Deciding to get into shape can often feel like a daunting prospect. Where do you start? A good place to begin is to have a plan. There is no shortage of resource around that provides pre-planned exercise programmes, but choosing the right plan can be a confusing issue.
The aim of this programme is to provide a well structured, one month exercise program geared simply towards getting in to shape for the summer. If that sounds like something you are looking for then read on…
As with all well structured exercise programs the key to seeing results is down to your level of commitment. This plan won’t work unless you stick to it! To make sure you follow the program you must be well motivated.
As I said, the goal of this program is to get you in to shape for summer. But for most of you this probably isn’t enough. Exercise goals need to be specific to you and your needs. Good examples include fitting back into a favourite item of clothing or getting back to a specific waist measurement. So find your physical goal. This will give you something to use when your motivation falters from time to time and should keep you on track.
All that’s left now is to stay motivated and stick to the plan. Good luck!
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Day thirty
Congratulations! You’ve made it. Hopefully you’ll be feeling fitter, more toned and ready to hit the beach. Remember that this program has improved fitness by raising your activity levels and taking care of thing likes muscle and joint health. Now you have completed it, take some time to re-evaluate what you want to achieve next and set yourself some new exercise goals. You can then look to source more information to help you with your new goals.
You are now in a good place to move forward with your training - this is just the beginning!
Day twenty nine
This is the last cardio session of the program. Choose your favourite session from the last month (not the rest day!) and go out to set a new personal best performance.
The key to success in all exercise programs is consistency and if you have been true to yourself and stuck to the program you should be feeling fitter and leaner.
Day twenty eight
It’s the last toning session of the program. For more variation you can change the lunges or step-ups for some Bulgarian split squats. With the bench roughly 3 feet behind you, place the top of one foot on the bench. Break at the knee of the forward leg and lower yourself into a split-squat position. The knee of the back leg should just be short of touching the floor and your weight should almost be completely on the mid-foot of the forward leg. Push through the front leg to return to the starting position with the knee and hip fully extended. Again this exercise strengthens the major muscles of the lower body and will improve balance.
Day twenty seven
Having done some good intervals on Wednesday, today’s cardio can be steady state. Complete 30 minutes in the mode of exercise you feel has been most productive for you over the month. Set yourself some mini performance goals for the session to help with motivation. For example, if swimming try to complete a specific amount of lengths in the first 10 minutes. Or aim to reach certain landmarks on your running route within a certain time frame. These mini performance based goals can really help keep you motivated.
Day twenty six
For today’s circuit session you should replace the lunges or step-ups with reverse lunges from a deficit. For these you need to stand on a low step (4-6 inches). Take a big step backwards with one leg and bend both knees until the knee of the back leg grazes the floor - then thrust powerfully upward and forward off the rear foot and return to the starting position. This is great for improving dynamic flexibility of the lower body and will improve your balance.
Day twenty five
Time for a rest day. Remember to keep your well diet balanced. Not all fats are bad and 25-30% of your diet should be in the form of healthy fats. Supplement your diet with fish oils and snack on unsalted and seasoned nuts to get your fix of healthy fats. I know it’s Friday but don’t ruin your hard work now. You can still go out for dinner but try to opt for lean meat and vegetables rather than the creamy pasta. Just think how great you’ll feel when you put on that bikini at the end of a month of hard work!
Day twenty four
Get stuck into the circuit again today. Try something new and replace the squats with a squat and press. For this exercise you need light dumbbells or full water bottles. Perform a squat as you have been (dumbbells or water bottles in you hands resting on the shoulders) but when you come back up press the weights above your head. This is similar to the push press in the home workout except you perform a full squat. If you do the home workout today swap the push press for some press ups.
Day twenty three
There’s about a week left to go on the program and today you need to do 30 minutes cardio. You can do some more interval training, for example, use the first 10 minutes for steady state then repeat 30 seconds hard work followed by 1 minute easy work for the remaining 20 minutes. The key is to make sure that there is a marked difference between the easy and hard intensities. If you are running, it’s fine to have a walk after the hard 30 seconds, just be sure to run hard on the next interval. Remember to refuel after your workout with a mixture of carbs and protein, ryvita with some lean chicken or low fat quark makes a good post-workout snack.
