Athletes train to perform. Everybody knows that. Their workouts have one main goal—dominate their sport. And when they take the field, they’re ready to perform their best.
But what about us normal people?
I’m no athlete. I haven’t played any organized sports since high school. Even then, I was awful and only played football for a year.
Even if we aren’t athletes, we deserve to be ready to perform our best. Every day, we’re front and center on the playing field that is life. We need to be ready.
Luckily, your body was built to perform.
Currently, my most popular article over at Stack.com is all about optimizing performance. It was written for athletes. But I’m giving that article a facelift. Because everybody deserves to perform their best—in sports and, more importantly, in life. If you’re interested, you see the original post over on Stack. It’s almost exactly like what you’re about to read, except this post is better. It’s much more applicable to everyone.
When It Matters Most
Performing your best when it counts is a game changer. Work deadlines, sudden emergencies, or even something as simple as running to catch the bus are all part of performing in daily life.
Whenever and whatever it might be, you need be ready to dig deep and finish strong. And you need to be ready at the drop of hat—both physically and mentally.
The following workouts do just that. They’ll test your body and your mind. They’ll help you perform your best when it matters most. And they’ll have you ready to dominate the playing field of life.
1. Density Training for Fat Loss
Density training is extremely popular in the strength and conditioning world, and for good reason. It works. Density training focuses on cramming as many sets and reps and as much weight as possible into a specific period of time. This particular style is one of my favorites.
It starts off looking like a simple strength circuit. But instead of performing it for a specified number of reps, you perform each exercise for 30-second sets. During those 30 seconds, you pound out as many reps as you can of each exercise. Complete the circuit twice, count your reps and make notes in your training log for each exercise in both rounds.
Counting your reps is crucial because the goal is to pack even more training density into the same circuit during the second round. How? Simply add weight (when possible) and do more reps in the same amount of time (30 seconds). It might seem like a tall order, but this is what digging deep is all about. That second round is the time for you to flex your muscles and mind, dig deep and exceed your own expectations.
Rest 90-120 seconds between rounds.
Circuit (sample rep counts):
Remember, do as many reps as you can in 30 seconds for each exercise.
| Round 1: | Reps: | Round 2 (more weight): | Reps: |
| 1A. Goblet Squat 1B. Push Press 1C. RDL 1D. Bent-Over Row 1E. Ab Wheel |
10 12 9 17 8 |
2A. Goblet Squat 2B. Push Press 2C. RDL 2D. Bent-Over Row 2E. Ab Wheel |
11 14 11 20 10 |
Notes:
- Choose your weights wisely. You don’t want to go too heavy during round one. Time, not fatigue, should be the limiting factor during the first round. You should still have a couple of reps left in the tank when the 30 seconds end.
- Density training for fat loss could be an entire workout or used as a finisher. As a workout, perform 2-3 different circuits. As a finisher, perform one.
- This circuit is not the be-all-and-end-all of density circuits. Feel free to create your own density circuit using 4-6 exercises that hit different muscle groups.
2. Sprints
An oldie but a goodie.
When it comes to conditioning, I love nothing more than sprinting. It can be a quick conditioning workout or a brutal finisher at the end of your workout. Sprints take grit, but they train you to better use the energy systems that are crucial for peak performance—the ATP-PC and anaerobic glycolysis energy substrates.
These are my favorite sprints:
Battling Ropes
If you have access to battling ropes, you’re in luck. They’re an incredible piece of equipment. Do “sprint” intervals and you’ll take your performance to the next level.
30/30 intervals (30 seconds of work followed by 30 seconds of rest) are killer. Go for 6-10 rounds. Alternating up and down waves is my go-to movement.
Hill Sprints
Sprinting uphill actually helps keep your hamstrings healthy by decreasing the likelihood of injury during overstride. Find a hill, sprint up that hill, walk or jog back down, rest, and repeat. It’s that simple.
You shouldn’t need to sprint longer than 20-40 yards. More important than distance is intensity; sprint only as far as you can with maximal effort. Find your sweet spot—it’s a little different for everyone. Go for 6-8 rounds.
Rest 60-90 seconds between sprints.
Notes:
- Don’t sprint without warming up first. Be sure to include mobility, muscle activation, and ramping up to full intensity sprints.
- Sprinting could be an entire workout or used as a finisher.
Dominate Life
Peak performance is valuable for everyone, not only athletes. As you improve your physical performance, it translates into every facet of your life.
Over time, it transforms you.
Transform your body and you will transform your life. I’ve built my career around helping people do exactly that.
Enter Stan.
Stan is a friend, fellow fitness professional, and even a world record powerlifter.
But then life happened.
He got so busy running his business and life that his training began to get off track. He wasn’t eating right, he wasn’t exercising, and it started to show. Sound familiar? It happens to just about everyone—yes, even fit pros.
When Stan decided it was time to change, he asked me to coach him. And change he did…
In about a month and a half, he completely transformed.
He shed fat, packed on pounds of muscle, and his performance shot through the roof. He started to dominate—both in the weight room and in life.
Click here to discover how you can unlock the strength to perform your best and dominate life.