This is a very short challenge that should only take a few minutes to complete so would be ideal to use as a finisher at the end of a session. The workout hits most of your major muscles from your upper body (chest, shoulders and triceps) to your legs (quadriceps hamstrings and calves) as well as giving you a great aerobic workout. The aim is simple, complete 20 reps of 5 bodyweight exercises in the quickest time. The exercises are listed below.

Burpee

Jump squat

Press up

Squat

Double leg squat thrust

At the end of the workout stop your clock and record your time before cooling down and stretching out. See if you can complete all 100 reps in less than 2 minutes. If you really want to push yourself see if you can do the 100 reps in 100 seconds! Post your scores below and let’s see how we get on!

Here is my first attempt at completing the challenge in 100 seconds. 110 seconds later and I had finished! I am determined to smash the 100 second barrier next time!

1. : 

All you need is a barbell and some weights and lots of energy. The circuit is split into rounds and each round is made up of 3 exercises. For this workout we are using high reps so it is 50 per exercise although you don’t have to complete them all in one go. You can break the 50 reps down anyway you like so for example you could complete 5 sets of 10 reps of each exercise or 2 sets of 25, as long as you complete 150 total reps. You complete each round as quickly as possible making sure to use perfect technique all the way through. At the end of each round stop the clock and rest for 2 minutes before restarting the time and beginning the next round.

Warm up:

Make sure to spend 5-10 minutes warming up with some light cardio before starting this challenge. Check out the Big 50 workout for a bodyweight warm up you could try.

Round 1:

Push press

Press up

Double leg squat thrust

Round 2:

Deadlift

Crunch with legs up

Squat jumps

Round 3:

Barbell snatch

Alternating leg front lunge (50 per leg)

Burpee

Round 4:

High pull

Single leg squat (50 per leg)

Ice skaters

At the end of the challenge stop the clock and record your time before spending 5-10 minutes cooling down and stretching.

Aims:

First target should be complete this challenge in around 25-30 minutes. Anything under 25 is excellent. See if you can get your time down to less than 20 minutes.

For this challenge I have been using studio barbells such as the ones used within Bodypump classes. Women have used 2.5kg per side on their push press, snatch and high pulls and 5kg per side for the deadlifts. For the men it has been 10kg per side for deadlifts and 5kg per side for the other 3.

If you get your time down to less than 20 minutes then look at increasing your resistance on the barbell exercises.

While you can complete the reps how ever you wish, see if you can work up to doing all 50 in one go for each exercise.

Warm up:  For the warm up you only need your bodyweight and a small weight plate or cone.

Squat: 10 reps

Jumping Jacks: 30 seconds

Alternating leg front lunge: 10 reps (5 per leg)

Scissor jumps: 30 seconds

Side to side crawl: (Start in a press up position with your hands and feet close together. Move your right hand and right leg out to the side and then repeat with your left side before bringing right hand and leg back in followed by your left side). 30 seconds.

Front hops:  (Jump forwards and backwards over your weight plate aiming to stay light on your feet and keep your heels off the ground). 30 seconds

Alternating leg side lunge: 10 reps (5 per leg)

Side hops: (Same as you front hops except jumping from side to side over your weight plate). 30 seconds

Rotational reverse lunge: (Perform a reverse lunge but rotate your back leg behind your front leg like your doing a curtsey. Step back and repeat with the opposite leg) 10 reps (5 per leg)

Jogging on the spot: 30 seconds

Complete this x2-3 for your warm up.

Round 1:

Push press

Press up (Aim to complete each rep with a tempo of 2 seconds lowering and 2 seconds pushing back up)

Double leg squat thrust

Round 2:

Deadlift

Crunch with legs up (Again aim to complete these with a tempo of 2 seconds up and 2 seconds down)

Squat jumps

Round 3:

Barbell snatch

Alternating leg front lunge (50 per leg)

Burpee

Round 4:

High pull

Single leg squat (50 per leg)

Ice skaters

At the end of the workout spend 5-10 minutes cooling down and stretching.

