1. I have started with light exercise comprising Tread Mill and Stomach Exercises. Advise, if this is good enough or more extensive ones like burpees are a must do.
This depends on your goals and current fitness level. I wouldn’t recommend focusing on ab exercises unless you can already see your abs. Many of my followers already know that ab exercises don’t equal fat loss from your belly. This is a huge myth! In terms of the treadmill, if you like it then go for it, but there are other ways to get fit and get in shape. One of them being burpees J If you’re going to use the treadmill then your best bet is to perform high intensity intervals (30s sprint, followed by 60s rest, repeat several times) as this will increase your metabolism for hours after the exercise. I’ve not used a treadmill in months, as I prefer to use bodyweight cardio exercises to get my heart rate up such as burpees and mountain climbers and even then, if I was given the choice I would go for a run outdoors over the treadmill.
2. What exercises can I do with a kettlebell in the house?
The kettlebell is one of the only pieces of kit I used in the spare bedroom training plan. It’s extremely versatile meaning you can do a ton of different exercises…far too many to mention here. I’ll be doing a kettlebell training DVD soon, but until then get online and you’ll fine a whole host of exercises you can do indoors (depending on your ceiling height)
3. How I can concentrate on my stomach area for that never seems to want to improve?
Nutrition is always number one when it comes to losing fat, but sometimes the years of abuse can cause stubborn fatty areas through poor nutrition, stress, lack of sleep, etc, etc. which then means you might needed added help in the of some supplementation. During the spare bedroom training plan I was taking the following supplements phosphatydl serine, fenugreek, alkalising salts, omega 3, vitamin D and a probiotic. The phosphatydl serine was an important one. A daughter under 6 months old meant I wasn’t getting any sleep and my cortisol levels would have been through the roof! BTW cortisol equals belly fat. Check out my Rapid Fat Loss Series for more info on hormone balance and supplements.
4. What would a typical week of spare bedroom workouts look like?
I would typically train (really) hard 3 times a week with 2 recovery sessions and 2 rest days per week (same as boot camp). However, 4 weeks out from the shoot I stepped it up and was training hard 5 days a week with 2 recovery days. Although I was training a lot I was never doing more than 40 mins per session. I just kept it intense. Difficult to say what I did as I didn’t have a rigid program, but I remember doing lots of burpees, press-ups, squats and lunges. Basically everything that we do at boot camp and made sure I worked my ass off. Having a photoshoot booked will make sure you do! 4 weeks out I stepped up the lower abdominal work to make sure my abs were visible and of course I did a few press-ups before the shoot 
5. What was the most effective exercise for you that you would recommend to others?
I don’t think there is one single exercise that I could say is the most effective. In terms of getting my heart rate up during the spare bedroom training it would have to be the burpee. I know lots of people hate them and some people are not fit enough to string a few of them together, but they really do work. Any exercise that uses multiple muscles at the same time is a must. This will help increase your heart rate, the afterburn effect and also mean you don’t have to train for ages. Remember I didn’t train any longer than 40 mins per session. Some sessions were often a lot shorter.
6. Question – if you’re getting straight out of bed for an early morning workout, what should you eat to make sure you have energy but that jumping around won’t make you feel sick or give you a stitch, when you’re exercising five minutes later?
When I was going to the gym for 630am (before my daughter came along) I would train on an empty stomach, not because of some wonderful fat loss effect, but just because that suits me. I know some people wouldn’t have the energy to train on an empty stomach and so I would recommend a small amount of food 15 minutes before your workout and then breakfast afterwards. A banana would be perfect during that 15 minute window.
7. I’m interested in the nutrition side of the SB training plan. Tell me more!
My nutrition plan didn’t really change much. I avoid bread, processed foods and dairy 90% of the time. 4 weeks out from the shoot I cut back on all sugar, caffeine, alcohol and starchy carbs and upped my protein intake to coincide with the drop in starchy carbs (pasta and rice in my case). I did one 18 hour fast about 3 weeks before, but this is something I do once a month and wouldn’t have had much of an effect. Although, if you are looking to lose a decent chunk of fat then this method can give a huge boost to your fat loss plan. I drank at least 2 litres of water a day and also had my supplements (mentioned above) every day without fail.
8. if you’re training for an event, for example say a half marathon or a triathlon how would should you organise your training between the sort of training that you advocate at your bootcamp and your home program (which I love btw) and more cardio stuff such as time in the water or on the bike?
I would taper the training program, so initially you would be doing plenty of bodyweight training mixed with the running/swimming/cycling. The closer the race gets the less of the bodyweight boot camp training you would be doing and more time spent on running/swimming/cycling. Sometimes there is no substitute for actually training in the manner with which you’ll be racing.
9. My question is… My downfall is sugar, and every now and then my willpower fails and I need some “stodge” to make me feel full. How did you overcome any blips in the diet (other than the upcoming photoshoot), and what did you say to yourself to keep you going?
Forgetting the photoshoot, about 80% of the time I eat extremely well. No processed foods, sugar, etc, etc. I think it pays to get your ratios right. I recommend 33% of carbs (fruit and veg), protein and good fats. If you get this right, you should feel satisfied and not want some “stodge”. However, Chocolate is my downfall. I love it! The only sure fire way to prevent me from having it is not to buy it and to tell my Wife not to buy it when she does the shopping. No fancy trick here, but that’s what worked for me.
I’ve not tried it myself, but I’ve read that the supplement chromium helps to curb the want for sugary foods…worth looking into.
10. If you want to look your best very quickly, say for an event later in the week, what tips do you have to look great. (Foods to avoid, bathing in Epsom salts…)
7 days out from the shoot I followed a plan to help me look as good as possible. This involved drinking 5 litres of water a day for the first 5 days and then cutting down on day 6 to 2.5 and none on day 7. This is NOT something you should do all the time, but it helps give your body a “dry” look. Essentially, you super hydrate to reduce water retention and then you dehydrate up until the event. As I said, not something you would do often.
I also cut out most carbs for the first 5 days to starve my muscles of glycogen and introduced carbs on days 6 and 7 to give my muscles a more fuller look (or at least that was the idea) as the muscles soak up the energy.
Exercise wise, I trained 5 days in a row working all the different muscle groups with my weakest looking muscles on day 1 and 5. Apart from a few press-ups on just before the shoot I didn’t train on day 6 or 7.
11. When you’re working really hard and feel like you’ve pushed yourself to the max (i.e. mountain climbers… urgh!!), what would you say to someone/yourself to keep them/yourself going?
“My granny could do better that!” Seriously, it depends on the person. Some people need some tough love. Whereas others need a more gentle approach. I often stop thinking I’m done and can’t do anymore, but then something inside me says “Come on, Walsh!” and I manage a few more reps.
I could go into a whole lot more detail here, but you’d never read all of it!
