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Fat Loss 4 Exercises The Fat-Loss 4 Workout Protocol

The four exercises making up a Fat Loss 4 (FL4) circuit are:

Upper body pushing or pulling

Torso/core

Lower body quad or hamstring dominant

Cardio drill

The beauty of the FL4 protocol is its simplicity and versatility. You can plug in virtually
any exercise you like, provided it fits the category.

That said, I've found that certain exercises seem to work better than others. You'll find
some of my favorites later in this article.

How long is a FL4 circuit?


A FL4 circuit consists of four minutes of work with one minute of rest, for a total of five
minutes.

Each strength exercise is performed for 30 seconds, with 15 seconds rest between
exercises.

For example:

Upper body (pushing or pulling) exercise x 30 seconds

Rest 15 seconds

Lower body exercise x 30 seconds

Rest 15 seconds

Core/torso exercise x 30 seconds

Rest 15 seconds

Cardio exercise 90-105 seconds (That's 1:30 1:45)

Note: Cardio duration depends on how much you need to recover after performing all
three strength movements. The longest rest interval I'll allow is 30 seconds, which
would put you at 2:30 when starting the cardio exercise.

Ideally, you'll only rest 15 seconds transitioning from strength to cardio, which would put
you at 2:15 when starting the cardio drill (and leave you with 1:45 to do cardio).

Sets and Rest


After you've completed a full four-minute circuit, you'll rest for one minute. We typically
perform 2-3 rounds of a given FL4 circuit for a total of 10-15 minutes. (Two rounds is a
total of 10 minutes; three rounds is a total 15 minutes).

Intensity of an FL4 Workout


There are two intensities to consider in the FL4 protocol:

The total intensity of the entire circuit.

The working intensity of each exercise within a given circuit.

During the strength exercises within a circuit, you should be able to complete the entire
30 seconds of work with good form and a consistent, controlled tempo.

On a scale of 1-10 (10 being working very hard), you should be at a 7 or 8 at the end of
each strength exercise.

On the cardio exercise, we're after a pace that gets you to about 80% of your max heart
rate.

By the time you're about to begin the next round of an FL4 circuit, you should feel
mostly recovered. Basically, if you can get out a full sentence without huffing and
puffing, you're good to go. But if you're still sucking wind after your 60-second rest
between circuits, you need to reduce the intensity of the cardio.

Sample FL4 Workouts

Designing a workout is easy once you understand the formula.

I've found it works well to change the strength movements every 2-3 rounds, although
as mentioned earlier, I like to keep the cardio drill the same throughout the workout. So
although the strength moves may change, the cardio remains constant.

Here are a few sample FL4 circuits.

FL4 Circuit #1
Push: Push-back push-ups

Lower body: BB front squats

Torso/core: Landmine rotations

Cardio: Treadmill run (Run pace between a light jog and all-out sprint.)

FL4 Circuit #2
Pull: Compound rows

Lower body: Step-ups (alternate legs)

Torso/core: Stability ball knee tucks

Cardio: Treadmill run (Run pace; between a light jog and all-out sprint.)

FL4 Circuit #3
Push: Dumbbell uppercuts

Lower body: Barbell or trap-bar deadlifts

Torso/core: Dumbbell plank rows (aka Renegade rows)

Cardio: Treadmill run (Run pace; between a light jog and all-out sprint.)

Varying your FL4 Workouts


After performing 2-3 rounds of the same exercises, change the strength exercises and
perform a new circuit for another 2-3 rounds while keeping the same cardio drill.

Sticking with the same cardio drill helps develop a consistent workout rhythm, while
changing the strength moves every so often creates variety while serving to minimize
localized muscle fatigue.

What exercises work best to use in an FL4 workout?


The great thing about FL4 is that it's "plug and play." You can insert just about any
appropriate upper body, lower body, core, or cardio exercise you like and get great
results.

However, there are a few movements I've found work exceptionally well with both my
athletes and general fat loss clients. Here are my top five moves to try when designing
your FL4 workouts.

Top 5 Pushing Exercises


Shoulder to shoulder press
Push-ups (any variation)
Standing two-arm cable press
Angled barbell press and catch
PowerMax 360 Punches
Note: The PowerMax 360 is one of my
favorite upper body training pieces.

Barbell Zercher or front squats


Barbell or dumbbell reverse lunges
Dumbbell step-ups

Top 5 Pulling Exercises


Barbell bent-over rows
Compound rows
Band alternate arm speed rows
Blast strap or TRX recline rows
PowerMax 360 arm circles (out to in)

Dumbbell plank rows


Medicine ball tight rotations

Top 5 Core/Torso Exercises


Stability ball plate crunch
Stability ball knee tuck
Barbell rainbows

Top 5 Cardio Exercises


Airdyne bike
Jump rope
Shadow boxing (only if you have some
basic boxing/kickboxing ability)
Treadmill
Agility ladder

Top 5 Lower Body Exercises


Kettlebell goblet squats
Weighted sled or tire drags (forward or
backward)
Note: The exercises above are all either bilateral (two arm or two leg) or alternate limb actions.
I've also experimented with unilateral exercises, performing one circuit on the left side and the
next round on the right side.

Although
this methods works, I've found circuits run smoother with either purely bilateral actions
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or with alternating limb actions like lunges, where you switch legs on each rep.
I also recommend sticking with compound strength movements instead of smaller, single-joints
actions. This should be obvious, but compound strength movements create a better metabolic
training response than single joint actions as they involve more muscle mass.

Why Does the FL4 Protocol Work?


There are four reasons why this protocol works so well for losing fat and keeping muscle:
1. It's total body.
The more muscles you work, the more energy you must use, meaning the more calories you
burn both during the workout and for several hours after through Excessive Post Oxygen
Consumption (EPOC).
2. The sequencing creates a cardiovascular effect.
FL4 blends local muscle conditioning (through strength moves) with central conditioning (heart
and lungs) to create a comprehensive metabolic workout.
During any strength exercise, your body pumps more blood to the working muscles. By
following an upper body exercise with a lower body exercise and then a torso/core exercise,
you're constantly changing where your body must increase blood flow. Doing this creates a
cyclic blood flow effect, forcing your body to increase its cardiovascular output.
Finishing each sequence of upper/lower/mid-body exercises with a burst of total-body cardio
exercise extends this cardiovascular effect even longer.
3. The sequencing allows for intensity.
Along with using your total-body, the other key to maximizing metabolic cost is working at a
consistent high intensity. The F4L is sequenced so that when fatigue begins in a specific muscle
group, the exercise is switched to train a different group of "fresh" muscles. By the time you

return to the original muscle group on the next circuit, it's been several minutes, giving your
body time to recover sufficiently.
4. You won't lose muscle when you're using muscle.
Since there's a heavy component of strength training involved in the FL4 Protocol, we haven't
seen any losses in muscle size or strength. Although you're not using maximal weights, you are
training with higher volumes, another effective way of creating intensity.
I also don't suggest using FL4 as your only training method. Blending it with some basic
strength training and bodybuilding helps ensure the muscle you've worked so hard to achieve is
maintained while focusing on losing fat. You'll see how this is accomplished in the sample
weekly training splits below.

