Shin's MaxWorkouts (most popular on my site)

The weather is starting to get warm and people want to get back in shape for the summer. So I decided to launch the “10 Day Giveaway” where I giveaway one of my favorite fitness programs to a lucky reader every 10 days. All you have to do to enter the contest is submit your name and email. If you refer a friend via Facebook or Twitter, you automatically get 10 more entries!

All you have to do to enter the contest is —-> CLICK HERE

If you want to know how to lose belly fat, you probably already know there’s no magic solution… and usually, anyone telling you how to lose belly fat with a magic pill, potion, or technique is not being completely honest. Unlike muscle building, where you can increase muscle size by working certain muscles, you can not burn belly fat on demand by simply doing lots of situps, especially if you are already overweight. On top of that, some people are genetically pre-disposed to accumulating fat on certain parts of their body.

That’s why some people tend to accommodate fat on their thighs, others on their belly, others on their rear, etc. They even have clinical terms for this; some people are “pear shaped”, with weight accumulating around their rear and thighs, whereas others are “apple shaped” with fat building around their belly. So you have to know how the body works in the first place if you want to know how to lose belly fat.

So although you can grow muscles with isolated exercises, you can’t do the same with fat. And since some people are genetically wired to gain fat on certain parts of their body, the goal should be to lose fat overall, and not just focusing on one specific area. Once you’ve lost weight, then you can make certain areas of your body look stronger, but overall weight loss should be your first goal. Luckily, this article is all about nerdy facts you can use to lose belly fat scientifically. Understanding the science of fat gain (and loss) is one the most empowering fatloss secrets you can have. So let’s begin…

Hard to Believe, But Fat Is Your Friend

Before we talk about losing belly fat, let’s talk about why fat is actually your friend… Belly fat, like any othe kind of fat is gained through a very simple physiological process. In it’s simplest form, it can be explained like this:

Sugar in the blood –> Secretion of insulin –> Fat accumulation

So the carbohydrates that we eat are broken down into glucose (a kind of sugar), which is absorbed in the bloodstream. The body detects the glucose and releases insulin which transports the glucose into our cells. And one of the main destinations for glucose is fat cells. In other words, it’s not JUST about eating too many calories, it’s about sugar in your blood inducing the production of insulin, which in turn causes your body to turn that sugar into fat.

This is actually a blessing from God because your body produces insulin to protect the sugar in your blood causing oxidation, which can seriously damage your nerves. So fat is actually your friend, because it’s the result of a chemical process which prevents sugar in your blood from killing you!

Not to mention the fact that fat is actually an emergency energy store for when you don’t have enough food. If you didn’t have fat, your body would turn on itself and start using muscle as an energy source, causing a reduction in muscle and bone density.

Excess sugar is enemy #1; not calories, not fat, and not laziness. At the end of the day, don’t let your body secrete too much insulin because that causes your body to protect itself and turn that excess sugar into fat. Simple.

The Secret of How To Lose Belly Fat – And Any Fat for That Matter

I know, I know… fat protecting your nerves from oxidation and your body from turning on itself sounds great and all, but you want to know how to get rid of it… The good news is that as far as weight loss, there is a simple, scientific formula, that knocked my socks off when I learned it. I heard it from a personal trainer a long time ago, and then my wife explained it to me as well. Mind you, my wife is a registered dietitian at one of the most prestigious hospitals in Chicago. She has been published in magazines like Better Home & Garden, Redbook, and Shape and has been featured on multiple Chicago news stations and newspapers (check out her site if you don’t believe me) She confirmed this simple, unbreakable, scientific formula. Once you understand it, it breaks the cycle of depression, hopelessness, and fear you may have about losing weight. So without further ado, here’s the formula:

1lb of fat = 3500 excess calories – (this “secret” can help you drop 1 pound of fat per week with NO exercise)

You probably already know that your body turns excess calories (especially sugar) into fat. It doesn’t matter if it is cookies and cupcakes or lean beef and green beans you’re eating (it’s a little more complicated than that, but let’s just keep it simple here). So if you want to drop weight WITHOUT working out, all you have to do is cut out 500 excess calories per day! Think about it, if you cut out 500 calories per day for 7 days (7 days x 500 calories = 3500 calories) your body will burn a pound of fat. If you want to lose belly fat, this is the secret. On top of that, you’ll lose fat evenly across your body: arms, thighs, face, chin, rear, etc. Over time, you’ll lose belly fat as well. But it will be natural, safe, and most of all, consistent. Now, cutting out 500 calories daily might SOUND hard, but think about these numbers:

