Last updated 21:12, Thursday, 14 August 2008

ON MY quest for Crossfit greatness I encountered another workout named after a girl.

I’ve managed to try this workout twice now and on both occasions it has made the two days afterwards uncomfortable.

To describe this workout, I can only use one word - pain. A nice pain though, because you know that this is doing some good.

Crossfit certainly developed a gruelling workout in Angie, they cunningly picked four exercises that are known as great bodyweight workouts.

Combined, they completely batter you and even though you might think a break or two will help, you begin to realise that the only thing that will help afterwards is two weeks in the Maldives.

I’m maybe not selling this workout so well, but understand one thing - if you want to achieve a calorie blasting workout then look no further.

Angie comprises of pull ups, press ups, sit ups and squats. The bad news is you have to perform 100 reps on each of the four exercises.

A scary 400 reps in total but this could be your workout finished with in less than 30 minutes and the rest of the night is yours.

A hundred pull ups for anybody is tough - some people might say impossible.

Again Crossfit utilises the kipping pull up, which maximises the number of reps performed. I used jumping pull ups which added some extra fatigue to my calf muscles. The key to jumping pull ups is to try to maintain the pull in your arms, don’t just jump. All the work must come from the back and biceps. You will stop several times during the first 100 reps.

I found 50 reps in and the arms were beginning to have a huge build up of lactic acid. The jumping motion acts like a plyometric movement so you will gain fitness from this. Try to shake your arms out and gain some blood flow before performing the next 100 reps on press ups.

If you find press ups comfortable then this might be the easiest of the exercises to perform. The key to press ups is building momentum throughout. If you perform them slowly the harder it is. An explosive press is what you need. You will stop and the pectoral muscles will tighten considerably but it’s a nice feeling that the bodybuilding fraternity might like.

Next come sit ups and I have to admit my abdominals after 30 reps were tender. These are proper sit ups, don’t use crunches. You can put your feet into straps to secure them but I find it better to leave them free. You’ve probably all read the guide to six pack abs, every Sunday supplement has them these days, well forget that and do this workout. This exercise took me the longest and I did stop several times but it’s important to keep good form. On the way down you must control the motion. This is key to sit ups - the downward motion is just as important as the crunch.

We are nearly there but hold on, what’s happened to my legs? Why are they so rubbery and shaky? The lactic acid has hit every part of my body now especially as the first exercise used my legs during the plyometric movement. Bodyweight squats are tough, don’t underestimate them. You will feel a good burn in the quadriceps muscle and again keep the form strict.

Four hundred reps completed and if you want to know the time, well because of my anxiety beforehand I forgot to press the start button on my stopwatch. I’m glad I didn’t time myself but ensure you do every time you perform this workout. This will show the progress you make in the coming weeks.

If Angie was your girlfriend she would certainly be high maintenance, but in the end you know that everything she does benefits you and in the long term you will be thanking her for all she has given you.