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Daily Conditioning Workout

Here's a daily conditioning workout using only two body-weight exercises for maximum efficiency

Here's a daily conditioning workout that only uses two body-weight exercises.

These two muscle conditioning exercises give you the greatest benefit in the least amount of time.

This is a bodyweight-only fitness conditioning routine. You do not need any special equipment.

It works your whole body and you can do it in under 10 minutes a day.

Daily Conditioning Workout

A conditioning exercise is an exercise that enhances the physical body in one or more ways. It may increase endurance, speed, strength, etc.

Doing these 2 conditioning exercises means you no longer need to worry about how to survive conditioning. You can keep fit with minimal effort. Combine it with good nutrition and it is all you need to keep your body toned and healthy.

Five SFP super burpees are the least amount of daily exercise.

The ideal daily conditioning routine is:

  • 10 SFP super burpees.
  • ​ 10 pull ups. 

Do this simple routine every day except on your rest day. On your rest day, only do five SFP super burpees.

Super Burpees

Learn how to do super burpees - the Survival Fitness Plan way! This alternative to burpees is a full body muscle conditioning exercise. It is also a warm-up, light stretch, and cardio workout all in one. The SFP super burpee also gives extra benefits for Fight and Flight activities.

That makes this the best burpee workout for the Survival Fitness Plan. It is the single most effective exercise you can do.

SFP Super Burpee Benefits

Here is a list of the main benefits gained from the SFP super burpee:

  • Balance.
  • ​ Cardiovascular workout.
  • ​ Circulation of life force.
  • ​ Coordination.
  • ​ Explosiveness.
  • ​ Improve body functions (digestion, respiratory, etc.)
  • ​ Flexibility.
  • ​ Muscle conditioning.
  • ​ Hang time (the ability to stay airborne).
  • ​ Striking strength and speed.
  • ​ Warm-up.

How to do Super Burpees

The SFP super burpee is five separate exercises in one. You can build up to a full super burpee by doing each individual exercise on its own. Once you can do 10 repetitions of each exercise you can put them together.

  • Box squat jump
  • ​ Fingertip pushup
  • ​ Clap pushup
  • ​ Hindu pushup
  • ​ Knee to elbow plank

IMPORTANT: Do the first SFP super burpee you do slow and with much purpose.

If you try to do fast super burpees straight away chances of injury increase. By doing the first one very well, it will warm-up and stretch your body. After that, you can increase the speed.

How to do a Box Squat Jump

Box squat jumps develop leg strength, core strength, and explosiveness. They also improve soft landing skills, jumping ability, and hang-time. Once you learn box jumps you will be able to jump higher without getting injured. This is good for parkour. It also develops explosiveness in your legs. This will make your kicks faster and more powerful which is great for self-defense.

Here is a great video by Scott Herman on how to box squat jump. The video after it, also from Scott Herman, gives some great tips for improving the height of your box squat jump.

How to do Fingertip Pushups

Fingertip pushups develop striking power, explosiveness, and core strength. They also increase finger strength and grip. Developing finger strength and grip is beneficial in many fight and flight activities. Before trying fingertip push ups, you should be able to do at least 20 regular push ups.

Here is a fingertip pushups video. It is a good demonstration but is not made for the Survival Fitness Plan so it is missing some key points. To reap the most benefits you should:

  • Push up fast. This will increase your explosive power.
  • ​ Press your fingers into the floor, i.e., try to grip it. This will increase strength building in your fingers.
  • ​ Keep your elbows close to your body. This is so your muscle action will replicate the straight palm-heel as close as possible. ​

How to do Push ups

Push ups are an excellent exercise. They work the whole body, need no equipment, and little space. When doing push ups, do not sacrifice quality to increase the number of repetitions. It is far better to do less proper ones than many bad ones. If you do not do them using the full range of motion, then you will not build the strength needed.

Once you can do 30 standard push ups, advance to fingertip and clap pushups.

When doing push ups for the Survival Fitness Plan, keep your elbows close to your body. This mimics the straight strike used in Survival Fitness Plan Self-Defense. In the video below he calls them closed push ups.

How to do Clap Pushups

Clap push ups benefits include increasing striking power and all over body conditioning. The clapping part improves explosiveness which is awesome for speed and power. They also condition your hands for the palm heel strike.

Like all push ups in the Survival Fitness Plan, keep your elbows as close to your body as possible. Doing so mimics the action of the self-defense straight palm heel.

Since this video was not made for the Survival Fitness Plan, her elbows are too far away from her body.

