the Tradie Workout. - Men's Fitness Magazine

HOW ‘THe traDIe’ worksThe Tradie Workout consists of two parts done back-to-back.Part 1 is a high-intensity, muscle-building circuit of 12 exerciseswith little or no rest, followed immediately by Part 2:15 minutes (including warm-up and cool-down) of fat-burninginterval sprints on a treadmill or stationery exercise bike.For the muscle-building circuit, use a weight that’s around70-80 percent of the most weight you can lift, push or pressjust once — this is called your one-rep maximum (1RM). Thisweight should allow you to complete 8-12 repetitions. Payattention to the tempo of each rep: each should take youfour seconds to raise and four seconds to lower.When you can do 12 reps of an exercise with that weight,it’s time to increase the weight by five percent. That way,you’re constantly challenging your muscles. Don’t restbetween sets — the time it takes you to put away the weightyou’ve used and set up the next weight is sufficient rest.If you feel that at the end of your set you can do anotherrep, go for it. The idea is to exhaust all your muscles in ashort time (30-45 minutes), which you’ll be able to do byfollowing up your weights workout with the high-intensitycardio workout directly afterwards.A study in The Journal of Strength and ConditioningResearch found that short but intense weight sessions gavelifters some of the biggest surges of testosterone — yourchief muscle-building hormone. With this in mind, stick todoing three workouts a week, leaving at least a day’s restbetween each one. Remember, the idea is not to cruisethrough your workout, but to feel totally buggered at theend of it, as if it was the very last gym session you’ll ever do.HOW TO DO each MOVE01BARBELL SQUATSl Muscles used: glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves, abs1. Stand with yourfeet shoulder-widthapart. Rest a barbellon your shoulders.2. Simultaneouslybend your hipsand knees to loweryourself until yourthighs are parallel tothe floor — you cango deeper if this feelscomfortable.3. Straighten yourknees to pushback up to thestart position.YOUR HIGH-INTENSITYWORKOUTPART 1: MUSCLE-BUILDINGExercise Sets Reps1. Barbell squats 2 8-122. Overhand-grip pull-ups 2 8-123. Dumbbell deadlifts 2 8-124. Incline-bench dumbbell chest press 2 8-125. Flat-bench dumbbell pullover 2 8-126. Cable face-pulls 2 8-127. Seated dumbbell shoulder press 2 8-128. EZ bar skull-crushers 2 8-129. Dumbbell bicep curls 2 8-1210. Close-grip bench press 2 8-1211. Standing calf raises 2 8-1212. Barbell rollout 2 8-12PART 2: FAT-BURNING1. Warm up for four minutes by jogging on the treadmillor pedalling easy on an exercise bike.2. Sprint for 15 seconds, then jog/pedal easy for 40 seconds.Repeat 6-8 times.3. Walk for two minutes to cool down.02OVERHAND-GRIP PULL-UPSl Muscles used: back, biceps, abs, forearms1. Grab the pull-up barwith an overhand gripshoulder-width apart.If you’re advanced,attach a lifting beltaround your waistand hang weightsoff it, or if you’re notstrong enough forthat, use the assistedpull-up machine.2. Hang at arm’slength so your elbowsare completelyextended, then pullyourself up untilyour chin crossesthe plane of the bar.3. Pause, then slowlylower yourself tothe starting positionwithout allowing yourbody to sway.all ILLUSTRATIONS: ANTHONY CALVERT

03DUMBBELL DEADLIFTSl Muscles used: quads, glutes, lower back, abs1. Place twodumbbells on theground in front ofyou. Stand with feetshoulder-width apart.Bend at your kneesand hips to bringyour upper bodytowards the weights.Grab them with anoverhand grip.2. Use your thighsto raise the weightsso your legsbecome straight.3. Lower the weightsback to the startposition, keepingyour back straightthroughout themovement.055. FLAT-BENCH DUMBBELL PULLOVERl Muscles used: chest, triceps, shoulders, abs,lats, forearms1. Grasp a light dumbbell in each handand lie back on a flat bench. Place yourfeet on the floor (you can also restthem on the bench).2. With your palms facing each other,bring the dumbbells together so thatthey’re touching. Bend your elbowsslightly (to about 30 degrees), thenlower the weights as far behind yourhead as you can. Keep your upperarms as close to your ears as possible.3. Raise to the start position along thesame path.04INCLINE-BENCH DUMBBELL CHEST PRESSl Muscles used: upper chest, triceps, shoulders1. Here’s how to add a steeperslope to your frontage. Lieon an incline bench set tobetween 30 and 45º. Placeyour feet flat on the floor andhold a dumbbell in each handabove your chest.2. Keep your head, torsoand hips pressed onto thebench. Lower the weightsto your sides.3. Straighten your arms topress the weights up so theyfinish above your chin.06CABLE FACE PULLSl Muscles used: lats, biceps, forearms, abs1. Stand facing the cable crossovermachine and fix the rope attachmentto a height that’s at eye level. Grab anend of the rope in each hand and stepback so your arms are straight in frontof you and parallel to the floor.2. Bend your elbows to bring themiddle of the rope attachment asclose to your face as possible.3. Take four seconds to straightenyour arms and return to the start.

