Being a personal trainer in a gym, you see all kinds of athletes every day. Some are beginners, some are advanced and some you can definitely label as “pro-athletes”. These type of athletes, as all trainers know, love to pressurize and push themselves to their limits. Although the workouts and training plans are intense and gut-wrenching, they certainly have their benefits as well.
For instance, Usain Bolt did not become the fastest man in the world by running laps around a track once a day. On the contrary, his trainer claims he had to endure one of the hardest and craziest workouts ever to be where he is today. Bolt once posted a video on Instagram in which he had trained so hard he started to throw up at the side of the track. Other times, he was found howling on the floor with pain yet he always managed to complete his reps and training. All in all, Bolt puts in a whopping three hours at the gym every day.
This sure doesn’t sound like the day to day routine of some people you may train in the gym. Could your training plans be labelled as “crazy” as well and are you thinking of taking your training plans to the next level? Read about the top 5 craziest training plans and maybe you can add them into your client’s routines!
In this blog I will show you the top 5 craziest training plans:
- The Armageddon training routine
- Don Wildman’s circuit
- Spartan 500
- Stoked 360
- The Murph challenge
1. The Armageddon training plan
Being a personal trainer, you’ve probably heard of this routine. Maybe you’ve already even added it into your training plans for your gym rats. As daunting as it sounds, this routine consists of a full-body workout that signifies strength and core. Although it’s meant for testing how much your muscles can really take, many athletes start small by using lighter weights or fewer sets. But to experience the full effect, heavier weights are required.
Your client should start with death-set deadlifts adding the heaviest weight they’ve ever dead-lifted with. They’ll be performing as many quality reps as possible in five minutes using this weight. The next exercises include 20 push-ups and 20 bent-over lateral raises, alternating between the two exercises five times. To finish, your client should perform one minute of chin-ups followed by a minute of lunge jumps, alternating between the two 10 times.
More information about the workout can be found here.
2. Don Wildman’s circuit
This intense exercise regimen was developed by Don Wildman, who is the world’s healthiest 75-year-old man. Thinking of an elderly man, many trainers could mistake this routine for being soft. On the contrary, it guarantees a serious workout and personal trainers in the gym shouldn’t engage in this routine with beginner clients. The circuit is designed for athletes in peak physical condition and should not be attempted by anyone new to exercise.
This training plan contains no breaks and is divided into 16 groups of exercises with each performed as supersets. To maximize efficiency, some exercises utilize machines beyond their intended use. Each group has between two and four exercises that will alternate, and you’ll have to make sure your client completes each exercise in the group three times to complete a set. This goes on for 16 whopping groups with no break in between! More information about this crazy workout circuit.
3. Spartan 500
This training routine may seem simple to your clients, but being a personal trainer at a gym, you probably know better. It consists of merely five exercises, but your clients will be doing 10 reps of each exercise 10 times for a massive total of 500 reps altogether.
These exercises include burpees, squat jacks, mountain climbers, agility dots, and jump squats.
4. Stoked 360
Kira Stokes, personal trainer and fitness expert, designed this series for serious muscle burn combined with cardio that never quits. In this routine, Stokes claims “no muscle is left untouched”. This could be a great routine to incorporate into your client’s training routines at the gym. The workout consists of four very intense circuits, each which should be completed three times before moving on to the next. There should be no rest during the circuits to keep the heart rate at maximum.
5. The Murph challenge
This workout routine is named after an American Lieutenant Michael Murphy, a heroic Navy SEAL who exposed himself to enemy fire while trying to make a call for reinforcements during an ambush in Afghanistan. Linking it to the navy, you can bet this training plan has all kinds of crazy.
If any of your clients are up for the Murph challenge, here’s how it goes. Your client should start up with a mile run. This should be followed up with 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, and 300 squats. Then, finish with another mile run. Did we mention many people do this challenge in a 20-pound vest or body armour as well? As a personal trainer at the gym, it’s important to advise your clients to start with smaller weights first.
Create your most heaviest workout with software
Along with all intense workout and training routines, it’s important to remind athletes and beginners alike that 70% of your training plans consist of your diet and nutrition. To build muscle mass, it’s important that your diet consists of certain foods to help you reach your goals. With your own easy-to-use nutrition coaching software, you can easily create digital food plans.
To help you guide your clients through their fitness journey, using software like Virtuagym can help enhance your training experience, save time and boost your professionalism. By using software, you can say goodbye to paper training plans. With Virtuagym your clients have access to your training plans 24/7 via smartphones. You can track your clients progress and there are more than 6000+ 3D exercises available.
How do you want to create your future training programs?
