RunnerDude's At-Home Full-Body Workout #17

With most gyms and fitness studios closed due to Covid-19, getting in you weekly workouts can be a here!)challenge. Below is the RunnerDude Full-Body At Home Workout #17 that takes a little over 40 mins. The workout includes lower-body, upper-body, and core exercises. (Be sure to checkout Workouts 1-17

The workout is a modified Tabata format. There are 9 rounds. Each round has 6 cycles of 30 sec work/10 sec rest. After all 6 cycles are complete, you get 1-min of rest before moving to the next round of 6 cycles. Each round either has one exercise for which each cycle you switch sides (i.e. lunges on your left side, then lunges on your right side), or there are two different exercises that you'll rotate between for the 6 cycles. I know you may have limited equipment at home, so the workout uses only a light-medium set of dumbbells. If you don't have dumbbells, try holding canned vegetables, or half or full-gallon jugs filled with water. You could also hold books or hold light ankle weights. If you don't have any weights or alternative weights, you can still do the movements without weights.

The workout is free, but if you'd like to make a donation for the workout in support of RunnerDude's Fitness during Covid-19, donations can be made via Venmo http://venmo.com/RunnerDude or Paypal https://www.paypal.me/runnerdudesfitness.

Give the workout a try and let me know what you think. Post some pics of you doing the workout and staying motivated!

For RunnerDude's Full-Body Workout #17, all you need is a mat, a light to medium pair of dumbbells and a chair.

RunnerDude's At-Home Full-Body Workout #15

With most gyms and fitness studios closed due to Covid-19, getting in you weekly workouts can be a challenge. Below is the RunnerDude Full-Body At Home Workout #15 that takes a little over 40 mins. The workout includes lower-body, upper-body, and core exercises. (Be sure to checkout Workouts 1-15 here!)

The workout is a modified Tabata format. There are 9 rounds. Each round has 6 cycles of 30 sec work/10 sec rest. After all 6 cycles are complete, you get 1-min of rest before moving to the next round of 6 cycles. Each round either has one exercise for which each cycle you switch sides (i.e. lunges on your left side, then lunges on your right side), or there are two different exercises that you'll rotate between for the 6 cycles. I know you may have limited equipment at home, so the workout uses only a light-medium set of dumbbells. If you don't have dumbbells, try holding canned vegetables, or half or full-gallon jugs filled with water. You could also hold books or hold light ankle weights. If you don't have any weights or alternative weights, you can still do the movements without weights.

The workout is free, but if you'd like to make a donation for the workout in support of RunnerDude's Fitness during Covid-19, donations can be made via Venmo http://venmo.com/RunnerDude or Paypal https://www.paypal.me/runnerdudesfitness.

Give the workout a try and let me know what you think. Post some pics of you doing the workout and staying motivated!

For RunnerDude's Full-Body Workout #15, all you need is a mat, a light to medium pair of dumbbells, and a chair.

RunnerDude's Full=Body At-Home Workout #14

With most gyms and fitness studios closed due to Covid-19, getting in you weekly workouts can be a challenge. Below is the RunnerDude Full-Body At Home Workout #14 that takes a little over 40 mins. The workout includes lower-body, upper-body, and core exercises. (Be sure to checkout Workouts 1-13 here!)

The workout is a modified Tabata format. There are 9 rounds. Each round has 6 cycles of 30 sec work/10 sec rest. After all 6 cycles are complete, you get 1-min of rest before moving to the next round of 6 cycles. Each round either has one exercise for which each cycle you switch sides (i.e. lunges on your left side, then lunges on your right side), or there are two different exercises that you'll rotate between for the 6 cycles. I know you may have limited equipment at home, so the workout uses only a light-medium set of dumbbells. If you don't have dumbbells, try holding canned vegetables, or half or full-gallon jugs filled with water. You could also hold books or hold light ankle weights. If you don't have any weights or alternative weights, you can still do the movements without weights.

