Sometimes you feels inspired and creative and can’t wait to rock your workout. And sometimes you just want someone to tell you what to do. This workout was inspired by a beautiful morning when I couldn’t stand the thought of going to the gym. Instead I hit the beautiful Cedervale Ravine and along the way I designed this workout for you. It’s got:

  • Low Intensity Steady State (LISS) Cardio: This will improve your endurance and give you an energy boost
  • High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): This is a great way to rev up your metabolism and burn the maximum amount of calories in a minimal amount of time
  • Strength Training Circuits: Circuit training keeps the heart rate elevated throughout your strength work, so you get additional cardiovascular benefits while adding lean muscle.

Oh- what’s the challenge? Finish the whole workout in under 1 hour.

So grab a resistance band (optional but helpful) and a buddy (also optional but helpful), download and print your PDF by entering your email address belowand head up to St. Clair West.

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Start at Heath st, just east of Bathurst (right at the north entrance of St Clair West Station) and head down the gravel hill to the path.

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You’ll jog for about 5 minutes before you come to the first bridge. Look for this graffiti:

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When you get there, do 20 bicep curls with your band and 20 jump squats and then repeat that superset for a total of 2 sets or 40 reps each.  You’ll be working your biceps as well as all the major muscles in the lower half of the body.

If you don’t have a band, you can substitute the curls with pushups.

If you need inspiration, find this graffiti and sing it in your head (or out loud. I’m sure freakier things have happened under that bridge):

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Then jog until you get to this bridge and do 20 pushups in the triangle of grass. You’ll be working your chest, shoulders and triceps (that stick figure is you. Primitive fitspo!) Challenge yourself to go from your toes and you’ll also be getting awesome core benefits as well. Booya!

 

Then leap up the stairs two stairs at a time to really rev the heart rate up and get into the glutes:

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When you get to the top, anchor your band and do 20 rows to hit the biceps and mid back muscles.

If you don’t have a band, you can modify and hit the same muscles by grabbing the top railing with an underhand grip and pulling your stiff body towards the railing.

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***Before you move on, repeat that superset (the pushups, stairs and rows) once more.***

 

Then keep jogging until you get to a clearing and you’ll see this hill. Run up it BACKWARDS to really feel a burn in your hamstrings and gluteus muscles.

 

When you get to the top, step on one end of the band with one foot and grab the handle with the other hand. Make sure there is tons of resistance and squat and do an overhead press for 20 reps on one side and then 20 on the other. You’ll be targeting your quadriceps as well as your shoulders and you should feel your heart rate up as well!

If you don’t have a band, then I’m afraid you have 10 burpees. See? I told you having a band is helpful. 😉

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***Before you move on, do the backwards run and Squat and Overhead press circuit once more.***

Then you are going to do a fartlek sprint back to Heath street. Fartlek is a (totally hilarious) Swedish word meaning ‘speed play’. It’s a way of doing High Intensity Interval Training when you create your own intervals based on your exertion rather than a timer. Basically, you are going to sprint as hard and fast as you can until you REALLY DON’T FUCKING FEEL LIKE IT ANYMORE and then you walk for a bit and then you sprint as hard as you can again. You do that all the way back to Heath st with a MANDATORY sprint up the final hill. Race your buddy if you are a competitive type. Like I said- this is the HIIT training portion of your workout and it should feel really intense but trust me – this is what gets results! Once you get up to Heath street, walk around until your heart rate normalizes.

Then hit this circuit to finish off the muscles:

1. Do 20 rows by positioning yourself under any of these bars (lower = harder), stiffening the body and pulling your chest to the bar. You are working the muscles of the back and biceps so maybe do an extra set here if you didn’t have a band and weren’t able to hit those muscles earlier. IMG_4573

2. Then you’ve got 20 box jumps off these (higher = harder. Obvi). Box jumps are going to finish off  the fast twitch muscle fibers in your legs.

 

3. And then flip around and do 20 dips for a final burn of the chest, shoulders and triceps.IMG_4582

Finally, you can brace yourself on these parallel bars for 20 knee tucks for the ultimate in ab training. Here are some my Not So Early Risers Bootcampers rocking it like no one’s business. But if this feels a little advanced, go for a plank on the grass.

***Repeat the strength circuit once more***

And then you have conquered the Cedarvale Ravine Challenge! Did you finish under an hour? Leave a comment below or let me know on Twitter or Facebook.

Any requests for the next Challenge destination? 😉

PS-

Don’t forget to download and print your PDF by entering your email here:

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