Microdose Dumbbell Workouts That Build Muscle & Burn Fat

Right now, you’re probably wondering what makes this book different from the hundreds of other fitness guides out there.

A Microdose Workout is an all-in-one form of training scientifically proven to work.

These workouts have been shown to be effective for the following:

• Improving functional training ability 
• Burning fat
• Building muscle
• Skyrocketing endurance
• Decreasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases
• Increasing overall quality of life ^{[1] [2] [3]}

These workouts are easy to learn, providing you with foundational information that will be with you for a lifetime. In addition, you’ll be able to teach your family and friends what you’ve learned, helping them to improve their health.

Best of all, these total body workouts are fast to finish. 

How long did it take you to finish your last gym workout? 45 minutes? One hour? Two hours? 

Studies show the time it takes to complete a workout is a common barrier to sticking with an exercise program. ^[4]

Microdose Workouts only take 15 to 25 minutes to complete! This leaves more room in your schedule for important things like hanging out with friends, spending time with family, and working on that side project.

Who Can Benefit From This Book?

Let's face it. We are tired of running on a treadmill for an hour, spending early morning hours in the gym, and "putting in the time" with old ways of weightlifting, which aren't necessarily for everyone.

Most of the programs you see online are recycled, having typically been marketed towards bodybuilders.

Microdose Workouts are perfect for the guy or girl who wants a lean, muscular, and functional body without feeling like they are training for the Olympics Bodybuilding stage.

These workouts are perfect for those who are:

• Short on Time: These workouts don’t take hours like traditional weightlifting programs, making them ideal for on-the-go people.

• Have No Gym Access: Since you only need one piece of equipment to do ALL of these workouts, you don’t need access to a commercial gym. Stop throwing away money each month!

• Need Variety: These workouts are great for people who don’t enjoy going through a traditional workout routine that features the same boring exercises from month to month. Microdose Workouts provide plenty of variety and fun.

The term “microdose” has become synonymous with Silicon Valley and productivity. But when it comes to fitness, I use it a bit differently.

Capturing that same idea of the smallest dose to capture the most significant benefit, you can think of a microdose workout as the least amount of exercise required to provide the highest health benefits.

My microdose workouts are short in duration, only taking 15 to 25 minutes to complete. But what they lack in time, they make up for with intensity. These short burst workouts target every major muscle group. That means you’re getting a full-body workout every time.

With a microdose workout regimen, you also don’t have to worry about adding those dull cardio days to your workout. (Remember that day you always skip in favor of weightlifting? You know who you are.)

Given the high-intensity nature of microdose workouts, you will put yourself through a cardio workout without even realizing it. Microdose training is an all-in-one workout, targeting both strength AND cardio.

What are the Benefits of Microdose Training? 

What would you say if I asked how much time you spend in the gym on an average day? If you’re like most people, you’ve been taught to believe that a longer-duration workout is better for you. This is not the case!

Sure, it can’t hurt to spend an hour on the treadmill, but why do that when you can get the same benefits in a fraction of the time? Here are just some of the proven benefits of microdose workouts.

Fat Burning

Using this quick burst workout format will place a huge demand on muscle tissue for energy. Studies show that microdose training taps into a higher level of fat burning through high-intensity intervals. 

But it gets better. High-intensity exercise triggers a significant increase in excess post-oxygen consumption, better known as EPOC. Don’t let the fancy name scare you.
Here’s EPOC in a nutshell—

When your body uses oxygen during exercise, it goes into an oxygen deficit. Don’t worry! This is completely normal. So, post-workout, EPOC refers to the energy used to pay that oxygen deficit back and get it back to normal levels. 

The greater the intensity, the higher the level of EPOC, and the more calories you burn for hours after your workout has ended. ^[5]

Overall, the high-intensity format of microdose workouts has been shown to promote healthy weight loss over the long term. The reason for its high retention level is due to its short duration and fast results.

Muscle Building

While you won’t look like Phil Health or Brandon Curry (right away), you will definitely build lean muscle mass with microdose workouts.

The complex exercises I’ve selected target the most muscle groups in one sitting. In other words, you’ll work several muscle groups at once with every exercise. 

Full-body workouts are scientifically proven to cause the necessary microtears in the muscle that prompt muscle growth. ^[6]

Also, the acute variables – sets, repetitions, intensity – of microdose training are based on the scientific literature for muscle building.

