I am super psyched to announce the release of what I consider to be hands down one of the best health and fitness books for the price you’re ever going to find. My new book “50 Fitness Tips You Wish You Knew” has just launched and it reveals cutting edge tips you won’t find anywhere else.
Ok, maybe you can find some of these tips elsewhere. I won’t claim to have “invented” everything I share in this book. But it did take me nine years and thousands of hours of research and personal experimentation to distill down all the various insights of psychology, motivation, herbal remedies, body hacks, exercise tips, healthy eating strategies for broke and busy people, end more into one simple to read guide.
Do You Wish You Knew…
• How to get your best night of sleep ever? Tip #5 reveals something that modern research has just discovered in the past couple years and normalize your circadian rhythms and help you sleep like a baby your first night using it – Hint: It’s NOT a supplement!
• The root source of all of your behaviors? Tip #15 reveals what this is so when you change this, your entire life will change!
• The top 5 supplements you must take for ideal health? Tip #37 reveals the essential nutrients you’re likely missing that can all be replaced for less than the price of a cup of coffee a day!
• What to do if you have almost no time to exercise? Tip #45 reveals how to cut your exercise time down into half while increasing your fat loss and muscle building results!
The challenges of staying in shape during college can seem daunting. Limited time with classes and possibly working a job. High levels of stress and lack of sleep. Depending on the school, you may not always have access to a great gym either.
Is all of this to blame for the “freshman 15,” or are these merely minor obstacles to be overcome with a little ingenuity?
Despite being pretty busy and broke in college (and my school gym constantly closing for events), I still managed to get in the absolute best shape of my life during that time.
You’re about to discover my “ninja” strategies on how to stay fit in college. Discover which exercises and workout routines will get and keep you in shape even if you’re busy, broke, and don’t have access to a gym.
For those who find the healthy eating aspect of college to be the biggest challenge, I highly recommend you check out my other article on eating healthy with a busy schedule as well as my free fitness survival guide which has tips for eating healthy on a budget.
Workout Routines For Busy College Students
High Intensity Resistance Training Workouts
I highly recommend everyone, guys and girls, do some form of heavy resistance training. The reason being is that more muscle helps keep your metabolism high and body fat low.
While some women (and a few guys) shy away from heavy training for fear it will make them “bulky,” it is very difficult to get too bulky from resistance training without eating a lot of extra calories on a consistent basis. Just look at how many guys try to bulk up and struggle to do so despite their best efforts.
For busy college students, I recommend following a program that only requires you to workout 2-3 times a week at most. Even if you think you have more time, I’ve found there are so many unexpected things that can come up in college that it’s better to be cautious.
I also recommended full body routines or upper / lower body splits instead of working out each body part on its own day. While each way is effective, full body or upper/lower routines seem to maintain fitness better if you happen to miss days at the gym.
Finally, a weekend only weight training routine works great for college students who may be too busy with classes during the week.
Let’s say you’ve already got an exercise plan you’re following, but you’d like to cut it down from 45-60 minutes to something under 30 minutes.
A great way to do this is alternate between exercises for different muscles in a “super-set” fashion.
For instance, if your plan calls for 3 sets of squats, with 2 minutes rest between sets, followed by 3 sets of calf raises with 2 minutes rest between sets, you can simply go back and fourth between squats and calf raises in a circuit fashion only resting momentarily between each set.
Another way to think of this is “active rest.” Rather than resting between sets, always be doing some exercise. This works particularly well with smaller muscle groups likes calves, abs, and forearms which are easy to incorporate between sets for larger muscle groups.
Rather than spending 20 minutes at the beginning or end of a workout working your abs (keep in mind six pack abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym), simply mix in your sets of ab exercises while resting up between your exercises for other muscles.
As a bonus, by cutting down rest time, you’re taxing your cardiovascular system and are getting cardio benefits as well.
Complexes
Complexes are similar to circuit training in that you’re doing multiple exercises in succession with no rest between them. The difference is complexes utilize the same barbell or dumbbell weight throughout.
