The Perfect 10 - Get Your Weight Training On

I recently picked up an issue of Fitness Rx (mainly because Jamie Eason was on the cover) and tried one of their short strength workouts in it that I thought I would share with all my runner friends. There were all sorts of helpful stuff in The Perfect 10 article so I urge you to go buy it yourself!

There are only about a million articles, studies, etc out there that say strength training is super important and I can tell you first hand that all those running PR's last year weren't necessarily from me doing track workouts every day or running more (cause I didn't do that!)...it's all about the weights!

I know it's really easy to see my bulging biceps under all those layers!

Anywho, in this issue they basically give you 10 strength exercises that will tone your whole body.  There are two circuits that you can do once or twice a week and they each took me about 30 minutes...super easy to fit in before/after a run or on a day when you aren't running.  If you are super strapped for time just do 3 rounds instead of 5!

I performed circuit 1 on Tuesday and circuit 2 on Wednesday and I am the perfect amount of sore today...not too brutal!

I've provided bodybuilding.com video links to the exercises because that site is awesome and has pretty much anything weights related on it.   Plus you get to watch buff men lift weights...if you are in to that sort of thing ;).

In the circuits below perform each exercise and move directly to the next with minimal rest.  Do the whole circuit 5 times with as little rest as possible.

CIRCUIT 1

Barbell Squat - 20 reps
Barbell Bicep Curl - 20 reps
Barbell Skullcrusher - 20 reps
Barbell Bent Over Row - 20 reps
V-Ups - 15 reps

CIRCUIT 2

Straight Leg Barbell Deadlift - 20 reps
Shoulder Press (I used dumbbells) - 20 reps
Incline Bench Press (I used dumbbells) - 20 reps
Pull-Ups - 10 reps <---I used a pull-up assist machine
Walking Barbell Lunges - 20 reps <---I did 10 per leg

See...easy peasy! I get super bored with strength routines, so magazines like Fitness Rx and Oxygen are always giving me new ways to pump some iron.

Question: What magazines do you subscribe to and stalk your mailbox for every month? My current subscriptions are Oxygen, Women's Health, and Clean Eating!