12 minutes of Hell

By: TAKU

This is yet another extremely simple WOW (workout of the week). When done correctly it will see you sky-rocket your level of metabolic conditioning while simultaneously turning your body into an excess adipose incinerator (fat-burning machine). As always the workout I am about to outline may easily be adapted to fit the tools and space you have at your disposal.

First thing’s first: do not attempt this workout on your own. You must have a partner and will do better if you have a group of people to help out where needed and to keep everyone motivated and on track.

We’ll need a place to do chin-ups and dips as well as something with which to perform total body sprint work on. By now, most of you should know what my top machine choices are for indoor conditioning work. But just in case this is your first time reading one of my articles, I’ll remind you.

TAKU’s TOP-FIVE Toy’s

Now, this is all you need to do. Select your device of choice for sprinting and if possible place it close by to the chin-up and dip area. Your goal is to workout for 12 minutes non-stop. You will begin by performing an all out sprint for 20 seconds. You will then transition to the chin-up bar and perform a maximum set of chins, ten or so is a good goal (or until you have been pulling yourself for 40 seconds whichever comes first). Immediately return to your sprinting and complete another 20 second max sprint. Upon completion of your second sprint you will now perform a max set of dips (also not to exceed 40 seconds). Return to the sprint and continue in this fashion until you have completed twelve cycles or reached the 12 minute mark which ever comes first. The chins and dips should be performed strictly and under control. Move through your full range of motion and pause for one second at the top and bottom of each repetition.

If you are using a Versa-climber and can not move it easily or if your dip and chin stations are located some distance from each other, then just plan on transitioning between the sprints, chins and dips as fast as possible (do not dawdle).

Some tweaks and fine points:

As you may recall I mentioned early on that you should not attempt this workout on your own. This is due more to motivation then safety concerns. This workout is mentally challenging to say the least. It is very likely that all but a few of you will find it quite difficult to complete very many chins or dips after the first few cycles let alone max out with any real intensity. For this reason I recommend the following four options.

1.) Have workout partners there to assist you in completing forced repetitions. 2.) Once you have maxed out on positive repetitions, perform as many controlled negatives as possible until the time has elapsed. 3.) Set up some resistance bands with which you may perform band assisted repetitions. 4.) If available you may use an assisted chin and dip device such as a “Gravitron” or similar machine (this is the least desirable option).

If you enjoy mixing things up and/or you have several of my favorite machines at your disposal you may use a different tool for each successive sprinting cycle. If you have access to spinning / stationary bikes, treadmills, stair-climbers, elliptical machines etc, any of these could be substituted for the machines on my top 5 list. If, on the other hand, you have nothing but your body weight you may perform squat thrust and jumps or some other form of calisthenic movement in place of the sprinting device (don’t forget the jump rope option).

Finally, if you have access to a park with an open field as well as some chin and dip stations you could perform this workout outdoors as follows. Place a cone fifty yards away from the chin / dip station. Now, sprint at max speed to the cone and return as fast as possible. Complete your first set of chins and then sprint again. Repeat as outlined above until the twelve minutes have elapsed.

As you can see, this workout requires only a few pieces of equipment and the simpler versions could be completed using almost nothing. The challenge for those who choose to accept it however, is extreme. Do not attempt this style of training unless you are confident that your base level of fitness is already quite high. Otherwise you may be in for a painful shock. Post workout soreness is likely, and it is possible you may reach a point of anaerobic over load with dizziness, nausea, discomfort, or distress. When and if you are ready, give this workout a try. Within a few weeks you will find your body transformed into an unstoppable fitness machine.

TAKU’s NOTE: If you do not have any way to do Dips and Chin-ups, you may replace these two movements with Push-Ups, and Recline Rows. Check out the link if you need ideas about how to set up a body weight row option at home. Jump Rope inspiration courtesy of my friend coach Ross Enamait .