• one can of pop has 250 calorie
• a candy bar has 250 calories
• a slice of cake has 400 calories
• french fries have 400 calories
• a mocha at the cafe has 500 calories

You get the idea? Basic things that most of us eat without even thinking hold the key to our weight loss. So cutting out some of these junky, high calorie foods can help you drop a pound per week without any exercise.

The Key to Losing Belly Fat: What You Eat

It’s hilarious because Brad consumed 800 calories in the time it took Craig to burn 42 calories by running on the treadmill running 10.5 miles per hour on a .5 incline.

Doesn’t sound fair does it? It’s not, but guess what, that shows the power of doing a lot of little things consistently over time. Basically, you can burn 10 times as much fat in a month by watching what you eat compared to actually running on a treadmill but not reducing your calorie intake.

Moral of the story: you can never out-train a bad diet.

 The “Exercises to Lose Belly Fat” Myth

The best ab exercise in the world is… no ab exercises

One more thing I wanted to discuss is the myth of  “special exercises to lose belly fat”. People spend a lot of time looking for exercises to lose belly fat without knowing the actual science of fat accumulation and loss. One of the biggest myths out there is that you can do certain exercises to lose belly fat. If you train your abs too much, you’re just going to build the muscles underneath your fat. Not only that, but direct ab exercises lead to overtraining and demotivation. Once you’ve lost weight, you can do exercises to firm up your abs, make them stronger, etc just like any other muscle. But doing abdominal exercises expecting to lose belly fat without modifying your diet and losing overall body weight doesn’t work.

I scour the internet for the coolest bodyweight workouts and at home workout routines around. And Jeff Cavaliere from AthleanX never disappoints. He’s one of my favorite fitness pros, with some of the most actionable and interesting work out routines around. As a former martial artist I’m a big fan of body weight workouts. Not only that, but I’m a father of two wonderful boys (a 3.5 year old and a 2 week old!) so I have very little time to go to the gym after work.

Perfect for People Who Want to Exercise at Home

So this body weight workout routine really caught my interest. Not only is it a body weight routine, but it’s totally different from any at home exercises other you’ve probably ever seen. When I saw the first exercise, I was just blown away. It literally takes bodyweight training to a whole new level, just because it’s so creative. The only thing you need is a pull up bar, if you don’t have one, just get one from Walgreens for like $25.

Now with most home work out routines, you’ll be doing boring stuff like pushups and squats. But check these out:

Walking Pushups: Start in plank position. Then do a sidewalk on your hands and elbows about 5 “steps”. This will workout your back and triceps. Then you get the explosive benefit of a plyometric jump into position. You want do this for about 10 reps.

Handstand Pushups: The best want to do these is to walk yourself up. Climb up the wall, let your head go down and do these to failure. They will work you out like crazy. If you’re just starting you’ll do 2 or 3, but you can go up to 15 if you’re stronger.

Lunge-Squat Combo: This is a great lower body exercise because it combines two. It’s a step up lunge combo which works out your calves, thighs, and hamstrings at the same time. You simply climb up and then back down into a lunge position. Do 12 reps on each leg. It’s amazing and you’ll feel the burn.

90 Degree Pullups: Do pullups which work your back, but then do a 90 degree hold. it works out your back, stomach, and of course biceps. Hold it for 45 seconds.

Circle Leg Lifts: Lie back down to the ground. Lift your legs and rotate. Do it 6 times in one direction and 6 in the other. Amazing abdominal workout routine hits your entire core.

Do this circuit with no rest between exercises. This is the way the US Navy SEALs train as well. It’s a great circuit and one of my favorite workout routines for men. Needless to say it can be done in the comfort of your own home.