The workout is free, but if you'd like to make a donation for the workout in support of RunnerDude's Fitness during Covid-19, donations can be made via Venmo http://venmo.com/RunnerDude or Paypal https://www.paypal.me/runnerdudesfitness.

Give the workout a try and let me know what you think. Post some pics of you doing the workout and staying motivated!

For RunnerDude's Full-Body Workout #14, all you need is a mat and a light to medium pair of dumbbells.

RunnerDude's At-Home Full-Body Workout #12

With most gyms and fitness studios closed due to Covid-19, getting in you weekly workouts can be a challenge. Below is the RunnerDude Full-Body At Home Workout #12 that takes a little over 40 mins. The workout includes lower-body, upper-body, and core exercises. (Be sure to checkout Workouts 1-11 here!)

The workout is a modified Tabata format. There are 9 rounds. Each round has 6 cycles of 30 sec work/10 sec rest. After all 6 cycles are complete, you get 1-min of rest before moving to the next round of 6 cycles. Each round either has one exercise for which cycle cycle you switch sides (i.e. lunges on your left side, then lunges on your right side), or there are two different exercises that you'll rotate between for the 6 cycles. I know you may have limited equipment at home, so the workout uses only a light-medium set of dumbbells. If you don't have dumbbells, try holding canned vegetables, or half or full-gallon just filled with water. You could also hold books or hold light ankle weights. If you don't have any weights or alternative weights, you can still do the movements without weights.

The workout is free, but if you'd like to make a donation for the workout in support of RunnerDude's Fitness during Covid-19, donations can be made via Venmo http://venmo.com/RunnerDude or Paypal https://www.paypal.me/runnerdudesfitness. Give the workout a try and let me know what you think. Post some pics of you doing the workout and staying motivated!

For RunnerDude's Full-Body Workout #12,  all you need is a mat and a light to medium pair of dumbbells.

RunnerDude's At-Home Full-Body Workout #11

With most gyms and fitness studios closed due to Covid-19, getting in you weekly workouts can be a challenge. Below is the RunnerDude Full-Body At Home Workout #11 that takes a little over 40 mins. The workout includes lower-body, upper-body, and core exercises. (Be sure to checkout Workouts 1-10 here!)

The workout is a modified Tabata format. There are 9 rounds. Each round has 6 cycles of 30 sec work/10 sec rest. After all 6 cycles are complete, you get 1-min of rest before moving to the next round of 6 cycles. Each round either has one exercise for which cycle cycle you switch sides (i.e. lunges on your left side, then lunges on your right side), or there are two different exercises that you'll rotate between for the 6 cycles. I know you may have limited equipment at home, so the workout uses only a light-medium set of dumbbells. If you don't have dumbbells, try holding canned vegetables, or half or full-gallon just filled with water. You could also hold books or hold light ankle weights. If you don't have any weights or alternative weights, you can still do the movements without weights.

The workout is free, but if you'd like to make a donation for the workout in support of RunnerDude's Fitness during Covid-19, donations can be made via Venmo http://venmo.com/RunnerDude or Paypal https://www.paypal.me/runnerdudesfitness. Give the workout a try and let me know what you think. Post some pics of you doing the workout and staying motivated!

For RunnerDude's Full-Body Workout #11,  all you need is a mat and a light to medium pair of dumbbells.

RunnerDude's At-Home Full-Body Workout #8

With most gyms and fitness studios closed due to Covid-19, getting in you weekly workouts can be a challenge. Below is the RunnerDude Full-Body At Home Workout #8 that takes a little over 40 mins. The workout includes lower-body, upper-body, and core exercises. (Be sure to checkout  Workout #1, Workout #2, Workout #3, Workout #4 , Workout #5, Workout #6, and Workout #7.

