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Gymboss Interval Timer Instructional Video

2012-01-05T04:52:00.000-08:00

Here's a great instructional video on how to use the Gymboss Interval Timer for timing circuit training, timing kettlebell training, you name it if it can be timed and its fitness the Gymboss will cover all these bases.

Gymboss Interval Timer App for iphone

2012-01-04T04:55:00.000-08:00

If you don't have an actual physical Gymboss Interval Timer but do have an iphone, then the good news is that there is an iphone app for the gymboss interval timer and what's more it is available for zero cost

You can check out the Gymboss iphone app here

I don't really need to explain what is good about the gymboss but if you're unsure of what it can offer then, here is a gymboss interval timer review to assist you in deciding where you may go for iphone app or the physical product.

Also, here's a video review of another Interval timer iphone app

Ladder Training

2011-12-05T22:31:00.001-08:00

One very interesting method for training is ladder training.

What is a ladder(in the physical training context of course)?

Simply put a ladder involves performing 1 rep of an exercisefollowed by a rest followed by 2 reps followed by a rest and so and so forth.

On paper it would look very much like this:

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 with rest intervals between reps.

It could take the form of a kettlebell swing where 1 rep isperformed using each hand followed by putting the kettlebell down for 15 secsand then 2 reps etc

Now, the earlier reps will be quite easy to perform butremember as the ladder progresses the rest period will still be 15 secs andthe oxygen debt will build up making the latter part of the ladder verydifficult to perform.

One of the reasons I like the ladder format is that itstarts off at only 1 rep which is perfect for easing the mind into the trainingsession which is great if you don’t fancy hitting the session with full forceright at the beginning.

A ladder eases you in even if it turns into a killersession later on, by which time you’ve warmed up and become accustomed to theroutine.

Up and down theladder

You don’t always have to go up a ladder you can go up it anddown it in the same set too.

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1

Going up and down a ladder using the above format with akettlebell swing (using both hands) would result in 4 ½ minutes rest (assuming15 secs between each step) and 200 reps performed).

If you had a target to reach of say 200 kettlebell swings in10 minutes you could perform the above session and gradually reduce the resttime between steps by 1 sec gradually until you could do 200 non-stop.

Also, note that ladders do not need to start at 1 rep theycan start at any number you like 2, 5, 10, 15 and go up and back down in whateverformat and increment you wish.

Ladder training is a very effective and alternative way to train and another form of interval training

Compound Barbell Interval Training

2011-11-27T00:19:00.001-08:00

Fancy building muscle, shredding fat and getting fit usingbarbell compound intervals?

A compound exercise is basically a multi-joint exercise,examples of such exercises using a barbell would be, squats, bench press, deadlift,clean, press and snatch to name a few.

However, a concentration curl with a dumbbell is not.

The idea behind mixing compound barbell exercises withinterval training is to engage as many muscle fibers and burn as much energy as possible.

By themselves the basic barbell exercises squat, deadlift,bench press and military press utilize the major muscle groups but put togetherwith short rest periods can be turned into interval training sessions withgreat benefits .

As with circuit training it is best to alternate upper body withlower body exercises to reduce total body fatigue.

Compound BarbellInterval Workout Example

Barbell Squat 30:30(30 secs squatting followed with 30 secs rest)

Bench Press 30:30

Deadlift 30:30

Overhead Press 30:30

Rest for 3-5 minutes (repeat if desired unless your in apile on the floor).

If the 30 secs are too much or not enough then increase ordecrease accordingly.

The format of the exercises can also be extended to involveother movements, such as bent over barbell row, barbell lunges or even usingone handed barbell exercises to build an element of stability and extendedfunctionality into your program.

Initially once per week using this protocol could be builtinto your regular training program and as many times as 3 depending on whatyour specific goals are.

The Gymboss Interval Timer is the perfect tool to time this type of interval, to ensure accuracy of work and rest

How To Improve Your Concept2 Times

2011-11-07T04:40:00.000-08:00

How to Increase yourConcept 2 Times Quickly

The Concept 2 rowing machine is quite possibly the finestpiece of gym equipment ever designed, it’s superb for building fitness andendurance, keeping the body toned and is suitable for all body types. On top ofthis there is little if any body jarring so it will also save your knees fromdamage (which is always an issue with mindlessly pounding the pavements whenyou’re jogging).

With that said, the Concept 2 rowing machine provides agreat challenge and an awesome motivation tool for those wishing to get fit andlose bodyweight.

Why is the Concept 2so Awesome ?

If you’ve never been on Concept 2 before, it has a monitorattached which records and shows information relating to the speed and distanceyou are hypothetically travelling. The monitor can be set to do intervaltraining, times and distance with many different options available on thedisplay.

