Mat Fraser is the fittest man in history, having won the CrossFit Games more than any other male athlete. My highest accolade to date is being the top goal-scorer for my under-12 soccer team. 

Put simply, the two of us are on very different levels. But that doesn’t mean I can’t learn a thing or two from his famously hardcore training routine. 

Fraser’s signature workout is a 40-minute EMOM—four moves, each performed every minute, on the minute for 10 rounds. 

If it’s good enough for the fittest man in history, it’s good enough for me, so I decided to give it a go. 

How To Do Mat Fraser’s 40-Minute EMOM

Every minute, on the minute, for 40 minutes:

• Minute one: Row x 15cal
• Minute two: Toes-to-bar x 15
• Minute three: Air bike x 15cal
• Minute four: D-ball over shoulder x 6 (150lb / 70kg)

In an interview with YouTube fitness content creator Zack Telander, Fraser described the EMOM above as “a typical, middle-of-the-road workout” he would use in his training. 

He says he did at least one 40-minute EMOM per week throughout his career and adjusted the intensity depending on at what point in the CrossFit season he was performing it. 

At the beginning of the season, he would incorporate shorter, higher-output efforts that left him more rest at the end of each minute. From here, he gradually increased the volume of work in each minute until he was close to “working for 40 minutes straight”, before tapering it back down right before the CrossFit Games.

My Takeaways From Mat Fraser’s 40-Minute Emom Workout

As we’ve already established, Mat Fraser and I are cut from very different cloth. And, while I’m a fixture at my local CrossFit box, I know the numbers above aren’t achievable for me.  

That’s why I scaled the workout down to 12 calories on the rower and the air bike, 10 toes-to-bar and five sandbag-over-shoulders. 

And for the first four rounds, I thought maybe I’d made a mistake. I felt good, finishing each exercise with time to take a decent breather before moving on. My toes-to-bar felt snappy and the sandbag moved smoothly. 

But this blissful start wasn’t to last. At the midpoint of the workout, my core and legs began to feel the effects of 390 reps, and my breaks at the end of each minute started to shrink. And it wasn’t just my muscles that were ready to pack it in.

“You’re only halfway, and you’re already struggling,” an unhelpful inner voice jibed. “Call it quits at the 24-minute mark and be done with it.” 

It was tempting and, while I was determined to reach the finish line, the next few rounds turned into a serious slog. My movement quality wasn’t what it had been 10 minutes before but after finishing the seventh round something funny happened. 

It was like my mind saw the light at the end of the tunnel, and a second wind helped me complete the workout without letting any of the exercises overrun their prescribed minute. 

Overall, I got lucky and picked numbers that provided a solid test for my fitness level, but Fraser says this type of workout takes some tweaking to get it right. 

“I did [40-minute EMOMs] so often, and so many times,” he tells Telander. “I did workouts that were too easy, I did EMOMs that were too hard; you have to f*** up to find out what’s right and find where those limits are.”

I’ve since made 40-minute EMOMs a weekly part of my training, experimenting with different exercises and targets in each minute. 

Admittedly, 40 minutes is a decent chunk of my total daily session to devote to a single training piece, but I’ve found the format can be adapted to help hit multiple goals. 

For example, you can make one of the minutes a higher-skill gymnastic exercise to practice technique and develop capacity in this movement. Or you could slip some bodybuilding in there to add a side-order of hypertrophy to the main course of conditioning. 

This way, the 40-minute EMOM becomes a time-savvy addition to your training, serving up skill, strength, muscle and endurance perks depending on how you structure it. 

Burpees aren’t the be-all and end-all of conditioning moves. There are plenty of ways to test your muscular endurance and cardio capacity without repeatedly dropping your chest to the floor. 

“My absolute favorite thing that I do with all of my athletes is something called a leg circuit,” says Wendy Batts, a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) master instructor and assistant professor in exercise science at PennWest California. 

It’s a combination of four different leg exercises performed as a circuit without any rest. 

“It will increase your heart rate, it will make your legs burn, and if you can do it without any rest it will absolutely crush you. You can thank me for that later.” 

How To Do This Leg Circuit

Three rounds of:

1. Prisoner squat x20
2. Alternating lunge x10 on each leg
3. Power step-up x10 on each leg
4. Tuck jump x10

Perform the exercises above as a circuit as quickly as you can without sacrificing good form. 

If you’re new to Batts’ variation of prisoner squats, it’s worth noting that you need to keep your hands on your head throughout and come up on to your toes at the top of each rep to activate your calf muscles. 

As demonstrated in the video above, you can also vary each exercise in this workout to train different planes of motion: sagittal (moving up, down, forward and backward), frontal (moving from side to side) and transverse (rotational movements). This will more accurately mirror both everyday and sporting movements, helping you develop functional strength and athleticism. 

To prioritize the frontal plane, keep the rep scheme the same and perform side-to-side squats, lateral lunges, sideways box step-overs and skater jumps. For a transverse plane workout, add a rotational element at the top of each movement.

Tips For Tackling This Workout 

This workout is a race against the clock. It challenges you to complete a high volume of work with minimal rest, putting your heart and lungs to work while testing the muscular endurance of your legs. But you should never sacrifice technique for speed.

“You’re doing it as fast as you can control, not as fast as you can,” says Batts. “I think that’s super important, because anybody can do something, but are you doing it correctly? You need to be very intentional with your movement patterns.”

Batts also advises ensuring you can perform each of the individual components of this routine with perfect form before bringing them together for an added challenge.

“It’s definitely a more advanced workout,” says Batts. “You want to make sure you can go piece by piece first. This is a very advanced leg circuit that you can do at home, but even advanced athletes need to be prepared for being a little sore the next day.”

There are a dizzying number of arm workouts out there for you to try, which can feel intimidating when you’re just starting out. Fortunately, there’s no need for beginners to overcomplicate things and the best, most effective workouts for them will be very simple.

“Beginners should avoid starting with very heavy weights and overly complex movements,” says Jayke Izli, personal trainer at The Body Lab London. “It’s crucial to build a solid foundation with basic exercises and gradually increase the difficulty with range, tempo and weight.”

That’s what our beginner gym workout does, suggesting you start with one exercise per body part, doing one set of 20 and building up from there. But if you’d like to give your arms more attention, Izli isn’t going to stop you.

“Strengthening the arms is not just about aesthetics. It’s crucial for enhancing overall upper-body strength, improving joint health and performing daily activities more efficiently,” says Izli. “Strong arms also contribute to better posture and reduce the risk of injuries.”

To get you started, Izli recommends this four-move beginner arm workout which alternates between a biceps exercise and triceps exercise.

How To Do This Beginner Arms Workout

To do this workout you’ll need dumbbells and a weights bench or other stable knee-high platform. (If you don’t have any dumbbells, try this no-equipment upper-body workout instead).

Izli has given a range of reps to do for each set. The first time you perform the workout choose the lowest number of reps using a dumbbell weight that makes the last few reps of each set a challenge. Rest as needed between sets.

The next time you perform the workout, add one rep to each set, using the same weight. Once you’ve hit the top of the rep range, go back to the beginning and increase the weight of the dumbbell.

Once you feel ready to move on from this session, try this superset dumbbell arms workout and keep training until you feel ready for this all-in arms workout plan. 

Beginner Arms Workout Overview

1. Biceps curl 3 x 8-12
2. Triceps dip 3 x 8-12
3. Hammer curl 3 x 8-12
4. Overhead triceps extension 3 x 8-10

Beginner Arms Workout Form Guides

1 Biceps curl

Sets 3 Reps 8-12

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart holding dumbbells in front of your thighs, your elbows touching the sides of your torso and palms facing forward. Inhale, then exhale as you contract your biceps to bend your elbows and lift the dumbbells to your shoulders. Your upper arms should remain in place next to your torso. Pause and squeeze your biceps hard, then lower the dumbbells under control.

