Recently, a colleague asked for my thoughts on weight training. She’s thrown herself into an exercise regime, but the weights component is starting to bore her. She’s still using the program that was designed for her (and I use the word ‘designed’ loosely) when she signed up at the gym. You know the one – three sets on a chest press machine, followed by three sets on the rower, followed by snooooorrrrrrre.
Weight training has evolved, and it’s time to embrace it! When it comes to gym sessions, I’m all about getting as much bang for your buck as possible. Why would you do a bicep curl, when you can do a lunge with a bicep curl at the same time? Why do a squat, when you can do a squat with a shoulder press? More calories, more efficiently – it seems obvious when you think about it, right?
Now this workout is not going to help you build big muscles, but it is going to help you get stronger and leaner. Ideally you’ll be in a gym to get the most out of it, but if that’s not an option you can make some substitutions along the way (or use any equipment you’ve got at home). Without further adieu, I present to you my:
Quick and Nasty Gym Workout
Squat with medicine ball press x 12
Push ups x 12
Travelling lunge with bicep curl x 10/leg
Cable squat row x 12*
400m treadmill sprint
(repeat 3-4 times)
If I’ve got time, I’ll finish with a few minutes of abs. Check out my favourite six-minute ab circuit here.
This type of training might not be for everyone, every time, but when you’re feeling time-poor, bored or just a little adventurous, then give it a whirl. You can add or subtract as you see fit, but the basic premise is to use compound exercises that work multiple body parts simultaneously and really push yourself on that sprint.
Go on, give it the old college try and let me know what you think!
* Don’t be afraid of the cable machine. If you’ve never used it before, ask one of the gym floor supervisors for a quick lesson
Leave a Reply