Last week, I discussed some conditioning methods designed to bust fat and build muscle all while providing a hell of anaerobic training session. It basically boiled down to this – pick up something heavy, walk around the gym until you hate yourself, repeat.
The thing is sometimes you can’t get to the gym, maybe it’s a nice day and you want to train outside, or perhaps you’ve been spending too much time around the same sweaty meatheads and need a change of scenery. What then? Not to worry. We can still get you shredded, boost some muscle building hormones, and have fun (maybe, if you’re a masochist).
Here are few techniques that I like to use when I feel like getting out of the gym for a day.
Jump Rope
All you need for this is a jump rope (preferably weighted if you really want to reap the benefits) and some space.
Try any of the following for a short quick session that will get you cut up in no time.
-Jump rope 10 minutes straight, stopping to rest as infrequently as possible.
-Pyramids, reverse pyramids, etc. Start with 50 jumps, rest, then 60, rest, 70, rest, keep going until you hit a wall and work your way back down. Or start with 200, rest, then 150, rest, 100, rest, 50, rest 25, done…Your imagination is the only limitation here, just keep the rest periods short, 60 to 90 seconds at most.
-Tabate Jump Rope. Jump for 20 seconds, rest for 10, repeat for 4 minutes, add a minute to the workout every time you do it.
Sprint
Probably my favorite hill to run in my neighborhood, you know it’s a monster because when you’re standing at the top you can’t see the bottom.
Hill Sprints – Find a short hill and sprint up it, walk back down, catch your breath, repeat, do this for 10 to 15 minutes. Try to beat your total number of sprints from the previous workout every time you attack the hill – this will push your anaerobic threshold way to the right! Or, you can find a big hill ( I have one in my neighborhood that’s about a half mile, which connects to another one that’s a quarter mile) run up it as fast as possible. As your conditioning improves, add more trips up the hill.
Beach sprints – sprinting on the sand is a unique challenge that you really have to do to appreciate. Pick a flat slab of sand and try this – 200m, walk back, 150m, walk back, 100m walk back, 80m, walk back, 50m walk back, 30m walk back.
Track Sprints – Hit up the track at your local high school or college, get warmed up and run 100m, 200m, 300m, 400m sprints, Between each sprint walk the distance you just ran i.e. sprint 100, walk 100m, sprint 200m, walk 200m, etc.
Hump
This ones for the warriors and the wannabes, pull your old pack out the closet, dust it off, throw a sandbag inside and go out for a weighted power walk. This is awesome if you live near a beach or in a hilly area. Think of it like being back at boot camp, but there aren’t any bald psychos screaming at you and when it’s over you get to go hangout with your girlfriend or buddies and drink a beer (so it’s actually nothing like bootcamp).
Bodyweight Complexes
Finally, bodyweight complexes are an awesome way to boost conditioning when you’re short on time. If you happen to live near a beach or a park with a big sandbox the change in terrain adds a unique element to the experience.
I borrowed these from Joe DeFranco, one of the best trainers in the game. He works with athletes across a wide range of sports from the NFL to WWE.
Do each exercise, rest 60 secs, repeat the circuit 4 more times.
-Mountain climbers x 30
-Pushups x 20
-Groiners x 10
-Burpees x 5
For a little more of a burn you can combine the circuit with a core circuit like this one.
Perform each exercise, rest 60 seconds, repeat 2 more times.
-Sprinter Sit Up x 20
-V-Up x 15
-Toe Touch x 15
-Hip Up x15
And cap it all off with 100 pushups as quickly as possible
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