The Rock’s Workout and Diet for a Rock Hard & Bad Ass Body…by James Villepigue

If you ask me, Dewayne “The Rock” Johnson, doesn’t only have one of the sickest (that means great looking to you more literal folks) looking bodies in Hollywood, but he also happens to be an incredibly down to earth guy.

I’ve always admired Dewayne, but it wasn’t until I saw just how hard he trained and the great care he takes of his body, that I felt the need to look into the Rocks actual training program.

The following workout is one of the authentic workouts that Dewayne used to get his massive 280 pound bulky defensive end football body sculpted down into what I call a 225 pound lean dream machine. It’s the kind of body that most men wish they could build and one that the majority of women desire.

Here’s the thing I admire about Dewayne’s physique – It’s realistic. Yes, he trains hard and yes, he likely has better than average genetics, but his bodily proportions are not so far off the charts that other dedicated lifters couldn’t achieve similar results. Hey, I promise you this…If you follow the following routine and pointers, you will be absolutely end up ecstatic with your results, ok?

Dewayne used to train up to 6 days a week when he was a full time pro wrestler, but this was when he aspired to be big and bulky. Once he hit the Hollywood scene, he realized that that this type of body and look just wasn’t something that the mainstream audience and the majority of fans would adore.

He was soon changing his program from one of very heavy and excessive weight lifting to one directed more toward what an athlete might do; a balanced mix of moderate to heavy weight lifting, plyometric and agility training, shorter rest times between sets of exercise and a fair amount of short duration/high intensity cardio training. Let’s also not forget that his diet also changed to one of unlimited calories to one that still kept him satisfied, but allowed him to go from 17% body fat down to and very lean 7%.

His style of training is not for the person who’s looking for shortcuts or who dreads the thought of working out 4-6 days a week. If you want this type of celebrity body, you’re gonna be required to work and work hard!

It’s interesting, but I also found myself wanting to lose some muscle to not look as bulky as usually look. I used Burst Bout workouts to go from 235 pounds down to 217 pounds in one month. Allot of the weight was fat, but some was definitely muscle. At 6ft even, I really like my latest look and my lighter weight feels much better on my joints, but…

I also enjoy being a big guy. Rock himself believes that bigger is better. He’s not saying that he plans on bulking back up, but he will never go lighter than he is now…Unless of course a role comes along that requires he be thin. However, Dwayne’s image was built around being big and knowing this man as one who holds true to himself, he with ultimately always be big.

So let’s get into Dewayne’s workout and let’s get you on the fast track to developing a rugged physique that will rock the world you live in.

Like Burst Bout Training, Dwayne believes in changing his routine up constantly. He doesn’t necessarily change the entire routine, but he does change up the training parameters. He’ll lift heavy one workout for a particular muscle group and then lift lighter the next time he trains that muscle during that same week. He changes his exercise sequence, the number of sets, reps, the tempo aka speed by which he lifts & lowers the weight and he changes up his rest times, often keeping them brief for more of a metabolic effect.

The Rock’s past workout plan:

This was his 6-day-a-week routine –

On Monday, Wednesday & Friday He Trains
Chest – Back – Biceps - Calves
And On Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday He Trains
Quadriceps – Hamstrings – Shoulders – Triceps

During this particular routine, he was performing 5 sets of each exercise, 15-20 reps per set and only 30 second rest periods between sets. He also does allot of super setting of exercises.

Before he began his weight lifting, he would warm his muscles up with a 5 minute cardio style warm-up and he’s cool down with the same, post weight training.

As far as cardio goes, during this particular routine, Dwayne was performing 12 minutes of high intensity bouts.

