Hey all,
The weather here has turned once more and we are back to “normal” May temperatures 🙁 But the word on the street is that the sunshine is coming back 😀 😀 😀 We.will.see.
Yesterday I ventured into the gym for a leg session, and the place was so warm that it made even loading and off-loading the bar a workout by itself! The original plan (lets call it Plan A) was to do Front Squats, RDLs, and Glute Bridge/Hip Thrusts. What actually happened was Plan B – Front Squats *check!*, Glute Bridges and Hip Thrusts *check check* …. RDLs? – NO CHANCE! Well, today I can hardly walk! Oh my poor quads. Anyway, I got some footage of the session and I will post it in a few days, with a breakdown, so you can see exactly why my legs are in bits!
Moving swiftly on, today’s workout is actually one I did last Thursday (because I anticipated my busy weekend, I got ahead of myself and filmed in advance *pats self on back*). This was another killer in the sun.
The Workout
I was asked to make some longer workouts, so I decided that I would increase the interval times as one way of achieving this; secondly you can see I added more exercises than usual, and finally you can always add more rounds … (“You” referring to those crazy folk who enjoy pain and suffering) LOL!
Set your Gymboss Classic Interval Timer for 8 cycles of 25 seconds recovery and 1 min effort (note: I did the rounds separately to allow more recovery in between). Do as many rounds of the following 8 exercises as you feel like; I did 2!
My reps per exercise and weights used are noted below in brackets:
- Thruster (right) (16kg) (16, 14)
- Thruster (left) (16kg) (15, 14)
- Side to Side Steps (with 6kg) (59, 56) – DEATH!
- Renegade Row and Push-Up Combo (2 x 16kg) (8, 8 ) – 1 rep = 1 row each side + push-up
- Alternating Single-Leg Hip Thrust (28, 25) – my left hip was not extending as well as my right, due to SI/glute Pain 🙁
- Jump Rope (free-style) (didn’t count)
- Two-Handed KB Swing (24kg) (36, 35)
- Burpee to Pull Up Combo (8, 6) – these are so tough!
This workout was an absolute killer! I thought at times (Thrusters, Steps and Swings), I was going to throw up! Thankfully I didn’t. Felt great afterwards though 🙂
Hope you all enjoy this one – let me know your experience below.
Cheers
Marianne
Respect!!! Love the burpee pull up combo 🙂
Better and better progress all the time! Very inspiring!
I’ve never noticed the tatoo before, theres a point where its clearly visible today. I am wondering how you came to have that word tatooed on your shoulder, it seems a strange word choice?
http://www.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php?wdqb=%E7%8B%97
Yes! I was born in the Chinese Year of the Dog 🙂 Thanks!
I’ve never seen a better endurance and strength workout than the Kettlebell Swing. I’ve been following this great program that provides you all the information you need. Please read my review here:
http://mikeshonestreviews.com/kettlebell-workout-review/
I did this today in the pouring rain outside – the irony of the workout title was not lost on me!
I also attempted renegade rows for the first time. I don’t have a pair of KBs, but have recently done another of your workouts with KB pushups using 1 x 12kg and 1 x 20kg and that worked OK, so today tried the rows/pushup combo with 1 x 12kg and 1 x 6kg (first round 12kg on right, 2nd round on left) – however, this didn’t work and I ended up on the floor – now proud owner of injured elbow and 2 knees (only scraped, but an injury nonetheless)
Thanks for your great workouts!
Ouch! that sounds sore! Yet you’re still thanking me?? LOL! Glad you still got a good workout in 😀
Back from vacation and looking forward to this workout (honestly, I’m dreading it). I don’t expect to make it to the end of the first round before I start cursing.
I don’t have a step up box, any ideas/suggestions for an alternative exercise until I can get a box like that?
You could do weighted dynamic squats? or lunge jumps? Killer!! 😉
I like lunge jumps! Didn’t even think of that, thanks!
Oh, I so didn’t want to do this… I even put it off a few days, using the excuse of a few remnant aches. So no more excuses, I did this saturday morning, 2 rounds with about 1 minute rest between rounds. I used 12Kg bells for most, a 20 for the swings and 15lbs for the step-ups. Boy, using weight on the step-ups makes them twice as hard, and my numbers went down fast: 45 & 42 reps instead of my usual about 70. I have regular bells, so they have a small footprint, so I was very careful with the Renegade Rows/Pushups, and only got 6 reps each time. The toughest exercise is the burpee pullup, and I got 8 and 7.5. I figured I better quit at two rounds! I haven’t been doing many weighted workouts lately and I have lost some strength, though my endurance is pretty good.
Humm, on the Gilli scale, this was HR 1.75, Sweat 1.25, face lt red. This was one of the tougher workouts I’ve done lately!
Thanks… you always know how to push us!
