Guest Post: Boot Camp Workout

I jumped at the opportunity to contribute to CNC. It’s a great blog that I really enjoy following.  

Recently, I wrote in a post on my blog (http://coachhrd.blogspot.com) about how many of us face the issue of “reaching a plateau”. This really presents a frustrating challenge because we may be working hard at a routine, but we reach a point where we are no longer losing desired inches or weight. What’s been accomplished is GREAT, but our bodies are so efficient at doing the fitness activities we’ve taken up, we need to incorporate new activities to build upon our already-successful results.

As a way to deal with this scenario, I will insert a couple of what I refer to as “boot camp” workouts into my routine each week. It’s very simple!  

Do a series of four resistance exercises (three sets each) that focus on a particular area of the body. In between each of the three sets of exercises, do a 60 to 120-second aerobic exercise to temporarily raise the heart rate. That’s it!

This seems pretty easy, but it is a challenging approach that really interupts your routine. When we engage in resistance training, we’re not used to inserting aerobics into the mix. Result: we’ve tricked our bodies into working harder producing desired results!

Here’s an example of a workout –

Focus On Upper Body

Bench press
Jump rope 60 to 90 seconds
Lat pull
Sprint on treadmill 60 to 90 seconds
Curls (use barbells or dumbells)
High knees 60 to 90 seconds
Pullups
Buttkicks 60 to 90 seconds

Focus on Core

Ab bench
Two-minute sprint on stationary bike
Bicycles
Two-minute spring on elliptical
Crunchers
Two-minute on stair climber
Oblique machine
Two-minute fast-paced run

Focus on Lower Body

Knee Extension
60 to 90 second jog on BOSU ball
Leg Press
60 to 90 second up-downs
Squat
60 to 90 second kicks on BOSU ball
Step up
60 to 90 second jumping jacks on BOSU ball

After reading this, you get the point of it. I usually do at least two of the body focus routines. You can also insert your own exercises as substitutions for this workout if you wish. Good luck!