Don't have time to hit the gym for an hour? You don't need to! This workout takes under 15 minutes to complete and works every muscle. At first glance, it may not look that hard. "It's just three rounds," you might think, but even though it's quick, these are high-intensity moves, so you'll burn calories and get a total-body workout. After that last rep, you'll curse your box and barbell, but you'll also feel like a badass for getting through this.
The Workout
Equipment needed: You'll need a box about 10- to 24-inches high, depending on your height and jumping ability, a set of rings or a TRX, and a barbell (35 to 65 pounds) or pair of medium-weight dumbbells (10 to 20 pounds).
Directions: After warming up for CrossFit workout [2]. Jade Jenny, head CrossFit coach and owner of Champlain Valley CrossFit [3] in Vermont and creator of this workout, said you can do the following substitutions:
- Do box jumps [4] or step-ups [5] if box jump overs are too hard.
- If you're proficient in pull-ups [6], challenge yourself and do those instead of ring rows [7].
- If your shoulders are tight, just do front squats [8] instead of overhead squats [9].
Keep reading for details on how to do each move.
TRX or Ring Rows
- Stand with your feet hip distance apart, holding a TRX handle or ring in each hand, palms facing each other. If you don't have either, you can do this exercise using the edge of a sturdy table [10] or a low bar.
- Walk your feet forward until your body is at a 45-degree angle to the floor, arms fully extended and your body in one straight line. To make this harder on a TRX, walk your feet further forward so your shoulders are even closer to the ground. The advanced version of this would be to have your body almost parallel to the floor. To make it easier, walk your feet back so your shoulders are farther away from the ground.
- With your core stabilized and your legs straight, with either your feet or heels planted on the floor, bend your elbows behind you, keeping them close to your body and pulling your chest toward your hands.
- Straighten your arms to lower your torso, completing one rep.
- Complete 20 reps.
Overhead Squat
- Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and toes pointed slightly outward. Raise the weight overhead. If you don't have access to a barbell, you can hold two dumbbells instead.
- Sit back into your squat, bending your knees to 90 degrees while keeping your elbows straight. If this is too difficult, rest the weight in front of the chest and do a front squat [11] instead, or skip the weight altogether.
- Straighten your legs to standing to complete one rep.
- Perform 10 reps.