Weekly FL4 Training Spli


Here's a few sample three, four, and five-day training splits showing how to incorporate the FL4
protocol with other strength and bodybuilding methods.
Three-Day Split
Monday Push & FL4
Exercise
A Bench press (dumbbell or barbell)
B Shoulder press (dumbbell or barbell)
C FL4 circuits
* total of 30-40 minutes

Wednesday Legs/Hips & FL4


4Exercise
A Deadlifts (Trap bar or barbell)
B Single-leg squat (Bulgarian or free standing)
C FL4 circuits
* each leg

Sets
4-5
4-5
6-8 rounds

Reps
6-8
6-8
*

Sets
5-6
3-4
6-8 rounds

Reps
4-6
6-8 *
**

* * total of 30-40 minutes


Friday Pull & FL4
Exercise
A Chin-ups or pull-ups
B Single-arm dumbbell row (dumbbell or barbell)
C FL4 circuits
* each arm

Sets
4-5
3-4
6-8 rounds

Reps
6-8
6-8 *
**

* * total of 30-40 minutes

Four-Day Split
Monday FL4 circuit workout
Exercise
FL4 circuits
* total of 45-60 minutes

Sets
9-12 rounds

Tuesday Push/Pull strength workout


Exercise
A1
Bench press (dumbbell or barbell)

Reps
*

Sets
4-5

Reps
6-8

A2
B1
B2
C1
C2
D

Bent over row (dumbbell or barbell)


Shoulder press (dumbbell or barbell)
Pull-ups or lat pulldowns
Skull crushers (dumbbell or EZ bar)
Biceps curl (dumbbell or EZ bar)
Dumbbell farmer's walk

Thursday FL4 circuit workout


Exercise
FL4 circuits
* total of 45-60 minutes

4-5
4-5
4-5
3
3
4-5

Sets
9-12 rounds

Friday Legs/Hips/Abs strength workout


Exercise
A1 Deadlift (trap bar or barbell)
A2 Stability ball weighted crunch
B1 Lunges or step-ups (alternate legs)
B2 Band rotations
C1 Leg extension
C2 Hamstring curls (seated or lying on Swiss ball)
D
Dumbbell farmer's walk
* each leg

6-8
6-8
6-8
10-12
10-12
1 min.

Reps
*

Sets
4-5
4
3-4
3-4
3
3
4-5

Reps
6-8
6-8
6-8 *
15-20 * *
10-12
10-15
1 min.

* * each side

5
Five-Day Split
Monday FL4 circuit workout
Exercise
FL4 circuits
* total of 45-60 minutes

Sets
9-12 rounds

Reps
*

Tuesday Push/Pull strength workout


A1
A2
B1
B2
C1
C2
D

Exercise
Bench press (dumbbell or barbell)
Bent over row (dumbbell or barbell)
Shoulder press (dumbbell or barbell)
Pull-ups or lat pulldowns
Skull crushers (dumbbell or EZ bar)
Biceps curl (dumbbell or EZ bar)
Dumbbell farmer's walk

Wednesday Legs/Hips/Abs strength workout


Exercise
A1 Deadlift (trap bar or barbell)
A2 Stability ball weighted crunch
B1 Lunges or step-ups (alternate legs)
B2 Band rotations

Sets
4-5
4-5
4-5
4-5
3
3
4-5

Sets
4-5
4
3-4
3-4

Reps
6-8
6-8
6-8
6-8
10-12
10-12
1 min.

Reps
6-8
6-8
6-8 *
15-20 * *

C1 Leg extension
C2 Hamstring curls (seated or lying on Swiss ball)
D Sled or tire drag
* each leg

3
3
4-5

10-12
10-15
30-40 yards

* * each side

Friday FL4 circuit workout


Exercise
FL4 circuits
* total of 45-60 minutes

Sets
9-12 rounds

Reps
*

Saturday FL4 circuit workout


Exercise
FL4 circuits
* total of 45-60 minutes

Sets
9-12 rounds

Reps
*

Conclusion
In my business the FL4 protocol has proven to be a safe and effective way to get virtually any
client in record shape, fast. This powerful fat loss weapon is now locked and loaded in your
training arsenal. All you've got to do is use it!
Steady-state cardio (SSC) isn't nearly as effective as HIIT at mobilizing fat from fat stores, but
it's really effective at burning those triglycerides that are floating around the bloodstream as a
result
6 of high-intensity intervals. Post-HIIT SSC is insurance that the fat that was mobilized gets
burned.
To put this strategy into action, do at least 20 minutes of SSC after your intervals. The intervals
could be anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes.
Here are a few examples: If you've got 30 minutes to do cardio, try 10 minutes of HIIT followed
by 20 minutes of SSC. If you've got an hour, try 20 minutes of intervals followed by 40 minutes
of SSC.
As for methods of cardio, let your imagination go wild. Try 20 minutes of intervals on the
StepMill followed immediately by 40 minutes of walking on the treadmill at a slight incline. If
you're doing your cardio outside, you could do sprints followed immediately by walking or
jogging, depending on your cardiovascular shape.

2. Only Consume Carbs Around the Workout


When it comes to building a lean, muscular physique, it's important to strike the right balance of
consuming vs. restricting carbs.
As a general rule, consuming fewer carbs will help you shed some fat, due in part to lower
average insulin levels. However, if you take that too far you'll ultimately end up compromising
potential gains in muscle, once again due in part to the reduction in insulin.
When planning your carb intake, you're of course going to address the overall amount of carbs
you consume each day, but you should give equal consideration to when you consume those
carbs.
Consuming carbs peri-workout (meaning "around" your workout) is undoubtedly the best
strategy. Consuming carbs prior to your workout will, in simple terms, give you energy for your
workout. More specifically, it'll ensure that your blood glucose levels are adequate.

