Sport’s fan or not, you have probably heard the term ‘March Madness’. Every March college basketball teams enter the NCAA College Basketball Tournament, also coined ‘March Madness’. The best of the best college basketball teams pair up and play against one another as they try and make their way to the national championship game. While you might be checking player’s stats, signing up for multiple pools, making your predictions and determining the Cinderella stories and the division leaders – we thought we would flip the script and create a fun fitness challenge out of all the madness!
Here’s how it works!
Print off the March Madness Fitness Bracket to play along!
Down each side of the page you will see 4 groups of exercises. Take a look at each of the 4 brackets of movements down the left side of the page (burpees, mountain climbers, plank, etc…). For your first workout of the week, choose two exercises from the East Division (one from group 1 and group 2) and 2 exercises from the West Division (one from group 3 and group 4). These 4 movements will be your first workout for the week. You will do 25 reps of each exercise. For your 2nd workout of the week, repeat this process for the movements listed in the Midwest and South Division, You will have TWO workouts each week, one from the left side of the bracket and one from the right. You can choose which two days of the week you do your workouts.
Click here is an example of a completed bracket.
WEEK 1
You will have 2 workouts that have 25 reps each of the 4 movements you select. Again, you can choose which two days to complete your workouts. Select 1 movement from each bracket, you will select a total of 4 exercises from each side of the page. As you complete the exercise, cross off the movement from the bracket.
Example:
Tuesday – Choose your exercises from the East and West Division: Burpees, Plank, Squats, Air Punches (Complete 25 reps of each, or hold movement for 25 seconds if indicated)
Thursday – Choose your exercises from the Midwest and South Division: Bicycle Crunch, High Knees, Lunges, Arm Circles
(Complete 25 reps of each, or hold movement for 25 seconds if indicated)
WEEK 2
Remember those exercises you did not select in week 1? Write those on the week 2 brackets. Now select 1 movement from each bracket. You will select a total of 2 exercises from each side of the page. Each side of the page is 1 workout. And again, as you complete the exercise, cross off the movement from the bracket.
You will do 50 reps of each movement you select in week 2.
WEEK 3
Now, just like you did on Week 2, write the exercises you did not select in week 2 and write them on the week 3 brackets. There are only 2 movements on each side of the page left! Pick one from each side of the page. Each side of the page is 1 workout. Remember to cross off the movement from the bracket as you complete it.
You will do 75 reps of each movement you select in week 3.
WEEK 4
There are only 2 movements left. Each one is going to represent a workout.
Pick one movement. You will do 100 reps of that movement!
Your final workout is the remaining movement…
Write that movement in the box at the bottom of the page and do 200 reps of that movement!
MODIFICATIONS:
These exercises can all be done without any equipment! And all of these movements in the fitness bracket can be modified for your fitness level! You should select a modification that is appropriate. Can’t do push-ups from your toes? No problem! Do them from your knees, or your kitchen counter, or even a wall! Air punches too easy? Add a set of dumbbells! If you are unsure about how to modify a movement there are a ton of videos on YouTube about how to modify these movements. The key here is to have fun and to challenge yourself!
What to challenge yourself even more? Try…
– Increasing the number of reps per move
– Doing the workouts on more than just two days per week
– Timing yourself and see how many moves you can do in a minute, two minutes…(or how long you can hold a move until you can’t anymore), then try again the next day and see if you can beat your current record
– Using weights or other forms of resistance