Does anyone have a good routine that is roughly 30 mins for the off season? I would like to gain some strength, get leaner, and build the stabilizing muscles.
http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/high-intensity-circuit-routine/index.php
Maybe 45 minutes if you do it exactly as prescribed, but you can always modify it with your own time limits. I tried to do it 2 or 3 times a week during last off-season.
It’s pretty comprehensive, and it helped me recognize some of my weaknesses and imbalances.
Have at it, Slowtwitch. I’m wearing my flame-retardant suit.
I do a strength routine that was shown to me by a friend in the Marines. Great workout 3 times a week and if you cut the rest down you can do it in about 35-40 minutes. Have been doing it for 3 weeks and can already notice a good amount of muscle I have gained. Will leave you feeling sore everytime. If you PM I can write it out for you. Won’t be till tonight though as I can’t remember exactly all the workouts off the top of my head
MARSOC Short Card
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a circuit of some kind would probably be most beneficial, and that can be created based on what equipment you have available. possible suggestion:
3x {45" on, 15" off/switch*} :
dumbell lunges
pushups
bike abs
squat thrust jumps
pullups
box jumps
plank left
plank right
high skips
wall hold
*the intervals can get adjusted. start with 40/20, then build up to 60/0.
haha I was about to say that. You could also do the Recon Long Card. Here’s another set of workouts I found that were pretty challenging, seeing that I am a mountain biker too, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txCP2JV03yE&feature=relmfu
I use a workout routine designed by Mark Allen. It was in a magazine?? many many years ago. Maybe you can do a search on it.
Google “Starting Strength Onus Wunsler” and then read the wiki to understand the lifts AND the linear progression. It’s basically 3 exercises per workout, 3 work sets of reps per exercise. They are all compound lifts, so you are working core at the same time.
Various core exercises for 25 minutes, 5 minutes of the Captain Canada plan.
Edited to point out that this little gem from T-Wrecks is his 666th post. Fitting!
Run hills.
If you havn’t been lifting I would start with (probably 20 mins if you do 2 sets of each)
- Wall Slides (shoulder mobility)
- Squat
- Push-ups
- Lunges
- Pull-ups
- REverse Leg Curls w/stability ball
- calf raises…
3x10-12 of each of these 2x’s per week for 8 to 12 weeks…This will pretty much cover everything…Add a 3rd day maybe on the weekend after an easy/short run that includes some light plyo stuff, running drills and build into some strong 100m strides (all barefoot…in grass or turf)…
Do this for 12weeks and you will notice a dramatic increase in your strength, mobility/range or motion, and your running mechanics…especially if you have been dealing with some durability issues…Start very slowly on the barefoot grass drill/stuff, if you havn’t really done this before…
Make sure the first few times you keep it short and rhythmic and less explosive…build your infastructure first…It will come fast…at the end of 8 to 12 weeks depending on experience you can add a lilttle block of Max Stregth type work where you throw some weight on the bar and do around 4 to 6 reps on your last set of Squat and then maybe throw some bench in on 1 day for your push-ups if you want to load some weight on your frame…
I do this about 2x’s per year…and then back to the maint…stuff…If you can do the first series of strength for 8 to 12 weeks then you will have the foundation to pretty much anything without getting injured…
Once I am done with the Max strength phase I pretty much go to 1 strength in gym like above and then 1 outside that is more dynamic and drill (sport specific focused)…
if you like to lift and throw random objects, and brag about it…I hear crossfit is nice.
I’ve been working off a kettlebell routine, takes about 20-25 mins (more depending on your choice of cardio set).
30s each, 15s rest/transition to the next exercise. Reps don’t matter, please don’t focus on getting “x reps in y time” (that’s where competitive crossfit injuries happen). 3 rounts usually does the trick. All you need is 2 light kb (8kg or so), a medium (12kg) and a large (16-20kg).
- Swing (medium)
- Push-ups on handles (2 lights)
- Goblet squat (heavy, hold it by the handles upside down to work on grip)
- Single arm row (heavy, switch halfway)
- Waiter’s lunge (single light or medium, extended arm, switch halfway)
- Push press with a half to full squat (two light)
- Pistol squat on a chair/bench (light or medium, held goblet style if you can balance, switch halfway)
- Rest, or a cardio set (I do this around a track, so I throw in 800m)
So this takes minimal equipment, legs are alternated into the routine, doesn’t focus on bulk or heavy lifting, and keeps your heart rate fired up the whole way! Stretch your hamstrings LOTS after, and throught the day… trust.
Does anyone have a good routine that is roughly 30 mins for the off season? I would like to gain some strength, get leaner, and build the stabilizing muscles.
