Ultra-FIT magazine

With thanks to CrossFit for this particular workout, all you’ll need is a chin up bar and a stopwatch. This workout hits all your major muscles and 20 minutes and is a great “stop gap workout when time is against you…

Perform the following sequence as many times as possible in 20 minutes:

5 pull ups
10 press ups
15 squats

Adjust the rep count to suit your individual fitness abilities. If necessary, substitute body rows for pul

Today’s workout is a straight forward race against the clock consisting of both cardio and endurance exercises. If you can’t complete all of the repetitions in a single set, feel free to chip away by performing a few repetitions at a time until all the reps are completed and then move on. Remember, the clock is ticking so try to keep your rest periods to a minimum!

Run 1000 meters
20 chin ups
30 press ups
40 squats
Cycle 5000 meters
40 squats
30 press ups
20 chin ups
Row 1000 meters

Record your time and try to beat it next time you do this workout…

Today’s workout requires a little space and some marker cones but that’s it!

Sprinting is a great lower body exercise, cardiovascular conditioner and ultimately a fantastic fat burner as all that lactic acid ramps up your metabolism for hours after your workout. This workout uses a space-efficient way to get your sprint on…

Broken Hundreds

Mark out the following pattern on the floor using cones

—– 5 meters
———-10 meters
—————15 meters
——————–20 meters

Run out to the first marker and back, out to the second marker and back, out to the third marker and back and then out to the fourth marker and back. This totals 100 meters. Test for 60 to 90 seconds and repeat.

Alternatively, for a super tough workout, perform this sequence at the top of each minute for 10 minutes to total 10 reps.

Todays workout is a simple timed challenge…

Do as many burpees in 10 minutes as you can.

Record your results and post below or on our facebook page!

Today’s workout will raise a few eyebrows at the gym but is certainly effective. Set up the equipment in advance so that you can rip through the exercises as fast as you can!

1. Row 500 meters
2. 20 reps 20″ box jump (adjust height to suit)
3. 20 press ups (full or on knees as appropriate)
4. 20 medicine ball slams (5-10kg ball)

Perform 5 laps as fast as possible. Record your time and try to be it when you next perform this workout.

Exercise and training programme design can seem very complicated at times. If you type the phrase “workout routines” into your favourite search engine, you’ll get something like 23,600,000 hits in less than a quarter of a second. If you actually take the time to read the results, you may well and up more confused and unsure of what you should be doing to develop a strong but shapely upper body.

All this information can lead to a phenomenon often called “paralysis by analysis” which basically means that rather than make a choice and start a workout, you spend so much time gathering information that you end up bogged down in all the detail and end up not starting anything! With information, there is such a thing as too much.

That’s where our series of No Frills workouts comes in – they are simple, get the job done with minimal fuss and equipment and leave you plenty of time to enjoy the rest of your day…no need to camp out at the gym for hours on end!

In today’s workout, the focus is on the upper body but, as is typical of the No Frills approach, while you’ll get great results from this workout, it’s very simple. Simple doesn’t mean easy though so be prepared to work hard!

The Odds and Evens Push and Pull Workout

For this workout you need a bar from which you can perform pull ups, an exercise mat and a stopwatch.

Warm up thoroughly paying special attention to your upper body. Make sure your wrists, elbows and shoulders are warm and thoroughly mobilized.

Start your stopwatch and perform as many press ups as possible – really do your best to pump out the maximum number of repetitions. On completion, make a note of the number of repetitions you perform.

Next, at the top of the next minute, perform a maximum number of pull ups. You can use a palms under or palms over grip – it’s entirely up to you. As before perform as many repetitions as possible and then record your score.

At the top of the next minute, perform another maximum rep set of press ups. Unless you are some kind of press up master, you’ll perform fewer reps this time around. Make a note of the number of reps performed.

At the top of the following minute, perform another set of pull ups. Do as many as you can until you are unable to do any more.

Continue alternating between max rep sets of press ups and pull ups until you have completed 10 sets of each totalling 20 minutes. Add up the total number of press ups and pull ups you completed and record this total – it’s the target to beat next time you attempt this workout.

To recap – your workout should like this (AMRAP short for as many reps as possible)

1^st Minute – AMRAP press ups
2^nd Minute – AMRAP pull ups
3^rd Minute – AMRAP press ups
4^th Minute – AMRAP pull ups
5^th Minute – AMRAP press ups
6^th Minute – AMRAP pull ups
7^th Minute – AMRAP press ups
8^th Minute – AMRAP pull ups
9^th Minute – AMRAP press ups
10^th Minute – AMRAP pull ups
11^th Minute – AMRAP press ups
12^th Minute – AMRAP pull ups
13^th Minute – AMRAP press ups
14^th Minute – AMRAP pull ups
15^th Minute – AMRAP press ups
16^th Minute – AMRAP pull ups
17^th Minute – AMRAP press ups
18^th Minute – AMRAP pull ups
19^th Minute – AMRAP press ups
20^th Minute – AMRAP pull ups

Total press up/pull up reps = target for next time

Exercise descriptions and tips

Press ups
The humble press up is one of the most effective upper body pushing exercises you can perform but only if you do them right! Press ups challenge your chest, shoulders, and triceps as well as the muscles of the abdomen.