The workout is a modified Tabata format. There are 9 rounds. Each round has 6 cycles of 30 sec work/10 sec rest. After all 6 cycles are complete, you get 1-min of rest before moving to the next round of 6 cycles. Each round either has one exercise for which cycle cycle you switch sides (i.e. lunges on your left side, then lunges on your right side), or there are two different exercises that you'll rotate between for the 6 cycles. I know you may have limited equipment at home, so the workout uses only a light-medium set of dumbbells. If you don't have dumbbells, try holding canned vegetables, or half or full-gallon just filled with water. You could also hold books or hold light ankle weights. If you don't have any weights or alternative weights, you can still do the movements without weights.

The workout is free, but if you'd like to make a donation for the workout in support of RunnerDude's Fitness during Covid-19, donations can be made via Venmo http://venmo.com/RunnerDude or Paypal https://www.paypal.me/runnerdudesfitness. Give the workout a try and let me know what you think. Post some pics of you doing the workout and staying motivated!

For RunnerDude's Full-Body Workout #8,  all you need is a mat, a light to medium pair of dumbbells, and a chair or exercise step (or regular step).

RunnerDude's At-Home Full-Body Workout #7

With most gyms and fitness studios closed due to Covid-19, getting in you weekly workouts can be a challenge. Below is the RunnerDude Full-Body At Home Workout #7 that takes a little over 40 mins. The workout includes lower-body, upper-body, and core exercises. (Be sure to checkout  Workout #1, Workout #2, Workout #3, Workout #4 , Workout #5, and Workout #6)

The workout is a modified Tabata format. There are 9 rounds. Each round has 6 cycles of 30 sec work/10 sec rest. After all 6 cycles are complete, you get 1-min of rest before moving to the next round of 6 cycles. Each round either has one exercise for which cycle cycle you switch sides (i.e. lunges on your left side, then lunges on your right side), or there are two different exercises that you'll rotate between for the 6 cycles. I know you may have limited equipment at home, so the workout uses only a light-medium set of dumbbells. If you don't have dumbbells, try holding canned vegetables, or half or full-gallon just filled with water. You could also hold books or hold light ankle weights. If you don't have any weights or alternative weights, you can still do the movements without weights.

The workout is free, but if you'd like to make a donation for the workout in support of RunnerDude's Fitness during Covid-19, donations can be made via Venmo http://venmo.com/RunnerDude or Paypal https://www.paypal.me/runnerdudesfitness. Give the workout a try and let me know what you think. Post some pics of you doing the workout and staying motivated!

For RunnerDude's Full-Body At-Home Workout #7,a ll you need is a mat and a light to medium pair of dumbbells.

RunnerDude's At-Home Full-Body Workout #6

With most gyms and fitness studios closed due to Covid-19, getting in you weekly workouts can be a challenge. Below is the RunnerDude Full-Body At Home Workout #6 that takes a little over 40 mins. The workout includes lower-body, upper-body, and core exercises. (Be sure to checkout  Workout #1, Workout #2, Workout #3, Workout #4 and Workout #5)

The workout is a modified Tabata format. There are 9 rounds. Each round has 6 cycles of 30 sec work/10 sec rest. After all 6 cycles are complete, you get 1-min of rest before moving to the next round of 6 cycles. Each round either has one exercise for which cycle cycle you switch sides (i.e. lunges on your left side, then lunges on your right side), or there are two different exercises that you'll rotate between for the 6 cycles. I know you may have limited equipment at home, so the workout uses only a light-medium set of dumbbells. If you don't have dumbbells, try holding canned vegetables, or half or full-gallon just filled with water. You could also hold books or hold light ankle weights. If you don't have any weights or alternative weights, you can still do the movements without weights.

The workout is free, but if you'd like to make a donation for the workout in support of RunnerDude's Fitness during Covid-19, donations can be made via Venmo http://venmo.com/RunnerDude or Paypal https://www.paypal.me/runnerdudesfitness. Give the workout a try and let me know what you think. Post some pics of you doing the workout and staying motivated!

