100 Press-up Challenge

Does anyone else want to try this with me? At the end of six weeks I should be able to perform 100 press-ups easily. At the moment, I feel comfortable doing just 30-40. I spotted this in Men’s Health – such a great magazine. I tried the juice fasting from either Men’s Fitness or Men’s Health.

Anyway week one is easy. Perform various sets before trying 13 press-ups. So I must perform 11 press-ups, then 12, then do two sets of 9 press-ups. Obviously rest in between each set, then try the 13. Not sure if it my flat or the laminate floor, but I found it incredibly hard. I’m not sure if this is because I’m still knackered from a four and a half hour bike ride yesterday where I covered almost 50 k on uneven terrain. Still got up Blackstone Edge though. Still got the old fitness.

It is useful to carry out this week one 3-4 times per week to build up the stamina in the biceps/triceps. I always find it easier to perform press-ups on a mat at the gym, or perhaps it the motivation of loads of fit men training around me that makes me want to work hard. I can do the diamond press-ups, but I struggle to do the clap press-up and throw the body off the floor and clap press-ups. I had a dream once that I could do them like Stallone in Rocky. Dreams are so great!

Anyway, weeks two-six get harder, but apparently doing the reps before the required set of press-ups builds arm strength. Mental strength is also required. The body often lets down the mind when pain creeps in – well I suppose it is normal, but if you choose to push through the pain, you can do with mental strength. Good luck! I’ll let you know how I get on.

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Fat Burning Percentage

I’m having a break from bodyweight training, and doing more cardiovascular exercise these days. I’ve just been to the gym and cycled for an hour. I still kept it intense and hard, one minute riding on high resistance, one minute casual riding. Then I did twenty minutes of hills, and finally I pressed the ‘fat burning’ button for the last twenty.

Apparently, for my age the ideal fat burning heart rate for me is 123. Bearing in mind I had stoked it up to 180 after my rapid cycling, it took about five minutes to bring it down to this level. I felt so lazy, and sweat started to dry on me and turn me goose pimply. During a workout, I like to sweat sweat sweat, or what’s the friggin point? After three minutes, I gave up and went back to my tough workouts.

How the hell can people get fit if they don’t even try to work their heart? A heart rate of 123 for me  during a workout is absolutely nothing. Even when I used to speed walk to work, I would have a guess that my heart rate was 150 or something in that region. Intense training is the best way to burn off fat. Keep the heart rate high, and the metabolism heightens. My goodness, if I would have cycled at 123 beats per minute for sixty minutes, I probably would have only burnt off 150 calories next to my 450 effort. It did make me feel extremely euphoric afterward.

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The Bodyweight Training Galore Workout

The whole point of this blog is to give informative articles about fitness, nutrition, and to design my own short tough workouts that build strength, tone the muscles, and burn off stubborn fat. Occasionally though, I feel I do have to go over the 30 minutes.

This workout took me around fifty minutes, and I’m feeling its positive effects today in two sore buttocks, a tight back, tender triceps, and aching abdominals.

The weights are optional for the squats, but weight are needed for the dead lift. Adding weights makes each exercise harder. Take a minute between each exercise if you need it. These moves draw out perspiration and require healthy lung power, so therefore the moves dry the throat easily.

Equipment Needed:

  • Mat
  • Stability ball
  • Weights 30-80kg
  • Skipping rope (optional)

The Workout:

Start off with 3-5 minutes of jump rope or jogging on the spot to warm the muscles.

  • Twenty normal press-ups, twenty squat thrusts, and twenty star jumps, without taking a break, followed by twenty sit-ups on the stability ball.
  • Nineteen weighted squats. Feet hip width apart, and try to squat down slowly rather than rush the move. Really work those buttock muscles. After several you will feel the ache. Nineteen sit-ups on the stability ball.
  • Eighteen dead lifts. Feet close together. Suck in the abdominals. Reach for the weight and pull up to stomach. Do not curl the back, rather stand up naturally. Follow the weight down keeping the back straight and bend the knees slightly until you feel a pull in the hamstring and buttock areas. Eighteen sit-ups on the stability ball.
  • Seventeen wide press-ups. Widen the hands as far as possible and perform seventeen. Straight onto seventeen squat thrusts, and seventeen star jumps, followed by seventeen sit-ups on stability ball.
  • Sixteen weighted squats, but widen the legs slightly. Sixteen sit-ups on stability ball.
  • Fifteen dead lifts followed by fifteen sit ups on stability ball.
  • Fourteen diamond shaped press-ups, followed by fourteen squat thrusts, fourteen star jumps, and fourteen sit-ups on stability ball.
  • Thirteen weighted squats feet closer together, followed by thirteen sit-ups on stability ball.
  • Twelve dead lifts, followed by twelve sit-ups on stability ball.
  • Eleven normal press-ups, followed by eleven squat thrusts, eleven star jumps, and eleven sit-ups on stability ball.
  • Ten weighted squats, feet wider, followed by ten sit-ups on stability ball.
  • Nine dead lifts, followed by nine sit-ups on stability ball.
  • Eight wide press-ups, followed by eight squat thrusts, eight star jumps, and eight sit-ups on stability ball.
  • Seven weighted squats, feet close together, followed by, you guessed it, seven sit-ups on stability ball.
  • Six dead lifts, followed by sit-ups on ball.
  • Five diamond shaped press-ups, followed by five squat thrusts, five star jumps, and five sit-ups on ball.
  • Four weighted squats, feet wider. Four sit-ups on stability ball.
  • Three dead lifts. Three sit-ups on ball.
  • Two normal press-ups, two squat thrusts, two star jumps, and two sit-ups on stability ball.
  • One weighted squat, feet closer, followed by one last sit-up on stability ball.

Try to perform the moves without taking a break before the sit-ups. Performing sit-ups on a stability ball works on core strength because it requires some effort to remain on the ball and perform the exercise. There are a wide array of activities to perform on a stability ball, more of which I’ll discuss another time.

Be sure to eat protein rich food 30-60 minutes after the workout. If you can, try to go from five to one without taking a break to really stress the muscles. The physical act of lifting the weight, even for only one rep still stresses the muscles, and will help then grow back stronger – with the right nutrition.

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Killer Circuit

This short workout is timed three minutes for each separate sequence. Boxing, skipping, and weight training incorporates to provide the body with a thorough workout.

Equipment Needed

  • Mat
  • Medicine ball
  • Boxing gloves and bag
  • 10-20kg dumbells
  • Stability ball
  • Skipping rope

The Workout

  • Jump rope for three minutes to warm up the muscles.
  • Do alternate punches to the heavy bag for three minutes. Try not to take a break, and if you do stay on your toes to keep the heart rate high. Throw upper cuts, jabs, and straight punches.
  • Sit on stability ball and grab your medicine ball. Perform three minutes of sit-ups slowly. If you struggle with the last minute and a half, transfer the sit-ups to the mat. Remember to exhale as you rise, and inhale when you drop your shoulders. This will hurt but will build strong abdominals. Alternatively, do sit-ups against the heavy bag and punch the bag with each crunch.
  • Pick up your weights and perform three minutes of weighted squats. Try to perform the exercise slowly to really work the buttock and thigh muscles.
  • Rest hands on mat and position feet closely on stability ball. Dip down into a press-up and then pull the ball in with your feet. This is a hard move but try to perform twelve. It strengthens core strength, works on balance, and tones the calves, back, and arms.
  • That’s one round. Try to perform two of the same circuit.

This workout will take on average 25 minutes. Take a rest in between each move for 30 seconds to one minute.  I really was sore the next day after this short workout.

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