How to do Hindu Pushups

Hindu pushups use the downward dog and the upward dog yoga poses. Hindu push ups benefits include:

  • Brain (stimulates).
  • ​ Breathing (chest).
  • ​ Concentration.
  • ​ Eyesight.
  • ​ Hearing.
  • ​ Kidneys.
  • ​ Memory.
  • ​ Nervous system.
  • ​ Spine.
  • ​ Whole body strengthening.

Here is a Hindu pushup video by Original Strength.

How to do the Knee to Elbow Plank

The knee-to-elbow plank adds to the cardiovascular workout in the super burpee. Other knee to elbow plank benefits include flexibility, core strength, and ab strength.

The traditional plank knee to elbow method is to bring the knee to the same side elbow, e.g. right knee to right elbow. There is also the twisting plank knee to elbow. This is when you bring your knee to your opposite elbow, e.g., right knee to left elbow. The latter is best for the Survival Fitness Plan as it mimics the kneeing action in self-defense.

The Complete SFP Super Burpee

Once you can do 10 of each of the above exercises, you can put them together for a complete super burpee.

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The SFP Super Burpee

Super Burbee Workout Plan

Doing five SFP super burpees every day is a good super burpee challenge for beginners. Doing them in the morning is a great way to prepare your body for the day.

One SFP super burpee takes less than 10 seconds.

Even if you only have five minutes to spare for exercise, you have time to do the above super burpee exercise routine!

It is also recommended to do SFP super burpees as a warm-up before any vigorous exercise.

Super Burpee Ladder Workout

If you want more of a super burpee cardio workout, you can try doing a super burpee ladder workout. This uses the same method as a pushup pyramid. To do a super burpee push up pyramid, do 1 super burpee and take a short rest. 5 to 10 seconds is a good rest time. Then do two super burpees and rest. Then three, rest, four, rest, etc. All the way up to 10. Then repeat the process in reverse. 10 then rest, 9, rest, 8, rest etc. All the way back down to 0.

You can alter this super burpee challenge by shrinking the super burpee pyramid. Start with five and work your way up to 10 as you build strength.

Another way to make it easier is to alternate the pyramid with another exercise. For example, if doing super burpees and squats:

  • 1 super burpee, rest
  • ​ 2 squats, rest
  • ​ 3 super burpees, rest
  • ​ 4 squats, rest, etc.

Super Burpee Alternatives

Here are some super burpee variations you can try out.

  • Super burpee no push up. Doing super burpees without push ups will make the exercise easier. You can choose to skip either the fingertip or clap pushup or both. Don't skip the hindu pushup.
  • ​ Super burpee pull up. My second favorite conditioning exercise is the pull up. I like to do 10 super burpees and 10 pull ups every morning. A super burpee pull up combines the two into one awesome exercise. When doing the box squat jump, grab onto the pull up bar and do a pull up.
  • ​ Super burpee pull over. This is step up from the super burpee pull up. When doing the pull up part, pull your chest over the bar. This is a great exercise for parkour strength building. It mimics wall-climbs and muscle-ups.
  • ​ Super burpee broad jump. If you have the room, instead of doing a box jump, jump horizontally as far as you can. Try to land without stumbling forward, like a parkour precision jump.
  • ​ Super burpees with weights. For beasts only! You can use a weight vest to add resistance to your super burpees.

Pull ups

Many people think pull ups are only for arm conditioning, but they work many muscles in the body. People that do pull ups regularly have great core strength. Also, being able to pull yourself up is a very useful skill. There are many variations of the pull up, but the best way to condition yourself is with the classic pull up.

The pull-up is an especially useful exercise for the Survival Fitness Plan. You will build strength for parkour wall-climbs and eventually muscle ups.

How to do Pull ups

Grab the bar with a grip a little wider than shoulder-width apart and with your palms facing away from you.

Let yourself hang all the way down.

Pull yourself up by pulling your shoulder blades down and together. Keep your chest up and pull up until your chin is above the bar. Touch your chest on it.

As you are pulling up, keep your body in a vertical line. Do not swing. Concentrate on isolating your back and biceps.

Pause at the top and then lower yourself back down into the hanging position.

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Pull ups

Here's a good video on how to do a perfect pull-up.

Pull-Up Variations

How to do Towel Pull Ups

Towel pull ups work different muscles than normal pull ups. They also improve grip strength which is beneficial for many Survival Fitness activities. I first started using towel pull ups many years ago when I saw an interview with the Rock. He uses them for grip strength since wrestlers have to grab their opponents a lot. It is easy to see how applicable this is to self-defense, climbing, and parkour.

You will want to be able to do at least 10 towel pull ups. If you cannot do 10 towel pull ups then do as many as you can. Make up the rest with hanging, i.e., hold onto the towel and hang there. 10 seconds of hanging is equal to 1 towel pull-up. For example, if you can only do 10 towel pull ups then you should also hang for 50 seconds.

