Life Insurance

Our 15-minute-per-day exercise regimen that will get you in shape with a minimum of effort, time and money

Our 15-minute-per-day exercise regimen that will get you in shape with a minimum of effort, time and money

You have likely managed to read between the lines so you have already inferred that Body Engineering is not just about losing weight. Getting rid of fat is only part of the equation.

Actually, weight loss is only a side effect of multiple cumulative habits that offer a general state of wellbeing, an excellent physical shape, longevity and increased self-esteem.

If that’s what you’re after, you should now that we constantly strive to find the cheapest, simplest, most pleasant and most effective solutions.

We have already bombarded you with articles about diet, sleep, mindset. Hope you can keep up.

Hundreds, maybe thousands are on the way. Just letting you know…

✅ SOUND MIND IN A SOUND BODY

In order for a holistic approach to be possible, you also need to be in a good physical shape. Simply having a thin layer of skin over your skeleton won’t be enough.

Muscle mass is an essential piece of any health puzzle. It plays an important role in the metabolic function and in equipping the body for any situation.

Situations? Things like: going up a few flights of stairs, running after your kids in the park, do a mountain hike, ride a bike or any other physical activity you enjoy doing.

We will now go into detail. We will write about what you have to do in order to be in a good physical shape, with minimal effort.

We will write about an effective training regimen, with explanations for exercise criteria, including volume, number of sets, technique, tempo, progress, muscle failure, equipment.

✅ SPOT-ON

We want this to help you, so we decided to name this extraordinary habit. We called it LIFE INSURANCE. You should implement this starting today.

With just 15 to 20 minutes invested every day you will be in top physical shape. You can even get close to athletes in some sport branches.

Following the Pareto Principle (80/20), you can reach 80% of your physical potential with only 20 minutes per day.

This will ensure you’ll be well on your way to a long and fulfilling (physical) life by implementing this habit on the long run.

✅ LET’S GET TO WORK

We’ll make it very simple. You will find details below about all exercises you can do daily.

We chose the most important 7 routines (1 for every week day) you can do at home, without investing in expensive or bulky equipment.

What you will need: 2 different sets of 2 dumbbells. Maybe a 50 USD investment. We good?

Before we start anything, please read the disclaimer below:

Because exercise technique is our number one priority, our recommendation is to get in touch with a specialized trainer or instructor who can help you learn the correct technique necessary for every exercise we will present below.

DO NOT IGNORE THIS RECOMMENDATION!

Here we go!

✅ MONDAY: DEAD LIFT

You can do this exercise using either dumbbells, or a barbell. We recommend you use the dumbbells if you are a beginner – it will be easier.

Minimal volume: 4 sets as close as possible to fail (we are speaking of muscle failure – you will know you’ve reached that state when your legs start trembling when lifting)

The optimal exercise weight: the weight enabling you to do between 15 and 25 reps to fail.

🏆Pro Tip: The exercise should get really HARD between 20 and 25 reps.

🏆Pro Tip: Our recommendation is to start with smaller weights until you master the right technique.

Generally, the right form for this exercise is difficult to implement without the help of a specialized trainer. That’s why, for this exercise, we recommend seeking the advice of a trainer until you learn the proper technique.

The most frequent problem: instead of a deadlift, doing a semi squat – that way you’ll strain your spinal muscles and risk injuring your lumbar area.

Our #1 principle: safety first! Don’t do this exercise with large weights if you’re unsure whether you’ve mastered the correct technique.

Control the movement and stop for a second at the lowest point of the motion. You can do a spry lift, but the descent must be slower and more controlled.

Here is the proper technique:

There are multiple forms for this exercise.

The form we prefer: one that will stimulate the glutes – this means pushing the gluteal muscles further behind.

Additional remarks:

1. The lumbar position of your spine is important. If you curve too much towards the outside, try looking up. Even if this detail seems insignificant, it can actually correct your position. If you curve too much towards the inside, try looking towards the floor (so the other way).

2. Try pulling your blade muscles as much as possible towards the back – you’ll be able to better hold on to the dumbbells/barbell.

3. The motion is counter intuitive. You’ll have the tendency to do a semi-squat. Try flexing your knees as little as possible. Push your glutes further back. That will help you keep a correct form during the movement.

4. For muscle hypertrophy, Romanian Dead Lift will be enough. This means you don’t have to lower the dumbbells all the way to the ground (the classic dead lift), but usually to the middle of your calves.

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✅ TUESDAY: BICEP CURLS

You should use dumbbells for this exercise.

Minimal volume: 4 sets as close as possible to fail.

The optimal exercise weight: the weight enabling you to do between 15 and 25 reps to fail.

🏆Pro Tip: The exercise should get really HARD between 20 and 25 reps.

Here is the proper technique:

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✅ WEDNESDAY – DUMBBELL LATERAL RAISES

Minimal volume: 4 sets as close as possible to fail

The optimal exercise weight: the weight enabling you to do between 20 and 30 reps to fail.

🏆Pro Tip: The exercise should get really HARD between 20 and 30 reps.

This is an exercise specifically designed to isolate the lateral deltoid muscle, so the weight should not be excessive.

Our recommendation: use smaller weights and, implicitly, do a higher number of reps. Try aiming for 30 reps, rather than 20.

WARNING: If the exercise becomes too hard and execution technique is lacking, then YOU SHOULD STOP!

You risk adding additional stress to your muscles, and you risk injury.

🏆Pro Tip: the shoulder is the most mobile joint in your body, but, at the same time, it is the most prone to injury due to its complexity.

Here is the proper technique:

Other remarks on technique:

1. Elbows should only be little flexed (not completely straight, but not too flexed either).

2. Don’t use inertia to execute the move. You’ll exert additional pressure on the joint of the shoulder and the exercise will cease to be efficient. You would not get the proper muscle stimulation. If you feel you’re doing it, stop. It means you’ve reached a high degree of muscle exhaustion. Rest for a bit and then do another set.

Sometimes I do this exercise while kneeling in order to minimize my use of inertia.

3. Don’t lift the weight sideways too much. Don’t take it too much towards the back either. The lift angle should be slightly in front.

4. There is no need foryou to lift the weight higher than shoulder level in order to reach adequate muscle stimulation.

5. Stop for one second at shoulder level while doing the upward motion. That’s the point with the highest muscle stimulation level for your deltoids. Then slowly descend the dumbbell until you reach your thighs.

6. In order to achieve proper stimulation, try focusing on lifting the dumbbell using the shoulder muscles, rather than your trapeze muscles. The idea here is not to lift that weight at any cost, but instead activating your deltoids properly.

7. Pronation (the position of your hands on the dumbbells) should be neutral. Inclination angle should be zero. This aspect is important especially for people who are prone to experiencing shoulder joints issues.

The good part about this exercise is that you’ll rarely experience deltoid muscle soreness. You can do more than 4 sets if you wish – no significant negative impact will occur in this area.