If you are a hard working person, and struggle to find the time to go to the gym and fit a workout in, here are a couple of workouts that will keep you ticking over and only take from 18 minutes to a maximum of 45 minutes to complete.
All you need are a couple of Dumbells or a Barbell. If you do not have these, a rucksack full of sand or a sandbag or Kettle bells will do the trick.
Workout 1.
The Complex Work out.
A complex workout is a series of exercises that hit the full body, transitioning from one movement to the next without any rest. After completing the series of exercises, only then can you rest. Once you have picked up the weights that you are going to use, you do not put them down until each Complex is complete.
Rest time.
You will aim to complete each complex including your rest time in 3 minutes. Known as 3 minute repeats.
Selecting your weight
To get the right weight you should do a 6 rep max test for your weakest lift in the complex. EG. If your weakest lift in the Complex I am about to list is the Arm Curl, then this is the weight you will use (or a % of it) for the full complex.
Let’s say that your Arm Curl weight was 15kg per arm using Dumbells. You can either use 15kg Dumbells for the full complex, or if you have at your disposal a variety of Dumbbells, you could do your first set of the complex workout at 50% of 15kg = 9kg and then increase your weight for the next complex by 10%. building up by 10% each set that you do.
The Complex using a Barbell/Rucksack/Sandbag
- Arm Curl x 6
- Upright Row x 6
- High Pull snatch x 6
- Shoulder press x 6
- Squat x 6
- Good morning x 10
- Bent over row x 6
Rest.
HOW MANY SETS ?
I recommend 6 – 10 sets for a good intense session, 6 sets done on 3 minute repeats = 18 minutes.
The Complex using Dumbbells / Kettlebells
- Rotational Arm Curl x 6
- Upright Row x 6
- High Pull snatch x 6
- Rotational Shoulder press x 6
- Squat Dumbells held at shoulder height x 6
- Romanian Dead Lift and Shrug x 10
- Bent over row x 6
Rest.
An example of a Barbell Complex and how to do it can be seen here
The session may look fairly easy at face value, but it is hard work if you do all the sets at 85-95% of your weakest exercise 6 rep max. It is awsome for grip strength and because of total volume, great for Hypertrophy and improving your ability to work at high lactate levels.
Using a pair of 15kg Dumbells for 6 sets on 3 minute repeats = 9360kg in 18 minutes which isn’t a bad effort.
Session Number 2
The Body Weight Blast
Although this session is a bodyweight session, to increase intensity and to get greater strength gains, Resistance bands and Kettle bell and/or Dumbells can be incorporated.
Description.
- The first thing you should do is set a target number of Repetitions for each exercise.
- There are 4 main body parts that are trained.
- The Chest, Back, Abdominal/Core, and the Legs.
- You will also hit the Biceps, Tri-ceps, and your Glutes(backside).
TIME & REST TIMES
This session takes me approximately 40-45 minutes. Rest time is as much as you require to enable you to complete the target numbers.(These will obviously vary depending on your fitness levels and the numbers that you choose for the exercises)
EXERCISES AND REPS
For a description of the session, I am going to use the exact session that I use as an example.
Press up (you will find an endless variety of press ups if you click the link) with a black resistance band (10-15lb resistance) x 100 reps
Pistols to a low bench 50+50 (100) reps or Skater squats with 7-10kg Dumbell x 50+50
Abs
- Windmills 7kg in each hand x 12+12 (24)
- Round the worlds with 24kg Kettle bell x 12+12(24)
- Straight leg Sit up with 15kg Dumbell in one hand 12+12(24)
- Bent leg Sit upwith feet flat on floor, Double hand hold a single 15kg Dumbell sit up x 24 (no video) Hold a Dumbbell over your chest with both hands, armed extended, your knees should be flexed(bent) so that your feet stay flat on the floor. Sit fully up and allow the Dumbell to go over your head (as in straight leg sit up) lower slowly back to start posion)5.
- A mixture of all the above 6 reps on each side except for the last one which is 12 reps. Total 144 reps
Pull ups on my door frame total x 30 reps
There are two ways to do this session.
Try to complete the session in 5 x circuits (you will see that there are 5 different Ab combinations, one for each circuit),or if you want to go hard core, take each exrercise to failure every time you do it, each time adding to your total number. For example you start on exercise 1. The Press up and knock out 30 reps. after going to max on the rest of the exercises in turn you get back to press ups and you knock out 25 reps, your total is now 55 reps, when you come round again, you manage 20 reps, your total is 75 reps, you will keep going on in this method until you have completed the 100 reps of press ups. As soon as you reach your target number for each exercise, you drop that exercise and keep going at the rest until you have completed the desired number of reps per exercise.
Do not be to ambitious starting out, you can always adjust the target numbers on subsequent sessions.
You will find that you can complete the session quicker as you get fitter, when it gets to easy start over with heavier weights, or have less rest, or adjust your numbers. There are many variables.
I hope you try it out and enjoy it.
Steve
