Monday's Workout

Here we go.

Strength Skill:

• Deadlifts (2 sets of 5, followed by 3 sets of 3)

There's nothing like a good set of deadlifts to start the morning. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to eke out a good set, though I managed a bunch of shitty ones. It appears that I've lost some capacity -- my max was a good 30 pounds less than my last go 'round. Pathetic.

Something tells me I need to get back on my Power to the People regimen.

Metcon:

AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible) in 7 minutes:

• 7 Plyo Box Jumps (24-inch box)
• 7 Burpees
• 7 Overhead Kettlebell Swings (using a 1.5-pood / 24 kg / 53 lb kettlebell)

This is more like it.

Box jumps are fun. The trick (for me, anyway) is to land on the box with knees slightly bent, and then kick your legs out straight to explode off the top of the box and backwards onto the floor. Land with knees bent, in a half-squat position, so that you're ready to power-jump back onto the box. If done correctly, you can string a ton of reps together by reducing (or even eliminating) the awkward pauses in between jumps.

The overhead kettlebell swings aren't too bad, either -- provided I don't try to kill myself with too much weight.

But burpees really are the king of all exercises: They're great for developing full-body strength and torching your metabolism -- plus, there's no equipment required (except a floor). Unlike a lot of folks, I love burpees. I love how the first few reps are always deceptively easy, and how they quickly grab you and throw you into a wall. Unlike exhausting moves involving heavy, loaded barbells, you're not in danger of dropping anything on your head or feet while doing burpees -- but you'll need a ton of willpower to keep going while maintaining proper form. I found myself lagging towards the end, and had to smack myself in the face (figuratively, not literally) to jump higher.

Result: In 7 minutes, I finished 5 rounds plus 16 reps. My goal: 7 rounds in 7 minutes.