Not unlike Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character in The Running Man, this workout calls for just that: a lot of running!
| Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 |
| 25 Burpees | 25 Burpees | 25 Burpees |
| 400m Run | 400m Run | 400m Run |
| 30 Squats | 30 Squats | 30 Squats |
| 400m Run | 400m Run | 400m Run |
Give it a try and post your time!
Like Man on Fire’s John Creasy, this workout can be gentle and mellow (excellently suited for a quick warmup before the real deal), or if necessary or desired, one tough SOB. If – and only if – you are properly warmed up, perform each round of jumping jacks as fast as possible (sub 30 seconds, anyone?), and not only will your heart go racing, but your shoulders will also remind you of a good session done the next day!
| Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5 |
| 50 Jumping Jacks | 50 Jumping Jacks | 50 Jumping Jacks | 50 Jumping Jacks | 50 Jumping Jacks |
| 100m Sprint | 200m Sprint | 400m Sprint | 200m Sprint | 100m Sprint |
| REST: Take 10 deep breaths | REST: Take 10 deep breaths | REST: Take 10 deep breaths | REST: Take 10 deep breaths | REST: Take 10 deep breaths |
Give it a go and let us know your time and feedback!
Like Keanu Reeves, this workout is one for all occasions and goes well with anything: as a quick warmup or a nice session ending cool down workout, as a quick time filler in between, or if performed at the highest intensity, even as a standalone workout itself. You can even upgrade it by going for alternating lunge jumps instead of regular lunges, for even more heartpumping fun!
| Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 |
| 10 Burpees | 20 Burpees | 10 Burpees |
| 10 Situps | 20 Situps | 10 Situps |
| 10 Lunges | 20 Lunges | 10 Lunges |
Give it a try and post your time and comments!
Two long weekends flanked by bank holidays resulted in a bit of a deviation from the routine because I was on the road, but now I’m back and ready to switch into the next gear!
Kicked off the week on Monday with a heavy duty session, summarized as follows:
Altogether about 45 intense minutes! Not in this sequence, but still the numbers are not too shabby at all:)
And on Tuesday I followed up with one of my custom workouts, the Lara Croft. Took me just under 25 minutes, a good 2 minute improvement on my previous attempt a week ago. Hooyah!
So how did you start your week?
While this workout is most certainly not a Mission: Impossible, you need to be smart in your approach. Go all out on the 1500m and you will be forced to slow down on the Mountain Climbers and Burpees, but if you are too slow on the run, you can’t make up for the lost time down the road anymore.
| 1500m Run |
| 50 Mountain Climbers |
| 50 Burpees |
| 50 Situps |
| 50 Squats |
| 100 Switch Kicks |
Give it a try and post your time and comments!
Five rounds with only a small number of repetitions in each round let you go all out as if your life (or that of all mankind, as in the case of Terminator’s Kyle Reese) depends on it. So seize the moment, use your rest periods well and come out guns ablaze in every round!
| Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5 |
| 7 Pushups | 7 Pushups | 7 Pushups | 7 Pushups | 7 Pushups |
| 7 Squats | 7 Squats | 7 Squats | 7 Squats | 7 Squats |
| 7 Situps | 7 Situps | 7 Situps | 7 Situps | 7 Situps |
| 2x 20m Shuttle Run | 2x 20m Shuttle Run | 2x 20m Shuttle Run | 2x 20m Shuttle Run | 2x 20m Shuttle Run |
| REST: 20 deep breaths | REST: 20 deep breaths | REST: 20 deep breaths | REST: 20 deep breaths |
Try it and post your time and feedback in the comments!
Named for the titular character played by Angelina Jolie in the 2001 movie, this workout is deceptively tough and can rightly be considered the mother of all White Belt workouts. It will require a great deal of will power and resolve, probably even more so than physical strength, to complete. The decreasing number of reps in each subsequent round should motivate you to keep pushing and not to give up – or think about it this way: just halfway into round 2 you are already 50% done!
| Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5 |
| 50 Burpees | 40 Burpees | 30 Burpees | 20 Burpees | 10 Burpees |
| 50 Mountain Climbers | 40 Mountain Climbers | 30 Mountain Climbers | 20 Mountain Climbers | 10 Mountain Climbers |
| 50 Squats | 40 Squats | 30 Squats | 20 Squats | 10 Squats |
Give it a try and post your time in the comments!
