So, being the masochist that I am, I made it harder. Here is what I did today:
25x Pull Ups
50x Squats (185 lbs)
50x Bench Press (135 lbs)
50x Hanging Knees to Elbows Crunch
50x Squat Jumps (2 x 25 lb DBs)
50x DB Snatches, each arm (35 lbs)
25x Pull Ups
300 Total Reps -- 35:20 minutes
To be honest, this kicked my ass. I did all 50 of the hanging crunches this time. But I nearly abandoned after the 50 squat jumps. The weighted squat jumps were waaay harder than the box jumps. My legs and lungs were burning so bad I didn't think I could continue. I had to take a lot more rest this time, as opposed to the other version.
The bench press was a good substitution for the push ups, which were far too easy. The squats were hard, but not out of the question -- might be able to handle 225 lbs for this.
I'm going to try yet another version of this later in the week -- I'll post the results. My goal is to create a workout using this 300 rep idea that takes about 45 minutes to complete and leaves me sobbing on the floor -- that's what I call fun.
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4 comments:
you're a masochist alright! ;)
i feel like a weakling and a slacker.
~C
I probably outweigh you by a good bit, plus it's my job to be in shape. Not a fair comparison.
And yeah, if it doesn't hurt, I'm probably not doing it right. ;)
Peace,
Bill
That looks like a challenging workout!! A couple questions: you probably already know the potential shoulder-issues that can exist with bench presses, while push-ups can actually be rehabilitative. If you just wanted to make the push-ups harder you could do them with those bar thingies, or dumbbells, with your feet elevated on a bench and bringing your chest all the way to the ground. You'll feel 50 of those! You don't think the squats and jumps work the muscles redundantly, in a way the deadlifts didn't? What was your reasoning for swapping exercises? Just curious. That work-out is damn impressive. I might be able to do it, but I'd be a solid week recovering from it, hobbling around like an old man, cursing the gods. I don't know what it is, I just can't handle any real volume ...
Kai in NYC
Hey Kai,
Yeah, I don't use the bench press in clients with bad shoulders -- unless they have to be able to bench press (I have a client trying to make a college football team this fall who has to be able to bench press, despite the fact that he has two bad shoulders. We do light bench for higher reps and a LOT of push ups).
I might try to use a resistance band for push ups next time I do this -- just to see if it adds enough challenge, and I'll raise my feet up on a bench.
The squats and squat jumps in the same workout seemed stupid at the time -- it hurt so bad. But today it isn't my quads that are sore, it's my hamstrings and glutes. Probably because I squat below parallel.
I swapped exercises mostly because I want to do this twice a week -- with two standard workouts as well. And I wanted to make it harder, more strength oriented as well as metabolically demanding.
My recovery is good these days, partly because I have been doing higher volume for a while, and partly because of my supplement stack, which I will post on soon.
Not everyone is cut out for higher volume. Some people respond better to heavier weights and lower reps. I used to think that was me, but using some of Waterbury's programs have made me much better at handling the volume, which has gotten better over time.
Plus, my goal right now is to lean out and keep the muscle I have. I'm not looking to increase strength or size -- just to get a low bodyfat level by the beginning of May. These 300 Workouts seem to be good for that goal.
Peace,
Bill
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