To fine-tune your pre-workout carb intake, make sure you time them properly in order to avoid
plummeting blood glucose levels: rebound hypoglycemia. For most people, having carbs
roughly an hour before training works well. Likewise, many people would also do well having
higher GI carbs about 10-15 minutes prior to training.
Another viable option is to consume carbs during your workout a.k.a. intra-workout carbs.
Much has been written here at T Nation about consuming fast-acting carbs (and protein) during
your workout, and for good reason. It's an effective anabolic/anti-catabolic strategy.
Regardless of your pre- and/or intra-workout carb strategy, you're definitely going to want to
consume carbs post-workout to facilitate proper recovery. And by drastically reducing (or
eliminating) the carbs you consume at other times, you'll maximize fat loss.

3. Consume Inversely Proportional Carbs and Fat


If you're going to consume higher amounts of carbs in a meal, keep your fat intake relatively
low. If you're going to consume more fat in a meal, consume fewer carbs. Or, you can split the
difference and have a moderate portion of each.
In simple terms, carbs provide energy and fat provides energy, only you don't want to consume
too much energy in one meal.
Of course protein can provide energy, too, but for the most part protein is used to build things
(muscle, hair, skin, etc.). It's typically not used in appreciable amounts for energy unless there's
not enough carbs or fat around (starvation or extremely long-duration exercise).
Former Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates once explained dieting for a bodybuilder contest this way:
"Eat a set amount of protein all the time, then adjust your carbs and fat to gain or lose fat."
Well said, Dorian. And, as mentioned, the best way to adjust carbs and fat is in an inversely
proportional
manner. You could look at it as a method of calorie control, but it's really energy
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control.
As an example, a meal could have about 15 grams of fat or about 35 grams of carbs. If you're
combining fat and carbs, you could have about 7 grams of fat along with about 18 grams of
carbs. Each of these options yields about 135 calories of energy-providing macronutrients.
These are just sample illustrations. Adjust according to your needs.
Here's another way to look at this: We know low carb, higher-fat diets work well in terms of fat
loss. We also know low fat, higher-carbs can work, too. But nowhere have you heard of a high
carb and high fat diet working, at least for anything other than making you fat!
On a similar note, you've never heard of a low-protein diet being effective either, so make
certain to consume enough protein. Doing so will help build and/or maintain muscle, boost your
metabolism via its thermic effect, and provide a feeling of fullness.
In summary, if you keep your protein intake ample and consistent and your carbs and fat
inversely proportional, you've got yourself the foundation of an effective fat-loss diet laid down.

4. Choose Harder Exercises, You Wuss


Whether consciously or subconsciously, all too often we opt for exercises that are easier and
don't make us breathe as hard, but also don't burn as many calories. When you're in a state of
caloric deprivation (therefore a bit tired), it's even more likely for you to take the easier way out.
An obvious case of this would be doing leg extensions vs. barbell squats, but a less obvious
example would be choosing the leg press over squats. We'll try to rationalize that squats and leg
presses work the same muscles, but we desperately want that to be the case because the leg
press it easier.

Squats are tough because the back and other muscles are involved in stabilizing the weight,
along with the glutes being heavily involved to extend the hips, but if you want to burn fat, that's
exactly what you want.
Deadlifts are another exercise that beg for rationalization. Say what you will, but doing back
extensions simply aren't the same, even if you hold a 45-pound plate while doing them.
Instead of doing concentration or preacher curls, do chin-ups. They'll call into play the lats, rear
delts, etc., resulting in more calories burned. Here are a few other exercises that'll force you to
burn extra calories compared to their more isolationist counterparts:

Clean and press


Walking lunge
Kettlebell swing
Hanging leg raise

Burpees

Regarding burpees, they're not a sexy exercise, but boy do they get you out
of breath, create oxygen debt, and burn some calories. They're especially
good used between sets of other, more traditional weight-training exercises.

Speaking of supersets, they're a simple way to create more oxygen debt


and burn more fat, especially if you superset two compound exercises like
barbell squats and walking lunges.

The key is to take an honest look at your exercise selection and see where
you could implement tougher exercises ones that use more muscle
groups, cause movement across more joints, and simply get you more out
of breath. By doing so, you'll burn more calories and ultimately lose more
fat.

5. Use Caffeine Prior to Exercise

But now that it's been broken down, it's up to you to make sure it gets
burned. (This is the same concept we discussed regarding HIIT + SSC).
That's where exercise comes in. It's a good idea to always have caffeine
prior to exercising because it makes physiological/biochemical sense.

Not only is this likely to help with lipolysis, but it'll indirectly help burn fat
because you'll be more energetic, thus ultimately do more work.

On a related note, there's some evidence that yohimbine does pretty much
the same thing, albeit via slightly different mechanisms. So taking caffeine
and yohimbine prior to exercise may provide a double lipolytic whammy.

1. 30/20/10 Double Countdown: Kettlebell Swing


and Clap Push-up

This combination is popular because it only requires a kettlebell. You can


do it almost anywhere, and it's probably the easiest of all five.

How to do it:

Start with as many kettlebell swings as possible in 30 seconds


Rest 30 seconds
Then do as many clap push-ups as possible in 30 seconds

Without getting into a deep biochemistry lesson, caffeine promotes lipolysis


(fat burning) and inhibits glycolysis (carb burning). Type "caffeine" into
PubMed and you'll get close to 30,000 results, and one consistent trend in
the research is an increase in the amount of free fatty acids (FFA) in the
bloodstream, indicating that fat's been broken down.

Rest 30 seconds
Next do swings hard and fast for 20 seconds
Rest 20 seconds
Follow it up with 20 seconds of clap push-ups
Rest 20 seconds
Finish with 10 seconds of swings, 10 seconds of rest, and 10 seconds of
clap
push-ups
Rest for 30 seconds and repeat the sequence once more

2. 150 Reps of Pain: Band Jump Squat and Judo


Push-up

The band jump squat and judo push-up is an awesome combination, but it
becomes pretty brutal when you have to knock out 150 total reps as fast as
possible. Get ready for pain.

How to do it: Start with15 band-jump squats, then drop to the ground (keep
the band on) and do 15 judo push-ups. The next round is 14 of each.
Continue dropping a rep each round until you reach 10. Make rest your
nemesis and keep it at bay from start to finish.

3. The 2-Minute Full-Body Scorcher: Squat, Curl


and Push Press

This challenging complex can be performed with a kettlebell or a dumbbell


in each hand. It's an ideal finisher for people that are short on time and
don't have a lot of space to move, but it's also great for everyone else that
wants to burn fat and build their anaerobic threshold.

How to do it: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart while holding a weight in
each hand, arms hanging at sides. Push the hips back and squat until the
weights are just below the knees. Quickly stand up as you simultaneously
curl the weights and then dip down a few inches and push-press the
weights overhead using leg assistance. This entire movement should be
smooth without any hesitation. Bust off as many hard and fast continuous
reps as possible in two minutes.

