Strendurance is a 6-workout DVD, designed to be performed repeatedly over the course of 12 weeks in a set sequence. The high intensity strength workouts are 20-30 minutes in length and designed for endurance athletes from a variety of sports. The goal of the endurance athlete is not to ‘bulk up’ with unwanted mass, but rather to boost one’s muscular capabilities and the Strendurance program, according to their web site, accomplishes this goal!
The program suggests you perform workouts A through F, 4 to 6 times over a 2 week period. Tonight would be the first attempt at Workout A, which on paper looks pretty easy, but in reality is very challenging. After a brief warm up, you start off with three sets of the following with no rest between reps:
20 seconds of push ups
20 seconds of upright rows with dumbells
20 seconds of jumping jacks
Yeah, I know, sounds a piece of cake doesn’t it? Normally I’d agree, but there’s something about this 3 minute block of exercise that is really challenging.
The second set is a combination of squats, shoulder presses and mountain climbers, and is definitely no easier than the first set. Luckily you get some rest before moving on to a set of core work (crunches/lower back extensions) and “flicks” to keep the heart rate elevated.
The whole workout doesn’t even last 25 minutes, but at the end I was pretty beat up. For someone who classes himself as a pretty fit athlete, it really is quite a humbling experience! However, I’m sure I’ll adjust to the speed and combination of the exercises pretty soon, and if I can make it through the whole 12 weeks, I know I’ll be a better, fitter athlete.