Total Body Countdown Murder
Metabolic Monster Workout
This one will either murder YOU... or you're going to want to murder ME....
- Heavy, low-rep, strength-oriented loading
- Only free-weight needed
- Develops "workhorse"-style strength-endurance
- Targets all major muscles in your body
- Set up equipment just once for the entire workout
You'll be engaging every major muscle group in your entire body repeatedly...non-stop...with heavy weight...for an extended period of time.
And if this sounds like fun to you, you're definitely in the RIGHT place...
To accomplish this training without dying out within the first 30 seconds, you're going to be cycling through exercises that work different areas of your body strategically and incorporate a brief rest WHILE you're doing the sets, so that fatigue from continuous loading isn't a factor that stops you from getting all your target reps.
You'll be doing 5 total rounds (non-stop, all the way through) of 4 exercises, starting with 5 reps on the first round. Then, on every round after that, you'll decrease the target reps by one, until you get to ONE rep sets on the last round.
This is what's called "front loading" the workout, meaning that you do more work towards the front of the training while you're fresh, then as you fatigue, you do less and less volume.
This circuit is designed to squeeze as much work out of you as possible in a very short period of time...and it will CRANK your metabolism.
Exercise #1 - Deadlifts - 5 reps
Exercise #2 - Dumbbell Floor Presses - 5 reps
Exercise #3 - Pull-Ups, Chin-Ups or Inverted Rows - 5 reps
Exercise #4 - Bottom-Start Front Squats - 5 reps
Now the fun begins...with NO rest...go DIRECTLY back to Exercise #1 and do all of those exercises AGAIN.
This time, however, do sets of 4 reps.
Then repeat with sets of 3 reps...then 2 reps...then 1 rep.
THEN you're done.
I would recommend performing (or attempting to perform) two rounds of this training. After the first round, take AT LEAST 5 minutes rest before you go again.
In terms of weight selection, use a weight you could normally get at least 10 to 12 reps on a regular "stand-alone" set. Over the course of the circuit, this weight is going to get VERY heavy...
Exercise #1 - Deadlifts
For this one, you can use trap bar or straight bar deadlifts... either one is just fine. I'm using Trap Bar deadlifts with 405 lbs.
This exercise is the "biggest" exercise and will hit you the hardest in terms of heavy loading.
Once you've finished 5 reps, go immediately to the next exercise...
Exercise #2 - Dumbbell Floor Presses
For this one, if you don't want to do floor presses (or aren't comfortable doing them), you can also do normal dumbbell bench press on a bench.
The reason I like floor presses for this circuit is due to the brief rest you get at the bottom of the exercise with your upper arms flat on the floor.
Not only is this a great way to develop pressing power out of the bottom, it comes in VERY handy towards the end of the circuit when you can allow yourself that brief rest on each rep at the bottom so you don't get continuous loading.
Sit on the floor with the dumbbells on end on your thighs. Now lie back and get into the bottom position for the floor press.
At the bottom, release the tension in your chest and rest your upper arms fully on the floor. THEN press up to the top.
Repeat the full-stop pause on each rep.
On the final rep, once the dumbbells are at the top, instead of bringing your arms back down, lower the dumbbells back onto your thighs (on end) and use their weight to "see-saw" your body back up to the seated position. THEN set the dumbbells back down on the floor under control.
Exercise #3 - Pull-Ups, Chin-Ups or Inverted Rows
For this one, do a pull exercise that you could do for about 8-10 reps on a regular set. For me, it was wide-grip pull-ups. For you, it could be chin-ups or inverted rows. Any of these variations are fine. If you're quite strong and want to use extra resistance, that's fine, too.
Make sure you use good form and do the reps under control. I like to do a pause at the bottom to dissipate the elastic tension in the muscles and force them to do all the work.
Exercise #4 - Bottom-Start Front Squats
I HIGHLY recommend doing the Front Squats in the rack with a bottom-start style for this circuit. If you do "normal" reps, where you stay loaded the whole time, it will force you to use less weight in order to get through the whole circuit.
This bottom-start style allows you to release the load on every rep, reset your body position, take a BRIEF rest and power it up again out of the bottom (which helps build strength out of the bottom).
If you don't have a rack to do this with, you can sub in Goblet Squats with a dumbbell as well. For those, at the bottom of every rep, rotate very slightly to one side and rest the dumbbell on end on your knee to get that same release of loading.
You can use either the crossed-arm style or clean grip for these.
Now the fun begins... with NO rest... do all of those exercises AGAIN.
This time, however, do sets of 4 reps.
You're not done yet...
Then repeat all four exercises with sets of 3 reps...then 2 reps...then 1 rep.
THEN you're done.
All told, this will be about 10-12 minutes of continuous heavy lifting, covering all your major muscle groups.
It is MURDER.
If you decide to do another round of this, take at least 5 minutes rest MINIMUM. This workout will trash EVERYTHING and you will need the recovery.
This workout is absolutely AWESOME... one of my all-time favorites. It will really show you what you're made of.
If you've got the guts to do it, this workout will push your strength, your endurance and your determination to the very edge.
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