We are always looking for ways to kick our workout up a notch and take it to the next level.  Jonathan Aluzas, Owner at Arena Fitness, tells us we don’t have to complicate things for them to be challenging.  Learn a new workout challenge that will enhance your exercise routine.

Total Body Blitz: Challenging, Not Complicated

First of all, get out of the gym, put down the dumbbells and step away from that “inner and outer thigh” machine (i.e., adductor and abductor machine, one of the greatest frauds ever perpetrated upon the female health club demographic). No need for any of that stuff. The Earth offers the greatest resistance-training environment in the universe: Gravity. If you’re willing to use your body weight as your only piece of equipment and can count to 50, you can get a ridiculous, total body blast that will shake up your routine and keep you fired up about your fitness program. Do this (assuming no injuries or physical limitations):

50 Jumping Jacks
40 Alternating Lunges
30 Deep Squats
20 Push Ups
10 Burpees
One minute plank

Repeat this circuit as many times as you can for 20 minutes straight, no rest between rounds!

Now, there are many variations to this routine. You can substitute any of the above exercises for:

Pull ups
Sit ups
Jump Squats
Jump Lunges
Box Jumps
Dips
Step Ups
Spider Walk
(or any other calisthenic you can think of)

And, if you want to add in an additional cardio component, you can:
Jump rope
Run in place
Do sprints in the park or in your backyard
Throw in some mountain climbers, etc..

You can always extend the workout to 30 minutes or more, add more reps or exercises, or you can aim to improve the number of times you make it through the circuit each week to increase the intensity. Point is, keep it simple. Training doesn’t have to be complicated, it just needs to be challenging! Your training variation is limited only by your creativity and your willingness to push yourself beyond what’s familiar!

The frequency with which you train at an intense level is directly proportional to the expectations you have for your fitness program. If you want significant results, you should be willing to train rigorously three or more times per week (plus a few light workouts). If you have more modest expectations, perhaps you only need to add in an intense workout once a week to shake things up. There’s no one way to do this, you’re just going to have to get in the trenches and try it out, see what fits!

Good luck, and have fun!

Jonathan Aluzas, Owner, Arena Fitness

Thanks for the great workout challenge, Jonathan!  Consider it accepted!