07SEATED DUMBBELL SHOULDER PRESSl Muscles used: shoulders, abs1. Sit on the edge ofa seated bench withthe back pad set tovertical or just below.2. Hold a dumbbell ineach hand and hoistthem up so they’reon either side of yourhead. Straighten yourarms to push theweights above yourhead. Don’t lock yourelbows at the top ofthe movement.3. Slowly lower themto the start position.091. Stand with your feet shoulder-widthdumbbell BICEP CURLSl Muscles used: bicepsapart, holding a dumbbell in each handwith an underhand grip.2. Keeping your upper arms tucked intoyour sides and your shoulder bladespulled together, curl the weight up untilit reaches your shoulders.3. Contract your biceps, then reversethe motion and slowly return the weightto the starting position.08EZ BAR SKULL-CRUSHERSl Muscles used: triceps, shoulders1. Lie back on the bench and hold an EZ bar with a shoulder-width grip.2. Bend your elbows to lower the weight behind you. Keep your elbowstucked to the sides of your head.3. Straighten your arms to return the bar to the start position.10CLOSE-GRIP BENCH PRESSl Muscles used: triceps, shoulders, chest1. Lie on a flat bench-pressstation with your kneesbent and your feet flaton the floor. Grab a barbellwith an overhand grip,your hands about a fistwidthapart.2. Slowly lower the baruntil it reaches your chest.3. Pause, then press theweight back up until yourarms are extended. Don’tlock your elbows.

11STANDING CALF RAISESl Muscles used: calves, abs1. Rest the balls of your feet on theedge of a step or raised platform.Two-thirds of both feet should besuspended in mid-air. Hold onto asupport for balance if you need to.2. Lower your heels to the groundand, just before they touch, riseup onto your toes and hold thisposition for three seconds.Calculate yourstreNGTH safelyIt can be useful to learn the maximum weight you can doon each exercise — without having to load the nearestbarbell to capacity. There’s a safer way. Use these formulascreated by the University of New Mexico.For all upper-body exercises (such as bench presses andpull-ups), find the most weight you can lift 4-6 times (your4-6RM) and plug it into this equation: (4-6RM x 1.1307) +0.6998. As an example: if you can manage 5 reps with 60kgon the bench press, then according to the formula, the mostweight you can lift once (your 1RM) is 68.5kg (60 x 1.1307 +0.6998 = 68.5). Round it up to 69kg.For lower-body exercises (such as squats or deadlifts), usethis formula: 4-6RM x 1.09703) + 14.2546. As an example, ifyou can manage 5 reps of 100kg in the squat, then accordingto the formula, the most weight you can squat with once(your 1RM) is 124kg (100 x 1.09703 + 14.2546 = 124).What to pack inYOUR EskyIf you knock off at 4pm and are at the gym by 4.15pm, eat oneof these pre-workout meals at around 3.30pm. They’re fromSydney-based dietitian Dr Naras Lapsys from The Body Doctor(thebodydoctor.com.au) and will give you enough fuel foryour training session.12BARBELL ROLLOUTl Muscles used: abs, shoulders, lower back1. Load a barbell with 5-10kg plates and add some collars. Kneel on thefloor and grab the bar with an overhand shoulder-width grip. Positionyour shoulders directly over the barbell and keep your lower back inits natural arch.2. Slowly roll the bar forward, extending your body as far as youcan without letting your hips sag.3. Pause and reverse the move to return to the start. Your abs haveto tense to stop your torso and hips from falling onto the ground.1. Lean meat/chicken/fish and saladsandwich“Any type of bread will do the job, even white bread, because itprovides energy; the white bread will give you quick access tothat fuel,” Lapsys says. “If it’s multigrain bread, you’ll get slowandfast-release fuel and the lean protein is the nutrient yourmuscles need to be drip-fed energy while you train.”2. Egg-and-salad wrap“Using two eggs rather than one makes this a good-sizedwrap. The protein from the egg whites is 100 percentpremium, while low in fat,” Lapsys says. “The wrap deliversthe carbs for the energy to train.”3. One banana + 200g tub of low-fat yogurt“The yogurt is a great protein source and you get your fuelfrom the milk sugars and the fruit sugars,” Lapsys explains.“If you’re a big guy, grab a couple of pieces of fruit such asa few bananas and apples.”4. Medium-sized tin of baked beans“Eat them cold to get a protein- and carb-rich meal that’llreplenish the energy you’ve used at work while deliveringoomph to finance your training session.”5. 600ml low-fat iced coffee“This is a last-ditch solution, but it will give you enough proteinand carbs to keep you fuelled through the workout.”Ray Klerck is a Premier Global-trained strength coach andfat-loss specialist operating out of Ballina, NSW. He is theco-author of the sports-nutrition book A Fist Full of Food;rayklerck.com