4. 7 Minutes of Whatever is Worse Than Hell:


Sled Push and Pull-up

This is my favorite ass-kicking, nausea-inducing finisher for athletes.


However, it's also the most impractical because most people don't have a
sled to push, and if they do it's probably nowhere close to a pull-up bar or a
set of rings. Still, I couldn't write an article on finishers without mentioning it.

How to do it: Start by pushing a sled back and forth, hard and fast, along a
20-meter stretch for as many rounds as possible in 60 seconds. Next, jog to
the pull-up bar or rings and perform as many reps as possible in 60
seconds (you'll most likely need to stop at least once during that time to
avoid hitting failure, because if you do hit failure, it'll probably be impossible
to knock off anymore reps in that time). Then jog back to the sled, push it
hard for 50 seconds and jog over for 50 seconds of pull-ups (again, avoid
failure). The next round is 40 seconds of each, followed by 30 seconds and
20 seconds of each. Finish with the hardest, fastest 10 seconds of the sled
push and pull-ups your body can muster.

Note: I've built a thick skin due to the insults that were hurled at me from
athletes after they regained consciousness from this finisher.

Final Words

Of course, any of these finishers can be performed with different exercises,


but I recommend you stick with the basic parameters outlined above
because they've been battle-tested. Add one of the finishers to the end of
your workouts, 3-4 days per week, and you'll start scorching body fat as
you build muscle and mettle.

The Tabata Six

Tabata Workout #1Barbell Tabata Complex (4 Exercises)

Pick four barbell exercises that you can easily transition between.

Perform the first exercise for as many reps as you can in 20 seconds.

Rest 10 seconds.

Perform the second exercise as fast as possible for 20 seconds.

Rest 10 seconds.

Repeat this process for the following two remaining exercises.

Once you've completed all four exercises you're only half way done,
because you'll only be two minutes into the Tabata. Go back to the first
exercise and repeat the entire complex again without ever dropping the bar.

10

Barbell Tabata Complex Example:


1.Reverse Lunge (alternating legs) (rack position)
2.Shoulder Press or Thruster
3.Romanian Deadlift
4.Hang Clean
5.Reverse Lunge (alternating legs) (rack position)
6.Shoulder Press or Thruster
7.Romanian Deadlift
8.Hang Clean

Tabata Workout #2Barbell Tabata Complex (8 Exercises)

This complex is performed exactly the same as the previous complex, only
you perform eight different exercises once instead of four exercises
performed twice.

Example:
1.Reverse Lunge (barbell on shoulders; back squat style)
2.Good Morning (bar still on shoulders)
3.Shoulder Press or Thruster
4.Hang Clean
5.Front Squat
6.Bent Over Row
7.Romanian Deadlift
8.Push-Up
Note: When performing barbell complexes like the one above, it's okay not
to use "perfect" Olympic lifting technique on moves like cleans and
snatches. Why?

We're not Olympic lifting, we're doing a barbell complex.

We're not trying to build peak power, we're trying to build conditioning and lose fat.

Good Olympic lifting form is needed to help you lift heavy loads as fast and efficiently as
possible. The loads used in the complexes above are not heavy at all, and therefore don't
require you to have "perfect" form. As long as you don't lose optimal spinal alignment and
maintain good rhythm, you're fine.

Tabata Workout #3Kettlebell Tabata Complex (4 Exercises)

You can swing kettlebells, squat with kettlebells, or thrust them over your
head. So pick your favorites and just rotate with 20 second intervals.

Example:

20 seconds 1-Arm
swing (right arm)
10 seconds rest
20 seconds 1-Arm
swing (left arm)
10 seconds rest
20
seconds
Front
Squat (right arm)
10 seconds rest
20
seconds
Front
Squat (left arm)
10 seconds rest

11

20
seconds
Press (right arm)
10 seconds rest
20
seconds
Press (left arm)
10 seconds rest
20 seconds
swing
10 seconds rest
20 seconds
swing

Push

Push

2-Arm

2-Arm

You can also do this same Tabata workout without switching sides each
time like this:

20 seconds 1-Arm
swing (right arm)
10 seconds rest
20
seconds
Front
Squat (right arm)
10 seconds rest
20
seconds
Push
Press (right arm)
10 seconds rest
20 seconds 1-Arm
swing (left arm)
10 seconds rest

20
seconds
Front
Squat (left arm)
10 seconds rest
20
seconds
Push
Press (left arm)
10 seconds rest
20 seconds 2-Arm
swing
10 seconds rest
20 seconds 2-Arm
swing

Tabata Workout #4Resistance Band Tabata (8 Exercises)


Resistance bands are simple, versatile, and inexpensive. They may look
harmless but don't be fooled, this will be tough if you're doing it right.

Example:

1.Squat and Row


2.Swimmers (back straight, arms straight, touch band to shoulders)
3.Tight Rotations (right side)
4.Tight Rotations (left side)
5.Punches (right leg forward)

It's also a non-leg dominant way of improving conditioning and accelerating


fat loss. Bodybuilders and figure competitors love this Tabata after an
upper-body lifting day.

This entire Tabata is performed with a staggered stance. Switch your lead
leg each round.

Example:

20 seconds punches
(left leg lead)
10 seconds rest
20 seconds punches
(right leg lead)
10 seconds rest
20 seconds alternating
row (left leg lead)
10 seconds rest
20 seconds alternating
row (right leg lead)
10 seconds rest

Another Fighter's Band Example

20 seconds punches
(left leg lead)
10 seconds rest
20 seconds alternating
row (left leg lead)
10 seconds rest
20 seconds punches
(right leg lead)
10 seconds rest
20 seconds alternating
row (right leg lead)
10 seconds rest

Tabata Workout #5Fighter's Band Tabata (4 Exercises)


This Tabata is a favorite among fighters because it develops the upperbody conditioning necessary to continually throw punches, push, pull, and
clinch with your opponent for the entire fight.

12

6.Punches (left leg forward)


7.Swimmers (back straight, arms straight, touch band to shoulders)
8.Squat and Row

20 seconds punches
(left leg lead)
10 seconds rest
20 seconds punches
(right leg lead)
10 seconds rest
20 seconds alternating
row (left leg lead)
10 seconds rest
20 seconds alternating
row (right leg lead)

20 seconds punches
(left leg lead)
10 seconds rest
20 seconds alternating
row (left leg lead)
10 seconds rest
20 seconds punches
(right leg lead)
10 seconds rest
20 seconds alternating
row (right leg lead)
10 seconds rest

Tabata Workout #6Bodyweight Tabata (4 Exercises)


Need to train at home, outside, or while traveling?

