When I walked into my CrossFit box and saw this workout [1] posted, I thought to myself, "This doesn't look so bad. Just running and some dumbbell moves." Famous last words. I should have remembered that the workouts that look the easiest on paper are usually the ones that destroy me. And I was right. I was floored by how only four exercises could work me so hard, leave me huffing and puffing, and my muscles burning. My ass was completely kicked in just 20 minutes [2]!
My coach Jade Jenny, owner of Champlain Valley CrossFit [4] gave us a little advice before tackling this workout. He said to either focus on using medium-weight dumbbells so you can really push your pace and do your reps unbroken, or use heavier dumbbells if you want to increase your strength. I used 15-pound dumbbells, and fell to the ground by the end that felt plenty hard enough for me.
The Workout
Directions: After warming up with five minutes of dynamic moves [5], complete the workout ahead, then take a one-minute rest. Repeat this five times.
21 dumbbell push press
100-meter run
15 dumbbell squats
100-meter run
9 dumbbell thrusters
100-meter run
For reference, it took me about 30 seconds to run the 100 meters, running at a moderate pace. You could certainly sprint to make this workout even harder.
Keep reading to learn details on how to do each of the dumbbell moves.