Monkey Bar Gymnasium

I continue to promote functional fitness facilities, wherever they may be....  The Monkey Bar Gym originated in 2000 in Madison, Wisconsin. MBG prides itself on using an absolute minimum of equipment, instead relying on the natural movements of the human body. Here is a quote from their site:

The MBG focuses on intuitive, skill-based movements that do not require any machines and can be performed anywhere, inside or outside a gym. The staff of the Monkey Bar Gym trains members to rely on their instincts for the basics of movements to train. These basic movements include; running, jumping, crawling, climbing, rolling and reacting.

Chances are that MBG is not geographically near you. But I still make mention of it because of their website and unique workout formats.  For the past few weeks, I have toyed with their "30/30 workout." The 30/30 is simple: set a timer for 30 seconds, and alternate work and rest periods for a set amount of total time.  I have been picking some exercises and incorporating them into this format.  I've picked 24 minutes as my total time. For each of three 8-minute phases, I pick two exercises that I alternate between. (Ex: 30 sec of Ex1, 30 sec rest, 30 sec of Ex2, 30 sec rest, etc....)  Here are some of the pairings I've found to compliment each other nicely:

• sandbag squats & KB swings
  
• semi tire flips & sledgehammer strikes
  
• ring rows & KB presses
  
• wallball shots & sumo deadlift high pulls
  
• deadlifts & MB chest passes
  
• plyo pushups & walking lunges
  

You get the idea.  If you think 30 seconds of rest is too long, just try it first.  I'd swear the rest periods get shorter as the clock ticks away.  Another MBG format allows for a 40/20.  These are all similar to the Tabata method of 20/10.   The rest periods allow the participant to work within a super high intensity for a very short duration....just the thing for that anaerobic training I keep praising.

Click on the "Workouts" tab on the Monkey Bar Gym's website.  I'm sure you'll find a few workouts that will pique your interest.