Even if you do have access to gym equipment, sometimes it's nice to get
away from all that stuff and just allow your body to move the way it wants.

20 seconds Speed
Squat
10 seconds rest
20 seconds Burpees

10 seconds rest
20 seconds Mountain
Climber (keep neutral
spine)

10 seconds
20 seconds Speed
Skips (in place) (lift
knee above hip)
10 seconds rest
20 seconds Speed
Squat
10 seconds rest

20 seconds Burpees
10 seconds rest
20 seconds Mountain
Climber (keep neutral
spine)
10 seconds
20 seconds Speed
Skips (in place) (lift
knee above hip)

When to Use Tabatas

For fat loss: You can use Tabatas up to three times per week. But you can
also do multiple Tabata intervals one workout. I've used up to three different
Tabata intervals in a workout.

Remember to do them after strength training so that you have the energy to
keep your current amount of muscle size and strength.

For conditioning: You can use Tabatas throughout your workout, either
before, during, or after your strength training.

During most sports (football, MMA, etc.) you're often required to call upon
every ounce of strength you have and explode throughout the entire
competition, even when you're tired. So, mixing conditioning and strength
work together can help prepare you specifically for this challenge.

This is especially important for MMA fighters and other combat athletes
because you have to lift up, take down, and push your opponent around the
entire fight, no matter how gassed you may be.

13

Tabata Progressions

If you're not able to do the entire 4-minute Tabata, gradually build up your
stamina with the following progression.

So you understand the chart, here's what each figure means:

10/20 x 6 means 10 seconds work and 20 seconds rest for 6 rounds.

Week
1
10/20
x6
Week
2
10/20
x7
Week
3
10/20
x8
Week
4
15/15
x5

Week
5
15/15
x6
Week
6
15/15
x7
Week
7
15/15
x8
Week
8
20/10
x4

Week
9
20/10
x5
Week
10
20/10
x6
Week
11
20/10
x7
Week
12
20/10
x8

Now, if you're a better-conditioned athlete, you may need only eight weeks
to build up to the full Tabata. Here's an eight-week Tabata workout
progression:

Week
1
10/20
x6
Week
2
15/15
x4
Week
3
10/20
x8

Week
4
15/15
x6
Week
5
20/10
x4
Week
6
15/15
x8

Week
7
20/10
x6
Week
8
20/10
x8

Now, take this arsenal of Tabata workouts and use them to incinerate fat
and smoke the competition.

Metabolic Finisher #1300 Yard Shuttle Sprints

14

This is one of my longtime favorites because it's simple, super intense, and
just plain tough!

Purpose: Improve leg muscle power endurance, accelerate metabolism,


and improve cardio/conditioning; great for athletes in field and/or court
sports!

How to do it:

Place two cones or water bottles roughly 25 yards apart.


Sprint as fast as possible back and forth between the cones for 12 times,
completing 6 round trips.
Touch the cones each time.
Try to finish all 6 laps in as close to 1 minute as possible.
Perform 1-3 sets (300 yards = 1 set) resting 3-5 minutes between sets.

Coaching Tips:

Touch cones each time you change direction.

Be sure to drive with your arms while sprinting.

When changing direction at each cone, be aware of your lower-body


alignment and control.

Metabolic Finisher #2Medicine Throw Ball Complex


If you've got a rubber medicine ball (3-5kg) and a wall to hurl it at, give this
one a shot!

Purpose: Improve upper body and torso power endurance. This one is
great for upper-body conditioning, especially since so much of conditioning
is lower body dominant. Great for boxers, kick-boxers, and MMA fighters.

How to do it:

Standing at a short distance from a solid wall, perform the following


exercises, back-to-back, explosively:

8x Squat Push Throws

16x Overhead Throws w/step (alternate legs)

16x Rotary throws (alternate sides)

8x Overhead Floor Slams

Perform 4-5 sets. Rest 90 seconds 2 minutes between sets

Coaching Tips:

Be explosive on each throw.

When throwing, use your legs to help drive the medicine ball.

Stay tall (long spine) on the rotary throws.

Metabolic Finisher #3Prowler or Tire Pushes


Purpose: Improve total body conditioning, improve leg strength endurance,
improve shoulder, chest, and arm strength endurance, and improve core
strength endurance. Improve mental toughness. Great for football, rugby,
grappling, and MMA athletes.

How to do it (with a Prowler):

Keep a straight spine and straight arms while driving the Prowler forward
using
big
strides.
Driving the sled with a good body forward lean angle, push the Prowler
for
25-40
yards
as
fast
as
you
can.
Perform 3-6 sets with 30 seconds 3 minutes rest (depending on the
intensity) between sets.

How to do it (with a tire):

Note: I prefer using the tire over the Prowler as I feel it's more demanding
on the arms, shoulders, and torso. Plus, you can save some serious cash
and space in your gym by simply using an old tire.

Coaching Tips:

Keep your back straight and don't allow your low back to hunch (round).

Keep arms/elbows straight throughout the exercise.

Take long strides, pushing your legs hard into the ground with each step.

The weight you put on the Prowler will change depending on the surface
you're pushing it on.

Mix up weight and length ranges. Some days use lighter loads for 40+yd
pushes. On other days, go with heavier loads for 25+ yards.

15

Metabolic Finisher #4Plate/Sled Pushes


This one is great if you don't have a sled, Prowler, or tire! Even it you do
have those pieces of equipment, it's still an awesome option to sprinkle into
your training program.
Purpose: Improve total body conditioning, improve leg strength endurance,
and improve mental toughness.

How to do it:

A basketball court or track surface is ideal for this exercise.

Place a 45 lbs. Olympic plate on top of a towel to create a slippery


surface.

Place your hands inside the plate and assume a push-up position.

Driving with your legs, push the plate across the floor 25-40 yards as fast
as you can. Perform 3-6 sets with 30-90 seconds rest between sets.

Coaching Tips:

Keep your back straight and avoid lifting your hips higher than your
shoulders.

Keep arms/elbows straight throughout the exercise.

Take long strides, pushing your legs hard into the ground with each step.

Place dumbbells inside the weight plate to add additional load.

Here's a video of two of my "master class" figure competitors getting after it


with sled pushes

16

Metabolic Finisher #5Four-Minute Bodyweight Tabata Complex


Efficiency zealots love Tabatas. How else can you absolutely destroy
yourself in just four fast minutes?

I love Tabatas because they allow for so much programming variety. With a
little imagination, it's possible to never repeat the same workout twice!

