First Things First - Jen Sinkler · 2019-06-06 · Example: You might do a squat thrust to a pushup to a jump squat to a biceps curl to an overhead press, and if you wanted to blast

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I use a whole host of styles of metabolic-resistance training in my own programs, and not just for the sake of keeping it interesting. Each will elicit a different response in the body, especially once you start manipulating factors such as weight used, number of rounds you do, and how quickly you complete each round.

When designing a smart circuit, it’s helpful to start with this question: What do you want to do today? In other words, what is your desired outcome or what movement do you want to focus on? Whether your focus is your glutes, your upper body, or you want to drive your heart rate through the roof with many rounds of kettlebell snatches, with a little foresight and a bit of planning you can take your workout from a ho-hum combination of “Maybe this is working for me but I’m not sure?” exercises to a targeted plan that will get you the results you desire.

This PDF will give you three workouts, each one with its own unique focus, plus the templates you’ll need to plug in movements on your own: upper-body push/pull, hinge, squat, core, and explosive. It’s a little bit like a “Choose Your Own Adventure” novel in that you have the freedom to change up the movements and workout protocol while still achieving the training effect you’re looking to achieve.

First Things First

In every Lift Weights Faster circuit, movements are pulled from the following categories. Not every circuit will include movements from every category, but rather a combination of a few. You can also choose to focus on a body part or two — like the glutes-n-core workout given in this PDF — and plug in movements that nail those body parts.


Squat Movements

Upper-Body Push Movements

Core/Carry Movements Explosive Movements

Hinge Movements

» Barbell Back Squat » Barbell Front Squat » Kettlebell Goblet Squat » Bulgarian Split Squat » Skater Squat

» Conventional Deadlift » Sumo Deadlift » Kettlebell Swing » Hip Thrust » Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift

» Suspension Trainer Inverted Row » Chin-Up » Bent-Over Row » Resistance Band One-Arm Row » Dumbbell Renegade Row

» Box Jump » Kettlebell Two-Handed Swing » Slam Ball Overhead Slam » Sprint » Barbell Hang Clean

» Hand-Release Pushup » Clapping Pushup » Floor Press » Strict Press » Push Press

» Hand-to-Forearm Plank » Landmine Antirotation Arc » Double Waiter Carry » Farmers Walk » Valslide Body Saw

Upper-Body Pull Movements


General Considerations When Designing A Smart Circuit

Are you going to overtax your grip? Example of what NOT to pair together: Pull-ups, Hanging Leg Raise, Deadlifts = Palms Fall Off.

Is the quality of your reps going to suffer?For movements that are challenging to you, rather than assigning a certain number of reps to complete you might want to do a work:rest ratio and complete an AMRAP during the work period. (In my book, the “p” doesn’t stand for “possible, but rather it stands for “pretty”; i.e., As Many Reps As Pretty.)

Can you improve on volume, density, or intensity from workout to workout?All this means is, can you do more reps? Can you move faster than last time? Can you choose a slightly heavier weight? (Give yourself a little grace and remember that you don’t have to say yes to all three in every workout!)

Don’t underestimate the power of rest.Rest periods are crucial for maintaining form and creating the appropriate physiological adaption (in other words, to make progress). Case in point: One of the first things to drop off with fatigue is range of motion. Decrease range of motion and you’re missing out on a lot of the strength benefits of the workout. Remember to work within your limits, especially if you’re just starting out.

Choose Your Training Adventure

Circuits Often used as a larger umbrella term, this simply denotes any workout that includes various consecutive stations, often using different pieces of equipment. Work-to-rest ratio and rep schemes can vary immensely.

Example: You might do five rounds of five stations — pushups, kettlebell swings, pull-ups, goblet squats, and Russian twist — performing each exercise for 30 seconds and then resting for 30 seconds after every exercise.


Complexes In a complex, the same implement is used throughout the workout, and all reps of one exercise are to be completed before moving on to the next exercise. Oftentimes, you will complete the entire complex without putting the implement down, unless you need to rest. Example: Using the same barbell, you might do 10 reps of conventional deadlift, 10 reps of bent-over row, 10 reps of push press, and then 10 back squats, and then repeat that for three rounds, resting for exactly how long it took you to complete the complex in between rounds.

CombosAlso known as a flow, this type of workout consists of one rep of each exercise involved flowing into each other. As with a complex, you don’t put the implement down between reps. Because the volume tends to be quite low, you can often ratchet the weight way up for combos.