Tips:

: Spend around 2 minutes resting between rounds. Use this time to change the weights if needed ready for the next exercise.

: Once you can complete 50 reps of the barbell exercises in one go then look at increasing the weight slightly.

Challenge:

If you fancy a challenge then see how fast you can complete all 4 rounds. Stop the clock between each round and give yourself 2 minutes rest before starting again.

Warm up:

The warm up follows the same principles as before with you taking your members through a shadow boxing routine. We are sticking to four combinations but we are changing them slightly.

Combo 1: Starting off in the basic fighting stance with either the left foot (orthodox) or the right foot (southpaw) forward the first punch is again the lead jab. Throw the lead hand straight out turning the wrist as you do so your knuckles face forward.

Combo 2: This is a jab followed by a rear hook. For the hook keep the elbow up high and the wrist straight. Lift the back heel and rotate the hips as you throw the punch.

Combo 3: Jab, rear hook and front uppercut. The front uppercut is thrown by dropping the front shoulder slightly and turning the hips to throw the punch upwards. Keep the wrist straight and the knuckles facing up.

Combo 4: jab, rear hook, front uppercut and cross. With the rear hand throw a straight cross. Turn the hips as you throw the punch.

As before use front and rear knees as well as sprawls within the warm up.

Upper body:

Around the head plate rotations: Increased strength and mobility in the shoulders is very important for a fighter when throwing punches and grappling which is why this exercise is included. Hold a weights plate by the sides. Begin with it in front of your chest with your elbows bent. Take the plate over your shoulder and behind your head keeping it close to you. Rotate the plate round and bring it back over your opposite shoulder to the start position. Repeat going the opposite way.

Medicine ball slams: This exercise would help fighters improve their upper body’s explosive power. Hold a medicine ball at arms length above your head and then forcefully throw it into the ground. Catch the ball on the rebound and repeat.

Lower body:

Squats with knee strikes: The basic lower body exercise made more specific to the sport by adding powerful knee strikes. Perform a normal two legged squat, as you stand up from the bottom position deliver a knee strike. Repeat the squat and knee strike with the opposite leg.

Progression: Throw the knee strikes into a kick shield or focus pads.

Staggered squat with strikes: In this exercise the basic squat becomes a defensive manoeuvre combined with the jab, cross. Start in your fighting stance and throw a jab before bending your knees and squatting down as if you were ducking to avoid a punch. Come up and throw a cross. Repeat from the beginning.

Progression: Throw the punches into focus pads.

Core:

 Medicine ball twists: Strong obliques will help fighters to throw more effective punches. Begin by sitting on the floor with your legs in the air holding a medicine ball. Twist the ball to either side of the body while keeping your legs in the air and as still as possible

Regression: Place the feet on the floor.

Progression: Have your feet uncrossed.

Medicine ball crunch with elbow strikes: This exercise takes a powerful elbow strike thrown from the ground and turns it into a great exercise for the abdominals and obliques. Start with a medicine ball between your knees and your legs in the air. Perform a basic crunch, from this position bring one elbow across the body towards the ball as if you were trying to strike it. Perform 10 reps and then repeat with the opposite arm.

Regression: Perform with feet on the floor. Perform without holding the ball.

Cardio:

Ground and pound standing strikes to mount: Fighters need to be able to strike a downed opponent even when their arms are heavy and burning. Recreate the feeling with this simple cardio drill. Stand with your feet either side of a prone bag with your knees slightly bent. Throw 10 straight punches into the bag alternating between hands before dropping down into the mount position. Throw a further 10 strikes using punches, elbows and hammer fists. Stand up and repeat.

Hip escape:  Begin in a press up position. Take one foot of the ground and rotate the hips taking the leg under the body and out to the other side. As you rotate the leg through take the opposite hand off the floor and into the air. Return to start position and repeat to opposite side.

Regression: Keep the hands on the floor and just lift the legs. Perform a basic squat thrust.