As with most exercises, there are many variations. In the Survival Fitness Plan, standard towel pull ups with no extra weights are fine. Feel free to variate if you want. In this video, he uses two towels so he works his lats, which is better for enhancing striking power.

If you do not have a suitable bar and/or two towels then use one towel and grab and ends with each hand.

Towel Pull Ups Progression Steps

  • First be able to do 15 standard pull ups.
  • ​ Once you have accomplished that, attempt to do 15 towel pull ups. If you can not make it to 15 then do as many as you can and replace the rest with 10 seconds of hanging per pull up missed.

How to do a One Armed Pull Up

Once you can do at least 15 normal pull ups, you can progress to the one armed pull up.

Being able to do a one armed pull-up has the potential to save you, much more-so than the one armed push up. You should also practice the one armed chin up.

Here is an excellent video showing how to do one armed pull ups.

One Armed Pull Ups Progression Steps

Here is a summary of the progression steps for how to do one armed pull ups.

  • To begin with, be able to do at least 15 good quality pull ups.
  • ​ After that, start working on the scapular raise exercise.
  • ​ Also start to do typewriter pull ups.
  • ​ Progress further with archer pull ups.
  • ​ Next try uneven pull ups. Gradually increase the distance in height between your hands.
  • ​ Now do one armed pull ups with the help of a resistance band.
  • ​ Continure to progress with the negative one armed pull up.
  • ​ Finally, do one armed pull ups.

How to do Muscle Ups

You can use muscle-ups to get on top of higher obstacles where a wall climb-up cannot, e.g., an overhanging ledge. The muscle up is quite a demanding exercise. Gradual progression is the key to success.

Start with the hanging knee to elbow leg raise.

Hang off the bar and pull yourself up a little up to retract your shoulder blades. This helps keep you stable while doing the exercise.

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Retracting your shoulder blades keeps you stable

Keep your core tight and swing forward a little bit. As your body starts to swing back thrust your knees to your chest.

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Keep you core tight

Next, you need to learn how to use the momentum from the hanging knee to elbow raise to pull yourself over the bar.

Start the hanging knee to elbow leg raise as normal. At the height of your backswing pull yourself forward and thrust your knees into your chest. Allow your wrists to rotate over the bar.

Allowing your wrists to rotate over the bar is very important.

It will help if you have access to a lower bar to practice the movement. If not, then keep it in mind when doing the muscle up.

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Practice on a lower bar

Now you can put everything together to do the muscle up. It is important to use everything learned so far. Remember to keep your core tight and to retract your shoulder blades.

Also, pull your arms forward a little bit when pulling yourself over the bar.

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Pull your arms forward when pulling yourself over the bar

You can use some chalk to get an extra grip, although you won’t have this luxury in “real life” scenarios.

Get some momentum and then thrust your knees into your chest.

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Thrust your knees to your chest

As you do so ensure your wrists are loose and then at the right moment pull yourself up over the bar. Push yourself up until your arms are completely extended.

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Push yourself up until your arms are completely extended

If this was an obstacle, you would bring your foot up and stand.

To do more muscle-ups, use the momentum you gain when lowering down to go into the next repetition.

Once you have built more strength try to do the muscle up with less and less swing until you can do it from a dead hang.

Also practice muscle-ups on overhanging ledges i.e., where there is no wall for your feet to push against. To do this you need to adjust your technique a little since you don’t have a bar for your wrist to rotate over. Use the “pop” hand movement you use when doing a wall climb-up.

Daily Conditioning Workout Conclusion

I've covered a lot in this post, but the main things to take away are the super burpee and the basic pull up. You do not need to do the other variations of these two exercises. I put them in for those that want to increase their abilities and/or get bored of doing the same exercises every day.

Personally, I do 10 super burpees six days a week without fail, and five on the 7th day. If I have something to hang off I will also do 10 pull ups six days a week. I like to alternate between normal pull ups and towel pull ups if I can.

I can't stress enough that the super burpee is the ultimate exercise. Do 10 of them a day, the 15-minute yoga stretch routine, and follow a healthy diet. This is all you need to stay fit and healthy.

Article by Sam Fury

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Sam Fury 3 png

Sam Fury is the creator and owner of the Survival Fitness Plan.

He has had a passion for martial arts and outdoor pursuits since he was a young boy growing up in Australia.

As a young adult he joined the military and studied outdoor leadership in college. After that, to further his skills, Sam started traveling to learn from the best in the world in various fields related to the Survival Fitness Plan including various martial arts in China, SE Asia and Brazil, Parkour in Singapore, Surf Life Saving in Australia, and others. 

These days, he still enjoys learning new things, traveling and sharing what he has learned via the Survival Fitness Plan. 

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