As the weather gets warmer in the early spring and into the summer, I believe we are all fully in the phase where we want to lean-down for the beach or other outside activities.
I would be lying if I said I hate doing conditioning, but there are only certain forms of cardiovascular training which I truly appreciate.
The summer shredding process if different for everyone, but mine always involves High-Intensity Interval Training. Whether it is sprint workouts or other forms of anaerobic endurance training, metabolic conditioning is the best way to get ripped for summer in my opinion.
Sure, I could tell you to spend 30 minutes straight on the Jacob’s Ladder Machine or another piece of cardio equipment; but that’s not fun!
If you are looking for quick workouts that will help you get shredded for the summer, you can give the two workouts I have listed below a try this week for anything from jump-starting your metabolism to just changing the pace of your routine a little bit!
These aren’t your average Total Gym workouts you see on TV; these two workouts will push your body!
Summer Shredding Workout 1.)
5 Rounds for Time!
200 kcal Stationary Bicycle
20 Air Squats
50 Push-ups
Get Ripped for Summer Workout 2.)
5 Rounds for Time!
150 kcal Stationary Bicycle
500m Row
35 Push-ups
Reasons Why These are Great Summer Shredding Workouts
First off, both of these workouts took me over an hour to complete so don’t be intimidated by the numbers here!
These workouts are strenuous and intense, but people of all fitness levels can complete them at their own pace!
Unlike many “For-Time” style workouts featured in CrossFit workout programs, any “For-Time” type of workouts I program for myself strictly take in consideration movement quality.
Not only do I consider how easy a movement is to perform at the beginning of the workout, I plan for how the movement quality of each exercise will be affected as time goes on and your body fatigues. For example, I utilize the benefits of the stationary bike throughout my workouts because it is easy to use, and effective for fatiguing lower body muscles.
Along with this, I like to take into consideration movements that everyone can do. By aligning proper bodyweight exercises together, you can be sure that not only will you complete an intense workout, but you don’t have to worry about whether you are unnaturally stressing your body!
Completing these two workouts this week (or any other) will provide you with numerous advantages, including:
Increase Metabolism and Burn More Calories
Not only will you burn an extremely large amount of calories during the workout alone, but you will burn exponentially more calories (up to) 48-hours after you finish the workout.
These two workouts will increase your fat burning potential and help you lose fat fast!
Your metabolism will be drastically shocked due to the metabolic fatigue of these workouts.
One of the main benefits of these two workouts is that I have paired antagonist exercises, and exercises which require different energy systems together. Combining exercises which you can continuously do, but are also strenuous, promotes your body to burn calories far after the workout is finished (Excess Post Oxygen Consumption).
With these two workouts, you can knock out your “cardio” for the entire week in two trips to the gym! The metabolic impact of these workouts alone are enough for the week, and you can go back to focusing on moving heavy weights!
Improve Your Nightly Sleep
The effects of exercise on sleep quality have been well documented, and I promise you are (nearly) guaranteed a great night of sleep after you complete one of these workouts!
According to a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology,
“runners showed a significantly higher proportion and a greater absolute amount of NREM sleep than the nonrunners. The runners showed less rapid-eye-movement activity during sleep than the nonrunners under both experimental conditions, indicating a strong and unexpected effect of physical fitness on this measure.”
Exercise is well-known for increasing your ability to fall asleep, stay asleep, and wake up feeling more rested.
Concluding Thoughts | Workouts to Get Ripped for Summer
Workout #1 made me sweat more, that is for sure.
However, the rowing in workout #2 left me feeling “gassed” and out of breath far more than in any part of workout #1.
The push-ups in both workouts brought me to failure both times, which will elicit some amount of muscle growth in your shoulders, triceps, and pectoral muscles.
The squats in the first workout were slightly over-the-top, and will definitely impact how you feel about your normal leg routine. Adding any more squats to that workout would have been overkill- I am sure!
Try these workouts this week and let me know your time and how they go for you!
Remember, the most important rule is to make sure your movement quality is 100% on every rep! Especially when doing longer and more metabolically intense workouts, the form is more important than ever.
As you begin to tire your body doesn’t want to move as efficiently as it did before.
Keep your focus on performing every rep and exercise correctly and enjoy the benefits of challenging yourself with a couple of intense conditioning workouts this week!
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