Challenge round:

For this update we have included 2 new challenges for you to try.

Chest challenge: This challenge involves a press up with a kneeling sprawl. Start with one basic press up and then go into a kneeling position and perform one kneeling sprawl. Each time increase both exercises by one rep.

Ultimate Abs: This challenge combines a crunch with a guard sit up without a medicine ball. Begin by performing one basic crunch and one guard sit up. Each time increase the crunch by one but only ever do one guard sit up in between.

I use fitness challenges with my clients as one way of monitoring progress and as a way for them to see firsthand the improvements they are making. Once a client has completed a challenge then their score will be recorded and then 4-6 weeks later they will attempt to improve on it. I have found the challenges a great way to get people to push themselves to their very limits. We all have a slightly competitive edge, whether it is trying to beat our own score or that off a training partner or fellow gym goer. The challenges help to bring that out in people often resulting in very intense and extremely effective sessions.

Challenges you will find in this book range from short 5 minute ones, through to ones that will take up an entire training session

While most of the challenges can be tailored to meet all levels of fitness some of them are very intense and not for the faint hearted! For each one I have included a part that recommends what level of fitness the challenge is best suited. Whether that is beginner, intermediate or advanced. I have also included targets for each of the challenges to give you something to aim towards; these are from both personal experience (I like to put myself through all the challenges to see what my clients are experiencing!) and from what my clients have scored.

I have included the first part of this e book below. If you would like to receive the entire book for FREE then simply contact me at resultspt@hotmail.com and I will forward it over to you. Enjoy!

Contents:

1. Introduction

. Rate your fitness level

. Challenge selection

. When to do a challenge

1. Bodyweight

#1 THE BIG 3

#2 BURPEE HELL

#3 10X10

#4 BODYWEIGHT BLASTER

1. Powerbag

#5 POWERBAG

#6 POWERBAG 2

#7 POWERPLAY

1. Barbell

#8 CLEAN AND PRESS

#9 300

#10 3 ROUNDS

#11 FOURWAY FUN

1. Kettlebell

#12 KETTLEBELL 660

#13 3 WAY PLAY

#14 SNATCH TEST

1. MMA Conditioning

#15 GROUND AND POUND GAUNLET

#16 SPRAWL AND BRAWL

#17 JUMP TO IT

#18 PUNCH OUT

#19 TABATA PRESS UPS

#20 TABATA BURPEES

1.  Other

#21 WEIGHT PLATE WORKOUT

#22 SATURDAY MORNING CIRCUITS

#23 CRAZY 8

#24 KILLER KICK SHIELD

#25 TOTAL SET

#26 TRX 40/40

#27 5X5

#28 DUMBBELL 9

#29 GYM TRIATHLON

#30 CARDIO CRAZY

1. 1.      INTRODUCTION:

Welcome to my Results Conditioning “Big book of challenges”. In here you will find a whole host of fitness challenges that will test your aerobic and anaerobic fitness, muscular endurance and stamina as well as pushing you to your very limits.

I use fitness challenges with my clients as one way of monitoring progress and as a way for them to see firsthand the improvements they are making. Once a client has completed a challenge then their score will be recorded and then 4-6 weeks later they will attempt to improve on it. I have found the challenges a great way to get people to push themselves to their very limits. We all have a slightly competitive edge, whether it is trying to beat our own score or that off a training partner or fellow gym goer. The challenges help to bring that out in people often resulting in very intense and extremely effective sessions.

Challenges you will find in this book range from short 5 minute ones, through to ones that will take up an entire training session. I have split the challenges down into sections; you will find ones that use just your bodyweight while others will use equipment such as Powerbags, kettlebells and barbells.

While most of the challenges can be tailored to meet all levels of fitness some of them are very intense and not for the faint hearted! For each one I have included a part that recommends what level of fitness the challenge is best suited. Whether that is beginner, intermediate or advanced. I have also included targets for each of the challenges to give you something to aim towards; these are from both personal experience (I like to put myself through all the challenges to see what my clients are experiencing!) and from what my clients have scored.

