This is one of those bootcamp workouts that is catered to the individuals who like a little variety in their workouts.

Once again we see a circuit format where you are going from one exercise to the other. After hitting Monday’s finisher in a competitive manner, we definitely wanted to hold off on any level of intensity and put the focus of this workout on time under tension in the exercises.

What’s time under tension?
Time under tension refers to how long the muscle is under strain during a set. A typical set of 10 repetitions for an average lifter will take anywhere from 15-25 seconds depending on lifting speed. The longer the time under tension the more stimulus the muscle has to grow!

In Part A we see a 10 exercise circuit with a 30 on 30 off scheme. You should be getting approximately 10 reps in your 30 second sets with a focus on a slow and controlled down phase of the exercise. (Think 10 reps x 2 secs down and 1 sec up = 30 secs). As always in any shorter time based set, PLEASE GO TO THE BEEP! And for that matter… please be ready for the beep. 30 full complete seconds.

3…2..1.GO!

More on the benefits of time under tension:
For anyone wanting to stay injury free while training, a slow and controlled lowering of the weight is so important! It helps to build your stabilizers and is much easier on your joints. In addition to, (I know look at all these benefits!), it helps build more muscle (and muscle helps with metabolism, asthetics, strength, etc)

Exercises to look for:
Medicine ball halos (fundamentals and fitness)
Keep your butt tight throughout this movement and switch directions at halfway. This exercise was added as it provides a great amount of shoulder mobility and strength. It takes your shoulder through a wide range of motion while forcing you to keep tense.

Here’s an infographically awesome photo…

Kb bottoms up press (fundamentals and fitness)
Start on your weak arm first! You won’t be as coordinated and for most individuals there will be a difference in the amount of weight you can move with your dominant arm. Stick to the same weight on each arm and focus on keeping your shoulders pinned together and slowly lowering the weight. As always in any pressing exercise, go through that checklist in your head… butt tight/core tight/shoulders pulled down and back! This is a great exercise for shoulder rehab as it forces you to move slow and helps to fire stabilizers in your shoulder joint (which is always a good thing).

1 leg trx triceps (fitness)
Yes, we put you on 1 leg in this workout to slow you down and force you to control your descent as well as integrate your core more into the exercise. You recall me telling you this is a time under tension kind of workout right?

Dip hold (befit)
You are holding the top movement of the dip here. You can work on the rings or the matador. Stay upright. Focus on your triceps doing the work, keep your shoulders relaxed and pulled back (keep them away from your ears!!!). If you are working on the rings focus on keeping your thumbs at 12 o clock (pointing forward). The more mobility that you lack, you will notice that your thumbs will want to rotate inwards – left thumb to 1 o clock/ right thumb to 11 o clock. Lacking internal rotation range of motion is how shoulders get beat up in dips. PULL YOUR SHOULDERS BACK!

Injury prevention note – if you are managing any shoulder issues, probably a good idea to not do all the befit exercises as dips are not the greatest exercise for you. The kb bottoms up press is a great option for you as it will slow you down and drop the weight you are lifting while still giving you a great bootcamp workout!

Finisher time…
Offset farmers walk – the purpose of the farmers walk is to help reinforce good shoulder position (down and back), while integrating the core while you move. Keep your abs and butt tight as you walk here so that all joints are loaded equally. With an offset farmers walk, you’ll have a dumbbell or kettlebell in 1 hand. This will cause your opposite side obliques to fire to keep you upright. Don’t let the weight pull you out of that vertical position – the purpose of this exercise is to stay upright and hold the heaviest weight you can manage.

Yes Farmer’s Walks Work The Abs!

Injury prevention note – watch your technique when you pick your weight up. Think of your deadlift technique whenever picking up heavy objects off the ground.

And that’s all I’m going to divulge for now…

You’ll have to see the rest of the workout tomorrow!

Committed to your success,
Josh Saunders, BSc, CSCS
The Bootcamp Effect
Langley Times Reader’s Choice Favourite Gym and High Performance Training