Round 1 wasn’t so bad. Although by the end of it my muscles began to seize, my lungs collapse. But as round two picked up and my trainer pushed me harder, my mind became numb. Quitting is all I thought about. At some point, though, your heart has to take control over your mind. If you want to accomplish anything of substance, it’s your will that will let you stand whilst all others around you fall.

And so I pushed on.

I’ve been lifting weights, heavy weights, for the past year or so, without venturing into the boxing gym, or playing many sports. I’ve needed to get back into the gym for a while (the boxing gym). And this past month I’ve done just that. The result? My size has remained, but what I can do and how I perform has improved. I’m more athletic, faster, even stronger, because I’m performing athletic movements far more regularly.  My shape has changed as well; my abs have flattened, my waist has shrunk, and my shoulders have broadened.

I’m doing stuff I haven’t done in a while. Athletic stuff. Exercises and movements that we’re meant to do if we’re going to be true Alpha Males. And so, I’ve asked a lovely young lady, who’s also a stud athlete and all-around badass, to give us 7 exercises we’re not doing, that we should be doing.

Do like I’ve done. Bring athleticism back into your training, whether you’re an athlete or not. Whether you want to build muscle or burn fat, you need these exercises as an integral part of your training, if you want to build the best body possible. This is how I trained when I was fighting, and how I’m training today (learn more about my training when I was fighting by visiting this article: How to Train Like a Fighter).

Enter, Steffi Sorensen…

For those of you just checking in, I am a former professional basketball player and graduate of The University of Florida where I was voted team MVP my senior year. My background is primarily in strength and conditioning and until I graduated a few years ago fitness and aesthetics was an afterthought. How many points you scored and how good your defense was the only thing that mattered. Not dieting, bodybuilding, nor shaping the muscles we, as humans, have been given.

That being said now that I have gotten more involved in the fitness realm, I don’t stand in front of the mirror curling 20’s hoping my muscles will grow. I work my ass off everyday as if I was competing in the olympics. And you should too. Which is why I am here to share 7 badass exercises that may seem unorthodox ,or out of the ordinary, but that I find challenging and that can be easily incorporated into anyones workout regimen.

1. Hang Clean to Push Press

Coming from collegiate/professional type of training, olympic lifts were not uncommon. In fact it was basically most of what our workouts consisted of. I have seen gym goers hang clean, and I have watched people over head press. But the reason why this lift is badass is because it is a multi movement lift that is great for explosiveness, shoulder and trap strength.

What’s not to like? Do I really need to say more? Not to mention you can look like a machine in the gym if you do it right. I usually stick to lower reps and go for strength, but a set of 10 reps to close out this exercise can be a real challenge.

2. Tire Flipping/Sledge Hammer Combination

Just the other day I had my mom outside with a sledge hammer plowing away at my tire in our garage. She’s 50. Talk about a bad ass. I know when someone envisions a sledge hammer, we associate it with a man busting threw doors and heavy walls and feeling strong and rugged.

So, I’m not asking you women out there to cut down a tree, but I bet you the feeling you get picking up a sledge hammer and slamming it down on a tire will leave you not only sweating but beaming with pride. Exercise should be fun and challenging but more importantly rewarding. Find your self worth.

And for the fellas, theres nothing hotter than watching a guy do a strong man activity. Making it look effortless while simultaneously blasting away fat, working your core, and making loud repetitive noises to annoy everyone with your glory.

Now, when it comes to tire flipping, I know not everyone has access to heavy tires but if you do, I think it is a great tool that everyone, both men and women, can enjoy working out with. Lifting something heavy like a tractor tire off the ground is a full body exercise, and great for strengthening your deadlifts and your LUNGS.

*I have a 200-225 lb siting in my garage that I picked up for free. Call your local tire dealerships and junkyards for your newest toy.

3. Sprints

I firmly believe that besides proper nutrition, the best abs exercise out there is actually not really an abs exercise at all, its sprinting. Sprinting is the only type of true cardio I do because it burns fat while keeping your muscles chiseled. Now, I’m not talking about walking out to a track and going Usain Bolt on me, I am simply referring to high intense intervals of work.

Lets say you do 10: 20-30 (think 100s or 200s)second sprints and rest for 1 minute in between. Realistically, thats 5 minutes of actual effort. So whats your excuse? Want a lean and shredded body, hit the track, your body will love the challenge.

And don’t forget your stopwatch! Each sprint should be better than your previous one. Continue Reading on Page 2 >>>