My "9 Rounds to the Ground" Challenge

Are your visits to the gym becoming stale, boring, and feeling more like a chore than something you enjoy? Did you ever try stepping outside those walls and giving yourself a good old fashioned and likely deserved butt-kicking? Try this challenge workout that I dreamt up and you'll be sure to get a great total body workout and burn fat like no other!

Here is what you'll need: a watch, a set of moderate weight dumbells (fit dudes 25 - 30 lbs., fit chicks 15 - 20 lbs.), a kick-ass playlist on your iPod, and some water.

Someday I'll actually post a video of some of my workouts, but for now enjoy my somewhat awful descriptive writing. Here is the challenge: "9 Rounds to the Ground"

Warm-up

5 minutes of dynamic movements (walking, jogging, heel kicks, hi-knees, jumping jacks, lateral shuffles, etc.) to break a light sweat and elevate your heart rate.

Start your timer and see how long it takes you to complete the entire 9 rounds. Rest as needed, but keep the clock running!

Round 1

20 Steam-engines each side (think standing bicycle crunch)

16 up-down planks (alternate from hands to elbows while holding plank position - 8 each)

10 burpees

20 crunches

* perform all four exercises in order repeating the series three times

Round 2

20 push-ups
20 speed squats (no weight)

20 bent over dumbell rows

20 alternating forward lunge (10 each leg, no weight)

* perform all four exercises in order repeating the series three times

Round 3

20 single arm dumbell clean and press (10 each arm)

20 crunches

20 push-ups

16 alternating jumping lunges (8 each side)

* perform all four exercises in order repeating the series three times - stop timer!

Round 4 - fall to the ground and curse me

Don't forget to stretch thoroughly afterwards and come back here to post your time.

HAVE FUN!

A Dozen Things I'm Currently Excited About

There are a few things currently keeping me going, motivating me, or downright rocking my little world and I want to share them with you. From food and drinks to clothing to websites to music to workouts...these things are just flat out STELLAR!

1. NO-XPLODE Pre-Workout Formula by BSN - This stuff has been around for a while but I was always the guy who just drank coffee or a sugar-free Red Bull before my workouts. I now know what all the hoopla has been about. The mind-blowing pumps, mental focus, and sustained energy I get from it has increased the effectiveness and efficiency of my workouts more than straight caffeine will ever do! Get it here: http://www.dpsnutrition.net/get_item_bs026.htm

2. These 3 songs: Usher - OMG, Eminem - I'm Not Afraid, and Big Boi - Shutterbug. I'm sure these three songs will all be over-played and ruined in a few weeks, but for now they just do it for me.

3. Clif Peanut Butter Builder's Bars - Awesome healthy snack! 270 calories, 30 grams of carbohydrates, 20 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber, and it's all-natural.

4. High Intensity Interval Training - If you have not already incorporated this into your workout program, forgive me for saying this, but your training routine SUCKS! Nothing will tax your cardiovascular system and get you in fat-burning mode better and more efficiently than interval training. Google it, learn how to do it properly, and get going! Thank me later when you're constantly popping your shirt off this summer to show off your shredded abs.

5. Along the same lines... Challenge Workouts - these high-intensity workouts will beat a grown man to his knees. My favorites include: The 300 workout http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggiYjRelWgc , Ultimate Warrior Challenge http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZQqFZ-NEGw , and The Spartacus Workout http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkDrKytCpqU
Try them out and each time you perform them, try to do it better, faster, or heavier than last time. These types of workouts should only be done about once every two weeks as a supplement to your regular training.

6. Solid Colored Tees - If you are over the age of 28, not a professional MMA fighter and are still wearing bedazzled, artistic t-shirts (think Ed Hardy and Affliction) you should be filed in either the "douchebag" or the "you're not in college anymore, get over it" category.

7. Diet Green Tea Ginger Ale and Vodka with two limes - IT'S GOOOD!! Thanks Chris!

8. Along the same lines... Drinking Bud Light Lime at the beach - they just flat out go together like PB and J! Don't get me wrong, I am and will always be a Miller Lite guy, but at the beach for some reason, it's the BLL!

9. These two websites: http://www.tmuscle.com/ and http://www.thenategreenexperience.com/

10. Kashi Go Lean Crunch and Kashi Honey Toasted Oats Cereal in a freezer bowl - mix these two cereals in a freezer bowl (rinse a cereal bowl out with cold water and place it in the freezer overnight) with blueberries or bananas. You'll be hooked and you can thank me (or my buddy Jay) later for telling you about the frozen bowl trick! Your cereal and milk will stay ice cold and crispy the whole time you eat it.

11. EVOS Restaraunt - "Feel Great Fast Food" is their slogan and let me tell you, this stuff is great! I realize that the air-baked fries and chicken strips are not actually "healthy" as they advertise, but the "Tea Heaven" section featuring three different types of unsweetened iced teas, the turkey avocado wrap, and grilled steak wrap along with their low-fat vegetarian chili are spectacular! check em' out here: http://www.evos.com/

12. TRX Suspension Training - this may be a shameless plug, but I've been teaching a Group TRX Class at Harbour Island Athletic Club in Tampa for a few weeks now and I have grown to love this versatile piece of equipment. I have been using the TRX with my 1 on 1 clients for about two years now but this is my first dalliance with it in a group setting. Class is going great and the participants love it! I will be adding to my aresenal as a TRX Instructor by taking some group classes at Powerhouse Gym in Downtown Tampa and I am excited for the challenge. learn more about TRX here: http://www.fitnessanywhere.com/

What are you currently excited about? Maybe 1 of your "things" can become 1 of my "things." I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into my "box."

You Only Get 1