Day twenty two
Today you are doing the toning workouts. Change the lunges or step-ups (depending on which workout you choose) for single leg squats. Using a chair or bench, stand up and sit down using one leg with your arms held out in front. Drive through the heel of the standing leg to get up. Don’t let the knee of the standing leg drop inward to a knock knee position. You should tap the bench with your bum, don’t come down with a big thud. This exercise will test your balance and strengthens the major muscles of the legs.
Day twenty one
You can have another rest day today. You are 3 weeks into the program and you should be feeling fitter and leaner. Science says that because you will have developed some lean muscle tissue your metabolic rate at rest will have increased. This means that even at rest you are now using more calories just to stay alive!
Keep the activity up with a ban on using lifts and escalators.
Day twenty
Today is a cardio day. If you are feeling good you could increase the duration up to 40 minutes but just keep a steady state. Increasing the duration is another way of promoting calorific expenditure and varying the stimuli the body has to adapt to. You should be starting to feel the effects of your hard work so why not add a bit more exercise to your day with a walk around the shops. If it’s a sunny afternoon a game of Frisbee or rounders in the park is always a fun way to add some extra activity to your day.
Day nineteen
Today is a toning day so repeat Park workout 2 or the home workout. You could try and complete some full press-ups today. Be sure not to lose form keeping the shoulders down and the elbows in line with the lower portion of the chest, not up at shoulder height.
Choose carbohydrate with a low glycemic index such as porridge prior to exercise as this can have a positive effect on fat oxidation during exercise.
Day eighteen
You can rest from structured activity today but keep yourself active. Get off the bus one stop earlier and walk the rest of the way or go out dancing tonight with friends.
Eating smaller more frequent meals (up to 5 small meals a day) is a good approach for weight loss and maintenance. Healthy snacks include carbohydrates from fruit, healthy fats from nuts and protein from natural yogurt.
Day seventeen
Repeat Park Workout 2 or the home work-out today. The reason why most people exercise is to reduce body fat and develop and maintain lean muscle mass. The more we exercise the more efficient we become at burning fat and all physical activity can help with fat loss. Muscle toning exercises like these exercises can also help to maintain the ideal hormonal state for the development of lean muscle tissue.
Day sixteen
Today is a cardio day. You can repeat the 30 mins of steady state cardiovascular exercise you have been doing or you can step it up a bit if you are feeling good. This can be done by using the middle 10 mins for some high intensity bursts or intervals.
An example would be to run fast for 30 seconds and jog or walk for 30 seconds and repeat. The 10 mins either side of this can simply be performed at your steady pace. If you are using a heart rate monitor, during the high intensity bursts your heart rate should go to 80-90% of maximum. This is a great way to burn up extra calories without using up any more time. It also works great with things like swimming and stationary biking.
If you stepped it up today you can treat yourself with a glass of chocolate milk for recovery. Check the label and look for a carbohydrate to protein ratio of about 4g to 1g. Despite being high in calories this will help with recovery for tomorrow’s workout.
Day fifteen
Today you are going to do Park Work 2. This is a slightly more advanced workout but nothing you can’t handle by now.
Warm up: Soft tissue work and mobility exercises followed by a jog to your local park to raise the body temperature (minimum of 5 mins). Find the nearest park bench and complete the following circuit of exercises:
Squat to seat level of bench x20
Walking lunge x15 each leg
Seat level press up on bench x15
Inverted Row x15
Single leg glute raise x15 each leg
Dips on bench x15
Plank with elbows on bench with one foot just off the floor – 20 seconds each leg
Skip rope for one minute or fast run for 45 seconds.
Repeat this 3-4 times with no rest between exercises and 60 seconds rest between circuits. Cool down with a jog/walk home (minimum of 5 mins).
Day fourteen
Rest up today but remember to keep your general activity levels up. Glucose (carbohydrate) tolerance has been shown to be good in the morning and poor in the evening. With this in mind, try to gradually reduce you carb intake during the day. Eating carbohydrate earlier in the day can help to elevate physical and mental performance.
