Results Conditioning » Circuit training

Fitness challenge #17: Ultimate 10

richb — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 20:24:37 +0000

The ultimate 10 challenge is a 10 exercise circuit that has you scoring points for number of reps completed; time the circuit is finished in and for taking shorter rest periods. For each of the exercises there are a maximum number of reps that you aim to complete such as 20 for the press ups. The number of reps you complete is the score you get so if you complete 12 you score 12 points, if you manage the full 20 then it is 20 points. Once you have completed the circuit stop the clock, if you have managed to perform all of the reps and have finished the circuit in less than 10 minutes then you get bonus points for each second under the time (If you didn’t complete all of the reps and completed the circuit under 10 minutes then you don’t score any bonus points). So for example if you complete all the reps in 9 minutes 30 you will score 260 points (that’s 230 points for completing all the reps and 30 points for finishing the time 30 seconds under 10 minutes).

At the end of the circuit you get to rest but again you can score yourself some more points. You can decide to rest for between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. Take only a 30 second rest and score 30 points, 1 minute will get you 20 points, 1 minute 30 will score you 10 or you could take a full 2 minutes and score 0 points. So again if you complete all the reps in 9 and a half minutes and only rest for 30 seconds you would have scored 320 points (260+ 30 + 30). After your rest start the 2^nd circuit following the same rules as above. Again after the 2^nd circuit rest for as long as you need up to 2 minutes and then start your final circuit. At the end of this cool down and add up all your points to give you your ultimate 10 score.

Example:

Circuit 1: All of the reps completed in 9.45 and with only a 30 second rest scores 305 points.

Circuit 2: All of the reps completed in 9.55 with a 1 minute rest scores 285 points.

Circuit 3: All of the reps completed in 10.15 will score you 260 points.

Challenge score: 760

Ultimate 10 Circuit:

Press up x20

Barbell clean and press (Women 5kg per side using a Bodypump bar, men 10kg per side) x20

Burpees with a jump x20

Recline row x20

Medicine ball v-ups (Women 2kg ball, men 3kg) x20

Side jumps (For this I used a kick shield stood on its side to jump over) x20

Wall squat (Stand with your back against a solid surface and squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Hold this position for a maximum of 60 seconds)

Dumbbell curl to press (Women 5kg, men 10kg) x20

Plank with weight plate side (Start in a plank position with a weight plate by your right arm. Grab the weight with your right hand and slide it over to your left hand. Use your left hand to slide the weight to the left side of your body. Reverse the movement and bring the weight back to its start position. This counts as 1 rep. Women 2.5 kg weight, men 5kg weight) x10

Double leg squat thrust x50

Aims:

Your first target should be to complete all of the reps for each of the 3 circuits which would give you a score of 780. Once you have achieved this then try to increase your score with time bonuses and reduced rest periods.

Results workout #25: P and N circuit

richb — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 20:49:39 +0000

Here is a workout that I designed for 2 of my clients Phil and Nick (hence the name of the session) to do while they are away on holiday. For this workout all you need are some dumbbells and a space of around 10-15 metres so it is ideal for outdoor use. The workout combines resistance exercises with shuttle runs to give you a circuit that will help to improve fitness, endurance and reduce body fat. The workout will have you doing descending reps on the resistance exercises while increasing the reps of the shuttle runs, this will really test your endurance as you will be having to run for longer with shorter breaks in between.

Warm up:

Start with 5 minutes of light cardio before starting the circuit.

Main workout:

For the main workout complete all the exercises back to back with little rest. At the end of the circuit, rest for a couple of minutes and then repeat. Aim to complete 3 circuits. The way the session works is that you will start with 12 reps on the resistance exercise followed immediately by 1 shuttle run (around 10-15 metres). After the shuttle run perform 10 reps of the resistance exercise followed by 3 shuttle runs and then finally 8 reps and 5 runs. Once this is done move on to the next resistance exercise and start again from 12 reps.

Example:

12 Press ups with 1 shuttle run

10 press ups with 3 shuttle runs

8 press ups with 5 shuttle runs

Circuit:

Squat to press (Hold a dumbbell at shoulder height. Perform a squat and as you stand up press it over your head. Complete the reps then change arms).

Press ups

Alternating front lunges

Dumbbell swings (Hold a weight in one hand. Bend your knees and swing the dumbbell through your legs. As you stand up swing the weight up to shoulder height. Complete the reps then change arms).

Plank with legs out and in (Start in a basic plank position with your feet together. Take your right leg out to the side and then do the same with your left. Bring the right leg back into the centre and then your left. This counts as 1 rep).

