The only workout you’ll ever need.

“Do not trust to fortune” — Leonidas
For anyone that’s read any of my previous posts you’ll know that as well as being a founder at Distributed, I’m pretty big on self-improvement. I’m always trying to be a better version of myself, intellectually, vocationally, humanly and also physically.
I grew up a pretty active kid, I played every sport that I could, I studied martial arts, I was a skater and a surfer, but as I’ve gotten older and my responsibilities have grown it’s been difficult to continue with all of the athletic pursuits that I once used to take part in, I’m now at the stage where I have about an hour every day to exercise, and that’s my hour, I guard it jealously, mostly because I enjoy the enforced detachment from work it gives me, but also because its mediative effect makes me a better person, and lastly because hopefully it will contribute to me staying alive for as long as possible.
Knowing that I only have an hour (including travel time) to fit exercising into my schedule has led me over the years to gradually develop and optimise a solid 45 minute workout that gives me everything I’m looking for from my daily exercise, it requires no equipment, and you don’t even need to go to a gym to do it, which leaves me no excuses and means that wherever I am in the world, I can stick to my schedule and make sure my body and mind are being taken care of as well as my team and my business.
Let me just drop a caveat in here; this is not a beginner/intermediate/advanced workout, nor is it sport specific, it has been designed to maintain my health and fitness, nothing more.
The only workout you’ll ever need
Get warm — Total time = 5mins

Jumping Jacks ~ 1min

Glute Bridges~ 1min

Air squats~ 1min

Hindu pushups~ 1min
The workout — as many rotations as possible — Total time = 40mins

Low bear crawl~ 12 steps

Tuck jumps~ 20

Reach and rotate plank~ 20 EACH SIDE

Jumping lunges ~ 20

Diamond pushups ~ 20

V-ups ~ 10
Workout completed
Give yourself a high-five and grab a protein bar, you’re done for the day.
No matter what anyone at the gym tells you, or what exercise is cool on Instagram this month, if you want a routine that will keep you in shape, has minimal risk of you injuring yourself or forming biomechanical imbalances and has been designed to directly promote the type of physiological response that will contribute to you living longer then this will do just fine.
If you have any additions or want to ask questions etc. please feel free to tweet me @callumadamson
I’d also like to thank all the people who’s gifs I’ve repurposed for this piece. Please get in touch if you’d like them removed or specifically credited.
#recommendedreading
Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond
A fascinating book that explains the reasons Diamond believes are behind the dominance of European peoples over the rest of the world… and it’s got nothing to do with race or intelligence.
