Monday Workout: Benchmark

It’s the last week of the year and I’m taking time off.  So it’s a great time for a benchmark workout.  Grab a friend because for this one you want somebody with you in person.

Basically, what we’re doing this time is taking some of our basic exercises and seeing how far we can go.  Start each of the first seven exercises with ten reps at a weight that is easy.  Then increase the weight until you can only do one good-looking rep.  It is really good to have a buddy to spot you for safety when you are going for your one-rep max.  I mean it.

 

For the pushups, pretty princesses, and brains, you do as many as you can.

 

There are lots of ways to organize this, but personally, I am impatient, so I choose to superset an upper body and a lower body exercise to reduce the time I’m just standing around.  It’s also perfectly acceptable to take one exercise and do it to the end with appropriate rest periods (at least a couple minutes between the heavy sets!) before moving on to the next exercise.  You do you.

 

Then save the results so you can compare them with next year’s!

 

	start	end
squats
deadlifts
bench press
fly
row
kickback
pushups to fail
pretty princesses
brains