Prime Finishers

If you’re serious about achieving that ‘shredded’ look, or you’re simply stuck in a rut and bored with your current regime then let me introduce you to the ‘prime finisher’

A select exercise, or series of exercises, aimed to rinse you of that last ounce of energy having finished your usual routine. Perfect for burning off that pesky bit of body fat that won’t otherwise budge.

Intense exercise is what’s required for effective fat loss!

Plodding along on the treadmill whilst contemplating life won’t really achieve much, you need to incorporate some metabolic actions, raise that heart rate through the roof and sweat it out! By adding a prime finisher to the end of your workout, when you’ve already depleted your glycogen (carbohydrate) reserves, you’re going to tap into your fat stores to supply the energy needed to power on.

So what are you waiting for? Get exciting about exercise again, feel the burn and see the results of what is going to be a tough but incredible finish! Aim to complete 5-10 minutes of these killer moves by the end of which if you’re not ready to curl up and sleep for a week, then it begs the question: are you human?

Shuttle Runs

Simple. Set two items (be it cones, water bottles or dumbbells) around 15-20m apart. Sprint between each marker making sure you touch the ground at each end before running back. Aim for 8 repetitions, rest for 1 minute then go again, repeat as many times as required to fulfil your 5-10 minute finisher slot.

HIIT sprints

Taking those runs to the next level, hop onto the treadmill, or find a stretch of suitable ground. Jog for 20s then whack that speed up and sprint like madman (or woman) for 20s and repeat for the allotted duration. If you already have good aerobic fitness then add an incline to this and feel those leg and lungs scream!

Kettlebell Burpee Ladder

Perform 10 kettlebell swings followed immediately by 10 burpees. Then, 9 kettlebell swings, 9 burpees, 8 kettlebell swings, 8 burpees…you get the idea….complete the superset from 10-1 as fast as you can and don’t give up!

Jump Over Squat Thrusts

Set a step on the floor. On one side perform a squat thrust (lower into a squat with your hands on the floor, jump out your legs then jump them back in), from here stand up and jump over the step before performing another squat thrust on the other side. Repeat for 30s, rest 15s then repeat for the duration of your prime finisher period. Killer.

Mountain Climber – Knee Tucks

Using a pair of sliders perform 30s mountain climbers then 30s of knee tucks. Rest 15s then go again until the end. This one is tough of the shoulders, arms and core but a perfect superset for finishing a workout!

If you’re out of the habit of aerobic exercise then aim to complete just 5 minutes worth of finishers and build up to 10. Make a record of how long, or how many reps you can perform in each time frame and set yourself a goal to improve each and every week!