I’m continuing with what I started a while back: unconventional approaches and methods in workouts that refresh your motivation and bring intensity and novelty to your usual routine.
In the translator’s opinion, the first three complexes belong in the realm of science fiction, but in the article I took them from, a certain tough coach, Martin Rooney, claims that yes, it is hard, but definitely doable.
Scenario: describe a special training method for me, or give me a tip I could use to bring a bit of “freshness” into my training?
Christian Thibaudeau
This isn’t so much a special method. What I’m telling you is to use exercises that really do something for you. Not all exercises work equally well for everyone. A few tips:
If you have long arms and long legs (relative to your torso), your arms and legs will respond best to unilateral exercises (translator’s note: these are exercises where the arms or legs work separately rather than together. For example, a one-arm dumbbell biceps curl on a preacher bench, a seated single-leg extension, etc.).
If you have short legs, all you need for good growth is the squat and its variations.
If you have short arms, you need far fewer direct triceps exercises than people with long arms. Various presses and dips do the job perfectly well.
If you have short arms and a long torso, you’ll need to do a lot of additional assistance work to keep your deadlift progressing.
If you have long arms, you’ll need to do far more exercises aimed specifically at the triceps and biceps than people with short arms if you want those muscles to grow properly.
A barbell complex for the whole body
Grab a stopwatch and set the timer to 100 seconds (1 minute and 40 seconds). The method we’re using doesn’t call for a wildly heavy barbell; 40 – 45 kg is about right to start with. Once the weight is on the bar, do the following exercises back to back:
- Push-ups with your hands on the barbell 20 x
- Stiff-leg deadlift 20 x
- Standing barbell press 20 x
- Regular squat 20 x
- Bent-over barbell row 20 x
For the push-ups with your hands on the barbell, get into a regular plank position (the push-up starting position), but rest your hands on the barbell. On the way down, the barbell touches your chest.
Isn’t 40 – 45 kg too light?
It may seem that way at first, but that thought disappears quickly. Try to get this whole thing done in 100 seconds and you’ll see how hard it is. It’s best to pick a weight with which you can actually complete those 100 repetitions at all, even without a time limit. If you manage your 100 reps in 100 seconds with the chosen weight, add a little weight next time and try again.
Translator’s note: the principle of the challenge is great… set a time in which to do a certain number of exercises and repetitions with a chosen weight. It’s worth trying in any case, but this particular challenge within that time is, in my opinion, the height of utopia, the very peak of peaks. Maybe I’m just a layman when it comes to this kind of challenge, but it really does seem unrealistic :). Even at my peak strength levels, I wouldn’t dare to assume that 40 – 45 kg is too light. I’d guess I wouldn’t get through this complex even with an empty barbell… 5 exercises, 100 repetitions in 100 seconds.
I understand very well that a challenge like this is aimed more at those who want to burn calories and chase “conditioning”-type workouts, but I fear that with this kind of rushing, no technique would be left at any weight. Writing this now, without having tested what a realistic weight would be for doing these 5 exercises at the stated rep count, I’d dare to take it on with maybe 20 – 25 kg, and I’d want a minimum of 3 minutes :). But MMA guys, give it a go; your training should include this kind of intensity from time to time.
The biceps show, or “The Bodybuilder Killer”
This is a challenge that loads the upper body completely, fills your shirt sleeves properly with muscle and leaves you gasping for air. The time is again 100 seconds (translator’s note: unrealistic again, in my opinion). Do:
- 10 pull-ups (medium underhand grip)
- 10 dips
- 10 barbell biceps curls
- 10 barbell triceps extensions behind the head
- 10 “high pulls”
Complete this circuit 2 times within 100 seconds. What weight should you use? For the biceps curls, triceps extensions and high pulls, use a weight you could normally lift for about 15 reps. There is no need to add weight to the dips or pull-ups. Once again, that’s 100 reps in 100 seconds.
Lower-body torture
Complete the following within 100 seconds:
- 25 squats
- 25 good mornings
- 26 lateral lunges (alternating sides)
- 24 forward lunges (alternating legs)
The serious guys do this with 7 – 8 kg chains draped around their necks. If you’re a beginner, do it with just your bodyweight.
Front squat + straight-arm plank (hands and feet wide apart)
You can choose any squat variation in place of the front squat. For your squat (or front squat), choose a weight you could normally lift for 10 reps. Here’s the challenge:
- Front squat: 5 reps (with your 10-rep weight)
- Straight-arm plank: 30 seconds
- Front squat: 5 reps
- Straight-arm plank: 30 seconds
- Front squat: 5 reps
- Straight-arm plank: 30 seconds
Rest, then repeat or move on to the next challenge.
Translator’s note: again, you can get creative here. For example, you could complete 3 rounds of the sequence above, decreasing or increasing the weight each round, or using a different squat variation each time. You can also use a standard plank instead of a straight-arm plank.
Half an hour of deadlifts
Load the barbell to 142.5 kg and do as many deadlifts as you can in 30 minutes. In the original article where I found this challenge, a 61-year-old former thrower completed 60 reps. He did a set of two every minute. The creator of the challenge recommends that, if you’re aiming for the same result and want to feel less drained afterward, you do a deadlift every 30 seconds and drop the barbell from the lockout position at the top. Your technique must, of course, be perfect. And if your technique is already good, this kind of workout will help improve it further.
Translator’s note: you can try exactly the same thing with squats, pull-ups or presses!
The Texas push-up challenge
Here’s how it works:
- Stand up!
- Quickly drop into a push-up position and do 1 push-up.
- After one push-up, quickly stand back up.
- Quickly drop into a push-up position again and do 2 push-ups.
- Quickly stand back up.
- Quickly drop into a push-up position again and do 3 push-ups.
- Continue this pattern until you reach a set of 10 push-ups.
You’ll do 55 push-ups in total. Your rest is the brief moment you spend standing up.
Goals
First, simply try to finish the challenge.
Once you can complete it, try to do it in 2 minutes.
Once you can finish in 2 minutes, start trying to beat your personal best.
*** Use a full range of motion on every push-up—no partial reps. Most people fail on sets 7 – 8, so don’t get too pleased with yourself if you’re on the sixth set and it still feels easy. Rest for only a few seconds; if you stand around any longer, you’ve failed—you won’t beat two minutes.
Translator’s note: overall, I certainly picked up some good ideas here, but the time limits for some of these challenges are undoubtedly unrealistic. Feel free to give yourself more time!
Ideas from: www.tnation.com
Author: Janar Rückenberg (translation)
Come train with us! ArtGym
