Do these exercises together in one session or split them into two. Either way, they work exceptionally well and require only around 10 to 15 minutes to bang out!
Let me be clear; I don’t enjoy gym time anymore. I used to go every day up to about six years ago, now I hardly ever go, if at all. If I hit up a gym, it would be for steam, a sauna, a jacuzzi, and some relaxing time.
I love to get my movement/exercise done outdoors, either on the beach, forest, in the mountains, or even at home in the garden. This way, I spend way more time in nature than in an air-conditioned sweaty gym. Once I started grasping the benefits of using Your Body As Your Gym (Calisthenics), I couldn’t go back to lifting as I found bodyweight exercises to be far safer, more fun, easier to do, and these routines save time!
The 2 Insanely Effective Workouts are:
Sprinting
Negative Bodyweight
Today we had a little action of both and completed the whole session in twenty minutes, including warm-up and stretching. Combining a full-out 6 rep sprint session with a follow-on bodyweight rapid-fire program yields smashing results.
Sprinting:
First of all, sprinting breaks down your fast-twitch muscles, which then grow back stronger, making your muscles leaner. At the same time, this muscle rebuilding process triggers all-day-long fat burn. Meaning, your body continues to burn fat throughout the day, not only during the exercise period.
“Sprinting is one of the most versatile forms of exercise, as it can be utilized to build power and speed, increase muscle size, shred body fat, and increase your cardiovascular capacity and muscular endurance. No other single exercise can effectively address all of those qualities.” Javier Gaza, Coach NYC
“Those who believe that simply running laps will make you faster should probably learn in a simple biochemistry/physics principle. Science has been able to help enhance the running capabilities of some of the greatest runners, including Usain Bolt.” Deyaa Al-Masri
Negative Bodyweight
Not many people know about this method or ever use it. You’ll always see people “pumping” iron (in motion) when you’re in a gym, right? You don’t see them standing there just holding the weights in position, do you? Why is that? Well, it’s far easier to lift weights “actively” because you are then contracting the muscle and immediately rereleasing it, which takes off the strain and then repeat to the exhaustion point is reached.
Using the “negative bodyweight exercise method,” you engage the muscle into full contraction and hold it there, not releasing. This action is far more brutal to keep as the muscle breaks down and tires very rapidly.
Try the push-up position; for example, go down and stay down. You’ll soon notice this becoming very challenging, and your chest and shoulder muscles will start madly twitching until you finally have to give up and let it go. That massive muscle twitching is your muscle group being broken down hard with one stable and constant position — the negative push-up in this case.
The little routine I put together here consists of negative:
Plank
Push-up
Downward Dog
Downhill Ski
Headstand
These five exercises work your whole body in around 3 to 4 minutes a set, depending on how long you hold each one. The longer, the better, of course! Push yourself and go for your maximum time!
Combining Sprinting with an add-on Bodyweight Session breaks those muscles down even more and accelerates the fat burn and muscle build. It’s almost like a mini shock to the muscles — they’re already tired and broken down, rebuilding, then you give them that extra (short but sweet) stimulation shot, and bang, there’re off to the races!
The Science Behind Negative Reps
“The increase in muscle damage stimulates muscle repair and growth, especially if you’re stuck in a plateau. In addition, research shows that we can generate between 20% and 30% more force during the eccentric phase of a muscle contraction relative to the concentric phase.” Cathe.com
In Summary
Mix up your training, sprints, and various strength training methods that are fun, fast, and effective. Training the same way each time will lead to boredom, and you reach a plateau where you seem not to be making any more progress. This outcome often results in frustration and people giving up altogether.
By all means, hit the gym if you enjoy it, but make sure you get in plenty of cardio, outdoor bodyweight, and sprinting exercise, and spice up your workout experience, to hit another level!
Thanks for reading.
Rob
Writer & Health Coach, and former Olympic Athlete. I wish to inspire, inform and help others live a healthy lifestyle.
