Changing it Up: New to the Spartacus Workout

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laurennkoch
laurennkoch Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I've been sticking with the same types of classes (Les Mills Bodypump and BodyCombat) for almost a year. Anyone who is familiar with the program knows that they do change the classes up and release new workouts every 4 months to change up the stimulus like you're supposed to.

I am to the point where I am now teaching Bodypump (once I get my assessment passed) and am going to get certified in BodyCombat towards the end of this year/ beginning of 2014... needless to say if you're teaching the workout, it's too easy for you. I digress...

Keeping in mind the fact that in order to keep seeing results you have to constantly change up your regimen I turned to the Spartacus Workout featured in Men's and Women's Health Magazine. I was super skeptical at first but after my first couple times with each of the 3 DVD's I can at least feel something working- I'm sore for like a week!

I always alternate DVD's... Total Body Blitz and Ab Attack one day, then a 20 minute run with the Triple Set Scorcher. Each DVD is about 30 minutes. It has both cardio and lifting components because you're working at 20-40 second intervals with weights. That said I'm only about 2 weeks in. And of course my diet is very healthy too- lots of protein and veggies, and I'm always carb and calorie conscious.

My question: Has anyone else tried and stuck with this? What are your results? Has anyone determined how many calories you burn in an hour with this workout?

Any insight would be so helpful because lets face it, who likes wasting their time? Not me!

Thanks!!

Replies

  • laurennkoch
    laurennkoch Posts: 5 Member
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    Anything anyone lol?

    I'm mainly concerned about the calories burnt so I can log them here lol.

    Thanks again!
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
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    I do the original spartacus workouts which don't include anything you've mentioned. It's simply a 45 minute interval based circuit workout. It's a great workout though.
  • michael1976_ca
    michael1976_ca Posts: 3,488 Member
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    bump i've only seen advertise. i'm interested in the info
  • laurennkoch
    laurennkoch Posts: 5 Member
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    It definitely seem like a good one so far. I usually do about an hour of it, switch it up every day, and like I said before I'm pretty sore the next morning. It always leaves me really energized after though which is weird... but a good weird lol.

    How long have you been doing it?
  • laurennkoch
    laurennkoch Posts: 5 Member
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    As long as you go hard the entire work time (max reps and weight and evening taking the higher impact options he gives you, but of course still maintaining good form) you'll get the most out of it. The only thing I wish I would have looked into first was just finding the workouts online because the DVD's are like $55 or something close to that.

    My only complaint with the DVD is that he talks a lot lol. That said, him talking the entire rest period ensures that you use the rest time for rest time.

    Overall I'm pretty happy with it. It got me to break the rut of just going to the classes at the gym which was hard because I love them lol.
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
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    I use the sandbag modifications which increase difficulty. They're up on the ultimate sandbag youtube channel. It adds to the difficulty by quite a bit.
  • laurennkoch
    laurennkoch Posts: 5 Member
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    Hmm ok I'll have to check that out too. Thanks!
  • gdawg1321
    gdawg1321 Posts: 1 Member
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    I purchased this DVD set and thought I'd share my thoughts regarding the Spartacus workout set of DVD's. I too was a little skeptical when I bought them. You wouldn't know it by looking at me now, but I used to work in the sports medicine industry and have always been very skeptical and critical of a lot of DVD type workouts. Now that I have been out of the industry for a bit and it showsssssss, I am trying to get back into the mindset and recommitting to improving myself. At any rate, this set of DVD's peaked my interest after doing some reading about it and seeing the videos on www.menshealth.com, so I purchased them. I have done them several times and while I am out of shape and everything kicks my *kitten* now-a-days, I did like the set up.

    The heart of the workout is circuit type training, and based on time intervals rather than reps per set. They refer to it as metabolic circuits. The simple beauty to me of the DVD set is that any of the exercises can be modified to either increase or decrease your intensity as desired/needed. You can also increase/decrease your intensity by modifying your work/rest times as well. To estimate your calorie burn, I would think that utilizing MFP and just plugging in circuit training will be the closest category on the app itself. As another poster indicated you can also modify by using different tools such as sandbags for the workout, the point being it gives you a primer even in the DVD's on ways to increase your intensity or vary your workout as you need to. There is even a a few apps for phones that are based on this series. I have one called Spartacus Workout Collection that is for Android based platforms and has the entire Spartacus series of workouts and will allow you to modify work/rest times and primes you for next exercise towards the end of the rest periods.