Here’s A Rock style Diet Plan:

Meal 1: 10 egg whites, 1 cup of oatmeal, 3 rice cakes, 24oz water
Meal 2: 6oz of grilled chicken breast, 1 cup of grits, 6 ounces of yams, 1 cup of steamed asparagus, 24oz water
Meal 3: 6 ounces of water packed tuna, 1 cup of brown rice, 1 sliced cucumber, 24oz water
Meal 4: 6 ounces of perch fillet, 1 cup of barley, 1 small 6 ounce baked potato, 1 cup of steamed green beans, 24oz water
Meal 5: 6 ounces of pork tenderloin, 1 cup of brown rice, 6 ounces of sweet potato, 1 cup of peas, 24oz water
Meal 6: 10 egg whites,  1 cup of oatmeal, 24oz water

Yes, this is a good amount of food, but the more important factor here is making sure that you’re getting an adequate amount of nutrients. If you’re looking to bulk up some, keep the carbohydrates like the grits – You can even up your carb intake a bit more. If on the other hand, you’re already big and want to burn some more body fat, while maintaining a good amount of muscle mass, try and eat your carbohydrates earlier in the day and make sure to up your cardio. I suggest one day of brief Burst Bout style cardio and the next day a longer and less intense cardio session…This will provide the best of both worlds!

The Rock’s favorite staple meal is chicken breast with brown rice and steamed broccoli.

Like we Burst Bouters, the Rock believes in having a weekly cheat meal. His favorite cheat foods are said to be donuts and pizza…Aren’t they everyone’s? ;-)

As you may have heard, protein is a very important nutrient for building and even maintaining muscle. The Rock makes sure to consume approximately 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. He gets his protein from either lean cuts of meat and he also drinks supplemental protein shakes.

He consumes a moderate amount of complex carbohydrates and he supplements his diet with a multi vitamin and a vitamin joint formula.

In his latest movie, “Faster”, Dwayne added about 10 pounds of muscle for the role.

In the movie, he plays a former convict who spent a 9 year long stint in solitary confinement.

According to credible sources from Screencave,  over 9 years of his 10-year jail sentence in solitary confinement, Dwayne went back to the basics of weight training  - Sources at Screencave report that he even worked with former inmates to learn about their training regimes.

According the the Rock, these guys serving big time in prison have a different mindset when it comes to training. He calls it a “raw type of training. He called it this because it was all he focused on. When you’re doing that kind of time, for many solitary confinement inmates, there’s not much to do other than workout.

Dwayne even went into details about how this extended style of “raw” and basic training creates muscular bodies that appear to be denser.  He attributes this to the many years of consistent heavier style lifting.

So, as you see, Dwayne “Rock” Johnson engages in a variety of training including weight training, plyometric and agility training, high intensity cardio training and just an overall mix of awesome exercise.

If you want t more information on how to forge a body like the Rock and develop a body that doesn’t only look great, but performs great, check out these two awesome products:

No-Nonsense Muscle Building - For the Hardgainer who wants to add muscle fast

Visual Impact - For more of a lean looking Hollywood Body

Keep Going!

Your Coach,

James Villepigue

PS – the products mentioned above are also for women and I swear by both.

The main objective of today’s cardio based Burst Bout, is to keep a constant pace for the 1 minute duration. I’d much rather you use a moderate and steady pace during each Burst than a combination of super fast mixed in with a moderate speed. This would likely happen as you will no doubt begin to exhaust during the Bursts.

Today’s Burst Bout is all about building up our endurance and burning some mega calories.

Here’s the deal with today’s fat burning exercises. You’ll perform a more difficult exercise during the 60 second work time and a less intense movement during your 30 second “active rest” time.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6wYHpMzWHk&feature=channel]

Here’s today's fat burning exercises:

1. 60-High Knee To Sprawl
2. 30-High Knee Walk with Over Under Arms
3. 60-Roll Back Get Up
4. 30-Medium Speed Punches
5. 60-Medium  Speed Jump Rope
6. 30-Side Steps
7. 60-Speed Skaters
8. 30-High Knee Reverse Arm Rolls

4 Bouts with no more than the 30 seconds rest at the end of the 8^th Burst = 24 Minutes

Remember, today's Burst Bout should not be treated like a compeitive race, but rather a even paced marathon...Maybe it should be marathin? ;-)

Your Burst Bout recap: Set your GymBoss Timer to 60/30.  I want you to Perform 4 total Bouts with only 30 seoconds rest at the end of the 8th Burst/Exercise

Please have the following Burst Bout gear to get the most out of these workouts:

1. Gymboss Interval Timer
2. Exercise mat
3. Towel
4. Cool water

Get it, Burst Bouters!