2 Triceps dip

Sets 3 Reps 8-12

Sit on a weights bench or chair with your palms flat on the bench either side of you. Extend your legs so your heels are on the floor. Move your butt off the bench, then bend your elbows to lower until your elbows are at 90°. Push down on the bench and extend your arms to raise your body to the start. To make the exercise easier, bend your knees and bring your feet closer to you. The closer your feet, the easier it will be.

3 Hammer curl

Sets 3 Reps 8-12

This exercise is very similar to the biceps curl. Instead of beginning with your palms facing forward, your palms should be facing and remain facing throughout. 

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart holding dumbbells in front of your thighs, your elbows touching the sides of your torso and palms facing. Inhale, then exhale as you contract your biceps to bend your elbows and lift the dumbbells to your shoulders. Your upper arms should remain in place next to your torso. Pause and squeeze your biceps hard, then lower the dumbbells under control.

4 Overhead triceps extension

Sets 3 Reps 8-10

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding the end of one dumbbell above your head with your palms facing up and your elbows pointing forward. Keeping your upper arms still, bend your elbows to lower the dumbbell behind your head. Extend your arms to lift the dumbbell back to the start.

Mat Fraser has been named the fittest man on earth five times—more than any other male CrossFitter. As a competing athlete he kept his cards close to his chest, but since retiring he’s let slip some of the secrets of his success. 

In a recent interview with YouTube content creator Zack Telander, Fraser gave my favorite insight into his training methods yet—three fitness tests he used to make sure he was ready to reclaim the CrossFit Games crown.

The best bit is that anyone can use these CrossFit workouts (with some sensible adjustments) to deliver strength and fitness gains galore, as long as you follow Fraser’s advice for how to progress the workouts over time.

So if you ever wanted to try training like the fittest man on earth, now’s your chance. Just don’t try and match his numbers—take a look at our scaled recommendations and start from there. 

Mat Fraser’s Fitness Tests

1. Rowing Intervals

Sets 5 Time 1min 40sec Rest 20sec

Rest 1min

Sets 4 Time 1min 40sec Rest 20sec

The aim for this workout is to hold a target pace through all nine rounds. For example, Fraser’s end goal was to row at an average pace of 1min 40sec/500m. 

He describes it as a mental test, saying he would do it in his parent's shiplap-lined basement. For the whole thing, Fraser tried to stare at a single knot in the wood in front of him.

“If I could stare at that knot for the entire 20 minutes, I knew I was in a good place,” says Fraser.

I wouldn’t recommend trying to match Fraser’s pace straight out of the gate. Instead, pick a goal that’s challenging for you and make this progressively more difficult as your fitness improves. 

This goal doesn’t have to be pace-specific either, according to Fraser. 

“You’re always trying to progress,” he says. “[And you might] have to use a different metric, because going from 1min 40sec/500m to 1min 39sec/500m is a pretty aggressive jump. 

“But I know that a 1min 40sec split when I measure it in watts gives me this X value, so I’ll try and bump that metric up a little bit, and then I’ll jump over to calories and try to bump that up.”

Over time, these incremental gains helped him chip away at his overall pace. Another way to master rowing for CrossFit is with these expert tips.

2. 40-Minute EMOM

EMOM for 40 minutes:

• Row x 15cal
• Toes-to-bar x 15
• Air bike x 15cal
• D-ball over shoulder x 6 (150lb / 70kg)

Fraser says he did at least one 40-minute EMOM each week throughout pretty much his entire career. 

This helped him get a feel for how he moved and the paces he was able to hold, both fresh and under fatigue. So, when competition time rolled around, he was ready for anything. 

He would also vary the content of the EMOMs throughout the year to help him peak for the CrossFit season. 

“At the beginning of the season you have these quick bursts of high output work [in each minute] and lots of rest,” says Fraser. “As you get closer and closer to the season, I tried to move that time domain so it’s almost like I’m just working for 40 minutes straight. 

“And then, right before the competition, I’d tailor it all back to the sprints to get that fast-reflex [stimulus].”

Again, I’m not going to hold you to Fraser’s standards. If you want to give this a go, pick a lower-calorie target on the rower and bike that you can hold for all 10 rounds. From my experience of 40-minute EMOMs, the first four rounds should feel fairly routine. The rest, not so much. 

You can also lower the number of toes-to-bar reps, or substitute them for V-ups or butterfly sit-ups. 

Finally, if you don’t have a D-ball, use a lighter sandbag or perform dual dumbbell cleans instead. 

3. Back Squat EMOM

EMOM for six minutes: 

• Back squat x 6 (315lb / 143kg)

If you want to develop your squat endurance, this is the test for you. Fraser would progress it over time by playing with the variables of time, weight and reps. 

This began with adding an extra minute to the workout. When he could complete the prescribed work for eight minutes he’d strip it back down to six minutes and increase the number of reps he was doing to seven. When he could do this comfortably, he started adding weight.  

“By the end of it you’re doing six sets of eight reps on the minute at 335lb,” he says 

If I was giving this a go, suffice to say I wouldn’t have 315lb on the bar. Instead, start with 60% of your one-rep max and build from there.

You go to the gym for a reason, and if that reason is to build muscle we’re sorry to say you’re going to have to push yourself. If it’s not challenging, there’s no reason for your muscles to adapt. 

If you finish your next leg workout with more to give, wrap things up with this finisher from personal trainer Alex Rice, which is made up of three dumbbell leg exercises. It perhaps has more in common with a short strength training routine than a workout finisher, which tends to include a conditioning component, but the addition of isometric holds is a surefire way to finish your legs off.  

Take a look at Rice’s Instagram Reel to see what’s in store.

The routine consists of goblet squats, followed by single-leg hip thrusts and conventional hip thrusts. Performing an exercise with proper form is always important to gain the most from the movement and avoid injury, but it’s always harder at the end of a workout when you’re fatigued, so here are some helpful cues to keep in mind if you try this session. 

In our guide to goblet squat form, functional fitness and nutritional coach Karl Bratland shares a helpful technique tip: “Hold the dumbbell by one end as close to your chest as you can,” he says. “If you hold it away from the body you won’t be able to support as much weight, so keep it close to the chest under your chin.” 

Bratland also advises keeping your chest facing forward and your heels flat on the floor so your weight is evenly distributed.

This routine also involves single-leg hip thrusts and regular hip thrusts. For more form tips, you can take a look at our guide on how to do the hip thrust, where strength and conditioning coach Andrew Reay shares some expert advice.

One of Reay's top tips helps you avoid putting too much pressure on the lower back, which is common if you overextend at the top of the lift. “Tuck your chin down to your chest. This keeps you in a position where you can’t overextend,” says Reay.

Any five-minute workout is better than no workout at all, but there’s one way to get more out of short sessions—go hard. That’s what you get with Tabata training, a favorite of iFit trainer Hannah Eden. 

“This workout and I go way back,” says Eden. “We used to have a gym for a long time and we had a theme for each day.

“Tabata Tuesday was the most popular day and it’s one of my favorite intervals to work with, especially for high-intensity interval training. It’s hard to stay in those high heart rate zones where you’re at an RPE nine or 10, which is true interval training, but this format allows you to do it.”

How To Do Hannah Eden’s Five-Minute HIIT Workout

1A Russian kettlebell swing

Sets 4 Work 20sec Rest 10sec 

1B Alternating kettlebell snatch 

Sets 4 Work 20sec Rest 10sec 

“It’s 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off,” say Eden. “We couple two exercises together, alternating between them for four minutes with a 60-second rest afterward.”

There’s only one catch: If you want to reap the rewards of this workout, you have to step on the gas. 

