Ultra-FIT magazine

Today’s workout is a simple time trial to test your current level of aerobic fitness.

Run or row 5000 meters as fast as you can. You should complete the distance feeling like you could not have gone any faster. This means you should be working at very close to your anaerobic threshold – the highest sustainable aerobic level.

Warm for 3-5 minutes before and then cooldown for 3-5 minutes after.

Although this is a flat-out workout, make sure you don’t go off too fast too soon as you need to be able to finish the distance. better to go out a little conservatively and then pick up the pace for the last half of the distance.

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

Rowing is a great workout,  interval training is a great fat burner and this workout combines the two!

Name: Broken 5000 Meter Rowing Challenge
Duration: Against the Clock
Equipment: Rowing machine
Method: Row the following intervals. Increase your pace slightly for each interval and finish with an all out sprint! 

• 2,000 meters (e.g. 2.10 per 500 meter) 
• Rest 3 minutes 
• 1,500 meters (e.g. 2.00 per 500 meters)  
• Rest 2 minutes 
• 1,000 meters (e.g. 1.55 per 500 meters) 
• Rest 1 minute 
• 500 meters (e.g. 1.50 per 500 meters)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 uses a system called density blocks. Perform as many repetitions as you can in the given time, rest a moment and then move onto the next exercise and repeat. Simple but effective!

Select 3, 4 or 5 minutes per block depending on your fitness levels. Pace yourself and try to finish strongly!

Block 1
Burpees for 5 minutes

Block 2
Pull ups (substitute lat pull downs or body rows as necessary)

Block 3
Press ups

Block 4
Squats

Block 5
Stability ball crunches (or similar ab exercise)

Record the number of reps you perform for each block and try to beat that score when you repeat this workout.

Powerlifting Pyramid

Today’s workout uses the so-called powerlifts which are the squat, bench press and deadlift. Between them, these three exercise tax most of your muscles which makes them a very efficient way to get a good workout in a short time.

Perform 5 sets of 5 reps of each exercise, working up to close to your 5 repetition maximum. Start light and add weight each set so that the last group of 5 repetitions is really challenging.  A typical series of sets might look like this…

1. 5 reps 40 kgs (easy)
2. 5 reps 50 kgs (getting harder)
3. 5 reps 60 kgs (moderate)
4. 5 reps 65kg (challenging)
5. 5 reps 70 kgs (very hard)

Rest 2-3 minutes between sets and remember to warm up before and cool down and after your workout.

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!