Hobart Personal Trainer | Hobart Fat Loss | Hobart Personal Training

Hey there,

I’ve been sent these two little video clips which have some nice little challenges for you!

First up is the ‘Ultimate Warrior Workout Challenge’ which is brought to you by Nate Green.

Pretty simple concept really, push yourself for 60 seconds, rest for 15 seconds and repeat for a total of four sets.

The exercises: Push ups, Chin Ups, Sit ups and Dips.

The goal: Maximum reps.

Second up is the ‘Three Minute Push Up Challenge’ brought to you by Craig Ballantyne.

Pretty simple this one. Just bang out as many push ups as you can in 3 minutes.

Let me know how you go. I will give them a crack and post my results.

Yes you read it right!!

Burpees are fun!

If you don’t have that mindset then they are going to be HELL!!!

Seriously, more burpees?

But just like any other exercise, they can become old very quickly if you don’t change it up.

Here are six variations to the classic burpee that will not only give your body a new challenge, but keep your workouts fresh!

Long Jump Burpee

Instead of jumping up, you want to jump as long (forward) as you can. Do this for time, a set number of repetitions or for a set distance.

Tuck Jump Burpee

Instead of the stock standard vertical jump you will do a tuck jump. Put simply, a tuck jump is where you jump up as high as possible and try to bring your knees to your chest (or as high as possible). be careful with this one, tuck jumps are a tough exercise by themselves! Do this for time or a set number of repetitions.

Box or Bench Jump Burpee

Start infront of a box or bench that you can jump up onto. Make sure you have enough room to drop into the bottom position without hitting you head on the box or bench. I feel obliged to write these things just in case someone does hit their head and blames me! Common sense folks! Instead of jumping straight up, you will be jumping up onto the aforementioned bench or box and then back to the floor. Do this for time or a set number of repetitions.

Single Leg Burpee

Two options here, well for those with two legs there will be. Option one is single leg all the way. So instead of standing, jumping and the bottom position having two feet on the ground, you’ll only have one hoof down. Do all the reps for one leg, rest if required and then to balance things off, do the other leg. The second option is to alternate legs as you go. This means you will jump as high as possible off the left foot and landing on the right and vice versa. Do this for time or a set number of repetitions.

Single Arm Burpee

This one is tough. But let’s be honest, they all are! This version of the burpee places a lot more load through the upper body (duh!) but also the core. Keep your hips up here and don’t let them sag. The idea is to keep your hips level also. If you need to take your feet a bit wider than usual, that’s fine. Just as you did with the single leg burpees, you can do on arm all the way through or alternate arms as you go. Keep you arm locked out when it is on the ground (unless you are proficient at one arm pushups…), strong and straight through the hips. Do this for time or a set number of repetitions.

Chin Up Burpee

This variation is a great total body exercise as it has an extra upper body pulling movement added on. Start by standing under a chin up bar. When you jump, grab the bar and perform a chin up before dropping to the bottom position. You can use as much or as little jump/assistance on the chin up as you like. The less you jump the hard it will be on the arms, the more you jump the easier it will be (for the arms at least). Do this for time or a set number of repetitions.

Burpees are fun!

Flick, switch, mix and match. Either way change it up to keep your workouts from getting stale and boring.

Also, if I’ve missed a variation that you do, leave a comment below!

Part One – Correct Setup

Part Two – Six Basic Punches

On to part three of the boxing technique series. This video will show you the basics with the foot work you will need to use in our sessions. Remember the better your technique, the more efficient you become and the better your workouts will be.

Watch the video, then have a practice with the movements at home!

If you haven’t already guessed, this is part three in the series of things I like. You can read parts one and two by clicking on the link below.

All The Things I Like!

So Volume Three, that must mean I like a few things and aren’t a grumpy old man just yet. Give me time!!

1. Nandos PERi-PERi Sauces

Now i’m not sure why they are PERi-PERi as opposed to Peri-Peri sauces other than it must be some Apple inspired marketing in reverse. But what I do know is that they are full of flavour and very low in sugar. That can be a major problem with most sauces. Sure they add flavour to your lean protein (red meat, chicken, fish etc) but they are usually produced with company profits (read low quality, cheap ingredients) first in mind and health concerns a distant last.

By the look of it none of the range has any artificial flavours, artificial colours, preservatives or added MSG which is a good thing also.

You can be boring and go for the Lemon and Herb or Garlic sauce, but if you really want to make your meal interesting go for the Extra Hot Peri-Peri Sauce.

Oh, by the way, my intention for you is to buy the sauces from the supermarket (most have them now) and not actually go to your local Nando’s and grab a burger (with the hot sauce), fries and Coke under the premise that I said it was good for you!!

Check the range out here –>> http://www.nandosathome.com.au/peri-peri-sauces.php

2. TRX

3 letters, some clever marketing, and sensational workouts.

These guys have taken a simple concept (something I like also) and developed a whole training system around it. Sometimes that doesn’t work too well (have a look on Youtube for Shake Weights, or the Hawaiian Chair!!) but these guys have nailed it.

I have seen them around the traps for a while now, and have seen a number of highly regarded trainers use them in their facilities and programs. So I decided to give one a proper go and lo and behold, 30 minutes later, in a world of pain, I realised that they were on to something here!

I love bodyweight training, and basic theory shows that you need to be able to move your own body weight. Only problem is, many people are simply too heavy to do this safely and effectively. The other problem that is encountered is that many body weight exercises become too easy for strong, lean people.

Enter the TRX. This bad boy covers all of your bases wether you need to make the body weight exercises easier or harder. What’s more you can do conditioning, strength, core and stretching workouts using it.

Two thumbs up from me!

Check them out here –>>  http://www.jameskerrison.com/goto/trx

3. Power Super Foods

Not just a power food. Not just a super food. These are Power Super Foods!!

Now I know that there’s a lot of marketing going into some of these products, but I think that there are some good reasons to use them.

The biggest reason I think is to maximise the nutrients you are getting if you are on a calorie controlled eating plan. You still want to be healthy right? So you still gotta get a lot of nutrients into your system. Might as well go with some products that have a whole lot of bang for your buck!

Typically speaking these products are organic and environmentally friendly. So you are doing more than just looking after yourself.

From the range available at  http://www.powersuperfoods.com.au/ I am a big fan of the Cacao Powder, the Cacao Crunch, the Goji Berries and the Magnesium Miracle Soak.

What’s even better. These guys offer free shipping on orders over $50, they deliver express ( I ordered Thursday arvo and it was here Friday lunchtime) and they gave me some samples of the products I didn’t buy. Talk about over delivering!

So while there might be some hype behind a number of their products, just remember that they aren’t going to solve world hunger, give us world peace, or have you dropping 5 pounds overnight. They will however help to boost your overall nutrient intake, and give you an opportunity to taste something new.