Fitness fast: A one-hour, get-ready-for-a-beach vacation workout that mixes cardio and strength training

If you're planning a tropical vacation at a beach or on a cruise, keep in mind you are about to experienc an abrupt change of environment. It is, after all, like getting hit with summer overnight, most of that a good thing. But whether you're going to hang by a pool or the ocean, or traipse among the international jet set in swank locales, there's an hard fact facing you. You don't want to look like you packed your winter fat before leaving Fargo.

For the most part, it’s an experience where fashion favors the fittest. (Like you need even more pressure, right?) The best advice then is to turn that into your motivator, the thing that drives you to the gym or other places where you do your exercising.

And there’s nothing like a calendar and looming events to kick people into gear. Give yourself a good month of focused exercise and smart nutrition (for more on that, see other HubPage articles by this writer for additional ideas). Make fitness a priority during this time and you should see a noticeable difference.

You are more likely to succeed if you are armed with a plan for ramping up your efforts, of course.

A good approach is a combination of strength and conditioning exercises – mixing resistance training with metabolic (aerobic) exercises within the same workout. You’ll tone up (women) or build up (men) the muscles you want, while shedding unwanted body fat that might otherwise hang over your swimsuit.

The Ready-For-The-Tropics Workout

This workout is characterized by 12 modalities (types) of exercise, each repeated twice and grouped into quadplexes (groups of four). Within each quadplex, the first exercise is a load, a strength-building exercise performed at 6-10 repetitions (any more and you’d fail). The second and third are done at 15-20 reps (lighter weights) and the fourth is a high energy, aerobic modality engaging you in rapid movement for 1-2 minutes.

Note that this routine pretty much requires access to a fully equipped health club. But if you’re traveling and using (bad) hotel gyms or working out at home exclusively, several exercises can be adapted to limited or no equipment. For more on this subject, see other articles by this writer on hotel workouts.

This workout places its “load” emphasis on first exercise in each quadplex, followed by lighter-weight “unloads” that engage the core, lower body and upper body with a higher number of repetitions.

Your workout in three quadplexes:

Quadplex 1

1A. Lat pull down on cable-pulley or traditional weight machine or with elastic bands anchored above the head. When you’ve pulled the handle apparatus down to shoulder level, pause momentarily and pinch the shoulder muscles. Set weights high enough (or use a high-tension band) so you fail after 6-10 reps.

1B. Floor v-sit: Sit on a floor, balanced on your tailbone with feet off the floor, knees bent and arms reaching forward on the outside of your legs. Hinge clam-like together, knees toward chest, then pull the upper body back while simultaneously stretching out the legs and feet in the opposite direction. Repeat, 15-20 reps.

1C. 1-leg squat with side reach: Balance on one foot, squat down with the “free” leg pointing back, stretch arms out to the side as you lower down. Return to the upright position and pull arms and legs back to center (but not touching down with the free foot). Repeat 15-20 reps.

1D. Lateral runs (side shuffles, back and forth) between two set points that are 20-40 feet apart – use traffic cones or other objects to touch when you reach them before reversing direction. Do this for 1-2 minutes – and rest no more than a minute before beginning your next exercise with heart rate elevated.

Cycle through the above exercises twice before beginning the next quadplex.

Quadplex 2

2A. Bent rows with free weights: Standing with torso bent forward from the waist, knees slightly bent, crunching the core (abdominal) muscles as you row up with dumbbells or a barbell toward the upper abdomen. Lower slowly, and repeat at 6-10 reps.

2B. Cable press or other forms of a chest press. To enhance results, pinch and hold when arms are fully extended. Repeat 15-20 reps.

2C. Nano handstands: You don’t need to be an accomplished gymnast for this, but need enough shoulder and arm strength to support your weight for a few seconds at least. Grasping a stable, raised object (step bench or core board, hands about shoulder-width distance apart) from a bent-over position, kick both feet into the air and hold momentarily before return feet to the floor. Chances are you’ll need to lead with one leg, the other leg following a half second later. Hold both legs up for 1-4 seconds, then repeat 15-20 times. Be careful to have a good fall zone, which is to clear the floor of all objects within a radius of ten feet such that if and when you fall no injury will result. Also, do not perform this exercise if you have a history of neck or spinal cord weakness or injury.

