By Sara Baker
When the weekend finally rolls around, I have taken and/or taught spin classes, completed my heavy lifting, done one or two days of interval sprints and squeezed in a hot yoga class. What to do for my Saturday or Sunday morning workout?
If I am training for a triathlon or other type of race, this would generally be my long workout day. However, since I am not currently training for any specific race, I am often am at a loss on what to do for my workout. I want to get in and out of the gym fairly fast as I want to get on with my weekend. I usually do not want do a long cardio set or lift a specific body part. I crave some type of combination workout.
Enter…a metabolic conditioning workout. I like workouts such as the one below because it gets my heart rate up, burns mega calories, lets me get my lifting and interval cardio in the same workout and does not leave me dead or super sore the next day. The goal of this workout is to complete 2-3 rounds with high reps of mostly hybrid movements, with some isolated upper and lower movements, but with a heavier weight that will force you to rest. I throw in 5 minutes of moderate to hard cardio between the rounds of lifts to keep the intensity up and make it even more challenging. Use a weight that is fairly heavy and will force you to rest at some point during the set. It should take around 45 minutes to complete including a 10 min warm-up. If you really want to challenge yourself and add a little competition, time yourself and see how fast you can complete the workout. Below is what I did last Saturday. It is fun but a killer! Let me know what you think!
Warm-up: 10 min cardio followed by dynamic warm-up (walking lunges, skips, push-ups, high knees, etc.)
Round 1:
24 (12 each side) single clean and presses
24 (12 each side) single leg deadlifts
25 box jumps
Repeat
5 min run @ 7.0-8.0 mph
Round 2:
24 (12 each leg) walking lunges with med ball twist
25 assisted pull-ups
25 lying leg lift with chest press
Repeat
5 min run @ 7.0-8.0 mph
Round 3:
24 (12 each) kettle bell or dumbbell swings
25 push-ups
25 switch jumps
5 min of randomized intervals (ex: 30 sec on/30 off, 60 on/45 off etc) with varying inclines and speeds.
Cool-down
