When summer starts its slow retreat and the body no longer has to be exposed at the beach, many fans of the iron game get back into the pursuit of serious muscle growth.   But on the nutrition side of things; unless you’re a 60kg genuine hard-gainer, spending the winter stuffing your face in the pursuit of said muscle is probably more likely to result in belly growth as well. 

Let’s face it, pasta and potatoes are far more appealing during the cold months than a cool and crunchy salad.  So if you can’t bring yourself to dish up a nice plate of greens when it’s freezing outside, then maybe you need to add a dash of extra cardio work.  If you’re anything like me however, you detest the stationary bike, avoid the treadmill like the plague and will only mount the foot plates of an elliptical trainer when the fiery gates of hell develop icicles.  But what’s the alternative?

For a bit of a change, try a bit of old school.  Sled dragging, tire flipping, sandbag lifting and more, old school is basically just good old fashioned physical work.  It’s an insult to call this type of training ‘cardio’.  It’s more commonly known in the realm of strength sports as GPP, or General Physical Conditioning.  Others call it MetCon or Metabolic Conditioning.  No matter the title, the fact is it burns fat like a forest fire.  Try some of these old school routines below.

Sandbag Shouldering: 

Buy a custom made sandbag, or make your own from an old army duffel.  Lay the sandbag on the ground, stand over it and get a grip on both ends.  Squat down and with an explosive hip and knee extension clean the bag up to one shoulder.  Control it back to the ground and repeat to the opposite shoulder.  For a 15-25 kg sandbag try sets of 20 reps with 2 min rest.  A 30-40 kg sandbag works well for sets of 10 reps and a 1 min rest.  Start with 5-6 sets; add sets and/or decrease rest each workout. 

Sledgehammer Striking:

Find yourself a tree stump or big tire and get stuck into it with a 6-10kg sledge.  Overhead strikes, over the shoulder strikes and horizontal chops all work well.  To ensure you’re swinging with everything you’ve got, aim for as many reps as possible in 1 minute rounds.  Tally up your total after 6 rounds and try to beat it next time.  Alternatively a Tabata protocol of 20 sec work and 10 sec rest for 8 sets will do nicely.  If you simply can’t be satisfied with a 4 minute workout, wait for the nausea to subside and repeat.

Tire flipping:

Using a tire around the 80-150 kg mark, flip end over end for reps, time or distance- aim for about 30 sec of work with 60 sec rest.  Ten sets should leave you craving a stationary recumbent bike and a celebrity gossip magazine to read on it.  If not, add a jump in and out of the tire between flips.  If you’ve got the space at home, you can score a free old tire from most dealers.

Medball, small tire, keg or powerbag throwing:

Fetch Rover!  This one is pretty simple, but may lead casual observers to think you have no friends to play catch with.  Throw what ever weighted object you have as far as you can, however you can (overhead, underhand, shotput or rotational) and then chase it.  Keep going for a set time or distance- aim for 30-60 sec of work and 60 sec rest for eight sets.  Add sets, and/or decrease rest etc each workout.

If the weather outside is too rough, put together some indoor circuits of 4-5 exercises that use large muscle groups.  Here are some examples.

Power Endurance Circuit

• Burpees
• Medicine ball floor slams
• Overhead plate or sandbag lunges
• Box jumps
• Rest
  

Each exercise lasts 60 sec with 60 sec rest after you’ve completed all four exercises. Repeat 2-4 times. If you’re competitive, count total reps and try to beat your score next time.  For a higher intensity session, double-time your work output and take a rest for 30 sec after each exercise.

Tabatas:

You could also use the Tabata protocol for any exercise or combination of exercises (eight sets of 20 sec on/10 sec off.  Your lowest rep number in any set = your score).  Do one to four rounds of eight depending on your fitness level.  For example, a brutal 30 min workout might consist of Turkish Getups, Burpees, BB Squat presses and Bear Crawls for eight sets each with a 1-3 min rest between exercises.

A month of the above kinds of workouts should provide a welcome break from the same old routine you’ve been doing.  The high intensity nature won’t interfere with your muscle building endeavors, the fat you burn will make your next summer lean up a little bit easier……… and you might just enjoy the challenge.