I came up with this new thing I’m calling a ziggurat, and it really seems to be improving my endurance. What is it?
Well, if you’re following this blog at all, you know what a pyramid is in workout terms — that’s when you perform an exercise(s) in increasing reps up to a peak, then back down to the beginning. A full pyramid to 10 of Bodybuilders is 1 of each, 2 of each, 3, 4, 5, etc. up to 10 of each, then 9, 8, 7, 6, etc. down to 1. That would be 100 Bodybuilders (and a decent little workout!). A half pyramid to 10 would get you to the peak without the descent, a total of 55 reps.
A ziggurat is slightly different. In architectural terms, a ziggurat is a stepped pyramid in the ancient Mesopotamian style, like my adorable little drawing up there at the top (you like that? I did that with Paint — booyah, in yo face with my mad art skills!). In workout terms, what I’m calling a ziggurat is a stepped pyramid for time instead of for reps. I use :30 (30 second) increments.
Here a couple of ziggurat examples:
Heavy bag Speed Ziggurat. Punch and/or kick heavy bag as fast as you can for :30 then rest for :30. Then 1:00/:30, followed by 1:30/:30, 2:00/:30, and finally 2:30/:30 and back down again. Total = 16.5 minutes.
Ground ‘n’ Pound Power Ziggurat. Put your heavy bag on the floor, assume mount position, and punch, hammer and elbow the bag as hard as you can for :30 then rest for :30. Then 1:00/:30, followed by 1:30/:30, 2:00/:30, and finally 2:30/:30 and back down again. Total = 16.5 minutes.
Try one. They make you breathe like nobody’s business!
Robert Mitchell Jr. 