Discover [max capacity]

How have I not shared this with you? Oh yeah, because I only discovered it a few weeks ago (discovered as in was told about it by J). I like the idea so much it's hard to believe it wasn't part of my life before this fall. I want to share Max Capacity with you right now, because I want you all to be able to maximize your capacity like me. And this guy.

Me, but from my knees. Take off your white wig and stop judging me.

I've shared a workout routine with you before- remember the crazy hottie that is Jamie Eason? I tried her Live Fit before, and really liked it. I've found that I can do cardio on my own, without a program or a regimen, but I like my weight training to be organized by someone who knows what they're doing. Like my girl Jamie, or the geniuses behind Max Capacity. Actually, they may be charlatans- until I buff up and can do 100s of push ups, I'll hold out on the excessive praise, but want to share it with you nonetheless. And I always finish a program- it's like books to me, I must complete them to keep my self worth- so you can count on me to give you the breakdown when I'm done.

16 minute workouts, 3 times a week, for 12 weeks. All body weights, no equipment needed (except maybe a yoga mat or towel). Sound doable? That's why I love it: it totally is.

This is the perfect workout plan for those of us who travel, who don't want to get a gym membership, who only have or think they only have 20 minutes a day to workout, or for those of you who are weight-training-shy. The exercises start out pretty easy and they provide explanations with text and images (example below). Max capacity uses the circuit-training style of workout to keep your heart rate high while targeting multiple muscles at once.

I've used it exclusively on my phone, as an app. You can do it from an excel spreadsheet or from a computer, but that defeats the mobility and accessibility of the workout. The app includes descriptions of the week's workouts, diagrams of the movements, an easy way to record and track your current fitness level, and really cool audio of a British lady telling me when to go and when to rest. It's great. Once you hit GO! at the beginning, the next 16 minutes is all automated, so it's not like you have to be messing with your phone once you're in the Max-Capacity-Zone (I've yet to achieve this elusive state).

For the first week, I had to do 4 exercises for 50 seconds followed by 10 seconds rest, repeated 4 times. 4 minutes each of 4 moves and you are DONE! And I was sore all the next day...which I guess isn't saying much. I suppose if you're in great shape this won't be that useful, but be honest, how many of you are in great shape? I don't think my target demographic is kicking butt and taking names...yet. I can see it being excellent to maintain lean muscles as well.

Why are you not looking into this? There is really no excuse to not work out- our bodies are perhaps our most precious physical thing, and they deserve to be cared for with at least the level of interest and time-commitment you devote to facebook. Now that there's a workout plan asking for only 16 minutes of your time, you can workout AND stalk your pregnant high school friends. WINNING!