Many of these challenges you will find already on my website at www.resultsconditioning.com under the Results blog. Here you will also see short video clips showing the challenge in action. For those who visit my site regularly will find many more challenges in this book to enjoy that are not yet on the site.

RATE YOUR FITNESS LEVEL:

For each of the challenges you will see they have been rated beginner, intermediate, advanced or a combination of the 3. If you are not sure which of these you fall under then use the chart or workout below to help you decide.

The chart below is just a rough guide as there are many different variables in terms of rating somebody’s fitness level such as past exercise history, injuries, age, weight etc.

Beginner: I would normally class a beginner as someone who I have been training for up to 6 months and who has been doing some form of training at least 3 times per week.

Intermediate: For this I would class anyone who has over 6 months worth of training behind them.

Advanced: I would normally start using advanced challenges with clients who have at least 12 months of regular training behind them.

If you want another way of rating your fitness level then try this simple challenge below. Perform all the exercises listed with a 30 second rest in between each one. At the end check your score on the chart to see where you rate. The challenge is designed to test your upper and lower body strength as well as your core strength and cardio fitness.  

Press up: Perform as many repetitions as you can of a full press up. Take 2 seconds to lower yourself and 2 seconds to push back up to the start position. Once you reach fatigue and cannot perform any more reps with perfect technique then record your score.

Plank: Lie on your front and support yourself on your elbows and toes. Maintain a flat back and keep your abdominals tight and hold this position for as long as you can up to a maximum of 60 seconds. The length of time you hold it for is your score for this exercise so if you hold it for 30 seconds then give yourself 30 points.

Wall squat: Stand with your back against a solid surface with your feet hip width apart. From here lower yourself into a squat position so your bottom is parallel to the floor and your knees are over your ankles. Hold this position for as long as you can up to 60 seconds maximum. Again turn your time into points.

Burpee: Bend down and place your hands onto the floor then jump your legs back so your body forms a straight line. From this position jump your legs back in and stand back up.  Perform as many of these as you can within 1 minute and record your score.

Crunch: Lie on your back with your knees bent and rest your hands behind your head with your elbows out to the side. Crunch up so your shoulder blades leave the floor. Return to the start position and repeat, completing as many reps as you can within 1 minute.

Jumping jacks: Stand with your feet together and your hands by the side of your body. From here jump your legs out to the side and raise your arms to shoulder height. Return to the start position and repeat, completing as many reps as you can within 1 minute.

Once you have completed all 6 exercises add up your scores and see how you rate on the chart below.

Beginner: 140 points or below

Intermediate: 141-264 points

Advanced: 265 Points or more

Challenge selection:

When it comes to choosing a challenge make sure you pick ones that uses exercises that you can perform safely and correctly. For example I would only use Ketlebell challenges with people who have been training with this piece of kit for a good few months regardless of fitness levels, and had perfected the techniques of all the exercises used within that challenge. Another point concerning technique is to make sure you perform all exercises with proper form throughout the entire challenge. Even though in many of the challenges you are trying to complete as many reps as you can or perform a certain amount in your quickest time make sure you do not lose form whilst doing so.

When to do a challenge?

Since the idea of a challenge is to get the participant to work at their maximum intensity you do not want to be doing them every week as this can lead to burn out, injuries and diminished results. Normally once a client has completed a challenge then they will not do this one again for at least 4 weeks although normally it is closer to 8 weeks. In between they may do a different challenge but they will usually have at least 2 weeks off from doing any kind of fitness challenge.

When it comes to structuring a challenge into a clients session this will depend largely on what the rest of the session is going to involve and the length of time of the challenge. Some of the shorter challenges that take only 5-10 minutes may be done either at the start or end of a session. If the challenge is mainly cardio based then I may do it at the end of a resistance workout. For any challenge that will take longer than around 25 minutes are normally done by themselves. For all challenges make sure you spend 5-10 minutes warming up beforehand and around 5 minutes cooling down and stretching at the end.