MMA workouts are a great way to train because you build speed, endurance, and of course explosive strength. They provide an amazing cardio workout which helps burn fat and build muslce. Best of all, they’re ideal for both men and women (with minor modifications of course) In this post, I’m sharing some of my favorite mma and boxing workouts from the top fitness trainers and mma fighters in the world, Jeff Cavaliere. This mma workout WILL get you in shape, and you’ll feel the burn after the first few exercises.

[Quick Tip: Eric Wong has a pretty popular MMA workout. Just comment on this post if you want my free review of the product]

Anyway, here’s a quick MMA workout that can easily double as a boxing workout. Like most boxing work out routines, it’s characterized by fast paced, explosive, quick movements. It’s got a lot of intensity and a lot of diversity, forcing your body to adapt quickly. Since boxers and cage fighters train for endurance and explosive power, you’ll develop speed, strength, and agility using this workout. One thing you’ll note about these guys is that they do a lot of “unstable” workouts, meaning they workout standing up to really workout their core stabilizer muscles. Practicing kicks and grappling is no doubt critical to mma fighters, but workout standing up develops the “core” muscles they need to power all of their moves. That’s why Bruce Lee focused so much on strengthenig his core; he knew how important a strong core is to generate powerful strikes. Of course, it will make your mid-section stronger and more defined as well.

This mma workout video is by fitness superstar Jeff Cavaliere. It’s about 9 minutes, but I’ve transcribed it here just in case you’re crunched for time. Again, both these are not just workout routines for men because women can do this (without weights if you’d like)

Tapping Kettle Bell Swings: Grab the kettle bell, come up and take a swing, but you want fast, quick hands. Get into the routine, get into the swing, and at the top, you want to tap it, for that bit of plyometric resistance. You’ll see that Jeff briefly lets go of it for a second to build hand speed and coordination.

The Scramble: Attach a resistance band to an immovable object. Then, put yourself into the band and run around. You’ll see how the resistance builds a lot of core strength. It’s an ingenious workout because it forces you to be dynamic and unscripted. You have to fight to keep your distance and really challenge your legs.

Burpee Punches: This is a great upper body workout for speed and explosive strength. You get down into a burpee, come up, and then punch. Do a pushup, up in one move, come up and punch with 10 lb dumbbells. This is building a ton of core strength and of course the endurance and explosive punches you’ll need for a fight. You want to do a set of 6 uppercuts and 6 straight punch reps. You can do it without weights if you’d like also.

The Scramble w/ Kettle Bells: You want to make sure you have two 50 lb kettle bells set up becaues you’re going to be moving them across the room. Get back into the resistance band, lift the kettle bell up, and then drop it on the other side of the room. Repeat this process a few times across the room. It really works out your arms, legs, and obliques.

Crunch & Punch: Get on your knees, underneath two bands on a bar and then hunch over. Then you simply want to punch down into the ground. Alternate straight punches down into the ground to really workout your back, abs, and obliques.

Quick Feet: Get back into the resistance band, this time without weights. Make some turns, just run around and do some crossovers, go sideways, whatever. Do it for about 30 seconds. Having fun yet?

Bands: Take the same two bands from the crunch and punch. Grab them and do rapid fire knee attacks, using the bands for arm resistance. At this point in the workout you can see Jeff getting really winded. You’ll probably feel the same.

The Scramble w/ Kettle Bells: You basically do these again. You want to make sure you have two 50 lb kettle bells set up becaues you’re going to be moving them across the room. Get back into the resistance band, lift the kettle bell up, and then drop it on the other side of the room. Repeat this process a few times across the room.

These things are no-nonsense, hyper-athletic mma workouts that WILL get you in the best shape of your life. This isn’t just for mma fighters, it’s for fire fighters, college students, SWAT teams across the country, and even regular people who just want to get in better shape.

One Last Thing

I have some really great MMA workout programs that I recommend. They’re perfect for regular folks who don’t want to be a fighter, but who want to look like one. If you’re interested, just join my email list and I’ll send you some free information about them as well as honest reviews.

