Results Conditioning » squats

Focus pad finishers

richb — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 18:12:58 +0000

One of the ways I give my clients a good cardio session is by working on the focus pads. Doing pad work not only gets the heart rate elevated, which will help burn away body fat and improve aerobic fitness, it can also help to improve speed, reflexes and hand eye co-ordination. Pad work is also a fantastic stress buster after a hard day at work and a great mental workout as you have to throw the right combinations on commend. When I do pad drills with clients I will use a system of numbers with each number relating to a set combination that the client has previously learnt, so for example if I call out number 2 then they will throw a jab, cross combo. With this I will sometimes mix in MMA (mixed martial arts) type moves and drills such as elbows, knees, kicks, sprawls and takedowns. Clients will normally work on the pads for 1-3 minute rounds depending on fitness levels with 1-2 minutes rest in between. Focus pad rounds will often be mixed in with other types of circuit training to offer a whole body workout that is varied and interesting as well as being effective. Below are 2 ways I sometimes finish off a focus pad session. Both of these drills are very taxing and are designed to push my clients to their limit, making sure that by the end of the session they have nothing left and can go home feeling like they have given their all!

Conditioning drill:

This first drill mixes 1 minute pad rounds with a 1 minute bodyweight conditioning round. You start off by performing a minute round on the pads, as soon as this is finished you go straight into the below conditioning round aiming to complete 10 reps of each of the exercises within the minute.

Squats (Keep your hands up by your chin in a boxing guard throughout the squats)

Press ups (Perform on your fists with your gloves on)

Crunch with reach (Legs in the air and hands above your head crunch up and reach for your feet)

Burpee

If the minute runs out before you have completed the 4 exercises then you just go straight into the next round of pad work without any rest. If you complete all 4 exercises within the minute then what ever time is left is used for rest (if you do complete all 40 reps within 1 minute chances are you will only get a few seconds to rest anyway!)

Keep repeating the 1 minute of pad work and 1 minute of conditioning for as many rounds as you wish. I would normally aim for 2-3 rounds of each.

Shuttle runs:

This time we are mixing a 1 minute pad round with shuttle runs up and down the studio which is approximately 10 metres long. Again start out with your minutes pad work and then complete 2 shuttle runs (up and down the room counts as 1 lap). You have again 1 minute to complete the shuttles in so the faster you run the more time you get to recover. Once the minute is up start the next pad round, after each pad round increase the shuttles by 2 laps but keep the time to complete them in to 1 minute. This means less and less recovery time as you progress through. The maximum I would work up to given the length of a lap is 10. This would mean 5 rounds on the pads. If the client fails to meet the target numbers of shuttle runs within the minute then stop the drill. Of course you can alter the length of the shuttle runs depending on what space is available.

If you haven’t got a willing partner to hold the pads then why not try the above drills but use a punch bag instead or if this is not available you could even do 1 minute rounds of shadow boxing. With shadow boxing focus on speed, technique and footwork and since you don’t need any equipment there is no excuses for not trying it!

5 minute finisher

richb — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:47:20 +0000

Here is a little finisher I have been using with clients at the end of their sessions. It is short and simple and as the name suggests should only take 5 minutes or less to complete. To perform it you only need a medicine ball and a space of approximately 10 metres long. To do the challenge you start at one end of the room and complete 2 reps of the following 3 exercises.

Body weight squat

Press up

Medicine ball crunch (Place your legs in the air and crunch up bringing the ball over your head and towards your feet)

Once you have completed 2 reps of each then run down to the end of the room and touch a cone which you have positioned there and run back (this counts as 1 lap). After this you will then increase the 3 exercises by 2 reps each time and the shuttle run by 1 lap until you reach 10 reps of the squats, press up and crunch and 5 shuttle runs.

Tips:

Make sure you bend down and touch the cone or the floor, if you have not got a cone to hand, on each shuttle run.

With my clients I have been using a 3kg medicine ball.

Fitness challenge #38: Weight plate 8

richb — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 20:27:39 +0000

I put this 20 minute challenge together when I had to train 4 people at once and I wanted something that used minimal kit, so all you will need is a weight plate and plenty of energy! The aim of the challenge is to complete as many sets of the 8 exercise circuit within the time limit. If at the end of the time you are part way through a set then this will be added to your score, so for example if you have completed 5 full sets and are on the 4^th exercise of the next set then your score will be 5.4. The 8 exercises used are listed below.