Microdose training is ideal for anyone looking to build solid lean muscle while getting toned or ripped.

Functional Movement Patterns

Here’s something you probably don’t think about: proper movement patterns. You might be saying to yourself, “I know how to walk. One foot in front of the other. What do I care about learning about proper movement patterns?”

Unfortunately, too few people know how to train their bodies to optimize functional movement patterns. The result is an increased risk of injury and muscle overcompensation or when a stronger muscle takes over for a weaker muscle.

The movement habits you build now will follow you for years. So you want to fix a problem before you reach your golden years and the issue has become too advanced.

My microdose training is designed to improve functional movement patterns or movements you do every day, such as squatting, sitting, pushing, pulling, and reaching. This will help you get stronger, stay independent, and lower your risk for injury over the long term.

What makes Microdose Workouts the Best Method of Training?

I’m not trying to toot my own horn, but I believe the microdose training method is one of the best. Here’s why:

Science-Backed

One of the most significant issues I see with internet fitness programs is that they take the bodybuilding program that worked for a pro bodybuilder and expect an average person to do it. Unfortunately, most of us don’t have four hours to dedicate to the gym.

Another example is the “bro science workout” that has become so popular. Unfortunately, these workouts only scratch the surface of fitness as they neglect to focus on muscle groups that require extra attention, such as your glutes and hip flexors.

The exercises in my microdose workouts are hand-selected and scientifically proven to promote fat burning, strength gains, and muscle building.

All-in-One Training

Speaking of fitness benefits, microdose training can help you achieve a lean and athletic physique while improving your everyday functional strength and dramatically reducing your risk of injury.

No more splitting your workouts into strength, muscle growth, and cardio days. Instead, every microdose workout promotes endurance, strength, power, and muscle growth.

Your Safety First

My microdose workouts are arranged to maximize the above benefits while reducing your risk of injury.

For example, you aren’t going to be put in a situation where you need to test your one-repetition maximum (1RM), which is the most common cause of injury in the weight room. 

All of the exercises in microdose training are functional. You’re not trying to set any personal bests, but instead focus on safely improving your overall physique and fitness level.

CRAWLING: THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH?

We’re all looking for the best ways to feel younger. Those movements, exercises, and seemingly ordinary abilities that we have when we’re young become a luxury as we get older. Do you have to be just another victim to the effects of the aging process? I certainly don’t think so. One of the best ways that you can protect your body, mind, and overall health is to start crawling. You heard right: get on the ground and start crawling.

If you thought that crawling was over with once you became a toddler, you thought wrong. Crawling is one of the most basic and primal movement patterns for human beings. It’s easy to take this way of moving for granted; after all, it seems more like a stepping stone to something more important: walking and running. But thanks to scientific studies and clinical trials, the benefits of crawling and animalistic movement patterns have been revealed.

As I’ll discuss more in the following chapters, crawling is a fantastic way to activate the muscular and cardiovascular systems. It strengthens the vagus nerve, which is responsible for the following:

1. Acts as the messenger between your brain and your major organs
2. Helps with proper digestion as it controls the throat muscles, helping food into the stomach
3. Ensures proper communication by controlling the muscles used during speech
4. During high-stress situations (fight-or-fight), the vagus nerves lowers blood pressure
5. Another way it promotes proper digestion is by controlling the stomach muscles themselves

In other words, the vagus nerve is essential for the proper functioning of your heart, lungs, digestive system, and several other important organs. 

Crawling can improve your movements, enhance neuromuscular connections, and skyrocket your sense of independence. No small feat, right? Best of all, these are just a few of the many benefits that crawling offers.

As elementary as it might seem, there’s nothing childish about dramatically changing your body, your health, and your life. If you want to get stronger, if you want to feel more confident in your own body, and if you want to feel years younger, crawling is exactly what you’ve been looking for. 

Over the next several chapters, we’ll discuss what crawling is, the history of crawling, and the scientifically-proven benefits of crawling. Afterward, you’ll be provided with everything you need to get started with your own crawling workouts – no weights required!

Are you ready to develop untold strength and improve your fitness level? Let’s get started!

