Getting Started

I'll be honest.  I started working out this way after I read the Gym Jones Manual.  It explains a lot of the science behind various methods of exercise and nutrition and (best of all) backs up its claims with scientific evidence.  The basic principles behind the Gym Jones workouts (and the ones that I've began designing) are the following:

 - High Intensity, Continuous Effort
 - Supersets or Circuits
 - Varying Exercise Types
 - Full-Body Exercises
 - Core Strengthening and Balancing

The one issue I had with the example workouts was (what I considered) an excess amount of recovery.  I've found that, while a 20-30 min circuit can be exhausting, I recover rather quickly... and a few minutes later I'm usually ready to go again.  In addition, I don't do well with rest days.  I prefer active recovery, but I've been able to maintain a 5-day workout cycle with 2 workouts a day for months at a time.  As a result, I began designing workouts around the principles listed above but tailored to my own performance desires and capabilities.

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Some personal information for reference:
I'm a military officer whose primary off-duty competitions are short-distance runs (5k, 8k, 10k) and triathlons.  I've completed a marathon and I also compete in various military contests.  I am 6'2", 200 lbs (as of this posting), and am 24 years old.  I swam competitively in high school but was never a member of a cross-country or track team.

At the start of this workout program (15JUL2010), I was in decent shape...
Bodyweight - 207#
1RM Bench - 225#
1RM Deadlift - 395#
1RM Clean - 175#
2 mi Run - 11:29
(I was deployed and unable to test any other events at the time).

At my redeployment (01SEP2010), I had been able to retest a few things...
Bodyweight - 198#
1RM Clean - 205#
2 mi Run - 11:08

As I am able to benchmark things, I'll post them.  A few other PRs are listed below:
5k Run - 16:39
5 mi Run - 30:10
1RM Bench - 235#
1RM Deadlift - 405#
Marathon - 3:30:06

16JUL2010 (Historical Workout)

This is a core workout I did a few months ago.  I'm going to post one historical workout a day until I get caught up, focusing on core and whole-body workouts.  This was one of the very first ones I did, so in most places I was adjusting the weight and reps to try to find the idea resistance.  Notes are posted after the workout.

Core Warmup

5 @ 45#

5 @ 65#

5 @ 85#

5 @ 95#

Hang Clean Breathing Ladders

1-10 @ 75# - 4:07
1-10 @ 85# - 4:41

1-10 @ 95# - 4:31

Kettle Bell Swings

12 @ 24k

10 @ 32k

8 @ 40k

Overhead Kettle Bell Lap

@ 20k - 1:21

@ 20k - 1:19

@ 24k - 1:24

@ 24k - 1:21

Oblique Bar Swings

6 @ 45

6 @ 45

6 @ 45

6 @ 45

Medicine Ball Slams (for time)

0:40

0:45

0:50

1:00

Medicine Ball Pushups

10

10

8

Plank Circuit

1:00/3:00

0:45/2:15

0:30/1:30

Notes:

Core Warmup - This is a circuit of straight-leg deadlifts, overhead squats, and good mornings.  Goal is to do the reps slowly, focusing on control and stretching the core muscles.  I usually do them while standing on a wooden platform for balance.  I keep my hands in the same spot for the whole circuit... the weight isn't heavy enough to require an opposing grip for the deadlifts.

Breathing Ladder - A 1-10 Breathing Ladder consists of 1 rep of the exercise, followed by 1 deep, controlled breath for recovery, followed by 2 reps, then 2 breaths, then 3 reps and 3 breaths, etc.  You may breathe as much as you want during the exercise, but your breathing during the recovery should be as deep, long, and controlled as possible.  The goal with these is to build endurance by using just enough resistance that you border on "panic breathing" near the end of the set.  These can be varied significantly... 1-20, 1-10-1, to failure, or with single-arm exercises as 2-20 or 2-40, etc.  In this case, I rested in between ladders, but they can also be done consecutively.  The time is recorded because, theoretically, the longer the time for an identical set, the greater control you have over your breathing.

Kettle Bell Swings - self-explanatory.  Focus should be on using the hips and legs to "pop" the weight overhead, not pulling with the shoulders.

Overhead Kettle Bell Lap - holding a single kettle bell overhead first with one arm, then with the other.  The lap in my gym is different than yours, so I posted the time for each lap.  That includes a lap with each arm.

Oblique Bar Swings - take a bar and put one end in a corner so it doesn't move, then weight the free end.  The exercise consists of starting with the free end at the hip, arms fully extended, and then swinging the weight to the other hip and back (1 rep).

Medicine Ball Slams - goal should be to full extend the body, arms stretched overhead, up on the toes, then contract as forcefully as possible... then catch the ball on the rebound, extend, and repeat.

Medicine Ball Pushups - place on hand on a medicine ball, the other on the ground.  Do a pushup, then roll the ball to the other hand and do a second pushups.  Roll the ball back (1 rep).

Please post any questions or comments.