Example: The classic barbell Bear Complex is actually a combo, and is one of my favorites (once I’m done) to do intermittently in my training. In the Bear, you do one barbell power clean, followed immediately by a front squat, followed by a push press, followed by a back squat, and topped off with another push press. All of that counts as one rep, and you repeat it for five rounds of five reps at a time. To measure progress I record my weight used and time to completion.

Chains This circuit style is Metabolic Effect’s blend of a combo and a complex. In a chain, you start with a combo- style workout, and add reps to only certain exercises with each subsequent round. This allows you to hone in on particular body parts you really want to work. Example: You might do a squat thrust to a pushup to a jump squat to a biceps curl to an overhead press, and if you wanted to blast your shoulders, you would add one rep apiece to the pushups and the overhead press each round, keeping the reps for the other exercises at one. When you got to five pushups and five overhead presses, you would begin again at one rep apiece across the board. Chains are usually capped at a certain time, such as seven minutes.


Ladders In an exercise ladder, you either add or subtract a rep or a number of reps each round, depending on if it is an ascending or descending ladder. Ascending ladders get progressively more difficult, while descending ladders begin with the max number of reps and decrease after that. Example: Pairing two exercises, such as the goblet clean and the kettlebell swing, you might assign one an ascending ladder structure and the other a descending ladder structure, and perform them together. In this instance, you might begin with 10 goblet cleans and 1 swing, next performing 9 goblet cleans and 2 swings, and then 8 goblet cleans and 3 swings, and so on until the reps have been reversed.

PyramidsMuch like a ladder, a pyramid is when you begin with few reps, adding reps each round, and then — here’s where it’s different from a straight-up ladder — you come again back down in reps, retracing your steps the way you came. Example: You might do one goblet clean, then two, then three, all the way up to 10 and then all the way back down to one.

Plug and PlayAfter you get a handle on the various metabolic-resistance-training structures, it’s just a matter of plugging and playing them within your routine, and discovering both what you enjoy doing and what helps you make progress toward your fitness goals.


Category: Push/Pull/Squat/HingeTraining Adventure: LadderWorkout Length: 10- to 15-minute AMRAP (As Many Round As Pretty)

Tug o’ War

Set your workout timer for 10 to 15 minutes. Triceps Pushup and Kettlebell Goblet Squats reps increase by two on every round and Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift and Dumbbell Renegade Row remain at 10 reps. Rest as needed but if you can, rest at the bottom of the round.

Movement Weight Rounds Reps

Uppe

r-Bod

yPu

sh

Bodyweight Triceps Pushup Other movement possibilities: Dumbbell Bench Press, Kettlebell Strict Press, Dumbbell Push Press, Suspen-sion Trainer Pushup, Pushup

2, 4, 6, 8

Hinge

Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift Other Movement Possibilities: Valslide SHELC, Dumb-bell Romanian Deadlift, Barbell Conventional Deadlift, Kettlebell or Barbell Jefferson Deadlift

10 Reps

Uppe

r-Bod

yPu

ll

Dumbbell Renegade Row Other Movement Possibilities: Bodyweight Chin-Up, Bodyweight Pull-Up, Weight Plate Plate Row, Barbell Bent-Over Row

10 Reps

Squa

t Kettlebell Goblet Squat Other Movement Possibilities: Bodyweight Cossack Squat, Bodyweight Skater Squat, Dumbbell Reverse Lunge, Dumbbell Split Squat

2, 4, 6, 8

Total Rounds Completed:

Total Time To Complete Circuit:


Category: Core/Hinge/SquatTraining Adventure: CircuitWorkout Length: 5 Rounds, alternating 30 seconds of work and rest. 20 minutes total.

Back That Bass Up

Set your workout timer for five rounds of 30 seconds of work and 30 seconds of rest. Take longer rest breaks if needed.

Movement Weight Rounds Work-to-Rest

(Rota

tiona

l)Co

re

Kettlebell Russian Twist Other Movement Possibilities: Landmine Full-Contact Twist, Sandball Lateral Slam, Suspension Trainer Rota-tional Pull

5

30:30

Hinge Sandbag Glute Bridge

Other Movement Possibilities: Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift, Barbell Hip Thrust, Small Resistance Band Glute Bridge

30:30

(Anti

rotati

onal)

Core

Valslide Body Saw Other Movement Possibilities: Bodyweight Plank, Landmine Antirotation Arc, Resistance Band Pallof Press, Kettlebell Plank Pull-Through

30:30

Squa

t Kettlebell Goblet Squat Other Movement Possibilities: Dumbbell Walking Lunge, Bulgarian Split Squat, Kettlebell Front Squat, Split Squat with Pulse

30:30




Category: Explosive/Upper-Body Push/Upper-Body Pull/Core/Squat Training Adventure: PyramidWorkout Length: 20 Minutes or Less

Hop To It

Set your workout timer while you complete “Hop To It.” Rest as needed but if you can, rest at the bottom of each round. Next time, see if you can beat your previous record.

