How do you like to finish your workouts? With a whimper, or with a bang? We’re not going to judge you if it’s the former – if you’ve put the work in and just want to get into the shower, fair enough. If you can summon the motivation for a bang, however, then adding one of these high-intensity finishers to the end of your session will bring with it many benefits.
You’ll get your heart pumping, for one, as well as taxing your already-tired muscles one more time. Finishers are great for fat loss too, and completing them brings with it a sense of achievement that means you go about the rest of your day with the knowledge that you put everything into your training session.
Below you’ll find three finishers created by Rachael Penrose, personal trainer with interactive home fitness mirror VAHA. Make a note of how you perform after each finisher and see if you can beat your time or scores next time. Be strict with your technique. There’s no point cheating on the movement to try to achieve a better score, and you risk injury too.
Ladder Finisher
Start a timer and see how quickly you can complete this full-body strength finisher. To track your development, note what numbers you are hitting on the rower and what weight you use for your single-arm snatch. To progress, add a heavier dumbbell, go faster on the row, and of course finish in a quicker time.
1 Row
Distance 200m
2 Single-arm snatch
Reps 20 each arm
Stand holding a dumbbell in your right hand between your legs. Lower into a shallow squat, then drive up to generate momentum and lift the dumbbell. When it reaches shoulder height, flip your wrist under the weight and press it overhead until your arm is fully extended. Reverse the movement to bring the weight back down. Do all your reps on your right arm, then swap to your left.
3 Burpee over dumbbell
Reps 20
Stand with a dumbbell on the floor in front of you. Drop into a press-up position, then jump your feet forwards again and stand up. Jump over the dumbbell and turn around to face it again, then perform another burpee.
4 Single-arm snatch
Reps 20 each arm
This time start with your left arm, then swap to your right after 20 reps.
5 Row
Distance 200m
Bodyweight Finisher
A kit-free finisher that will get your heart racing. Time yourself to see how long it takes to complete the below exercises.
1 Jump squat
Reps 100
From standing, squat down until your thighs are parallel to the ground, then drive back up explosively and jump into the air. Land softly, and repeat.
2 Down-up
Reps 100
From standing, drop your hands to either side of your feet and kick your feet back into a high plank position. Jump your feet forwards to your hands again and stand up.
3 Press-up
Reps 100
From a high plank position, lower your chest until it’s hovering just above the ground, then push back up. Keep your elbows close to your body.
4 Sprint
Distance 100m
It’ll be smart to work out where you’re going to do this beforehand.
See related
- 10-Minute Bodyweight Abs Finisher
- End Your Next Workout With This AMRAP Core Finisher
- Power Through This EMOM Full-Body Finisher
AMRAP Finisher
AMRAP stands for as many rounds as possible. Set a timer for five minutes (or however much time you have before you need to finish) and complete as many rounds of the following as possible. Rather than switching to a heavier or lighter weight for each exercise, use the same kettlebell throughout to make transitions quick.
1 Kettlebell swing
Reps 10
Hold a kettlebell in front of you in both hands, standing with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hinge at your hips and take the weight back between your legs, then drive your hips forwards to swing the weight up to shoulder height.
2 Squat upright row
Reps 10
Hold a kettlebell in front of you in both hands, standing with your feet hip-width apart. Push your hips back and bend your knees to squat, lowering the weight towards the floor. Push through your heels to come back up to standing and lift the weight to your chin, bending your elbows and moving them out to the sides.
3 Goblet squat
Reps 10
Turn your kettlebell upside down and hold the bell in both hands in front of your chest. Squat down, then drive back up.
Find out more about interactive fitness mirror VAHA and its range of on-demand and live classes, as well as PT sessions at uk.vaha.com
