When I was at RODALE headquarters last Monday shooting exercise vids among other things, I was chatting with Men’s Health Fitness Director Adam Campbell about their extremely successful Spartacus Workout series.
To briefly recap, Adam teamed up with world class trainers Alwyn and Rachel Cosgrove of Results Fitness in Santa Clarita, CA, to create some high-intensity, fat-smashing metabolic circuits designed for those dudes (and gals) looking to build a body of, well, epic proportions in line with promoting the new series SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND.
A metabolic workout is essentially a total body circuit of non-competitive exercises that works different areas of your body with short rest periods between exercises. In other words, you quickly and seamlessly alternate between a series of upper body, lower body, and core exercises to keep intensity high while getting a ton of work done in a very short period of time.
Adam told me that both the Spartacus 1.0 and 2.0 Workouts are the most popular Men’s Health workouts of all time and that says a lot for the world’s largest men’s magazine which pumps out countless killer workouts each and every month.
So why is the Spartacus Workout series so popular?
I think it’s because most fitness junkies love a crazy workout challenge and more importantly, the big results that come with rising to the occasion.
But there’s more to this workout series than just that.
The reality is that 75 million Americans suffer from a condition known as metabolic disorder, a condition characterized by a bulging belly and known as a precursor to heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and even some cancers.
This reality has forced some of the top trainers in the world to up their game and create this new style of training that trumps aerobics known as metabolic resistance training that can help burn belly fat, boost weight loss, build rock-hard muscle, and skyrocket metabolism.
Though nobody will argue that a dietary intervention has far greater impact on reversing the trends of said metabolic disorder – mainly by cutting out added sugar in your diet and opting for more fibrous, nutrient-dense fruits and veggies – studies show that high-intensity anaerobic exercise can also help reverse insulin resistance, a symptom of metabolic disorder whereby your pancreas can no longer secrete enough insulin to effectively manage your blood sugar.
But beyond the health benefits, metabolic workouts like Spartacus 1.0 and 2.0 torch a TON of calories and can flat out get you ripped in no time.
T0 quote Adam Campbell:
“When Christopher Scott, Ph.D., an exercise physiologist at the University of Southern Maine, began using an advanced method to estimate energy expenditure during exercise, his data indicated that weight training burns more calories than originally thought—up to 71 percent more. Based on these findings, it’s estimated that performing just one circuit of eight exercises—which takes about 8 minutes— can expend 159 to 231 calories. That’s about the same as running at a 6-minute-mile pace for the same duration.”
So you can use classic resistance training exercises in a circuit format to burn as many calories of running without all that pounding on the joints- sweet!
Now the Spartacus 2.0 workout consists of 2 steps, each step consisting of circuit of 5 exercises repeated twice followed by a 2-minute transition period before you do it again. In other words, there are 4 different 10 exercise circuits that you perform for a fat-slaying 48-minute total body workout.
Using the latest caloric expenditure estimates of anaerobic exercise, this means that the Spartacus 2.0 Workout can burn over 1,000 calories just during the exercise bout itself!
Mind you, this doesn’t include the post-workout calorie burn or “afterburn” that continues to churn along for up 48 hours after completing this workout.
Yep, this workouts kicks ass and it will kick your ass if you have guts to do it!
But, recently I made a couple of tweaks to it that I think will get you even better results.
Where the original workout used dumbbells in an effort to be more user-friendly for people who workout in the comfort of their own home with minimal equipment options, my new TRX Spartacus 2.0 Workout uses the TRX Suspension Trainer in every exercise.
Why? Suspension training provides the type of unstable training environment that will engage more muscle, cause greater activation of your core (you know you love to work your abs), and burn even more calories than you would otherwise.
But there’s yet another X-factor with this unique training tool- it activates the fight or flight response that will truly make your body change and FAST.
More specifically, being suspended makes your body think it’s in a survival state and as a result you release catecholamines, better known as adrenaline, which are proven to best mobilize the stubborn fat found in the belly and lower back of men and the hips and thighs of women.
Plus, I think the TRX is second to none for providing a fresh and fun total fitness experience due to it’s portability and versatility and the fact that it can be integrated with other phenomenal training tools like kettlebells, resistance bands, sandbags, med balls, and more.
After all, Men’s Health did vote the TRX Suspension Trainer to be the best total body training tool on the planet for a reason.
Without further adieu, outlined below is the official TRX Spartacus 2.0 Workout PLUS an instructional video showing each exercise along with key coaching cues to make sure you do them right- get some!!
TRX SPARTACUS 2.0 WORKOUT CHALLENGE
Step1- Each exercise is a station. At each station do as many reps as you can in 40 seconds. Rest for 20 seconds and move on to the next station. Go until you’ve done 2 circuits, then rest 2 minutes and do 2 more circuits. Rest for another 2 minutes, then go to Step2.
Station#1- TRX Rear-Foot-Elevated Med Ball Slams
Station#2- Band-Resisted TRX Atomic Push-ups
Station#3- Kettlebell 1-Arm Bottoms Up TRX Single-Leg Squat
Station#4- TRX 1-Leg, 1-Arm Kettlebell Row
Station#5- TRX Sandbag Fusion Rotational Lifts
Step2- Each exercise is a station. At each station do as many reps as you can in 40 seconds. Rest for 20 seconds and move on to the next station. Go until you’ve done 2 circuits, then rest 2 minutes and do 2 more circuits and you’re done!
Station#1- Band-Resisted TRX Bent-Knee Hip Extensions
Station#2- TRX Sandbag Fusion Jammer
Station#3- TRX Rear-Foot-Elevated Sandbag Clean and Press
Station#4- TRX 1-Arm Row + 1-Arm Kettlebell Press
Station#5- TRX Rip Trainer Standing Side Planks
If you’re a beginner, simply start by just performing 1 cycle of step 1 and work towards being able to fully complete both cycles of step 1.
And don’t forget about the killer training tools powered by Workout Muse below that can help power, automate, and enhance your Spartacus training experience!!
Instantly download the world famous Men’s Health Spartacus 2.0 Workout with the FREE Spartacus 2.0 Workout Muse Soundtrack:
Check out our best-selling app, iWorkout Muse PRO for the iPhone and iPod Touch, allows you to build custom interval training soundtracks mixed to your favorite music:
I’d love to hear how you like this new workout and I challenge you to create your own as well.
Please share your success stories and ideas at our Facebook Fan page:
http://www.facebook.com/workoutmuse
Crank it!
BJ