For instance, you may take a 45 pounds barbell and do a set of 6 reps for squats, then go to overhead presses for 6 reps, to lunges for 6 reps, and then finish with rows for 6 reps. Each exercise is done one right after the other with no rest between each exercise. Each cycle through the exercises is one “complex.”
Complexes allow you to burn fat, enhance your conditioning, and even can spur on a little extra muscle growth all around the body. This makes them the perfect option for time crunched students who need to get in and out of the gym in 20 minutes and want to get everything taken care of. The downside is… they’re brutal.
Do you need to spend hours on the treadmill punishing yourself for a weekend of partying and desparately hoping to prevent the after effects from showing up on your midsection?
Not at all!
From both a fat loss and conditioning standpoint, shorter and more intense workouts tend to be more effective so long as they don’t interfere with recovery from other activities.
Here are a few simple things you can do to keep your body fat down and conditioning high. Note, you only need to do a total of 2-3 cardio sessions a week when they’re high intensity. So pick one of these things and do it 2-3 times a week, or pick 2-3 different workouts and do each one once a week.
Kettlebell Swings
If you only had 10 minutes to spare a week to exercise and could only do one thing, just do these. 10-20 minutes a week is all you need when done right. Kettlebell swings are on of the best exercises for a better butt, and more power for men in sports. Plus, they can even be done in a dorm room.
Aim for 75 total reps in a session. Rest around 60 seconds between sets. Do this 2-3 times a week.
You can do intervals by either sprinting on land, using a treadmill, or cycling on a bike.
After a 5-10 minute warmup, apply all out effort for 30 seconds. Then go at a low intensity slower pace for 1:30 to catch your breathe, then do another 30 seconds of high intensity. Repeat the cycle of high intensity and low intensity for 4-6 cycles total. Do this 2-3 times per week.
Walking As Fast As Possible
Believe it or not, this is how some of the world’s elite athletes keep their conditioning high. One problem with aerobics is that as your body becomes more efficient at doing the movements. Over time they are less challenging and don’t burn as many calories.
Attempting to walk as fast as possible is by its very nature inefficient. This makes it very demanding without adding stress to the joints like running. The other benefit is that it only takes 15 to 20 minutes to achieve maximum benefits.
How to do it? Just walk as fast as possible for 15-20 minutes. Next time, attempt to beat the distance covered in the previous session in the same time period. Repeat 2-3 times a week.
Incline Walking
Incline walking is a low impact way to get in a great cardio workout while also working the calves and glutes extra hard.
Set a treadmill incline to 15-30 degrees, and walk at 2-4mph for 15-20 minutes 2-3x per week.
Rebounding
Rebounding, more commonly known as jumping on a trampoline, is considered by many to be the best form of exercise. NASA even uses rebounding to train their astronauts.
The reason? Rebounding increases gravitational forces on each cell of the body causeing a flush in the lymph system and a literal strengthening of every cell in the body. Your lymph system requires movement to keep it flowing (perhaps one reason why exercise is needed for good health) and nothing I’ve come across does a better job of this than rebounding.
It also burns more calories per hour than jogging making it very time efficient. Not only that, but you can rebound in a dorm room (even while watching TV) on a mini-trampoline making this quite possibly the perfect exercise for college students.
Rebound for 20-45 minutes as many times per week as you want. Great to do while watching tv, listening to audio lecture notes, or just when you want to clear your mind.
Dorm Room Friendly Exercises
If you can’t get to a gym, that doesn’t mean you can’t get in a good workout. Your bodyweight, and perhaps a few accessories are all you need to get a great workout in the comfort of a dorm room.
Here are some great bodyweight exercises.
Pushing Exercises
Pushups – Hands against the wall as the easiest variation all the way up to handstand pushups as one of the hardest variations.
Pulling Exercises
Pullups – An inexpensive pull-up bar can be purchased that doesn’t need to screw into your door. If you’re not strong enough to do pullups, you can use a chair or a partner for assistance. If you want to make pullups more difficult, try adding a backpack with some books for extra resistance.
For the really hardcore, you can add some gymnastic rings to the pullup bar for the best upper body workout of your life. Even if you’re one of the strongest guys in the gym, the various bodyweight exercises that can be done on rings provide endless challenge.