“HIIT is about a burst of exertion,” says Eden. “Technically speaking, high-intensity interval training should be done at about 90% of your max heart rate, which is impossible to keep up for more than 20 seconds, maybe 30 seconds if you’re a killer athlete.”

If you’re going to work that hard, it’s more essential than ever to make sure you’ve warmed up properly before starting this workout. Begin with gentle cardio that gradually increases in intensity, then perform this gym warm-up routine. It’s also worth honing your kettlebell swing form and kettlebell snatch form with a few sets using a light weight. If you haven’t mastered the snatch yet—for instance if you bang your wrist with the kettlebell as you press—you can sub in kettlebell cleans instead.

Ready to go? Press play on this video of Tabata timings.

Benefits Of This Five-Minute HIIT Workout

The best thing about this format is that it naturally scales to any fitness level, because you’re working for a set amount of time, rather than a prescribed weight or number of reps. As long as you work hard, you’ll hit the stimulus. 

“I always say that you can do anything for 20 seconds,” says Eden. “It’s not a minute. You can easily just chomp off little bites as you go. It’s doable, it’s digestible and it’s for anyone.”

Eden’s choice of free-weight—kettlebells—also brings a unique combination of benefits. “It’s unconventional because kettlebells are an explosive, ballistic form of training,” she says. “It’s going to spike your heart rate, but that’s not all it’s doing. It’s a mixture of strength and conditioning, so you’re working both systems.”

Doing some kind of strength training is one of the best ways for runners to improve their performance and injury resilience, and Pilates is a fantastic low-impact way to cross-train and support your running.

For more information on how to best incorporate Pilates for runners into your training routine, we spoke to Liz Patient, certified Pilates instructor and founder of the Pilates for Runners app.

What’s a good way for runners to start Pilates?

“The low-impact nature of Pilates means it can be done anytime without impacting your running training,” says Patient. “You can get started with short but regular and consistent sessions tagged onto your runs or existing strength sessions. Start with just 10 minutes 3-4 times a week to see results, and from there you can scale and adapt your sessions around your running.”

Beginner Pilates Workout For Runners

1 Swimming 

Sets 1 Reps 12-15 each side

On all fours, extend your opposite arm and leg away from the body as far as you can. Lift them, pause, and then return to the start position. Repeat on the other side, alternating sides with each rep. Imagine you have a tray of very full drinks balanced on your back, so when you move you keep your torso as still as possible and don’t let your belly drop as you lift the arm and leg.

Progression: Once you’ve extended and lifted your arm and leg, move them out to the side away from the body, still trying to keep your torso as still as possible.

2 Round the world

Set 2-3 Time 1-2min each side

Stand and lift your arms out to the sides to shoulder height to help you balance. Lift one leg and bend the knee of the standing leg to lower into a single-leg squat, tapping the floor with your other foot as far in front of you as you can. Straighten your standing leg, then repeat the movement tapping the foot to the side. On the next squat tap your foot behind you, then finally move your leg across and behind you on the other side of the body. Keep your torso as stable as you can over your standing leg as you do this exercise.

Progression: Interlace your fingers in front of your chest so you don’t use your arms to help you balance.

3 Leg pull

Sets 3 Time 30-45sec

On all fours, tuck your toes then lift your knees just off the floor, keeping them as low as you can. Lift one foot at a time off the floor keeping your knees and torso as still as possible. Lower your foot back to the floor and repeat on the other side. Imagine that full tray of drinks balanced on your back again.

Progression: Lift the opposite hand at the same time as you lift the foot and tap the opposite shoulder.

4 Single-leg hip hinge

Sets 2-3 Time 1-2min on each leg

Stand and lift your arms out to the sides to shoulder height. Hinge forward the hips, tipping your chest forward so it faces the floor and raising one leg behind you as high as you can. Pause, then return to the start. Try to move as smoothly as possible.

Progression: Bring your arms over your head at the start to increase the challenge to your balance. 

5 Side kick

Sets 1 Time 1-2min on each side

Lie on your side with your knees bent and your body resting on your lower arm. Lift your hips so your body forms a straight line from knees to shoulders, and extend your top leg. Lift the top leg to hip height to start. Lift it as high as you can while maintaining the position of your hips then lower under control. Try to keep the knee and foot of the moving leg facing forward, or slightly turned down, rather than turning towards the ceiling. This is to target the lateral hip muscles.

Progression: Try doing this same leg movement from a kneeling position with a straight, rather than bent, arm.

As you gain training experience, it’s only natural to experiment with more advanced muscle-building techniques and challenging variations. But recently performance coach Bobby Rich, who trains David and Victoria Beckham, posted a reminder that even those at the top of their game aren’t above a straightforward dumbbell session.

“I had twenty minutes max for a simple little press and pull upper body”, his Instagram Reel reads. 

So he picked three strength-boosting staples. The raw ingredients are the dumbbell bench press, seated dumbbell shoulder press and one-arm dumbbell row. He performed each dumbbell exercise for four sets of 10 reps, resting for 60 seconds between each set, then hit the showers. 

With just three moves, Rich recruits the entire upper body and covers three of the body’s fundamental movement patterns, building functional strength.

He plumps for a pushing movement in the bench press, a pulling movement in the dumbbell row and a pressing exercise in the shoulder press.

The bench press will work your chest muscles, front delt and triceps, the row hits the back muscles as well as your biceps, and the shoulder press targets the medial delt (one of the three delt muscles in your shoulder) while also engaging the front delt, upper pec and triceps.

The sum of these parts is a time-savvy session that delivers a comprehensive pump for your top half, as well as the strength and muscle gains you’d expect from a spot of weight training.

So next time you’re in a rush, grab a couple of dumbbells and get to work. Got a little more time to play with? Try this seven-move dumbbell upper-body workout.

With the right combination of isolation exercises, you don’t need to spend long in the gym to build muscle in your arms. This dumbbell arms workout from personal trainer Adam Enaz pairs triceps and biceps exercises in antagonistic supersets to maximize efficiency and intensity.

“An antagonist superset is a strength training technique where you perform two exercises back-to-back that target opposing muscle groups, known as antagonistic muscle pairs,” says Enaz. “This approach allows you to work different muscles while giving the opposing muscle group a chance to rest between sets, maximizing efficiency and intensity in your workout.”

How To Do This Dumbbell Arms Workout

Work through the three supersets below, taking minimal rest. Enaz suggests that you aim to build up the weight you use by 1-2kg every six weeks to progressively overload the muscle and stimulate growth.

1A Dumbbell biceps curl

Reps 10-12

“Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your arms fully extended,” says Enaz.“Bend your elbows to lift the dumbbells towards your shoulders, keeping your elbows close to your body. Squeeze your biceps at the top of the movement, then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.”

2A Dumbbell lying triceps extension

Reps 10-12 

“Lie on a bench [or the floor] with a dumbbell in each hand and your arms extended straight up,” says Enaz. “Keeping your upper arms stationary, bend your elbows to lower the dumbbells towards your forehead. Extend your arms back up to the start, squeezing your triceps at the top.”

2A Dumbbell hammer curl

Reps 10-12 

“Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing,” says Enaz. “Bend your elbows to lift the dumbbells towards your shoulders, keeping your palms facing each other throughout the movement. Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.”

2B Dumbbell overhead triceps extension

Reps 10-12 reps

“Stand or sit with a dumbbell held overhead in both hands and your arms fully extended,” says Enaz. “Lower the dumbbell behind your head by bending your elbows. Extend your arms to lift the dumbbell back to the start, fully engaging your triceps.”

3A Alternating dumbbell curl

Reps 10-12 each side 

“Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand, with your palms facing forward,” says Enaz. “Bend your elbow to lift one dumbbell towards your shoulder while keeping the other arm stationary. Alternate arms with each repetition, focusing on controlled movement and keeping tension in the biceps.”

