How to Build Muscle & Save Your Marriage

Yep, saving your marriage is a big, bold claim, but I’ll prove we have the answers today. You’re getting a two-fer, two pieces of advice for free in one email.

Now as much as I appreciate the stress- and pain-relief from the yoga and meditation methods we discussed this week, my first love is intense metabolic resistance training.

I love the muscle pumps, the defined arms, the ‘perky’ chest, the strong upper back, the sexy glutes, and shapely legs that dumbbell workouts – like this one – will give you.

On Tuesday morning I snuck out to the garage for a mid-morning muscle-building workout. With warm-up, this superset & circuit workout takes about 30 minutes. (A superset is two exercises done back-to-back, typically without rest.) It left me with a great upper body pump, like the kind that Arnold got back in the day, for about three hours. Enjoy…and then discover the secret to saving your marriage below…

Thirty-Minute Upper Body Pump Express Workout 

Bodyweight Warm-up
A) Prisoner Squat – 10 reps
B) Band Pull-Apart  or  Stick-ups – 15 reps
C) Maximus Pushups (pause 1 second at the top and bottom) – 5 reps
•    Do not rest between exercises. Repeat the circuit two more times.

1A) DB Flat Chest Press – 8 repetitions
1B) TRX Row – 15 reps  or  1-Arm Dumbbell Row – 8 reps per side
•    Do not rest between exercises.
•    Rest 1 minute before repeating the superset two more times.

2A) DB Incline Press – 15 repetitions
2B) DB Chest-Supported Row – 15 repetitions
2C) Ab Wheel  or  Stability Ball Rollout – 15 repetitions
•    Do not rest between exercises.
•    Rest 1 minute before repeating the circuit two more times.

3A) Maximus Pushups to Failure (pause 1 second at the top and bottom)
3B) Maximus Pullups to Failure (pause 1 second at the top and bottom)
•    Do not rest between exercises.
•    Rest 1 minute before repeating the superset two more times.

If you enjoyed that dumbbell metabolic resistance workout, then you’ll love these:

30-Minute Workouts that Burn Fat and Build Muscle at the SAME Time

And now…

It’s amazing how you can change someone’s life with a secret that might even save a marriage. This report comes from Daniel Woodrum, Master CTT, owner of TT Fit Body Bootcamp in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina:

“Wow! Yesterday was absolutely amazing for our 6-week Bootcamp Challeng Members. Thirty-nine lost weight last week, and several lost up to 5 lbs in seven days. Yesterday, I personally messaged every member to thank them for being a part of our fitness family. The responses were overwhelming. One member said our bootcamp has helped save her marriage in the last 3 months because both she and her husband are members and have committed to changing their lives.” 

Great news, Daniel, congratulations! That’s the power of associating with positive people. That’s why, if your relationships are struggling, you must identify positive people and seek our positive environments. You must spend time with them and time in them.

“Your relationships bring you luck,” said my mentor, Dr. Nido Qubein of High Point University in North Carolina. “Who you spend your time with determines your success. Put yourself into a big pond,” he urged, “and like a Koi fish you will adapt and grow bigger in a better environment. You will survive and thrive.”

At TT we call this Playing Up a Level. Whatever you call it, you must get out of your comfort zone. Relationships must be nurtured and encouraged to grow, and just like a plant they need the right ingredients and environment. We all need the help of other people so get out there and build stronger relationships today.

By the way, if you want to be like Daniel and help other people change their lives through health and fitness, please watch this special video I created here:

Discover how to become a fitness hero in your town

Let your learning and loving never end,
Craig Ballantyne, CTT

PS – Wise words for the weekend…

If something is bothering you, look at your situation objectively. If it were another, you’d counsel, “It’s okay, everything will be alright. Don’t make such a big deal about it.” Take your own advice. The only person that sees your predicament as a problem is you. It really is an opportunity for you to learn, love, and grow.

And remember…

Complainers, losers, and mean colleagues…they are not going to change. Change from being with the bitter critics to being with better people.

Play up a level with positive people today!