7 AWESOME Finisher Approaches (Part One)
Mike Whitfield, CTT
Creator of the Workout Finishers 2.0 Follow-Along System
In case you’ve been living under a rock, the trend of using workout finishers instead of traditional interval training or steady state cardio after your workout is gaining steam really quick.
On a side note – where did the expression “living under a rock” come from? It doesn’t make sense. “Hey, come on over. We’ll have dinner and watch a movie. Wait, nevermind. I can’t. I live under a rock.”…
… so weird.
Anyway, I’m going to show you 7 AWESOME “twists” to finishers you can plug in with your workouts that are unique compared to the normal circuits found in many programs.
You’ll even get a couple of finishers you can snap right into your workout today.
Finisher Approach # 1 – Density (my personal favorite)
There’s even a variety of approaches within this approach! First, there’s the timed sets. This is when you’ll do an exercise for a certain amount of time and you’ll do as many reps as possible.
Another approach using density is when you do a certain number of rounds (supersets or circuits) in a given time frame. The set and rep schemes can be really crazy.
For the Density approach, let’s do the “One at a Time” Finisher. This one finisher is one of the most popular ones I’ve ever written.
“One at a Time” Finisher
Do the following circuit as many times as possible in 5 minutes, resting only when needed. If your form gets sloppy, you must stop and rest. Each exercise is just ONE rep (or one rep per side), so you’ll be going up and down a lot, which also burns calories. #Bonus!!
Lunge Jump (1 rep per side)
Burpee/Pullup Combo or Burpee (1 rep)
Squat Thrust (1 rep)
Lateral Jumps (1 rep per side)
Spiderman Climb (1 rep per side)
This one is really intense and here are a couple of exercise substitutions…
You can replace the Lunge Jump with Alternating Lunges or Reverse Lunges
http://workoutfinishers.com/version2/fast-action-bonus/
For the Lateral Jumps, you can do Alternating Lateral Lunges or Skater Hops.
Here’s a walk-thru of this infamous finisher:
Inspired by Craig’s original TT Gauntlet program, this is when you assign an exercise as the “gauntlet” within a circuit. So you’ll perform the gauntlet exercise, followed by a new exercise, then back to the gauntlet exercise, etc. That means you’ll do something like this:
*Braced Squat
Chin-ups or Inverted Row or Strap Row
Braced Squat
Shuttle Sprint
Etc, etc.
See how the Braced Squat is the “gauntlet” exercise? Oh yeah, and the asterisk was for me. That’s my cue to address the “Dude, what the heck is the Braced Squat? It sounds evil… and awesome, like you Mikey. You’re awesome. Man, you’re awesome” thought in your head.
Here’s how to rock the Braced Squat (it’s an amazing exercise that will work your legs, challenge your core, and work your shoulders all at the same time…
Braced Squat
• Hold a dumbbell or medicine ball in front of your chest with your arms extended.
• Your feet should be just outside shoulder width.
• Squat to at least parallel, maintaining an upright torso.
• Return to the standing position, keeping the DB or medicine ball extended in front of you throughout the movement.
Finisher Approach #3 – Supersets
So simple, yet so effective… these are the finishers that trick you into submission. On paper, they look so easy. Then 30 seconds into it, they challenge you physically and mentally.
These are the finishers I go to when I’m traveling. They are easy to remember, yet challenging enough to make me feel like I just went through a 37-exercise circuit. You can use timed sets, the density approach, 20-10 work to rest ratios and more to get an amazing finisher with just two moves.
Finisher Approach # 4 – Ladders
I know what you’re thinking… “Oh, that’s when you do 8 reps, 7 reps, 6 reps, etc”.
That’s correct, but there is more to it than that. You can actually combine the power of density and ladder approaches into one amazing finisher. I call it, the “Dender” approach. Ha!
This name is something I totally made up right now, at this very second, about 90 minutes into my flight home.
Traditional ladders are great, but you’ll love this new twist…
“6-Minute Ab Crank” Finisher
Do the following superset as many times as possible in 6 minutes, resting only when needed. In the first superset, you’ll perform 4 reps of each exercise. In the next superset, you’ll perform 3 reps of each. Continue in this fashion until you complete 1 rep of each. Then, work your way back up with the next superset being 2 reps, etc. Go back and forth until the 6 minutes are up.
Renegade Row (4/side…1/side…4/side, etc)
Cable, DB or Medicine Ball Chop (4/side…1/side…4/side, etc)
Great times for the abs? Great times indeed.
And just like an intense episode of “24”, we’re going to continue very soon with 3 more finisher approaches you can use with your workouts, including how to hit those trouble spots where you’re trying to get more definition…
Get 51 Follow-Along Workout Finisher Videos here
Mike Whitfield, CTT, has lost 105 pounds propelling his passion into the fitness industry. His unique approach of using workout finishers has helped thousands of people lose fat with his online and offline programs. He is known across the fitness industry for his effective “workout finishers” and humor. His workouts have been seen in Men’s Health, Turbulence Training, AJC and more.