Your Coach,

James Villepigue

 Check out these related workouts and diet plans to help you lose weight quick:
Lose the Last 10-15 lbs of Stubborn Fat Fast
Extreme Fat Burning Foods – “Just Make Do” Dinner
Quick Weight Loss Tips – Lose Weight Fast
Cardio Workout Routines for Quick Weight Loss

Happy Thursday, Burst Bouters?

Hope you’re ready for today’s awesome cardio based Burst Bout. So, we did our strength based Burst Bout yesterday and you worked at a 35/7 work-to-rest ratio. Well, we’re going to follow the same time parameters for today’s cardio workout.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovZq_axG6ak&feature=channel]

Here are the exercises for today’s rapid fat burning Burst Bout:

1. Jump Rope
2. Punches – Jab-cross-hook-uppercut
3. Knee Ups
4. Bicycles
5. Partial Split Lunge Jumps
   Rest 35 Seconds
   Perform 5 total Bouts and I want you to take another 35 seconds rest at the end of the 5^th Burst…Ordinarily I wouldn’t have you take that rest, but today we are.Total Burst Bout Time = Just under 20 Minutes

    

    

Now, this is not an easy Burst Bout, folks, so be forewarned. If you get to the point where you feel like you must take more than the 7 seconds rest, stop the GymBoss Timer, catch your breath and then get right back in it. Just promise me that you won’t give up!

Your Burst Bout recap: Set your GymBoss Timer to 35/7. Perform 5 total Bouts with that 35 seconds rest at the end of the 5^th Burst – Don’t get confused by this!

Get the following to make your cardio Burst Bout Workout most effective:

1. Gymboss Interval Timer
2. Exercise mat
3. Towel
4. Cool water

Get it, Burst Bouters!

Your Coach,

James Villepigue

 Check out these related workouts and diet plans to help you lose weight quick:
Lose the Last 10-15 lbs of Stubborn Fat Fast
Extreme Fat Burning Foods – “Just Make Do” Dinner
Quick Weight Loss Tips – Lose Weight Fast
Cardio Workout Routines for Quick Weight Loss

Okay Burst Bouters - Here it is Friday and you’ve already completed Tuesday’s cardio based Burst Bout, using a 40/10 work-to-rest ratio and Wednesday’s, using a 60/30 work-to-rest ratio.

Today, we’re shuffling it up and will be using a 30/15 work-to-rest ratio. This week’s mix of work & rest times ensure that your effectively building up your endurance, getting adequate aerobic and cardiovascular exercise and that you’re building a rampant body fat fire and burning max calories.

Now, if you recall, I brought the intensity down a bit with Wednesday’s Take Your Time But Hurry Up Burst Bout and Monday’s cardio Burst Bout required that you paced yourself during the full 60 second Burst time, so that you didn’t prematurely burn out.

So, today, we’re going all out and will be focused on bringing the rapid fire movement during each Burst.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLmEv8sNrOU&feature=channel]

Let’s take a look at today’s Burn The Fat Fast Exercises:

1. Side Shuffle
2. Burpees
3. Straight Punches
4. Knee Ups
5. Jump Rope
   4 Bouts with no more than the 15 seconds rest time at the end of the 5^th Burst = 15 Minutes

Please make sure not to mistake the short duration for an easy cardio workout…This style of higher intensity cardio is very quick, but incredibly effective. Remember, that the more intensity (output) you out into it, the more effective the Burst Bout and the better the results.

Your Burst Bout recap: Set your GymBoss Timer to 30/15. Perform 4 total Bouts = Only 15 Minutes.

Get the following to make your cardio Burst Bout Workout most effective:

1. Gymboss Interval Timer
2. Exercise mat
3. Towel
4. Cool water

Turn Today Into A Great One, Burst Bouters!

