This workout uses a very simple setup that doesn't require much floor space, making it very effective for using in a home gym or crowded gym.
It's also extremely time-efficient...you could be done in 15-20 minutes or less, working pretty much your entire body.
This is a killer workout, similar to what you'll find in my book Metabolic Monsters (which has 75+ more workouts like this one in it!)
You're going to be alternating between two exercise categories...Deadlifts (Trap Bar is recommended, if you have access to one) and Bench Press (barbell or dumbbell).
What you're going to be doing is a "ladder" of reps...and it's going to be neverending until you basically run out of gas.
You're going to start with 10 reps of deadlifts, then immediately (as in NO rest) go to 10 reps of bench press...then 9 reps of deadlifts (again NO rest at all), then 9 reps of bench press.
Continue this pattern (non-stop) until you get down to one rep of each.
Then you're going to go back UP, working your way back up the ladder of reps...1, 2, 3, etc. til you get back to 10 or until you get as far back up as you can go before you gas out.
Now, depending on how much weight you're using, if you're able to get all the way back up to 10...come back DOWN the ladder again, until you get back to 1 rep sets.
Then go BACK up the ladder and go as far as you can...and if you can hit 10 again, come back down, etc. This is the neverending part. You can keep going as long as you want (or can).
The key with this Neverending Ladder fat-loss workout is weight selection.
I would suggest using a weight that is about 40-45% of your 1 RM. This will be light enough that it should allow you to go down and up and down and back up again but give enough resistance that your muscles actually do get some work.
For me, my max trap bar deadlift is around 550 lbs and I'm using 225 lbs on the bar. I only had 95 lbs on the bar for bench press and found that this was actually too light of a weight. It ended up being around 35% of my current 1 RM (which is about 265 lbs). Next time, I would bump it up by 20 lbs to get it into that 40-45% range.
What you'll find is the first ladder down is almost as easy as a warm-up. Because the reps are decreasing each time, it gets easier on the way down.
On the first way back up, it's going to get more challenging, especially as you get towards the 10 rep sets.
This goal of 10 reps gives you a light at the end of the tunnel, because you'll know that the way back down is easier again. So really push hard to get to 10 on each.
The second ladder down is still not easy, but the decreasing volume gives you a bit of a break.
The second way back up is going to be MUCH harder. I managed to get to 6 reps of each exercise before I gassed out. If I wanted to really push it, I could have probably gotten 7, but at that point, I felt I had done enough work and form was starting to go on my deadlift.
How long does this fat-loss workout take to get through?
Overall, this workout was done in about 22 minutes (with how I did it) with very little setup time. You might choose to continue for longer or for shorter, depending on how much time you have and how far you want to push yourself.
Because the weights are so light (pretty much warm-up weights), you don't need to spend a lot of time doing a regular warm-up.
This makes it an ideal metabolic conditioning workout for when you're rushed for time, not feeling up for really heavy weights, and still want to get your metabolism cranking.
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And if you like this workout, you'll LOVE these ones...
- The Single Dumbbell Attack
- Total-Body Countdown Murder
- The Inside Out Core Crusher
- Lactate Tolerance Training for Chest
- Dueling Banjo Hell
- The Good Morning Burger
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