If you’re looking for a workout program that can help you build quality mass, strengthen muscles and joints, enhance cardiovascular fitness, and improve your athleticism, you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, I’ve shared an ultimate 12-week strength and endurance workout program, which is not only easy to follow but functional and effective.
From professional athletes to amateurs, anyone who wants to build a strong physique and take their fitness to the next level can follow this training plan.
Should You Perform Endurance and Strength Training Together?
Endurance training focus on improving aerobic and anaerobic fitness, while strength training helps increases your lifting capacity and promote hypertrophy.1 Hughes DC, Ellefsen S, Baar K. Adaptations to Endurance and Strength Training. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2018;8(6):a029769. Published 2018 Jun 1. doi:10.1101/cshperspect.a029769
Here are the important benefits of doing endurance and strength workouts together:
- Strength training helps bolster muscles and increase their size. Having strong muscles helps improve your athletic performance and minimize the risk of injuries.
- Endurance training increases aerobic capacity and promotes cardiovascular health. Having a decent endurance level helps you lift for a longer duration without feeling burned out.
- Combining strength and endurance exercises helps accelerates weight loss and build muscles at the same time.
- Strength and endurance exercises improve your ability to perform daily tasks with ease. Whether carrying heavy objects, climbing stairs, or participating in sports. A strong and endurance-trained body helps better to handle these activities.
Combining strength and endurance workouts can help you achieve the best physique and take your fitness to the next level. However, it will be challenging and won’t help you build a sizeable body like bodybuilders.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Duration – 12 Weeks (you can continue if you see the results)
What it can improve – This routine will enhance your VO2 max, strengthen muscles, bones, and joints, increase your lifting ability, promotes weight loss, improve athletic performance, and may help you achieve a sturdy and shredded physique.
Kind of exercises you’ll do – This program includes various Crossfit exercises, including bodyweight and weighted. These exercises will be done at high intensity with little rest between them.
Who should do it? Anyone who wants to promote their athleticism, bolsters muscle, and build lean mass and shredded physique can follow this schedule.
Workout Level – This training regime is for intermediate fitness enthusiasts who have been working out for a while. Beginners can also give it a try after making some adjustments.
Target Gender – Males and Females
Frequency – You’ll train three times weekly (alternate days) during this regime.
Duration/session – One session will take 30 minutes to one hour to complete. The duration will increase as you progress further.
Who should avoid it – People with cardiovascular issues, injuries, and obesity should avoid this program. It is also not suitable for bodybuilders.
Note: Please use this schedule as an example and adjust it according to your fitness level and goal. Consult with a professional around you if you have a specific goal.
The Best 12-Week Strength and Endurance Workout Program
Instructions
- Start your training with five to 10 minutes of dynamic exercises.
- Replace challenging exercises with suitable ones and make appropriate changes to match this program to your current fitness level.
- Increase the intensity and load as you progress further.
- Perform each exercise as quickly as possible but without compromising the form.
- Challenge yourself to a limit but do not push yourself too hard. It’s always good to consider your limit.
Week 1 to 3
Monday
- 20 Air Squats
- 10 One-arm Kettlebell Swings/side
- 30-sec Mountain Climber
- 10 Thrusters
- 20 Pushups
- 10 Bent-over Rows
- 15 Situps
- 10 Jumping Lunges
- Do as many rounds as possible in 30 minutes
Wednesday
- 10 Burpees
- 10 Hang Cleans
- 10 Box Jumps
- 10 Pendlay Rows
- 20 Situps
- 15 Zercher Squats
- 30-sec High Knees
- 10 Kipping Pullups
- Aim to complete rounds in as little time as possible.
Friday
- 10 Step-ups/leg
- 30-sec Mountain Climbers
- 10 Landmine Oblique Twists/side
- 15 Pushups
- 10 Barbell Cleans
- 10 Jumping Lunges on each side
- 10 Barbell Thruster
- 15-sec Battle Rope
- Repeat three times.