Your Coach,

James Villepigue

Check out these related workouts and diet plans to help you lose weight quick:
Lose the Last 10-15 lbs of Stubborn Fat Fast
Extreme Fat Burning Foods - "Just Make Do" Dinner
Quick Weight Loss Tips - Lose Weight Fast
Cardio Workout Routines for Quick Weight Loss

Aloha Burst Bouters! I guess I’m just trying to get into a balmy mindset, as it’s still pretty darn cold out here in NY. Well, anyway, let’s make today a great cardio workout, yes? We’ve got your cardio based Burst Bout ready to go and it’s going to seriously bring the heat! ;-)

We’re going to set our GymBoss Timer to 40 seconds of work and 10 seconds rest.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv8k7zBxK_g&feature=channel]

 Here’s today Fat Burning Exercises Breakdown:

1. Plank Ups
2. Jumping Jack Flash
3. Straight Punches
4. Jump Rope
5. Knee Ups
   Take only your 10 seconds rest between Bouts.
   Perform 5 total Bouts = 20 Minutes

If you feel the need to take more than the 10 seconds rest between Bursts or Bouts, you may do so, but please make sure you’re not just quitting. If you need to stop, stop, assess your condition and if you can, jump right back into the Burst Bout.

Here is today’s Burst Bout recap: Set your GymBoss Timer to 40/10.  Perform 5  Bouts which will run you just 20 minutes.

To get the utmost out of today's cardio based Burst Bout, stock up on the following:

1. Gymboss Interval Timer
2. Exercise mat
3. A towel
4. Some cool water

Make it a great one,  Burst Bouters!

Your Coach,

James Villepigue

Here are some other workouts and diet plans to help you lose fat fast:

Lose the Last 10-15 lbs of Stubborn Fat Fast
Extreme Fat Burning Foods - "Just Make Do" Dinner
Quick Weight Loss Tips - Lose Weight Fast
Cardio Workout Routines for Quick Weight Loss

Hello Burst Bouters,

It’s another cardio Burst Bout day. Today I have a simple, but challenging and very effective Burst Bout that will only take you 13 Minutes. Not much in time, but tons in effectiveness.

The whole idea behind this Burst Bout is to practice rapid fire movement…So, move as quickly as you can during each Burst and work on catching your breath following the 7^th Burst, during your 30 seconds rest.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBc9CFkZK5c&feature=channel]

Today's Fast Weight Loss Exercises:

1. 25-High knee side shuffle
2. 10-Walk in place high knee front side arm raise
3. 25-bridge and pushup
4. 10-walk in place high knee big reverse arm circles
5. 25-jump rope
6. 10-ez jumping juniors
7. 25-burpees
   30 seconds rest - Repeat 4 more times

As you might have noticed, I only showed a portion of each Bout. I often run my videos very long, so I figured I'd give the bried overview and let you all print the workout out and get right to it.
Please leave us a comment and let us know how well you did.

Here is today’s Burst Bout recap: Set your GymBoss Timer to 25/10.  Perform 5  Bouts which will run you teeny 13 Minutes.  ;-)

make sure to get your cardio based Burst Bout gear:

1. Gymboss Interval Timer
2. Exercise mat
3. A towel
4. Some cool water

Have a great day,  Burst Bouters!

Your Coach,

James Villepigue

Oh Yeah...Check out these related workouts and diet plans to help you lose weight quick:

Lose the Last 10-15 lbs of Stubborn Fat Fast
Extreme Fat Burning Foods - "Just Make Do" Dinner
Quick Weight Loss Tips - Lose Weight Fast
Cardio Workout Routines for Quick Weight Loss

Burst Bouters,

Plan on finishing strong this week... 'cause this is the last workout and we're taking no prisoners with this bad boy.  This is a challenge routine with two compound exercises normally used for strength training, and then a third (more traditional) cardio exercise.

The catch is that I've dramatically increased the burst (work period) to a whopping 2 minutes, which turns the first two fat burning exercises into highly metabolic MONSTERS...

