Time-Efficient, High-Intensity Resistance Training with Corporate Warrior Lawrence Neal- EP041
We all know the value of resistance training. Not only does it improve strength, it can reduce our chances of getting injured and help us maintain muscle mass as we age. But how much time should we devote to weight training in a given week? And how do you maximize the benefit if you only have a few minutes a couple of times a week?
Lawrence Neal argues that if we emphasize time under load rather than repetition, with a focus on form over duration, two fifteen-minute sessions per week is all we really need to reap the benefits of resistance training. Lawrence is the founder of Corporate Warrior: High Intensity Training and the HIT Business Podcast and Blog. He has interviewed 90-plus world-class HIT and fitness business experts to learn the strategies for success in both health and business. He also serves as a one-on-one coach, helping people realize their own health goals in a time-efficient, effective and sustainable way.
Before becoming the Corporate Warrior, Lawrence enjoyed a lucrative eight-year career in B2B technology sales. After reading Body by Science, he embraced time-efficient, high intensity training to achieve his goals in both fitness and business. Today he shares the details of his shift from an intense workout schedule of 7-10 sessions per week to a couple of 15-minute body-weight training sessions and a game of basketball. Lawrence explains what a typical session looks like and why he keeps his focus on time under load rather than repetition. He discusses the evolution of his philosophy around nutrition and why he has adopted a diet centered around high-quality proteins. Listen in to understand how Lawrence has applied his training habits to business productivity, developing an appreciation of effectiveness over efficiency to create a more balanced life!
Topics Covered
[2:26] What inspired Lawrence’s shift to time-efficient, high intensity training- Introduced to Spartan Health Regime
- Adopted intense workout schedule, other areas of life suffered
- Came across McDuff YouTube video, learned importance of recovery
- Read Body by Science, cut to one or two workouts/week
- Sustainable approach gave better results
[7:05] What Lawrence’s intense workout schedule was like before the shift
- Strength training, ab work
- 90-minute runs
- Intervals, hill sprints
- Basketball
- Maintain muscle mass
- Focus on time under load (vs. repetition)
- Embraced body weight training
- Pushups, chin-ups, inverted row, single-leg squat
- Organic cadence, two seconds at max contraction
- No deliberate rest between
- Records duration, not number of reps
- Changes personal routine for novelty
- Latest info indicates periodization offers very little in terms of muscle gain
- Can do similar protocol for most of life
- Able to maintain
- Training to failure is key
- Improves strength
- Reduces chance of injury
- Maintain muscle mass as age
- Daily training affords small increase in muscle mass
- Not sure if gains worth it
- Experimented with four sessions/week, didn’t feel as good from day-to-day
- Started with Spartan regime (fruit, tuna, white potato, steak/fish and vegetable)
- Tim Ferriss influenced to try Slow-Carb Diet, helped maintain body composition
- Incorporating aspects of Zero Carb
- Intermittent fasting, steak for lunch and dinner
- Omelet with lunch, rice/potato with vegetable with dinner
- Never been better in terms of body composition
- Hasn’t done biomarker testing, but feels good and sleeping well
- Estimates 80-90% nutrient-dense whole foods
- Achieved success in B2B tech sales
- Appreciation of effectiveness over efficiency
- Prioritizes tasks that make biggest impact
- Checklists for processes allow for delegation, scaling business
Learn More About Lawrence Neal
Resources
Body by Science: A Research Based Program for Strength Training, Body Building and Complete Fitness in 12 Minutes a Week by John R. Little and Doug McGuff
The One-Minute Workout: Science Shows a Way to Get Fit That’s Smarter, Faster, Shorter by Martin Gibala and Christopher Shulgan
Dr. Ted Naiman on Corporate Warrior
The 4-Hour Body by Timothy Ferriss
The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done by Peter F. Drucker