Lower Body Exercises
Squats
Single Leg Squats
High Step Ups
Lunges
Sprints
Inexpensive Dorm Room Exercise Equipment
Water Jugs
If I had virtually no budget, than just getting a couple 1 and 2.5 gallon water containers would be all I need to get in a good workout. Water jugs make the perfect alternative to dumbbells. You can simply buy a handful and fill them up to various weights.
1/2 gallon = 4 pounds
1 gallon = 8 pounds
2 gallons = 16 pounds
2.5 gallons = 20 pounds
3+ gallons = You’re the college student, figure it out.
Resistance Bands
Just about every single exercise can be done with resistance bands making these perfect for getting a total body workout in a dorm room. Resistance bands with door anchors also allow you to set up resistance bands at various heights using your door to keep them in place.
Ab Wheel
As far as I’m concerned, this is the only piece of exercise you equipment you need for your abs. They are brutal, but that’s what makes them effective.
Mini Workouts
You don’t have to have 30-60 minute blocks of time to get in a good workout. 2-3 minutes here and there is all you really need to drop down and do a set of pushups or bodyweight squats. You can carry a set of resistance bands in your backpack and whip them out on breaks to do a few band rows and arm exercises.
These “mini workouts” start to add up throughout the day and week. Remember, something is better than nothing. So don’t let a busy schedule keep you from keeping active and keeping yourself in great shape.
Further Reading
These tips are only scratching the surace of how to work out on a busy schedule or without a gym in college. Be sure to check out the Excuse Proof Fitness Survival Guide and newsletter where I share tons more healthy living fitness tips for people on a busy schedule and budget as well as the other things I did to stay in great shape in college. Also be sure to check out my youtube channel for quick healthy recipes perfect for college students.
Reader Comments
What are you favorite ways to stay fit in college?
Kale chips are quite possibly the most addicting and healthiest snack that you can enjoy. For those not familiar with kale, it is a leafy green cruciferous vegetable that is in the same family as broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts. Research has shown this family of vegetables is filled with cancer fighting and health promoting compounds. There’s just one problem with kale… like many other leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables, it can be quite bitter and unpleasant for picky eaters who don’t naturally love their greens.
But my taste bud’s disregard for this vegetable changed after I first discovered kale chips. I picked up a bag of dehydrated raw kale chips in a health food store knowing its nutritional value, but having no clue what it was going to taste like.
I was in for a surprise! I couldn’t believe that something like kale, which I personally find to be quite bitter, could taste so great. In fact, they were equally as addicting as an potato chips if no more so. Except that you could eat a whole bag and actually feel good about it.
The only problem with kale chips from the store is that they are quite expensive. Usually a $4-7 for a small bag around 2-4 ounces. So naturally, I had to figure out how a budget conscious person could enjoy this awesome treat. With a little research and personal experimentation, I’ve uncovered what I believe are some of the best kale chip recipes that anyone can make.
Kale Chips Recipes
Basic Kale Chip Recipe:
The basic recipe for kale chips that you see in most recipe books and videos is a simple combination of kale, salt, and olive oil.
Remove kale leaves from their stems.
Coat with extra virgin olive oil (I prefer coconut oil).
Top with salt.
Bake on a baking tray for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees.
Derek’s Kale Chips:
In the video below, I will show you how I personally make kale chips.
You’ll notice I prefer not to drizzle in olive oil as I don’t like cooking with olive oil. You may however drizzle with some coconut oil, melted butter, or melted ghee. Simply put kale in a bowl, drizzle the oil, and then mix around with hands or utensils.
Separate kale from stems or use pre-packaged kale leaves.
Add curry powder, garlic powder, unrefined salt, and cayenne pepper to taste.
Bake for 40-50 minutes at 200 degrees or 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees.
Brenda Leigh Turner’s Kale Chips Recipe
Brenda Leigh Turner of leansecrets.com shares her recipe for kale chips which I’ve found to be one of the absolute best on YouTube. Be sure to check out her Lean Secrets Youtube Channel which has tons of great recipes, healthy eating tips, and workout advice. Although it’s primarily aimed at women, her recipes are really great for anyone.
