Metabolic Bodyweight Circuits

Are you ready?

Metabolic bodyweight circuits. The name implies sound scientific protocols applied by guys in white
lab coats on subjects hooked up to multiple monitors.

While this may be how we discover the effectiveness, or uselessness of certain exercise modalities, (read: Tabata vs. long slow cardio for the average person,) here we can just say that this is going to be a kick-ass workout that tests your strength-endurance and cardiovascular endurance.

Of course, it will also leave you in that lovely state of EPOC, or excess post exercise oxygen consumption. But don't worry, you'll recover, eventually.

So, on to the B-WOD.

Warm-up:

Light jog, you'll need this as a specific dynamic warm-up for what's to come. Aim for ~10 minutes going easy.

Joint rotations. Always, always do mobility exercises. If you need a refresher on this, you can review here.

Circuit 1:

*I recommend having a space at least 15-20 feet long, and outside would be ideal.

• Leg raises. Plain Jane. Lying on floor, hands at your sides. Do 1, hold in the up position for 3 seconds. Do 2, hold for 6 seconds. Do 3, hold for 9 seconds. See where this is going? Try to make it up to ten. 

(By the way, these are not necessarily scientifically derived multiples of 3, I just happen to know that having to exert muscular strain for longer and longer periods takes serious mental and physical effort.)

If 10 is laughable to you, keep going and do as many as possible. The second you can't raise or hold your legs 8 inches off the ground, jump up and do:

• Burpees: x10-20 (or 5, scale it to your failure rate.)

Once you've pushed your limit on Burpees, start crawling:

• Bear Crawl: If you have 15-20 feet, try to make the 2-3 round trips. If you are doing this outside, aim for 25 feet out and 25 back. Again, if you can bear crawl a football field, that's what you do. 

*Keep going until you can't crawl any further.

When you reach the end of your crawling, stop, in a push-up plank that is (you'll be tempted to rest, but don't, you can do this!)

• Push-up Plank: How long? Beginners could crumble at 10 seconds or less, but if you've ever done more that 2 core sessions involving planks, you should be doing no less that 30 seconds at a time.

• No sagging pelvis.
• Tuck the belly up and in.
• Shoulder blades are engaged, not shrugging.
• Head neutral.
• Engage lats by pushing hands hard into the ground and shoulders back until you feel the lats flexing. 
• **You can switch between pushup planks and elbow planks for this. Just maintain solid form and serious contracting. It is even easier to engage the upper back in the elbow plank by pulling elbows down and back, keeping them on the floor of course. 

The strong athlete can aim for 1-2 minutes, while you elites out there are welcome to go for world records. 

Keep this in mind: If you are contracting everything in the plank, abdominals, glutes, lats, etc., you are not going to last as long as if you just tightened your stomach enough to keep from sagging. 

More effort-less time-stronger core.

Now you can rest, AFTER you repeat this circuit at least 2 more times. Advanced and show-offs, if you are ready for more when you finish 3 rounds, you didn't push hard enough!

Seriously, if you do leg raises/holds until your muscles fail, followed by Burpees to failure, then Bear Crawls and fully contracted planks until you literally drop to the ground, 3 rounds will be enough.

Keep going, you're halfway there.

Circuit 2:

You'll be glad you skipped those extra rounds anyway, because we're not quite done yet. 

This circuit is best done outdoors, but if you have to stay in, use a treadmill or a spin bike.

This is the deal, it's very simple:

After a nice stretch, and about 3-5 minutes rest after Circuit 1, do:

• 400 meter sprints (or your fastest run at least, unless you're a seasoned track athlete.)
• BW Squatsx20

Repeat this circuit 4 times. As always, the repetitions are a guideline, if you don't start feeling bodyweight squats until you hit 50, then get to that number and then sprint. If you get to 10 and need help standing up, then that's fine too.

*Also, 400 meters is one lap around a standard collegiate track, or about a 1/4 mile. You don't need to go further if this isn't enough, you need to go harder. You can work on your long distance time trials another day.

Now, if you happen to be lying flat on your back on the ground, I recommend doing some back bridges to stretch out those hip flexors, followed by deep lunge stretches, followed by the Camel posture or Beautiful Thunderbolt if you know your yoga.

That's it! Post your results in the comments below!

Quad Shaking Bodyweight Blast

A Parkour-Garnished Outdoor Bodyweight Workout

Maybe it's just me, but my bodyweight workout routine this morning had my quadriceps a quakin'. I started off with an easy jog to the park, about a half mile; continued to warm up with joint rotations, and proceeded to do the following cluster (no rest between exercises:)

• Bodyweight squats: x 20 (toes pointed slightly out and legs shoulder width or a little farther apart, arms in front and behind head, lowering body below parallel.)

• Extended (superman) plank x 10 seconds

• Pushups: x20 (alternating between close and wide grip)

• Burpee Snatch Squat: From a pushup position, pop-up into a squat while simultaneously throwing both arms up and back, as if you were snatching a barbell. Keep pulling shoulders back and down as you rise up. Then shoot your legs back and drop into pushup position. Drive hard off the ground and repeat.

The first two sets I hit my goal reps, but by the third they were almost cut in half! Start off with 2-3 rounds and see how your body fares. Add more reps or rounds if necessary. I rested 30-45 seconds between rounds, and about 3 minutes before finishing off the workout with jumping wall-ups.

I finished this workout off with: 

Jumping Wall-ups: Using the back railing of the bleachers at the baseball diamond, I held the rail and pounced up (a la Parkour,) pulling hard and extending my arms at the top like a muscle-up. 

My goal was 20 reps straight through. Instead I got 10, 6 and 2. But it felt good and I was pushing myself to do even that, so I'm happy :-)

Now go out and put this little routine to the test.

