9 October 2009

Burn It: Mixology

I haven’t posted a workout in awhile, and I think it’s about time. Since this was not a running day, I decided I wanted to do a circuit-style workout that incorporated lots of strength training and had me sweating the whole time. Mission accomplished. The philosophy behind this style of workout is that constantly mixing it keeps you fresh and prevents boredom, while simultaneously hitting lots of different muscle groups.

If you don’t like to run, you can subsitute any cardio, just make sure you’re working at about a 6-7 on a scale of 1 (totally easy, like a leisurely walk) to 10 (barely able to breathe).

Before you start the workout, do a 5-minute light cardio warm up (you could walk on the treadmill at a decent clip, for instance).

Circuit 1: Back

Run one mile at a 6-7 perceived exertion level. I was pacing between 9-10 min. miles (trust me, this gets hard towards the end). The cardio intervals in this workout should not take more than 12-15 minutes, so if it takes you much longer than that to run a mile, just stop at 15 minutes.
3x10 dumbbell rows
3x10 seated rows
3 x10 lat pull-downs

Circuit 2: Shoulders

Run one mile (see above). Try to speed up towards the end to train yourself to save some energy for the end of the workout.
3x10 shoulder presses (machine or dumbbells)
3x10 alternating lateral and front raises
3x10 arnold presses

Circuit 3: Chest

Run one mile. At this point, it shouldn’t be easy to run for 10 minutes. If it is, you need to speed up or turn up the incline.
3x10 push-ups (do them on your knees if you can’t do full push-ups)
3x10 dumbbell press on a ball. It should look like this:
3x10 dumbbell flys on a ball (in the same position)