Day thirteen
Today you need to complete 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise. You can continue with what you have been doing or you could try something new. A good example is to get a group of friends together and all go out on your bikes. The idea being that you stay active and have a good time doing it. If you don’t have bikes then go and hire some for the day. You will probably find that you end up doing more than 30 minutes to get your money’s worth but that fine as long as you have a good time!
Day twelve
Today you should feel fully rested so go for another workout in the park. One of the key principles in getting results from exercise is progression. If the workouts are becoming easier then it’s time make them more demanding so that your body has to keep adapting. Today you can add some step ups after your squats in the park workout or if you are training at home add a plank at the end of the circuit after the reverse crunches. See if you can hold the plank for up to 1 minute with your elbows on the floor.
Day eleven
Today is a rest day. Try making small changes to your eating patterns. Most people’s diets these days are upside down and it is popular practise to have a large evening meal and skip breakfast. Try to reverse this by having your biggest meal at the start of the day and gradually reducing meal size with dinner as the smallest meal. Drink plenty of water and try swapping your latte for an Americano or a herbal tea to save some calories.
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Day ten
It’s a choice of the muscle toning workouts again today. Try to keep challenging yourself during these workouts. You can change the plank for a side plank and hold it for 30seconds on each side instead. Here you lie on your side with the elbow of your bottom arm bent at 90 degrees and only the forearm in contact with the floor, so that your torso is propped up. Brace your core tightly and lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from head to toe. Don’t let your hips sag.
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Day nine
Today we are doing some more cardio. Use tools like internet mapping to work out how far you are running / cycling in the 30 minute period. Websites like mapmyrun.com can be used to estimate your run route distance and you can keep a log of your training with the online running community at fetcheveryone.com. Tools like this can also be used to map new routes to keep things interesting. Changing the route can also make things more challenging with new gradients and terrains to overcome.
Click here to visit mapmyrun.com
Click here to visit fetcheveryone.com
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Day eight
So you are into week two! Hopefully you managed all five sessions last week. It won’t have been easy but the trick is trying to incorporate workouts into your weekly routine. Put them in your diary like any other important appointment you cannot miss.
It’s time for some more muscle toning today so you can do the park or home workout. Try to keep the pace high moving from one exercise to the next. If the routine is feeling easier then try to do the squats free standing aiming to get nice and deep without raising the heels. Go to a depth where the top of the thigh is parallel to the ground.
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Day seven
Fantastic, another rest day – you’ll notice there are two full rest days a week, these are as important as your training days. It’s when the body is resting that it rebuilds, adapts and gets stronger. It also minimises the chances of over training. So enjoy your rest day. You can add things like pumpkin seeds to a salad to raise the protein content for muscle recovery.
Don’t slob out though. Even though you aren’t training it’s important to keep your activity levels high. Make sure you add habits like taking the stairs and walking to shops to your daily routine.
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Day six
Contrary to popular belief, Sunday is not a day of rest! Another cardio session is the order of the day. Again, get up early and get it done so you can enjoy the rest of the day. Lay your kit out the night before – you are more likely to get up and go the next morning. Try something different from last Wednesday’s session or repeat the same thing and try to match or better your performance. Tomorrow is a rest day so you can raise the intensity today. At the right intensity you should be able to put a complete sentence together without losing breathe, but you should not be able to put multiple sentences together.
You worked hard this week so enjoy a Sunday lunch today, just make sure it is as healthy as possible, focus on the meat and veg! Recovery is a key part of exercise and protein is an important nutrient required for restoration and rebuilding of lean muscle tissue. Some form of protein should be consumed at every meal. Protein intake should be at least 1.7g/kg of bodyweight per day.
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Day five
Get up early today and get your workout done before any other offers or distractions come along! Today is a toning day so repeat Park Workout 1 or the home workout. You can make the session a little more demanding today by adding an extra circuit to the session. Exercising when you’re hungry has been shown to be detrimental to performance so make sure you take on some fuel before working out (so leave time for some breakfast). Take on some carbohydrate in the form of fruit and some protein in form of fat free cheese as a pre-exercise snack.
If you are determined enough you can get your workout done before your friends are even out of bed, then you can enjoy the rest of the day together without feeling you are missing out!