Another caveat is that we're going for maximum reps within that burst period, for each exercise.  First watch the video, then continue reading for step-by-step instructions...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGZhr8_S0rc&feature=channel_video_title[/youtube]

Pretty killer, am I right?  Oh and right before I demonstrated the first exercise, I said to set your Gymboss to one minute twenty seconds -- I was thinking 120 "seconds" -- so I should have said 2 minutes of work, followed by 20 seconds of rest.  My bad...

If you plan on completing this weight loss workout from home, have the following ready:

1) Gymboss Interval Timer

2) Adjustable Dumbbells

3) Jump Rope

Okay, here are the instructions for your final cardio workout of the week:

PART I: 120/20 -- front lunges for maximum reps... each step forward and back to starting position counts as one rep.  Guys should use 12 pound dumbbells and girls should use either 3 pound dumbbells or strictly bodyweight.  After 2 minutes, record your reps, rest for 20 secs and proceed to the next part.

PART II: 120/20 -- push up into renegade row for max reps... one push up and one row on each side constitutes one rep.  Guys should try to use their 12 pound dumbbells (but feel free to use less... or no weight at all, if necessary), and girls should use strictly bodyweight (do push ups off knees if necessary).  After 2 minutes, record your total reps, rest 20 secs and start in with the next exercise.

PART III: 120/20 -- jump rope for max reps... if using jump rope, each jump counts as a rep; if doing high knees, right and left (up and down) counts as one rep.  Go hard for 2 minutes, then record your total reps, rest for just 20 secs and complete one more bout in the exact same fashion.

The above times are in seconds, so again... it's 2 minutes of burst and 20 seconds of rest.  Each bout takes exactly 7 minutes to complete, so it's a 14 minute rapid fat loss workout in total.

Here are my scores for both rounds:

Lunges: 1st round = 45 | 2nd round = 41

Push up into renegade row: 1st round = 20 | 2nd round = 17

Jump rope: 1st round = 186 | 2nd round = 201 (I think I was excited for that final beep, LOL)

Try it out and leave your scores in the comments section below.  Most importantly, keep those scores in your workout journal and when we repeat this challenge in a few weeks, you can assess how much your fitness has improved.

Have a great weekend and stay outta trouble.

Your Coach,

Brad Campbell

Check out these related workouts and diet plans to help you lose weight quick:

Lose the Last 10-15 lbs of Stubborn Fat Fast

Extreme Fat Burning Foods - "Just Make Do" Dinner

Quick Weight Loss Tips - Lose Weight Fast

Cardio Workout Routines for Quick Weight Loss

PS - If you're a Black Eyed Peas fan, here's a cool song they came out with recently that'll really fuel your workouts: it's called Just Can't Get Enough and it rocks...

Today, we're gonna tone it down a little and give ya a moderately challenging workout.  Think of it as an active rest day.  It's not going to be a walk in the park, but it's also not near as intense as our traditional Burst Bout cardio days...

Here's what you're doing: after a brief warm up, perform 30 minutes of steady state cardio training -- preferably, this would be an outdoor run, but you could also rock the treadmill, elliptical, exercise bike or stair stepper.

Aim for an exertion of about 50-60% maximum effort.  It should be comfortable, but not easy.

After completing 30 minutes of traditional cardio, you'll do 8 minutes of slow and controlled burpees -- set your Gymboss to 45 seconds of burst/work, followed by 15 seconds of rest.  Even if your fitness level allows, I don't want you going all-out on these.

The purpose of today's weight loss workout is to burn a decent amount of calories, improve your cardiovascular conditioning, but also to give your muscles and nervous system a well-deserved break.

Sound fair?

It's not very often that you'll hear me coaching you to dial it back a bit... so enjoy the occasion. ;-)

By the way, if you don't already have a nice pair of running shoes, I strongly encourage you to pick a pair up.  If possible, look for a running specialty store and go in and have your feet assessed to find out which type of fit/ride is best for your sweaty hooves...

