Exercise helps increase the state of one’s physical body as well as optimizing hormone levels, mental health, and overall physical performance. Proper exercise methods increase the levels of testosterone, sleep, diabetes, and heart disease all while boosting one’s ability to live longer. Functional fitness focuses on strength, endurance and agility all while avoiding making fitness blunders.
Achieving Optimal Results in Four Primary Movements
1. Sprinting (3-4x per Week)
Sprinting regularly can boost one’s growth hormones, testosterone, and an individual’s insulin sensitivity levels. Further, it strengthens one’s posture while also preventing chronic anterior pelvic tilt due to prolonged sitting. Additionally, sprinting is useful in engaging the jaw muscles for a defined facial structure.
Best Practices When Sprinting:
8 rounds of 15-second sprints with one-minute breaks in between.
For maximum engagement, use an open field, hill, or track.
To enhance growth hormone release, one can start their day by sprinting while fasting.
2. Walking (10,000+ Steps per Day)
Walking is an underappreciated but effective exercise that enhances circulation, fat burning, digestion, and mental acuity. It has been connected to greater longevity, lower stress levels, and greater cognitive capacity. In contrast to high-intensity cardio, walking doesn‘t surge cortisol and can be maintained in the long term.
How to Make Walking a Habit:
Morning walks: Boost your metabolism and establish a good tone for the day.
Post-meal walks: Enhance digestion and insulin sensitivity by taking 10-15 minute walks after meals.
Treadmill desk: If you have a desk job, walk on a treadmill while you work.
3. Strength Training (4-5x per Week)
Strength training is important for muscle development, bone density, and metabolic health. Weighted calisthenics—bodyweight exercise combined with added resistance—is the best method to enhance functional strength.
Key Principles for Strength Training:
Have pull-ups, dips, squats, and deadlifts as top priorities for whole-body involvement.
Minimize excess isolation movements such as bicep curls and machines since they have minimal functional value.
Keep training short and intense (30-45 minutes at most) to maximize recovery and avoid overtraining.
Gym Mistakes to Avoid
Overtraining (2+ hour workouts): Too much training causes cortisol to spike, resulting in burnout and muscle loss. Keep the workouts intense and efficient.
Excessive cardio: High-mileage running increases stress hormones, depletes muscle mass, and detracts from recovery.
Skipping mobility & stretching: Bad posture, joint ache, and added injury risk result from poor flexibility. Make stretching, yoga, or foam rolling a regular habit.
