I like to keep workouts simple—and effective. I appreciated the “Russian conditioning” my high school wrestling coach put us through back in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. He was ahead of his time and the conditioning was effective. (Conditioning was my only strength in wrestling.) I particularly liked “100s”. (I use the term “liked” rather loosely, as they were exhausting—especially until our conditioning was built up.) These are simply doing sets in sequence: 3-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-3. We were usually led by the captains, so the rest would be as long as the preceding set.
As a high-intensity interval resistance training session (HIIRT), a full-body 100s workout can be a great calorie burn and promote sarcoplasmic hypertrophy (i.e., muscle volume more than size). I use a combination of body weight, free weight dumbbells, and Bulgarian bag, but barbells and even machines can be used. A typical workout takes about 40-45 minutes (50-55 minutes, if I include my “core 550” Bulgarian bag sequence).
For a HIIRT 100s challenge, try the following:
Squats
Pushups
Dumbbell rows (alternate sides with as little rest as possible)
Tricep extensions
Arm curls
Lateral raises
Crunches
Start light. The volume is actually quite high, and you want to be able to complete the sets with as little rest in between as possible. As a motivator, try this with a partner and alternate sets. Concentrate on using good technique. You want to perform the exercises quickly, but not at the expense of form. As the sets get easy, add weight to increase the challenge. I you can’t complete the full sequence, go as high as you can and back down; drop the weight the next session. (For pushups, drop into a “modified” pushup, i.e., on your knees, if necessary to complete the sequence.)
Try this 2-3 times per week in sessions separate from your usual weight training and cardio. Remember, this is not intended to build strength or cardiorespiratory endurance. Specificity. It will affect muscular endurance, but it primarily targets body composition (i.e., body fat).
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!