Movement Weight Reps

Explo

sive

Uppe

r Bod

y Bodyweight Clapping Pushup Other Movement Possibilities: Pushup, Hands-Elevated Pushup, Spi-derman Pushup, Hand-Release Pushup (In all pushup scenarios, move as quickly as you can control on the push part of the movement.)

1, 3, 5, 3, 1

Uppe

r-Bod

yPu

ll

Suspension Trainer Face Pull Other Movement Possibilities: Suspension Trainer Inverted Row, Barbell Inverted Row, Dumbbell Double Bent-Over Row, Dumbbell Chest-Supported Row

10 Reps

Core Bodyweight Leg Lower

Other Movement Possibilities: Bodyweight Crunch, Dead Bug, Flutter Kick, Hanging Knee Raise, Penguin

20 Reps(10 Each Side)

Explo

sive

Lowe

r Bod

y

Box Jump Other Movement Possibilities: Jump Squat, Jumping Lunge, Two-Legged Hop Over Line, Skip, One-Legged Hop Over Cone

1, 3, 5, 3, 1(Each Side)




Category: Training Adventure: Workout Length:

Workout Name:

Movement Weight Rounds Reps

Explo

sive

Uppe

r-Bod

yPu

shUp

per-B

ody

Pull

Hinge

Squa

tCo

re/Ca

rry




P.S. If you’re looking for even more creative and productive ways to condition your body, I’ve put together a mammoth pick-and-choose e-library called Lift Weights Faster 2. Complete with 181 different workouts, a full exercise glossary that includes written descriptions and photographic demonstrations of nearly 270 exercises (from classic moves to more unusual ones), a video library that includes coaching on 30 of the more technical lifts, 10 challenge-workout videos, plus a dynamic warm-up routine.

With workout options ranging from under 10 minutes to right around 30 minutes, you can slot in whatever type of circuit works for you on any given day, based on what equipment you have available and how much time you’ve got. Check it out by clicking HERE.

http://zfdj4.lwfbook.hop.clickbank.net

http://zfdj4.lwfbook.hop.clickbank.net


Before You Start…You must get your physician’s approval before beginning this exercise program. These recommendations are not medi-cal guidelines but are for educational purposes only. You must consult your physician prior to starting this program or if you have any medical condition or injury that contraindicates physical activity. This program is designed for healthy individuals 18 years and older only.

The information in this e-book is not meant to supplement, nor replace, proper exercise training. All forms of exercise pose some inherent risks. The editors and publishers advise readers to take full responsibility for their safety and know their limits. Before practicing the exercises in this book, be sure that your equipment is well maintained, and do not take risks beyond your level of experience, aptitude, training and fitness. The exercises and dietary programs in this book are not intended as a substitute for any exercise routine or treatment or dietary regimen that may have been prescribed by your physician.

Don’t lift heavy weights if you are alone, inexperienced, injured, or fatigued. Always ask for instruction and assistance when lifting. Don’t perform any exercise without proper instruction. See your physician before starting any exercise or nutrition program. If you are taking any medications, you must talk to your physician before starting any exercise program, including Thrive/Unapologetically Strong/Lift Weights Faster/Get Stronger Faster. If you experience any light-headedness, dizziness, or shortness of breath while exercising, stop the movement and consult a physician.

You must have a complete physical examination if you are sedentary, if you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes, if you are overweight, or if you are over 30 years old. Please discuss all nutritional changes with your physician or a registered dietician. This publication is intended for informational use only. Jen Sinkler and Sinkler Pub-lishing, LLC will not assume any liability or be held responsible for any form of injury, personal loss or illness caused by the utilization of this information.

All rights reserved. No part of this e-book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without expressed written permission from Jen Sinkler. We have unique tracking codes embedded, designed to detect illegal distribu-tion of this e-book and the download links. Do not risk breaking international copyright infringement laws and getting yourself in major trouble. Fines start at $150,000 and include a possible prison sentence upon conviction.

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First Things First - Jen Sinkler · 2019-06-06 · Example: You might do a squat thrust to a pushup to a jump squat to a biceps curl to an overhead press, and if you wanted to blast