2D. Medicine (weighted) ball bounce on a wall. Using a weighted, soccer-sized ball (commonly seen in gyms), press-toss it against a point on a wall that is 4-8 feet higher than your head. Repeat 15-20 times. For added aerobic activity, leg-spring off the floor with each toss.

Cycle through the above exercises twice before beginning the next quadplex.

Quadplex 3

3A. Upright rows: Using cable-pulley systems or free weights, stand upright with knees slightly bent and slowly raise the weight to nose height, pause, then return in a controlled fashion. Repeat at 6-10 reps.

3B. Lateral lunges: Stand with feet together, then lunge the right foot 2-4 feet to the right (depending on how tall you are), dip low and return with a lateral push to the center starting position; repeat on both sides for 15-20 reps. Note that this exercise not only develops larger leg muscles, which are key to raising your metabolism and testosterone levels (in men), but it also contributes to balance, a fundamental attribute in all sports.

3C. Elastic band overhead reach-pull: Face the wall where the band is attached, with feet anchored and spread to shoulder or greater width. Pull back, overhead with bent-locked elbows, pause at the furthest point, then return in a controlled fashion. Repeat at 15-20 reps.

3D. Elastic band resisted run: With band tethered to the wall behind you, elastic bands grasped by the hands and tucked under the arms, run out to a set point, then return back to slacken the band. Repeat the run out 15-20 times.

Extra credit: Go home sweating and with a high heart rate by performing plyometric jumps. These simply involve squatting down then rapidly rising up for a jump off the floor. Jump 10 times, rest for ten breaths, then repeat for another ten, 20 or 30 repetitions. If you’re just a little crazy for intensity, do these with dumbbells in your hands (weight of your choosing) and press those upward with each jump.

Note, you need to run through each of the three quadplexes twice before moving on to the next one. Because you are alternating between body parts in each exercise, you should be able to keep moving with little rest in between sets – effectively, getting more done within an hour than if you camped out on a single piece of equipment and rested for several minutes between sets.

As is often said, timing is everything. And anticipation of travel can be a great motivator. You want to be ready for the weather – and the clothes that come with it.

Dr. Barbara Rolls, professor of nutritional sciences at Pennsylvania State University, advocates a concept called energy density as a means to reduce overall caloric intake. Energy density is essentially a formula that factors total calories against the sheer mass or volume of foods. More than a theory, her research shows that low ED foods help you feel full even when the total caloric intake is less. Tests on human subjects indicate it works to shed unwanted pounds.

Examples: High ED foods include ice cream, where a pint of super premium brands (Ben & Jerry’s, Haagen Dazs and others) might be 1200 calories or more – because almost no one stops at a single 300-calorie serving, which is a 1/4 pint. Substitute a pint of strawberries, sprinkled with dark chocolate shavings and maybe some fat-free yogurt or kefir, and your caloric intake is well under 25 percent (300 calories) of the ice cream. Wait five minutes and you’ll feel just as full, even as you savor a helping of self-respect.

Other high ED foods: Animal proteins accompanied by saturated fats (worse: spare ribs; better: skinless breast of chicken), cheese and other full-fat dairy. Cold-water fish (salmon, herring, sardines, anchovies) and nuts (walnuts, almonds) are also higher ED selections, but their fats are favorably unsaturated and contain Omega 3 fatty acids, essential to brain, heart and skin health.

Fruits and vegetables rank a low (good) ED because they are full of fiber and water and much fewer calories. Any time you want to go whole-hog-low-ED, eat a broth-based (not creamy) soup filled with chopped vegetables. Or, when you feel hungry eat an apple, including prior to a meal. Both fill you up so that you eat less later. When you consider the hundreds of phytochemicals with antioxidant properties in produce (fresh and frozen), you realize you get a double dose of good health.

Other ways to reduce ED in meals:

• Can’t live without Mac-and-cheese? Add a bag or two of frozen vegetables in the last minute of boiling the macaroni.
• Thinking about pizza? Cut back on ED sausage, pepperoni and double cheese layers, add more vegetable toppings. Also, cut your order size down (extra large to large, or large to medium) and get a large green salad to eat first.
• Any meal made at home: Fill 3/4 of your plate with green salad or steamed vegetables. The remaining 1/4 is for meat and potatoes (if any).