Dumbbell woodchops (Hold a weight in both hands and squat down. Start with the dumbbell by the side of your right knee. Rotate the weight across your body to shoulder height keeping your arms straight. Complete the reps and then repeat on the other side).

At the end of the last set of shuttle runs rest for 1-2 minutes and then repeat.

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

Playing cards workout

richb — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:54:41 +0000

You may be wondering what a post about playing cards is doing on a site about fitness? Well if you fancy shaking up your training and doing something completely different then grab yourself a deck of cards. The principle is simple; pick 2 exercises one for the red cards and one for the black. So for example red could be press ups and black could be pull ups. Turn a card over and do the number of reps that matches the number on the card, so for a 5 of clubs you would do 5 pull ups. For picture cards I used the following reps, Jacks 11. Queens 12, Kings 13 and for Aces it was 20 reps. Below are some sample rounds which I used recently within my circuit class and with clients. Check out the combinations I used for when a joker was turned over.

ROUND 1:

Red cards: Press ups

Black cards: Burpees

JOKER: If this card is turned over then perform 10 burpees complete with a press up and jump.

ROUND 2:

Red cards: Barbell clean and press

Black cards: Jump squats

JOKER: This time perform 1 clean and press, put the bar down and do 1 jump squat. As you land back on the floor squat down grab the bar and repeat. Perform 10 combination reps.

ROUND 3:

Red cards: Barbell high pulls

Black cards: Double leg squat thrusts

JOKER: This time for a joker card perform one high pull and put the bar down. Keep your hands on the bar and do one squat thrust before immediately standing back up and repeating. Again complete 10 reps.

ROUND 4:

Red cards: Barbell push press

Black cards: Lateral jumps over barbell (Jumping over the bar and back counts as 1 rep)

JOKER: Do one push press and then put the bar down, complete 1 lateral jump and then repeat for 10 reps.

Tips:

: For each round I turned 10 cards over but feel free to change the number depending on time and fitness levels. You could try and do the whole pack!!

: I used a mixture of resistance and aerobic exercises for each round but again you can change this to suit your own needs.

MMA conditioning workout “video”

richb — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 21:04:50 +0000

This post looks at a workout I did recently that uses the training principles from my MMA conditioning class. The workout takes exercises and drills used by professional mixed martial artists (MMA) within their conditioning training. The workout is a circuit based session that is split into 5 minute rounds the same as an MMA bout. Each round is made up of 5 exercises with the exercises either being done for 1 minute or 30 seconds. In this workout I did 30 seconds per exercise and did the circuit twice through for a 5 minute round.

Warm up:

For this workout I warmed up with 5 minutes of shadow boxing throwing a mixture of punches and knee strikes.

Round 1, 3 and 5

Here are the exercises I used for rounds 1, 3 and 5.

Lower body: Squat to step up and knee strike

Start with your left leg on the step and the other on the ground. Squat down and then explode up into a step up. As you step up throw a knee strike with your right leg. Second time around perform on the opposite leg.

Cardio: Knee ride to sprawl

Start with one knee on the bag and one off (Knee ride). From here perform a sprawl by dropping your hips to the floor before jumping back into knee ride on the opposite side.

Upper body: VIPR uppercuts

Start in your fighting stance holding the VIPR. Perform an uppercut movement bringing the VIPR up and over your shoulder. Not only will this work your shoulders and arms but it is great for your lower back and oblique’s. Again perform 30 seconds on one side and switch sides second time around.

Core: Hip drags

From a press up position drag the VIPR under your body to the other side by exploding through your hips. This exercise is great for the core as well as working the hips and will help a fighter when it comes to grappling and ground fighting.

Cardio: Single leg squat thrusts

From a press up position jump one leg up towards the chest and then back out again while the other leg stays in the air. Change legs second time around.

Rounds 2 and 4

Lower body: VIPR Rotating lunge

This exercise not only hits your legs but will work your core and helps to mimic throwing a hook punch.

Cardio: 3 strike ground and pound

From the knee ride position throw one punch, elbow and hammerfist strike before switching sides and repeating.

Upper body: Walk over press up

Start with one hand on the floor and one on the VIPR. Perform a press up and then crawl over the VIPR performing press ups as you move.

Core: Plank with plate drag

Start in a plank position with a weight plate by your right arm. Drag the weight from one side to the other aiming to keep your body as still as possible.