For RunnerDude's Full-Body At-Home Workout #6, all you need is a mat, a light to medium pair of dumbbells (or soup cans will do!), and an exercise cone (or a roll of paper towels will do!).

Fitness Keeps Me Well and Sane

Present Day-54yrs Old

I know it's not a cure-all, but I truly believe that fitness and good eating habits go a long way in
ensuring good health, physically and mentally. Recently, I've been dealing with an Achilles issue that's kept me from running. So glad to have the fitness classes I lead to keep me challenged and motivated while out from running. My early morning boot camps at the studio and two corporate tabata group fitness classes I lead at the Volvo Group North America Headquarters keep me fit and focused. I'm probably about 20 years older than many of the participants in these groups and this grandpa is making them huff and puff and sweat hard...me too! It's been so awesome to see members of these groups get stronger and more confident.

Even in my 20s and 30's I was always in pretty good health, but I realized the true importance of good health about 19 years ago. By 2001, I had run numerous 5K and 10K races and had already completed two full marathons. Then in 2001 when at my 3rd marathon (Chicago), I got sick (as in the night before the race sick). I could not stop using the bathroom. I ended up flying back home and not running the following day. I was depressed and sick as a dog. I went to my family doc and he just thought I had acid reflux. Acid reflux!! My mom had ulcerative colitis and my symptoms seemed awfully similar to her's. I shared my family history with my doc, but he didn't seem to take it seriously. It got so bad, I requested to see another doctor in the practice, and she did a test in the office and immediately said, she thought I had ulcerative colitis. She sent me to a gastroenterologist to confirm her diagnosis. I did indeed have Ulcerative Colitis. UC is one of two Inflammatory Bowl Diseases. The other is Chron's. UC affects the large intestine. Chron's can affect any part of the digestive tract.

Me (38yrs old) at the 2003
Country Music Marathon

It was a rough few moths following the diagnosis. Tried several different medications. Some blew me up like a balloon. Others seemed not to have much effect at all. In 2002 I began having severe pain and they were not sure what was causing it. I ended up in the ER. They sent me home with strong pain meds, but I ended up back in the hospital soon after. Probably too much info, but they discovered I had a fissure in my rectum. I had to have surgery to remove it and kind of reconstruct things. It was a pretty long recovery, but I did well.

I realized in recovery that I needed a goal to keep me from wallowing in my situation and to help me focus on getting better. So, what else would you do....decide to train for a marathon, right? (Keep in mind this was well before RunnerDude). My surgery was in early summer of 2002. Later that summer I began walking to get my strength back. Then slowly added in running. That fall, I focused on getting my strength, stamina, and endurance back. That December, I began training for the 2003 Country Music Marathon in Nashville. I completed the race in 4:10:00 and felt strong. It felt great to accomplish that goal. From then on I ran about one marathon each year for several years in a row.  During this time, working with my doctor, I found a medicine (Colozal) that really worked for me. It worked kind of like a topical medication. I had to take like 6-8 huge capsules a day. They were time-released and would open when they reached the large intestine and coat the walls of the intestine which helped reduce and stop inflammation an ulcers in the large intestine.

In December of 2005, I had a stress fracture in my heel that put me out of running for 4 months. Instead of going stir crazy, I decided to join a gym (remember this was pre-RunnerDude). It was this initial gym membership that I really began to learn the importance of full-body fitness. I also began to pay more attention to my diet and eating healthier. By the fall of 2007 I had set my PRs in the 5K (19:58), Half Marathon (1:30:42) and Marathon (3:42:00). That marathon was Chicago. I had to return and conquer it. 2007 was the year of the big heat wave at Chicago. They actually closed the race at 4hrs. Because of my time, I made it to the finish, but with heat exhaustion. I was on cue to qualify for Boston at mile 18, then the wheels fell off. I was severely dehydrated. But a PR was a PR and that race was really more about redemption for having to miss the race back in 2001.