3B Dumbbell triceps kick-back

Reps 10-12 

“Hold a dumbbell in each hand and hinge forward at your hips, keeping your back flat,” says Enaz. “Bend your elbows to bring the dumbbells towards your chest. Extend your arms straight back, squeezing your triceps at the top of the movement. Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.”

About Our Expert

Need help choosing which weight to buy? Check out our selection of the best dumbbells.

Effective strength workouts don’t have to be complicated, especially if you’re relatively new to resistance training. Incorporating a few compound exercises that target a range of muscles with a weight that challenges you is one of the best ways to increase your muscle mass, particularly if you follow the progressive overload method by making one variable harder each time you repeat the workout.

Health and fitness coach Chris Hover recently shared a workout in that mold. It's made up of four kettlebell exercises but targets the quads and glutes in your legs, the lats in your back, and your shoulders.

It's an EMOM-style workout, which stands for every minute on the minute. This means you have one minute to complete the reps required for one exercise, resting for any remaining time, before moving on to the next exercise.

Hover recommends aiming for three or four rounds in total, which makes for a quick but effective workout that should take between 12 and 16 minutes.

Watch Hover's Instagram Reel where he walks through each of the moves in the workout.

Ideally, you’ll have access to a kettlebell rack or an adjustable kettlebell (you can also use dumbbells if you have them), because to build muscle you want to choose a weight that makes the final few reps of each set a challenge. And, if you’re like most people, your legs will be able to comfortably squat more weight than your shoulders can press.

Coach has exercise guides that explain each movement in more detail. The crucial thing to remember with the Romanian deadlift is that you should only lower as far as your hip hinge allows without rounding your back. Focus on keeping your chest up during the goblet squat, and lifting the weight straight up, not letting it drift to the side, during the kettlebell press. Finally, the key to a successful one-arm kettlebell row is a stable starting position

If you’re after more short workouts, try this 10-minute kettlebell workout next.

Use our guide to the best kettlebells to choose the right weight for you.

Building muscle isn’t easy. If it was, a lot more people would look like Arnold Schwarzenegger. But there are techniques you can use to make the most of the time you spend in the weights room. 

Take myo-reps, for example. It’s an approach created by top trainer Borge Fagerli and it delivers the same gains as a lengthy lifting session in a fraction of the time. 

Myo-reps can be used by anyone, Fagerli tells me. He’s seen success with bodybuilders, powerlifters, everyday gym-goers and himself, with all parties reporting improved strength and muscle mass. But it’s a particularly handy tactic for busy people to have in their back pocket. 

“It will have people in and out of the gym in 15-20 minutes,” Fagerli says. “I’ve had personal training clients who would come in for a lunch training session and get a good workout in. And they kept gaining and gaining off just two workouts per week. 

“Whereas before they were doing three to four workouts per week, lasting 60 to 90 minutes each, and not getting the same gains.”

But for myo-reps to be effective, you have to push yourself.

“Some people spend a long time in the gym without pushing themselves,” Fagerli says. “If they’re doing a 20-minute workout that’s really tough, much harder than they’re used to, then they will make great gains from it.”

How To Do Borge Fagerli’s Myo-Reps Workout

Complete one myo-reps set of each exercise below, resting two minutes between moves.

1. Leg press
2. Leg curl
3. Incline bench press
4. Dumbbell shoulder press
5. Lat pull-down

A myo-reps set involves multiple sets. Begin with an activation set of eight to 15 reps, using a weight that leaves you with two reps in reserve. After this, put down the weight and take three to five deep breaths.

Now choose a target number of reps from three to five. Fagerli says getting the right number of target reps here can take some trial and error, but as a rule of thumb, strength-oriented lifters tend to favor three reps while muscular endurance-minded athletes prefer five. After you complete the deep breaths, pick the weight back up and complete a set with your chosen number of reps. 

Put the weight down again, take another three to five deep breaths, then attempt another set of three to five reps. Once you can no longer complete a set of yours  target number of reps, the myo-reps set is done. Rest for two minutes and move on to the next exercise. 

How To Train Using Myo-Reps

Fagerli says your training frequency will determine how you should use them as they can be demanding on the body. 

“If you’re doing two workouts per week, I would do full-body sessions,” he says. “If you’re doing three or four, you’re more likely looking at some sort of alternating upper/lower or push/pull split. This would have a slightly lower training frequency [per muscle group] so you have a better chance of recovering.”

If you want to follow a two-day workout split and you’re on the hunt for a second weekly myo-reps workout to cycle with the one above, Fagerli has some suggestions there too.

“To train the legs, you pair either a compound exercise for quads and an isolation for the hamstrings, or the opposite,” says Fagerli. “So another combination is a straight-leg deadlift, or other deadlift, and a leg extension.”

He also suggests including a row variation, like a seated cable row, as well as one chest exercise and one shoulder exercise. 

“If you wanted to, you could also add in a biceps and triceps exercise, but at that point you’re already training those muscles indirectly with the compound lifts,” says Fagerli.

See more tried-and-tested options in my guide to the best protein powder.

Finding time to train can be tricky, but beginners in particular can get a lot of bang for their buck from just two trips to the gym every week. 

These sessions don’t have to take an age either. Top trainer Luka Hocevar has created a two-day workout split with just three moves per workout. With a warm-up and warm-down each one will take less than 30 minutes. 

“These exercises cover the main movement patterns that we need to build as humans and they involve using a lot of muscle,” says Hocevar, who’s also a brand partner for booking service Vagaro.

“This means they'll help you build strength and lean muscle, while also improving your movement within daily life activities."

How To Do Luka Hocevar’s Two-Day Workout Split

Do each workout below once a week, leaving at least one day between them to allow your body to recover. 

For the final exercise of each workout, Hocevar lets you choose between any variation of the lunge and single-leg Romanian deadlift. 

This gives you the flexibility to use whatever equipment is free and available. You can also incorporate different planes of motion in the first exercise by opting for a lateral/side lunge or curtsy lunge. 

Two-Day Workout Split: Day One

Click or press the exercise name for how to do each exercise.

1 Trap bar deadlift

Sets 3 Reps 5-6 Rest 2min

2 Push-up

Sets 3 Reps 8-12 Rest 60sec

3 Lunge variation

Sets 3 Reps 8-12 on each side Rest 60sec

Two-Day Workout Split: Day Two

1 Goblet squat

Sets 3 Reps 5-6 Rest 2min

2 One-arm dumbbell row

Sets 3 Reps 8-12 Rest 60sec

3 Single-leg Romanian deadlift variation

Sets 3 Reps 8-12 on each side Rest 60sec

How To Progress These Workouts For An Eight-Week Two-Day Workout Split

If you want to build muscle, you need to repeat workouts and make them progressively harder over time. Hocevar has also provided the optimal way to progress this two-day workout split over eight weeks. 

For the first exercise in each workout, which focuses on building strength, he recommends lifting slightly more weight each week. 

With the second and third exercises, he takes a slightly different tact. 

“Add a rep a week for four weeks, then drop back down to the number of reps you did in week one and add weight. 

“For example, if week one was eight reps, add a rep a week until you get to 11 reps in week four, then drop back down to eight reps in week five while increasing the weight.”

Why Are These The Best Exercises For A Beginner Two-Day Workout Split?

Hocevar selected these exercises because they cover most major movement patterns, but that wasn’t the only factor at play when choosing the moves.

“These exercises are not necessarily that complicated, which means that a person can learn them quickly,” says Hocevare. 

“From this starting point, the goal is to work on progressing load by using heavier weights and adding reps or sets. These are necessary building blocks for the body to adapt and begin to increase strength and build muscle. This process is called progressive overload.”

