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

April 2010 Men’s Fitness Magazine has some great routines in it. Building a NFL neck, to staying lean with Jeffrey Donovan’s MMA Workout. The workout that made me push myself and feel the burn was the “Build Muscle! Burn Fat! workout.” Anything with that has build and burn in it’s name has to live up to it. I have to say, I wasn’t disappointed.

Build Muscle! Burn Fat is a 5 star workout.

It focuses on contrast training which is executing a heavy exercise followed up by a light exercise. The heavier exercise makes you stronger and builds muscle. The lighter exercise works on your power. A nice combination that we can all use.

Frequency
Two times a week, resting at least a day between each session.

Takes about 45 minutes.

Execution:

Complete each exercise with in a sequence.
There are two sequence with in the total routine.

Sequence One:
Do each of these exercises right after the other.
Example of one set.
1a. Deadlift             4-6 Reps
1b. Deadlift Jump  4-6 Reps
1c. Bench Press    4-6 Reps
1d. Plyo Pushup    4-6 Reps
4-6 Sets

Sequence Two:
Do each of these exercises right after the other.
Example of one set.
2a. Dumbbell Reverse Lunge 5-8 Reps each leg
2b. Alternating Jumping Lunge 5-8 Reps each leg
2c. Chinup 4-6 Reps
2d. Medicine-Ball Slam 5-8 Reps
4-6 Sets.

Plate Chop  is to be done at the end of
both sequences.
Reps 8-10, Sets – 2-3

Men Fitness Dumbbell Workout By Steve Cotter  Review

I decided to do a video about on this routine because, as of late I have been putting a lot of long hours in at work. (15-17 hours) My time is limited. This routine gave me what I needed to maintain what I have worked so hard for. It can be found int the March 2010 issue of Men’s Fitness WWE Chris Jericho is on the cover, the issue also has  a really good chest routine. I gave it a four star rating because I felt it could have been a little bit more intense. However for a 30 minute workout it is solid.

The Dumbbell Workout -
Perform 3 times per week, rest a day between each session.
Time needed 30 minutes.
Exercises
Floor Press
Sets: 3 Reps: 10
Get Up Situp
Sets: 2 Reps: 5 (each side)
Renegade Row
Sets: 3 Reps: 10 (each side)
Goblet Squat
Sets: 3 Reps: 15
One Arm Push Press
Sets: 3 Reps: 15 (each side)
Single Leg Deadlift
Sets: 3 Reps: 8 (each side)
One Arm Swing
Sets: 3-5 Reps: 15 -20 (each side)

To increase the intensity for this workout shorten the rest between reps from 60 seconds, to 30 seconds or 15 seconds.

The February 2010 issue of Men’s Fitness is packed with workouts, fitness tips and no – flab foods. What got my attention was their ” MMA WORKOUT GET ABS LIKE GSP.” Any UFC fan knows that GSP ( Georges St-Pierre ) has some of the best looking abs in the UFC. I was inclined to review this workout because I want them too. I wasn’t disappointed, well may be a little but not in a bad way . More like I wish I had more time way. I gave this workout four and a half stars. It is a solid ab routine, left me with that I have been worked out feeling.

The time and the commitment it takes to get the MMA abs is something I don’t have right now. I also think that a lot of readers of MF are thinking the same thing. Great workout but how do I fit it into my real life? This is my only issue with the workout, that it wouldn’t fit into my real life to get me the results that I see on the UFC fighters. There is hope, the article says up to six times a week. Maybe I can get by with twice a week. We will see.

Workout developed by: Adam Campbell and Rachel Cosgrove, C.S.C.S.

This routine was developed to keep the cast of the up coming new Starz  series Spartacus: Blood and Sand in shape.
The workout is a fat burning, core tuning and high intensity circuit training. Circuit training is when you do a group of exercises one after the other resting after you have completed the all exercises in the group.

I have to give credit to Adam Campbell and Rachel Cosgrove for designing such a tough whip your a$$ back into shape workout. I have been incorporating this routine into my workout for about a week. Each time I do this routine I am pushing myself to do a minute on each exercise. That’s the hook here, each of the exercises in the routine are supposed to be done for a minute. I can get through the first circuit doing a minute on each exercise, the second and third I go for reps instead. At the end of the workout I am drenched in sweat that’s why I gave this workout a five star rating. My advice for anyone starting out who hasn’t worked out in a while is to take slowly. A minute on each exercise is a lot. If you are just starting out go for reps instead of time on each exercise. Once you have become acclimated to the routine, then push for time. Remember you have nothing to prove to no one, except to yourself.

There are a total of ten exercises that make up the Men’s Health Spartacus Workout.  You can download the whole routine plus enter to win a walk on role as a gladiator on Spartacus series.

Click here to get the routine plus find out how to enter the contest.

So I have decide to enter the contest. I would be totally blown away if I won, I will start posting pictures of my progress right away.
Also to keep track of my progress with the routine I have programmed it into my FitnessBuilder iPhone App. You can keep up with what I am doing on my Facebook and Twitter accounts. Every time I do the workout FitnessBuilder will  up date Facebook andTwitter for me.

Let’s see what happens. Stay tuned for more magazine workout reviews and product reviews.