All you need for this workout in addition to your regular gear and space is a deck of playing cards.  Here’s how I do the routine, but feel free to adapt my routine in any way that suits your needs and goals.

It’s good to concentrate on 2-4 different moves.  I’ve been doing pushups, pullups, chinups, and dips.  These are all fundamental bodyweight moves that build strength and definition without costly machines or weights.

1. Shuffle the deck.  The goal here is to have randomness built into the routine.

2.  Pick your first exercise before you pick your first card.  This will keep you from wimping out and help you push yourself.  I like to do pushups first.  Then I do pullups, dips, and chinups.  That order makes sense for me, but you can change the order as long as you stick to it.

3.  Pick a card.  Each card has a simple value attached to it. 2-10 are the number on the face.  Jack=11, Queen=12, King=13, and Ace=14.  If you want to, Ace could be worth 1, or all face cards could be worth 10, but I like the challenge and variety that the higher values offer.  This number equates to the number of reps you will do for each exercise.  If I draw a 9, I would do 9 reps.

4.  Take a 30-60 second break after the set.  Don’t forget to breathe during and between sets.  You’re going to be doing a lot of work here so have water and towel nearby if you’d like.

5.  Pick another card.  This card represents the reps for the next exercise in your routine.  It might be a 5, so you would do 5 reps of the that exercise.

6.  You continue in this fashion until one of two things happens.  Either you’ve completed a predetermined number of sets for each exercise (say 3 sets per move) or you cannot complete the sets any more, (it’s become too hard).

The key to making this routine work is to use factors to tailor the exercises to your level of fitness.  In simpler terms, if you can do a lot of pushups like me, I like to do 2 times the number I draw.  If I draw a 7, I do 14 pushups, if I draw an Ace, I do 28.  The same goes with reducing the difficulty of an exercise.  With pullups, I do half the number shown, rounded up.  If I draw a 9, half is 4.5, so I do 5 reps.  For chinups and dips, I just do the number I draw.  Pick a factor that makes sense for you, and stick to it.  Don’t change it every set or then you are just doing whatever you feel like and not letting the cards make the decisions.

Why this works:

This routine works for a few different reasons.  By having random numbers of reps, you create muscle confusion for your body.  People who plateau (stop gaining strength) do so because their body gets used to what they are doing.  With a routine like this, your body may get used to the moves over time, but the random number of reps and sets will delay that effect.

Plus, it’s fun.  I like the idea of using playing cards while working out.  Maybe it’s because it’s unorthodox, or maybe I’m a gambling addict, but either way it works.

You can use this method with weight lifting or running or any other exercise you do.  Just make sure that it’s always a challenge however you set it up.  If it’s too easy, you’re not doing it right.  Also, don’t be afraid if some days are easier than others.  This is designed to be random.  Some days you might do 40 pushups and 5 pullups.  That’s just the nature of the routine.  The law of probability will even out over time.  I like to do this routine on MWF, but you can incorporate it into your routine however you see fit.

To read more articles by Zack Pennington, check out his blog at www.road-warrior-fitness.com

The reality is, we all have abs.  And the abdominals are by far the easiest muscle group to train (I’ll explain in a later post).  The only difference between people who have a six pack and people who don’t is body fat levels.  Have you ever noticed that there are more or less two groups of people who have six pack abs?  There are the fitness model/athlete/movie star/military types of people and then there are teenagers from lower income families.  What do these two groups have in common?  They maintain the right calories burned-to-calories consumed ratio.

Let’s call the first bunch the effort group.  The reason these people have six pack abs is because they combine a mixture of hard training and good nutrition to get their bodies to burn more calories than they consume on a daily basis.  They maintain a body fat level well under 10% and it shows when they take their shirts off!  The effort group has hard abs and generally the pecs and arms to match (for guys that is).

The second group is called the effortless group. They tend to have six pack abs because they don’t eat food for pleasure.  They eat when it’s time to eat.  They also don’t spend their days on the computer or Xbox as much as they do outside playing sports and the like.  They tend to walk or take a bike to get around instead of driving.  They maintain a body fat level well under 10% and it shows.  The effortless group has softer abs, but abs nonetheless.  They’ve probably never done a crunch in their life though.

So which group do I fall into?  I’m definitely in the effort group.  I eat strategically and I work out regularly.  The reality is that almost everyone who will read this blog will have to be in the effort group in order to join the six pack club.  If you effortlessly have a six pack, chances are you aren’t scouring the net for fitness blogs.  If you’re like me, you have to fight genetics and American food culture to get some real results.  So how will I get those results and join the “club” while still drinking my precious beer?

