But in all seriousness, there really is no bad time to get in some solid conditioning work, and there's nothing wrong with wanting to look good in your bathing suit. Here are some simple and effective workouts to improve your conditioning and maybe even shed an unwanted pound or two in preparation for summer (and life).
(By Steve Holden [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)
Workout #1 -
Required Equipment: something moderately heavy and preferably unwieldy (sandbag, heavy dumbbell, 5 gallon water jug full of water or sand, medium size child, large rock, etc.)
- Take your heavy object of choice and hoist it up to your shoulder. Put it back down.
- Do this 7 more times (for a total of 8 reps).
- After your 8th rep, keep ahold of the object and run about 100 yards.
- Repeat this cycle a total of 10 times.
Notes:
* Don't actually use a child.
* How heavy should your object be? I don't know—how hard do you want to work? (Just don't be stupid)
* For the runs, hold the object wherever you want—on one shoulder, over your head, hugged to your chest, etc.
* No need to time this or measure exact distances. Just put the work in and keep a steady pace.
Workout #2 -
Required Equipment: a backpack with something heavy in it (preferably a nice backpack, such as one from the army surplus store or www.goruck.com), a full water bottle, lots of fortitude
- Find a good trail and go at it. Keep a steady pace (not quite jogging, but not strolling either). That's it.
Notes:
* Pick a distance that's reasonable for your level of fitness and preparedness—anywhere from just a couple miles to 10+ miles if you're an experienced backpacker/rucker.
* Stay hydrated. Be prepared.
* Remember that the distance you hike out, you must hike back as well. Don't be that guy that needs a heli-rescue 10 miles out from his own backyard.
* Bring a buddy.
* Take care of your feet (and make sure your feet and shoes are ready for the miles).
* You can use a paved road/sidewalk if you want to be boring.
Workout #3
Required Equipment: Pull-up bar (or tree branch, jungle gym, etc.)
- Perform 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 5 jumps (going for height). This is one round.
- Repeat 6-10 times.
Notes:
* No need to time yourself, but keep a quick pace—you should be suckin' air by the end.
* Take ample time on the jumps. Use good form and go for height on each one. If you have something to jump up and touch, even better.
* This circuit is great when you're short on time and/or don't have much space to train.
* If you can't do pull-ups, use a resistance band for assisted pull-ups.
Workout #4
Required Equipment: ~50 yards of grass or pavement to run on.
- Perform 8 push-ups.
- Immediately after finishing your 8th rep, sprint ~50 yards. (Go straight from the top of your 8th push-up into the sprint. Do not rest in-between, do not stand up first.)
- After the sprint, walk back to your starting point. This is your rest period.
- Wash, rinse, repeat 8-12 times.
Notes:
* Go all out on the sprints. Stroll back to your starting point to catch your breath a bit.
* If you are a mere mortal as I am, these will get terrible and awful and difficult and you'll want to cry about half way through.
* If you want to add a bit of spice, have a friend time your sprints and try to make each one faster than the last.
Workout #5
Required Equipment - some gettin' yoked music, barbell or dumbbells (optional)
- Perform max reps of chin-ups in 30s. Rest 15s.
- Perform max reps of close hand push-ups in 30s. Rest 15s.
- Perform max reps of sit-ups in 30s. Rest 15s.
- Rest 1min.
- Repeat this cycle 4-7 times.
- Optional finisher: lots of curls for the girls (or guys, but that doesn't rhyme).
Notes:
* Just put in the work and get a pump.
* Choose your music wisely.
So there you have it. No reinvention of the wheel here. Just some ideas to help you stop thinking about what to do and to start doing it. Mix one of these workouts in with your usual routine every week. Do a couple per week after your lifting (you are lifting, right?). Do all five in one week. Do all five in one day (don't).
Sun's out, guns out!