History of Crawling

Where did crawling come from? Not the crawling you do as a baby, but the form of crawling exercise that has been shown to elicit so many benefits: Is it a here-today, gone-tomorrow fad? Has it been around for centuries? Unfortunately, the true origin of crawling is unknown, but it is my belief – and that of several other experts – that it originated in China. Why China?

Chinese culture, philosophy, and marital arts have a heavy focus on harmony with nature and moving in accordance with the greater world of balance such as you’ll find in the traditional text of the I Ching. Taking this a step further, this focus on nature can be witnessed in literal action in the martial arts.

Chinese martial arts are rife with animal movements, especially in the forms of Kung Fu. For example, the forms within Kung Fu are titled after the animals they imitate such as the crane, tiger, and monkey. The fighting form and philosophy of Bagua incorporates movements that reflect the animals from Chinese Zodiacs such as the dog, cat, and tiger.

Now, fast forward to modern-day China where you’ll find dozens of people in local parks performing the most basic crawling exercises along with the flow-based exercise of Tai Chi.

Why is crawling so popular in China? Many of those practicing crawling cite its health benefits, and how it’s changed their health and wellness. Let’s dive into the proven and reported benefits of crawling that can help you.

The Power of Crawling 

Let’s discuss the reason you’re reading this book: the benefits of crawling.

As mentioned in the previous section, crawling can be found throughout numerous forms of physical activity over hundreds, if not thousands of years. The question is why? 

Why has this seemingly ordinary practice withstood the test of time? Why are researchers and sports scientists suddenly making a big deal about crawling? As the popularity of crawling grows, so does the proven benefits of this form of exercise.

It’s important to start with the foundation of the benefits of crawling, or where most of the other benefits stem from: the vagus nerve and vestibular system.

Crawling for the Vagus Nerve and Vestibular System

The body is home to 12 specialized nerves called cranial nerves. Each nerve is connected to different parts of the body, providing a communication network for your senses, functional movements, and bodily functions. The vagus nerve in particular is one of the most important in the body. It is the longest cranial nerve, and it is associated with numerous organs and systems in the body; one of those is the vestibular system.

The vestibular system is a very complex network that helps us maintain balance as we move throughout our day. It also ensures the body compensates appropriately in response to forces outside ourselves. For example, when someone pushes us, it is the vestibular system that allows us to regain our balance and not fall over.

Due to the positive demands that crawling places on the body such as hand-and-eye coordination, and left-brain-right-brain activation, these exercises have been shown to stimulate the vagus nerve. The benefits of properly stimulating the vagus nerve are numerous; here are a few of the most important:

• Enhances the vestibular system; thereby improving balance and coordination
• Alleviates depression and improves overall mood
• Reduces inflammation in the body
• Decreases risk for metabolic diseases such as heart disease 

These benefits were amplified when crawling was combined with vagus nerve stimulation breathing – or deep, belly breathing. More on that in the chapters that follow.

From the healthy activation of the vagus nerve, you’ll be able to experience a variety of other key benefits including the following:

Crawling for Mobility and Coordination

More on the vestibular system mentioned above: This system is responsible for taking in sensory information and adjusting our bodies accordingly to meet the demand of that sensory input. It’s how we know where to go without over doing it or falling short. 

For example, if someone throws a ball to you but you can see that’s it’s going a bit over your head, your vestibular system will take in this data and allow your body to move accordingly to be at the right point to catch that ball. Crawling can improve the vestibular system of humans from the time we’re babies until well into old age. The result is enhanced mobility and coordination.

The implication for elderly people is that by crawling and improving the vestibular system, they will be able to maintain independence well into their golden years.

Crawling for Cognitive Health

Crawling is exactly what the brain needs on several levels: neural connections, mood, and memory:

Neural Connections: Crawling gets the brain and body moving. The first few times a baby crawls, the brain is firing to build synapses, understand sensory information, and improve upon all cognitive processes. While an adult’s sensory input understanding is already fully formed, we can all use a boost in our neural connections. Crawling may be beneficial in improving the health of our current neural connections while supporting the creation of new cells. 

Mood: Numerous studies have confirmed that consistent exercise and physical activity is a natural and effective way to boost your mood. When you perform exercises, like crawling, your body releases those feel good chemicals such as serotonin.

Memory: Crawling demands a lot from your body. It requires that all of your muscles work together to perform the movement, making it a form of proprioceptive exercise. In other words, you need balance, coordination, and proper length-tension relationships between muscles. A recent study concluded that those exercises with a proprioceptive demand improved overall working memory. 