Remember how I said that both groups maintain a low body fat level by having the right calories burned-to-consumed ratio?  Well that applies to everyone whether they eat fish and veggies or beer and pizza.  Both groups can get six pack abs.  The problem is the second group tends to consume a lot more calories than they burn because the calories per serving are higher in the foods they consume.  If I drink one 12 oz. Blue Moon I’m now adding 171 calories into my system.  For me, beers are like chips–you can’t have just one!  So if I drink a six pack of Blue Moon (over the course of a weekend) I now have an extra 1000 calories floating around in my system.  That’s just not gonna cut it.  You know how hard it is to burn an extra 1000 calories?  Try jumping rope for well over an hour.  That’ll get you close…haha.

So then what?  No more beer?  This is madness!  No… THIS IS SPARTA!  Okay, it’s not Sparta, but then again those guys all had six pack abs!  The trick is to drink with some conscious strategy in place.  If you’re drinking to get drunk, drink bourbon and diet.  Bourbon has about 64 calories per serving and can tear you up (grassroots expert here). And diet soda doesn’t have any calories.  If you enjoy a nice cold brew during the game or hanging out with friends, grab a Michelob Ultra, Beck’s Premium Light, or best of all Miller’s MGD 64.  The first two beers have under 100 calories and the Miller has 64 calories (what a clever name!).  So drinking three MGD 64’s is the caloric equivalent of having one Blue Moon.  Although Blue Moon is one of my favorites, sometimes I prefer the refreshing taste and lack of guilt that comes with drinking a good light beer.

So there you have it.  You can drink beer if you drink in moderation.  Some drinks carry more “weight” than others, so you have to be careful how much you consume.  If you’re pounding a six pack a day, chances are that having six pack abs won’t happen anytime soon.  But if you only drink a six pack of light beers on the weekend, you’ll still be able to work the front door at Abercrombie in no time!

To read more articles by Zack Pennington, check out his blog at www.road-warrior-fitness.com

When touring, we’ll get to town and have daily tasks like going to Panera for the free WiFi, or going to the mall to promote the show that night.  Throw in random trips and we use anywhere between 2-10 gallons of gas driving around town.  These trips are often within a 5 mile radius.  If we didn’t have to drive everywhere we would save a lot of money, not to mention reduce our carbon footprint.  I’ve found a great solution that offers an additional health benefit…

Ride a bike instead.  If you ride a bike for all of your short trips, not only will you save gas, you will get an extra dose of exercise.  You can easily bike an average of 12 miles per hour so you can get a lot accomplished biking in a 5 mile radius.  I’ve been taking all my short trips by bike to places like the gym, the bank, and the grocery store (for small runs).  I really love it.

Not to mention, cycling can easily burn 200-400 calories an hour.  Do this all week and you’re shedding pounds and saving dough.  This is a great lifestyle change whether you’re on the road or at home.  A bike will pay itself off quickly, not to mention it’s fun!

I recently got a Trek Hybrid 7000 bike (pictured above), but any bike will do.  You can use a road bike, mountain bike, hybrid, or even a bmx.  As long as you’re comfortable while riding, ride it!

To read more articles by Zack Pennington, check out his blog at www.road-warrior-fitness.com

This girl knows how to dip!

I like dips for several reasons.  First off, it’s a bodyweight exercise.  A bodyweight exercise is any motion that forces your muscles to work harder than normal, without adding outside weight.  The majority of exercises you’ll see on this blog are bodyweight because they don’t require gym equipment and can be done almost anywhere.  The most common bodyweight exercise that people know is the pushup.  You don’t need dumbbells, resistance bands, or a Bowflex to do pushups.  And you won’t need any of that stuff for dips either.  All you need is one or two steady surfaces that are at least a foot or so tall.  There are a couple variations to the dip, and I will eventually post a video of me doing them all, but for now, I’ll try to explain them with words.

The easy dips require you to put hands behind your back on a stable raised surface and your feet on the ground in front of you.  You then lower your body while using your triceps to support yourself and eventually return to the starting position.  This is also great for the shoulders.  To make this exercise easier, bend your knees and bring your feet in closer.  To make it harder, stretch you legs out farther or even put them on a raised stable surface.

That's a random place for handrails, use 'em anyway

The hard dips require more chest and are best done between surfaces, like hand railings.  They also use the entirety of your bodyweight, making them more intense.  You simply grip the rails on either side, raise yourself up and then lower yourself, rise and repeat.  Try to keep your elbows straight back when lowering instead of bowing them out to the sides.  It will focus the effort on your triceps no matter what and your chest if you lean forward.

