It can be difficult to find warmups, resistance training workouts and cardio workouts and cooldowns that flow together well and help with fitness test or tactical fitness goal-setting. Many steps of a complete workout often are skipped (warmups/cooldowns).
Here is a mix of some of our recent favorite creations into one challenging upper-body day.
Warmups with the PT/run pyramid: Push-ups and pull-up pyramid 1-10 (with 25-meter runs or 25 jump ropes or jumping jacks between sets). If you have room to do a short run between pull-up and push-up sets, do so or replace 25- to 50-meter runs with 10 seconds of jumping rope, dynamic stretch movements or jumping jacks.
Plank pose 10 minutes but do a set of a 10 -1 push-up pyramid every minute on the minute.
Repeat 3 times
- Bench Press 5-10
- Hanging knee-ups or leg tucks max -- This will help balance out the plank pose above.
Repeat 3 times
- Pull-ups max and/or pull-downs 10
- Dips max
- Heavy rows 5-10
- Biceps/military press 10 -- mix biceps curls and a military (overhead) press into one fluid movement.
- Shrugs 20
Run 20 minutes for max distance or do 400-meter runs or 100-meter walks for as many times as you can within 20 minutes. See if you can get 8-10 sets done in 20 minutes if you need a goal.
For instance:
Repeat 8-10 times
- Run 400 meters at goal mile pace
- Walk 100 meters
Swim 20 minutes for max distance plus 10 minutes tread (no hands if possible). You can do this swim workout with or without fins. You may find that your arms do not quite work well after the challenging upper-body workout above, so the added movement through fins will help relieve pressure on the arms and shoulders. See whether you can do the 10 x 50-meter free/ 50-meter CSS (combat swimmer stroke) workout in under 20 minutes.
For instance:
Repeat 10 times
- Swim 50 meters freestyle fast
- Swim 50 meters CSS at goal pace
- (try to not rest or take minimal rest)
This workout is a series of favorites that may take 90 minutes to complete if you did all of the above in one session. Pick and choose what you can do or do them all, even if you have to break up the resistance training and the cardio events into two sessions.
Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL and fitness author certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Visit his Fitness eBook store if you’re looking to start a workout program to create a healthy lifestyle. Send your fitness questions to stew@stewsmith.com.
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