However, he recommends making sure your form is flawless (“without letting your ego get in the way”) before adding more weight. 

What Are The Limitations Of A Two-Day Workout Split? 

A two-day workout split is ideal for beginners, because it supplies enough stimulus to develop muscle while at the same time the schedule doesn’t feeling overwhelming or unsustainable. 

It can also be a great approach for athletes from other sports looking for a minimalist strength training program to supplement their favored activity—a one-stop shop for reduced injury rates and improved performance among runners and others. 

But there are some drawbacks to this training split, particularly when it contains shorter workouts. 

“Limiting oneself to just three exercises is not necessarily an ideal program,” says Hocevar. 

On top of this, a two-day split of this sort may not provide the volume, variety or frequency to stimulate further strength and muscle gains among seasoned lifters. 

The agony on the faces of rowers at the end of The Boat Race let you know just how hard it is to maintain the effort they put in through the event. That performance is built on months of demanding training.

If you want a little taste of that training, then try this progressive rowing workout from Patrick Ryan, chief coach of Cambridge University Boat Club’s Women’s Programme, which builds in intensity over three 10-minute blocks.

“The 3 x 10-minute session is a key part of our athletes’ development and one that we revisit throughout the season,” says Ryan. “It targets aerobic training, the base of any great Boat Race performance, and focuses athletes on building an aerobic base and making sure that their speed increases with each increase in [stroke] rate.”

Warm-up

“We warm up for half an hour, starting with some stretching and mobility exercises for 10 minutes, getting the blood flowing before athletes get on the ergo [rowing machine],” says Ryan. “Once you get on the ergo, work through the stroke, addressing both technique and intensity as you move through the warm-up.  

“Start by using arms only. Weight on the back of the seat, reaching out to straight arms and drawing back to your xiphoid process [the bottom of your sternum]. You’re looking to increase the handle’s speed through the stroke without snatching. Do this for about a minute.

“Next it’s arms and body. Once your arms are straight, rock your hips forward and transfer your weight onto the front of the seat and feel a little stretch in your hamstrings, but not too much. This sets your body position for when you move out to the full rowing stroke. Start the drive by swinging back with straight arms, using your arms to keep accelerating the handle into your body. Do a minute or two of this, at a 3-4/10 intensity, then we start to bring in the legs.”

From there, Ryan suggests working through a quarter slide, half slide, three-quarter slide and then into a full slide, as detailed below. The catch is the position you adopt before you drive back with your legs.

“Quarter slide: From the arms and body movement above, let your knees come up a few inches and roll into the catch,” says Ryan. “Drive with your legs and arms straight, then swing into the finish.

“Half slide: The next few positions are building on the quarter slide position and compressing the legs more and more into the catch so that the stroke can get longer and stronger.

“Three-quarter slide: keeping your body at the same angle, and very nearly coming forward until your shins are upright.

“Full slide: this is at the length you’re going to do the workout.”

Finish off your warm-up with some higher-intensity intervals based on your stroke rate (strokes per minute, which Ryan refers to as simply rate), and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) to get yourself ready for the workout proper.

“Once you’ve been rowing at full slide at low intensity for a few minutes, open up a bit by rowing at a higher intensity and rate for a minute,” says Ryan. “Row at rate 24 for a minute at about 8/10 intensity, then row at your easier aerobic pace for a minute. Then it’s time to open up again, rating 28 at about 8/10 intensity for 30 seconds and recovering at your easier aerobic pace for 90 seconds. Finish your warm-up by rowing for 15 seconds at rate 32 at a high intensity.”

30-Minute Rowing Workout

The workout is broken up into three 10-minute blocks (or “pieces” as they are called in rowing circles) with 90 seconds of rest in between them. For each piece, Ryan has given a stroke rate to hit, along with a target intensity based on RPE, plus guidelines for the power (in watts) you’ll put out if you’re used to using those.

Ryan suggests that for each 10-minute piece try and record your average watts and heart rate. Then when you next do the session you’ll be able to track your improved fitness.

“When you revisit the session later, remember your watts from the last time you did this session, and keep the stroke rate the same as previously,” says Ryan. “If your training is working, you’ll see your heart rate drop and perceived exertion drop if you keep the watts the same, or if you go by perceived exertion and heart rate, you’ll see your watts increase significantly!”

Piece 1

Time 10min Rest 90sec

“If you know the watts you would normally pull rating 18, you’re looking to pull about 20 watts more and rate 22 for this 10-minute piece,” says Ryan. “If you don’t know what your pace should be, I’d want you to do this first piece at an RPE of 5/10. Use this piece to establish consistency— no great peaks or troughs in output.

“Take 90 seconds rest. You should finish this piece ready to go for the next piece—bank it when you can, this workout will bite later.”

Piece 2

Time 10min Rest 90sec

“Take it up two rating points for the second 10 minutes, so you’ll be rating 24 for this section of the workout and increasing your wattage from the first piece by about 10 watts,” says Ryan. “This should take you to 7/10 RPE and your heart rate will probably be 10bpm higher. As the intensity increases, focus on the stroke: start the drive with your legs, opening the back when the legs are nearly down, and finishing with your arms.”

After another 90 seconds of rest, go into the third 10-minute block.

Piece 3

Time 10min Rest 90sec

“We do this final 10-minute piece at rating 26, at a 9/10 intensity. Consistency is key in this piece as it is when racing the Boat Races—you cannot afford to drop intensity at any point, but you also can’t afford to blow up! If you’ve got anything left in the last 30 seconds, maintain the rate and squeeze on a bit.”

The Gemini Boat Race 2024 takes place in Putney on Saturday 30th March, with the Women’s Race starting at 2:46pm GMT and the Men’s Race at 3:46pm GMT. The event will be broadcast live on BBC One from 2pm GMT.

Read our Concept2 RowErg review to find out why it tops our list of the best rowing machines.

David Beckham has shared a look at how he trains his abs with an Instagram video which shows him working through a set of hanging knee raises, under strict instruction from trainer Bobby Rich.

The exercise’s name doubles as a form guide: hang from a pull-up bar, then use your core muscles to raise both knees so your thighs pass beyond parallel with the floor. 

In the video, Rich can be heard giving the technique cue “knees up to your chest”, although Becks’ caption suggests he had more pressing matters on his mind—namely, the state of his headline-grabbing ’do. If I had hair that nice that would be my primary concern, too.

Benefits Of Hanging Abs Exercises 

Performing abs exercises on a pull-up bar is great for breaking away from the monotony core training can entail—planks, crunch variations, you know the drill. Your mid-body muscles are in for a real test too.

“You’re definitely focused on your rectus abdominis because you’re going into a flexion, but instead of flexion from the top like with a crunch you’re flexing from the bottom,” says Wendy Batts, regional master trainer for the National Academy of Sports Medicine. 

However, she warns this move isn’t for beginners. Not only do you have to be able to control your body through spinal flexion, but it also requires you to hold your bodyweight. And that’s not all.

To hit the intended range of motion, you need to be able to hang with a neutral spine. If your lower back arches (an anterior pelvic tilt), you have to move your spine to neutral before moving to flexion, and that extra movement is called compensation.

“If you can do it without compensation then I tell people it’s a great exercise,” she explains. 

“But you really need to make sure you have good lat extensibility, because if you don’t and you’re hanging you’re going to be in an anterior tilt. 

“The lower back will arch, and during this exercise you’re trying to have it do the opposite. This means you’re really not going to get full activation [of the muscles] because you have to go through a compensation first.”

If you struggle with this exercise, try starting with a knee-up, or a reverse crunch to knee-up as demonstrated below (rotation optional). 

However, if you have the strength and stability needed to do this exercise properly, Batts says it can be a great tool for developing core strength. 