Crawling and Physical Fitness

Crawling is the original full body workout and it supports muscle building, strength, and fat loss:

Muscle Building: When you engage in crawling, you are utilizing all of the major muscle groups. Your core is kept tight as your legs and glutes push you forward. Your chest, back, shoulders, and arms guide you through the range of motion. It won’t take long in a crawling position before you feel all of these muscles start to light up, signaling to you that they are working hard. Crawling is an excellent way to support lean muscle growth throughout the body. 

Strength: Continuing with the point above, the term “strength” is often confused with being able to lift a lot of weight. Often, you’ll see guys who are throwing around a lot of plates on the barbell suddenly unable to support their own bodyweight during pull-ups or planks. What’s the problem here? Bodyweight exercises should be easier, right? Not at all.

True strength is the ability to master one’s own bodyweight in different movements and positions. As a full-body workout that taps into the brain-body connection, crawling can allow you to master your own bodyweight and develop serious strength. 

As we mentioned under the balance and coordination section, this has tremendously positive implications for those who are elderly or going through physical rehabilitation. Increasing one’s strength can contribute to a life of independence and, as a result, mental well-being. 

Weight Management: Studies show that the best form of exercise for fat burning involves full-body movements that challenge the body’s proprioception: in other words, crawling is the ideal fat-burning exercise.

Crawling demands the physical activation of several major muscle groups along with your neuromuscular faculties. This sends your metabolic response into overdrive, helping to burn more calories and fat. The key to weight loss or weight management is burning more calories than you consume each day, and crawling provides an effective calorie-blasting workout. 

Is the Cross-Crawl Walk the Best Full-Body Exercise?

Whether you want to lose weight, build muscle, or gain strength, full-body exercises are an excellent way to achieve all three fitness goals.

But which is the best total body exercise?

Squats? Deadlifts? Burpees?

I’d argue that the cross-crawl walk is easily one of the most important full-body exercises you should incorporate into your weekly routine.

The cross-crawl walk does more than help you lose weight and build muscle, it’s an effective way to dramatically improve coordination, mobility, and neuromuscular connections all while strengthening your central nervous system.

Let’s explore the benefits of full-body exercises, my checklist for a great full-body workout, and how to perform the cross-crawl walk.

Full-Body Exercises vs. Isolation Exercises

There are two primary types of exercises: full body and isolation.

As the name suggests, a full-body exercise is going to target multiple muscle groups at the same time. 

Better known as compound movements, these exercises activate the greatest number of muscle fibers and require a higher degree of energy.

The result is a greater degree of energy expenditure as well as better results in lean muscle tissue and strength development. 

Here are some examples of popular total-body exercises: 

• Squats

• Deadlifts

• Turkish Getup

• Bear Crawls

• Burpees

Isolation exercises, on the other hand, will only focus on one muscle group at a time.

You can look at isolation exercises as finishing-type movements for that extra burn. But they lack the neuromuscular connectivity that compound movements 

Bicep curls and leg extensions are perfect examples.

Unless you are going after a specific goal such as bodybuilding, I’d recommend sticking with total-body exercises for optimal results.

What Every Full-Body Exercise Should Do

Outside of the usual fat-burning, muscle-building, and strength-boosting benefits, I believe that a total-body exercise should also support those areas of the body that don’t get the spotlight.

I’m talking about your nervous system.

It’s important to properly challenge and strengthen the two primary nervous systems: the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS).

While general fitness does this to an extent, most exercises tend to lack when it comes to the central nervous system.

I believe that a great full-body exercise should challenge the entire neuromuscular system.

As a result, these exercises can help to build stronger neuromuscular connections while increasing brain activity and neurotransmitter production.

In other words, a great full-body exercise should benefit the body AND the brain, improving your overall nervous system.

Best Total Body Exercise: The Cross Crawl Walk

Why am I such a fan of the cross-crawl walk? 

Well, let’s start with the number of muscles that is activates. The cross-crawl walk targets the following muscle groups:

Major Muscle Groups:

• Legs: Quadriceps, hamstrings, calves
• Core: Rectus abdominus, obliques, and transverse abdominus
• Hip Flexors: Psoas major, iliacus, rectus femoris, and tensor fasciae latae

Secondary Muscle Groups:

• Hips: Gluteus medius and minimus
• Shoulders: Anterior, medial and posterior deltoids

That’s a lot! And as you can see, you’re getting a workout from head to toe.

