Primal fitness
We are designed to do certain things really well like walk, carry things, run really fast for short periods of time and pick up heavy things and put it down again. We get these abilities from our hunter gatherer ancestors, they had to be able to walk long distances following the herds, they had to carry all their belongings, avoid being eaten by a sabre tooth tiger and pick up heavy logs, rocks or bit of woolly mammoth. That's why any training program should incorporate these three things, but there are a lot of people that avoid them. I understand why because walking is time consuming and isn't glamorous, weighted carries are tough I mean really lung, heart and gut busting tough when done properly, sprinting is hard and jogging is easy and lifting weights is still seen as a bit weird & you need to understand how to do it correctly.
So now I'm going to try to get enthusiastic about our primal training and how to make you want to go out and be more like your ancestors. Lets start with walking, this is the best thing you can do if you want to control your weight along with diet, 40 minutes to an hour 5 times a week will do wonders for you. All you need is somewhere pleasant and safe to walk and to keep a consistent pace. Walking is easy to do in the summer, especially when you live somewhere pleasant but in the winter or the city it's a lot more
challenging, but it is definitely worth the effort & time. You can mix up walking with other exercises, such as swimming, cycling or the cross trainer. Which ever you find easier & safer but making sure you still aim for 5 days per week.
The heavy carry, All you need is something heavy to carry, dumb bells, kettle bells, sandbag or you could make your own improvised object. The distance only needs to be 20 - 100 meters, depending on the weight and your fitness level. Again a very simple setup in the right circumstances, but most gyms don't like you taking their equipment outside, strongmen gyms are rare and a bit scary to go into and walking up and down your road may make self-conscious. But if you add this to your fitness training once or twice a week you will quickly see the results.
Sprints, Once a week or every other week you want to add in somer sprinting, even if like me you have all the grace of a hippo, its fantastic to unleash your inner Usain Bolt. Sprints are great for torching fat, help improve your heart and lung capacity and make you feel amazing.
Make sure you spend some time warming up and stretching before you start, then all you need is 2 markers between 30 and 200 metres apart, depending on your goals and fitness level, then just run as fast as you can between the markers, its that simple. After each sprint make sure you are recovered enough to go 100% each time. Aim to do at least 5 repetitions and no more than 10, enjoy some cool down stretches and feel great about yourself. Again you can mix up different exercises, such as rowing, cycling or the cross trainer.
Weights, Being strong is very important for a long healthy life, but still most people either don't understand this or are scared because of all the myths that are about. To improve your strength is very easy, all you have to do is progressive overload, which means increasing the weight of what you pick up over time. The easiest and possibly best program for beginners and intermediates is the 5x5 program. 5x5 is easy to understand and simple to follow, there are many variations including our version, but they all work its just which version you prefer. To get stronger and maintain your strength you need to train 2-3 days per week and each session should be 45 minutes to an hour and half. Everybody can find at least 1.5 hours a week to help give themselves a longer healthier life.
So next time you are looking for the latest fitness trend or deciding which celebrity fad exercise or diet to follow, have a think about what you are designed to do by millions of years of evolution and tap into your inner cave person. If you need help or want to start shedding those extra pounds then my Warrior Elite 30 day program is a great starting point. You could lose up to 15lbs & start to become fitter and build some really good habits, by combing good nutrition and exercise.