I train for strength over size, so I like to do the majority of my exercises in sets of 5 reps.  The 6-12 rep range is geared toward tearing your muscles in order to grow them back bigger, but I prefer my muscles to be stronger, harder, and more dense.  I prefer to look more like soccer players/kick boxers and less like body builders/pro wrestlers.

So here’s a basic tricep routine:

5 sets of 5 reps of easy dips.  Rest 60 seconds between sets.

5 sets of 5 reps of hard dips.  Rest 60 seconds between sets.

If you’re a beginner, start with 5-10 sets of easy dips (5 reps, of course) and if you’re more advanced, go for just 8-10 sets of hard dips.  As you begin to master the exercise, I prefer to add weight or even sets, but not reps (which I explain why later).

Place your feet where the exercise is still a challenge, but you can get through the 5 reps.  Do not, however, make it so easy that you could do 25 reps without getting winded.  Pretend you only want to make it though 6, and then do 5.  This is called stopping short of failure.  It’s the opposite of what body builders do.  Their goal is to get their muscles to failure so that they will grow back bigger.  This is also why I used to be sore 6 days a week and didn’t get to enjoy life (read the About section).  Our goal here is to make stronger, denser muscles that make us look lean (or cut), as well as live a normal life between workouts!

Good triceps look good on everyone.  Period.  Both men and women can benefit from this exercise.  Try it out and see what works best for you, but remember if you don’t do the work, you won’t get the results!

To read more articles by Zack Pennington, check out his blog at www.road-warrior-fitness.com

I personally gave up soda over five years ago.  In my first real attempt at a New Years resolution, my girlfriend and I gave up drinking soda and eating McDonald’s.  Of course since then I have had a few sodas and eaten at McDonald’s, but I could probably count the number of times I’ve “strayed from the path” on my fingers and toes.

I gave up soda for two simple reasons: my health and money.

If it looks toxic, that's because it is

First and foremost, soda is not a healthy drink.  The only arguably good components in soda are water and caffeine.  That’s it.  Everything else is some form of sugar, salt, artifical colors and flavors, and is nutritionally empty.  Most non-diet sodas have well over 100 calories per 12 oz. serving.  I rarely see anyone drink one 12 oz. can of soda with a meal.  Most fast food restaurants offer drink sizes like the 16 oz. “Small” at McDonald’s and the 42 oz. “Extra Large” at Taco Bell (which happens to be the standard drink size with any combo meal).  If you get a Mt. Dew at Taco Bell, you are adding 580 calories into your meal.  To put that into perspective, that’s drinking the same number of calories as eating three (3) Crunchy Taco Supremes!  And that’s assuming you don’t get any refills.  When you consider 1 pound of weight is about 3500 calories, you could cut 3-4 pounds worth of calories out of your diet weekly by dropping soft drinks altogether.

Even if you don’t care about the unruly amounts of sugar and calories in soda, let’s look at how much money you’re spending.  I’m going to use general (but realistic) numbers here.  Obviously many people drink more and some will drink less, but the point remains the same.  If a soda at a resturant is $1.50 and you eat 3 meals a day, that’s $4.50 a day spent on soda.  Over the course of a year, you’re spending over $1600 on soda.  That’s not even including between meals.  I know quite a few people who buy 20 oz. bottles of pop everywhere they go (gas, grocery, etc).  If you add in the $1.50 for even 2 of those extra drinks a day, now you’re spending almost $2800 every year on soda.  Not to mention all those extra emtpy calories!

So what do you do instead?  Drink Lemonade?  Sweet Tea?  Not really.  That’s more or less a different way to achieve the same results.  I’m sure you’ve guessed by now that water is your ticket out!  Now I don’t know about you, but nothing quenches my thirst more than water.  Add in a pinch of lemon juice and you’ve got a refreshing, delicious, and most importantly healthy drink!  And 99% of the time, it’s free!  Luckily our world hasn’t spun completely out of control to where we are forced to pay for water and air (yet) so take advantage.  The most I’ve ever been charged for water (not including bottled) is about $0.20 for the cup’s cost.  I’m okay with that.  It rarely happens anyhow.

So give it a try.  I think this is both a small and big way to change your health and wealth.  Even if you have to choose between buying water and buying soda, buy the water because even though it contains less, it does more for your body.

To read more articles by Zack Pennington, check out his blog at www.road-warrior-fitness.com