Well if I can’t get the suit of kick ass armor might as well get the next best thing, the body. Robert Downey Jr.  looks shredded in the sequel to Iron Man. How did he do it? Men’s Fitness brought in his secret weapon Brad Bose, Ph.d.  Brad developed a fat burning, full body and core ripping routine. I had to substitute some of the exercises due to the type of equipment I have, but the workout still does the job.

Bose says to stretch before and after training. He also says if you limit your calories between 1,600 and 2000 you will see results fast. Gotta love the science of exercise.

Here are some tips from the article.
Beginners should exercise to failure, taking the remainder of the minutes to rest.
In other words since the workout is based on time. If you can only go for 25 seconds out of a minute, use the other 35 seconds to rest.

For intermediate lifters take a minute from the two minute rest period  and perform the exercises listed below.

Block 1; Jogging in place
Block 2: Crunches
Block 3: Plank
Block 4; Jumping Jacks

Frequency:
3 times a week
Cardio of your choice for a hour on alternate days

Block 1
Jump Rope (Substitute for StairClimber ) 5 minutes
Push ups 1 minute
Bent over Rows (Substitute for cable rows) 1 minute
Dead-Bug 1 minute
Bear Crawl 1 minute
Clean & Jerk 1 minute

Block 2
Jump Rope (Substitute for StairClimber ) 5 minutes
Pull-Ups 1 minute
Kettle Bell Alternating Arm Swing 1 minute
Plank 1 minute
Side Laterals  ( Substitute for Bosu Ball Standing Side Raises) 1 minute
Walking Lunge 1 minute

Block 3
Jump Rope (Substitute for StairClimber ) 5 minutes
Hyperextension Swiss Ball ( Substitute for Gym Hyperextension Bench) 1 minute
Swiss Ball Dumbbell Chest Press 1 minute
Bird Dog 1 minute
One Foot up Split Squat ( Substitute for Gym Alternating One-Leg Press) 1 minute
Standing Long Jump 1 minute

Block 4
Jump Rope (Substitute for StairClimber ) 5 minutes
MedicineBall Uni Push Up ( Substitute for Bosu Ball Push -up) 1 minute
Swiss Ball Side Crunch 1 minute
Swiss Ball Squat 1 minute
Sumo Squat 1 minute

I have done the Spartacus Workout roughly twenty four times from 1/16/10 till now. The workout is tough, it gets my heart pumping, muscles burning and my mind saying “Just one more set, keep swinging, breath!” Then stinging sweat saturated drips into my eyes. Midway through the second circuit I take off my shirt because it’s soaked. The cool down actually helps me make it through the routine. This workout still holds the mantel of the hardest workout I have ever done. Depending on how much rest I get ,I can push more weight. Trying to do this routine after a 30 minute warm up run will leave you feeling sick. Yes Spartacus lives up to its’ roman heritage and so do the results.

Taking pictures of before and after is a great way to boost your confidence. It also helps to drive you to maintain focus and stay driven. We are all visual creatures and seeing is believing. Below are my latest gains while working out with Spartacus and eating right. I have to get some better lighting, these images are loosing some definition that really shows the difference in the comparison.

I am going to start posting the workouts for the week, just in case you want to try them for yourself. My training starts on Sunday and ends on Saturday. I rest one or two days during the week. This week I am doing Full Body workouts, core, arms and leg.

I am sharing the following workouts through the FitnessBuilder iPhone app. Note you must have the FitnessBuilder iPhone app for me to share workouts with you.
Please contact me and let me know the email and workout you are interested in.

Spartacus
Men’s Fitness Build Muscle! Burn Fat!
Muscle and Fitness Home Leg Workout 1
Muscle and Fitness Home Leg Workout 2
Muscle and Fitness Home Leg Workout 3

This week workouts for 3/21/10

Sunday:
Spartacus
Martial arts training

Monday:
Men’s Fitness Build Muscle! Burn Fat!
Martial arts class.

Tuesday:
Men’s Health Arm Workout A
Muscle and Fitness Home Leg Workout 1
Martial arts training

Wednesday:
Spartacus
Martial arts class

Thursday:
Rest

Friday:
Men’s Health Arm Workout B
Muscle and Fitness Home Leg Workout 2
Martial arts training

Saturday:
Spartacus
Muscle and Fitness Home Leg Workout 3
Martial Arts Training

When you see this icon on my site it means that I have it programed into the iPhone app FitnessBuilder. FitnessBuilder is one of most comphresive exercise apps for the iPhone.
I reviewed it for 60 days and lost 16 lbs. using it. 

I can share the workouts through FitnessBuilder iPhone app or a downloadable pdf. Please contact me and let me know the email and workout you are interested in.

My typical day starts anywhere between 5:00 and 5:30 am. Alarm goes off reminding me to move. Depending on what time I go to bed, I get up with a snap or I lay there just a little more trying to squeeze some last minute rest in. Today started at 5:16 I brushed my teeth and walked the dog.  Then right into Kettlebell training. Kettlebells or Girya (Russian: гиря) is a cast iron weigh  bowling ball-sized  with a single looped handle on top. Kettlebells range in weight from two pounds to over 100 pounds. Common strength training aids in Eastern Europe, Kettlebells are taking off in the West thanks to fitness programs like CrossFit. Kettlebells are a favorite item in most CrossFit gyms, along with some other basic training items like weighted medicine balls, pull up bars, jump ropes and lots of free weights.  In Russia
where they are mega popular you can actually become a certified Kettlebell trainer.

I recently purchased two 30lb Kettlebells to add another layer to my fitness routine. They say your supposed to acclimate your body to Kettlebells. I just went to Sports Authority lifted a few and went with the weight that had a moderate resistance. For as much as I have been lifting, my tolerance is getting higher and I can handle more weight. However the kettlebells due to there odd shape just feels different when you workout with them.  Unlike traditional dumbbells, the Kettlebell’s center of mass is extended beyond the hand, similar to a Clubbell’s. This allows for swing movements not possible with traditional dumbbells. More muscle groups are utilized in the swinging  movement of a Kettlebells than lifting of dumbbells,  it is said to be more effective, and yields better results in less time. My wrist are taking a bit of a beating and my hands are getting more callous due to the twisting motion from the grip. My tolerance for the pain only goes so far, a pair of lifting gloves with wrist support alliviated the issue.

The workouts I have been doing are from my FitnessBuilder app. FitnessBuilder was the first fitness product that I started the whole 60days with. I still use this app on a regular basis. I am able to program all workouts that I review and talk about into it so I can keep track of everything that I am doing. FitnessBuilder is the most sophisitcated fitness app in the market, a personal trainer in your pocket.

When you work out with Kettlebells make sure you have enough room. Your going to do a lot of swinging motions. So clear out your workout space, make sure your kids if you have any and pets are out of the way. Swinging around any amount of weight is going to cause some serious bone crushing damage if you hit someone or something by accident.  For form  get a mirror. For exercises there are a ton of really good references online.
One guy who is just ripping it up with Kettlebells, is Mike Mahler. He has workshops, training videos, and e-books.

Click here to check out his site with example kettbell exercises. Below is one of the exercises you will find on his site.

Kettlebell Pistol (One-legged Squat) Holy leg strength Mike!

So how do I feel so far from training, I am totally sore. Kettbells are a full body workout with a ton of core movements. I feel like I have been washed and rinsed. My core is screaming at me and when I wake up I am still feeling it, from the workout I did yesterday. So far I think the kettle bells are worth it.

I will keep blogging about my usage of kettlebells, stay tuned…

kettbell info source: