When I don't feel like going to the gym, sometimes I'll grab what's handy at home and head out to the garage or driveway for a workout. Since Saturdays-at-home are typically my "metabolic" day (my name for interval style strength training using bodyweight exercises, weights, and other apparatus), it's easy to hammer this one out with what I've got on hand. I have accumulated some equipment over the past year or so, but most of these are low cost items and/or ones you can make yourself. I save my "weightier" workouts for the gym where I have access to free weights and cable machines.
Lest you're thinking that this is a lighter day for me, think again. The intervals for this routine are 40/20s: A 40 second work phase, in which I crank out as many reps as I can, followed by a 20 second "rest" phase. The interval times can be longer(45/15, 60/15, etc), however the "rest" phase should be under 30 seconds. When I first began this type of strength training, I did 2-3 rounds of each circuit of exercises. Now I do 3-4. May I suggest that, if you are a very beginning beginner, you go for 1-2 rounds.
My metabolic day is only 1x per week. With teaching group exercise classes Mon-Fri and weight training twice a week, ONE day of metabolic strength training is plenty for me. Any more than that and I start getting into overtraining (which is the pits if you've ever been there!).
The workout, including pre-movement prep and post-workout stretch/foam rolling, takes me right around an hour. And here's the reason I do it: Eric Cressey, a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) (http://www.ericcressey.com) says it well: "The overall training effect of metabolic resistance training is a greater metabolic disturbance in the body’s physiology, which in turn can elevate your caloric expenditure for a greater period of time following your workout. Compared to a traditional strength training session, this style of training can be very effective for body composition changes as well as an increase in one’s work capacity." Simply stated, I'll be burning calories at a higher rate for quite a while after my workout; I'll also be giving myself a leg up on burning fat, gaining lean muscle mass and performing my daily activities with more vigor (whether it's lifting weight, lifting children, or lifting a gardener's shovel). NOTE: If you are a sedentary individual, you may not be ready for metabolic strength training. Best to start with a basic strength training program that specifically focuses on dealing with any muscle imbalances and faulty movement patterns you may have.
So, now that you know the basics, without further adieu, I'd like to introduce GARAGE WORKOUT I (insert deafening applause and fist pumping):
GARAGE WORKOUT 1 (links to exercises at end of list):
Equipment: Kettlebell/ Suspension Trainer/ Medicine Ball/ Mat/ 2 Dumbells (steer clear of little pastel-colored Barbie Bells!!!)/ Garage Stepstool/ Swiss Ball/ Dinosaur Eggs (or other balance training pads)/ Sandbag.
Perform each set of 6 exercise in succession at a 40/20 (or similar) interval. Do as many reps as you can during the work phase. Then rest (IN SOME KIND OF EASY MOTION... don't stop dead!) for the alloted time before going to the next exercise. Once you've gone through all 6 exercises, repeat them. (If the exercise uses a single arm or leg, use one arm/leg for the first time around and switch for the second time through.) Using this protocol, you'll perform each "set" for 12 minutes. Rest for 2 minutes between sets.
Set 1:
1-Stool Step-up
2-Supended Rows
3-Plank Alternating Bird Dog
4-Suspended Jumping Lunges
5-Kettlebell Swing
6-Swiss Ball Jackknife
-REPEAT, then rest for 2 minutes--
Set 2:
1-Reverse Lunge and Curl
2-Suspended T + Single Arm Row
3-Plank + Single Arm Prone Row
4-Suspended Mountain Climbers
5-Jack Shoulder Press
6-Glute March on Dino Eggs
-REPEAT, then rest for 2 minutes--
Set 3:
1-Alternating Straddle Hoist (on stool)
2-Sandbag Thread the Needle 180s
3-Swiss Ball Ys
4-Medicine Ball Burpee + Overhead Press
5-Alternating Offset Pushups on Medicine Ball
6-Inchworm out to "beyond" Plank
-REPEAT, then rest for 2 minutes--
Here are the links to videos I've put together which demonstrate each of the exercises above. Practice good form!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Du-IJ7cnWE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OttQwUfSew
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEnz8s4zGqQ
So, try it out and let me know how it goes. As always, if you have any questions, leave them in the comment box.