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Day four
Well done! Today is a well earned rest day. You’ve done 3 days of training so its time to allow your body to rest and adapt. Eat foods like blueberries for immune support and increase the protein in your diet for muscle recovery. Other than lean meats and fish, foods like low fat cottage cheese, natural yoghurt and non-fat mozzarella are good sources of protein.
Try not to undo all your hard work though by celebrating with a bottle of wine or huge meal out. Everything in moderation so better to choose a single measure of spirit with a low calorie mixer if you want to indulge with your friends tonight.
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Day three
Today is a chance for you to have another go at Park Workout 1. The exercises will be more familiar so it should feel slightly easier but is still a good workout so don’t worry if you are struggling or out of breath at this stage – that’s the idea!
If however you are struggling to get out or the weather doesn’t suit, you can do this home workout instead.
Warm up: Soft tissue work and mobility exercises followed by 3mins of walking/jogging up and down stairs.
Clams x20 each leg
Glute Raise x20
Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor and push the hips up squeezing the muscles in the bum. Make it harder by using one leg at time.
Squat to chair x20
Step ups on chair x15 each leg
Place one foot on a step or chair and then drive yourself upwards by transferring the weight onto that foot. Imagine you are pushing the foot down through the step, rather than using the back foot to push off the floor. Join the feet on the top of the step and then step back down with the same foot. Do the exercise on both sides.
Push Press x15 using light dumbbells or bags of sugar.
Form a solid base by having feet hip width apart and the knees soft, brace the abs and hold neutral spine. Hold the dumbbells at shoulder height with elbows in front. Dip into a half squat and then drive upwards extending the arms straight, pushing the dumbbells up to the ceiling. Return to the start position under control.
Single arm row x15 each arm using dumbbells or filled water bottles
Dips on the chair x15
Sit on a bench and place your hands either side of your hips. Slide your body forward until your bum if off the bench then by bending at the elbows lower yourself down. When your elbows reach a 90 degree and push yourself back up. Try not to move from the shoulder and keep your body close to the bench.
Bicep curls using dumbbells or filled water bottles x15 each arm
Reverse crunch x15
Lie on your back on the floor, bend the knees so feet are flat on the floor. Place the arms either side, palms down on the mat. Curl the lower body upwards so the knees come towards the upper body and the pelvis lifts from the floor. Make sure the movement is driven from the abs, not momentum from the legs swinging.
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Day two
Today is just about moving your body, no exercise routine to get to grips with it is a pure cardio day. All you need to do today is fit in 30 minutes of steady state cardiovascular exercise. To gage your intensity you can use tools like a heart rate monitor. For this type of exercise you want to work at about 70% of your maximum heart rate. A quick way to calculate this would be 220 minus your age to find your age predicted maximum. 70% of that number is the approximate heart rate you should be looking to maintain for the session. Alternatively work of the scale of perceived exertion – 70% is you working at 7/10, so if 10/10 is collapsing with exhaustion and 1/10 is sleeping you get an idea of 7/10. Realistically this means you cannot talk while working out, maybe the odd sentence but no chatting!
The form of exercise you choose can be anything from running, power walking, swimming, cycling or a mix. The key to this session is to make a note of how far you go i.e. how many laps you complete of the park or lengths of the pool. This then gives you are target to equal or beat on your next cardio day.
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Day One
Ok, so it’s day one. Don’t expect this to be easy, and it will take a few sessions for you to be comfortable with all the exercises. Consistency is key, committing to every day of this programme will make a real difference to your health and wellbeing. Try and enjoy the exercises rather then seeing them as a chore – you’ve taken a huge positive step today by getting started. Plan a route to your local green space as today you are going to do Park Workout 1. This is a muscle toning session which hits all major muscle groups.
Warm up: Soft tissue work and mobility exercises followed with a walk/jog to your local park to raise the body temperature (minimum of 5mins, see Warm Up page below for a detailed programme).
Find the nearest park bench and complete the following circuit of exercises:
Squats to seat level of the bench x20
Keep the heels on the floor, chest lifted and stick your butt out as you go down as though you were going to sit on a stool behind you. As you come back to standing, extend at the knees and hips and push through the whole of the foot driving the hips forward. Make sure the abs are braced and you maintain neutral spine.