Be sure to keep the pace up and get past your comfort zone!

***Here is a good tutorial on the Cat Leap. The second part after the leap is what I call the "wall-up," but you have to Cat Leap to get there. You don't need to leap from another wall to practice this. Try finding an obstacle that you can reach the top of with extended arms, then "cat leap" onto it and muscle-up.

Like Parkour? Get this amazing DVD by Julie Angel, filming Parkour Generations. Click here to see more.

Life, Exercise and the Pursuit of Six-Pack Abs

If you were expecting Bodyweight Daily to give you a daily workout, you were definitely let down last week. Chalk this up to the consequences (and benefits) of an author who writes his own material. Life called me away on other errands last week, and the lapse in Daily posts was the result of that. So let's get back on track!

Today you are going for a run of some kind. You don't like to run? No worries! There are several options for getting this part accomplished. Relax. But first, warm-up.

Warm-up:

Joint Rotations. Neck, shoulders, arms, elbows, hips, legs, knees, ankles.

Partial bodyweight squats (halfway to parallel, I call them 1/4's) x20 + Full squat hold with arms overhead x 10 seconds. Rinse, repeat once.

Run 'em if you got 'em

Helicopter rotations: Arms straight out on either side. Rotate left, rotate right x20 total.

Then do the Good Morning stretch. Space feet about three to four feet apart, flatten back, reach down with both hands and try to flatten palms on the ground between your legs. 3 x 10 seconds.

The Run:

If you run about as often as you flap your wings and fly, start off very slow. Shuffle run until you are warmed up and comfortable with the movement. Otherwise here are the requirements:

Beginners: 1 1/2 miles total, or approximately 20 minutes of continuous movement.
Intermediate to Advanced: 2-4 miles or approximately 25-45 minutes of continuous movement.

Choose one of the options below, and execute the run in a slow jog (or walk if necessary)/fast run tempo. For example, if you are on a track, tick off one lap at a slow pace, then go moderate to fast for the next.

If you are using a treadmill, simply adjust the speed at regular intervals. Keep it consistent, if you are going to change every mile, do this the whole time. If you are going to do it every half mile, stick to that pattern.

Options:

1. Beach, street, track, or trail run
2. Treadmill run
3. Stairs (In your office building, at home, at a stadium, it does not have to be a lot.)
4. Fast walking or fast walking with periodic hills.

All fitness levels will complete their mileage using a slow and a moderate fast pace.
All fitness levels rest 3-5 minutes after run and finish with:

Squat Jumps (Beginning and intermediate) 2-3x12-15, 30 seconds between sets OR:
Deck Squat Jumps (Advanced) 3 x 15, 45 seconds between sets.

Stretch out after a brief rest and re-hydrate! As always, adjust the volume of work to fit your individual fitness level. Good luck!


Deck Squat Box Jump from CrossfitNRG on Vimeo.

In the above video, he uses a box, but all you need to do is jump in place.

If you think you're ready for a savage advanced bodyweight workout that integrates clubs and kettlebells as well, check out the new Spartacus Workout  from the guru of bodyweight training, Steve Maxwell.

Bodyweight Workout Routine: Leg Progressions

If you are catching this on Monday, then a happy Monday to ya! If not, use this as day 1 for the week and follow along until Friday.

Let's get straight to it, today's bodyweight exercise program:

Warm-up: Joint Rotations, from neck to ankles. Take it slow, let the body wake up. If you need a review of these exercises, visit: http://mosladder.hubpages.com/hub/Fast-Effective-Bodyweight-Workout
Add easy standing torso rotations, arms out to sides. Then continue the warm-up with,

Choose: Jumping Jacks x25,  1/4 Squats (only going halfway, not to parallel) x 30

If you are still not warmed up, repeat, do some shadow boxing, walking or maybe sun salutations until you are.

Then:

Single Standing Rear Leg Raise:  A picture is worth a thousand words right, so:

Single Arm-Single Leg Standing Raise

Start standing at attention, tighten abs and your 'rooted' leg. Bend at the waist, extend one arm and one leg as you do. Bend to parallel, ideally with the leg at the same level as your waist. keep the moving leg and arm straight as you do. This works the hamstrings/glutes and lower back, as well as testing your balance.

Use both legs to complete this exercise, contracting the stationary one and the moving one.

2,3, or 4 sets x 5, 10 or 15 reps (depending on fitness level.) 5 second hold at top of movement on each rep. Steady reps, 2-3 seconds up and 2-3 down. 30 seconds rest between.

Bodyweight Squats:  Simple; squat to parallel, hold 5 seconds, come back up. Do not lock out at top, keep tension throughout. 2,3, or 4 sets x 10,15, or 20 reps. 30 seconds rest between.

***Beginners can stop here, intermediate and advanced go to:

Isometric Balance Hold/One Leg Squat:  Stand at attention, raise arms to shoulder level and lift one leg in front of you. Try to raise it to waist level and hold it there. The goal is to hold it for 30 seconds, but go for at least ten. If this is too easy, close your eyes.

Doing a weighted pistol at alkavadio.com

Immediately execute a one-legged squat, If you can do a full pistol (all the way down,) do this x 5-10 reps.

If not, go as far down as you can, hold it for 3 seconds and repeat. 5-10 reps.

Another alternative is to put your leg behind you and squat down as far as possible. Again, hold for three seconds and repeat, 5-10 reps.

Depending on fitness level, complete entire sequence for 2, 3, or 4 sets of 10/30seconds+5-10 reps.

Finish with:

Mountain Climbers: 2, 3, or 4 sets of 30/30: 30 seconds work/30 seconds rest.

Don't forget to cool down with some stretching or more joint work. Good luck!