My home workout routine while Corona / Lockdown

As we all know, 2020 was a slightly different year. The CoronaVirus, also known as COVID-19, has pushed people, the world and the economy to their limits. There were lockdowns, so you had to move your sporting activities to your own home.

In our first lockdown in Germany in March 2020, I dealt a lot with home workouts and bodyweight exercises. I was able to make my own plan for myself at home. Now we are in the second lockdown in November 2020 and I have made it my business to share my home workouts with you. In this blog post I will tell you more about my workout routine and give you instructions on how to do it at home.

The change of my workout with bodyweight exercises showed me that even when the gyms were open again, I relied more on bodyweight exercises and also changed my training after the lockdown with certain exercises. It showed me that my body copes much better with such exercises and therefore I recommend to include it in your future workouts.

My workout plan before lockdown and COVID-19

Before the lockdown, my weekly plan consisted of push, pull and leg training with additional running units. I tried to train my stomach every second day and before each session in the gym I was on a cardio machine for 10 minutes.

In my previous blog post about my workout routine, I already gave you insights into which exercises and how many repetitions and sets I do.

I actually tried to transfer this plan to my home workouts and looked for ways to hit certain muscle groups with bodyweight.

The principle of my home workout plan

As you may have already seen on YouTube, I have uploaded various videos and training tutorials about the home workouts. The whole thing works in the modular system because one training session is not enough to cover daily needs. You can add the different workouts together and do them one after the other. How you ultimately structure your week and your weekly plan is up to you. With the workouts on my YouTube channel you have the opportunity to build your own routine. Of course I have also built my routine and will tell you about it below.

My perfect week – home training

Monday                 12 min Fat Burn + 13 min six pack + 30 min push training

Tuesday                 10km run or 20 min rope skipping

Wednesday           12 min Fat Burn + 13 min six pack + 30 min pull training

Thursday               10km run or 20 min rope skipping

Friday                    12 min Fat Burn + 13 min six pack + 30 min push training

Saturday                no training

Sunday                   12 min Fat Burn + 13 min six pack + 30 min pull training

Vary and adapt to yourself !!

It is extremely important that you adapt your plan to your performance. Since I’ve been in sports and high-performance sports continuously since I was 16, it is clear that I simply have a different sports performance than someone who is more inexperienced in sports. Therefore, like to adapt the workouts to you and listen to your body, when it needs a break and when it still has power to do more. A healthy variety is extremely important in the whole thing, so that you do not do the same training three days in a row.

 

If you have any questions, feel free to email me. I will upload more YouTube videos in the near future, so it makes sense to subscribe to my YouTube account and for daily news follow my Instagram Account.

 

Best

Fabs

My first trip to America – California 2019

2018 was a great year, but my experiences in Los Angeles should top that, at parties with Drake’s dad, at Dan Bilzerian’s home, or in the Mustang to Las Vegas!

In this blog post I will tell you everything!

 

The first impressions of Los Angeles

I arrived in Los Angeles during the night and it was so crazy to see all the lights of LA from the plane. I took an Uber to the hostel, which I had booked for a few days. Unfortunately there are two hostels with the same name and i went to the wrong one. I took another Uber and went to the right hostel, what a perfect start! It was right on Hollywood Boulevard and I thought it would be a good location for my first accomodation in LA. But when I got there, I realized, Los Angeles has a lot of homeless people. I was a little afraid to walk through the streets. The hostel was a dump and I slept with four others in the room. I’m not going to tell you more about it!

The next day I went up to the Hollywood Sign. The weather was hazy and foggy. Not a nice first day to get to know Los Angeles. The city was pretty grey, a lot of concrete and garbage and many homeless people. When I went down the Hollywood Boulevard in the afternoon, I really expected something different. It’s more like a garbage dump than the big Hollywood Boulevard you know from TV. But when I got out of Hollywood it was very nice, Beverly Hills, the Rodeo Drive and also Santa Monica were so beautiful with palm trees on the sides, beautiful cars and beautiful people.

The city itself is just too big and you can not take public transport, which annoyed me. Sometimes you need more than 1.5 hours from Santa Monica to Hollywood.

Party in Los Angeles

From my time in Germany I was used to a lot, but in Los Angeles the whole nightlife is even more exhausting than in Germany. The clubs are closing at 2:00 am, but you will go to the Hills for an afterparty. Every single day is a big party and you have the chance to have the best night ever, depending on which celebrities are in the club. For example I met Drake’s dad at the club and went to an after-show party with him.

In the clubs you can only get in if you know the promoters, since it is not for the “normal” public. I was lucky that I got to know a few promoters through Instagram and came into the clubs. There I met a lot of people, for example Bianca Ghezzi one of the assistants of Dan Bilzerian. That’s why I came to Dan Bilzerian’s house to do a series for the Bachelor Ignite season with Billie Jo Powders. His house is just crazy. He has everything you need, a gym, a pool, rooftop, billiard, punching bag and much more!

