Finishers To Turn Up The Burn
End your workout with one of these fat-blasting, Tabata-style finishers.
There’s something satisfying about an exhausting sweat session that depletes that absolute last bit of muscle glycogen and leaves you pleasantly puddle-like. OK, maybe not for everyone, but there’s no better way to push the metabolic envelope and achieve that jelly-like state, than with finishers.
Finishers are quick, high-intensity circuits formatted in true Tabata style: They last about four minutes and are designed to tap your short-term energy systems and fatigue a large amount of muscle mass in a short amount of time. This means mega calories burned, a surge of growth hormone released and a delightful boost in postworkout bliss!
Incinerate That Fat!
Finishers are best done at the end of a strength workout or cardio session when you have just a little left in your tank to burn before hitting the showers. The key with finishers — and any Tabata, really — is intensity. Those 20 seconds of work have to be done all-out, and you should be begging for those 10 seconds of rest. Obviously, your “all-out” is going to be different post-lift than it would have been at the beginning of the workout, but dig deep and you’ll find that last bit of fuel that needs to be incinerated.
Here are four finishers, each with different equipment and/or exercises. Choose the one that is most appropriate for your training protocol. For example, if you trained heavy legs, select No. 1 or 2, or if it’s chest day, try No. 3 or 4. Note: Tabata finishers are no joke, especially if you’re doing them at their intended all-out intensity, and all athletes should have an adequate base of cardiovascular fitness as well as very good form before/while doing them.
So make your selection and destroy your last four minutes!
Finisher #1
Swing Shift (4 minutes)
| Seconds | Move |
| 20 | Kettlebell Swing |
| 10 | Rest |
Repeat eight times through.
Finisher #2
Kettlebell Queen (4 minutes)
| Seconds | Move |
| 20 | Kettlebell Swing |
| 10 | Rest |
| 20 | Kettlebell Goblet Squat |
| 10 | Rest |
Repeat four times through.
Finisher #3
The Ups and Downs (4 minutes)
| Seconds | Move |
| 20 | Squat Jump |
| 10 | Rest |
| 20 | Mountain Climber |
| 10 | Rest |
| 20 | Skater Jump |
| 10 | Rest |
| 20 | Burpee |
| 10 | Rest |
Repeat two times through.
Finisher #4
Have A Ball (4.5 minutes)
| Seconds | Move |
| 20 | Wall Ball |
| 10 | Rest |
| 20 | Ball Overhead Slam |
| 10 | Rest |
| 20 | Skater Jump |
| 10 | Rest |
Repeat three times through.