Finishers is a term you’ve likely come across at some point in your workout journey, and wondered what exactly they are. After all, if you’re unfamiliar, they can simply look like additional sets and reps of a workout.
However, finishers are structured in a specific way to maximize results, and have several benefits beyond just adding more movement. Here I’ll get into what finishers are, their benefits, and even reveal a few of mine below to get started.
What Are Workout Finishers?
A finisher is, in essence, the final push of a workout. Typically as we reach the end of a session, our level of “push” declines. Finishers encourage you to really exhaust your muscles, which is where serious results are found, both for gains and fat loss. Each finisher session is typically kept short (between 2-10 minutes) and a combination of high intensity cardio and resistance movements.
The beauty about finishers as well is that they can essentially be as flexible as they need to be for your current level. Whether you’re a beginner and just need a shorter final push, or you’re advanced and require something more strenuous, there’s no “set” type of finisher. The goal is to simply exhaust your muscle reserves in order to encourage fat burn and muscle atrophy.
Benefits Of Finishers
Of course, you don’t have to do finishers in order to get results. Finishers are simply a way to uplevel and push harder, as well as trickle in some exercise variance to keep your body (and metabolism) on its toes. There are also several other benefits, such as:
1. Activates EPOC
EPOC, or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, refers to the calories you burn long after your workout is over. Significant EPOC doesn’t occur after every workout, but is reserved for those sessions where you’ve depleted your energy stores, decreased your oxygen levels, and atrophied your muscles. When your body attempts to recover from these intense sessions, it burns extra calories to do so. Finishers provide this final burn, which can increase EPOC so that you’re burning more calories in the hours or days after your sessions, which is definitely a benefit when it comes to fat loss.
2. Can Increase Anaerobic Fitness
Due to the quick and intense nature of finishers, they make excellent anaerobic fitness builders. Similar to sprints, lifting, and plyometric movements, anaerobic exercises can help stimulate your metabolism, increase EPOC, increase power and explosive capacity, increase muscle endurance, and more.
3. Increases Muscular Endurance
Due to the fact that finishers exhaust the final reserves in your muscles after a full workout, they are excellent at strengthening muscular endurance. The ability to not only have strong muscles, but to be able to use that strength for longer periods of time, is as crucial as simple strength. Endurance allows you to apply that strength for longer periods of time, which is an advantage in practically ever physical arena.
Hit Up These Epic Finishers
Now, it’s time to get to work. Stack these finishers onto your next session to get started. Don’t worry if you can’t complete 100 percent of the sets, rounds, or reps – the key is that you’re pushing your boundaries with the attempt!
Also, once you’ve become familiar with the pace of these, don’t hesitate to structure your own finishers. Get creative with your stacking.
Let’s go!
Bodyweight Upper Body Finisher
Savage Full-Body Finisher
If you want more of these type of workouts and finishers, sign up for the 14-Day FREE Trial of my Primal Fit App! Not only will you get access to hundreds of daily workouts, but you’ll also get movement tutorials, access to premium programs, nutrition guides, the ability to schedule your sessions, and more, all at your fingertips!
