The Power Hour
If you have 60 minutes, there is perhaps no better approach to working out
At the beginning of the summer, I vowed to get outside and add some variety to my workouts. I’m not big on running in the cold during the winter months so my workouts center around the Peloton platform and to a lesser extent, Apple Fitness+. Because of that, I was eager to run more than ever and to add other types of exercise to my fitness regimen. And so far, so good. I’m playing basketball once a week. I surpassed a hundred miles in a month for the first time in perhaps 10 years. On recovery days or days of extreme heat and humidity, I’m hitting the bike. And I’ve maintained my strength workouts throughout the summer.
I’m always on the lookout for new fitness trends and ways to workout, so my interest was piqued during a recent conversation with a friend of mine who told me that he had started doing “power hour” workouts. In his particular case, he was challenging himself to complete X number of push-ups every minute for 60 minutes, but he made the point to say that you can incorporate the approach to any type of workout. So naturally, I had to find out more.
I started by Googling “Power Hour” and got a bunch of unrelated results as it seems the term can be applied to everything from drinking games to study approaches. There is a podcast called “The Power Hour” (relevant for another day) that covers taking the first hour of each day for yourself (read, exercise, draw, listen to podcasts).
Googling “Power Hour Workout Routine” provided more relevant results and drove home the point that this approach can be adapted to almost any type of workout addressing any type of body part, with or without weights.
In summary, think of the “Power Hour” as an every minute, on the minute type of workout (EMOM), with rest periods built into each 60 second segment. For example, you might choose to focus on push-ups, where you would complete 10 reps every minute with rest built in for a total of 600 push ups in one hour. How much rest in between sets is determined by the number of reps and how quickly you complete them each minute, so if you can do 10 push-ups in 20 seconds, you would have 40 seconds of rest every minute. Fatigue will inevitably set in, so setting realistic, challenging yet attainable targets based on your fitness level will be crucial.
What’s really great about this approach is that you can break up the hour however you’d like. You could, for example, complete a full-body workout, using 20 minutes for upper body, 20 minutes for lower body and 20 minutes for core. Or focus on cardio by running for 30 seconds every minute and walking for 30 seconds for an hour. Or, as in the above example, use it to build one specific body part each day, with or without weights. There are quite literally hundreds of approaches you can take depending on your fitness goals.
If you’re looking for some inspiration, search “power hour workout” where you’ll find links to articles, routines and videos, though I think the true power in this approach is the ability to tailor workouts to your needs.
News From Around the Web
Rumors suggest that a new “rugged” Apple Watch could be introduced this fall along with the normal upgrade cycle. My take: This depends a lot on the definition of rugged. I could see a use case for say, scuba diving (current models are good for swimming, but not so good in extreme depths), but I guess I question the need. I don’t see it happening, but more than one outlet is reporting it, so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Expect an announcement (or not) in early September.
6 Ways to Level Up Your Daily Walk - At one point, I considered doing an entire post on the benefits of walking (and still may well do it). In the meantime, experts say Americans are taking more walks than before the pandemic. This piece I came across in The NY Times provides suggestions on mixing things up on your walks. My take: I’ll admit to being dismissive of walking as a way to stay active, especially pre-pandemic, but I’m a convert. It’s perhaps the easiest way to incorporate fitness into your day and in my opinion, its an activity that is best enjoyed with family or friends, while walking the dog, or just as a way to get away from your desk for 30 minutes. If you are an Apple Watch user, I would recommend the time to walk workouts. They incorporate stories from celebrities while walking, photos (they appear on your watch at specified times) and music.
Why Men Over 40 Should Go Back to Basics and Crawl Before Their Toughest Training - This piece is from Men’s Health, but the exercise is just as applicable to women. It’s more of a take on the bear plank than a crawl in that your knees are meant to be off the ground.
Thanks to everyone for their input, feedback and kind words. See you next week.