Healthy Living • YMCA Health and Fitness
Your summer 2019 workout challenge
26 June 2019 - by YMCA of Greater Toronto
Summer brings more energy, fun ways to get active outdoors, and, for some of us, motivation to get into great shape. To kick off this special season, YMCA Personal Trainer Jordan built this workout challenge that’ll keep you feeling active and strong all summer long.
Including your cool down and shower, this workout routine should have you in and out of the gym in under an hour — with plenty of time left to enjoy the summer sun!
Before I map it out for you, let me explain why the two training types I’m recommending will give you great results:
1. Interval Training
Short but intense bouts of exertion are a great way to shed body fat. A 20-50 metre sprint, for example, is more than enough to boost your metabolism through what trainers call “Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption” — a fancy term for your body burning more calories for up to 48 hours to catch up with the energy you spent pushing yourself to the limit. There are all sorts of options to get you into that top-gear zone. A lower impact option for intervals is using an indoor rowing machine for 150-250 metre intervals at max speed.
If you’re pushing hard enough, the sprints should take you less than 10 seconds and the row, less than a minute. Think 10 seconds isn’t enough? I’ll give you a minute now to google the physique of even amateur sprinters.
2. Circuit Training
Compound exercises involve multiple joints. They offer the most bang for your buck in terms of building muscle and reducing body fat. So, at least some of the time, move away from the machines and pick up some dumbbells or barbells. And don’t underestimate yourself! The biggest mistake people make is lifting only 3lb dumbbells. Push yourself out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself with some heavier weight (with guidance on your technique, of course).
If you want to take it to the next level, combine multiple exercises back-to-back without resting in between. But watch out: the key here is to perform the exercises correctly. If you’re so wiped your form is suffering, you won’t reap the rewards — and may even hurt yourself.
Summer Challenge Workout: 45 minutes
And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for: the workout itself.
Dynamic warm-up (5 mins)
Do the following for 1 minute each:
Interval training (15 mins)
Choose one of the following options; rows are for you if you want that low-impact alternative. Run/row/rest until the 15 minutes are up; that means you’ll do more sets if you’re fast.
OR
Full Body Dumbbell (DB) Circuit (20 mins)
Do 3-6 sets of each of the following exercises.
Women: use 15-25 pound dumbbells
Men: use 20-35 pound dumbbells
Never done these moves before? Need a technique refresher? Reach out to any of our YMCA Personal Trainers. They’ll even customize this challenge just for you, so it gets you to your personal goals.
Including your cool down and shower, this workout routine should have you in and out of the gym in under an hour — with plenty of time left to enjoy the summer sun!
Before I map it out for you, let me explain why the two training types I’m recommending will give you great results:
1. Interval Training
Short but intense bouts of exertion are a great way to shed body fat. A 20-50 metre sprint, for example, is more than enough to boost your metabolism through what trainers call “Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption” — a fancy term for your body burning more calories for up to 48 hours to catch up with the energy you spent pushing yourself to the limit. There are all sorts of options to get you into that top-gear zone. A lower impact option for intervals is using an indoor rowing machine for 150-250 metre intervals at max speed.
If you’re pushing hard enough, the sprints should take you less than 10 seconds and the row, less than a minute. Think 10 seconds isn’t enough? I’ll give you a minute now to google the physique of even amateur sprinters.
2. Circuit Training
Compound exercises involve multiple joints. They offer the most bang for your buck in terms of building muscle and reducing body fat. So, at least some of the time, move away from the machines and pick up some dumbbells or barbells. And don’t underestimate yourself! The biggest mistake people make is lifting only 3lb dumbbells. Push yourself out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself with some heavier weight (with guidance on your technique, of course).
If you want to take it to the next level, combine multiple exercises back-to-back without resting in between. But watch out: the key here is to perform the exercises correctly. If you’re so wiped your form is suffering, you won’t reap the rewards — and may even hurt yourself.
Summer Challenge Workout: 45 minutes
And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for: the workout itself.
Dynamic warm-up (5 mins)
Do the following for 1 minute each:
- Jogging
- Jumping jacks
- Leg swings
- Skipping
- Hamstring stretch
Interval training (15 mins)
Choose one of the following options; rows are for you if you want that low-impact alternative. Run/row/rest until the 15 minutes are up; that means you’ll do more sets if you’re fast.
- 20 metre sprint + walk back x 5-10 sets
OR
- 200 metre row + 1 min rest x 5-10 sets
Full Body Dumbbell (DB) Circuit (20 mins)
Do 3-6 sets of each of the following exercises.
Women: use 15-25 pound dumbbells
Men: use 20-35 pound dumbbells
- DB Romanian deadlift, 15 reps
- DB rear foot elevated lunge, 7 reps each side
- DB bent row, 15 reps
- DB bench press, 15 reps
Never done these moves before? Need a technique refresher? Reach out to any of our YMCA Personal Trainers. They’ll even customize this challenge just for you, so it gets you to your personal goals.