I wanted to put together a list of best cardio workouts for people who don’t have a lot of time to mess around. I have 2 young kids and am always looking for effective work out routines that don’t take a lot of time. These cardio workouts can be done by themselves at home, or at the gym with your regular exercise routines. These don’t use treadmills or ellipticals or anything time consuming like that. If you’ve read my other blog posts, you’ll know that “low and slow” intensity cardio just doesn’t burn that many calories. These are the best cardio workouts in my opinion because they can all be done at home without traditional fitness equipment. They all use body weight movements, with the exception of just a towel. They’re brutally effective for burning fat and speeding up your metabolism which makes them the best cardio workouts for weight loss.

Best Cardio Workout #1 (Only Takes 9 Minutes)

This is video shows Mike Cheng from sixpackshortcuts.com doing a really good home cardio workout. It’s mostly body weight and almost anyone can do it.

1). Jumping Squats: Just start in squat positon and jump up and down for 15 seconds

2). Side to Side Pushups: After your jumping squats you want to drop down into pushup position and move to the side and do a pushup. Both your feet and hands should move at the same time. You want to do these for another 15 seconds. At this point your blood should be pumping and you’ll feel the cardio effects of this workout.
3). Towel Roll: Then you want to get your towel (or shirt, or jumprope, or whatever) and bend your knees into a semi-squat. With your arms fully extended, you want to pull the towel tight and then bring it to your stomach. You’ll do 15 seconds of this motion, almost like you’re doing a seated row.

4). Towel Raise: You’ll start feeling the effects in your shoulder at this point. While holding the towel in squatting position, you want to bring it down to your knees and then raise it above your head. It’s important to pull the towel tightly. Again, do this for 15 seconds.

5). Half Burpees: Here you’re doing a burpee, except that you don’t stand all the way up. Remember to be light on your feet when doing this exercise. This exercise will really engage your core. Like the past movements in this routine, you want to do it for 15 seconds.

After you do the full circuit, you’re going to rest for 60 seconds and then do it 3 more times. It’s exhausting, but really effective.

Best Cardio Workout #2 (Takes 2 Minutes)

Here’s another video from Mike Cheng and his friend Daniel Rose. These are called “M-100′s” which stands for “mandatory 100′s”. Again, it can be done at home without any equipment. The reason why it’s better than other equipment-based cardio routines is that it works more muscle groups and burns more calories in a few minutes than 45 minutes on the treadmill. It was created by Daniel’s Ju-Jitsu coach and the point is to do the entire 100 reps. It consists of 3 simple exercises:

1). Squat Thrusts
2). Mountain Climbers
3). Squat Jump

Do 10 of each of these 3 exercises until you’ve done 100 reps total. It takes about 2 minutes because it’s supposed to be done without any rest between the exercises. If you’re a beginner, it’s ok to go slow, but you have to do them continuously without rest.

Best Cardio Workout #3 (Takes About 9 Minutes)

Here’s another great fat-burning at home cardio workout that will really get your heart pumping and boost your metabolism. Give this circuit a try:

1). Burpee – 40 seconds
2). Run-in-Place – 40 seconds
3). Mountain Climber – 40 seconds
Rest 1 minute and repeat 2 more times.

Like the previous cardio work out routines, you can add this to the end of your next workout, or just do them by themselves. Either way, your body will burn fat. Of course, make sure you’re healthy enough to do them and pace yourself, especially if you haven’t worked out for a while. You’ve probably already noticed that the guys in these videos are young and obviously workout. If that’s not you, that’s ok. Just take it slow and build yourself up. Of course, these are NOT just workout routines for men, women can do them too!

(Tip: If you want to look like the cast from 300, just train like an MMA fighter)

Ok, the 300 workout is one of the most sought after workout routines for men on the internet. After watching the movie, guys around the world wanted to know exactly how the cast of the movie built their physiques. Gerard Butler, who played King Leonidas, was built like a true warrior, so it’s not hard to see why so many people wanted to follow this exact workout routine. This article is designed to debunk the dirty truths about this exercise routine so you can look like the Spartan warriors from ’300′.

The gist of it is this: ultra-popular fitness expert, Mark Twight trained the cast at Gym Jones (no frills, no music, no air conditioning) His goal was not to turn the actors into body builders, but to rather make them look and move like battle-hardened Greek warriors. Here are the dirty truths about these workout routines.