Around 2008 -2009, my gastroenterologist shared how pleased he was with my progress in managing my UC. I had not had a flare-up in a long while. He thought it was time to wean off the medicine. I did. It's now 2019 and I've not been on medicine for UC since. I've completed 15 marathons, 1 ultra marathon and too many 5Ks, 10Ks, and half marathons to count.  I contribute my remission to my focus on exercise and healthy eating. Yes, I still eat crap sometimes, but in general I'm pretty good about what I put in my body. I'm not quite a vegetarian, but I eat very little meat. When I do, it's lean turkey, chicken, or fish. I eat lots of fiber from fruits, veggies, and whole grains. I'm probably 95% bread. LOL!  I'm a big believer in moderation and accountability when it comes to eating and exercise.  Today, occasionally, I'll have a mild UC flare-up, but nothing like in the early 2000's and today's flares seem to be more stress related. Hence the need for the mental and stress-relief benefits of fitness.

So, if you're not running or working out, give it a try. It will greatly improve your quality of life. I'm a testament to that for sure.

The "I Have No Time To Workout" Workout

Don't have time to workout? Don't have access to a gym? Try this 22min workout. Each exercise works 2 different areas of the body. For each exercise do 6 rounds of 30secs work 10secs rest, then take a 1-min rest before doing the next exercise. Try this workout, then makeup some of your own.

RunnerDude's Weekly Exercise: Dolphin to Elbow Plank

Planks are an effective way for runners to build core strength. However, as effective as they may be, they can also be rather boring to do. The following is a twist on the traditional front plank that decreases the boredom and increases the difficulty level.

To being, position yourself in a front plank with your hands resting on a mat and both arms fully extended. Extend your legs behind your (knees locked) with your toes resting on two glider discs (paper plates work well too). Check to make sure that your mid section isn't hiked up (your butt should be in line with your shoulders and heels). Keeping your body in a straight diagonal line, bend your right elbow until your forearm is resting on the mat. Then do the same with the left arm. As you bend your arms your body will slide back on the glider discs. Then, engage your core and extend your right arm then left arm (your legs will slide back in) until your back a the start position with your arms fully extended. Repeat this motion for 15 seconds, then switch to lowering the left arm first followed by the right for another 15 seconds.

For a better visual of the exercise, check out the video clip below.


RunnerDude's Weekly Exercise: Dolphin to Elbow Plank from Thad McLaurin on Vimeo.

For more exercises for runners, be sure to check out RunnerDude's new book Full-Body Fitness for Runners.

RunnerDude's Full-Body Fitness for Runners

It's a Bouncing Baby Book!

Writing a book, I've discovered, in many ways is not too unlike giving birth. There are months of anxiety, weight gain, moodiness, second-guessing. Your brain is rolling with questions like, "How am I going to afford this child?", "How will I know how to take care of this living being?", "Will I be a good parent?" Biggest difference was my gestation period was about 24 months instead of eight.

In the beginning stages of creating this book, I had similar thoughts. "What makes me think I can write a book?" "Will anyone want to read it.", "How am I going to publish it?" But like having a child, if you wait until you're ready, you'll never have it. So, I took the plunge and began the process a little over two years ago.

I spent several months creating the workouts and brainstorming the other sections of the book. If your luck is anything like mine, you're probably familiar with the the "Suck-it-Away-Syndrome. You know whenever you have extra money, something breaks down sucking up every bit of that money. Bonus Money! Woohoo! Air conditioner breaks down. Refund check! Woohoo! Transmission goes out. Never fails. So, a couple of years ago, when I ended up with some extra money, I decided to go ahead and do a photo shoot for all the exercises in the book, even though the book was yet to be written. I hooked up with an awesome photographer, Daniel Rice of Allez Photography. We spent an entire day shooting the exercise photos with two of my clients (Matthew Halip and Kristen Bowles) who graciously agreed to be my exercise models. Now, when looking through the book, it's hard to believe that those 100+ exercise photos were all taken in my (at the time) little 400sq.ft. studio—a testament to Daniel's talent. (The cover photography was done by another talented photographer Deno Kontoulas of 48 Layers Photography.)