~ Gillian
The step overs are a killer with weight, aren’t they! I’m glad you pushed yourself to do this, hope your hip doesn’t give you too much jip!
Cheers
Marianne
Marianne,
My wife was awed by your workout (and hopefully inspired). Quick question: where did you purchase that stepper–I would love to have one.
Thanks.
Hi Nick,
I hope your wife was inspired too! I got the Reebok Deck in a shop here in Belfast, but I think you might be able to fine them on Amazon, or search online. Because I don’t line in the US, I don’t know where to get this stuff 🙁
Thank you.
Thanks for the longer workout. Killer, absolutely killer. :o)
Good one Maryanne! Substituted mountain climbers for the sidesteps cause I dont have a stepper. The burpee pullups were my favorite:) Only managed two rounds cause my family was waiting on me to make dinner.
Nice work Sami!
Marianne you are a new INSPIRATION! 🙂
Aw thank you Trenette 🙂
You look amazing, too, Marianne. You always did, but you seem to have new ripped-ness lately.
Thank you 🙂
Hi Marianne,
This workout looks great (aka a total killer!!!)! I’m going to do it tonight and I’ll probably do three rounds of 10s rest and 50s work to make it even more intense… Yaaay sweat bath! 😀
Those burpees into pullup are super-BAD ASS… really wish I could do a proper pull-up. I was reading your post on “A Guide to Learning Pull Ups” and I have been trying some of the things you recommend. However, I still really struggle with pull ups, even when I use a band or a chair for extra help 🙁 I have been trying to build up strength by doing assisted pullups at the gym (in addition to other upper body exercises — mix of kettlebells, free weights, barbells and bodyweight exercises) and I’ve definitely seen improvements (counter weight on my assisted pull up has decreased from 95 lbs to 50 to 60 lbs over 6 months, and I max out at about 10 reps but I can do three sets).
My question is — how should I best train to learn to do body weight pull ups given I can barely do them, even with the use of a band or chair? Should I continue with the assisted pullup (which I can do more reps of but less weight total compared to body weight pull ups) and keep dropping the counter weight until I’m at bodyweight only or just try and do bodyweight pull ups (right now I can do a max of 2 reps for one set and my form is not great yet)? Should I mix it up with the bodyweight pull-ups and assisted pull-ups? Note that I am consistently working on my grip strength with the hanging exercise you recommended in your pull up post.
My new goal is to learn how to properly do pull ups 😀
Thanks so much for your advice and inspiration. I love your website!!! 😀 Those new guest posts are great too, very motivating!
Cheers,
Kristen (Ontario, Canada)
ps – nice work on moving up to the 24 kg for your swings! It’s great to see how your strength and has increased from your earlier posts. 😀
Hi Kristen, thank you for your kind words 🙂 And well done with your progress to date. Did you happen to check out the additional reading material on that post I did about Pull Ups? I added 3 links to articles by Tony Gentilcore that I felt would help people too. I would also highly recommend getting resistance bands (in 3 stages), to help you master this. They are not that expensive, and worth it, because they allow you to work a lot of stabilising muscles and core muscles that the assist machine and chair does not.
I also like to use the cue “imagine there is a magnet on your back (a little lower than your shoulder blades) the pull from that magnet is so strong is comes through your chest also. It wants to stick you to the pull-up bar by your sternum. Your arms are there to guide but the pull is from your upper back.” If you visualise this happening and the pulling feeling you will have from your back, it will help you activate the right muscles. I am not a huge fan on assist-machines, because I don’t think they will actually help you do a BW Pull Up (they will still train certain muscles). I also think negatives help a lot, and even jumping up to the bar, lowering a little, then pulling back up, then lower all the way as slowly (and under control) as possible.
Hope this helps a little 🙂
Holy cow, this kicked my butt!! Will definitely be doing this one again.
Holy cow!
you are so strong – and you look fantastic!! I also love workouts with Kettlebells!
thks for your varied ideas!
You’re welcome! Glad you like it 🙂
My word, what a workout! I changed the intervals to the usual 15/45 and went for 24 rounds because I didn’t feel like doing thrusters for a whole minute! (also, I had only 30 minutes before the gym closed and I wanted to get in 3 rounds). Even though I chose weights that were lighter than my usual (my right latissimus dorsi was not happy…), I still looked like a drowned rat by the end. 😛
Thanks again!
Wendy
Surrey, BC Canada
Haha! Yes, I know that feeling! Well done on the 3 rounds 🙂
WOW, What a great workout. I just shared it on my Coach Hedman Health and Wellness Facebook page! I recently talked about doing a kettlebell workout. This is awesome! Thanks so much!
Holly
Awesome training! Pretty heavy I think when you do the burpeas with lifting is it not?
Respect!
Regards from The Netherlands!
Ilker