So you want to build more muscle and are getting tired of chicken breasts and brown rice? Don’t worry. I’ve got you covered with 3 super quick and easy recipes that are not only going to help pack on slabs of muscle, but they taste absolutely frickin’ amazing. They are also fairly “idiot-proof,” so even if you don’t know much about cooking, you’ll find it pretty hard to screw these up.
Recipe #1 – Bodybuilder’s Slow Cooker Pineapple Chili
Directions:
Why It’s Awesome:
A quick and easy chili recipe is essential for any bodybuilder. Whereas many chili recipes may call for 15-20 minutes of prep time, this can be made in around 5 minutes. I usually just toss the ingredients in a slow cooker before bed, let it cook while I sleep, and then wake up to several days worth of chili.
Bodybuilders need tons of calories, and there’s no easier way to get those calories than by tossing everything together in a pot and then cooking a delicious meal that can be taken on the go and warmed up whenever you’re ready. If you want to add even more calories, you can add some more meat for additional protein and fat. You can also add some organic red potatoes, additional rice (add water in 1:2 ratio of rice to water), and some more beans.
Recipe #2 – Pumpkin Pie Protein Shake
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Unsweetened Coconut Milk (Available in ethnic/Asian food section of grocery stores)
1 cup Canned Pumpkin Puree (Available in baking section of grocery stores)
1-2 scoops protein powder with either 6-12 oz of water, milk, or almond milk
2 tablespoons of honey and/or blackstrap molasses (or 1 tablespoon of powdered stevia)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 oz chopped walnuts (optional)
Directions:
Blend all ingredients in a blender. You may use either honey, blackstrap molasses, or a 50/50 mixture of each for a total of 2 tablespoons or desired sweetness.
Why It’s Awesome:
Who doesn’t love pumpkin pie? And what’s the best part of a pumpkin pie? The filling! You’ll swear you’re eating straight pumpkin pie filling with this quick and easy pumpkin pie protein shake.
While a protein shakes’ convenience is a life saver for people in a hurry, but the problem is they’re mostly treated as a supplement rather than a meal in itself. We can add a few things to make an ordinary protein shake an extraordinary muscle building meal.
Pumpkin is one of the most nutritionally rich foods and is very high in fiber. So by adding pumpkin to the protein shake, it will be much more filling and give you a lot more nutritional than just protein powder and water.
The coconut milk is a great source of healthy fat including medium chain triglycerides which actually boosts the metabolism and keep you burning fat. Including coconut fats in your diet is a great way to ensure you’re building muscle without adding too much body fat.
Blackstrap molasses provides tons of minerals including chromium which aids in blood sugar balance. Proper blood sugar regulation is essential for adding muscle and preventing fat gain. Studies have shown cinnamon also aids in promoting blood sugar which resulted in more muscle and less fat.
Want to kick it up with even more calories? Trying adding some applesauce and oats for additional carbohydrates.
Recipe #3 – Homemade Protein Fudge Bars (Non-Cook)
Ingredients:
8 scoops chocolate protein powder
1 cup oatmeal
1/3 cup natural peanut butter
3 tbsp honey
1/2 cup 1% milk
3 tbsp crushed peanuts
Directions:
1. Mix together the protein powder, oatmeal, peanut butter, honey and milk.
2. Form into 5 bars and then roll in the crushed peanuts to finish.
3. Place in the fridge for about 30-45 mins or until solid
Most store bought protein bars are crap. Some low quality protein, a ton of sugar, and the one’s that actually taste good are usually pretty horrible in terms of tons of added crap you probably don’t need to be putting into your body. But this recipe is quick, easy, and affordable.
Dave’s got a ton of great recipes specifically for bodybuilders. He’s compiled them all in both his Anabolic Cooking product which you can check out here:
We here at Excuse Proof Fitness (Derek and Shane) LOVE our goji berries, also known as wolfberries or by their Latin name Lycium Barbarum.
