It’s always nice to have an arsenal of super-simple workouts like, do one hundred push-ups as fast as you can, or perform 150 burpees or 50 man-makers. Just do a million of this or that, you don’t have to think about it, and you want to get it over with as soon as possible since you’re racing against the clock, and it makes the workout way more fun and go by super fast.

So the other night when I didn’t really feel like working out and I felt more like watching the “True Blood” DVD that came from Netflix that day, (uh, can we say obsessed??) I decided to do a canned CrossFit workout in my living room while my dog struggled not to jump all over me, my boyfriend could work on his laptop in the same room as me (sometimes this is the only form of together-time we get), and I could watch my beloved yet bizarre latest obsession in the form of R-rated HBO programming while working out.

The workout:

• Run 1 mile
• 100 push-ups
• 200 sit-ups
• 300 squats
• Run 1 mile

Instead of doing all of the exercises straight through, I broke it up into 20 sets of:

• 5 push-ups
• 10 sit-ups
• 15 squats

And call me crazy, but it seemed to be a liiiittle bit too easy, so I decided to throw in a few lat pull-downs with a resistance band. So I performed 20 sets of:

• 5 push-ups (ALL on my toes, I don’t believe in knee push-ups for any non-beginner unless you have an injury)
• 7 resistance band lat pull-downs
• 10 sit-ups
• 15 squats

This workout is designed in that order because of the difficulty, going in order from fewer reps (push-ups, hardest) to higher reps (squats, easiest), but I think it’s also advantageous because you’re having to get yourself up to a standing position and back down to the ground between every exercise. And the bigger you are, the more calories you’ll burn by lifting and moving your own body weight around every 15 seconds.

So I did the workout somewhat casually in my living room–not leisurely, but certainly not as intense as I could have due to my apparent infatuation with vampires and lude behavior–in 41 minutes.  Awesome workout, I thought, I definitely hit every single muscle in my body, but not terribly intense. I was sweating for sure, but not dripping nor was I gasping for air.

Colin, my boyfriend, was upset that I wasn’t completely wiped out from it. Huffy, I would almost be so bold as to say.

“Well, it’s supposed to be intense. I’m serious,” he said as I shrugged my shoulders.

I did totally believe him, though, and I knew that if I had one of my personal training clients do the workout, and I pushed them hard enough, they would whip through it with determination, intensity, and drive to get the most out of it that a body deserves. And sure enough, one did and beat my time by a big old chunk!!

Elizabeth Mack, one of my most competitive, ambitious, and intense clients finished the workout in Volunteer Park on a sunny but windy day with a time of 29 minutes and 45 seconds! If you see her in class, be sure to give her a high five. If you don’t know her, she is the super athletic-looking girly girl in the front row with beautiful chocolate-carmel skin that covers a ripped upper body that me and most people are envious of. Go Elizabeth!!!! I’m so proud of you!!!

Give the workout a try and see what time you get and post it in the comments. Happy fitness!

Madelyn

(note since publication: I forgot to say on the blog that I forgot, as I almost ALWAYS DO [argh!], that I forgot to do the second mile at the end of the workout. I also, however, forgot to make my client do the second mile, too! Thanks for noticing, Kevin. Perhaps if I ever remember to do the second mile, I would feel as wiped out as I’m supposed to.)