Press ups using the back of the bench x15
Place your hands on the back of a bench. Move your feet back a bit but stay tall. Lower your chest to the back of the bench. Don’t allow the shoulder to hitch up around the neck and try to keep a 45 degree angle at the arm bit i.e. don’t let your elbow flare out. Then push yourself back up to the starting position. Make this harder by moving down to the seat area of the bench.
Inverted Row using railings x15
Lye underneath a horizontal rail of a fence and hold onto it so that you are looking up to the sky. Using the muscles in your arms and back and keeping your body straight pull your chest up to the rail.
Plank with elbows on the seat level of the bench 45 seconds
With the forearms or a bench and toes on the floor, form the plank position. Try and relax through the shoulders, making sure the elbows are directly under the shoulders, keep the hips up slightly so neutral spine is maintained. Brace the abs and relax the neck.
Repeat this 3 times with no rest between exercises and 60seconds rest between circuits. Cool down with a jog/walk home (minimum of 5mins).
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The warm-up
We’ll be raising your level of daily activity but there will be various options for you each day and a good mix of cardiovascular and muscle toning exercises, along with scheduled rest days for recovery.
Before you start any exercise it’s important to do a thorough warm up. The following soft tissue exercises and mobility work will help to improve the basic health of the musculoskeletal system, reduce risk of injury, improve posture, and aid performance.
You can do all the exercises at home or at work and you will benefit even more if you see this warm-up routine as something that you can do every day weather you are exercising or not.
Make sure you are well hydrated by consuming at least 500ml of water over the thirty minute period prior to starting (this is a good tip for all training days). It is also important to rehydrate after exercise so drink plenty of water once you have finished.
The following soft tissue manipulations require the use of a foam roller. (Click here to buy one)
Hip Flexors and quadriceps – lie with the top of one thigh on the roller, supporting your body on your forearms. Slowly roll back and forth from the upper thigh to crest of the hip. For the quadriceps roll further down on the thigh.
IT band – the IT band is the large tendon which runs down the outer thigh. Position the roller underneath the outer of one thigh and use your downside arm and the hand of your top side arm to roll up and down the length of your upper leg.
Hip Adductors – lie with the inner thigh of one leg on the roller and pull your body up and down the length of the upper leg with your forearms.
Thoracic Extension – This exercise will help to improve your thoracic-spine-extension range of motion. Sit on the floor with roller behind you perpendicular to your body. Keeping you bum and feet on the floor ease back on to the roller so it is just below the shoulder blades. Extend back so your head moves toward the floor. All the range of motion should come at the middle and upper back. Pause in the bottom position and repeat.
Once you have done some work with the roller you can stretch and activate the muscles with some mobility exercises.
Kneeling quad and hip flexor stretch – kneel in a lunge position and place the foot of the back leg on a chair behind you. Push the hip of the back leg forward with the muscles in your bum. Hold the stretch for about 15seconds on each side.
Seated 90/90 stretch – sitting on a chair, cross the right leg over the left so that the outside of the right ankle is in contact with the left lower thigh. Pull the right instep up toward your face will pushing the right knee downward. You should feel the a stretch along the outside of the right thigh.
Bird dog – Start on all fours, brace the stomach and extend one leg backward in line with your body. At the same time extend the opposite arm straight forward. Keep everything tight and the hips steady return to the start position with hand and knee just off the floor. Repeat 12 times each side.
Wall angels – This exercise keeps your shoulders healthy. Stand with your upper back and bum against the wall. Move your feet slightly away from the wall. Raise your arms above your head and try to keep your hands and elbows against the wall. Then pull your elbows back and down into the wall until your hands are at ear level. Repeat this sliding movement 12 times.
Spiderman stretch – In a deep lunge position with the front leg slightly out to the side, place both hands flat on the floor beneath your shoulders. The arm on the side of the forward leg should be placed inside the inner thigh. Try not to let the lower back round. Hold the stretch or make it dynamic by swapping the forward leg repeatedly. Hold for about 15seconds or swap the forward leg 5 times each side.
Clams - Lye on your side with your knees bent and raise the top knee to the ceiling. Keep your ankles together and try not to rotate the pelvis.
Glute Raise - Lye on your back with your feet flat on the floor and push the hips up squeezing the muscles in the bum. Make it harder by using one leg at time.
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