The Minimalist Workout

I have been trying out a new workout (developed by sports scientist Alwyn Cosgrove) in the most recent August issue of Australian Men's Health Magazine, which is supposed to work all muscles with just five exercises - in essence, it is meant to be a highly effective, time-saving, and scientifically verified full-body workout.

Here are the exercises:

1. Wide-Grip Dead Lift
2A. Dumbbell Incline Press
2B. Cable Row
3A. Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown
3B. Swiss Ball Pike

The idea is to perform the Dead Lift in straight sets first, before doing alternating sets of 2A and 2B, before moving onto alternating sets of 3A and 3B. I have been trying out this workout, and it definetly saves time and is simple in its approach to working out. The Swiss Ball Pike is by far the most difficult - it challenges your balance, coordination and abs all at the same time. You're meant to do several sets of 15 reps, yet so far I could only manage 15 reps on the first set, and the rest were between 10 - 13 reps.

Interestingly, this workout utilizes the barbell only once - the Wide-Grip Dead Lift. Since barbells are extremely useful for building muscle mass, I would recommend this routine to be supplemented with other bodybuilding workouts (although this workout will stay with me for quite a while). Additionally, I have replaced the Cable Row and the Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown for the Bent-Over Row and Chin-Up respectively. These exercises I believe are superior to machines and will challenge the body better.

Give this workout a go; you may be surprised.