I’m also partial to the cross-crawl walk because it does exactly what I look for in a great full-body exercise: it challenges the body as much as the brain.

Incorporating the cross-crawl walk into your weekly routine, there’s a good chance you’ll see your coordination and mobility improve as much as your strength.

How to Perform the Cross Crawl Walk

Here’s a step-by-step breakdown on how to perform this exercise. I’ve also included some helpful images and a link to video instruction.

Stand tall with your chest up and core tightened. Prepare the body by keeping your shoulders loose and your lower back flat.

Begin the movement by bringing your left knee up to the height of your stomach or chest. 

Simultaneously, bring your right elbow across the body to meet your knee. 

Be sure to twist the upper torso as you do so, letting your gaze follow. 

Now bring the left foot down and take a step forward as you swing the right knee up to chest level. 

Again, bring your left elbow across your body to meet your right knee. 

Experiment with head rotation during this exercise, looking over the opposite shoulder of where your hands or body move.

Continue moving forward with the opposing elbow to knee pattern for the prescribed number of repetitions or distance.

Discover More Full-Body Exercises to Reach Your Fitness Goals

The cross-crawl walk is an amazing total-body workout, but it’s not the only one!

Are you trying to lose weight, build muscle, or simply discover new ways to challenge your body for optimal health?

Let’s chat about how I can help you with one-on-one coaching that is unique to your experience, preferences, and goals.

Alleviate Anxiety and Stress with Interlinking Exercises

Did you know that stress and anxiety are the most common forms of mental illness in the United States?

According to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America, over 40 million U.S. adults are affected by stress and anxiety each year.

For those seeking natural ways to alleviate symptoms and side effects of anxiety, it can be tough to hear the same advice:

• Think of several things that you are grateful for
• Go for walks throughout the day
• Make a list of activities that you want to do

Maybe you’ve tried these passive solutions, but you might want something more hands-on.

Is there is anything that you can physically do, a type of exercise, that can alleviate anxiety and stress?

Commonly referred to as the hook-up exercise, interlinking is a great way to reduce to negative effects of stress and return you to a normal state of mind.

Let’s explore hook-ups or interlinking, the benefits of this exercise, and how to perform it in the comfort of your own home.

The Problem with Stress and Anxiety

Despite modern conveniences, many people are plagued by constant worry, fear, and stress. 

We’re built to handle occasional stress, not chronic stress.

When you get stressed or feel anxious, your fight-or-flight system is activated. As a result, your body releases large amounts of the hormones, cortisol and adrenaline.

Once in a while, this is okay, but when your body is constantly flooded by these catabolic hormones, you’re at a higher risk for muscle breakdown, chronic illness, and poor mental health.

Thankfully, there are some things that you can do to alleviate the symptoms of stress by stopping it in its tracks.

What are Hook-Ups (Interlinking) Exercises?

Hook-ups are a brain-and-body exercise that are suggested to reduce the stress response by activating the nervous system and lowering cortisol and adrenaline.

How to Perform Hook-Ups / Interlinking?

You can perform this exercise in a seated, standing, or lying down position.

• Begin by crossing one ankle over the other
• Lift your hands up in front of you, placing the backs of your hands together
• Now, cross your arms over one another, interlinking your hands together
• Roll your hands under and then up toward your chest
• Your hands should be interlinking and just below your chin at this point
• Place your tongue on the roof of your mouth

From here, I want you to focus on your breathing. Take deep breaths in and out, paying attention to how your body moves up and down as you breathe.

Try doing this when you get stressed or feel anxious. You’ll be amazed at how quickly your body calms down and you return to a clear headspace.

Looking for More Exercises to Alleviate Stress?

The interlinking exercise (hook-ups) is just one way to reduce stress in the heat of the moment. 

If you want more exercises like this one, along with a stress-focused diet and workout program, I can help.

With almost two decades in the health and fitness industry, I can create a custom program of exercises designed to reduce stress and improve the central nervous system.

Let’s chat about how I can help you feel and look your best.

Sources

1. “Facts & Statistics: Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA.” Facts & Statistics | Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA, adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/facts-statistics.