Purpose: Improved overall conditioning, boost metabolism, increase


functional ability, and build body awareness. This one is great for guys who
want to workout at home or travel frequently and are stuck in a hotel room.
It's also great to unload the body from heavy lifting while still pushing your
conditioning!

How to do it:

Perform 2 cycles of each of the following exercises back to back for 20


seconds of activity and 10 seconds rest:

Speed Squats
Burpees

Mountain Climbers
Speed
Skips
(in
place)

This will total four minutes.

Perform 1-3 sets. Rest 2-4 minutes betweens sets.

Coaching Tips:

Perform each exercise as fast as possible without sacrificing form.

On the speed skips, lift knee above hip.

On the burpees, don't slam your feet into the ground. Control your fall on
each rep!

If you like what you see here, you can find more Performance U Tabata
complexes in this article.
Metabolic Finisher #6Four Corners Farmer Walks
Here at Performance U, we've combined farmer's walks with strength
complexes to make each protocol an even more effective metabolic
finisher.
Purpose: Build upper body strength/endurance, improve grip strength,
accelerate metabolism, and pump up the shoulders like never before! Great
for the guy who loves to lift weights but hates to do "cardio."

17

How to do it:

Place two cones or water bottles roughly ten yards apart. Stand at one end
holding a pair of heavy dumbbells. Get comfortable; you won't put these
dumbbells down until you've completed all of the following exercises:

Perform 8-10 reps of bent over rows.

Without ever placing the dumbbells down, walk to the other end and
perform 8-10 biceps curls.

Still holding the dumbbells, walk back to the other end and perform a set
of dumbbell front squats.

Walk back to the other end and perform 8-10 dumbbell over head
presses.

Don't put the dumbbells down yet! Walk back to the starting cone to
complete 1 full set.

Perform 1-3 sets with 2-4 minutes rest between sets.

Coaching tips:

Walk as fast as possible between the cones.

On all strength exercises, be sure to use optimal form and control.

Choose the heaviest set of dumbbells that allow you to successfully


complete the entire workout without ever putting it down on the floor.

Metabolic Finisher #7100 Rep Kettlebell Complex


The more I use kettlebells, the more I like them! They're a very versatile tool
that incorporates momentum and full body motions along with rhythmic
motions, which require good focus and timing all great things to help
improve fitness and athleticism.

Below is a great KB finisher I learned from fitness model Alli McKee.

Purpose: Improve total body conditioning and upper-body strength/power


endurance.

How to do it:

Each movement is performed with one arm at a time. Perform each


exercise with power and deliberate control.

Bang out each exercise back-to-back, without rest until finished:

Right side KB swing x 10 reps

Left side KB swing x 10 reps

Right side KB clean x 10 reps

Left side KB clean x 10 reps

Right side KB snatch x 10 reps

Left side KB snatch x 10 reps

Right side KB racked squat x 10 reps

Left side KB racked squat x 10 reps

Right side KB push press x 10 reps

Left side KB push press x 10 reps

Rest 23 minutes between rounds. Perform 1-3 rounds.

18

Coaching Tips:

If your form breaks down either stop or reduce the reps!

Use your entire body on each exercise, never "arm up" the kettlebell.

Bonus: Do it Backwards!

Once you've mastered the above 100 rep KB challenge, try it in the reverse
order beginning with the push presses. It's a whole new animal when you
switch the order up.

Although I've provided you with 7 nasty "puke in your shoes" finishers, this
is by no means an exhaustive list of all the metabolic finishers I use in my
business at Performance U.

With all the great conditioning tools available from battling ropes to hammer
training to Airdyne Bike intervals to barbell complexes and circuits, it's
literally endless what you can do with some purposeful creativity. Use this
article as inspiration to think out of the box and develop your own metabolic
finishers.

Aside from the amazing fitness and physique benefits, these finishers will
test your grit and help build the intestinal fortitude you need to take on any
challenge that life throws at you.

Look better, move better, feel better, and BE better. It all starts with how you
finish!

Progressions for Hypertrophy and Fat Loss

Goal 1 Increase Muscle Mass (Hypertrophy Training)

Let's see, I probably only had a 95% chance of getting this one right. Is
there anyone who reads Testosterone that doesn't want bigger muscles?

When training for hypertrophy you must ingest more calories than you
expend each day. This above-maintenance nutritional plan allows you to
get away with more extreme types of progression because your body is fed
with plenty of nutrients. In other words, you're in a phase where overtraining
is less likely to occur. Therefore, I recommend the three most intense
progressions.

19

Load progression

Increasing the load with each training session is one of the most effective,
albeit demanding, types of progression. It takes the biggest toll on your
joints and nervous system. The key is to increase the load in small
increments. This forces your muscles to do more work, but it doesn't
overwhelm your brain, muscles, and joints.

Many coaches, including myself, often recommend increasing the load 2%


when you repeat a training session. But many people are anything but
ecstatic about this approach. Let's say you did five sets of five reps (5x5)
for the lying triceps extension with 40 pound dumbbells on Monday.

The following Monday you pull out a calculator and realize that you need to
increase the load 0.8 pounds. (I probably don't need to go much further for
you to realize the problems with the 2% approach, but I will.) You're
immediately faced with a formidable challenge because your gym has a
dumbbell set that only jumps in five-pound increments. So you're relegated
to a 12% load progression instead of 2%.

And this is one of the many reasons why I favor compound movements.
Had you chosen a close-grip bench press with 225 pounds to train your
triceps, that 2% progression becomes 4.5 pounds. Without a leap of faith,
you can presume that increasing the load five pounds is a relatively
accurate and effective progression. When working with the 2% progression,
if you're ever faced with a 7.5 pound load increase, always round down
instead of up (increase the load 5 pounds instead of 10 pounds).

I like the 2% progression, but its applicability is limited to compound


movements when the load is measured in hundreds of pounds. Anything
less and you'll end up banging your head against the wall. Platemates
(small magnetic weights) that attach to dumbbells and barbells help, but it
doesn't eradicate the problem.

Of course at some point, strict 2% load progression becomes impractical.


Which brings us to the next progression.

Rep progression

20

I like the rep progression for single-joint exercises with lighter loads. With a
rep progression you aren't forced to work with miniscule load progressions,
but you can still overload your muscles. There are two ways to make the
most of the rep progression.

First, if you follow traditional set/rep parameters such as 5x5, you can
simply add a rep to each set when you repeat the training session.
Depending on how close the first session was to failure you might not be
able to add a rep to every set. For example, if on Monday you performed
5x5, the following Monday you might only get six reps on the first three
sets. Hell, the fifth set might only be four reps.