Cardio: Lateral jogging

Using objects such as VIPR, hurdles, powerbags etc. Jog sideways over the objects keeping your knees up and holding your hands up in a boxing guard. This exercise is designed to help with a fighters S.A.Q (speed, agility and quickness).

Barbell complex training “Video”

richb — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:25:48 +0000

This post looks at barbell circuits also known as barbell complexes. These complexes are designed to improve speed, conditioning, strength endurance and can have some aerobic benefits. The idea is to perform a circuit of barbell exercises back to back without any rest and ideally without putting the bar down. Since you are performing a group of exercises together the amount of weight you use will be much less then if doing the exercises individually. As mentioned barbell complexes are designed more for strength endurance rather than pure strength or muscle hypotrophy (increased muscle size). Complexes are also designed to be completed as fast as possible while maintaining good technique, this will help to improve your speed and will help to keep your heart rate elevated causing you to burn a significant amount of calories. I have posted 2 examples of barbell complexes that you can try. Complete 15-20 reps of each exercise and once you have completed them all rest for 1-2 minutes before repeating. Aim to complete 3-4 complexes. Increase the amount of weight you use once you can do 20 reps of each exercise and complete 3 complexes comfortably.

Complex 1:

Press up

Deadlift

Bent over row

Push press

Lunges

Good mornings

Complex 2:

Clean and press

Squat

Reverse lunges

Stiff legged deadlift

Upright row

Bent over row (underhand grip)

“Inferno” fat burning programme final part

richb — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 14:47:48 +0000

Well Rob has now finished the inferno fat burning programme and I am pleased to say it was a success. Rob has told me that he has noticed a change with his body shape; he has dropped a little weight and feels a lot fitter. The main result is that he has noticed a reduction of body fat around his mid-section and is leaner than before which was one of his main goals going into this programme. In this post I have outlined the entire programme so you can see just what I put Rob through over the gruelling 6 weeks.

Week 1:

As mentioned in previous posts the workout was split over 3 days with Rob doing 1 whole body session and then 2 split workouts. This was due to Rob training on consecutive days (Tuesday, Thursday and Friday). The sessions that were done on week 1 were also done on weeks 3 and 5 although the workouts were progressed over the 6 weeks.

Whole body session: (Tuesday)

This workout can be found here http://www.resultsconditioning.com/archives/1035

Chest, shoulders and triceps: (Thursday)

This workout can be found here http://www.resultsconditioning.com/archives/1044

Legs, back and biceps: (Friday)

This workout can be found here http://www.resultsconditioning.com/archives/1044

On week 3 all the cardio exercises were being done for 45 seconds and rest between circuits was down to 1 and a half minutes.

By week 5 Rob was doing the cardio exercises for 55 seconds and only having 1 minute rest between circuits.

Week 2:

The sessions done on week 2 were also done on week 4 and 6.

Whole body session: (Tuesday)

This workout can be found here http://www.resultsconditioning.com/archives/1063

Chest, shoulders and triceps: (Thursday)

*****
You need to be logged in to see the rest of the post. Login using the box in the sidebar.
Not registered?
Click on the 'register' button below to sign up to one of our great packages which will allow you to view all the posts (including exercise vidoes and workout plans) and participate in online challanges.

*****

Results workout #24: Dumbbell and punch bag

richb — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 13:46:33 +0000

Here is a circuit workout that works the whole body mixing resistance training with high intensity cardio. All you will need to do this are dumbbells and a punch bag. The workout will help to improve strength, fitness as well as burning body fat.

Warm up:

As always spend between 5-10 minutes warming the body up with some light cardio such as shadow boxing, skipping, cardio machines etc.

Circuit:

Complete 10 reps of the following exercises.

PRESS UP

PULL UP

1 ARM DUMBBELL SNATCH (10 PER ARM)

DUMBBELL SQUAT (Hold a dumbbell in both hands at chest height and perform a squat).

DUMBBELL FRONT LUNGE (Hold a dumbbell in both hands at chest height and perform 5 lunges per leg).

V-UP

BICYCLE OBLIQUE TWISTS

At the end of the circuit complete a 3 minute round on a punch bag throwing a mixture of combinations. If you have not got use of a punch bag then try the alternative below.

Punch bag alternative:

Complete 30 seconds of the exercises below and complete this circuit twice for a total of 3 minutes.

BURPEE

SQUAT JUMP

ICE SKATERS

At the end of your 3 minute cardio round rest for 1-2 minutes and then repeat the circuit. Aim to complete 3 circuits before cooling down and stretching.

