Subject: A SIMPLE 4-exercise circuit for explosiveness, strength, hypertrophy and endurance
Got a cool new sample circuit for you from my new Metabolic Monsters fat-loss and conditioning book (just fyi, I've got it on a pre-release sale for just 15 bucks until Monday at midnight...that link goes right to the purchase page).
To me, there's no better way to show you what that book is all about than to have you go through a circuit like this...I call it the Full-Spectrum Circuit and it requires very little in the way of equipment.
You're going to hit every major aspect of muscle performance and function in one elegantly brutal four-exercise circuit....explosiveness, strength, hypertrophy and endurance.
Each facet will be targeted by a different exercise/movement pattern to cover the entire body.
In addition, you'll be able to use the same set of dumbbells (probably) for three of the four exercises, making this a very low-equipment exercise in terms of how many things you have to get organized to use.
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Exercise 1 - Explosiveness - Single Dumbbell Snatch - 3 reps each arm
This exercise doesn't require a lot of technique, making it very useful for this type of training and for those who aren't familiar with Olympic lifts like the barbell snatch (which is a VERY technical lift).
I'm using an 85 lb dumbbell for this.
Squat down and grab the handle.
Now, using an explosion off the ground, heave the dumbbell straight up off the floor using power from your legs and back. Don't "pop" the dumbbell off the floor with a jerk. "Squeeze" it off the floor and explode up.
The goal is to power if up all the way to lockout in one movement, though you may find (especially after a few reps) that you have to press to lockout. In an Olympic barbell snatch, that wouldn't be a good lift...for our purposes, it's fine.
Switch back and forth between arms on each rep.
When you've finished your reps on both arms, go immediately to the next exercise.
Exercise 2 - Strength - Deadlifts - 3-5 reps
These can be done with a Trap Bar or straight bar. I've got 405 lbs loaded on the trap bar for these....something you could normally get 6-8 reps with is perfect here.
We're looking for a fairly heavy weight here...not something that would max you out in the rep range, just something that will challenge you.
Exercise 3 - Hypertrophy - Dumbbell Bench Press - 10-12 reps
You can use the same set of dumbbells for these as you did for the snatches (or have another pair ready if they're not appropriate for your strength levels to hit that rep range).
Focus on keeping tension on the pecs for this, so you're not just blasting out reps. These should be done with a relatively slow negative (unlike the explosive, which have no negative, and strength exercises, which have a controlled but not slow negative).
Exercise 4 - Endurance - One-Arm Gripping Dumbbell Squats - 30-40+ reps
This is one of my favorite exercises for building endurance in the legs. You'll be gripping onto a bar other solid object at about chest height.
Hold a dumbbell in the other hand. And even though you're doing one arm at a time, you still want to have two dumbbells ready to go, to allow you to switch easily between the two hands.
Squat down and grab the dumbbell.
Then stand up. You'll notice this grip on the bar allows you to keep a vertical torso position, taking all the back stress out of the movement. It also tends to focus the work more on the quads, rather than the glutes or hamstrings. I find it to be quite easy on the knees, too...meaning even people with knee issues seem to be able to do this one without any problem.
When doing these, I like to switch hands after a set number of reps (either 5 or 10 to make it easier to keep track and keep things even).
Then just keep switching hands until you've done as many reps as you possibly can and your legs can't hold you up anymore.
The beauty of this exercise in terms of endurance is that you can use your gripping hand to assist with the movement, allowing you to push yourself much further. As well, unlike a barbell squat, when you're done, the dumbbell is just an inch from the ground. Set it down and you're done and you can collapse to the floor without having to rerack a barbell.
Take 3-4 minutes rest in between rounds and do 3-5 rounds.
I've got the full video of the circuit posted on my YouTube channel here. (just fyi, I've got video like this for almost ALL of the circuits in the book...you'll get all those videos INCLUDED when buy it).
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The Metabolic Monsters book is packed with more than 50 circuit and workouts just like this that will take your strength, performance and conditioning to the next level!
The workouts use primarily simple equipment that you'll find in any gym, like barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, benches, power rack, etc.
I do have some circuits that utilize special equipment, however, if you don't have that stuff, I've included ideas on how to modify the circuits to use what you've got.
Pick Up Your Copy of Metabolic Monsters NOW
I'm working on the website for it right now, so of you have any questions about it, hit reply and let me know and I'll answer them asap!
This pre-release price of 15 bucks WILL be going away FOREVER at midnight on Monday (PST) and I want to make sure you have all the information you need to know if this book is right for you.
(Basically, if you like that circuit above, you should get this book, because THAT is the kind of stuff it's FULL of.)
Nick Nilsson
The "Mad Scientist of Muscle"
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