This is New England, you take good days and use them when you can have one because you don’t know when there will be another. On those days, I just don’t “feel” being in the gym because it’s too nice or for some other reason, but I need some exercise. I will use an “alternate exercise” for my typical program. My personal training program revolves around resistance training (weight training, baby!) primarily, a conditioning/GPP(1) day, and LISS. My general setup, based on a program I developed called the Brink Hybrid Program, involves specific structured resistance training one day of GPP/Conditioning/HIIT about once every 7-10 days and some LISS. When I say LISS (Low Intensity Steady State Aerobics) I mean a 30 minute walk, or maybe a 40 to 60 minute bike ride at an easy pace, as much for relaxation and quiet as for exercise.

I won’t go into detail about how resistance training is set up, but the GPP/Conditioning day has its own specific structure that I call the Hybrid-HIIT day. However, some days when I just don’t sit in the gym, I’ll do something else that suits my need for a GPP/conditioning type day. For example:

I took the Prowler and 50lb sandbag up a hill near a local park and did Prowler pushes (using “easy” handles to go up and “hard” handles to go down) using my GymBoss interval timer for 10 minutes, and I continued with one leg. Super set of leg deadlifts with lunges using the sandbag. I like the single-leg, straight-leg sandbag deadlift as it’s the most unbalanced thing you can do, and you feel it a lot more than just your hamstrings as so many muscles adjust to keep you from you fall My legs are always sore after that workout!

Yesterday, I had another “I don’t sit in the gym but I want to get some exercise” day (it was 70 and sunny!), so I headed back to the park. This time, I took the tow sled and 75-pound sandbag to the park near my house. I had my interval timer set to 1:30 and made a circuit of:

pull sled forward (30 seconds)
1 minute left
(reverse drag sled (30 sec)
1 minute left
push-ups (30 sec)
a minute break
one leg st dead leg (30 sec per leg)
break

Repeat till death 🙂

I did as many cycles of that as I could stand, rested 5 minutes, then reversed the work/rest intervals of 1 minute work, 30 seconds rest, and did the above for as many cycles as I could stand, which wasn’t very many. have to admit!

Back home for a post-workout drink!

The point is, be inventive and creative with your alternative strength and conditioning workouts, but within that, there needs to be structure and purpose that fits into a larger program that ultimately fits your goals. individuals.

(1) GPP = General Physical Preparation.