EXPERT: Krzystof Soszynski - Ex-UFC lightweight fighter turned trainer.
When you’re trying to get leaner and fitter, rest is your enemy. The more intense you make your workout, the more pronounced its effects on your physique.
Few routines can rival the techniques outlined in this workout, which sees you gradually doing fewer reps, yet using progressively heavier weights.
That means you not only become stronger and more muscled, you also pump out enough reps to annihilate calories.
A study in the journal BioMed Research International found that even guys who were completely unfit and used a similar training strategy were able to reduce their body fat by 3.6% and reduce their resting heart rate by 16% after training for a total of six hours per week for two months. You can reap these rewards by doing this workout three times a week.
YOUR WORKOUT STARTS HERE...
PART A: LOWER BODY COUNTDOWN
This is a four-exercise giant set for your upper body.
First set is 10 reps, then 9, then 8, etc., until your last set is just one rep. That’s a total of 55 reps for each giant set.
1/ Barbell back squat
Works: glutes, quads, calves, abs, hamstrings
A) Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Rest a barbell on the backs of your shoulders.
B) Bend your hips and knees simultaneously to lower yourself toward the ground. Stop when the bottoms of your thighs become parallel to the floor. Keep your back straight. Rise to the start position along the same path. The goal is to increase weight every set or every second set.
2/ Power kick
Works: glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves, abs
A) Stand in a staggered stance in front of a punch bag.
B) Kick the bag as hard as you can with your back foot. Switch stance to repeat on your opposite foot.
3/ Hip-up
Works: quads, glutes, calves, abs, lower back
A) Position your upper back on the long side of a flat bench, with your feet flat on the floor, your knees bent. Get a training partner to place a loaded barbell across your lower abs.
B) Thrust your hips upwards so your back is parallel to the ground and hold that position for three seconds, then lower your hips to the start position.
4/ Repeat 2/ Power kick
PART B: UPPER BODY COUNTDOWN
This is a four-exercise giant set for your upper body. First set is 10 reps, then 9, then 8, etc., until your last set is just one rep. That’s a total of 55 reps for each giant set.
1/ Wide-grip pull-up
Works: back, biceps, abs, forearms
A) Grab the pull-up bar with an overhand grip that’s wider than shoulder-width apart. Hang at arm’s length so your elbows are completely extended.
B) Bend your elbows to pull yourself up until your chin crosses the plane of the bar. Pause, then take five seconds to lower yourself to the starting position.
2/ Medicine ball slam
Works: shoulders, chest, triceps, abs, forearms
A) Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a medicine ball at arm’s length above your head.
B) Quickly bend your torso over to slam the ball onto the ground in front of you. Catch it as it bounces back up, and then lift it up to the starting position.
3/ Band push-up
Works: shoulders, chest, triceps, abs
A) Lie prone on the ground. Loop a band across your back so it creates resistance for the pushing movement. Support your body with the balls of your feet and put your hands shoulder-width apart. Keep your arms straight.
B) Bend your elbows to lower yourself to the floor. When your chest touches the floor, straighten your elbows to push back up to the start.
4/ repeat 2/ Medicine ball slam
POST-WORKOUT WRAP-UP
After this session you’ll have earned:
- Lower body fat
- More upper-body strength
- More lower-body power
- A higher one-rep maximum