“There are a lot of different variations to make it harder; sometimes one knee up at a time so you have to hang longer, or there are different rotational movements while doing it. 

“I have our athletes do it where they’ll raise their knees, kick their legs out, hold this position, and then come down. 

“There are a lot of variations to this one exercise that you can progress someone to. You just want to make sure they’re doing it correctly first, then you can have a ton of fun with it.”

Kettlebells are one of the best pieces of equipment for full-body workouts. With just a handful of moves, you can engage multiple muscle groups, improve your coordination and burn some serious calories. However, kettlebells can be just as effectively used to target specific muscle groups, such as your shoulder muscles. 

This workout from Christian Vila, the founder of Brighton Kettlebells and one of the best kettlebell trainers in England, focuses on your shoulders, directly and alongside other upper-body muscles. 

It’s a kettlebell shoulder workout that’s especially well suited to beginners, because it will put your shoulders through their paces and help you improve your overall kettlebell technique. “Try the workout, once a week, for six weeks before progressing,” says Vila.

How To Perform This Kettlebell Shoulder Workout

How you program the following workout will depend on your fitness goals. “If you’re training for intensity and fat loss, try 30 seconds of each exercise and rest for 20 seconds before progressing to the next, using a weight which allows you to complete each repetition with good form,” says Vila. 

If your primary goal is to build muscle and increase strength, try three sets of 6-8 reps of each exercise, before moving to the next. 

“Weight-wise, I’d recommend 8kg to 12kg for beginners,” says Vila. However, always select a weight that allows you to complete all of the repetitions with good form. 

Always prioritize form over intensity and make sure you’re able to maintain good grip throughout the workout. If the handle gets too slippery, you may try wearing weightlifting gloves or rubbing some chalk or liquid chalk on your hands.

Kettlebell Shoulder Workout Warm-up

The shoulders are one of the most mobile and complex joints in the body. It’s easy enough to strain them with simple daily tasks (think about the time you or someone you know woke up with shoulder pain just by sleeping wrong), never mind when using such an unstable piece of equipment as kettlebells. To minimize your risk of injury and get the most out of your workout, make sure to warm up beforehand.  

“Before jumping into the workouts, complete 5-10 minutes of cardio, such as a jog, row or cycle to warm up the whole body,” says Vila. This will increase your heart rate and the blood flow to the muscles. “Then, follow this with the following mobility routine to further prepare the shoulders for the work to come,” says Vila. 

Shoulder warm-up exercises, such as shoulder rolls, arm swings and band pull-aparts will help increase the temperature and mobility of your shoulder muscles, tendons and ligaments. “Remember mobility is a big part of shoulder health and strength, allowing you to work through a full range of motion in each exercise,” says Vila. 

Beginner Kettlebell Shoulder Workout

1 Kettlebell halo 

“This move promotes mobility around the shoulder girdle, warming up the muscles for the work to come,” says Vila. 

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding the kettlebell by the sides of the handle upside down in front of your chest. Bring the weight over your right shoulder, round the back of your head and over your left shoulder to the start. 

“Try to keep the kettlebell close to your head all the way around, with your elbows tucked in, concentrating on how far down you can lower the kettlebell behind the head,” says Vila. Keep your core engaged throughout the entire movement, and make sure you don’t sway or tilt to the side. 

2 Kettlebell shrug

The kettlebell shrug is a simple, yet very effective, exercise to strengthen your trapezius, a large muscle group stabilizing the shoulder joint. “You will feel your traps burning towards the end,” says Vila. 

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding the kettlebell in both hands in front of you. “Raise your shoulders towards the ears without bending your arms,” says Villa. Pause, then lower your shoulders under control, stretching your shoulder muscles at the bottom of the movement. Don’t hunch your back or tense up your neck muscles.

3 Kettlebell front raise

“The kettlebell front raise will target the anterior (front) head of the shoulders,” says Vila.

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding the kettlebell with both hands. “With straight arms, raise the kettlebell until you can see through the hole in the handle in front of your head. Be sure to prevent any rocking of the body to stop you from using your back muscles,” says Vila. 

4 Two-handed kettlebell press

The all-time best move for shoulder strength—but with a single kettlebell. “Two hand overhead presses will build confidence in holding a weight above your head, and target the whole shoulder girdle,” says Vila. 

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding the kettlebell by the sides of the handle upside down in front of your chest. Brace your core, then extend your arms above your head. “Keep your knees slightly bent throughout and your elbows tucked in, locking out your arms at the top of the movement,” says Vila. “Slowly lower the weight to chest level.”

5 Kettlebell swing

The quintessential kettlebell exercise, the swing primarily targets the muscles of your posterior movement chain, the muscles down the back of your body. However, your shoulders will also have to put in the work. “This move uses the posterior (rear) shoulder head to prevent the kettlebell from pulling you forward,” says Vila. 

Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart, holding the kettlebell handle in both hands. Brace your core, retract your shoulders and push your hips back to pull the weight between your legs, keeping your arms and back straight. Thrust your hips forward to swing the kettlebell up to eye level. Control the descent and hinge straight into the next rep.

“Initiate the movement with explosive hip extensions, with a slight bend at the knee. Beware not to squat too much, or use your shoulders like you did in the front raise—allow your hips to do the work, while keeping the shoulders retracted,” says Vila. 

6 Kettlebell clean

The kettlebell clean is a dynamic movement that trains shoulder stability, coordination and balance, and it’s one of the most important kettlebell exercises to master. “This move not only teaches you how to rack the kettlebell, ready for single shoulder presses but will train the upper back and rear shoulder heads, which are essential for full shoulder development,” says Vila.

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and the kettlebell between your feet. Push your hips back and reach down to hold the handle. Swing the kettlebell between your legs, then thrust your hips forward and shrug the kettlebell up, keeping it close to your body. Rotate your wrist and slide your forearm under the kettlebell. Reverse the movement to the start. 

“Be explosive as you guide the kettlebell from the floor to the rack position, neatly landing the kettlebell on the back of your forearm. Keep your elbow tucked in, before guiding the kettlebell down to the floor,” says Vila.

7 Kettlebell upright row

“If you’re a regular gym-goer, this will feel familiar,” says Vila. Upright rows are typically done with a barbell, but the kettlebell version feels easier on the wrists and arms.  

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding the kettlebell in both hands in front of you. “Take the kettlebell from a full hang at your hips to your chin, leading with the elbows and keeping the kettlebell close to your body. Keep your knees slightly bent to protect your back and to prevent rocking of the body,” says Vila. Keep your core braced throughout. 

About Our Expert

If you want to use your training time as effectively as possible, add these beginner treadmill workouts to your gym routine. They’re both designed by Fran Bungay, head coach for the Training Today App and Goal Specific Coaching, and use the incline and speed settings on a treadmill to program interval runs that will get you fitter and help you lose weight.

While you can just step onto a treadmill and run at a steady pace for your workout, you’ll get more out of short sessions in particular by doing intervals which raise your heart rate and effort level, and burn more calories.

How To Do These Beginner Treadmill Workouts

Bungay has put together two beginner treadmill sessions to try, one with intervals based on speed and one on incline. You’ll be using the 1-10 RPE scale (rate of perceived exertion) to judge your effort, where 10 is maximum effort. This might feel hard to judge at first, but whatever you do will result in a great workout and you’ll get more adept at judging your effort levels over time.

Each workout begins with a warm-up and ends with a warm-down. Don’t skip either of these.

The main workout involves sections of work and recovery intervals. The instructions for each section are written as “5 x 1min at 8/10 RPE, 1min walk recovery”. This means you do five sets of the following: run for one minute at an effort level of 8/10, then recover for one minute while walking.

Beginner Interval Treadmill Workout

Do the entire workout with the treadmill set at a 2% incline.

