There's more to Muscle Beach Venice than heavy lifting. Building big, beach-ready muscles is only half the battle. If you really want to show off those muscles, you're going to have to sweat. Smart cardio will help you lean down, but why torture yourself on the stair stepper when you can go free-range? That's what Muscle Beach Nutrition athlete Ike Catcher does using this beach bodyweight workout.
This workout is simple yet effective. You'll trade in the cardio machines for sprints, kicks, and crunches. Since you'll be doing high-intensity bodyweight exercises, you'll strengthen your muscles and sharpen your cuts while you're burning fat.
"This is not a muscle-building exercise, this is more of an aerobic exercise," Catcher explains. "The goal of this workout is to lose fat and to limber up."
Catcher is a lucky man—he has a sandy beach outfitted with a full gym at his disposal. But not all of us are this fortunate.
Mix this workout in with your lifting days to stay lean and lithe.
"I would recommend doing this workout two or three times a week," Catcher says. "It's gonna get you definitely stronger, more explosive, more healthy, and more fit than before."
To focus and prepare yourself to work at your maximum potential, take a high-quality pre-workout like Pre-Train 30-60 minutes before you warm up.
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Warm-up
Bodyweight Lunge
3 sets, 30 reps (per leg)
 
High Knee Jog
3 sets, 20 m
 
Skip
3 sets, 20 m (back and forth)
 
Butt Kicks
3 sets, 20 m (back and forth)
 
Broad Jump
3 sets, 20 m (back and forth)
 
Pushups
3 sets, to failure
 
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Sprint
5 sets, 50 m (run one direction, walk back)
 
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Crunches
3 sets, 20-30 reps
 
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Technique Tips
Warm-Up
If you've ever run track or cross-country, most of these warm-up drills will be familiar. Lunges, high knees, skips, and butt kicks are dynamic exercises that open up your range of motion, transport blood to your muscles, and prime your body for the explosive movements to come. Broad jumps build power, and push-ups wake up your upper body.
Sprint
Follow Catcher's lead and take advantage of the soft sand to practice running barefoot (wet sand is best for this). Going barefoot works the stabilizer muscles of the feet and ankles, and can help build up your calves. When you sprint, really go balls out. Catcher runs these at 90-100 percent of maximum effort. This kind of interval training does a lot of work in a very small amount of time. It may not seem like much volume, but you'll feel it afterward.
Crunch
Crunches. You know them, you love them, maybe you do them every day. But are you doing them right? Crunches are one of the most commonly butchered exercises, so practicing good form will show in your results. Tuck your pelvis to make sure you're working your abs and not your hip flexors. Press your lower back into the ground (or sand) and try not to pull with your neck.