There are some workouts that when you look at the whiteboard they don’t appear too challenging, and then you do them and you’re like, oh yeah, that was a hard workout!

Now with Saturday’s workout in January. When you look at the whiteboard, you will know it will be a hard workout.

Please don’t let the intimidation factor play a factor in your workout routine. You have done bootcamp workouts just as hard as this with us at Bootcamp Effect.

And with that said, I give you HOT Potato, a 40 min pyramid cardio challenge.

With this workout, you are encouraged to complete the hardest version that you are capable of completing. If you start for instance, with chest 2 ground burpees (c2g), please finish with c2g burpees. Don’t modify the exercise to make it easier just because it is getting tough! If you start with jumping at the top of all your burpees (because you’re supposed to), please jump for all the repetitions. No half jumps please! DON’T CHEAT YOURSELF! Think of your efforts compounding everytime you decide not to take the easy way out and go through the fire and come out alive! And you know you will come out alive everytime.

This workout is both beautifully simple and brutal. Plan for 25 plus minutes of straight, no rest exercise. Stay below your red line on the burpees and the rower. Do not dump the tank! Dumping the tank in the middle of this workout will prevent you from finishing it.

You want to be working as hard as you can at a pace that you can maintain for 25+ minutes.

Speaking of pace. Let’s take a look at the screen on the rower:

Notice the largest digits (1:51/500m) This is your 500m pace. This is how fast your 500m time would be if every stroke was the same as your current stroke. It is the primary number you should be looking at on the screen when rowing, so that you can adjust your pace if necessary. Keeping an eye on this number will let you know how fast you are going. That way, small tweaks in your technique can tell you if you are becoming more efficient. Don’t forget to keep an eye on the meters number just below so that you stop at 500m.

When rowing, you can break it up into 3 distinct components on each stroke there and back.

Watch this video for more info:

To quickly summarize the video, the 3 components are:

1. The explosive LEG drive (imagine jumping backwards)
2. Lean BACK
3. Pull the handle to your sternum, by driving your elbows back with your ARMS

And on the way back, in this order:

1. Straighten the ARMS
2. Bend forward with your BACK so that your body is upright
3. Bend the LEGS

Pick your places in the workout where you can go hard, say like your last 100m or 5 burpees (so that you can get them done).

And one more thing. In this workout, you will be rewarded for efficacy in your double unders!

Pre-workout, it would be a fantastic idea to do the active pigeon stretch. Get those glutes and hip flexors loose. Tension hunt, find those tight spots, those trigger points…

If you are someone that has a chronically tight lower back, spending some time on your hamstrings will be well worth it as well. Try to stay in each stretch for at least 2 minutes. Please speak with a trainer if you have any tight spots you want to give some tlc.

Looking forward to doing this workout with you!

Committed to your success,
Josh Saunders
The Bootcamp Effect