Nerd-Core Fitness 102 – Basic Workout (Day 3)

Here we are folks, the top floor of the Nerd-Core Fitness 102 Basic Workout Program!

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve laid out two at-home, body weight workouts (Basic Workout Day 1 & Basic Workout Day 2) for all you loyal Jerdlings which I’m sure you’ve added to your weekly routine… (you have started banging these out, right?!?)

Well it’s time to finish it out, so here is the final entry into the basic workout program!

Are you just starting out? Then give the Nerd-Core Fitness 101 beginner workouts (Upper Body, Lower Body, Total Body & Ab Workout) a shot first!

The 102 basic program is designed to help get you moving along your Heroes Transformation journey, get you used to the rigors of regular exercise and help to get your body into real-life superhero shape!

After 5-6 weeks of these workouts you should be feeling substantially more fit (assuming you are eating reasonably well; if you need some tips you can start here: The Basics of Healthy Eating)!

Now, are these workouts going to get you ripped like Batman? No, of course not… but remember that the caped crusader didn’t start off fighting the Joker on his first night of fighting crime, he built himself up slowly and methodically. It’s going to take a little while before you are punching evil in the face, but this is a great start.

All you need is a desire to improve yourself and the commitment of a little time and discipline.

Now let’s get to it, shall we?

These 102 level workouts are a little different than their 101 level brethren.

The goal of those first workouts was to get some of the large muscle groups engaged, to start to develop proper form and to work your way up to a comfort level with regular exercise. To accomplish that we split the workouts up by muscle groups but now…

Every workout is going to hit your total body!

Each and every workout we want to do our best to:

• Get in as many reps as you can (While still maintaining proper form.)
• Perform them at a brisk pace (Get that heart-rate up!)

If you’ve had success with the 101 series of Beginner workouts you will be able to complete this upgraded workout and you will continue to get in better shape, so let’s keep pushing forward to a better life!

The little changes aside, the foundation of the beginner/basic workouts here at The Jerd stay the same! 3x a week and no need for a gym or equipment; only a small open space (and now, a chair) and the desire to become more fit and healthy!

Oh, and I hate to have to say this, but make sure you are cleared by your personal physician for physical activity before undertaking these, or any, exercises. Now let’s go!

Step One: Warm up!

I don’t care if you are feeling rushed… Do.not.skip.this!

Do yourself a favor and take 5 minutes to get your your heart rate up and blood flowing. You should already have a warm-up routine you like, but if you want a formal routine, or more convincing that this is a vital aspect of your workout, then here you go – How To: Warm Up Properly!

No matter what, please do not workout cold! While these exercises might not put you at risk for injury, it is vital to get in this very important habit before we move on to more difficult routines.

Step Two: Workout #2

Like I said earlier, we aren’t doing muscle group splits for these part of the Nerd-Core Fitness program. You are going to pick 3 or 4 days a week (spread out to allow for recovery time) and we are going to be doing total body workouts each and every time!

Remember, the goal is proper form and intensity!

This means holding all those muscles you have found during the 101 workouts nice and tense and pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone a little. Don’t get lazy as you get tired, no matter how hard you think it may be!

Batman doesn’t quit when he’s tired, so remember kids… be like Batman.

A pounding heart and sweaty brow-line is your friend!

This workout consists of two sections (and should consist of exercises you are already familiar with).

Body Weight Sets:

• 30x Step Ups
• 10x Rotating Pushups
  
• 20x Mountain Climbers

Once you have finished one set, take a 30 second break and then do it again. Our goal is 3 sets at a good clip to prepare us for harder workouts. Don’t be discouraged if you can’t do three sets right away! As I have said before, fitness is an iterative process. Just do your best and try to do a little better each and every time you perform this routine.

Clean-Up Exercise:

• 20x Burpees

After you have finished your sets, you are going to finish up with this exercise done at the fastest pace you can while maintaining form. Yes, you are going to be tired but embrace the suck and fight your way through it!

So push through these and be proud of yourself for making it another step towards being superhero fit!

Step Three: Stretch!

After your workout your muscles have been slightly traumatized from contracting, and they need to be stretched back out to allow for proper healing and use. I will cover my special stretching methodology in another post, for now just make sure to loosen up and stretch out slowly.

Step Four: Rest!

Don’t feel guilty for enjoying your down-time during your Heroes Transformation journey. Unless you have been pumped full of the Captain America super-serum it’s okay to take a little down time on the days in between your workouts. Feel free to give yourself a day in-between workouts to let your muscles recover.

While you’re resting, go ahead and catch up on your favorite YouTube channels, or if you are really embracing a fit and healthy lifestyle then use your day off to go for a run (For tips on getting started running look no further than here – The Keys to Running)! However you spend this time, you have earned the simple pleasure of being a geek, so enjoy it!

Boom! You’ve now upgraded to basic workouts and made it a few more steps down the “Heroes Transformation” path; I hope you are as excited about this as I am!

Remember, these workouts are your foundation. Before you upgrade to more heroic workouts (have no fear, the 201 Fitness Program is on it’s way!) you have to get acclimated to the rigors of exercise; so stick with it, do at least three workouts a week, and only put clean, healthy foods in your face-hole and I promise you will continue to see positive changes in not only how you look, but how you feel!

Please keep me abreast of your progress and hit me up with any questions you might have!

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(Photo #1 credit)

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