Not only are they great because of their delicious taste, but they have some incredible health benefits. Goji berries are one of the most prized herbs in Chinese medicine for longevity. They are an adaptogenic “herb” which means they help balance the body’s chemistry and resilience to stress.
Now, I won’t go overboard and claim they are going to fix all of one’s health problems like some overzealous health gurus out there are saying, but a few thousand years of successful use in China for improving overall health and well-being leads me to believe there really is something to this fruit, and anyone who’s tried them on a regular basis can likely attest the same. I’ve even heard stories saying that Tibetan monks who study Chinese medicine have said if one is going to start studying any herb in Chinese medicine, study the goji berry first.
But if you’ve ever tried Goji Berries bought from a local health food store or vitamin store, you may find them to be very dry, somewhat bitter, and not particularly all that enjoyable by themselves.
I felt the same until I found what I consider to be the best Goji Berries out there, Dragon Herbs Heaven Mountain Goji Berries. I have no association with Dragon Herbs, but we as well as some other goji fanatics found them to be the best because they are:
A) Much more moist than the typical hard-as-a-rock gojis
B) Fresher
C) Come from the original source of Goji Berries in Tibet.
Best Places To Buy Goji Berries Online
Having a local Dragon Herbs here in LA makes getting access to them easy. But you can actually find them at the best price online through iHerb, one of my favorite online supplement retailers. Considering they are pretty much the same price as most other goji brands, I figure you can’t go wrong.
Note: First time iHerb customers save $5 on their first order through that link
Other Places To Purchase Goji Berries
Goji berries are popular enough that you can find them in most major health food stores like Whole Foods and supplement retailers. The price will be higher and typical gojis don’t taste that great, but if you buy in bulk or just before expiration you can find good deals and the health benefits are still there in the drier gojis.
How Much To Take
The health benefits of goji berries can be obtained with just an ounce or two a day. That makes a typical 8oz bag last a week. So factoring that in, you’re looking at spending a few dollars a day to get your goji fix. Not bad when you can consider them a “supplement” that far exceeds any multi-vitamin. But that being said, we realize they’re not within everyone’s budget.
If you’re looking for a good alternative adaptogenic herb that’s more budget friendly, I highly recommend the herb Ashwagandha as the Sensoril extract. It amounts to a few bucks a month and has been shown in research to have a pretty powerful effect at reducing excess cortisol, the primary stress hormone. This is due to its adaptogenic nature similar to goji berries. While they don’t offer quite the exact same health benefits, Ashwagandha is worth taking regardless as an all around general health tonic.
Note, some cortisol is necessary and the beauty of herbs like Ashwagandha is they keep things in balance without dropping hormone levels too low or raising them too much.
Women are often searching for the best ab exercises and workouts because nothing highlights a physique more than a well-defined core. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed with all the information out there, don’t worry. I’m going to give you the absolute best exercises that can be done right at home for a midsection guaranteed to turn some heads.
Despite all the information out there on how to train the abs, most people still end up going about it all wrong. When the abs are trained the right way, you can easily sculpt a defined stomach in a matter of only 15 minutes of exercise a week. In order to do that though, we have to sort through all the nonsense and BS out there about how to exercise the core, and get to what really works.
You’re about to learn:
1. Why endless crunches are not the answer to getting great abs.
2. Why dancers, gymnasts, and fitness models have some of the best abs and how you can use their secrets.
3. The true cause of stubborn belly fat and how to get rid of it to show off your great abs.
Warning: Not responsible if these workouts make your abs so sexy others start to become jealous.
The Ab Training Mistakes Almost Every Woman Makes
Mistake 1 : Endless Crunches
The most common mistake women make when training the abs is to simply focus on crunches, and perhaps a few other crunching type movements. While I won’t argue that crunches are moderately effective, there’s two big problems.
Problem 1 – Potentially Harmful
Dr. Stuart McGill has extensively studied the effects of crunches on the spine and the results aren’t pretty. Excessive flexion movements (like crunches) can damage and weaken the spine and cause lower back problems. Now while this isn’t an issue in small doses, think about the hundreds and thousands of crunches some women do! This can get ugly over time and lead to some pretty nasty problems down the road.