Results workout #23: Big 50

richb — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 13:06:44 +0000

Here is another workout I did with my Saturday morning circuit class. 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. The way this worked with a large class was that as soon as somebody had completed all the reps then they would start jogging around the studio, I would then set my stopwatch for 1 minute. Once the minute was up the round was over regardless of whether everybody had completed all the reps or not. This helped prevent people standing around doing nothing while waiting for others to finish and meant that everyone could work at their own pace. Below is how the rounds looked as well as the warm up we used for this class.

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.

MMA Conditioning class: Fitness First Wakefield

richb — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 17:54:39 +0000

Recently I attended Wakefield Fitness First to teach a MMA conditioning master class to their members. Wakefield is one of the Fitness First clubs that runs my class under the name Strike-Fit. The class was well attended and along with the members of Fitness First I had a professional fighter come along to try out the workout. Below is a testimonial by Mark “superman” Aldridge.

“Ok, so I arrive at Fitness First Wakefield to take part in a studio class called Strike Fit!

The advertisements say Train like a Fighter.

Today the class will be an event run/co-hosted by Mr. Richard Brewin (founder of the Strike Fit Programme.)

My First impression of Richard is good, he looks the part, looks fit! To be honest I half expected some guy who does not train trying to cash in on the MMA scene like so many others do, (I see this a lot some random trainer/club teaching MMA badly and simply getting off on hitting young lads.)

Anyway back to Strike Fit.

After speaking with Richard for a short while I realised this is no Bum trying to cash in but a serious Instructor that had clearly done both the groundwork and research to understand the concept that helped him formulate Strike Fit.

I decided I would take part in the session, even though I am sick as a dog and high on Lockets, HA!

What I see is a structured circuit layout with 5 – 1min stations then put into 5 rounds, just as a fight would be with 1 min rest between stations.

Sit-ups, sprawls, tucks, ground & pound, all totally authentic exercises that as a Pro-fighter I have used in training, the class is 100% MMA style training.

It is good solid work and I did get a good sweat on and feel the benefit of the session, and just when you think it’s over…the challenge round is thrown in, lol, awesome.

As a pro-Fighter I train 6 times a week and cardio is a big part of what we do, Strike Fit will allow you to ‘Train the way we do’ without the pain and commitment of the fight, it’s not for everyone.

You want to train like a Fighter? Get to a Strike session, and bring some guts with you”.

Mark ‘Superman’ Aldridge (Professional MMA Fighter.)

The class was 5×5 minute rounds of circuit training MMA style and included a mixture of aerobic exercises such as straddle jumps, explosive step ups and sprawls, ground and pound drills, abdominal exercises such as sit up with strikes and Russian twists and upper and lower body exercises such as medicine ball press ups and jump lunges. At the end of the 5 rounds we finished with a tough 5 minute challenge round. For more information on this class check out the link http://www.resultsconditioning.com/mma-conditioning or contact me direct.

Check out the below videos of the class in action.

Check out Mark “superman” Aldridge performing a sprawl with punch combination.

Gary Park:

Gary is one of the instructors at Fitness First who teaches the Strike-Fit class. He has a wealth of knowledge in both martial arts and health and fitness. Check out his website here.

http://www.twgpfitnesstrainingservices.co.uk/

MMA Circuit: “Video”

richb — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 10:08:56 +0000

This circuit uses 5 Powerbag exercises and is designed to help those training in mixed martial arts (MMA) to improve their conditioning, aerobic fitness and explosive power. The aim is to spend 30 seconds on each of the exercises and to complete the circuit twice to form a 5 minute round. At the end of the round, rest for 1 minute and then repeat. Try to complete 3-5 rounds depending on fitness level and goals.

Warm up:

Spend 5-10 minutes warming up with some gently cardio such as skipping, shadow boxing, S.A.Q drills etc.

Circuit:

Bear crawl with bag pull.

Bear crawl backwards while dragging the bag alternating which hand you use.

Sprawl to clean and press.

Place the bag on the floor and perform a sprawl before jumping back up and doing one clean and press before repeating.

Knee ride switch.

Start in the knee ride position with one knee on the bag and one off. Switch from side to side as fast as possible.

Explosive walk over’s.

Start with both hands on the bag, drop one hand onto the floor and perform a press up before exploding back over the bag and repeating on the opposite side.

Side jumps.

Perform a 2 footed side jump over the bag landing softly by bending the knees on impact. Repeat as quickly as possible whilst maintaining good technique.

At the end of your 3-5 rounds spend 5 minutes cooling down before stretching.