I am back again with some simple techniques to shake up your workouts! So the next two workouts can be done by yourself, or you can buddy up with your workout partner to spur each other on!
And the best thing about them… there isn’t a tedious 3 sets of 12 reps in sight. Beaut.
Ah the filthy fifty…
The possibilities are endless with this one.
It is pretty explanatory really but definitely isn’t utilised to its fullest potential!
Pick 5 to 10 exercises – this can be full body, it can be one body part or it can be cardio-based.
Got your exercises in mind? Good. Next part, you are going to complete 50 reps each of the exercise in as little sets as possible.
You want to keep the weight moderately heavy, but not stupid heavy that you have to break after every 3 reps…
Keep the rest short, and keep the intensity high.
Either, time yourself how long it takes to complete the entire circuit or write down the amount of sets it took you to complete the reps, and try and beat it next time.
This type of workout is great for noticing progression, and will hopefully help you keep an eye on the time!
So an example – we’ve been focusing a lot on weights so let’s make it more cardio based:
50 burpees
50 press ups
50 box jumps
50 squat thrusts
50 squat jumps
50 mountain climbers
Easy peasy! No need to slog over that treadmill for half hour to get your cardio in anymore!
You don’t have to be in a class environment to get a great circuit’s workout in, and you definitely don’t need to be one of those guys utilising every single piece of equipment in the gym (yeah, those guys).
Circuits are a fantastic way to get a quick workout in whilst getting that dreaded ‘c’ word done as well… I’m talking about cardio.
My circuits with a twist is a love/hate method in my classes, and here is how it goes.
Pick 6 to 10 exercises that you want to work on.
You will be doing 1 to 2 minutes of each exercise non-stop, so pick a weight that you know you will be able to do the entire time without having to stop (this requires some determination and a lot of focus!).
In between each exercise, you pick a cardio machine of your choice (i.e., treadmill, rower, bike) and you complete 1 minute of high intensity sprints (my definition of high intensity sprint is that you cannot maintain conversation during and after the sprint).
After the 1 minute sprint, jump off (in a safe manner of course) and hop onto the next exercise.
So let’s break it down into an example – we will be doing a full-body circuit:
2 minutes of Leg Press
1 minute sprint
2 minutes of Barbell Bent Over Row
1 minute sprint
2 minutes of Dumbbell Chest Press
1 minute sprint
2 minutes of Lateral Raises
1 minute sprint
2 minutes of Tricep Dips
1 minute sprint
And so forth… you’ve just annihilated full body with cardio in 20 minutes with that one.
Keep it fast-paced and keep that ego in check when you pick the weight.
No Comments yet!