• Hands flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart and fingers pointing forwards
• Feet, hips and shoulders form a straight line – no sagging hips or arched spines please!
• Bend your arms and lower your chest down to lightly touch the floor. Keep your chin tucked in and neck long
• Drive back up to full arm extension
• If full press ups are too challenging, feel free to substitute three-quarter press ups where you bend your legs and rest on your knees. This may become necessary as the workout progresses…

Pull ups
Pull ups target your back muscles, specifically your lats, as well as your biceps, abdominals and rear shoulder muscles. A tough exercise that really separates the men from the boys!

• Use an overhand or underhand grip as preferred. Many people report than the underhand grip is easier…
• Hang from full stretch and without kicking your legs, pull your chin up and over the bar
• Slowly lower yourself down to full stretch and repeat but do not allow your shoulders top relax between repetitions
• If you are unable to perform pull ups, you can substitute body rows or lat pulls downs or use an assisted chin up machine
• For a more in-depth discussion of this exercise, please see my article on pull ups and chin ups in issue 22-7

Workout variation

This workout can easily be adapted to become a full body challenge by simply adding a set of speed squats in between each upper body exercise…

1^st Minute – AMRAP press ups
2^nd Minute – AMRAP pull ups
3^rd Minute – AMRAP speed squats
4^th Minute etc. repeat sequence

This will really crank up your heart rate. If you choose this option, perform 7 or more sets to total 21 minutes of work.

Lots of people tell me they don’t have time to exercise and while that it’s true we live in a time-starved society, workouts like this one take no more than 30 minutes and require no specialised equipment. As well as being No Frills, I like to think of these workouts as no excuses too!

 

Each Friday we will be publishing a recipe for you to try over the weekend.

Homemade Malt Loaf

Malt loaf is a staple of many endurance athletes diet. Packed with energy, tasty and sweet, malt loaf can be consumed before, during or after exercise. It also makes a great on the go breakfast as well as a handy high-energy snack any time of the day. It’s also very low in fat. This recipe is deceptively simple but completely delicious!

Ingredients:

1 cup All-Bran sticks
1 cup dried fruit – sultanas, raisins, dates or a mixture of your choice
1 cup of milk
1 cup self raising flour
½ cup of soft brown sugar – light or dark as preferred
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Place all the ingredients except the flour in a large mixing bowl. Combine thoroughly and leave to sit for an hour or so. Meanwhile, grease and line a loaf tin with baking paper. After an hour, sift and add the flour to the wet mixture and stir until all the ingredients are combined. Spoon the mixture into the loaf tin, ensuring the mixture is distributed evenly. Place in a pre-heated oven at 160 degrees centigrade and bake for 90 minutes or until a knife inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean.

Remove from the tin and place on a cooling rack. Allow loaf to cool, cut into medium thick slices and enjoy with butter, jam, chocolate spread or au natural.

Nutritional Values:
(For entire loaf – divide these figures by the number of slices you make)

Calories: 2154, Protein: 45 grams, Carbohydrate: 466 grams, Fibre: 41 grams, Fat: 15 grams

After your warm up try one of the following variations of this leg and lung conditioner…both workouts are against the clock so have your stopwatch at the ready!

Leg and lungs 1
50 bodyweight squats
500 meter run
40 bodyweight squats
400 meter run
30 bodyweight squats
300 meter run
20 bodyweight squats
200 meter run
10 bodyweight squats
100 meter run
(Rowing can be substituted for running if preferred)

Legs and lungs 2
5 sets of 50 bodyweight squats/500 meter runs against the clock

Escalating Density Training or EDT for short is an effective if slightly unusual way of organising your workouts. Invented by American strength and fitness expert Charles Staley, EDT provides the means to accurately monitor the progress of your training by removing some of the major constructs of workout design. EDT simplifies your workouts while making them more effective – an economists dream! (Maybe Mr. Staley should run for Prime Minister or Chancellor of the Exchequer?)

In most traditional approaches to resistance training, you perform multiple sets of repetitions and rest for prescribed recovery periods. Whilst this method is effective it makes monitoring your progress difficult as there are so many variables to consider. Performing more reps, fewer sets, adjusting the weight or altering your rest period will result alter the effect of your workout but can make quantifying progress difficult. The traditional way of progressing a workout is by increasing volume – more reps or sets – but if you are doing two sets of an exercise and increase it to three you amplify your workload by a whopping 33%! EDT allows for a much more finite degree of progression.

Methodology – Your PR Zone

EDT workouts use pairs of exercises – often pushes and pulls in the same plane of movement. You then perform each exercise pairing not for sets but for a predetermined time. Staley calls these time frames Personal Record Zones or PR Zones for short. You can adjust the PR Zone to suit your individual fitness levels, time constraints or the type of exercise you are performing. PR Zones can range from 5 to 20 minutes but the average exerciser will probably gravitate towards 15 minutes. One of the beauties of an EDT workout is you know exactly how long your sessions are going to last – handy if you are trying to fit a workout into your lunch break.

