3 Challenging Finisher Variations
Mike Whitfield, CTT
Creator of the Workout Finishers 2.0 Follow-Along System
Shawna’s Challenge Workouts and Mikey’s Finishers go together like pancakes and sizzurp.
What a fantastic sentence to start out with.
You are in for a treat as I’m going to show you 3 unique “twists” to using finishers after your workouts. But first, what’s the point of using finishers? Well, if you’re stuck on a plateau, want to speed up fat loss or improve your conditioning and overall fitness, then finishers can make a big difference.
You simply “plug in” a finisher after any Challenge Workout. They take 10 minutes or less.
And if you have a hard time believing you can get great results in just 10 minutes or less, check out this study…
Participants performed a high intensity circuit (as found with finishers) with very brief rest periods using compound movements for only 4 minutes. The participants burned an average of 13.5 calories per minute (some participants burned even more!) and doubling their metabolic rate for at least 30 minutes AFTER.
“This particular style of interval training has profound effects even on short-term post-exercise metabolism”, says lead researcher Michelle Olson, Ph.D., principle researcher at the Auburn University Montgomery Kinesiology Laboratory. It would take five times the amount of typical cardio exercise to shed the same amount of calories.”
So, now that you are convinced at the power of finishers, let’s talk about just 3 variations that rock.
Finisher Approach # 1 – Density
There’s even a variety of approaches within this approach! First, there’s timed sets. This is when you’ll do an exercise for a certain amount of time and you’ll do as many reps as possible.
Another approach using density is when you do a certain number of rounds (supersets or circuits) in a given time frame. The set and rep schemes can be really crazy.
For the Density approach, let’s do the “”Big Switch” Finisher.
“The Big Switch” Finisher
Do the following circuit as many times as possible in 5 minutes, resting only when needed. If your form gets sloppy, you must stop and rest.
Goblet Switch Lunge (3/side)
1-Arm Switch Pushup (3/side)
Skater Hops (3/side)
Don’t worry, you don’t have to complete the madness on your own. Here’s a follow-along video of me coaching Brian through it (plus you’ll get some substitution exercises):
Finisher Approach # 2 – Gauntlets
Inspired by Craig’s original TT Gauntlet program, this is when you assign an exercise as the “gauntlet” within a circuit. So you’ll perform the gauntlet exercise, followed by a new exercise, then back to the gauntlet exercise, etc. That means you’ll do something like this:
Alternating Javelin Reverse Lunge
Close-Grip Pushups
Alternating Javelin Reverse Lunge
X-Body Mountain Climbers
Etc, etc.
See how the Alternating Javelin Reverse Lunge is the “gauntlet” exercise?
By the way, here is how the crazy Javelin Reverse Lunge Works…
Javelin Reverse Lunge
- Stand with your feet just outside shoulder width apart holding a pair of dumbbells.
- Take a big step backwards with one leg and lower your body until your thigh is parallel to the ground. Keep your torso upright.
- At the same time press the dumbbell up by extending the arm of the same side you step back with.
- Return to the top by contracting the quadriceps, groin and hip extensors of the lead leg and bring the dumbbell back down under control.
Finisher Approach #3 – Ladders
These can trick you. This is when you do a certain number of reps of each exercise, then in the next round, you do one less rep, etc. Now you can even combine the density approach with a ladder, too. But that’s a post for another day…
For now, let’s do this simple, but effective superset ladder.
“Declined to Gobble” Finisher
Do the following superset resting as little as possible. In the first superset, you’ll complete 8 reps of each exercise. In the next superset, you’ll complete 7 reps of each. Continue in this fashion until you complete 1 rep of each exercise.
Goblet Bulgarian Squat (8/side…1/side)
Decline Pushups (8…1)
Here’s how to rock the Goblet Bulgarian Squat…
Goblet Bulgarian Split Squat
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in front of you at chest height.
- Place the instep of one foot on a bench. Step forward with the other foot, taking a slightly larger than normal step.
- Contract your glutes, brace your abs and keep your spine in a neutral position.
- Lower your body until your front thigh is parallel to the ground.
- Keep your upper body upright and your lower back flat.
- Push up to the upright position. Stay in a split-squat stance.
- Perform all reps for one leg and then switch.
Now that’s how you finish ANY workout with an all day energy rush (and lose fat faster).
Mike Whitfield, CTT
Creator, Workout Finishers 2.0 Follow-Along Video System
Get 51 Follow-Along Workout Finisher Videos and bonuses here
Mike Whitfield, CTT, has lost 105 pounds propelling his passion into the fitness industry. His unique approach of using workout finishers has helped thousands of people lose fat with his online and offline programs. He is known across the fitness industry for his effective “workout finishers” and humor. His workouts have been seen in Men’s Health, Turbulence Training, AJC and more.