Killer Lunges

Next time you go to do your lunges try this routine for new results! You will be doing front lunges with dumbbells working one leg at a time. Do 8 reps on one leg and then switch to the other one. After you complete this go back to the leg you started with and do 4 reps with a 4 second pause at the bottom of each rep. Finish the 4 reps on the other leg and rest. Remember when doing your lunges to focus on dropping straight down and keeping everything from your waist up nice and straight. Your hamstrings and glutes will be left in pain!

Front lunges with dumbbells- 8 reps each leg, then 4 reps with a 4 second pause at the bottom

Do 1 set and rest for 90 seconds. Repeat 3 more times.

H4 favorites # 3- Newman's Own Hi-Protein pretzels

The Newman's Own brand is known for its organic and healthy foods. One of their best products is their Hi-Protein pretzels. Not only are they made with wheat flour but they also contain 5 grams of protein per serving! Dip them in peanut butter and you have a great high protein snack! Look for the product in Whole Foods stores.

Here is the link to the company website and below is the nutritional info.

Serving Size: about 22 pretzels (30g), Calories per Serving: 120, Calories from fat: 15, Total Fat: 1.5g (saturated fat: 0gm), Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 230mg, Total Carbohydrates: 22g (dietary fiber: 4g, sugars: 1g), Protein: 5g

http://www.newmansownorganics.com/

H4 fat burner # 8- Timed matrix

I know some of you wanted workouts that could be done with minimal equipment and space so here you go. This is purely bodyweight and its not restricted by the amount of space you have. The only equipment you will need is a bar set up in a squat rack or a bar on the Smith machine.

You will begin by doing 6 pushups each with a 10 second negative count. This means that on the descend towards the floor you will count slowly to 10 before exploding back to the top. After you complete the 6 reps you will continue and do as many regular pushups as you can for 30 seconds. Moving on from there, you will get up and do 30 seconds worth of bodyweight squats with your arms crossed against your chest. To finish just drop yourself in the bottom position of the squat and hold it for 30 seconds. Repeat starting back with the pushups and go through the whole routine 1-2 more times in a row before taking a break.

Pushups- 6 reps for 10 second negative

THEN
Pushups- as many in 30 seconds

THEN

Squats-as many in 30 seconds

THEN

Squat hold-30 seconds

Repeat without rest 1-2 more times.

Once you rest for about 2-3 minutes move on to this next matrix. Now you will start with inverted rows for 30 seconds. To perform an inverted row lie faceup under a bar with a wide grip. From here pull yourself up so your chest hits the bar. Our focus here is the lats along with some minimal bicep work. For those of you who are strong you can keep your legs straight out while doing these, if you are not as strong then keep your legs bent. Now move onto 30 seconds of arm reach crunches. To perform just lie on your back with your legs toward the ceiling and arms extended behind your head touching the floor. From here crunch up reaching your stretched arms to your toes without moving your legs. Make sure to let your hands hit the floor behind you on every rep. Next do 30 seconds of alternating front lunges and then 30 seconds of hill climbers. Repeat this starting with the inverted row and going through the whole matrix 1-2 more times without rest.

Inverted row- as many in 30 seconds

THEN

Arm reach crunches-as many in 30 seconds

THEN
Alternating front lunges-as many in 30 seconds

THEN

Hill climbers-as many in 30 seconds

Repeat without rest 1-2 more times

*** Note if you cannot complete full pushups then do incline pushups on a bar or if you must on your knees.

Dip/Push combo

Looking for a way to fry your triceps and pecs? Try this combination move that I took from well known trainer Alwyn Cosgrove. You will simply move from dips to pushups. A good place to start with this routine is by doing 4 dips followed immediately by 4 pushups, then 3 dips....3 pushups...etc all the way down to 1 of each. First give this a try and if it is too easy then start at 6, 8, or whatever is a challenge for you.

** No rest between

Dips 4 reps

Pushups 4 reps

Dips 3 reps

Pushups 3 reps

Dips 2 reps

Pushups 2 reps

Dips 1 rep

Pushups 1 rep

Quickie!

Limit your time in the gym to under an hour. If you are truly working out hard than you shouldn't be able to last must longer than 60 minutes anyways. Hormone levels tend to decrease after this time as well so you are really not doing yourself too much good.

Deadlift 50

The following is a quick fire way to add a change to your leg workout. I would use this at the beginning of your leg day before you get into everything else. Your goal here will be to do 50 deadlifts. I want you to start with as many as you can, most likely 10-12 reps and then rest. The rest time will only be 15 seconds before you try and do as many more reps as you can. Again, take 15 seconds and then get as many reps in. Repeat this until you have reached 50 reps. In terms of how much weight you should use, I would use your body weight. For example if you are 180 lbs you will deadlift 180 lbs for the routine. Now, if you are not the strongest deadlifter or just never deadlift I would then recommend using a weight more comfortable for you. Really make sure to think about pushing through your heels on the way up and then finish by squeezing your glutes and driving your hips forward. Deadlifts need to be done with focus in order to get the most out of them. I want you to feel truly get a burn in those hammies and glutes.

On the surface this routine might not appear too bad but let me tell you I have never been so sore in my hamstrings as I was from this. Enjoy!

Two way combo for chest

A method you might not have tried to gain some muscle on your chest is this type of combo lift.You are going to be basically taking two exercises and performing them back to back. First set up a incline bench and grab some dumbbells. Now perform incline chest presses until you have about 2 reps left in the tank and then bring the weights down to rest on your thighs. If you are able to do more than 10-12 reps than you should increase the weight. After you rest the weights, have someone drop the bench so it is flat and then perform chest presses until failure. use the same weight on both the incline and flat press. There is no rest between the exercises other than to change the bench. This routine is really tough and flat out sucks. I would recommend doing 3-4 sets of it. Remember that the flat bench part of the combo will be the toughest since your chest will be pre-fatigued.