 

Road trip to Las Vegas / Grand Canyon – is it worth it?

The city that everyone knows from movies was definitely on the list to visit for a long time. It’s only about 6 hours  from Los Angeles by car. We rented a Mustang convertible for a weekend and drove there for a couple days. It was less about the city Las Vegas, it was more about the road trip itself and just the roads of America and the freedom to enjoy. We made a stopover at Hoover Dam and then came to Las Vegas. Las Vegas was not as pompous as I thought. It was just a street where 16 huge hotels are lined up.

Our hotel was one of the oldest at the very beginning of the street. It is called Circus Circus. When we made our way to our room, we were amazed. We had a theme park in our hotel, with two roller coasters, casino and shops. In Las Vegasall the casinos are in the hotels. The first night we went to the casino in Cesar Palace and into a strip club after. On the second day we went to a pool party where the Chainsmokers hung up and in the evening we went for some food.

The next day we went to the Grand Canyon, because it is only about 2-3 hours away by car from Las Vegas. The Grand Canyon is definitely the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. I couldn’t stop looking down the canyon. Unfortunately we did not do a helicopter flight. That would be something I would do the next time. I can highly recommend to visit Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.

          

Road trip to San Diego – Must do?

One week after Las Vegas, we did another road trip to San Diego. A buddy and I took the train this time. I had a friend in San Diego where we stayed for two days. He also showed us around. Mission and Pacific Beach are the two main beaches in San Diego. They have a much better beach vibe than the beaches in Los Angeles, especially for teens (lots of bars, lots of party, nice promenade). It’s a great place to get down. The city with Little Italy and all the bars is really cool and it is not big as Los Angeles. We also went to San Diego ZOO and SEA LIFE, which I really can’t recommend. I got bored after a few hours.

San Diego is a very cool city and I highly recommend a trip from Los Angeles to San Diego.

    

First stop Melbourne – My impressions and recommendations – # 3 Work and Travel Australia 2018

Melbourne – what a brilliant city. I have never been more comfortable in any other city. The atmosphere, the mood and the people are just wonderful! I am incredibly proud to have met many great people who have made the time unforgettable! I had such an amazing experience with many amazing memories whilst living in Melbourne, which you will intake and learn when reading this blog post.

Melbourne a city in Australia?

As written and seen in my last blog post, the first impression of Melbourne, Australia wasn’t that stereotypical city I first believed in. Since I was only in the CBD (Central Business District) in the first days, I was stuck in this big city feeling.. I wanted the feeling of cruising to the beach, surfing or kangaroos and outback, and what you would imagine when you directly hear Australia. At first I thought I was in good weather in London (25 degrees and blue sky). During my first week in Australia I had two moments which I would recall as “goose bump” moments, which I would like to share with you.

Jogging on the Yarra River at 8pm Skyline

I went for a jog around 8pm which was my first day in Australia. Everyone who know me, knows how majorly important sport is in my life, I cant live with out it. Whilst I continued to run I noticed it was starting to get dark, I was starting to think about what I should to do. I knew I had to continue running because I had missed the last 2 days training because of my flight, still little jet-lagged I bravely continued. I searched Google Maps for a route where I could combine jogging with sightseeing. I jogged towards the Melbourne Cricket Ground along the Yarra River, It was still warm 20 degrees, I continued to jog in just the tank top and short sports pants through the dusk, the canal reflected the many colours of the city. Crickets buzzed and there was a light summer breeze, this was my first goosebump moment.

I jogged whilst the skyline faced my back, after about 15 minutes, I turned around, It was dark and the entire skyline shined in a beautiful blue, I started to smile and thought, “Damn, I’m free, Why am I always thinking so much? This is my time! Enjoy your life, because you only have one.“

After I finished jogging, I sat down on a bench by the canal and admired the skyline for several hours. I could’nt  look away. I called @hagenrichter to share this feeling with him. We nearly talked 1.5 hours. I’ll never forget this day!

My first beach day in Australia

It was my first Saturday in Melbourne, it was a scorcher of a day 30 degrees to be exact, which therefore I decided with 2 of my buddies (I had only met in my first week at the hostel), to travel to St. Kilda beach.

We boarded the train to St. Kilda at Flinders Station, the sun was so hot that it became nearly unbearably to stay on the train. The ride took about 30 minutes, whilst being on the train you could already see the sea and the promenade and the blue water. The beach was long which also lay a line of palm trees along the promenade.

Thousands of people sprayed a summer feeling, as we got off the train we were greeted by a warm but refreshing sea breeze, this was my 2nd “goosebump moment”. I felt free, I felt alive! This was exactly how I expected Australia to be, although this reminded me of the beach in California, It was bloody awesome !!!

 

Is Australia expensive?

