Try this for an alternative form of cardio. Thanks goes to Nick Radonjic, who has been known to post on T-Nation. I’ve copied and pasted his original article, which I believe was originally posted on Charles Staley’s site. Obviously, the protocol doesn’t exactly match Joel’s recommended cardio routine, so you’ll need to figure out how to make it comply. With a little imagination, it ain’t that hard to adjust this to Joel’s recommendations.
Stairway To Shredded:
The Ultimate Kettlebell/Dumbell Ladder Superset
For Anaerobic Endurance, Fat Loss, And Personal Challenge
by Nick Radonjic, CSTS
This is not a workout for the faint of heart, literally and figuratively. It involves placing a #1-pood or 36-pound kettlebell (if you don’t have a kettlebell, use a 35 pound dumbbell instead), a 53-pound kettlebell or 1.5 pood (if you don’t have access to one, use a 55-pound dumbbell instead), and 2-pood or 72-pound kettlebell or (70 pound-dumbbell in the alternative) all in a straight line about two feet apart from each another.
Then after warming-up, begin as follows: snatch the 35-pound weight three times with the left hand, and then do the same with the opposite hand. Next move to the 55-pound weight and snatch that 3 times with the left hand, and then repeat with the right hand. After that is completed go to the 70-pound weight and do the same. Not done yet! Now go back and repeat everything, but now you’ll merely do either kettlebell cleans or dumbbell cleans for sets of three! After everything is said and done, and you’re through choking on your lung, you will have rested for 60 seconds and then repeat the superset for 3-5 times, with 60 second rests between sets.
What that really translates to is that each “set” will last about 2:00 to 2:15 seconds! Also, with the brief rest interval, you’re really pushing. Assuming you do the 5 sets, you will have done 180 reps of volume of kettlebell or dumbbell snatches and cleans in about 15:00, with actual working sets comprising between 10:00 to 11:00 worth of work!
This translates into tremendous caloric expenditure, growth hormone release, and metabolic increase. In English, this means LESS BDOY FAT folks! And over time, a lower resting heart rate as well. Also, keep in mind that these are explosive movements which will translate into incorporating the fast twitch muscle fibers that martial artists, police officers, and other anaerobic athletes so rely upon. Do this “gauntlet” three days per week and you’ll surely be on the way to losing that unwanted body fat. Good luck and keep training.