That's fine, too. All that matters is that the total number of reps is higher.
5x5, of course, equals 25 total reps. 6, 6, 6, 5, 4 equals 27 total reps. Stay
with the rep progression until you can complete two more reps with each
set (5x7). At that point, increase the load to the next available increment
and start the process over with a new set/rep range that you can manage
with the heavier load.

The second way to use rep progression is based on a target number of


reps. Let's say you want to do 25 total reps with a load that you could lift 4
to 6 times while fresh. The next time you perform the training session,
increase the total reps by 2 or 3. Continue with this progression until you
reach 35 total reps.

At that point, increase the load and start over. I favor this approach because
I feel lifters get too hung up on a target number of reps per set. What they
should really be focusing on is the total number of reps per lift per training
session.

Frequency progression

Increasing the number of training sessions for a specific movement is the


most effective progression I've ever used for hypertrophy. But the frequency
progression is not for everyone. First, you must have the luxury of training
more often. Second, you've got to understand planes of movement.

For the sake of simplicity, I break down movements into: upper body pulling
and pushing in the horizontal plane, upper body pulling and pushing in the
vertical plane, and a squat or deadlift. If you don't know which muscles are
emphasized in which movement, this information is probably too advanced
for you. But if you do understand that a wide-grip pull-up primarily trains
your lats and upper back muscles, keep reading.

The frequency progression is not complicated, unless you make it so. If


you're struggling with pull-ups, and if you want a bigger upper back, you
should increase the frequency of pull-ups. If you simply added more volume
you'd just augment your recovery time. Start the first week with three
sessions for pull-ups. The next week add a fourth. The third week add a
fifth.

The fourth week increase your pull-up sessions to six. Hold the frequency
of six pull-up sessions per week for the fifth week. On the sixth week,
perform one pull-up session before returning to anywhere between three
and six on the seventh week. Here's how the frequency progression looks
for the pull-up.

Week 1: Monday, Wednesday, Friday

Week 2: Monday A.M., P.M., Wednesday, Friday

Week 3: Monday A.M., P.M., Wednesday, Friday A.M., P.M..

Week 4: Monday A.M., P.M., Wednesday A.M., P.M., Friday A.M., P.M..

Week 5: Monday A.M., P.M., Wednesday A.M., P.M., Friday A.M., P.M..

Week 6: Wednesday

Week 7: pick up with your schedule on any week between 1 and 4

Take note that I didn't increase the number of training days per week; I
increased the number of total sessions by implementing morning and
evening workouts. I've found that twice-daily workouts work better for
hypertrophy training compared to increasing the frequency to six days in a
row. Each morning and evening workout should be separated by at least six
hours.

On week 7, you have a few options. If your upper back is still lagging you
can jump back into training it six times per week. Just be sure to unload
every fourth week and only perform one training session for the pull-up. The
other option is to revert back to three, four, or five sessions per week.
Again, you'll unload every fourth week. What frequency you use should
depend on what your schedule allows.

Summary

Use the 2% load progression for compound movements, use the rep
progression for single-joint or light movements, and use the frequency
progression for the movements that train your lagging muscles.

21

Goal 2 Burn Fat (Metabolic Training)

When training for fat loss you must burn more calories than you consume
each day. This below-maintenance nutritional plan necessitates less
demanding types of progression since you're more likely to overtrain when
you're short on nutrients. Therefore, I recommend progression methods that
don't mandate lifting ever-heavier loads, but instead force you to increase
your metabolism by boosting excess post-exercise oxygen consumption
(EPOC).

Before I get to the progressions, let me explain what EPOC is.

After you finish training your body needs more oxygen. When you're
training with weights, or simply running outside, your body uses up a lot of
oxygen. Your body must restore that oxygen debt to maintain homeostasis.
In essence, your body must return to its pre-exercise state. It does this by
replenishing energy sources, re-oxygenating your blood and restoring
circulatory hormones, decreasing body temperature, and returning
ventilation and heart rate to normal.

All of these steps collectively are known as EPOC, and all of these steps
take energy. Therefore, the higher your EPOC, the more calories you'll burn
after exercise. Alwyn Cosgrove refers to this as "afterburn."

Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC)

Therefore, when training for fat loss you should implement progression
methods that force your body to use more oxygen. Here are the
progressions.

22

Rest progression

Progressively decreasing your rest periods without changing the load is my


favorite method to boost fat loss. Since you're not increasing the load, your
muscles and joints aren't beat up by the lack of nutrients in your diet.
Instead, you force your energy systems (mainly anaerobic glycolysis) to
work harder.

Before I outline how to use the rest progression, I must revert back to my
opening statement about the importance of selecting the right movements.
There's no place for single-joint movements in a fat loss workout!

Does that mean you should never perform any trap raises, external
rotations or other joint integrity exercises? Of course not. If you need to
strengthen your lower traps or rotator cuff, you should include exercises for
them. But this isn't part of your fat loss session per se, it's an addition after
your fat loss training is finished.

Beyond the proper movement selection, the rest progression is pretty


simple. You'll start with a relatively short rest period, say, 60 seconds
between each movement in a circuit, and then decrease the rest periods in
five-second increments each time you repeat the training session. Here's
an example.

Week 1, Workout A

Rest 60 seconds

1A) Pull-up

1C) Clean

Rest 60 seconds

1B) Dip

Rest 60 seconds and


repeat

Week 2, Workout A

1A) Pull-up

Rest 55 seconds

Rest 55 seconds

1C) Clean

1B) Dip

Rest 55 seconds and


repeat

The first factor you must respect is the initial rest period. If 60 seconds isn't
challenging, the rest periods are too long. In other words, if 60 seconds rest
isn't enough to make you sweat and feel a little nauseous, you're not doing
yourself any favors. You must start with an effective plan if you want the
progression to work. If 60 seconds was too long for your first workout,
decrease the rest periods by 10 seconds the next time you repeat it. From
that point, stick to five second rest progressions.

You can stick with the rest progression for as long as you're training for fat
loss. I've worked with people who started with 60 second rest periods, and
three total body workouts per week, who progressed to 10 second rest
periods with the same movements, loads and reps. They all lost a
substantial amount of body fat by supercharging their EPOC. The rest
progression really does work wonders for most.

23

Set progression

Adding an extra set to each lift during a training session is another effective
progression for metabolic training. It's effective because adding a set is less
taxing than increasing the load or adding reps, but it's sufficient to boost
your work capacity.

There are two ways to use the set progression, depending on how your
training sessions are structured.

If you follow the typical set/rep plan with, say, 5x5 you'll simply add one set
each time you repeat the workout. So if on Monday you did 5x5, the
following Monday you'll do 6x5. The load won't change and neither will the
rest periods. You'll keep adding a set for as long as you keep experiencing
results. If you're new to training, you might be able to go from 5x5 to 10x5
over the course of five weeks and still get results.

