Earlier today, I tackled the full IronStrength workout. Up until this point, I did portions of the workout in the hopes of gradually easing into it. Well, I’m here to say, there’s no “easing” into this thing. It’s a full-blown, kick your butt workout. You know it’s bad when the Dr. Jordan Metzl mentions pretty early on that he takes full responsibility if one of the “actors” doing the workout with him dies. Yes, let that sink in!
Runner’s World IronStrength Workout
The actual workout itself takes around 50 minutes if you follow along with the DVD. All that’s needed is a padded/carpeted area and a pair of dumbbells (preferably the hexagonal ones). Much like other DVD workouts, Dr. Metzl leads you though the routine, with the two other actors demonstrating variations. One of the actors is a former dancer, the other a sub-3 hour marathoner. Suffice it to say, everyone (including me) was drenched in sweat by about the 15 minute mark. The entire workout hits every major muscle group of your body… it does focus on core and legs, but it hits everything else.
I’m sure I’ll feel the effects tomorrow morning, as I’m already sore a few hours later. Dr. Metzl even states along the way not to run tomorrow, but to take a day for active recovery, and then go for an easy run the day after. I’ve done P90X before and felt sore the next day… this is the first time I’m really felt it hit a few hours later. I’ll post some more updates in a few days once I see how my body responds. This workout is only recommended once or twice a week, and I can clearly see why!