Dirty Secret #1 – It’s Not Really a Workout: Most people scouring the internet for the 300 workout don’t know that the workout is less of a workout routine than an endurance challenge to accomplish in a certain timeframe. It’s a rigorous challenge that you have to evolve into, rather than doing it every day. Twight himself cautions people against doing it everyday because it’s so difficult. Here’s what it actually boils down to: The 300 workout is based on 300 reps with increasingly difficult compound exercises. As if that weren’t enough, they are to be done with no rest in between each exercise! So it incorporates body weight exercises MMA fighters and military folks have been using forever, combined with circuit training principles. Here is a quick outline of the workout:

a) Pullups – 25 reps

b) Deadlifts – 135lbs – 50 reps

c) Pushups – 50 reps

d) 24-inch Box jumps – 50 reps

e) Floor wipers – 50 reps

f) 1-arm Clean & Press with 36lbs Kettlebell – 50 reps

g) Pullups – 25 reps

It has to be done as fast as possible and is guaranteed to be one of the toughest exercises routines you’ve ever done.

Dirty Secret #2 – No Fancy Equipment: It’s almost entirely a body weight routine. With the exception of the deadlift and kettlebells, you can do this entire routine at home with no equipment. That means anyone can do this, from a busy dad with young kids, to a broke @$$ college student, so you have no excuses. On top of that, less equipment means less chance of injury, faster recovery times, and best of all, you can do it anytime, anywhere. Of course, there are tons of variations to this, and you could wear a weighted vest if you wanted to, but it’s not recommended… unless you’re trying to fight 1 million Persians or something.

Dirty Secret #3 – There Are No Secrets: While everyone wants to know the secret to the 300 workout, you’ll be disappointed to know that it is nothing but hardwork and discipline. No special exercises, no fancy equipment, no secret techniques. Actually, Men’s Health magazine asked internet fitness celebrity Craig Ballantyne to shoot a video of the workout and write an article about the workout. You can find it on YouTube, but again, it’s one of the more “Spartan” work out routines (pun intended) with minimal equipment and a grainy video resolution.

Dirty Secret #4 – Lots and Lots of Hardwork: Gerard Butler, who played King Leonidas, punished himself more than another other cast member. He knew he was going to play the king and wanted to look like it. In an attempt to get EXTRA big, Butler reportedly out did the cast (who worked out 2 hours per day exercising and another 2 learning fighting techniques) In addition to this, Butler hired a personal trainer to train an extra 2 hours per day. Unbelievable!

You should check out Eric’s MMA program if you want to get built like these guys: I own it, it’s pretty good

Dirty Secret #5 – Hardly Anyone Could Do It: The 300 workout was really a one time endurance challenge. By the end of training, 17 people had completed the workout, and incidentally only one actor passed the test, finishing in 18 minutes, 11 seconds. What a hard workout! So don’t be too bummed if you can’t complete it. Remember, these guys were training for 2 hours per day and they still couldn’t complete the challenge. Even still, they saw amazing transformations. Just imagine what you could look like after training like this for a few weeks.

Dirty Secret #6 – You Can’t Train Like a Celebrity: Whether you’re trying to look like the werewolf guy from ‘Twilight’, Brad Pitt in ‘Fight Club’, or any of the actors from 300, you have to keep in mind that celebrity work out routines are overrated because they either take growth hormones, or have to train for hours and hours every day.

So that’s all there is to the 300 workout. One of the most popular workout routines for men in the world boils down to body weight exercises done  in quick succession. On my blog, almost more than anything else, people want to know about the 300 actors workout routine. The 300 movie workout can be described as a Spartan circuit workout routine. The plan itself models work out routines by professional fighters and elite military personnel than a bodybuilding workout. If you look at the 300 workout pictures in this post, you’ll see that it’s really a bodyweight, military style workout. And even though it can be done at home, it’s an extremely tough challenge; one that most of the cast couldn’t even complete.

P.S.

If you’re a regular guy like me, it’s best for you to train like an MMA fighter because these guys don’t get paid to act like warriors. These guys actually ARE warriors. Check out Eric Wong. Eric is a world-famous MMA trainer who WILL get you in the best shape of your life. I’m just recommending him because the 300 workout is so popular, so you might as well train like these guys.

