Every fitness magazine out there will be putting out their own version of some intense workout plan that’ll promise you to get you in shape before spring break.

I’m going to bypass all these stupid fitness magazine and do exactly what I did last summer: train with my buddies Dominic and D-Raj.

But this post isn’t about me, Dominic, or D-Raj. It’s about YOU, and what YOU can do to ratchet up your Workouts. I have an assignment for you. I want you to forget about those fitness magazines and start a Backyard Revolution.

What is a Backyard Revolution

A backyard revolution is all about taking your life into your own hands. You’re on your own property. The neighbors, the cops, not even your mom can tell you what to do in your own backyard. Now, let me point out that even if you don’t HAVE a backyard, it doesn’t mean you can’t revolt. Just find some place to call your own – a park, garage, basement, friend’s apartment – and get started.

So what are we revolting against? Rules! We’re revolting against all the B.S. that gets thrown our way in the fitness industry. I don’t give a junk what the latest eBook, fitness expert, or PHD says about what you can and can not do. I don’t care about Craig Ballantyne, Eddie Lomax, or Emille Jarreau. All I care about is YOU ( and ME).

What can YOU do to really boost your intensity levels, push yourself to boost your fitness, and start a BACKYARD REVOLUTION?

How can I Start a Backyard Revolution?

Every revolution needs warriors. So the first step is to go out and find a comrade. Ask you friend to workout with you. Just one day, one workout. Be creative, or borrow one of the many workouts on this website. Push each other, time the workout, compare results, and go home. Meet up again the next day and repeat.

Do this for a week, then invite someone else to join. Keep repeating until you’re satisfied with the amount of warriors you have recruited.

Now, here’s what’s going to happen: people are going to come and go. But eventually, you’ll find those 2-3 friends who are really willing to stick it through. They not only push themselves, but they push you. They’re just as creative…no, even more creative than you are. They LOVE challenges, and they THRIVE on pain.

These are the people YOU want to recruit in your revolution.

What Am I Getting at Here?

Ok, so if you haven’t figured it out already, all I’m REALLY telling you to do is to find some Training partners. You might already have one, that’s fine. But now I want you to expand your reach. Get more and more people to join you. Get newbies, advanced guys, the old lady across the street (well, maybe not).

The reason I’m talking about this is that training partners make a HUGE difference in your progress. When no one’s looking, you can just sit down and take a rest during a workout. But when you know that you have to beat your friend at this workout, you’re going to push yourself. Your friend is going to push you. He’s going to call you names, tell you to keep your back straight, and just keep pushing on. Training partners are like having a free personal trainer.

We all need help, but not everyone can afford help. So why not just help each other?

My Own Backyard Revolution

I started my backyard revolution one year ago. It was around this time that I called my old friend Dominic and asked him if he wanted to workout. He came, not knowing what to expect. I remember watching him walk out of his car – he was BIG. He’d definitely been lifting weights. I wondered if he was just as fast and powerful as I remember him during our Karate days.

Well, I put him through a basic kettlebell and bodyweight circuit, and he was DEAD. But he was also HOOKED.

Since then he’s invited around 3-4 of his friends, but the only one that’s survived is Deeraj. Deeraj was in a worse situation that Dominic. Aesthetically, he looked better than both of us, however, he was slow, bulky, and stiff. It took him about two weeks to loosen up. As he improved more and more, eventually he began to beat us out our own game.

Right now I’m proud of the revolution that I’ve started. Dom and D-raj have used the knowledge that I sprinkled upon them to turn into amazing athletes.

8 Things I’ve Learned from my Backyard Revolution Experience

#1: I am NOT the Fittest Guy in the World

Yeah, I already knew I wasn’t the fittest guy in the world, but I did think that I was the fittest guy on the block. I thought that what I was able to do, no one was able to do, at least in my neighborhood. I thought I was unique, one of a kind, and I liked to keep that little “security” in my head, thinking that I was the best at what I did. Well, when you have people who were once crying, puking, and falling down after your workouts and now they’re making YOU puke and cry and faint – well then, it just makes things a LOT more fun. You just want to go harder, push more, and move faster.

#2: There are some REALLY out of shape People Out There

There was a 315 lbs guy that came to workout with me once. After a few rounds of 15 lbs dumbbell swings and cleans, he was ready to pass out. He sat in my dining room for 45 minutes, trying to get his breath back to normal. That was when I realized that I would NOT train complete beginners until I figured out how to. After doing a TON of research – talking to people, spying on people’s personal weight loss blogs, watching YouTube videos – I think I am more comfortable scaling down workouts to suit a variety of fitness levels. After that first experience with a beginner, I began asking everyone what their training background was. Try to get as much information about the person you are training with before you train with them.