For the first round you will complete 20 reps of each of the 8 exercises, at the end of this stop the clock and rest for 1 minute. After the rest period restart the clock and complete round 2 completing 16 reps of each exercise. Again stop the clock and rest for a further minute. Start the clock for round 3 and complete 12 reps of each exercise, at the end of this round stop your clock and record your time.

Exercise technique:

 Bench hops: Place your hands on a step box and then jump both legs over from side to side.

Step-ups: Rest the bar on your upper back.

Step jumps: Perform a 2-footed jump onto the step aiming to land soft by bending your knees on impact. Step back down and repeat.

Burpee: Place your hands on the step and jump both legs back out to full extension before jumping them back in and standing up to full extension.

Straddle jumps: Stand with both feet either side of the step and perform a 2-footed jump onto it aiming to land soft by bending your knees on impact. Step down and repeat.

Tips:

: For this challenge I have been using an Olympic bar with 5Kg per side (total weight 30kg) for men and for women a Bodypump bar with 5Kg per side (total weight 15kg). If you can complete the challenge in less than 15 minutes then look at increasing the weight.

: Use a step box that is 4 raises high for this challenge.

Tips:

: Make sure you fully warm up before starting this challenge.

: Start with a lightweight on the clean and press and then work up until you are using your normal weight for 10 reps.

: For the plyometric press-up use a low step or Powerbag to jump your hands onto.

: If you can’t complete plyometric press-ups with a good technique then begin with the basic version and work up to this.

Clean and press: For this challenge we are performing this exercise without using the handles. This will make the exercise more taxing on your arms, shoulders and core as you try to control a continually moving bag. 10 reps

Front squat: Hold the bag across your chest. 20 reps

Front lunge: Hold the bag across your chest and alternate legs. 20 reps (10 per leg)

Shoulder to shoulder: Hold the bag in the middle and press it from one shoulder over your head to the other shoulder. Use your legs to assist with the press. 20 reps (10 per arm)

Bent over rows: Keep your back flat throughout and pull the bag up into your stomach. 20 reps

Woodchops: Hold the bag by the side of your right knee and then swing it across your body over your left shoulder by rotating your hips. Keep your elbows slightly bent. 12 reps (per side)

Walk on: Place your hands either side of the bag in a press up position. Place your hands on and off the bag whilst maintaining a flat back and a strong core. Alternate which hand you lead with. 20 reps

Burpee: As you stand up from your burpee lift the bag off the floor keeping your arms straight and your back flat. 10 reps

Lateral jumps over bag: Jump over the bag aiming to land soft each time by bending your knees slightly on impact. 20 reps

Warm up: As before spend 5 minutes doing gentle cardio followed by 3-4 of the exercises used within the first 6 weeks. Again perform 2 sets of 12 reps of each of the warm up exercises. 

Superset training: For the next 3 weeks you will be doing superset training for you resistance section. Superset training involves performing 2 exercises back to back, with no rest in between, for either the same muscle or opposing muscles such as the biceps and triceps. This means you will be working all your major muscle groups with more intensity and volume while still completing your workout in around the 60-minute mark. For each superset perform 12 reps of each exercise (unless otherwise stated) and have a 45 second rest between supersets. Complete 3 sets of each.

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Cardio:  Pick from equipment such as treadmills, rowers, cycles etc.

Bodyweight: Ideal for home use.

Kettlebells: Try the kettlebell 660 challenge or create or own.

Powerbag: The 10 minute Powerbag challenge is one of the most popular at the Resuls studio and now you can create your own to rival it.

TRX: Create a challenge using the effective suspension trainer.

Free weights:  Try the 300 barbell challenge or create your own.

MMA Conditioning: I use challenges at the end of my MMA conditioning circuits. Create one here using a mixture of punch bags, plyometrics and sport specific movements.

Current fitness level: Beginner, intermediate, advanced.

Challenge length: 5 – 60 minutes.