Workout of the Month: Tough Enough

ALL LEVELS / whole-body workout for strength and endurance / 17 mins
Equipment: high bar, exercise mat

This month we bring a whole-body workout that will test your endurance, strength, technique and mental toughness. Tough enough to perform it? Tough enough consists of 5 bodyweight exercises – each performed for 5,4,3,2 and 1 minute with a 30-second rest in between. Total time –17 minutes.

The 5 exercises are performed in the following order, taking a 30-second rest after each one:

1. Squat – 5 mins
2. Push-up (or kneeling push-up) – 4 mins
3. Pull-up (or TRX row) – 3 mins
4. V-sit – 2 mins
5. Burpees (or mountain climbers) – 1 min

SCALING A WHOLE-BODY WORKOUT

While the above exercises do not involve any additional weight, some of them can be scaled down if you are a beginner. The scaled version of the exercise is shown in brackets above.

The focus of this workout is on higher repetitions which will test your work capacity and push you to your limits. Whether you are an experienced exerciser or a beginner, choose a pace that will allow you to concentrate on speed without compromising technique. For example, most people can squat well, so you may want to go for sets of 25 before pausing for rest – don’t forget that 5 mins will feel like a long time, so don’t burn out too early. Consistency is the key. Take the 30sec rest after each exercise if you need to, otherwise, feel free to continue at your own pace.

As your fitness improves, you will be able to push yourself further each time you perform the workout and perform more reps before pausing for rest. By way of benchmarking your progress, make a mental note of the total number of reps at the end.

Time to try this whole-body workout to challenge your endurance.

1. SQUAT

Time: 5 minutes Rest: 30 secs

• Keep core tight.
• Drive hips up.
• Weight through the center of the feet.

2. PUSH UPS

Time: 4 minutes Rest: 30 secs

• Keep core and glutes tight.
• Shoulders over wrists.
• Body in a straight line.

3. PULL UP

Time: 3 minutes Rest: 30 secs

• Keep core and glutes tight.
• Squeeze shoulder blades together.
• Maintain shape.

4. V-SIT

Time: 2 minutes Rest: 30 secs

• Keep core tight.
• Push low back into the floor.
• Keep arms and legs straight.

5. BURPEE

Time: 1 minute Rest: 30 secs

• Keep core tight.
• Push hands into the floor.
• Drive the hips up.

OTHER EXERCISES:

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