Workout of the Month: Are You Ready?

2nd January 2020

ALL LEVELS / strength and endurance workout / 12 mins

Equipment: high bar, barbell (10kg for women, 15kg for men), Plyo Box

This month’s workout is another endurance workout that tests your strength. It consists of 5 exercises – each performed for 2 minutes with a 30-second rest in between. Total time –12 minutes. Be sure to count your total reps at the end – in this way you can use this workout to benchmark your fitness and try to improve over time.

The 5 exercises are performed for 2 minutes each, in the following order, taking a 30-second rest after each one:

Squats
Push-up (full position or kneeling)
Barbell row (10kg for women, 15kg for men)
Box jumps
Hanging knee raise

STRENGTH & ENDURANCE WORKOUT: ARE YOU READY?

SCALING

There is no scaling for this workout – it can be performed by all levels. However, if you are new to circuit training and endurance workout, think about your pace during each exercise and take rest if you need it. If you are strong in these movements, aim to go unbroken for the entire 120 seconds. If you are new to this type of intensity, think about breaking down each exercise into mini-sets, eg. sets of 5 or 10 – taking a quick rest in between each.

A final bit of advice – the pace is important, but the technique is better. Good technique at an optimal pace is more sustainable than poor technique at a fast pace. Two minutes will start to feel like an eternity if you push too fast. Of course, feel free to push yourself on the exercises you are strong at, but hold back on weaker exercises – and instead focus on good technique. Don’t forget that the 30 sec rest periods will be necessary to allow your heart rate to recover before the next exercise.

As your fitness improves, you will be able to push yourself further each time you perform the workout. Be sure to count the total number of reps at the end.