10 to 1 Killer Workout

I tried out a new workout yesterday because I was feeling extra creative. I went to the gym and ran into my dad, who must have gotten up earlier than me. He was done with his workout so when he said goodbye to me he said,

"You know how everyone always says, 'Don't work too hard'? Well...work hard."

 I'm not sure why that motivated me so much, but it did. So with that in mind, I decided to try out something, inspired by my dear friend Lisa at Grub for Gratitude. (Seriously, if you want a tough workout, try this: 45 Minute Total Body Butt Kick.)

Here's what to do. Choose a few exercises that you would be willing to do lots of reps of. Then go through the list doing each exercise 10 times, then 9, then 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, ... until you get to one. When you're on the set where you do one of each, try to do it as fast as you can while maintaining proper form.

I didn't have Lisa's nice list of exercises in front of me, so I picked a few that I thought would work the major muscle groups.

This is what I chose:

• Chest: Bench press, 40 pounds (two 20 pound dumbbells)
• Extra: Overhead tricep extensions (one 20 pound dumbbell) - I know triceps aren't a major muscle group. This one was for definition :)
• Upper Back: Seated rows (60 pounds)
• Quads: Front squats (45 pounds) - these are just like regular squats, but you put the bar in front of your chest instead of on your shoulders
• Core: Burpees - the very best exercise ever. They kind of suck to do, but trust me, it's for a good cause!

It took me about a half hour to complete everything. I rested for 30-60 seconds between the burpees and starting the cycle over so it could be more like interval training, but feel free to rest longer or not at all, depending on your abilities! 

Recommendations: 

1. You can choose whatever exercises you want, but I recommend sticking with 5 or 6. I found that when I tried to do it with more, I got tired really quickly!

2. Try to do exercises that work your whole body. For example, front squats are great for the core, legs, and booty, while the tricep extensions really only worked my triceps. 

3. I recommend doing exercises that will keep your body in balance. For instance, if you choose to do something like bench press (which only works your chest), you should do seated rows (which work your upper back).