These next few workouts combine HIRT & HIIT protocols. The HIIT workouts are totally straightforward, but the HIRT workouts will change over the next 3 weeks, as we play with rep schemes to develop different aspects of your muscular strength.

This is one of my favorite workouts….and it’s designed to be effective with a broad range of trainees. It’s “intensity based’ – which means that  the intensity & volume of the workout is a direct reflection of YOUR fitness level.

WORKOUT WARM-UP

I’m sticking with the basic warm-up here. Feel free to improvise. The goals are to increase muscle temp, make you muscle more elastic and to lubricate your joints. All stuff us old guys recognize as important.

Circles – Starting with the ankles and moving all the way up to your neck, gently make circles with all of your joints – 10 revolutions each joint in each direction

Dead Bug – Push your lower back into the floor and articulate your arms & legs as in the video. 1 set of as many reps as possible with your lower back pushed into the floor. When your back starts to arch…STOP

1 Arm Swing Snatch – 25 reps per arm  – Dumbbell or kettlebell – choose a light weight – the goal is to warm-up

THE WORKOUT

  • This workout consists of 4 x 5 min HIRT supersets and 1-2 x 5 min HIIT sprint supersets
  • This week’s workout will target muscular endurance with 20 rep HIRT sets,
  • Next week’s workout will use 10 rep HIRT sets, and
  • The following week’s workout will use 5 rep HIRT sets

HIRT Superset #1 – Single Leg Squats & Single Arm Lateral Raises

  • 20 reps per set
  • With a weight that you could theoretically perform 30 reps with
  • Alternate between exercise for 5 minutes – use a timer
  • While keeping good form, try to complete as many sets as possible many sets as possible
  • Alternate – Right Leg Squat, Left Leg Squat, Right Arm Lateral, Left Arm Lateral
  • On the lateral raises, imagine you are pushing the weight out and away from you – more delts, less traps

HIRT Superset #2 – Double Leg Hip Thrusts & McGill Crunch

  • 20 reps per set
  • With a weight that you could theoretically perform 30 reps with
  • Alternate between exercises for 5 minutes – use a timer
  • While keeping good form, try to complete as many sets as possible many sets as possible
  • Alternate – Hip Thrust, Crunch, Hip Thrust, Crunch…

HIIT #1 – Bike, Eliptical, Stairmaster, Hill or Treadmill Sprints

5 min of HIIT sprints

  • 10 sec sprint : 50 sec rest
  • 15 sec sprint : 45 sec rest
  • 20 sec sprint : 40 sec rest
  • 15 sec sprint : 45 sec rest
  • 10 sec sprint : 50 sec rest

HIRT Superset #3 – Neutral Grip Pulldown or Chin-Ups & 30 sec Bridge or Ab Wheel Roll-Outs

  • 20 reps per set of Pulldowns or Chins
  • 30 sec Bridge OR 20 reps of Ab Wheel Roll-Outs
  • Choose a weight you “could” perform 30 reps with
  • Alternate between exercise for 5 minutes – use a timer
  • As many sets as possible – while keeping good form
  • Alternate – Back, Abs, Back, Abs

HIIT #2 – Bike, Eliptical, Stairmaster, Hill or Treadmill Sprints

5 min of HIIT sprints

  • As many 10 sec sprints as you can do in 5 min

HIRT Superset #4 – Single Arm DB Chest Fly & Reverse DB Fly or Face Pull

  • 20 reps per set
  • With a weight that you could theoretically perform 30 reps with
  • Alternate between exercises for 5 minutes – use a timer
  • While keeping good form, try to complete as many sets as possible many sets as possible
  • Flys can be performed flat, incline or decline
  • Alternate Exercises – Fly, Fly, Reverse Fly…

 [box type=”note”]If this workout is too much for you, I would prefer you remove the HIIT sprints and perform them tomorrow.[/box]

That’s it, you’re done for today.

Go home …. do something fun with the rest of your day. You’ve earned it.