20 Minute Workout: Plyometric Giant Sets

 

I created this workout when I was back home in Colorado just after Christmas.  Is it “back home” or “on vacation?”  Kinda’ both.  I didn’t grow up in Colorado, but I call it “my home that took me 23 years to find.”  Colorado just fits me…the sunshine, lack of bugs and humidity, ease of access to crunchy-person food, mountains, being outside all year round…I loved it.  But now, we’re “home” in Michigan.  It’s not me at all, but I am so sure this is where we need to be right now, that this too feels like home.  More importantly, “home” is where my people are, namely, my husband and my son, and they are in Michigan, so Michigan is home.

So…all that to say…I was “back” in Colorado when I wrote this workout.  I needed something that would get me sweating and raise my heart rate, plus fatigue my muscles.  Oh, and I didn’t have much time.  We had lots of visiting to do!  This workout?  It did all those things.  Fast.

So, here are a few things to know about this workout…

Giant Sets…I’ve used them before in this workout.   I love them.  Think mini-circuits here.  Think minimal rest time (because who has time to sit around?  We gotta get these workouts done!).

Both of these giant sets use just about every muscle in your body.  That is a very usual goal for a strength training workout for me.  Mainly because they burn more calories not only during the actual workout but also afterwards throughout the day.  I don’t do tons of workouts that isolate specific muscles (even upper body or lower body specific) for that simple reason.  Even the rows in this workout are performed in a plank position so your core is being engaged, as well as your quads, in addition to your back and arms for the actual row part.  I like that.

I’ve included some modification exercises in here as well.  If you cannot complete the exercise with absolutely perfect form, please, please modify!  There is nothing to be ashamed of in that!  You’ll save yourself from injuries and actually get a better workout, for you, right now, if you take the time to dial it back and do it right.

Equipment: Just some weights!  I didn’t have my TRX or anything, but my in-laws have some weights in their basement, so I used those.  Recently I was at my parents’ house, and, since they don’t have any weights, I used some paint cans I found in the basement.  Get creative.  Add weights if at all possible.  You want to completely fatigue your muscles by the end of this workout!

Aim to complete 2 to 4 rounds of Giant Set #1 before moving on to Set #2.  

So let’s dive in…

Giant Set #1: Squat Presses, Burpees, Around-the-World Lunges

Squat Presses

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Tips & Tricks

• I do 10-12 repetitions per round using the heaviest weight I can use while maintaining good form (usually 15-20 pound dumbbells for me).  Drop weight if your form starts to falter.
• Sit hips back into a squat and drive through your heels to stand up.
• Pull belly button in towards your spine as you press your weights overhead.  (Do not arch your back!)
• Modification: Completing this exercise without weights while you perfect your form is always a great option if this exercise is new to you.

Burpees

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Tips & Tricks

• I hate burpees.  (So does this lady, and I just love her for it!  Ha!) Seriously, they are the worst, but they work!  I usually do 10 reps.
• Hop back into a plank, do a pushup, hop your feet back up to your hands, and then jump up into the air.
• Modifications: skip the pushup and/or skip the jumping.  See below.

Modified Burpees

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Around-the-World Lunges

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Tips & Tricks

• It might be hard to tell from this GIF, but you will complete one forward lunge, one side lunge, and one reverse lunge on one leg before moving to one reverse lunge, one side lunge, and one forward lunge on the other leg.  (So you move in a circle, essentially.)  The video just shows half of the circle.
• Aim to complete 4-8 Around-the-Worlds (6 total lunges per Around-the-World) per round of the giant set.

Giant Set #2: Woodchoppers, Stair Jumps, Renegade Rows

Woodchoppers

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Tips & Tricks

• Keep arms straight throughout the exercise and imagine the weight moving through the air in a giant arc.  (Like you’re swinging an axe!)
• You’ll really feel this through your core, but you may also feel it in your legs with the squat motion at the beginning.  It is not predominantly an arm exercise (although your shoulders do a bit of work in the swinging).  Let your core do most of the work here.
• I do 8 reps per side and then switch sides (starting with the weight on the right side of my body instead of my left for the second set of 8).   Typically I use a 10-12 dumbbell, kettlebell, or medicine ball for this exercise.

Stair Jumps

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Tips & Tricks

• Sorry for the view on this one, but it was pretty much impossible to get a side view, and the top down view was not helpful.  So, there you go.
• Squat down, then drive through your heels as you jump up and land on the next stair.
• New to this exercise?  It is a-okay to hang onto the railing until you get your balance!
• I do about 14 stair jumps because that’s how many stairs I have going up from my basement.
• Modification: skip the bunny hops and just step up to the next stair after each squat.  See below.

Modified Stair Jumps

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Renegade Rows

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Tips & Tricks

• Lest you think a row exercise just works your back, I give you the renegade row!  Core, quads…just everything.
• I complete 8-10 exercises on one arm before switching to the other arm.  You can also alternate arms with each repetition.
• Try to keep hips level in plank position throughout this exercise.  If you are twisting your body to the side that is performing the row, decrease weight until you can perform the exercise with level hips.
• Elbows stay in, grazing your sides, as you row.  No chicken wings, please!
• Belly button draws in towards your spine throughout.
• Modification: Not quite ready for the full on Renegade Row?  That’s okay!  Start with Upright Rows (which will still work your core, quads, and glutes!).  See below.

Modification: Upright Rows

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Did you try this workout?  How did it go?  Comment below!