The most common distance raced or trained for is the 2k(2000m race), which when done to your full potential is so physically drainingbut also rewarding at the same time. There is nothing like exercising to fullcapacity and the benefits that come with it (which are both physical andmentally rewarding).

Interval Training

One excellent way to train for improving your 2000m best isinterval trainining. Interval training for the uneducated or the‘not-introduced yet’ is where you perform a set amount of work with a certainamount of rest.

For example, using a Concept 2 Rower you would perform 250mrowing followed by 1 minute of rest for a set amount of intervals.

This could also be work for time rather than a distancefollowed by a rest period for time.

Interval Training isKing

Interval training is a superb way of increasing fitnessquickly and efficiently although is not for everyone as it can be verydemanding, however you should always train to your limits (if you have a verylow level of fitness make sure you keep your intensity low initially andgradually build up). Variety is also key here, as many people find repetitivetraining very tedious and are more likely to give up before any goals areachieved.

8-12 Week 2000mConcept 2 Training Plan

There are many training plans that can be found on theConcept 2 website, all of them are very good and if followed with effort and adesire to improve will result in increases in fitness and 2000m personal bests.I have followed many of them in the past and have also created my own. I enjoyprogram designing and tweaking, here is one such plan that I have done in thepast.

The program is based around 4 key workouts. How much timeyou devote to the plan is up to you, but the basis of the program is to try andimprove your times for each routine each week over an 8 week period. There isno scientific basis backing this program up, you must monitor your own progressand decrease rest times where you can. When following such a program it isbeneficial to monitor your resting heart rate first thing in the morning, onceyou have established a pattern (your RHR may come down over a period of weekswhen you gain fitness), you must look for increases in your heart rate anddecide if you are over training or becoming ill for some reason.

Also, ensure you keep a notebook with all your workoutinformation (times/metres/rest times etc) recorded for future reference.

Workout 1 6 x 500m 3 mins rest between intervals (decrease rest time by 10secs each session)

This is a particularly grueling workout and forms the basisof this program, I recommend doing the 500m as a sprint, aiming to get belowyour 2000m race pace on every interval. Eg 2k best is 7mins – aim to get under1min 45 secs on each interval (ideally 5 secs under your PB pace)

Workout 2 3 x 1000m 3 mins rest between interval (decrease rest time by 10secs each session)

Again this is similar to the 6x500m session and particularlyhard too, aim for a similar pace as in workout 1.

Workout 3 10,000m Row 10,000m without a rest, as fast as possible

Not specifically an interval session, but nonethelesschallenging! Pace yourself to ensure that you complete the 10k. Target pacewould typically be 15-20% slower than your 2k pace.

Workout 4 20 sec on/20 sec active rest for30 mins

This interval is great for increasing your anaerobicthreshold and should be done a little bit faster than your 5k best pace (around8-12% slower than your 2k pace). Simply pull at your desired rate for 20 secsand follow with some very slowly controlled pulls for 20 secs after until thenext 20 secs starts (set the monitor to 20sec on 20 sec off), so you neveractually stop rowing for the whole duration of the session.

The 4 workouts can be done in 1 week and repeated thefollowing week for 8 weeks. If you require less intensity on a workout then the10k pull could replace one of the other workouts. Alternatively do all 4workouts over a period of days that suits you (i.e over 8,9 or 10 days ratherthan a 7 day period).

How To Make Circuit Training Intervals Count

2011-11-01T05:43:00.000-07:00

Circuit training - the ultimate ‘cover all’ fitness solution?
Quite possibly!
Circuit training and forms of circuit training have been around for years, have been used for GPP for many a great athlete and weekend warrior a like. If you want to build a good base for fitness and strength in a short period of time then ‘circuit training’ may be the solution for you.

What makes ‘Circuit Training’ so effective?

Circuit training is effectively a form of interval training, where you complete a certain amount of work versus a certain amount of rest repeatedly. Interval training has been proven to assist in the development of VO2MAX.

The circuit can be made up of as many stations (areas where you perform specific exercises) as you require or as few as required. The minimum requirement to make a ‘circuit training session’ would be 2 stations (where you could alternate between one upper body exercise and one lower body exercise or in any format you like or even specialize for a specific body part) and at the other end of the scale there is no limit to the amount of stations in a circuit.

Some circuit training enthusiasts like to train around a gym going from one machine to another, although it could be dumbbells, kettlebells, medicine balls, aerobic machines, free weights, sandbags or bodyweight exercises (there is no limit and that is the beauty of circuit training and it’s flexibility).In my experience 4-6 stations are adequate for a good fully body circuit session.

