The End of the World Workout

by James Scott

2012 is upon us. The Mayans have given us 12 months to get in the best shape of our life! Maybe that is what this fuss is all about. I don’t have too much experience dodging flaming asteroids and swimming across newly formed oceans, but I would imagine it would take a decent fitness level to stay right side up. I kid, but seriously, people are always looking for different reasons to get in shape. Weddings, marathons, class reunions, etc. Only a small percentage of us work out regularly without any end date or goal in mind. Hey, if it takes a civilization of Native Americans telling you the end is near to get you motivated, then so be it. So my advice to you is to take this and run with it, literally. I propose this: the official 2012 End of the World Workout.

Like I said earlier, my experience with training for cataclysmic natural events is limited, but this 50 week long workout should put you in the best shape possible to avoid any and all unknowns. The format is really simple. The workouts are shaped like a pyramid, a Mayan pyramid! Kinda cheesy, I know, but I promise these workouts will kick your butt. The strength training workouts will be done on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The cardio will be done on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Saturday is an optional day for you. Sunday is your recovery day. Imagine a pyramid starting with the number one and going up to the number five at the top of the pyramid and then coming back down ending with a one on the other side. Each number represents a week, so this pyramid is a total of nine weeks. After you complete a nine week pyramid, take a week off. Here is the tricky part. Multiply each number by 10 minutes (for the workout duration) so that the first week’s workouts will be 10 minutes, week two’s will be 20 minutes, and so on with the top of the pyramid maxing out at 50-minute workouts.

For the nine week strength training pyramid, you will need to pick four exercises that you can at least complete for 12 reps. The four exercises are: an upper body pushing exercise, an upper body pulling exercise, a lower body exercise and a core/abdominal exercise. These four exercises will be done in circuits. Try to stay moving for the given amount of time that week. The reps will never change. For 50 weeks you will always do 12 reps. Each week you will be going 10 minutes longer, therefore the sets will increase on the way up and decrease on the way down. Once you complete a pyramid, take a week off, and pick four new exercises for your next pyramid. Remember ground-based exercises (no machines) will give you more bang for your buck!

The cardio days are easier to plan. Simply pick a mode of cardio and complete it for that week's given amount of time. For example, during week one you will jog for 10 minutes, week two jog for 20 minutes. Feel free to change up the modes between Tuesdays and Thursdays. You do not have to have the same mode of cardio for nine weeks.

These type of workouts are great for a number of reasons, but I especially like them because they are really safe. Starting out slowly, getting familiar with the exercise and steadily increasing the intensity gives your body enough time to safely and efficiently complete the workouts as the weeks progress. Another good thing about these workouts is that the intensity is relative, meaning that you increase the intensity simply by completing more sets and taking fewer breaks in that week’s given time period. You will be surprised at how efficiently your body responds to the workouts as you are able to complete more sets without getting as tired. So, even at week nine, which is a 10 minute week, you will be completing almost twice as many sets as you did in week one (also a 10 minute week).

James Scott is the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Shanghai Sharks. If you have a fitness question you’d like him to answer in a future column, please email him at [email protected].