First, let me introduce myself: I’m Tom Holland, Innovation for Endurance’s Men’s Health blogger, exercise physiologist, and author of Beat the Gym: Personal Trainer Secrets Without the Personal Trainer Price Tag and The 12-Week Triathlete. I created this month-long challenge specifically for Innovation for Endurance based on my many years of experience as a trainer and what I know about you, the IFE community.

We’re so glad you signed up and I promise you that if you stick with the plan and challenge yourself during each and every workout, you cannot help but see results! Yes, it’s a commitment. We will be working out six days a week, alternating strength training days and cardio days. But the workouts will be short, and they will be effective. They will require minimal equipment, just several sets of dumbbells and a stability ball or bench. I may occasionally throw in an exercise with a step or chair, but it will always be something you can easily find in your house. You can purchase everything you need for less than $40.  

The IFE Challenge will accommodate all fitness levels, from the absolute beginner to the experienced exerciser. How will this work? Simple. You will choose the weights that challenge YOU. You will perform your cardio at an intensity that makes YOU breathe hard. I will provide the workouts: You will provide the effort! The strength workouts can be done in the privacy of your home or at the gym; it’s up to you. The cardio workouts will be designed so that you can choose whatever mode or method you want: walking, running, biking, elliptical. I will design each cardio session and you will simply follow the framework.

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from now through February 3, 2012, we’ll post a strength workout on the Innovation for Endurance Facebook wall. We’ll rotate through the same workouts so you have the chance to get to know the moves and see improvement over the course of the month. I’ll add guidance on how to continue challenging yourself, but in a nutshell, you’ll want to add more weight, more sets and repetitions, and/or more time and intensity as you find the workouts get easier. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays you’ll focus on a 30-minute cardio workout. And Sundays will be your recovery day – and trust me, you’ll need it!  

Many of you will have questions. Feel free to post them and I will answer several each week. I wish I could answer them all but I need to get my workouts in, too!

So it’s time to start the IFE Challenge! You’ve committed to 30 days of exercise – one month. I’m going to do all the “thinking” for you. You just need to start that workout every day and push yourself. If you challenge yourself, yes, you will feel sore. That’s to be expected, and that’s good! It means your body is changing. But with each completed workout you will also start to feel stronger, tighter, even happier, and by the end of the 30 days you will amazed at what you’ve accomplished.

You can start anytime here: Day 1: Strength Workout - Dumbbells

Be sure to post on the IFE Wall to tell me how you’re doing – I want to hear about your goals, your progress and any questions you have. Now let’s get going!

Disclaimer: Be sure to consult your physician before beginning any new workout regimen. The advice offered in the Innovation for Endurance Challenge should not be construed as medical advice. Any information provided here cannot replace the advice of a physician.