Warm-up

5min walk 

5min building up to jogging to finish at around 6/10 RPE 

Workout

5 x 1min at 8/10 RPE, 1min walk recovery

3 x 2min at 7/10 RPE, 1min walk recovery

5 x 1min at 8/10 RPE, 1min walk recovery

Warm-down

2min at 6/10 RPE

2min at 5/10 RPE

1min walk 

Beginner Incline Treadmill Workout

Warm-up

Set the incline to 2% for the warm-up

5min walk 

5min building into a jog to 6/10 RPE

Workout

Aim for 7/10 or 8/10 RPE during the work periods, as you get fitter you might want to increase the pace on the lower incline section.

3 x 1min at 6% incline, 1min at 2% incline, 1min walk recovery

3 x 2 min at 4% incline, 2min at 2% incline, 1min walk recovery

Warm-down

2min at 6/10 RPE

2min at 5/10 RPE

1min walk

Find out which treadmills are worth buying with my guide to the best treadmills.

It doesn’t take much for your gym workout plan to go out of the window. Maybe you only have just enough time to fit in your scheduled session and you get stuck in traffic. Or there’s a rush on the piece of equipment you need. When you’re faced with these problems, you need a routine you can turn to. Dumbbell workouts are great for this because there are always plenty of pairs left in the racks of every gym.

Personal trainer Elise Young recently posted a straightforward but challenging routine that only uses dumbbells and it makes a great backup plan if you want to get stuck into a quick workout that will challenge muscles all over your body. The moves in this workout are all compound exercises, which means they engage multiple muscles at once.

Take a look at Young’s Instagram Reel where she demonstrates each of the exercises.

The first movement combines a single-arm dumbbell clean, push press and front-rack squat. The clean is a technical move so it can be worth practicing your technique with a light weight before beginning the workout to ensure the hinge-shrug-pull movement is smooth and controlled, and you don’t round your back.

Once you’ve performed eight reps on each side, move on to 12 bent-over rows. Note that Young uses an underhand grip. That’s followed by 20 reverse lunges holding a dumbbell in the goblet position, and finally 10 push-ups into renegade rows. I’ll let you decide whether a rep is counted after a row on one or both sides. That’s one round, Young suggests doing four rounds in total.

Remember to keep your core engaged throughout the workout, especially as you begin to fatigue in the final rounds. This will not only maximize muscle engagement, but it will also contribute to maintaining the correct form throughout the routine.

Why It’s Worth Training With Dumbbells

As well as being convenient, dumbbell exercises can limit the development of strength imbalances. Often, when using barbells and weights machines, people rely on a stronger side to move the weight. Using dumbbells ensures each side is trained separately.

Find more tried-and-tested recommendations in Coach’s guide to the best dumbbells. 

Hugh Jackman has been preparing to resume his role of clawed crusader Wolverine for Deadpool 3 and his gym sessions were no joke.

The Australian actor recently shared a snippet of his training, showing him tackling what looks like a biceps curl mechanical drop set, all while receiving barked orders from his trainer’s dog Andy.

In the clip, Jackman hits a set of standing EZ-bar curls before leaning over and immediately getting to work on a series of bent-over EZ-bar curls using the same weight. 

But what does this achieve? By getting him to switch his body position, Jackman’s trainer Beth Lewis changes the point of the movement at which his biceps are under the most load.

A standard biceps curl will feel most difficult as your forearms pass the point of being parallel with the ground, whereas a bent-over biceps curl is most challenging at the top of the rep. This shifts the stimulus of the move by hitting the biceps from a different angle, delivering a colossal pump.

And the results are on display for all to see: Jackman’s arms look huge. 

Deadpool 3 is released on July 26 this year and it will be Jackman’s first outing as Wolverine since 2017’s Logan. 

Fans are also excited to see him star alongside a similarly-jacked Ryan Reynolds, with the duo having stoked a fake feud for the last 15 years. 

Despite being friends, the pair have taken light-hearted pot-shots at one another since meeting on the set of X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009. Now they’re set to reconvene in the MCU, audiences are expecting big things (and they’re not talking about Jackman’s biceps). 

A great bodyweight HIIT workout keeps things simple. It lines up several of the best bodyweight exercises and asks you to rattle through them with minimal rest. That’s exactly what you can expect from this workout put together by personal trainer Steve Ahern from Goal Plans powered by MuscleFood.

You need 30 minutes, a bit of clear space and the workout is suitable for all fitness levels since you’re working to time rather than trying to hit a certain amount of reps. There are a number of high-impact exercises, however. If you think that might pose a problem, try this beginner HIIT workout with the regressions.

How To Do This Bodyweight HIIT Workout

The workout uses a 20/20/20 format where you do exercise A for 20 seconds, switch straight into move B for 20 seconds, then rest for 20 seconds. There are seven sections to the workout, and in the first six, you’ll do four rounds of a pair of exercises and rest only after the second move. Then in the last section, you do all 12 exercises for 20 seconds each back-to-back for a tough finisher. The whole workout will take just under 30 minutes.

Bodyweight HIIT Workout Overview

• 1A Unweighted squat 4 x 20sec
• 1B Push-up 4 x 20sec
• 2A Alternating reverse lunge 4 x 20sec
• 2B Burpee 4 x 20sec
• 3A Jump squat 4 x 20sec
• 3B Jump lunge 4 x 20sec
• 4A High knees 4 x 20sec
• 4B Mountain climber 4 x 20sec
• 5A Hand walk-out 4 x 20sec
• 5B Plank 4 x 20sec
• 6A Reverse lunge with hold, right foot forward 4 x 20sec
• 6B Reverse lunge with hold, left foot forward 4 x 20sec
• 7 Every exercise above 1 x 20sec

Bodyweight HIIT Workout Form Guides

Click or press the title for an in-depth form guide to each exercise.

Section 1

1A Unweighted squat

Sets 4 Time 20sec Rest 0sec

“Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart with toes slightly pointed outwards,” says Ahern. “Shift your hips back and bend your knees to lower into a squat position. Keep your chest up when executing the movement, with your back straight, and push through your heels to come back to standing.”

1B Push-up

Sets 4 Time 20sec Rest 20sec

Start on your hands and toes, with your arms and legs extended, hands underneath your shoulders and body in a straight line from head to heels. Bend your elbows to lower your chest to the floor, then push back up. “Make sure to keep your elbows in when pushing back up,” says Ahern.

Section 2

2A Alternating reverse lunge

Sets 4 Time 20sec Rest 0sec

“Take a step backwards and drop your rear knee as close to the floor as possible while keeping your back straight and chest up,” says Ahern. “Push back up and keep switching legs until the allocated time is up.”

2B Burpee

Sets 4 Time 20sec Rest 20sec

From standing, fold at your waist and place your hands on the floor in front of your feet. Jump your feet back so you land in the top push-up position. Jump your feet back to your hands, then jump straight up, landing softly.

Section 3

3A Jump squat

Sets 4 Time 20sec Rest 0sec

“This exercise adds a jump to a squat,” says Ahern. As you rise out of a squat jump straight up. Land softly and immediately lower into the next rep.

3B Jump lunge

Sets 4 Time 20sec Rest 20sec

“Take one step backward and drop your knee as close to the ground as you can, then jump up and switch legs in mid-air, landing with the other leg behind you,” says Ahern. Continue jumping and switching legs in mid-air.

Section 4

4A High knees

Sets 4 Time 20sec Rest 0sec

“Run on the spot, raising your knees to your chest,” says Ahern. Raise the opposite arm to the raised leg.

4B Mountain climber

Sets 4 Time 20sec Rest 20sec

“Start in a push-up position,” says Ahern. “Move one knee close to your chest while keeping your hips as still as possible. Switch legs in mid-air and keep your head down.” Continue switching legs at pace.