Then start wearing these puppies for all of our Burst Bout workouts, even if we're not doing any running.  Seriously, you'll thank me in the future -- speaking from experience, nothing sucks worse than injuring your foot and being forced to sit on your butt, against your will.  Very un-cool, so please give your feet the attention they deserve, before you get hit with a stress fracture, sprained ankle or worse...

Alright guys and gals, that's it for today.

Be ready to rock and roll tomorrow.  Have your tiger blood ready, LOL...

Your Coach,

Brad Campbell

Related posts and resources for you to check out:

Cardio Workout Routines to Lose Weight Fast

Celebrity Workouts and Celeb Diet Plans

Snake Eye Workout to Lose Weight Fast

What's up Burst Bouters,

Man, did you survive that vicious challenge workout James had us doing yesterday?  That thing kicked my butt all up and down the garage, haha...

So today I wanted to create an effective cardio workout that you can do at home, without any equipment, and that's slightly lower impact.  Although we'll be using some bodyweight exercises, it'll still give your muscles a little break, along with your nervous system.  Plus, it's easier on the joints, as compared to some of our more explosive fat burning exercises we like to use...

Cool, watch the video now and then continue reading below for the full details of this quick fat loss cardio session...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSlvYIZ2Jdk[/youtube]

All you'll need for this particular at home workout is your trusty Gymboss Interval Timer.

Here's a recap of how the workout breaks down:

PART I: 30/30/30/30/30 -- duck unders, "T" push ups, overhead 45 degree lunges, leg swings, rest... repeat x 5 (6 bouts or 15 minutes total)

PART II: perform 7 minutes of threshold cardio -- steady state cardio, but done at a "faster than comfortable" pace (roughly 75% perceived exertion)... can be done via jogging outdoors, treadmill, exercise bike, elliptical or even running in place

When it's all said and done, you'll have completed 22 minutes of productive weight loss exercise... and the burst bout session combined with an uncomfortable threshold cardio "finisher" will give ya a fairly good post-workout boost in fat burning.

Hope you guys liked it.  Rest up, 'cause tomorrow we'll be back to our strength training grind -- gotta tone those lean muscles to sculpt and shape our bodies. ;-)

Everything going okay?  Let me know below...

Your Coach,

Brad Campbell

Other related weight loss workouts and resources:

Fast Weight Loss Workout

Home Workout and Bodyweight Training

Rapid Weight Loss

What’s up everybody?  I don’t know about you, but I was so ramped up by Brad’s “Throwback Intervals” post that I decided to take it a step further.

Maybe I was waxing nostalgic at the site of those vintage Jordan’s that I used to wear, combined with thoughts of my glory days on the hard-court, but it drove me to roll out an old-school strength and cardio workout for maximum fat burn and that ripped, lean muscle look that we all desire.

Not to mention, it’s functional.  Like Brad said, we can easily get caught in the rut of performing exercise that makes us look better but doesn’t necessarily help us feel better physically or perform better in our daily routines.

And, you won’t have to reserve 90 minutes out of your day, like the rest of the time–wasters at the gym, to get amazing results.  I’m only looking for 10-20 minutes of your time.

Sound good?  Let’s get started . . .

This workout is going to combine a shuttle drill, push-up, and inverted row and can be done anywhere you can find 20 linear yards of space and an elevated bar that is a little over an arms-length distance from the ground.

First, to explain the movements . . .

---> 10-20-10 Shuttle:  The athlete in the video below is actually performing a 5-10-5 shuttle which is a great test of agility, or the ability to accelerate, decelerate, and change direction.  We’re going to perform twice the distance as I want you to receive some of the benefits of agility work but would rather place more attention on metabolic work.

The value of performing shuttles versus straight line sprints is that the change of direction component recruits so much more muscular activity, especially in the decelerating phase.  You wanna use good arm action like the athlete to promote greater force production and efficiency in your lower half.

Your set-up would be to place 3 cones (or other markers) in a straight line 10 yards apart.  Start by sprinting 10 yards in one direction, followed by a change of direction and 20 yard sprint in the opposite direction.  The drill is completed with a second change of direction and 10 yard sprint back through the center cone.