~Teri
Lest you're thinking that this is a lighter day for me, think again. The intervals for this routine are 40/20s: A 40 second work phase, in which I crank out as many reps as I can, followed by a 20 second "rest" phase. The interval times can be longer(45/15, 60/15, etc), however the "rest" phase should be under 30 seconds. When I first began this type of strength training, I did 2-3 rounds of each circuit of exercises. Now I do 3-4. May I suggest that, if you are a very beginning beginner, you go for 1-2 rounds.
My metabolic day is only 1x per week. With teaching group exercise classes Mon-Fri and weight training twice a week, ONE day of metabolic strength training is plenty for me. Any more than that and I start getting into overtraining (which is the pits if you've ever been there!).
The workout, including pre-movement prep and post-workout stretch/foam rolling, takes me right around an hour. And here's the reason I do it: Eric Cressey, a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) (http://www.ericcressey.com) says it well: "The overall training effect of metabolic resistance training is a greater metabolic disturbance in the body’s physiology, which in turn can elevate your caloric expenditure for a greater period of time following your workout. Compared to a traditional strength training session, this style of training can be very effective for body composition changes as well as an increase in one’s work capacity." Simply stated, I'll be burning calories at a higher rate for quite a while after my workout; I'll also be giving myself a leg up on burning fat, gaining lean muscle mass and performing my daily activities with more vigor (whether it's lifting weight, lifting children, or lifting a gardener's shovel). NOTE: If you are a sedentary individual, you may not be ready for metabolic strength training. Best to start with a basic strength training program that specifically focuses on dealing with any muscle imbalances and faulty movement patterns you may have.
So, now that you know the basics, without further adieu, I'd like to introduce GARAGE WORKOUT I (insert deafening applause and fist pumping):
GARAGE WORKOUT 1 (links to exercises at end of list):
Equipment: Kettlebell/ Suspension Trainer/ Medicine Ball/ Mat/ 2 Dumbells (steer clear of little pastel-colored Barbie Bells!!!)/ Garage Stepstool/ Swiss Ball/ Dinosaur Eggs (or other balance training pads)/ Sandbag.
Perform each set of 6 exercise in succession at a 40/20 (or similar) interval. Do as many reps as you can during the work phase. Then rest (IN SOME KIND OF EASY MOTION... don't stop dead!) for the alloted time before going to the next exercise. Once you've gone through all 6 exercises, repeat them. (If the exercise uses a single arm or leg, use one arm/leg for the first time around and switch for the second time through.) Using this protocol, you'll perform each "set" for 12 minutes. Rest for 2 minutes between sets.
Set 1:
1-Stool Step-up
2-Supended Rows
3-Plank Alternating Bird Dog
4-Suspended Jumping Lunges
5-Kettlebell Swing
6-Swiss Ball Jackknife
-REPEAT, then rest for 2 minutes--
Set 2:
1-Reverse Lunge and Curl
2-Suspended T + Single Arm Row
3-Plank + Single Arm Prone Row
4-Suspended Mountain Climbers
5-Jack Shoulder Press
6-Glute March on Dino Eggs
-REPEAT, then rest for 2 minutes--
Set 3:
1-Alternating Straddle Hoist (on stool)
2-Sandbag Thread the Needle 180s
3-Swiss Ball Ys
4-Medicine Ball Burpee + Overhead Press
5-Alternating Offset Pushups on Medicine Ball
6-Inchworm out to "beyond" Plank
-REPEAT, then rest for 2 minutes--
Here are the links to videos I've put together which demonstrate each of the exercises above. Practice good form!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Du-IJ7cnWE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OttQwUfSew
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEnz8s4zGqQ
So, try it out and let me know how it goes. As always, if you have any questions, leave them in the comment box.
~Teri
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