• “what exercise burns the most fat“
• “what’s the target heart rate for fat burning” and of course
• “how to lose fat and build muscle” 

So, here’s a one of the best cardio workouts I’ve found, guaranteed to make you wake up sore the next morning! I’ve actually embedded a video of this workout routine of body weight exercise expert Craig Ballantyne showing a 25 minute body weight cardio workout that you can do anywhere and with no equipment. For a sneak peak at what the program entails, check out Craig’s latest video. He spent his entire adult life researching wild work out routines, exotic exercise routines, and advanced bodyweight movements. He’s still on the on the hunt for more bodyweight workouts. You can find many of his bodyweight challenges from Men’s Health magazine, or check out one of his workout routines videos on YouTube.

This fat burning workout video below is probably his most famous, the no-equipment 5 rounds of 5 minutes bodyweight workout program. You don’t need anything – other than your own bodyweight – to get an amazing full body workout, anytime, anywhere.

Here’s a run down of what’s in the video. It’s pretty cool: 5 circuits w/ 5 exercises, each one done for a minute. It’s one of the most demanding work out routines I’ve seen in a while, so you’ll expect to be tired by the third round.

Round 1

1). Jumping Jacks – One minute of jumping jacks

2). Body Weight Squats – Do it for 60 seconds have your interval timer setup

3). T-Pushups – This is pretty tough, you may need to take a break. do as many as you can in 60 seconds

4). Repeated Vertical Jumps – this is the toughest part of the circuit, do repeated vertical jumps. this is an awesome plyometric exercise

5). Prisoner Lunges – Step forward, down, and then shoot back up.

When the minute bell rings, you take a minute of rest and then back into the next round.

Round 2
This is tough because there’s a lot of upper body work in this part of the workout

1). Regular Pushups – Do them for 60 secnods

2). Prisoner Squats – Do them with your hands behind your head

3). Squat Thrusts – Out in, do as many as you can again

4). Duck Unders – Another lower body exercise. Be sure to keep your chest up and get a nice wide stance and imagine you’re ducking under something. Keep your back and chest up, don’t cheat by bending.

5). Burpees – These are absolutely killer

Take another rest… you feel the pain?

Round 3

1). Seal Jump – Kinda goofy, but if you have kids you can do it with them, they’l love it.

2). Spider Crawls – You’re in pushup position and bring your legs up. It gets tiring real fast. Make sure you brace your abs, even though they aren’t moving, they need to work very hard for this exercise.

3). Get Up – This is a martial arts classic; it’s surprising how hard it is to just get up for 60 seconds. If you’re feeling aggressive, you can use a kettlebell or dumb bell, but I assure you, it’s not for the faint of heart.

4). Side-Step – This is nice for a shuffle or side movement in a small amount of space. Get nice and low to work your gluts and quadriceps.

5). Shuttle Sprint – Finish with a shuttle sprint or just running place. Again, do it for 60 seconds.

Round 4
This is the home stretch. It starts with a goofy looking exercise.

1). Split Shuffle – Right foot in front and left hand in front. This reminds me of the old Nordic Track exercise machine. Again, it’s ideal for small spaces.

2). Side-to-Side Jumps – Another plyometric exercise. Do this for a minute.

3). Side Planks – Do thirty seconds per side. This is the only static exercise in the entire workout routine

4). Total Body Extensions – If you couldn’t do some of the jumps before, you can do this instead. It’s a good warm up for jumping too.

5). Running in Place – 60 seconds

Round 5

1). Seal Jumps

2). Regular Pushup

3). Lateral Lunge – Down and up and then drive back up making sure to alternate sides

4). Mountain Climbers – Another good exercise for your lower body and abs. Be sure to keep your abs tight and your hips low to get the most benefit.

5). Side Shuffle

This is really as good as cardio workouts get. It’s one of the best workout routines to lose weight and burn fat around. 

You now have permission to pass out!

Jeff Cavaliere keeps coming out with absolutely sick free workout routines. If you’ve read other posts on this blog, you’ll know how much I respect Jeff’s advice. He provides the most innovative, unique, and undeniably effective advice you’ll ever find. He literally does exercises I’ve never even thought of before. Anyway, in this video he presents one of the coolest playground work out routines ever.

