HOLIDAY HICCUPS & THE 12 DAYS OF MUSCLE-MASS

It’s that time of year again...THE HOLIDAYS

For some, those two words strike a chord of anxiety; for others it “sparks joy.” Either way it’s coming, and coming fast. Work speeds up and then drops off. Holiday parties seem to happen every other weekday. Money is being spent at every turn. Family matters, both joyful and dramatic, are exacerbated. And lastly, mountains of delicious food and drinks are consumed.

The holidays can induce stress and become the perfect storm for you to “fall off” and forget yourself and your goals. These “Holiday Hiccups” can make you feel like you’ve lost progress and are even starting over. Most of the time this happens because routines are dismantled.

Don’t lose your routine!

Unfortunately, our culture is so enraptured by the concept of the “New Year; New Me,” mentality. This almost always results in failure. When people try to start a new pattern of living in the new year, the changes they make are often radical and unmanageable that by the time February rolls around the result is more like “New Year; Same Me.”

So, I am issuing an ANTI-HOLIDAY HICCUP CHALLENGE! *alarm sounds*

This challenge will not only keep you accountable, but will force you to maintain your routine.

You’ve heard of the 12 Days Of Christmas? Well what about the 12 Days of Muscle-Mass? This is the Jake-Double-Approved-Muscle-Maintenance-Program. Leading up to Christmas Day, I want you to follow this exercise format to make sure that muscle is maintained and that you stay on top of your goals. The format is easy. Every day you will have an exercise routine to be performed. Each exercise is done x25 and by the end of the 12 days you will be doing 4 exercises that total up to x100 reps. Your exercises are 1) air squats 2) crunches 3) push-ups 4) mountain climber. The format is as follows:

DAYS (Beginning on 12/13/19)

1 🡪 x25 squats

2 🡪 x25 squats

3 🡪 x25 squats

4 🡪 x25 squats, x25 crunches

5 🡪 x25 squats, x25 crunches

6 🡪 x25 squats, x25 crunches

7 🡪 x25 squats, x25 crunches, x25 pushups

8 🡪 x25 squats, x25 crunches, x25 pushups

9 🡪 x25 squats, x25 crunches, x25 pushups

10 🡪 x25 squats, x25 crunches, x25 pushups, x25 mountain climber

11 🡪 x25 squats, x25 crunches, x25 pushups, x25 mountain climber

12 🡪 x25 squats, x25 crunches, x25 pushups, x25 mountain climber

If you do the math on this it equates to:

300 squats

225 crunches

150 pushups

75 mountain climbers

OR 750 total reps of exercise

That’s 750 repetitions of an average of 150-200lbs per rep (bodyweight) equating to over 100,000lbs over the course of 12 days.

IF you’re feeling feisty, I’ll dare you to double it. Do 2 rounds of the prescribed exercises.

This should take no more than 5 minutes of your day. Set a timer. Set a reminder on your phone. Be diligent and vigilant.

This mini program will help you avoid the Holiday Hiccups and catapult you into 2020! Now, it’s not “New Year; New Me,” but “New Year; Consistent Me.”

If you want to join the challenge – ask one of our team members for a print out or PDF of the exercise and daily program.

Thanks for reading!

Jake Reynolds, PT, DPT, OCS