Problem 2 – Better Options
There are numerous ab exercises (no ridiculous infomercial product required) that recruit the abdominal muscles far more than the standard crunch. The problem with only focusing on crunches and flexion type movements is that they don’t train the core to do one of its most important jobs which is to stabilize the body. That means, to resist movement with the core rather than create it.
Mistake 2 : Not Training Intensely Or With Variation
Dancers and gymnasts don’t get their great abs from doing crunches, they do a variety of movements that incorporate stabilizer muscles to keep the body tight, and then they constantly challenge themselves with more and more difficult movements.
That means exercises like planks and their variations can be some of the absolute best exercises you can do. Also, rather than simply increasing the reps or hold time on a particular exercise, strive to move on to more difficult versions of an exercise. This also makes things more fun. Don’t worry, the abs won’t “bulk up” from doing high strength moves because their natural shape and function doesn’t lend them to getting “bulky.”
The Best Home Ab Workout Exercises
Lying Leg Lift Exercise
Super Secret Tip: Most women have a posture with more anterior pelvic tilt, and this keeps their lower back off the ground during this exercise. Actively push the lower back into the ground (where you can’t slide your hand under your lower back) and feel how much more intense this exercise becomes! If it’s too difficult, you may bend the legs until you become stronger.
The Plank Exercise
If you only do one core exercise, do this! Make sure to keep the body straight and prevent the hips from dropping too low or sticking them up high. Start from your knees if too difficult.
The Side Plank Exercise
The Reverse Plank Exercise
This is intense! Work your way up to this one if you need to.
The V Sit Up Exercise
Bonus: The Glute Bridge Exercise
It’s important to train the glutes as well as the core to keep the body in balance and prevent lower back problems. While glute training is a whole other issue, this is the number one recommended exercise. Do it one-legged once you develop the proper strength.
A Killer At Home Ab Workout Routine
These two workouts are some of the best at home ab workouts for women that can possibly be done. Don’t let their simplicity fool you though, it’s about intensity. You don’t need 20 different ab exercises, or adding in 5 days of yoga and Pilates a week to get a great core. Simply focus on a few basics for a while and really get good at them, and then eventually you can switch things up just to keep from getting bored.
Two Day A Week Ab Workout Routine:
Day 1:
Lying Leg Raises: 3 sets of 15-20 reps
Plank: As many sets as need for 120 seconds hold
Side Planks: 60 seconds each side hold (as many sets as needed to total 60 seconds)
Glute Bridge: 2 sets of 20 reps
Day 2:
V-Sit Ups: 3 sets of 15-20 reps
Reverse Plank: As many sets as need for 60 seconds hold time
Side Planks: 60 seconds each side hold (as many sets as needed to total 60 seconds)
Glute Bridge: As many sets as needed to hold top for 120 seconds
Rest as little as possible between sets, start with 1-2 minutes or as much as needed.
Dealing With Stubborn Belly Flab
Getting great abs doesn’t mean a whole lot if there’s body fat covering them up. No matter how many ab exercises you do, that won’t do a whole lot to burn the fat that’s on TOP of your abs.
What’s the cause of stubborn stomach fat?
There are two causes, one is simply all around excess fat. This shouldn’t be much of a surprise. A solid healthy eating program that is designed to rapidly burn fat like the Diet Solution or any other good eating program will work to take care of this. You can also check out my post on making quick healthy meals for some healthy eating tips.
A second cause is a hormone called cortisol. Excess cortisol can promote extra fat storage in the abdominal area which is very difficult to get rid of if stress levels are high.
The solution is to manage stress. The book the Sedona Method was really for myself for stress management as well as the Heartmath Solution.
Also, the herb ashwaghanda is really beneficial (very inexpensive as well and great for overall health) for balancing cortisol levels and it’s my “secret weapon” for stubborn stomach fat.
I created a free guide with all of my best tips and tricks for burning stubborn fat that you can download now for free here.
Reader Comments
What are you favorite ab exercises or routines you can do at home?