As mentioned in my last post, I still haven’t found any real sense of direction, style or purpose for this blog, so I’ve sat back and thought a bit about what might be valuable or interesting to other readers (because I know that a kind of exercise and food “diary” along the lines of what I have posted to date will hardly capture anyone’s interest for long).
So instead, I’m going to start posting the workout routines systematically and in sufficient detail for anyone of any fitness level to join me on this journey!
All workouts are named after fictional characters from movies and TV shows who exhibit exceptional physical fitness/toughness and a readiness to keep their heads down and just get the job done. They are loosely grouped by level of difficulty (from white belt to black belt), but make no mistake about it, if you push yourself to perform each workout as fast as possible, every one of them can and will be intense, regardless of your fitness level.
Ready? 🙂
Important note: Please keep my disclaimer in mind, especially:
Before starting any new diet and exercise program please check with your doctor and clear any exercise and/or diet changes with them before beginning. I am not a doctor or registered dietitian. I do not claim to cure any cause, condition or disease
Let me take a quick look back on my first week, both in terms of my journey to functional fitness as well as blogging about it (or anything for that matter). Clearly there are still major improvements required in both areas:
The Journey
I’ve started fairly well (as is often the case when one sets goals or resolutions), threw myself into the yoga practice, and also got a few HIIT workout sessions in. I think if I can keep this going for one month straight, never going more than 2 consecutive days without one or the other form of workout, I should be very well able to fully incorporate working out into my daily routine, like eating and sleeping. And once you get a routine like that going, and physically cannot bear the thought and the feeling of not moving and working up a sweat for several days, results will invariably follow.
On the nutrition side of things, unfortunately I have not been as dedicated or got off to a good start. Way too much sweets (the goal is zero!), as well as white bread (damn you, delicious croissants!) was consumed in this week. There have of course been some positive changes implemented already, such as my daily fruit smoothie, and eating more low fat dairy products, but more discipline and better planning is definitely still required in this area.
Blogging
I definitely have yet to find a proper direction and style for my posts in order to make this blog even slightly interesting. My first week of ramblings read more like a diary than anything of informative value, though I have been told that I will invariably develop a personal “style” the more I ramble on. So let’s see where this goes, appreciate any feedback or pointers!
Time to take stock on the first few days:
Strength and conditioning
Started full of enthusiasm on the first day, headed out to the park with a few buddies and got straight into the HIIT. We did 10 rounds of 7 pull-ups, 7 sit-ups and 2x 40m shuttle runs, in a total time of under 20 minutes. A good start.
Work induced two days of no workout followed, but on Wednesday I kinda made up for it with a session of several runs (400 and 800m runs), plus pull-ups and squats. More pull-ups and push-ups were added today.
Flexibility
Been quite good in this respect, did my daily morning yoga for three days in a row, only skipped today. No visible improvements to note yet (obviously), but loving the energizing effects that a morning workout routine has on me. Perhaps these morning workouts, once they have fully infused themselves into my daily routine, may even help me improve those typical post lunch productivity dips that I suffer from (especially in post lunch meetings :S). That would be a very nice and unexpected side effect.
Nutrition
In this regard I must shamefully admit not to have made any noteworthy positive improvements yet (with the exception of eating more fruit), so I do need to step up my game here. I’ve heard various people saying that “abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym”, and while my main objective is neither to bulk up like a bodybuilder or train for only for looks like a movie star preparing for a role, losing some body fat – specifically around thebelly area – is key for long term health and fitness increases and benefits. So definitely some more conscious choices and also some restrictions will need to be enforced more rigorously asap.
JC's Journey to Functional Fitness 