The Black Friday Insanity 1000-Rep Workout Challenge

The self-torturous shopping season is upon us. Long lines, crowded stores and hangry shoppers.

Ahh.. the holidays.

With a belly stuffed full of, well, stuffing we loosen our belts to make a bit more room for pie and regret. You think to yourself, what happened? One minute you?re the epitome of fitness, muscle and leanness and the next minute you feel like a bloated heap of flesh swearing off every holiday meal in sight.

Related: 8 Best Holiday Gifts for Lifters and Gym Fanatics

It doesn't have to be this way. let's make a pact. let's forget the past and forge ahead. You may be ahead of the game and already made plans to reignite your training plan after the weekend. You let things go a bit ? heck, it's the holidays for crying out loud. But let's get a head start and do something a little different.

The 1000 Rep Challenge

[caption id="attachment_25560" align="alignright" width="280"] Make sure to fuel your muscles and remain hydrated with intra-workout BCAAs.[/caption]

If your plan was to battle through the Black Friday mayhem, your plans have just changed. I propose to you a one day challenge - a kickoff before you start back to your original weight training regimen. Think of this as a one day basic training requirement before you resume your normal routine.

This is a one day 1000-rep challenge guaranteed to kick your butt and your body fat. Plus think of it as something new to try outside of your comfort zone. This single day plan has you completing 1000 reps in one workout ? that's the goal, 1000 reps. Simple enough, right?

Here are a few rules to go by:

This is a full-body, one day challenge. it's designed to give your body a new and different type of stimulus, to ramp up your metabolism and pique your interest for something fun.

You will do 100 reps of each chosen exercise. it's your choice what version of each exercise you perform. The difficulty is listed from easiest to toughest.

You will complete all reps for a certain exercise before moving on to the next. If you cannot complete all reps at once, rest in seconds the remaining number of reps you have left. For example, if you performed 40 push-ups you can rest for 60 seconds before resuming the rest of the reps.

Perform 2 rounds for a total of 1000 reps (500 reps per round). Feel free to choose a different exercise for round two.

Rest 2 minutes between each exercise. More if you need it. There is no real time limit on the entire workout, as long as you hit your rep goal.

Some notes on the exercises

Push-ups: Be sure you are sustaining a planked position. don't sag your midsection or point your butt into the air. You need to maintain a straight posture no matter what version you are performing.

Lunges: The key factor with lunges is to make sure you are lining up your knee with your toes. There should be a straight line of motion with no side-to-side sway.

Box Jumps: These should be explosive while landing squarely on the box. Avoid landing on the front edge of your foot as this will risk falling off and subsequent injury.

Inverted Row: As with the push-up, maintain a straight line head to toe. Also, pull your body up to the bar toward the bottom of your chest to take mechanical advantage of your back strength.

Pull-up/Chin-up: 100 reps in any type of pull-up is a real feat of strength. Feel free to continue your reps by switching to inverted rows if needed.

Bench Dip: As these have the potential to stress the shoulder joint, be sure to go no lower than a 90 degree bend at the elbow.

Diamond Push-up: Same rule applies here as with the traditional push-up ? straight line posture.

Parallel Bar Dip: Keep an upright position and your elbows close to your sides. Also, once you reach a 90 degree angle at the elbows reverse direction and contract your triceps.

Dynamic Ab Work: Be sure you are performing your reps at a steady pace without bouncing.
Planks: Again, achieve a straight line posture while keeping your midsection tight and flexed.


Are you up for the Black Friday Insanity 1000-Rep Challenge? For the first round, take as much time as you need if you aren?t used to this type of high-rep training. You should fall into a rhythm and begin to pace yourself. Also, drink plenty of water and don't force yourself to complete it if you experience lightheadedness, dizziness or faintness.

This challenge is meant to be fun and it's not only a great way to spice up your training but it's also a good indicator to see what you?re made of. Make this Black Friday one to remember without the long lines, crowded stores and stress.