2
Power Crunch gets expert feedback on a different workout routine every week. This week, Robin Sharma, motivational and leadership guru, shares his exercise plan.
My goal
"A while ago, I was giving a speech in India, and after the presentation, a participant handed me a slip of paper with the words, 'Health is a crown on the well man's head that only the ill person can see.' ... The goal of my fitness regimen is to stay as healthy as possible so I can achieve the results that are most important to me in both my professional life and my personal life."
My workout
Robin Sharma, a leadership speaker, squeezes in workouts between travels. (Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail)
Running on the treadmill four times a week for 30 minutes. "I listen to audio books so that my exercise time doubles as my learning time."
Lifting weights at the gym for 20 minutes four times a week (25 kilograms for curls and 80 to 100 kilograms for chest presses).
On weekends, downhill skiing during the winter and sailing in the summer.
My lifestyle
"I rise at 5 a.m. on most days and take a one-hour holy hour, meaning 60 minutes to work on my inner life. ... During this holy hour, I'll exercise; sometimes I'll write in my journal [and do] visualization and reading from the leadership literature or books on personal excellence and philosophy.
"In terms of diet, I try to eat very well, even on the road. I usually carry a few protein bars and some fresh fruit in my carry-on luggage. I drink a lot of water to stay energized and well hydrated. I also try not to eat after 8 p.m."
My motivation
"I have a deep desire to realize my personal mission of helping people and organizations get to world class, which gives me the motivation to take care of my health, so I can be of service to as many people as possible."
My workout anthem
Good Times by Tommy Lee. "I like inspirational music ... from chill-out music I pick up from different places around the world, to U2 to the Tragically Hip, to AC/DC's Back in Black, if I really need the extra push."
My challenge
"My greatest challenge is being consistent around working out with my speaking schedule ... [I'm] often experiencing different time zones and long flights over a short period of time."
The critique
Mr. Sharma "is doing a lot of things right with his workout," says Caron Shepley, corporate director of the Toronto-area fitness firm Personal Best. Still, one adjustment would fine-tune his regimen further: incorporating interval training into his running.
By switching gears while running - from low intensity to high intensity and back again - Mr. Sharma would increase his power and stamina, Ms. Shepley says.
"An example would be warming up with an easy run for five to 10 minutes and then running three minutes hard, then three minutes easy."
She says another way to achieve the same results is through fartlek training - a Swedish system of conditioning whose name translates into speed play. While similar to interval training, this technique is dictated more by signals from the body than by a preset structure, Ms. Shepley says.
"So Robin could warm up for five to 10 minutes and then run hard until he feels tired, then run at an easy pace until he felt recovered, then hard again and so on."
Both types of workouts should always end with a cool-down period and stretching to help prevent injury.
Mr. Sharma demonstrates the value of working out first thing in the morning in balancing fitness with a heavy schedule. "If you wait until later in the day," Ms. Shepley says, "often you'll run out of time or you'll simply find yourself too tired."