Week 4 to 6
Monday
- 10 Lunge with Front Kicks/leg
- 20 American Kettlebell Swing
- 30-see High Knees
- 10 Kipping Pullups
- 10 Box Jumps
- 10 Squat to Press
- 10 Pendlay Rows
- 10 Burpees
- 20 Situps
- 30-sec Weighted Farmers Walk
- Complete three rounds in as little time as possible.
Wednesday
- 10 Dumbbell Surrenders on each side
- 10 Power Cleans
- 10 Kneeling Squat Jumps
- 10 Conventional Deadlifts
- 20 Arm Changing Kettlebell Swings (10/side)
- 50 Double Unders
- 20 Hanging Knee Raises
- 15 Barbell Back Squats
- 10 High Pulls
- 10 Dumbbell Front Squats to Presses
- Shoot for three rounds.
Friday
- 10 Squat Jumps
- 30-sec Mountain Climbers
- 10 Dumbbell Power Makers
- 20 Situps
- 15 Bent-over Barbell Rows
- 10 Grappler Pushups
- 20 Power Cleans
- 10 Landmine Oblique Twist
- 10 Squat to Overhead Press
- 10 Knee Tap Pushups
- Repeat three times.
Week 7-9
Monday
- 10 Bar Over Burpees
- 20 Box Jumps
- 10 Barbell Split Cleans
- 10 Pushups to Renegade Rows
- 20 Situps
- 10 Kipping Pullups
- 10 Barbell Thrusters
- 50 Double Unders
- 10 Pendlay Rows
- 1-min Plank
- Perform as many rounds as possible within one hour.
Wednesday
- 10 Lateral Box Jumps/side
- 20 Pushups
- 10 Barbell High Pulls
- 30-sec Mountain Climber
- 10 Clean and Press
- 10 Bar Facing Burpees
- 20 American Kettlebell Swings
- 20 Zercher Squats
- 20 Landmine Oblique Twists (10/side)
- 30-sec Farmer’s Walk with Heavy Load
- Repeat as many times as possible in one hour.
Friday
- 30-Second Mountain Climbing
- 10 Dumbbell Power Makers
- 10 Conventional Deadlifts
- 20 Pushups
- 20 Situps
- 10 Kipping Pushups
- 20 Dumbbell Clusters (10/side)
- 10 Stepups
- 20 Hanging Knee Raises
- 1-min Plank
- Do as many rounds as possible in one hour.
Week 10-12
Monday
- 10 Dumbbell Pushups to Renegade Rows
- 10 Dumbbell Step-Ups
- 10 Clean and Press
- 10 Bar Facing Burpees
- 10 Kipping Pullups
- 10 Dumbbell Surrenders
- 20 Arm Changing KB Swings (10/side)
- 20 Hanging Knee Raises
- 15 Pendlay Rows
- 20 Squat Jumps
- Perform as many rounds as possible.
Wednesday
- 10 Over The Box Jumps
- 30-sec Mountain Climbing
- 10 Clean and Jerks
- 10 Barbell Thrusters
- 10 Dumbbell Power Makers
- 20 Situps
- 100 Double Unders
- 10 Bar Facing Burpees
- 20 Box Jumps
- 10 Split Cleans
- Do as many rounds as possible.
Friday
- 10 Bar Facing Burpees
- 10 Kipping Pullups
- 10 Dumbbell Surrenders
- 20 Arm Changing KB Swings (10/side)
- 20 Pushups
- 20 Hanging Knee Raises
- 10 Dumbbell Step-Ups
- 10 Clean and Press
- 15 Pendlay Rows
- 20 Situps
- 30-sec Farmer’s Walk with Heavy Load
- 1-min Plank
- Repeat as many times as possible.
Download The Strength and Endurance Training Plan PDF
References
- 1Hughes DC, Ellefsen S, Baar K. Adaptations to Endurance and Strength Training. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2018;8(6):a029769. Published 2018 Jun 1. doi:10.1101/cshperspect.a029769
