TEN MINUTES OF HELL WOULD DO YOU WELL

  You just got done slaying your workout.  PR's were hit, weights were demolished, and in your wake lay crumbled hunks of iron an shreds of callused skin that where lost in battle. Your shins bleed from a deadlift that would make any normal man cry. As you hacked your way through set after relentless set, your pride...your inner beast grow stronger and stronger. That beast is thirsty for more. One glance into the mirror reveals this inner monster. He stares back at you coldly laughing at your bodies pain. So you nod... "Ok, one more set". But you and the beast both know that this phrase will be repeated over and over again... It is the mantra that pushes you forward, at times it grabs you by the collar and drags you across the workout floor..."One more set". The beast is lying to you, we both know he has no intention of allowing you to leave this dungeon walking upright..."Just one more set" he says, more like 100.

 Finally this antagonist grows bored of your suffering and releases his grip. For the moment your payment of sweat and blood have appeased his thirst. Or so you thought.

"Shit"... you forgot about the treadmills you must crawl past on your way out of this place.

"No I'm good, I did enough". You plead to this menace. But his voice grows louder and louder...Eventually, its thundering through your mind bouncing off the walls of your skull..."What about the cardio fat boy"?

You've got to be kidding yourself if you think you're going to mail in some half assed jog at this point. I mean look at the ferocity we just attacked those weights with. Besides, the beast is too smart for that game. He knows thirty minutes of cardio will only undo everything he just forced out of you.

"So what the hell do you want me to do"?

Silently you stand there gripping the wall for support awaiting his reply.

"Ten minutes". He answers. 

Ten minutes of heart pounding ballistic nitro charged war. So what do you do? You stair across the cardio floor scanning the equipment. 

"Just pick one"! He demands. "I don't care which one you pick...bike, step mill, tread mill, rowing machine". 

So you climb onto a bike, set your Tabata timer and crank the intensity all the way up. Soon you are blasting through 20 sec bouts of all out effort followed by 10 sec of rest to catch your breath. 

Before you know it the ten minutes is up. And the best part... "you know who"...is silent, he has nothing more to say. Time to go home and start the recovery process. 

THE MORAL OF THE STORY IS...

 Ten minute finishers at the end of workouts are AWESOME and you should be doing them!  Especially if you have limited time for cardio and would like to preserve your hard earned muscle!

Just think about it, say your in the gym lifting weights four days per week. Adding a 10 minute finisher to the end of each of these workouts adds 40 more minutes of cardio to your week! For those striving for the ultimate fat loss this could be the tipping point when coupled with your regular cardio program (regular cardio should be performed separate of heavy weight training).

If the ultimate muscle mass is your goal 10 min finishers are perfect for you too! They don't carry the extra baggage of run of the mill steady state cardio such as...adrenal fatigue, and muscle loss. What they do carry is increased anaerobic capacity (that means more strength, speed, and power) and your body will stay leaner while building that coveted mass!    

Here is an example:

Grab your Tabata timer (there are a ton of free Tabata apps).

Tabata rounds last 4 minutes, which consist of 20 sec work followed by 10 sec rest.

So for a 10 min finisher you will complete 2 1/2 rounds.

The most important part is that your 20 sec work periods MUST be 100% everything you've got!

Work: 20 sec max effort

Rest: 10 sec recover

And repeat for 10 min (2 1/2 4min Tabatas)

So go ahead get creative apply it to biking, sprinting, battle rope, weights or anything else you can think of!

NOW GO OUT AND SLAY THE BEAST!