 

#3: It’s REALLY EASY to Over train

When you’re training with other guys just as strong, fast, and powerful as you are (or even stronger, faster, and more powerful), you tend to push yourself. Pushing yourself is great, but getting up and doing it again is a whole different story. Last year, my buddies and I were training up to 5 days a week. I don’t see that happening now. We’ve all learned our lessons: too much training has a negative effect on your body. I recommend never doing more than 3-4 SUPER INTENSE workouts per week. Over the fall and winter when I was not training with my friends, I was training 3-5 days per week, however maybe only 2-3 workouts were really that intense. Now, I wouldn’t be surprised if my frequency dropped down to 3-4 workouts a week (or maybe lower).

#4: What we’re doing is CARDIO

Any way you look at it, at the end of the day, what we’re doing is cardio. You can give any fancy name you like – Circuit Training, Metabolic Conditioning, Crossfit,GymJones , Hurricane Training – but at the end of the day what we’re REALLY doing is raising our heart rate to an intense level. I haven’t gotten stronger with these workouts. I have gotten leaner and bigger, WHEN I’m eating properly. These workouts will probably help you improve your recovery time for strength training so that you’re not forced to spend 3-5 minutes resting between each set. However, lets keep things REAL. Whatever it is you do in your backyard, that’s fine. It’s YOUR backyard not MINE. But don’t go around telling everyone that your program is the BE IT ALL program for EVERYTHING. Keep it real, be honest. It’s easy to lie to people when you just want them to come train with you. It’s fun to see people cry (based on the context, of course).

#5: My diet SUCKS!

My diet sucks. I’ve always been LAZY when it comes to dieting. For the past few months, especially since I came back from India, my diet has been going down in the tubes. Don’t get me wrong, I’m eating healthy. I’m not eating fast food, junk food, or drinking soda. However, it’s the AMOUNT that I’m eating that’s decreased. This is a NO NO when it comes to super intense training. In all three workouts so far, I’ve had my a$$ handed to me on a silver platter. SOMETHING is wrong. It’s not passion. It’s not commitment. It’s not a lack of training. It’s a lack of food. This FOOD ISSUE keep creeping up on me, and it’ll keep creeping up on you. It happened to Dom last year. If you notice a drop in your performance, then don’t be afraid to start eating plates and plates of pasta (well, that’s only part of my plan).

#6: Do Stuff you Hate, Just Because the Other Guy Sucks Too

We all suck at running, so we’re going to do more running. We all suck at pullups as well, so we’re going to do more pullups. Dominic has strong legs, so it’s pointless to try to beat him in the leg game. So I’m going to keep throwing random stuff at him to try to see what he sucks at, even if I suck at it as well. This is just so I can find something where we’re at an even playing field, and then beat him. (Don’t tell him about this strategy). I’m not playing dirty. This strategy will help both of us in the long run. It’ll fix our weakness – even those that we didn’t think we had.

#7: Fast, Intense Workouts does not Necessarily Mean You’ll Look Good

Every weekend I stand in my dad’s store and at least three people ask me if I workout. One guy came into the store and he says, “It looks like you been lifting a lot of weights.” I said, “No, I just do pushups and pullups .” He pointed to me and said, “That’s the way to do it!” He then went off on a tangent and started talking about how when he was younger thats all he did. He looked pretty good for an old dude, by the way – but the point is, that I look in the mirror and see a regular guy with a little belly, no arms, and rounded shoulders. People see a guy who works out. Perceptions are different and you need to understand what you’re doing and WHY you’re doing it. I may have started out wanting to look like CraigBallantyne , but when I got more and more into the game, I just wanted to be healthier than everyone else. The truth is, I have been losing fat over the past few months. I notice it in my legs and my lower back. But at the end of the day, if I have to choose between looking like an overweight cow and fast, intense workouts, I’d choose fast, intense workouts because that’s what keeps me exercising and healthy. If TAE BO is what wiggles your fancy, then go ahead and do it, now matter how much I HATE it. All that matters is YOU LOVE it.

#8: Bodyweight Training is HARD!

This was never meant to be a bodyweight training blog. It was only supposed to be about how to train with limited time and limited equipment – but somehow I assumed people had a 300lb barbell set in their basement. After a LOT of experimentation I realized how potent bodyweight training can be as a method of training. Last summer was the first time I started performing all bodyweight workouts. Before that I would combine bodyweight training with weights or kettlebells. But, here’s the thing – don’t just rely on bodyweight training. My garage gym is cheap. Spread $645 over 12 years and you’ll get $53.75 per year. Yes, I’m counting my first 15 lbs dumbbell into the equation, even though I don’t use it anymore. You can find TONS of cheap equipment on eBay and Craigslist. Even sports stores like Modells and Sports Authority are running sales (especially around these times).

Are You Ready to Make the Commitment?

I hope this post has convinced you to avoid the stupid fitness magazines this summer. Use the lessons I’ve learned and go out, grab a friend and start pushing each other until you cry, puke, or collapse from utter exhaustion. Then go out and get another guy, and do it again.