Overhead swings x12

Squat to press x12

Lunge with rotation x12

Squat to rotation x10 per side

Jumping jacks x20

Floor press x20

Press ups x12

Burpees x10

Tips:

: Women have been using 5kg for most of the exercises except the floor press which a 10kg has been used. Men have used either a 5 or 10kg plate or a mixture of both depending on individual fitness levels.

Aims:

: First target should be to complete 4 sets and then see if you can get up to 5 or more.

Fighting fit 3 challenge:

richb — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 20:42:43 +0000

Here is a challenge I put together tonight for one of my clients who as a high level black belt in Karate is looking to get back into fighting shape after a break from his martial arts training. The challenge is performed over 3 rounds with a round being made up of a circuit of 8 exercises. To perform this challenge complete the first round and at the end of it stop the clock and rest for 2 minutes before restarting the clock and completing round 2. Once again at the end of this, rest for 2 minutes before finally restarting the clock and finishing the 3^rd and final round.

Below is the 8 exercise circuit that make up the challenge.

Jab, cross lead hook: Throw 10 reps of this combo onto a heavy bag.

Dumbbell bench press: 15 reps with 10kg dumbbells.

Shuttle runs: 10 times up and down the studio which is approximately 10 metres long.

Barbell clean and press: 10 reps with a 15kg barbell.

Elbow strikes onto a floor bag: Place your right knee on the bag and your left leg out to the side. Throw a right elbow strike and then switch positions bringing your left knee onto the bag and throwing a left elbow. Throw 20 strikes in total.

Barbell squats: 15 reps with a 15kg barbell.

Roundhouse kicks: Throw 10 rear leg roundhouse kicks with right and left leg onto a heavy bag.

Jab, cross sprawl: Perform a jab cross onto focus pads before dropping down into a sprawl. Complete 10 reps.

Tips:

Wear fingerless MMA gloves so you can perform your resistance exercises without having to take your gloves off in between.

Throw all your strikes with maximum power to get the most out of this workout.

Aims:

First target should be to complete each round in less than 4 minutes so that the entire challenge is done in less than 12 minutes.

Famous 5 finisher

richb — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 20:42:22 +0000

This short and simple finisher is perfect for doing at the end of a workout as it will only take a couple of minutes to complete. The aim is simple; you perform 5 bodyweight exercises with each one increasing by 5 reps. Start with 5 burpees and finish with 25 jacks with press ups, crunches and squats in between.

FAMOUS 5 FINISHER:

Burpees x5

Press ups x10

Crunches x15

Squats x20

Jumping jacks x25

Aims:

: First target should be to get all 5 done in less than 2 minutes.

: If you want a harder challenge then once you have completed the jacks rest for 30 seconds and then repeat the circuit in reverse order starting with 25 jacks and finishing with 5 burpees.

20/10 workout

richb — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 20:24:27 +0000

Here is a workout I did myself today which I have titled the 20/10. It is a whole body session that uses just a single barbell and has you working through a circuit alternating between 20 and 10 repetitions, hence the name. The barbell you use would be lighter than you would normally use for each individual exercise if you were doing basic straight set training since it’s the cumulative effect of doing all of them back to back without any rest that will test you. This makes for a workout that is great for improving muscular endurance as well as giving you cardio benefits thanks to the inclusion of burpees in the middle of the circuit. Below is the exercises used within the circuit as well as a short video showing a sample of the workout.

Clean and press x10

Squats x20

Lunge x10 per leg

Press ups x20

High pulls x10

Bent over rows x20

Full burpees x10 (with a press up and a jump)

Close hand press ups x20

Bicep curls x10

Straight leg oblique twists x20 per side

Double kettlebell circuit

richb — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 20:08:49 +0000

Recently we have added to our range of kettlebells and now have many pairs ranging in weight from as little as 3kg through to 12kg. Working with 2 kettlebells gives you a whole new dimension to your workouts as many of my clients have been finding out. Below is a short circuit that I have been using within my personal training sessions.

