A celebrity trainer’s 28-day plan to transform your mindset and body

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A celebrity trainer’s 28-day plan to transform your mindset and body

For the full 28-day transformation program including daily workout videos and guided walking podcasts — plus meal plans and inspiration —

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!

If you started the new year with lofty goals and have already put them on the back burner, you’re not alone. In fact, a

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found that by February, only 25% of people are still committed to their New Year’s resolutions.

If this sounds familiar, then this month’s workout challenge is for you. Ngo Okafor, a celebrity trainer and founder of Iconoclast Fitness, a private training gym in New York City, has designed a well-rounded fitness plan that will sculpt lean muscle, improve your endurance and cardiovascular health — and most importantly, get your mind back in the game.

His signature 28-day transformation program is known for helping people see a massive mental and physical shift in just four weeks. When asked what makes his program so effective, Okafor says it’s all about mindset.

“I don’t believe in cages. I don’t believe in limits,” says Okafor. “So if somebody can do it, doesn’t matter how old they are, if they can handle it, then we just keep working. I believe in living a limitless life, so let’s go to work.”

“I’m telling you, you can do this,” he says. And what your mind believes, your body will do. Ready to commit? Follow this 28-day workout plan — and these mindset tips that will keep your head in the game.

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Workout schedule

Monday: Full-body strength

Wednesday: Full-body strength

Friday: Full-body strength

4 motivation tips to shift your mindset

You may think committing to a workout routine is a physical feat. But Okafor says it’s the mental hurdle that is the hardest to overcome. Your body will do what your mind tells it, he says. He shares some of the top mental tricks that you can use on yourself:

See yourself as a child: “If you look at yourself as a child, there’s nothing you can’t do … babies, there were times they couldn’t walk. As adults, we’re like, ‘oh, I can’t do this. I can do that. If I jump, my knees are going to explode.’ These are all barriers and chains we put on ourselves; there’s no reason why we can’t do anything. When I start telling clients you can do anything, they think, maybe I can do anything and then they try it and do it. And then they try something else, and then they try something else. And that’s how it happens.” With clients ranging from 20-somethings with hip issues to those 70+, all of Okafor’s workouts provide modifications, helping people find a way to move toward their goal in a way that works for their body. “If you can’t move, if you can’t do that movement, we’ll adjust and find a way to help you do the movement.”

Tell yourself to do just 5 reps. “You do five and then you’re like, ‘Oh, that wasn’t that bad.’ Then you do five more … it wasn’t that bad. You do five more. But you only set out to do five. You can start with five reps. And that’s the theme, start today, start now. Just do five reps. And don’t judge it if you stop at five; then you rest, get some water. There are days when I’m exhausted, but if I tell myself, just do five reps, I can do five reps, and then I start with the five reps, and it gets me going.”

Set the smallest goal possible: “My resolution is just to run a mile a day. Of course, I can run more than a mile, but doing it every day is what makes it extremely difficult. I have people say, I want to run five miles a day, I guarantee you one week and they’re done because there are going to be days when you’re tired and five miles is a massive undertaking, but one mile, you can walk it in 20 minutes. It can be done every single day. So it’s little bit, little bit, a little bit. And then there’s going to be a day where you have all this energy and you do the big workout, but all those little pieces count. They add up, you know? So that’s how I get people to start.”

Know that you’ll never regret a workout. “There are days I don’t want to come to the gym. And I am always happy that I did. You will never regret doing something.”

For more motivational pep talks from Okafor, check out his podcasts in the

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Full-body strength routine

You will need a pair of medium dumbbells and a mat for this workout. Repeat each move for 10 reps and finish each round with Okafor’s secret sauce: a 60-second cardio burst. Repeat the circuit 3 times through.

Squat press

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Ngo doing a squat press

Start standing with feet shoulder-width apart, toes turned out slightly. Grab a dumbbell in each hand and hold them at shoulder height, palms facing each other. Sink down into a squat, keeping your knees tracking over your toes, like you are sitting down and back into a chair. As you return to standing, push both dumbbells straight up overhead, being sure to keep the core engaged. Slowly lower the weights back to shoulder height and repeat the move.

Deadlift

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Ngo doing a deadlift

Start standing tall with feet hip-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing toward your body. Hinge at the hips, letting the weights slide down the front of your legs, until your chest is parallel to the ground (or as low as you can comfortably go). Using the hamstrings and glutes, pull yourself back up to standing. Repeat.

Pushups

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Ngo doing pushups

Start in a plank position with your shoulders over your wrists and your body forming a straight line from head to heel. Keeping the core engaged, bend at the elbows to slowly lower your chest toward the ground. (If you can only lower a few inches, that’s OK). Push yourself back up to the high-plank position and then repeat.

Bent over row

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Ngo doing bent over row

Start standing tall with feet hip-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, arms at your sides, and hinge at the hips until your back is parallel to the ground and the weights are hanging down in front of you. This is your starting position. Pull both elbows straight up toward the sky until the weights frame your ribcage, keeping the arms hugged into your sides. Pause for a second at the top before lowering the weights back down to the starting position. Repeat.

Situps

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Ngo doing situps

Start lying on your back. Bend your knees and rest your feet flat on the floor. You can gently place your hands behind your head or cross them on your chest. Engage your core and use your abs to pull your torso up toward your knees until you’re sitting in an upright position. Be mindful of not using momentum to pull yourself up (and not pulling on your neck if your hands are behind your head). Slowly lower your back onto the ground and repeat. (If you have any injuries or mobility issues that prevent you from doing a

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, you can do

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instead.)

Scissor kicks

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Ngo doing scissor-kicks

Start lying on your back with your legs extended straight out in front of you. Place both hands under your butt to protect your low back and raise your legs a few inches off of the ground. Engage the abs and lift your upper back off the ground for an added challenge (beginners can leave their head resting on the floor). Raise your left foot up a few inches and cross it over the right, while lowering the right foot a few inches and crossing it under the left, in a scissor motion. Switch, crossing the right foot over the left. Continue alternating, performing 20 reps total.

Cardio blast

Okafor’s secret sauce is ending each round with a 60-second cardio burst to get your heart rate up and

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. Perform each move for 20 seconds.

Slow mountain climber

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Ngo doing slow mountain climber

Start in a plank position with your shoulders over your wrists and your body forming a straight line from head to heel. Keeping the core engaged, pull your left knee toward your chest. Return your foot to the ground before pulling the right knee toward your chest. Try to keep your body in a straight line, keeping the core engaged to prevent the hips from piking. Continue alternating for 20 seconds.

Marching

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Ngo marching

Start standing tall with your feet hips-width apart. March in place by driving your right knee up toward your chest and then your left. Pump the opposite arm to create momentum and keep the core engaged the entire time. Move at a moderate pace focusing on power and form for 20 seconds.

Jack press

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Ngo doing jack press

Start standing tall with your feet shoulder-width apart. Your feet will jump out and in. However, instead of sweeping your arms out and up as in a standard jumping jack, you will press them straight up overhead. As you jump your feet out press both arms straight up, as you jump your feet in bring your arms straight down to your chest. Repeat for 20 seconds.

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