Over the past four weeks, we’ve worked out the specific muscle groups you need to run longer and faster while making your body stronger and more injury-proof in the process. Now we’ll throw some of the exercises together for a full-body blast to finish it all off. Because we’re training separate muscle groups there’s sufficient recovery time between days to use a session a day from Monday to Friday, so you now have a routine you can follow through the week. Keep a track of the reps you manage in the time frame given – your goal is simple: more reps while maintaining form each time. And don’t forget, you can always increase your weight to give yourself more of a challenge.
Weights: 7.5kg – 12.5kg
One round = 8 mins. Take 1-2mins rest, then repeat twice.
SQUAT THRUSTERS (90 secs)
Holding your weights by your chin, palms facing in to your chest, slowly lower into a squat, with your bodyweight in your heels and chest up, taking five seconds to reach the bottom (butt slightly below knee line.) Thrust back to the top, extending the weights into a shoulder press as you come up.
SQUAT JUMPS (30 secs)
Repeat the squat without weights this time, your own bodyweight pushed back in your heels, chest up. Explode upwards into a jump. Returning to ground, cushion your landing and immediately lower into another squat. Complete as many as you can in 30 seconds.
RENEGADE ROWS (90 secs)
Hold a push up position, with a medium dumbbell in each hand. Slowly lift your right hand with the weight towards your right hip, resisting the urge to allow your hips to rotate at all. Then return to the floor. Keep your core tight the entire range of motion. Take your time, you have 90 seconds.
DUMBBELL PUSH UPS (30 secs)
Keeping your weights in your hands, stay to your push up position (on your hands and balls of your feet (or knees) with your hands directly under your shoulders.) Bend at your elbows, lowering your chest to the floor, then press back up, and repeat as many times as possible for 30 seconds.
REVERSE LUNGE AND HAMMER CURL (90 secs)
Holding 7.5-12.5kg weights at your sides, palms facing in to your body, take a big step backwards with your right foot, keeping your chest high. As you step back, curl your weights 80% of the way up towards your shoulders. Hold the lunge and curl and squeeze your bicep for two seconds. Step your right foot back up and lower your weights to your sides, and repeat other side.
BURPEES (30 secs)
Throw the weights down and stand with your feet hip width apart, squat down to a 90-degree angle, place your hands on the floor and jump legs back into the top of a push-up. Bring your legs back into your chest with your feet under your shoulders, then explode in a jump toward the sky.
TRICEP CRUSHER AND LEG RAISE (90 secs)
Lie on a bench or the floor with weights in each hand, extended to the ceiling, your palms facing into each other. Your legs are up towards the ceiling. Position the weights above your face, then lower to your ears by bending at the elbow only. As you lower your hands, lower your legs until parallel with the floor. Exhale as you return the weights and feet to the ceiling, finishing with the weights over your face.
BICYCLES (30 secs)
Lying on your back, hands cradled behind ears, legs extended and raised off the ground a few inches. Twist right elbow towards left knee, extend the right leg, then switch, left elbow to right knee. Repeat for 30 seconds.
Sandy Macaskill is an instructor and co-owner of Barry’s Bootcamp in the UK