This is a very significant issue for many who are considering going to Australia, Yes I have to say, Australia is fucking expensive.

An example of my experience:

It was the first day living in Australia, It was a Sunday and I was on my way to the hostel, It was 25 degrees and I had consumed the last mouthful of water several hours before. Since I had no idea where the nearest supermarket is, I ran through the streets and ended up in a kiosk (7Eleven), I was gobsmacked, a standard water bottle cost just 4-6 dollars. I know it was only 3-4 Euros, but it’s still outrageous?!

Few other examples:

– Kebab $9- $12

– 1 scoop of ice cream $5- $8

– Fried noodles with chicken $12- $15

These examples can be shown in every Supermarket, almost everything is twice as expensive in Australia compared to Germany or in Europe. The first couple of months were the hardest, because sometimes I struggled to convert and compare the rates. You would never shop for just 10 euros to cook a great meal, It was normally a fee of $40-60 ahead, but if you convert that into euros, it’s 25-40 euros, which is still a lot! No question!

Australia is not for smokers!

Yes it’s right! Many backpackers stop smoking or at least stop their consumption while in Australia, Why?! A pack of cigarettes costs $30- $50 and tobacco for $20- $30 Is that too much? I am an absolute non-smoker! Therefore, this has no effect on me, the price in Germany or in Europe as a total could also be raised, because smoking is shit and absolutely unnecessary! Away from that it is also gross and unhealthy!

Do you already know the good old Goon?

Goon ?! What is that.. Goon is a cheap wine that can be purchased in 2-5 litre packs, this  costs $12- $20 and is by far the most popular alcohol among backpackers in Australia, does it taste nice too? NO.

I believe it says it all, if you were to read the ingredients on the back on the package it says “this may contain remains of egg shells and fish!!” Why should you drink something like that? the question is quite simple to answer.

Everything else is just too expensive! A vodka bottle costs about $30-60, the $30 bottle is the exact same bottle as the 5 Euro cheap vodka in Germany. All spirits are accordingly too expensive! Even beer is so expensive! A box of beer (24 bottles) you get in Germany for a good 12 euros, here in Australia a case of beer costs $ 40-50.

Melbourne is something for sushi fans

 

The only thing I’m completely surprised about and what I’ll miss in Germany is the sushi! In Melbourne every third shop is a sushi snack! But it is far cheaper than in Germany! If you make happy hour and want to buy sushi as a snack you pay about $2-3 per thick sushi roll. I found a shop in Melbourne that has happy hour every day at 21:45 and sells 4 sushi rolls for $6. This is unbelievably cheap, I went there every night and bought sushi! Just awesome! If you want to know which shop I mean, leave a comment under the post!

 

 

 

 

 

The Vibe in Melbourne is just indescribable! – Festivals, bars and life

The nightlife in Melbourne is not anywhere comparable to Germany, meaning the clubs in German are much better! There far greater restrictions here, for an example the clubs are only operating until 2:00am – 3:00am and you also have to be inside the club before 1:00am, this is the “lock out” rule, not in before 1:00am you may swell go home, But everything is better. So what do I mean by better? Australia have many more pubs, bars and not so many nightclubs. The Australian pubs are completely different than German pubs, everything is much bigger, more open and familiar. Some clubs even have a pool, billiards, TVs and a super friendly vibe.

In Germany, only the older people go to pubs, here in Australia, it is normal for everyone to meet at the pubs from all ages, to enjoy food and beverages. As far as the festivals are concerned, every weekend in Melbourne there is a new festival, Beach festivals, music festivals and food festivals or normal funfair. Since most festivals have no cost you have something new to do every weekend.

 

 

Yarra Valley – The sky for wine lovers

Yarra Valley, which is about 1-2 hours by car from Melbourne! It is a incredibly, beautiful landscape that is perfect for hiking, you should definitely make a stopover here. We decided to join in a wine tasting after the hike, what could be better than a delicious wine at the end of the day with a beautiful sunset? I’m more of the red wine drinker, What about with you? Leave a comment there 😊

The conclusion

For us Europeans it’s extremely expensive living here in Australia, once you get used to the value of expenses you become more aware which works out to be not so bad, once you start working, you understand why expenses here are are so high. Australians earn a lot of money! About twice as in Germany, the minimum wage is about 16 euros.

Apart from the living cost, I’m totally in love with Melbourne. Melbourne has such a great vibe, which I fitted in very well. Although it’s a city with almost 5 million people, the city centre was not as large as first thought. I spent most of my time in St Kilda on the beach or in the CBD (centre). There are some superb beaches in Australia, and the vibe with the promenade was great !!! The CBD is superb too, you fill with just joy whilst you stand amongst the large buildings, you start to think how small you really are.

In the next blog post I’ll tell you about my road trip on the Great Ocean Road. It was really cool! I can tell you in advance! If you want more input, feel free to email me or visit my Instagram account @fabianxarnold.