Circuit Training Exercise Formats

Although there are no rules about setting up a circuit training format (you are the master), it makes sense to alternate body part groups to avoid total fatigue of muscle groups.I have found the following format to be very useful1. Lower Body movement2. Upper Body movement3. Abdominal/Trunk movement4. Full Body movementThis would allow each body part to partially recover before returning to the same station (or similar station where you may perform a related exercise.

Exercise selection for Circuit Training

To reiterate, you can choose any exercise you like for circuits but here are a few ideas to get your mind in the right direction for setting up some stations, using bodyweight exercises only (as these use very little or no equipment)

Lower Body

Hindu Squats
Frog Squats
Free Squats
Forward Lunge
Reverse or lateral lunge
Bulgarian squats
Single leg squats
Heel kicks
High knees

Upper Body

Push ups (shoulder width)
Push ups (Wide or narrow)
Hand stand pushups
Bridges
Table top bridge
Clapping pushups
Single arm or unbalanced pushups
Pull-ups or chins
Dips (on chairs or bench)

Abdominal Exercises

Sit ups
Crunches
Russian Twists
Alternate knee sit ups
Supermans
Cobra
Prone back raise
Side bends
Fully Body

Jumping jacks
Star jumps
Tuck jumps
Running on the spot
Squat thrusts
Burpees
Scissors (swapping front legs/alternating)

How Long Should I do each Station in a Circuit?

If you are starting from a low level of fitness then eachstation could last 10-15 secs with 10-15 secs of rest, but to start with Iwould recommend the following format for circuit sessions.

Also, you can either do once round the exercise groups or2-3 etc times depending on what time you have available or what you are aimingto achieve (circuit training is a great way to build strength and fitnesssimultaneously for athletes in winter training for other disciplines). I’ll letyou decide how many times around a circuit you do before you take a break.

The following is a basic example where the volume build supover a series of weeks.

Week 1 20-20-20(5 min rest between circuits)

Week 2 20-20-20-20(4 min rest between circuits)

Week 3 20-20-30-20(4 min rest between circuits)

Week 4 20-30-30-20(4 min rest between circuits)

Week 5 20-30-30-A-20 (3min rest between circuits and 3mins active rest after 3^rd circuit( A))

Week 6 20-30-A-30-A-20 (3min rest between 1^st and 2^nd circuitsand 3 mins active rest after 2^nd & 3^rd circuit( A))

Week 7 20-A-30-A-30-A-30 (3 mins activerest after 1^ST,2^nd & 3^rd circuit( A))

Week 8 30-30-30-30 (2 ½ min rest between circuits)

Week 9 30-A-30-A-30-A-30-A (mins active rest after 1^ST,2^nd& 3^rd & 4^th circuits( A))

Active rest couldtake the form of many things such as indoor rowing, skipping, running, cycling(stationary is probably best), power walking etc

Once fitness has been built the active recovery can bepumped up to be as challenging as you dare! In the past when at a peak ofcircuit training and physical endurance we used to run up and down steps forrecovery (yes, it was still called recovery)

Closing notes

This article has been a briefexample of one way to do circuit training, you can swap exercises on everyround to build variety and depth into your program to make it more challengingand more enjoyable. Don’t stick to just one way, explore every avenue can withyour training! Not only will this make it more fun you’ll enjoy it much moreand you’ll be likely to stick to it and find out things about yourself younever knew before.

Circuit Training Timer

2011-10-13T12:58:00.000-07:00

Circuit training has been around for years and will be around for many more and is the very basis of Interval training. If you're unsure what a circuit is (where have you been?), then in my experience usually I really like the following format (e.g with 4 exercises)
Lower Body Exercise
Upper Body Exercise
Core Exercise
Full Body Exercise

All repeated for a set amount of time with a set amount of time for rest between stations
So you might do it in the following format using these exercises as an example

1. 20 secs on bodyweight sqautting with 20 sec rest
2. 20 secs on bodyweight press ups with 20 sec rest
3. 20 secs russian twist with 20 sec rest
4. 20 secs star jumps with 20 sec rest

That would be one circuit of 20 on 20 off
Your next circuit could be done using the same format but with different exercises.

Once you have built up fitness you could introduce more circuits and increase the length of the set or reduce the rest period, even working upto doing active recovery between sets. There is no limit to your options with circuit training.

Assuming that you use 1:1 ratio for work and rest you could use a similar format as this one below (progression)

20-20-20
20-20-20-20
20-30-20-20
20-30-20-30
20-30-30-30
30-30-30-30

Then start adding in active rest bewteen circuits.
The ultimate way to time these superb circuit training sessions is by the #1 Circuit Training Timer
The Gymboss