High Intensity Workouts
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You should consult your physician or other health care professional before starting this or any other fitness program to determine if it is right for your needs. This is particularly true if you (or your family) have a history of high blood pressure or heart disease, or if you have ever experienced chest pain when exercising or have experienced chest pain in the past month when not engaged in physical activity, smoke, have high cholesterol, are obese, or have a bone or joint problem that could be made worse by a change in physical activity. Do not start this fitness program if your physician or health care provider advises against it. If you experience faintness, dizziness, pain or shortness of breath at any time while exercising you should stop immediately.
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What are you getting yourself into?
This is where I tell you how I am going to melt fat off your body with an intensity of workout you have never seen before….or something like that. Instead, can we just talk like regular people about high intensity workouts? The “Get off the Couch” program is a traditional style of working out. Do a set, take a break and either do the same exercise again or move on to a new exercise. You have a lot of starts and stops and the rest times are longer than the work times.
What if we reversed that and had you work more than you rested. In fact, what if you didn’t take any breaks and went as fast as you can (with good from) through the workout? That would be pretty intense, huh? It would kinda suck but it would take you to a new level of fitness. It is a great way to minimize workout time and maximize fitness and cardio gains but there is always a tradeoff. In this case, the tradeoff is that these workouts will make you suffer but in the best of ways.
These are workouts you can do with very little to no equipment, very little space is needed and you will be done in under 30 minutes.
Three Ways You Can Do These Workouts.
- Use an interval timer. Using an HIIT (High Intensity Interval Timer) will allow you to set work times and rest times according to your ability. Read more about getting and setting up your timer here. P.S. They are free.
- Go through each round and time yourself. This is a more advanced technique where you don’t have planned breaks but you want to see how quickly you can get through each round.
- How fast can you do the entire workout. This is the most challenging of all because you are doing all the exercises without breaks for a total time.
Notes and Cautions
As a guy who does Spartan races, marathons etc…I know how to push myself but I also know when to back off. This is a critical skill to learn if you are going to do these workouts.
I know I am dating myself here but have you ever watched the Roadrunner and Wyle E. Coyote cartoons? This is an analogy I always share with my people, so let me share it with you.
It seems like in every episode, the coyote is in hot pursuit of the roadrunner. He is focused like a laser and knows he is going to catch the roadrunner this time…until the roadrunner makes a sharp turn and the Coyote keeps going straight. He looks at the camera and holds up a sign that says “yikes” then plummets to the bottom of the canyon.
I can’t tell you how many times I have seen people, including myself, go out way to hard only to get that “Yikes” face halfway through the workout. Don’t be that person. It is dangerous and unnecessary. Push hard but know when you need to slow down. That is how you make progress.
I am going to give each workout a Mild and Spicy version.
Remember: Each workout can be 3 ways, so you have plenty of workouts here.
Quick Workout 1 (2 Versions)
3 Exercises for 4 rounds. 25 reps for each exercise.
Mild
25 Squats
Coaches Cues Feet are shoulder width apart, toes pointing out slightly. As you lower, reach back with the butt as if you were going to sit down. You want your femur (Thigh) to be parallel when sitting, so choose an appropriate height box. Your lower leg should be nearly vertical when sitting. Lightly touch and pop up. Don’t bounce! The biggest mistake I see is not sitting back into the squat. Try and not lock you knees at the top.
25 Pushups
Muscles Worked- The upper body with emphasis on chest, shoulders and triceps. Note: I want good form. There is no shame in doing push-ups on your knees or even against a counter. Just do them and you will be doing them on your toes in no time. Instructions: Start on your stomach. Before your start, squeeze the abs and butt for stability. Press and straighten the arms without locking. Bend the arms and going back to starting position. Coaches Cues: 1. Hands will always be at chest level, not neck level. 2. Use wide hands to work the chest more. 3. Hands shoulder width apart and elbows in will work the arms more. 4. Normal hand spacing is however far apart your hands are when they hang at your side.
25 Knees to Elbows
This is a combination of the basic crunch and a reverse crunch. Laying on your back you are going to lift your shoulders off the ground (the crunch) while you bring your knees towards your elbows (the reverse crunch). Coaches Cues 1. Don’t strain the neck. Keep your chin off the ground. 2. Try to touch the knees to elbows if possible but don\’t force it. 3. Make sure your shoulders and knees are moving at the same time.
Spicy
30 Alternating Lunges (15 Each Leg)
Muscles Worked- The Entire Leg Standing tall with your feet hip width, take a step forward and bend the front leg. When you step, your shin should be vertical or close to it. The back leg can bend. Stay tall and sink into the lunge. Push back hard with the front foot to get back to the starting position. Step with other leg. Coaches Cues: 1. A big mistake is letting the feet get too narrow. Think of your feet being on railroad tracks and sliding forward and back. You can also line your feet up with a line on the floor. It could be a pattern, a floor board or paper tape. 2. Stay tall . Hips should be facing front.
25 M Factor Pushups
Muscles Worked: Chest, Shoulders and arms
Coaches Cues
1. Start flat on your stomach.
2. Hands in air.
3. As you put the hands to the ground, explode up into a push-up.
25 Reverse Crunches
Muscles Worked: Lower Abs Lie on your back with your lower back flat and pressing against the floor. Your hands can either be under the butt or behind your head. Bring your knees up and towards your chest lifting the butt off the ground. Hold for a second, then release. Coaches Cues: Try and eliminate momentum by pausing at the start. As a beginner you may need to use a little momentum to get going. As you get stronger, bring the knees higher and/or straighten out the legs.
Videos
Quick Workout 2
Perform 4 rounds either taking a shirt 2 minutes break after each round or doing the whole workout with no breaks.
Jump Squats 15 Reps
Muscles worked: Entire Leg 1. Stand with feet shoulder width. 2. Squat down and explode up. 3. Land softly and explode up again.
Push-Up w/ Mountain Climber 25 Reps
Muscles Worked: Full body. Coaches Cues 1. Do a Push-up. 2. At the top, hold the plank. 3. Do a pair of mountain climbers. 4. Go back to starting position. 5. Repeat
V-Ups 25 reps
This is a great upper ab exercise.Coaches Cues: Start with your lower back flat against the ground and feet in the air. Keep your shoulders off the ground and try to touch your toes with your fingers. Hold for a second and slowly go back to the start. Don’t relax the abs throughout the exercise. Keep the chin up and the abs working.