One you have decided on your exercise pairing and your PR zone duration, you need to select how much weight you are going to lift.  You’ll be doing these two exercises for 15 minutes so be conservative at first. I suggest using between 67 to 85% of your one repetition maximum (1RM) or a weight that allows you to perform between 8 to 12 reps. The next step is to grab your timer and get cracking!

Start Slowly – It’s Not a Race!

Many people make the mistake of doing too many reps in their first set or two and then spending the remainder of their PR zone regretting it. Start slowly by performing sub maximal effort sets. If you feel like you could perform 12 reps, only perform 8. This slow start will pay dividends in the end as you’ll want to “finish strong” with a sprint to the end. Move back and forth between your exercise pairing and try to rack up as many repetitions as possible of both movements. Keep rests to a minimum and an eye on the clock. Use a scrap of paper to record the number of reps you perform of each exercise – you’ll need this at the end of the workout.

Once you are into the last third of your PR zone, try to pick up the pace in terms of reps performed and speed between exercises. This is where your conservative start will pay off. Keep going to the very end in your effort to perform as many reps as possible.

On completion of your PR zone, tot up the number of repetitions you performed. This number represents your target the next time you perform this workout. If you manage to beat this repetition total by 10% or more, you should slightly increase your weights otherwise repeat the workout using the same loading parameters. This increase in training volume within the same time frame is the escalation in density after which EDT is named. If you manage to do more work in the same time frame, you will have applied overload to your muscles and overload results in increased muscular fitness.

Doing the Maths John – this section can be cut if space is an issue——————————————–

If you want a more precise measure of your workout, you can calculate exactly how much weight you have lifted during your PR zone. This is by no means essential but many of my clients are astounded by the sheer tonnage of work that they achieve during EDT workouts…

Example

Workout 1 - 15 minute PR Zone consisting of bench press and lat pull downs

Bench Press – 67 reps performed using 50kg = 3350kg
Lat pull downs – 74 reps performed using 60kg = 4440kg

You can now use these figures to measure any increases in actual work performed per 15 minute PR zone. As the client performed a fairly high rep count, the weights have been increased to challenge them further.

Workout 2 -1 week later using the same exercises and same duration PR Zone

Bench Press – 64 reps performed using 55kg = 3520kg (an increase of 170kg or 4.8%)
Lat pull downs – 71 reps using 65kg = 4615 (an increase of 175kg or 3.8%)

————————————————————————————————————————————–

Sample EDT Workout

Day One – Upper Body

PR Zone 1 – 15 minutes
Incline DB Bench Press
Seated Cable Row

PR Zone 2 – 15 minutes
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Lat Pull Downs

PR Zone 3 – 15 minutes
EZ Bar Biceps Curl
EZ Bar Lying Triceps Extensions

 

 

 

Day Two – Lower Body

PR Zone 1 – 15 minutes
Barbell Back Squats
Standing Calf Raises

PR Zone 2 – 15 minutes
Alternating Leg Dumbbell Lunges
Seated Calf Raises

PR Zone 3 – 15 minutes
Leg Extensions
Leg Curls

Day 3 – Whole Body

PR Zone 1 – 15 minutes
Dead Lifts
Barbell Bench Press

PR Zone 2 – 15 minutes
Chin Ups
Parallel Bar Dips

PR Zone 3 – 10 minutes
Leg Press
Stability Ball Crunches

PR Zone 4 – 10 minutes
Wide Grip Bent Over Rows
Standing Barbell Shoulder Press

EDT variations

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to choosing EDT exercise pairings except that the exercises should not be too similar. For example; whilst a push/pull pairing like bench press and lat pull downs works well, a push/push pairing like bench press and shoulder press doesn’t. The two exercise use different agonists, the chest and shoulders respectively, but both exercises use the triceps. Pair exercises that are opposites or that use muscles that are far apart e.g. an upper body exercise paired with one for your lower body or core. This arrangement allows you to focus on performing as many repetitions as possible without suffering premature fatigue in your smaller muscle groups.

The principles of EDT can be applied to almost any training goal simply by manipulating the weight used and therefore the maximum number of repetitions you can perform. Using heavy weights that restrict you to groups of 3 to 5 repetitions will develop strength whereas lighter weights allowing 15 to 20 reps will help to develop muscular endurance. 8 to 12 repetitions is the range best suited to developing bigger muscles – a process called hypertrophy.

Why not try EDT for your next training programme – it’s simple, effective and different.

 

Warm up for a few minutes before performing this simple but effective workout.

Perform a maximum set of press ups (push-ups for those readers in the USA)
Rest 15 seconds
Perform double the amount of squats
Rest 15 seconds
Perform a 2nd set of max rep press ups
Rest 15 seconds
Perform double the amount of squats
Keep going for 5 sets (or more if you want!)

Example:
Set 1
24 press ups/48 squats
Set 2
19 press ups/38 squats
Set 3
16 press ups/32 squats
Set 4
12 press ups/24 squats
Set 5
9 press ups/18 squats

Totals 80 press ups/160 squats

Record your totals so when you repeat this workout you can strive to increase your numbers!