues is only 1.6% of your time in a day. So for those who read this article, I challenge you to start your fitness journey with 4-minute a day, then add another 4-minute in the afternoon as the need arises. Have a fitter, stronger, and healthier Christmas.