Disruptive Workout

My day job is in marketing, and one technique we use is called ‘disruptive marketing.’ Taken from the originally coined term ‘disruptive technology,’ disruptive marketing “is simply doing things uncharacteristically. Not for the purpose of being different, but for the purpose of making a difference. Effectiveness and adapting to change are the drivers … (Ezine: http://ezinearticles.com/?Disruptive-Marketing---A-Matter-of-Survival&id=1122488).

So I got to thinking about this approach to my workouts. I’ve been working out for a decade now, and though I change my ‘splits’ and alternate the amount of cardio, for the most part I’m doing about the same thing year after year. And we all know where that gets you – plateau! The one thing I know about breaking plateaus is keep the body guessing.

This week, I’ve been experimenting with building a “disruptive workout.” That is, taking the two core aspects of my workout – weight training and cardio – and intermixing them. There are many training methods that incorporate high impact cardio into strength training (plyometrics, circuit training, high intensity weight training, etc), but often, workouts are designed in 2 parts: weight training first, followed by 20-30 minutes of cardio on machines (treadmill, elliptical, bike, etc).

So ... what if we “disrupt” the body by splicing weight training with cardio. Here’s what I mean:

Typical training plan example (day split = shoulders/back)

• SET 1 (Shoulders): A) Shoulder press (4 sets of 10); B) Front/side lateral raises (3 sets of 10 each)
• SET 2 (Back) - A) Row (4 sets of 10-12); B) Wide grip lat pull down (4 sets of 10-12)
• SET 3 (Shoulders/abs superset) A) Inverted push ups (20 reps); B) Ab crunch (25 front, 25 each side)
• CARDIO – 25-30 min on treadmill, alternating speed/incline

Disruptive training plan example:

• SET 1 (Shoulders): (A) Shoulder press (4 sets of 10); (B) Front/side lateral raises (3 sets of 10 each)
• SET 2: 10 minutes of interval treadmill (1 min walk, then 3 cycles of 2 min at 6.5 pace, 1 min at 8.0)
• SET 3 (Back): (A) Row (4 sets of 10-12); (B) Wide grip lat pull down (4 sets of 10-12)
• SET 4: 10 minutes of incline treadmill interval (1 min walk, then 3 cycles of 2 min run at 5.8 pace with incline, 1 min at same pace, 0 incline)
• SET 5 (superset): (A) Inverted push-ups (20 reps); (B) Ab crunch (25 front, 25 each side)
• SET 6: 10 minutes of interval treadmill (1 min walk, then 3 cycles of 2 min at 6.5 pace, 1 min at 8.0)

After 2 days, I feel a difference at least in my boredom levels, which is I always think half the battle. I need to give it more time to see if there is an impact to scale and clothes… but it’s looking good!

To try this yourself, simply break up your cardio into 2-3 sets, and put those in between your weight training sets.