This should take you 10-15 seconds based on your ability to sprint and your level of fitness, as this strength-cardio workout will get very demanding and isn’t for the faint of heart.

---> Push-up: Probably the first exercise you learned when you were young but also the first you abandoned for the bright lights of the bench press . . . bad move!  The push-up offers the benefits of core strengthening and glute activity that the bench press can’t provide.  Plus, there are dozens of push-up variations, so you never get bored.

For our purposes today, we’ll use the standard push-up, but let’s make sure we’re on the same page with regard to execution, so you can get the most out of this movement.

I want your hands placed just outside of your shoulders with your fingers pointing forward.  Assume a straight body line from ankle through ear and activate your core (tighten up like you’re about to get punched in the gut) to maintain this alignment through the entire movement.  The core activity isn’t necessary while you’re lying on a bench in a fixed plane.

Next, tighten your glutes to shoot your hips forward and maintain posture.  Again, not necessary on a bench.

Finally, as you perform the standard push-up movement and descend with your chest touching the ground while maintaining posture, make sure that you tuck your elbows against your side rather than flaring them out.  This is the most abused flaw of the push-up that I notice in the gym.

Why this technique?  The scapula (shoulder blade) is the foundation of your shoulder, and you would like it to be stable and set during movement.  I cue my clients to always push their shoulders “down and back”.

This sets the scapula and stabilizes the shoulder.  When your elbows flair out during a push-up, you’ll notice that your scapula wings out of place.  Meanwhile, tucking your elbows against your side keeps it set.

You’ll perform 15 seconds of push-ups (about 1 per second), which may seem easy by itself, but it won’t be when combined with the other movements.  If they are easy you can always elevate your feet behind you.  If it gets too hard, drop your knees down, but still keep your butt in and posture straight otherwise.

---> Inverted Row:  We don’t want to only perform push-dominant movements, like most guys in the gym, so we’ll include the inverted row for a pulling balance.  Shown in the video below, you’ll notice it has many of the same benefits as the push-up . . .

Notice the same straight posture line, core tightening, glute activation for hip extension, and the shoulders are set “down and back”.  Once again, you should perform the same elbow tuck throughout this movement that you did with the push-up.  There’s a reason many actually call this movement an “inverted push-up”.

Like the push-up, you perform 15 seconds of inverted rows.  Many people are so push-dominant that this movement tends to be much harder than the push-up.

If you cannot perform the 15 seconds with straight legs and heels in the ground, bend your knees so your feet are flat to provide some assistance.  On the other hand, if this is too easy, elevate your feet.

***************************************************************************************************************

So, now that you know the movements, it’s time to crush it.

For this strength and cardio workout, you'll need:  your gymboss interval timer, 3 cones or markers, 20 linear yards of space, and an elevated bar that supports your bodyweight.

You’re gonna perform these 3 movements in 2 minute blocks of time and repeat as long as you can handle it.  Feel free to adjust the work:rest ratio to match your current fitness level (example - 15 secs of work, 45 secs of rest and repeat so that entire cycle takes longer, but you're getting more rest in between exercises).

1. 10-20-10 Shuttle: 10-15 seconds
2. Rest until the 30 second mark
3. Push-ups: 15 seconds
4. Rest until the 1 minute mark
5. 10-20-10 Shuttle: 10-15 seconds
6. Rest until 1:30
7. Inverted Rows: 15 seconds
8. Rest until the 2 minute mark

Then, repeat the process...

You’re getting an amazing leg work-out that requires strength because of your bursts of acceleration and decelerating changes of direction.  In addition, you’re developing pushing and pulling strength in your upper body.  Throw in some elevated heart rate, and you’ll have fat melting off in no time.

Bonus: You’ll feel like a Varsity athlete again, or for the first time.

For more extreme fat loss workout routines, make sure you're a TopFatLossTrainer VIP.  Enter your name and email in the box below.

Your Coach,

Brian Utley

Post related to Strength and Cardio Workout:  How to build lean muscle and lose fat at the same time