Grab a bike, a rower, and a pair of light to medium-weight dumbbells and get psyched to work your entire body! We did this workout in my CrossFit Burn class [1], which is a bootcamp-style workout that involves no barbells but utilizes every other piece of equipment in the gym like dumbbells and other weights, jump ropes, battle ropes, and machines like rowers and assault bikes (the bikes with the handles and the fan).
Here's a little taste of a CrossFit Burn workout. It's just four moves, and it's a HIIT-style workout [2] where you push hard for 40 seconds, then rest for 20. CrossFit coach and owner of Champlain Valley CrossFit [3] Jade Jenny says you get to choose how hard you want to work. You can go hard on the machine, or you can go chill. You choose whether you want lighter dumbbells so you can cycle through the movements quickly for more reps or choose heavier dumbbells to challenge your muscles and do fewer reps. If you don't have a bike or rower, you can run, jump rope, or do a CrossFit [4] fave: burpees [5]!
The Workout
Directions: Do each of the below couplets for 10 minutes, totaling 20 minutes. Alternate between each move, pushing hard for 40 seconds, then taking a 20-second rest to transition to the next move, continuing until the 10 minutes are up.
0:00 to 10:00
- Dumbbell push press: 40 seconds on, 20 seconds rest
- Bike: 40 seconds on, 20 seconds rest
11:00 to 20:00
- Dumbbell thrusters: 40 seconds on, 20 seconds rest
- Row: 40 seconds on, 20 seconds rest
Read on for directions to the two dumbbell moves.
Push Press
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand just above the shoulders, palms facing in.
- Bend the knees slightly and as you straighten your legs, use the force from your legs to press the dumbbells above you, straightening the arms.
- Bend the elbows coming back to the starting position to complete one rep.
- Keep going for 40 seconds. Take a 20-second rest and transition to the bike.
Dumbbell Thrusters
- Stand with your legs just slightly wider than hip-distance apart, arms raised to shoulder height with elbows bent, holding weights by your ears.
- Bend your knees as if you were sitting in a chair, keeping weight on your heels.
- Press the dumbbells overhead as you straighten your knees to return to standing.
- Perform 40 seconds of thrusters, then rest for 20 seconds, transitioning to the rower.