Keep it simple:
Workout A: Dips, Pullups, Deadlifts
Workout B: Dips, Pullups, Squats
Alternate workouts A and B. Hit the gym 3 times per week. Start with 2 sets of 5-8 and move up to 4 sets over time. If you are really feeling motivated, add in standing overhead presses.
Not an avid crossfitter and I’m ready for some heat, but I think this workout is the best bang for the buck out there:
http://www.crossfit.com/mt-archive2/000881.html
Run a mile
(5 pull ups, 10 push ups, 15 squats) X20
Run a mile
That’s how I like to break it up and that last mile will make you mentally tougher and get you used to running when you are gassed. Does that sound familiar to anyone else?
I use the same one from Mark Allen. It was published in Triathlete magazine in 2006 (sorry I don’t have the month). I’ve mofified it for mostly upper body and try to do it 3X weekly throughout the year. Great workout that is not time consuming and works well for me at 46.
Does anyone have a good routine that is roughly 30 mins for the off season? I would like to gain some strength, get leaner, and build the stabilizing muscles.
Keep it simple:
Workout A: Dips, Pullups, Deadlifts
Workout B: Dips, Pullups, Squats
Alternate workouts A and B. Hit the gym 3 times per week. Start with 2 sets of 5-8 and move up to 4 sets over time. If you are really feeling motivated, add in standing overhead presses.
Out of everthing on here, I like this^^^^^^^…I like the simplicity, it would probably look like this for me though
A - Dips, Pull-ups, Deadlift (alternate with clean and overhead press…not really jerk because I would keep the weight light, but a more complex movement from ground to overhead)
B - Push-ups (change core strength emphasis), Pullups, Squats
and I would do this 2 days a week and still leave the 3rd day for outside drills (including lunges), light plyos, and 100m strides…
Not an avid crossfitter and I’m ready for some heat, but I think this workout is the best bang for the buck out there:
http://www.crossfit.com/mt-archive2/000881.html
Run a mile
(5 pull ups, 10 push ups, 15 squats) X20
Run a mile
That’s how I like to break it up and that last mile will make you mentally tougher and get you used to running when you are gassed. Does that sound familiar to anyone else?
Ok but that workout has very little to do with building strength.
There is no doubt this workout is tough, very few can finish it properly with good form in a decent time, and it will make you tougher. For our (triathlon/running/etc) purposes, I question the volume of it all. Is 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, and 300 squats while maintaining a proper mile going to make you a universally better athlete? I highly doubt it. Will it get you in the Badass Olympics, most definitely.
Who can honestly do 100 pulls in a workout? Who here can do 5 pulls without kipping? My main issue with these style workouts are the volume goals… it’s simply too high. Great that they are using compound exercises with many benefit, hitting the most muscle groups in the fewest exercises. Just go to fatigue, whatever that may be. If it’s 30s, 10 reps, a minute, that’s perfectly fine. Go back to it next week and make it 35s, 12 reps, a minite and a quarter. That’s true success. Hitting a number that you’re not ready for because a website said so only goes so far…
Not knocking you kjmc, just trying to appeal to the average person who likely doesn’t train such volume. But keep doing your thing, it’s still pretty badass 
Not an avid crossfitter and I’m ready for some heat, but I think this workout is the best bang for the buck out there:
http://www.crossfit.com/mt-archive2/000881.html
Run a mile
(5 pull ups, 10 push ups, 15 squats) X20
Run a mile
That’s how I like to break it up and that last mile will make you mentally tougher and get you used to running when you are gassed. Does that sound familiar to anyone else?
Totally agree and that’s one of the reasons I’m NOT an avid crossfitter. 135lb overhead squats? Nope. I do think that pull-ups are one of the best exercises out there and us scrawny triathletes have a leg up because (in general) we aren’t carrying a ton of extra mass.
I certainly can’t do 100 pull-ups in a row, which is why I break it up into 5/10/15. I think all of us can do 15 body-weight squats. Most can do 10 push-ups, and many can do 5 pull ups. If you do this circuit 3 times now, it’s amazing how fast you’ll be able to do it 10 times. And if you can do it 10, you can do it 20 (might have to break up the pullups into 3,2 or even 2,1,1,1).
This stuff may not be triathlon specific, but I feel like I come back more ready to swim and I KNOW it makes me a better trail runner - my offseason sport of choice.
As always YMMV, but I think that if the goal is 20 pull-ups, 40 push-ups, 60 squats it may be less daunting. The thought of running 10 miles seems insane to most of the population, but we morons seem to go do that without blinking an eye.
/kj