the Cardio Acceleration Workout. - Men's Fitness Magazine

THE WORKOUT Run or cycle for 3-4 minutes to get warmed up.
01
SINGLE-LEG SQUAT
l Muscles used: quads, glutes, hamstrings, abs
l Stand with your feet
shoulder-width apart and
position yourself next to a
railing you can hold onto
for support if you need
to. Raise your left leg off
the ground so its knee is
straight and in line with
the base of your abs,
toes facing the ceiling.
l Bend your right knee
to lower yourself until
the top of your thigh is
parallel to the ground.
Straighten your knee
to press yourself back
to the start.
Run hard for
60 seconds
03
RAISED-LEG SPLIT-SQUAT
l Muscles used: quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, abs
l Stand with your back
to a park bench, extend your
right leg behind you and
rest your foot on the seat.
Keep your body upright
and interlock your fingers
behind your head.
l Bend your left leg to lower
yourself until your right knee
is just above the ground.
Slowly raise yourself to the
start. Swap legs and repeat.
Run hard for 60 seconds
05
SINGLE-LEG DEADLIFT
l Muscles used: hamstrings, glutes, abs
l Stand with your
feet together and raise
your left foot off the
ground behind you.
Grip a big rock or a
backpack filled with
something heavy if
you’ve done deadlifts
in the gym before.
l Keep your back
straight and a slight
bend in your knees.
Now take 2-3 seconds
to lower yourself
to touch your right
foot with your right
hand. Keep your back
flat throughout the
movement. Rise slowly
to the start, switch
legs and repeat.
Run hard for
60 seconds
GECKO PUSH-UP
02 04
06
l Muscles used: chest, shoulders, abs, triceps
l Start in a push-up position, supporting your body on the balls
of your feet and with your hands shoulder-width apart. Keep your
arms straight, but not locked.
l Bend your elbows, keeping them tucked to your sides, to lower
yourself to the ground. While lowering yourself, raise your right leg
off the ground slightly and bring its knee as close to your right
elbow as possible. When your chest touches the floor, straighten
your elbows and leg to push back to the start. Repeat with your
opposite leg on the next rep.
Run hard for 60 seconds
l Grab a pull-up bar
with a shoulder-width
underhand grip and
hang from it with
your elbows straight.
Adjust your grip if
you’re struggling
— the narrower it
is, the easier the
exercise will feel.
l Bend your elbows
to pull your chest to
the bar. Peer over the
bar for a second, then
slowly lower yourself
to the start position.
Take care not to sway
back and forth as this
will recruit more of
your abs.
Run hard
for 60 seconds
UNDERHAND-GRIP PULL-UP
l Muscles used: lats, biceps, forearms, abs
INVERTED ROW
l Muscles used: lats, abs, biceps, forearms
l Find a railing or bar that’s about waist-high and horizontal to
the ground — kids’ playground equipment should do the trick. Lie
on your back underneath the bar and grip it with a shoulder-width
overhand grip. Plant your feet flat on the ground and straighten
your knees so your body is diagonal to the ground.
l Bend your elbows to pull your chest to the bar, squeeze your
shoulder blades together and hold for two seconds, then release
to the start. Research in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning
Research found this move used the most muscle in your lats and
put the least pressure on your spine. Win-win.
Run hard for 60 seconds
Illustration: anthony Calvert
corbis
84 | MF | APRIL
mensfitnessmagazine.com.au | MF | 85

YOUR WORKOUT GRID
07
l Stand with your
feet twice shoulderwidth
apart and
interlock your
fingers behind your
head. Don’t let your
hands pull your
neck forward.
l Bend your
right knee while
attempting to
keep your left
knee straight, but
not locked. Lower
yourself as far
as you can while
keeping your right
heel on the ground,
then return to the
start position and
repeat on the
other side.
Run hard for
60 seconds
SIDE LUNGE
l Muscles used: glutes, core, hamstrings, calves, quads
09
AROUND-THE-WORLD PLANK
l Muscles used: core
l Put both feet on a park bench or rock and get into a pushup
position by supporting your body on the balls of your feet
and placing your hands shoulder-width apart. Keep your arms
straight, but not locked. Tense your abs and keep your back
straight without letting your hips sag.
l Without moving your feet, “walk” your hands in a clockwise
motion as far as you can (while keeping your feet on the bench),
or until the bench gets in your way, then move in an anti-clockwise
direction to return to the start. Do this twice.
Run hard for 60 seconds
WORKOUT 1 (total body workout)
Exercise
Reps
1. Single-leg squat 6
Run for 60 seconds
2. Gecko push-up 12
Run for 60 seconds
3. Raised-leg split-squat 8
Run for 60 seconds
4. Underhand-grip pull-up 8
Run for 60 seconds
5. Single-leg deadlift 12
Run for 60 seconds
6. Inverted row 10
Run for 60 seconds
7. Side lunge 12
Run for 60 seconds
8. Bodyweight tricep extension 12
Run for 60 seconds
9. Around-the-world plank 2
Run for 60 seconds
WORKOUT 2 (upper-body focus)
Exercise
Reps
1. Underhand grip pull-up 8
Run for 60 seconds
2. Gecko push-up 8
Run for 60 seconds
3. Inverted row 8
Run for 60 seconds
4. Around-the-world plank 2
Run for 60 seconds
5. Bodyweight tricep extension 10
Run for 60 seconds
6. Single-leg squat 6
Run for 60 seconds
7. Single-leg deadlift 12
Run for 60 seconds
8. Raised-leg split-squat 8
Run for 60 seconds
9. Side lunge 10
Run for 60 seconds
Rest for 2-3 minutes, then do another
full circuit as before.
Rest for 2-3 minutes, then do another
full circuit as before.
08
BODYWEIGHT TRICEP EXTENSION
l Muscles used: triceps, core, shoulders
l Find a railing or a bar that’s about waist-high and horizontal to
the ground. Get into a push-up position with your hands resting
shoulder-width apart on the bar. Keep your torso rigid and
elbows tucked close to your body.
l Bend your elbows to lower your body so that your head goes
beneath the bar. Straighten your arms to return to the starting
position. To make it harder, simply lower the bar — and to make
it easier, raise the bar slightly.
Run hard for 60 seconds
WORKOUT 3 (lower-body focus)
Exercise
Reps
1. Single-leg squat 8
Run for 60 seconds
2. Raised-leg split-squat 10
Run for 60 seconds
3. Single-leg deadlift 12
Run for 60 seconds
4. Side lunge 8
Run for 60 seconds
5. Underhand-grip pull-up 12
Run for 60 seconds
6. Gecko push-up 10
Run for 60 seconds
7. Inverted row 10
Run for 60 seconds
8. Bodyweight tricep extension 8
Run for 60 seconds
9. Around-the-world plank 2
Run for 60 seconds
Rest for 2-3 minutes, then do another
full circuit as before.
corbis
86 | MF | APRIL
mensfitnessmagazine.com.au | MF | 87