The IMPACT! Body Plan
Todd Durkin C.S.C.S recently released his IMPACT! Body Plan. It teaches the fundamentals of getting your mind and body right while attaining your fitness goals. The book contains meal planning advice, and proper warm-up and recovery techniques, along with ten weeks of workouts that build on each other to develop your training. You will use such tools as the TRX Suspension Trainer, Bosu Ball, Super Bands, resistance bands, dumbbells, kettle bells, and foam rollers to work towards peak physical performance. Todd Durkin helps you establish your fitness goals and teaches you how to get after them. "10 in, 10 out."
The book is great, but some parts are a little vague, while others lack consistency. One of the biggest hang ups was the introduction to a term called "run the rack," which is described as dividing your training schedule into one whole body workout, one upper body day, and a lower body day. The term then appears several times in the with dumbbell biceps curls, starting heavy, and selecting lighter weights as the number of sets progresses. Another inconsistency is the way workouts are written. Some exercises involving extremities are written as Exercise Sets x Reps/Arm or Side (Single-Arm DB Row 3 x 6-8/Arm), but the format is not always observed the same way through the whole book. Yes, this is me nit-picking, but lack of consistency is one of the enemies of reaching your true potential.
A typical IMPACT Workout is broken down like this:
Foam Rolling to promote healthy fascia
Dynamic Warm-Up: 9-11 exercises and drills
Joint Integrity: 3-5 exercises focusing on your Hips, Shoulders, and Balance
Core: 3-5 exercises with trunk emphasis
Plyometrics: 3-5 exercises using explosive power, introduced around the 4th week
2-3 Super Sets with upper body emphasis*
2-3 Super Sets with lower body emphasis*
Grand Finale Conditioning - Your last chance to leave it all at the gym
Stretching
After completing the ten weeks of workouts, I have noticed improvements in my flexibility and power, while the foam rolling before each workout has significantly helped my post-workout recovery. I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a strong foundation in fitness, if you have the ability to motivate yourself.