5 Hardcore Workouts You Can Do in Under 10 Minutes

Pop Quiz Hot Shot....You have 10 minutes in the gym to get a workout in, what do you do.  WHAT DO YOU DO?!

One thing I love, I mean besides 90's movie references is helping people get a great workout.  One of the myths in the fitness industry is that you have to workout multiple hours a day to get into shape.  Even in CrossFit, which proved you don't need two hours in the gym to get in shape, this myth started to creep its way into the daily mythos.  Back in 2010 when I was first introduced to CrossFit, the goal was get in, get a great workout, and get out.  

Then came the era of where everyone who walked into a CrossFit gym wanted to "go to the games."  The training seemed to take on a 'more is better' approach.  Programs like Outlaw Way and other online templates became very common scene in the gym.  People left the community of the class aspect, and the eyes of a coach, to follow a template that was made for high end athletes.  WHY??  My personal thought is because everyone wants to feel like they do something special.  People felt like if they couldn't post long death marches, or 2 a day workout sessions on social media....they felt they weren't getting what they needed.

I feel at this time there were many more injuries involved with CrossFit and you really began to see the separation of CrossFit the "training program" and CrossFit "the sport."  But, if there is anything that is guaranteed in this industry, it's that times will change.  Now CrossFit has taken a turn back to focusing on the health and wellness aspect and distanced itself from the sport.  And with that a brand new group of people are finding CrossFit.  One thing that is hopefully coming back is the focus on maximizing efficiency over volume.  Getting a great workout, getting in shape, changing body composition while not living within the gym.  So, in that line of thinking, here are 5 fantastic workouts that really push you, and the best part is they can be done with minimal equipment in 10 min or less!!

 1.  Tabata Calories on the Assault Bike:  Tabata is 8 rounds of 20 seconds on (max effort) and 10 seconds rest.  This means 4 minutes of work.  But don't let that fool you, because if a workout says "tababta" in front of it, get ready to push yourself.  If you push yourself this will be a hard 4 minutes.

 2.  CrossFit Games Open Workout 12.1 (7 Min of Burpees): The best thing about this workout is that you could do it without ever leaving a hotel room.  Another way to change this up is to change the style of burpee you do.  You can do burpee kickbacks (if you can't do push-ups). You could also do strict burpees where you emphasize the burpees.  Whichever way you choose to scale your burpees, it is a fantastic workout.

·       3.  The Crazy Eights:  This one I came up with on a cruise ship when i didn't have that much equipment at my disposal.  You can use a kettlebell which is how I program for my classes, or you can use a dumbbell.  I recommend using a 53lb kettlebell for men and 35lb for women. The workout is 8 Min AMRAP (as many reps as possible) 8 Goblet Squats and 8 jumping squats (no weight).  It literally wrecks your legs and makes you second guess how long 8 minutes is.

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·      4.   Half "Cindy":  Cindy is a CrossFit benchmark workout, and is literally my favorite hotel workout for on the road.  Cindy is a 20 minute AMRAP of 5 pull-ups, 10 Push-ups, and 15 Air Squats.  So half Cindy is the same workout just for 10 minutes long.  For those that cannot perform a pull-up you can swap it out with a sit-up and it works just fine.

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·       5.  5 Min AMRAP Kettlebell Clean & Jerk:  This takes a little more skill.  You can use one or two kettlebells, but I prefer a kettlbell in each hand if you have the equipment.  This can also be used with dumbbells, but I like kettlebells better (just a personal preference).  If you try to hang on and go for large sets it can be very demanding.

Give these workouts a try.  You will be surprised at how effective they can be and it will leave you plenty of time in your day for other things.  Which is the original design of CrossFit.

     

More Knowledge Will Not Help You Get Better

For most people who are on some sort of fitness journey, they know a good amount of what they are “supposed” to do.  Most people understand the basics of what constitutes healthy foods, they know daily exercise is necessary, junk food at 8pm isn’t good for you, etc.  Yet the same cycle seems to repeat itself with no end goal in sight.  For most they feel they “just don’t know what to do” and they logically go in search of information and knowledge hoping that once they gain said knowledge the problem will be resolved.  This however is not the case.  In fact, this particular line of thinking tends to give people a what I call “false positive” which is comforting.  And we all want to be comfortable, because comfort does not carry with it certain feelings; fear, anxiety, uncertainty.

Now the search for knowledge and understanding is a wonderful thing and should be fostered by coaches, spouses, and peers.  The missing piece to this puzzle is that once certain knowledge is obtained, there must be action that follows it.  Action or behavior is what will make the change not just knowledge of the subject matter itself.  We see this in the coaching realm all the time.  There are some coaches that obtain certificate after certificate (which is a good thing let me be clear) but they cannot translate all this deep knowledge to their coaching.  Without the ability to take all they have learned and impart it onto a client, they become a very sub par coach.  They tend to also get frustrated because all their clients can’t follow their instructions.

In the research study “Restructuring Strategy for The Technical Report Writing Course in Engineering Universities of Pakistan” by 1 Samina Hashmi, 2 Tazeen Muzammil, 3 Bushra Fazal Khan , 1 Humanities & Natural Sciences Department, Bahria University,  Karachi, Sindh 75260, Pakistan 2, 3 Computer & Software Engineering Department, Bahria University,  Karachi, Sindh 75260, Pakistan. They give this illustration of the learning pyramid which shows the retention rate per 24hrs and which style of learning yields the best retention.

As the pyramid shows teaching a knowledge to someone else yields 90% retention rate.  This has been shown through many studies.  When teaching someone you must take the knowledge you learn and articulate to someone an idea of which they have no knowledge.  But also look at the learning process by doing yourself.  There is a 75% retention rate in information by doing, and this method works beyond a 24 hour period.  The first time a person uses a meal plan, or meal preps, or learns how to squat they are not very good at it.  However the act of performing a squat teaches you well more than reading volume after volume about squat training.  The first few times are difficult but the more you practice this behavior the better you become.  After a certain period of time you would be able to teach this new habit to a friend which gives you an even deeper understanding.

So how does this translate to the frustrated person who is so sick of not losing weight?  To those who want to perform better and at a higher level? To those who want so desperately to change their lives?  Simple small action steps.  Small action steps become habits which lead to large results.  The large results are what everyone wants and can blind them to the small steps between point A & B.  Here are examples of some small steps everyone can take to further their progress:

1.       Meal prep one meal for the week (ex. Meal prep only lunches…but lunches for the entire week)

2.       Learn how to use that instapot, or crock pot that has been collecting dust in the pantry

3.       Go to the gym on Monday (this will start your week off with a good habit)

4.       Set alarms for meals if you struggle with not eating

5.       Pick a time to be in bed and stick to it so that you get 7-8 hours

6.       Go for a walk after your meal

It is said to know without action is not to know at all.  You must take action because action becomes behaviors.  Behaviors yields results, which elicit a positive response.  What used to be uncomfortable soon becomes comforting.  Comfort in the fact you understand the knowledge you have gained and now you can act of this information subconsciously. 

So my call to action is for you to pick one thing to take action on today.  Not tomorrow but right now.  A plan executed at 50% will yield far bigger results than the perfect plan never acted upon.  Now is the time to take that next step.