A recent issue of Ultra Fit Magazine (UK) included a simple workout requiring no equipment and less than 30 minutes to complete. It is five basic moves, each performed five times before moving on to the next, at 30/30 intervals (30 seconds effort/30 seconds rest). The moves are:
Squats
Press Ups
Bicycle Crunch (chinnies)
Burpees
Skipping
I gave it go, reducing the rest period to 15 seconds to increase the challenge and save on time. The squats and crunches felt comfortable (I’m fairly strong in these areas) but the press up and burpees were tough, by the third set of each of these I was feeling very fatigued. Set five felt impossible. Completing five rounds of skipping straight after burpees just about finished me off!
It’s really straightforward and can be done at home or on holiday, no need for a gym. Well worth a try. Beginners and intermediate will be sufficiently challenged. If you are advanced you may want to add equipment such as a barbell on the squats or ankle weights when skipping.
The advantages of this workout are its simplicity and the ability to easily increase (or decrease) the intensity by altering pace, depth or height – try doing the press ups with your feet raised on a bench or adding a tuck jump onto the burpee.
GymJunkieShell 
July 22, 2013 at 07:01 |
I have a pile of Ultra-Fit magazines lying unopened, it’s the only fitness magazine I buy but they seem to be mostly advertising these days.
That does sound like an excellent routine to do in a hotel room if you are on holiday with no equipment or gym however. 30 secs burpees would get my heart rate up as well!! I hate burpees!
July 22, 2013 at 07:18 |
It’s the only fitness mag I buy too – it seems much less faddy than all the others & doesn’t have any of that “Get ripped in 10 days” nonsense.