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