This workout is awesome because you can do it for free. Not only that, I have two sons, a 3.5 year old and a 3 week old. As summer approaches, I see myself spending a lot of time at the park. since I already don’t have time to go to the gym, you better believe I’m going to try some of these exercises when I’m out with the kids.

1). Dip Pullup Combo
Position yourself up high, feet out in front of you. You’re doing dips on a single horizontal bar in front of you. I’ve never seen this before, but it clearly works out your shoulders and chest incredibly well. After the dips, you want to drop down and do pullups on the same bar.

2). Hanging Seated Tucks
You want to jump up and hang from two bars. Once in position, you lift your legs up and then push them straight out and bring them back in. It’s an incredible core exercise.

3). Scaling Planks
You want to get into a plank on the opposite ends of the monkey bars. Once in position, you’ll engage your core muscles, just like in a regular plank. But here’s the rub, since you’re on a ladder, you’re going to scale it and go up and down repeatedly. You can see how tired he’s starting to get after this exercise.

4). Mr. X Crunch
In this exercise, you grab on a pair of rings, then spread your feet apart so your body looks like an ‘X’. Then you bring your legs all the way up, working not only your stomach, but also your back.

This circuit works out your entire body. You can throw in some lunges, squats, jumps, etc. to workout your lower body. Like Jeff says, there’s no room for excuses here, just get to it. The weather is nice, it doesn’t cost anything, and you’ll feel a lot better if you stick with it… not to mention appreciate the results of all your hard work.

Without a doubt, medicine ball exercises are one of my favorite workout routines. This is another killer video by my guy Jeff from AthleanX. In my opinion, it’s the ultimate home workout because it can be done at home with nothing but a medicine ball. He calls it his “8 Is Enough” workout routine because you can workout your entire body with a 12 pound medicine ball and 8 exercises, all in the comfort of your own home (or park, or garage, whatever) It’s quick and you can do it with just one simple piece of equipment. As you’ll see, it’s the elements of the workout that are important. Here goes:

1). Rolling Pushups
Grab the medicine ball you want to come down, roll it over, and across to each arm. It’s pretty simple, but a great way to jazz up your pushup routine. You want to do 20.

2). Medicine Ball Tricep Pushups
Keep your arms in close meaning you want to keep your elbows in. This works the back of your arms. Do 20 of these guys, or as many as you can do. To make it even more effective, you can add a plyometric angle to these pushups by explosively pushing yourself off of the medicine ball and landing  back on the ground. You simply “jump” your hands back up onto the ball and do 15 reps.

3). Shoulder Toss
You have to lean back and keep your feet up. This works the stomach and core as well as your shoulders. Make sure to lean back, and straighten you arms and back. It really works your entire shoulder out. Slowdown the catch on the way down to get the full benefit.

4). Wiper/Crunch Combo
Squeeze the ball between the knees, drop them down, pull, drop them down, pull. That’s one full rep. Do 10 to 20 of these if you can. They really work your obliques. When you’re done balance the medicine ball on top of your feet and do crunches.

5). Rolling Squats
Now this exercise is straight out of martial arts. Take the ball, hold it above your head while you lay on the ground and let it help you come up. It’s like a roll up. Make sure the ball is above your head. This is a deceptively simple exercise and will really work your core out.

6). Lunges Overhead Twists
Lunge out, lift the medicine ball and do a twist. Keep your core tight. Just watch the video and pay attention to how he does it.

7). Medicine Ball RDL
This is going to work out the back of your legs. You want to go down, balance, squeeze to come back up. Come down, lift your leg back and when you come back up. You should feel it in your gluts. Do about 10 for each leg.  Again, the video makes it clear.

8),. Curl Crunches
You can come right into your curl catches. You might not think you can work out your biceps with a medicine ball, but try it. Just throw the ball up and catch it. Make sure your throw is slow and controlled. It’s at the hardest part of the bicep curl, which is when your arms are at a 90 degree angle. It will make your biceps burn for sure, then you’ll see how much curls can do for your biceps.

So these 8 exercises will do the trick. It starts working out your upper body, then your core, and finally your legs. Just 8 simple exercises with an inexpensive medicine ball. Try that out a few days a week and see how you feel. Like I said, it’s one of my favorite workout routines.