After the photo shoot, business at RunnerDude's Fitness began to grow and so did my need for space. I remodeled a larger space in the complex where the original RunnerDude's Fitness Studio was located. Great for the business, but not great for having time to work on the book. So, it was shelved for a while. During this time, I was working with a pretty big publisher who was very interested in the book. An insider told me it was at the final executive-level of approval. Then I was informed that the publishing company had cleared house and the new head editor wasn't interested in publishing my book. I was disheartened to say the least. I submitted my proposal to several other big publishing houses who all liked the concept, but all declined. I talked with some of my author friends who all encouraged me to self-publish. The upside is I have more control of the book. The downside, I have to do all the hoofing to publicize the book.

I took the plunge and investigated all the self-publishing options and found CreateSpace to be the best option for my needs. Ironically around this same time, I got a press release from the publisher that was originally interested in my book announcing their new fitness book for runners. Looked very familiar. For a short time, I was livid. How dare they!  But after looking through their version, I realized that my book still had so much more to offer. So, I forged ahead.

One of the many things that Full-Body Fitness for Runners offers that "the other" book does not is contributions from some of running's greatest. Olympian Jeff Galloway provides great before-, during-, and after-running nutrition tips. Endurance runner Dean Karnazes, ChiRunning Founder Danny Dreyer, and international yoga expert Sage Rountree (among others) provide recipes for some of their favorite fueling and/or refueling snacks. Author, illustrator, and creator of the nationally syndicated comic Frazz and author of Trizophrenia: Inside the Minds of a Triathlete, Jef Mallett also wrote the foreword for the book. Their insight is an awesome addition to the book.

Another thing this book has is the behind-the-scene input of an  awesome editor, Iris Sutcliffe. Not only did she do a great job in the editing of the book, she was a wealth of valuable advice on many other aspects of the book. She provided a sounding board, another eye, a fresh focus. We worked our way through some formatting and document issues, but we prevailed. When it was time to approve the final proof for CreateSpace, I was a nervous wreck. The finality of it was a bit overwhelming. Not only because of the worry of missing a mistake, but also just the shear fact that all the work had come to an end. That feeling however was short-lived and soon replaced with the panic that now I have to sell the book. LOL! That's where you come in. I hope you'll take some time to check out the book at www.fullbodyfitness4runners.com. And, if you like it, tell your running buddies about it.

Providing over 90 exercises for runners, nutrition tips from Olympian Jeff Galloway, fueling recipes from experts such as endurance runner Dean Karnazes and ChiRunning founder Danny Dreyer, good running form tips, and more, Full-Body Fitness for Runners is a must-have resource for every runner. Three levels of workouts (Novice, Intermediate, Advanced) are divided into lower-body/core and upper-body/core circuits. Each circuit consists of 12 exercises designed to build muscular endurance to support your running helping you run longer, strong, faster, and with less injury.

Inside Full-Body Fitness for Runners you’ll find:

• Jeff Galloway’s before-, during-, and after-running nutrition tips
• Anatomy of a runner
• Five steps for getting started
• Acclimation and what to expect
• 10 tips for new runners
• Stretching
• How to complete the workouts
• Lower-Body/Core Workouts (Novice, Intermediate, Advanced)
• Upper-Body/Core Workouts (Novice, Intermediate, Advanced)
• Full-body exercises
• Additional core exercises
• Partner exercises
• How to fit the workouts into your week
• Good running form
• “Wise Choice” foods for runners
• Pre-, during-, and post-run snack ideas
• Recipes from the experts

I'm pretty sure that as in the case of our family when "maternity amnesia" kicked in paving the way for a second and third child, I too will have "book-creating amnesia" paving the way for another RunnerDude book for runners. Stay tuned.