7 Exercises to Shake Up Your Workouts
Chaos training challenges your body in ways you’d never expect, sparks neurological adaptation, and pushes you toward peak performance.
Heavy lifting works, but it shouldn’t be the go-to for every workout. A one-method approach is limiting and leaves you overtrained or injured. Chaos training uses lighter loads but forces your body’s stabilizers to work harder, recruits more muscle fibers, and turns your entire training environment on its head.
Chaos Training Benefits
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Shoulder Stability: Chaos exercises, like push-ups on bands or bench press with hanging kettlebells, challenge the shoulder stabilizers. The instability of the surface or implement strengthens the rotator cuff muscles and surrounding stabilizers for more shoulder stability and fewer injuries.
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Core Activation: Exercises like aqua bag walking and lunging (see below), reverse-hyper Palof presses, or banded push-ups require core engagement for proper alignment and balance, improving core strength and stability.
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Rehabilitation and Recovery: Exercises like aqua bag carries or reverse-hyper rows can be added into shoulder, core, or hip injury rehab programs. The controlled instability provided by bands and bags facilitates controlled movement, aiding in gradual recovery without overstraining injured areas.
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Proprioception: The instability induced by chaos training stimulates proprioceptors, which relay information about body position and movement. This heightened proprioception refines motor control and movement patterns, improving overall joint health and injury prevention.
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Functional Strength: Training with instability replicates real-life scenarios involving uneven surfaces. It’s advantageous for athletes and those looking to excel in sports or daily activities necessitating stability and balance.
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Variety and Progression: Chaos training introduces a fresh stimulus to your workout routine, preventing plateaus and maintaining engagement.
Chaos Exercises
1. Kettlebell Chaos Bench Press
- Attach two kettlebells to the bar with bands.
- Be prepared. The unstable nature may catch you off guard.
- Control the bar as it descends and ascends.
2. Chaos Push-Up
- Place one or two thick training bands on the J hooks, ensuring the bands are secured and even.
- If push-ups are easy for you, these won’t be. Be prepared for a lot of shaking and core activation. The stimulus is unreal.
3. Aqua Bag Walking Lunge and Loaded Carry
- Blast the stabilizers of the lower body by creating a perturbation effect with an aqua bag (like the Tidal Tank (on Amazon)) as you lunge. Hold the bag either in a Zercher-style position, front racked at the shoulders, or overhead. Try not to get tossed around by the sloshing of the water.
- The carry is just like the lunge, but you’re just going to challenge your environment with a “simple” walk through the gym. The water sloshing from side to side makes a normal walk feel more like a drunken stroll as it throws resistance from one side of the bag to the other. Try to maintain perfect posture, even though it’ll be nearly impossible.
4. Chaos Squat
- Start by hanging kettlebells on the bar with bands to create a swinging effect as you descend and ascend through the squat.
- The instability may feel like it’s throwing you around. As you get used to it and want to progress, add plates to the bar or increase the kettlebell weight slightly.
5. Chaos Overhead Press
- This isn’t accommodative resistance training. We’re adding chains, but they don’t pool on the ground, which would unload some of the weight. Set your chains at a length that keeps them from resting on the ground.
- As you lift the weight overhead, the chains create a lot of swaying. This forces the core and shoulder stabilizers to fire up.
6. Chaos Reverse Hyper Row and Palof Pendulum Swing
- For the row, face the machine and create a pendulum swing by powerfully rowing the weight, squeezing those muscles hard in the shortened position, and resisting the pendulum from pulling your arm forward.
- For the Palof press variation, we use momentum from the pendulum swing and then resist the pull it creates. Start in a half-kneeling position where the “up” leg is furthest away from the machine. Get some momentum from the swing, then brace down hard and resist it from pulling you over.
Reps, Sets, and Rest Times
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Reps and Sets: Start with 8-12 reps and do 2-4 sets per exercise. Adjust the volume based on your fitness level and the complexity of the movements.
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Rest: Chaos training involves neuromuscular challenges and stability work, so shorter rest intervals (30-60 seconds) between sets help maintain the training stimulus and replicate real-world situations where quick reactions are needed.
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Exercise Choice: Start with simpler movements and progress gradually to more challenging variations as your stability and coordination improve.
When to Do Chaos Training
Here are some strategies:
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Warm-Up or Pre-Activation Drill: Chaos training engages the stabilizing muscles and activates neural pathways. It can include dynamic movements on unstable surfaces, quick transitions between exercises, or perturbation drills to prime your body for the main workout.
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Secondary Movement: Do chaos training after your primary compound lifts or main movements. It can serve as a secondary move to address stability and neuromuscular adaptation. For instance, add instability-based exercises like stability-ball leg curls or single-leg exercises after performing squats or deadlifts.
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Accessory Work: Use chaos training for accessory exercises to complement your main lifts. This approach helps target stabilizing muscles and improves joint stability. Examples include incorporating bands, BOSU balls, suspension trainers, or aqua bags for accessory movements like Bulgarian split squats, push-ups, and lunges.
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