    I do also think that David Jack talks a lot during the workouts, but he is very upbeat and motivating, you can feel his passion for the program.
  • alexhackney4
    alexhackney4 Posts: 1 Member
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    I bought them a few weeks ago and I'm on my 7th day with them, minus one day of rest. I basically do one of the videos everynight before bed. I am definitely, after only a week, feeling like I can keep up better. I am a web developer and photographer so I do not move around a whole lot. The fact that they are only 20-25 mins per is a real bonus for me, cause I work a lot and I can do this right in my living room. With the exception of the burpees and pushups, none of the exercises are beyond what I can do.

    I am 32 now and weighed in at the doctors office a month or so ago. From then I decided it was time to get in shape. I've always been fat but with better food habits and these workouts I think I'm on my way. At least I hope so.

    I just wonder if the calorie intake mfp recommends is right for me.
  • elrskny
    elrskny Posts: 1
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    Hey,

    I bought the Spartacus Total Body Blitz and the Triple Set Scorcher and have been using them for almost a month now. I just recently strapped on a heart monitor that calculates calories burned as well. When I do the Total Body Blitz, I burned 366 calories in the 35 minute program. I plan to see what I burn in the Triple Set Scorcher later this week.
  • krisjackson31105
    krisjackson31105 Posts: 160 Member
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    What is the schedule for Sparticus workout cause I cannot find one.
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
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    What is the schedule for Sparticus workout cause I cannot find one.

    You do the workout 3x a week with a rest day or light cardio day in between. More advanced users can use it as a cardio supplement to a more intense lifting program but for most people its best just to have it take the place of your lifting.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    Spartacus workout? Is that the workout where other people stand up and do the workout for you?
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
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    Spartacus workout? Is that the workout where other people stand up and do the workout for you?

    It's a workout developed by Rachel Cosgrove (those of you familiar with NROLFW will be familiar with her work) for Men's Health Magazine back in 2010 that's themed after the Starz Spartacus: Blood and Sand TV show. They've released a new workout based on the original every year since, so now there are 4. It's a circuit training style workout that takes approx. 45 minutes to complete and requires a few sets of dumbbells.
  • Sparklething2325
    Sparklething2325 Posts: 6 Member
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    I've been doing the triple set scorcher since the beginning of the year as my main workout. I'm a 30 year old female 5'4" and was 177 lbs when I started doing it wih 8 lb weights. I'm now 135 lbs and use 20 lb weights for most of it. I have increased my deal lifts and push press more then that though. Push press is 50 lbs and dead lift is 100 lbs. Both I can get 8-9 reps done in the 40 seconds. I also walk a lot (and carry all my groceries home) and bike ride 1-2 times a week for for cardio. I got a calorie burn of 400 calories when I first upped my weights to 20 lbs. Its a great workout if you push yourself
  • LAT1963
    LAT1963 Posts: 1,375 Member
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    I'm not familiar with the Spartacus workout, but the name makes me picture people doing laps around a stadium because they are being chased by lions. XD
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
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    I'm not familiar with the Spartacus workout, but the name makes me picture people doing laps around a stadium because they are being chased by lions. XD

    It's a collection of workouts put together by Men's Health Magazine. The workouts themselves are free on youtube (there's 4 different ones) as well as a special DVD version you can purchase that actually has people leading you along on 2 of the workouts as well as an additional bonus workout. Think of it as a much more effective, much more hardcore version of what Jillian Michaels' 30DS is trying to be =)
  • sinati60
    sinati60 Posts: 2
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    I was doing bodypump for about 6 mos with good results but felt stuck. I added in the Sparatus workouts and in 6 weeks I lost 5 lbs and went from a size 8 to a size 4. I like that I can go all out on the Spartacus workouts or, if I am having an off day can tone it down but still feel I am getting a good workout. I personally like all the talking David Jack does as it really helps the time go by faster. :-)

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