If you're experienced, it's likely that your body will adapt quicker. In that
case, you might want to limit the set progression to three weeks and start
with a higher volume. You could go from 8x3 to 10x3 over the course of
three weeks.

There's another way to use the set progression if you have a target number
of total reps with each lift. Let's say your target number is 25 reps with a
load you could lift fresh for 4 to 6 reps. And let's say on Monday your sets
for the pull-up went as follows:

Set 1:
6 reps

Set 3:
5 reps

Set 2:
5 reps

Set 4:
5 reps

Set 5:
4 reps

The following Monday you'll add a sixth set and perform as many reps as
possible, so it looks like this:

Set 1:
6 reps

Set 2:
5 reps

Set 3:
5 reps

Set 4:
5 reps

Set 5:
4 reps

Set 6:
As
many
reps

as
possi
ble

Overall, I like to emphasize the rest progression. For fat loss, three total
body sessions per week is the upper limit for most people. Use the rest
progression on Monday and Friday and use the set progression on
Wednesday.

Summary: use the rest progression for two sessions each week; use the set
progression for one workout each week. Stick to circuits derived of
compound movements.

Locomotive exercises need more love

Too many of us get trapped in our power rack, always lifting heavy but
never moving around. We humans used to love running around, killing
things, and then eating them... what the hell happened to us? Seriously,
though, moving with agility is important, and stations are a good way to
blend it into strength training.

24

The Top 3 Station Schemes


For clarity in programming, think of each complete workout you create
two stations with locomotion in-between as a "scheme."

Variation 1:Heavy Dynamic Heavy (HDH)


In this variation, we'll use stations with dumbbell or barbell exercises set up
with a 10-rep weight. The goal is to get 6-8 good reps, which will probably
be difficult because you'll be breathing heavily from the locomotive
exercise. Good heavy exercise choices are low-technique compound
movements that can be performed safely without having to use flawless
form barbell and dumbbell rows, presses, deadlift variations, and squat
variations all work well. Ballistic movements like Olympic lifts don't mix well
with fatigue.

Dynamic choices include sprints, side shuffles, backpedals, jumps, bounds,


hops, and skips. Most commercial gym-goers prefer not to bounce around
like a bunny, but for those of you in more private settings or who don't give
a shit, jumping, bounding, skipping, and hopping is fantastic for building
athleticism and getting the heart rate up.

HDH Scheme Example #1 (Stations set 20 yards apart)


Station A:Barbell Push Press
Locomotive:5-Line Sprint (up and back twice, ending at opposite station;
100 total yards)
Station B:Split Stance Dumbbell Row
The sprint is going to become a hard run once fatigue sets in, but that's
okay, just push the pace and move fast. Get to the station exercise as soon
as possible. That may be near instantaneous for some, or 10 deep breaths
later for others. The point is to keep moving, but understand that as long as
you're breathing heavily you're still increasing your conditioning, even if
you're not pushing iron at that precise moment.

HDH Scheme Example #2 (Stations set 10 yards apart)


Station A:Barbell Row
Locomotive:Side Walk Push Up
Station B:Dumbbell Reverse Lunge
Variation 2:Dynamic Heavy Dynamic (DHD )
In this variation, "dynamic" can mean a lot of things, but in this context it
most often means calisthenics or explosive movements things that will get
the heart rate up fast while allowing semi-rest for the heavy locomotive
movement. I suggest 30-60 seconds for the dynamic exercises, or simply
going hard and moving on to the locomotive movement when fatigue or
boredom gets severe.

Simple calisthenics such as skier jumps, jump rope, plank variations, high
knees, jumping jack variations, and mountain climbers work well. More
taxing choices for the legs involve squat and lunge jump variations such as
squat jumps or split-squat jumps.

The heavy movement will be relatively slow because the weight needs to
be so heavy that you barely make it from one station to the next. My
favorite choices are heavy farmer's walks, dumbbell lunges, and sled
pushes and pulls. (Our gym's 10-yard backward sled pull record is 860
pounds.)

25

DHD Scheme Example #1 (Stations set 20 yards apart)


Station A:Split Squat Jump
Locomotive:Farmers Carry
Station B:Band Pull-Apart

DHD Scheme Example #2 (Stations set 10-15 yards apart)


Station A:Jump Rope

Locomotive:Heavy Sled Pull

Station B:Marching Plank

Variation 3:Volume Volume Volume (VX3)


In the volume-based variation, we're looking to get a good pump and a lot
of work done. We won't choose calisthenics and we'll let the locomotive
exercise and higher rep range (10-15) get the heart rate up and pump blood
into the muscles. Mixing compound movements with more characteristically
bodybuilding-type movements works well.

VX3 Scheme Example #1 (Stations set 20 yards apart)


Station A:Goblet Squat
Locomotive:Farmer's Walk with 5 shrugs every 5th step
Station B:Push Up

VX3 Scheme Example #2 (Stations set 20 yards apart)


Station A:Hammer Curl to Overhead Press

Locomotive:Walking Lunge with Fat Grips

Station B:Sliding Leg Curl

Workout Length and Volume


There are two good options:

1.Complete a specified number of sets of each station, using one to three


station schemes. Remember, each complete workout you create two
stations with locomotion in-between is a "scheme."

2.Choose a timeframe and work on a scheme until time elapses. I prefer


this method because I don't have the brainpower to count during
conditioning work.

Two turns at each station is a good starting point, which will provide four
locomotive sets and take approximately 8-10 minutes, depending on the
exercises. From this, you can tailor the exercises and schemes to suit.
Volume schemes can work well as high as three or four turns per station.

26

Exercise Choices and Pairings


If I'm using only one scheme as a complete workout, I'll typically do a push
exercise and a pull exercise as the stations and a leg exercise as the
locomotive. This is a simple, balanced workout. Beyond this, you can get
deeper into hitting more body parts and movements. A good starting point is
the big six, around which I base most simple workouts:

Push
Pull
HipDomi

nant

QuadDomi
nant

Core

Rotat
or
Cuff

Beyond choosing balance in the workout, it's a good idea to pick exercises that "rest" one
another. If you're doing goblet squats as station A, running sprints as the locomotive, and
performing RDLs as station B... you're going to die.
Sure, you'll earn your "brutal leg workout" merit badge, but the quality of every exercise will
suffer. I also get concerned when people want to run with exhausted hamstrings. That's not to
say you can't have leg exercise overlap you can just be smart about it. Moving from leg to
upper body exercise is the easiest way to design a sensible station scheme.

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