Back-to-Basics: Update #1

I started my back-to-basics workout a couple weeks ago, as I explained in my last post. I had originally planned on doing Squats in the morning and Pushups in the evenings on a Mon - Wed - Fri schedule; and then Crunches on a Tue - Thu - Sat schedule. However, within the first 3 days I made some significant changes to that routine.

The first thing that I realized was that breaking up the exercises like this kept me from really pushing my entire body hard. Sure, my chest, arms and shoulders were shaking after the pushups, but I wasn't breathing hard and could barely work up a sweat. On the other hand, I never quite felt like I was "rested" because of the way the exercises were spread out.

So beginning this week, I pulled all of the exercises together into supersets and have been doing a good total-body workout on a Mon - Wed - Fri schedule. The way the program is set up, you complete 5 sets of an exercise with each workout. Thus my combined program has me completing 5 supersets, which consists of Pushups / Squats / Crunches with no rest in between exercises. I rest for a minute or two between supersets and focus on good form and steady breathing.

Here's what Day 1 looked like:

Superset 1 - 10 Pushups / 13 Squats / 15 Crunches (rest)
Superset 2 - 12 Pushups / 16 Squats / 18 Crunches (rest)
Superset 3 - 7 Pushups / 9 Squats / 10 Crunches (rest)
Superset 4 - 7 Pushups / 9 Squats / 10 Crunches (rest)
Superset 5 - Max Pushups / Max Squats / Max Crunches

Believe me, by the time I was finished with this 20-minute workout I was breathing heavy, sweating like crazy, and my heart was pounding like I'd just run a race. Obviously you can go a little easier by resting between exercises and resting a bit more between supersets, but the point is that you can also get a great workout with these basic bodyweight exercises.

One final thing I noticed is that having a full day "off" really helped with my recovery, and I did feel stronger on each new workout day. I don't know that I'll hit 100 pushups, 200 squats and 200 crunches by the 6-week mark, but 50/100/100 isn't out of the question!

Train hard and pray harder,
~Brandon

Back-to-Basics Workout

Fancy gyms and hi-tech home exercise equipment might be the way to go for many people -- and I must admit that I certainly have my share of free weights, benches and machines -- but there's definitely something to be said for good old-fashioned bodyweight routines. Frankly, I'm more impressed by someone who can bust out 100 pushups or 25 chinups than some musclehead with giant pecs and a massive uni-ab.

So I've decided to try something different with my workouts.

For the next 6 weeks, I'm going to be combining three bodyweight programs that you can get for free online: 100 Pushups, 200 Squats, and 200 Situps

First of all, before you start freaking out on me, it's not actually 200 situps; it's 200 crunches. Situps are horrible for your back, so don't do them. Of course, there are plenty of fitness gurus who recommend that you avoid crunches and do planks (and side-planks) instead. Personally, I've found the plank exercises to be effective, but they just don't seem to strengthen my lower back as much as doing crunches.

The programs I'll be doing are designed to get you to the 100/200/200 goals by the end of 6 weeks, but you can easily extend the program if you need more time.

On Mon - Wed - Friday I'll be doing Squats in the morning and Pushups in the evening. On Tue - Thu - Sat I'll be doing Crunches.

There are several nice things about this workout plan:

1) no gym necessary
2) no equipment necessary
3) focuses on large muscle groups
4) focuses on relative strength
5) about 15 minutes per workout

Stay tuned over the next several weeks and I'll keep you updated on my progress!

Train hard and pray harder,
~Brandon Jubar