What Chuck Does

Cardio Calisthenics Kicked My Ass

I’ve decided to incorporate a set of Cardiovascular Calisthenics into my week. While browsing the web I came across a site called www.iwantsixpackabs.com where the author suggested a certain calisthenic-type resistance training for getting a six-pack.

I tried it. I got my ass kicked.

Here’s what I did:

A1: Slow Pushups
A2: Body Squats

B1: Stationary Lunges
B2: Pullups (substituted with Total Gym pull-backs)

C1: 8-Count Body Builders (see above image)
C2: Plank

A1/A2, B1/B2, and C1/C2 each correspond to a single set, also known as a “super-set”. For example, you would do the A1 exercise and A2 exercise back-to-back without rest. Then you would rest 1 minute and repeat. You do this a total of 3 times. So you wind up doing 3x A1/A2, 3x B1/B2, and 3x C1/C2 all with 1 minute rest in between supersets.

Here are my reps per exercise:

Slow Pushups - 27/20/17
Body Squats - 20/20/20

Stationary Lunges - 15/15/15 (per leg)
Total Gym pull-backs - 15/14/12 (I did pullups the day before)

8-Count Body Builders 12/10/10
Plank - 30/30/30 seconds

The total routine took about 30 minutes. By the time I got to the 8-Count Body Builders, I was dripping in sweat (worked out indoors). The suggested time duration for Plank was 45 seconds but I could only do 30 seconds. By the end of 30 seconds I would collapse on the ground and put my head in my arms gasping for air. Inevitably the 1 minute would go by super fast and I’d start the 8-Count Body Builders again out of breath. I have not worked out with this kind of intensity in a long time. The 1 minute rest in between sets is very difficult to maintain with the level of intensity of these exercises.

At the end of the workout I could see how these exercises could produce massive gains resulting in a nice six-pack. It’s possible that my abs were tired from the day before but yesterday really pushed the limit. The website says to do this workout 3x a week every other day.

Today I’m going to try some HIIT with running… should be interesting.