Swings x20

Squats x20

Clean and press x20

Lunges x20

Alternating arm bent over rows x20 per arm

Alternating arm chest press x20 per arm

Exercise of the week #14: TRX jump squat to burpee

richb — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 12:32:23 +0000

Here is an exercise I have been doing recently with my clients as part of a TRX circuit. It is a great aerobic exercise that tests your speed, agility and quickness while giving your legs a good workout. To do the exercise you start with a basic squat, as you stand up you explode into the air jumping as high as you can. As your feet hit the ground you immediately let go of the TRX handles and drop down into a burpee (with or without a press up depending on how hard you want to make it). As you stand up out of the burpee you should be able to grab the returning handles and then repeat. Of course if you are not quick enough from getting up from the burpee then you will either miss the handles or have them swing into you! When this has happened with my clients it means that rep does not count. This has meant some long and tough sets and has made the exercise become a real test of endurance as well. Below is a video showing the exercise in action.

MMA conditioning and sparring round 2

richb — Thu, 05 May 2011 21:22:56 +0000

Here is another MMA conditioning circuit and body sparring session that myself and Nick did. After enjoying last weeks session so much and feeling the results for a good few days we decided it was time for round 2! We used the same format but changed the exercises used within the circuit rounds. Since MMA is a combination of all the different types of martial arts it means there is great versatility within the workout as exercises borrow from many of these combat arts. So for example there are exercises with a wrestling background such as bear crawling, knee strikes taken from Muay Thai combined with squats and shadow boxing that uses punches taken from boxing and kickboxing to name just a few. Check out the workout below.

Warm up:

Again we raised the heart rate with a few minutes of shadow boxing.

MMA conditioning round:

Squat with knee strike: Perform a squat and as you stand up throw a knee strike.

Shadow boxing: Using a light pair of dumbbells (0.5-2kg) throw a mixture of punch combinations.

Medicine ball sprawl with press: Perform a sprawl while holding a handled medicine ball and as you stand up press the ball away.

Crunch with punches: Sit up and throw a punch towards your opposite knee.

Ground and pound with armbar: From the mount position throw 10 strikes and then swing your left leg over the bag and drop to the left hand side of the bag as if performing an armbar submission hold. Scrabble back onto the bag and repeat to the other side.

Body sparring round:

MMA conditioning round:

Floor bridge with up kick: Perform a floor bridge and as you lift your hips kick 1 leg into the air.

Around the head rotation: Hold a weight plate and circle it around your head alternating directions.

Lateral jogging with punches: Place 4-5 cones on the floor and jog laterally through them throwing continuous punches as you do.

Crunch with elbow strikes: With a medicine ball between your knees and legs in the air crunch up and bring your elbow across to strike the ball.

3 Strikes switch: With your right knee on the bag and left leg to the side throw a straight punch, elbow and hammer fist with your right hand and then switch and repeat on the left.

Body sparring:

We finished the workout with another conditioning circuit and sparring round.

Random 5’s

richb — Mon, 02 May 2011 19:46:32 +0000

Here is a workout I did today that is ideal for those short of time or fancy doing something completely different to shock the body. This workout came about because I had a busy day of personal training. After a weekend of enjoying the weather, which meant a few to many BBQ’s, I wanted a hard session but was limited to only a 30 minute gap between clients. Since this was not enough time to do my normal strength programme I decided to do what I like to call the Random 5’s. The basis of the workout was simple, I wanted a whole body session that would also get my heart rate up and could be completed within half an hour. I set the timer on my phone for 3×5 minute rounds with a 2 minute rest in between and off I went. I did as many exercises within the time limit as I could, I didn’t really count reps I just performed anything between 10-20 reps depending how it felt. If I got to 10 reps and felt ok then I would keep going trying to perform each exercise until it became challenging. I moved from one exercise to the next with little rest and picked mainly compound and dynamic type exercises which helped keep the heart rate up. I used mainly barbells, kettlebells and the TRX within the 5 minute rounds but also used medicine balls, Body Rocka and anything else I felt like. This is the great thing about doing this, you can pick whatever you feel like or whatever equipment is available. Below are some of the exercises I used but remember you don’t need to perform these, get creative and pick what you want!

Barbell squats

Barbell lunges

Barbell upright rows

Barbell shoulder press

Body Rocka press ups

TRX Rows

TRX Single leg squats

TRX Front raise

Kettlebell swings

Kettlebell clean and press

Medicine ball Russian twists

Recline rows

Trciep dips

AIMS:

Try to complete between 3-5 rounds depending on time and fitness levels.

See if you can do it without performing the same exercise twice.

Try and avoid just picking exercises you find easy! Challenge yourself with your exercise selection and the amount of resistance you use.

Keep the rest between exercises to a minimum.

While performing an exercise get thinking of what you will do next. If you can’t think of anything, then keep going with that one until you can!