Section 5

5A Hand walk-out

Sets 4 Time 20sec Rest 0sec

“From standing, fold at your waist and place your hands on the floor in front of you. Walk your hands into a push-up position, hold for a second and then move your hands backwards and come to standing,” says Ahern. “Don’t allow your hips or back to dip.”

5B Plank

Sets 4 Time 20sec Rest 20sec

“Support your body on your forearms and toes,” says Ahern. “Keep your back parallel with the floor, don’t raise your hips and keep your head down. Make sure to contract your core area while performing this exercise.” Hold this position for the allotted time.

Section 6

6A Reverse lunge with hold, right foot forward

Sets 4 Time 20sec Rest 0sec

“Step your left foot backward and drop into the reverse lunge position and stay there for the allotted time,” says Ahern.

6B Reverse lunge With Hold, Left Foot Forward

Sets 4 Time 20sec Rest 20sec

“Step your right foot backward and drop into the reverse lunge position and stay there for the allotted time,” says Ahern.

Section 7

Rest for an additional 60 seconds before doing the final round, where you tackle all 12 moves from the workout in a row without rest. Use the form instructions from above and perform each move for 20 seconds.

Need help deciding on your next pair of workout shoes? Use our guide to the best gym trainers to find the right pair for you.

Free-weight exercises form the foundations of most shoulder workouts. The overhead press, lateral raise and upright row are just three moves that help build upper-body strength and sculpt the V-shaped physique bodybuilders seek. 

But to take your shoulder workouts tothe next level, you may want to set aside your trusty dumbbell shoulder workout in favor of cable machine exercises. This imposing contraption of weight plates, pulleys and handles can feel a tad intimidating at first, but once you know how to use it, it’s well worth making a trip to the gym for. 

Cable shoulder workouts are perfect for developing functional movement patterns and sculpting impressive deltoids—the group of muscles surrounding the shoulder joint—no matter whether you’re a beginner or a veteran weightlifter. 

So if you’re ready to put your shoulder to the wheel, we have three cable shoulder workouts that will help you build strong, injury-proof shoulders in no time. If you’ve never used the cable machine to train your shoulders before, start your journey with the beginner workout and as you become more confident, graduate to the intermediate and then advanced workouts.

How To Warm Up Your Shoulders

Cable machine exercises are great tools to reduce risk of injury, but you still need to warm up thoroughly before using them as they can put your limbs and joints in new positions they’re not used to. That’s also why it’s also wise to start light and add weight very gradually. 

To minimize your risk of injury, use a combination of dynamic stretches—movements that take your joints through a full range of motion, such as arm swings and shoulder rolls—and gentle resistance band shoulder exercises, such as band pull-aparts. 

Make sure to mobilize your shoulders through all planes of movement, including flexion (backward and forward), abduction and adduction (sideways) and rotation (twisting). 

Before you attempt an exercise, groove the movement with one or two sets with a very light load. If you feel any pain or niggles, you might have an existing strain or injuries that need attending to before diving into these workouts. If everything feels good, then you’re ready to start adding weight. 

For more advice on how to prepare your shoulders for action, check out these eight shoulder warm-up exercises that’ll help kick-start your upper-body workouts. 

Beginner Cable Shoulder Workout

If you’ve never attempted a cable shoulder workout before, lay off heavy weights and complicated movements for now. Even if you’ve mastered your dumbbell shoulder raises, you may be surprised how different these exercises feel when they’re done on the cable machine. Instead, focus on improving your form and developing good body awareness.

For each exercise, pick a weight that you can comfortably complete 12-15 repetitions with and rest for 15-30 seconds between sets. Pay attention to the attachment required for each lift, noted in brackets after each exercise. 

1 Seated cable shoulder press (long revolving bar)

Sets 3 Reps 12-15 Rest 15-30sec 

Sit on a bench facing the cable machine and take note which anchor points are located at approximately your shoulder level. Stand up, then set both ends of the long revolving bar at these anchor points. Sit down on the bench with the bar located in front of your chest, grasp it with both hands using an overhand grip, palms facing away from you. Keeping your back straight and core muscles engaged, press the bar overhead until your arms are fully extended. Slowly return to the starting position. 

2 Cable lateral raise (stirrups)

Sets 2 Reps 12-15 each side Rest 15-30sec 

Set the stirrup attachment at the lowest anchor point. Holding the stirrup in your right hand, position yourself sideways to the machine, so the cable runs in front of your body. Keeping your back straight and core engaged, slowly raise your arm to the right. Once your hand reaches shoulder level, slowly lower the arm to the starting position. Maintain a slight bend in your elbow throughout the entire movement. After all reps are completed, swap sides and repeat. 

3 Cable front raise (short revolving bar)

Sets 3 Reps 12-15 Rest 15-30sec 

Set the short revolving bar at the lowest anchor point. Facing away from the machine, with the cable running between your legs, then grab the bar with both hands using an overhand grip, palms facing down. Keeping your back straight, arms extended and core muscles engaged, raise the bar to shoulder level. Slowly return to the starting position. Maintain a slight bend in your elbow throughout the movement.

4 Cable internal shoulder rotation (stirrups)

Sets 2 Reps 12-15 each side Rest 15-30sec

Set the stirrup attachment at an anchor point in line with your belly button. Grasp the handle and stand side-on to the cable machine, holding the stirrup in the hand closest to the cable machine. Bend your elbow to 90° and pin your upper arm to your torso. With your upper arm glued to your side, rotate your forearm your body. Keep your back straight and core muscles engaged. Slowly return to the starting position. Do all your reps on one side then change sides.

5 Cable external shoulder rotation (stirrups)

Sets 2 Reps 12-15 each side Rest 15-30sec

Set the stirrup at an anchor point in line with your belly button. Holding a handle in your right hand, position yourself sideways to the cable machine, so the cable runs across the front of your body. Bend your elbow to 90° and pin your upper arm to your torso. With your upper arm glued to your side, rotate your forearm away from your body. Keep your back straight and core muscles engaged. Slowly return to the starting position. Do all your reps on one side then change sides.

Intermediate Cable Shoulder Workout

Once you get the hang of the cable machine, you can progress to heavier lifts and more complex movements. Note, however, that more resistance will challenge your core muscles to help maintain your posture during each exercise. If you find that you need to jerk the cable or sway your upper body to complete the set, it’s a sign you need to lower the weight.   

For each exercise, select a weight that you can comfortably complete 8-12 repetitions with and rest for 30-60 seconds between sets.

1 Standing cable shoulder press (long revolving bar)

Sets 3 Reps 8-12 Rest 30-60sec

Set both ends of the long revolving bar at the anchor points in line with your shoulders. Facing away from the machine, stand with the bar in front of you and grab it with both hands using an overhand grip, palms facing away from you. Keeping your back straight and core muscles engaged, press the bar overhead until your arms are fully extended. Slowly return to the starting position.

2 Cable face pull (rope)

Sets 3 Reps 8-12 Rest 30-60sec

Set the rope attachment at an anchor point at eye level. Grab the rope ends with both hands so that your thumbs point to the floor, and extend your arms in front of you. Pull the handles to either side of your face, then rotate your forearms until vertical. To maintain balance, lean back with your weight in your heels and keep your core muscles engaged. Slowly return to the starting position.

3 Cable upright row (long revolving bar)

Sets 3 Reps 8-12 Rest 30-60sec

Set both ends of the long revolving bar at anchor points in line with your knees. Using an overhand grip, palms facing you, grasp the bar with your hands shoulder-width apart, then stand upright. Keeping your back straight and core muscles engaged, pull the bar straight up until level with your upper chest. Make sure that your elbows are always higher than your wrists and that you keep the bar close to your body throughout. Slowly lower the bar until your arms are straight, then repeat. 

4 Cable flye (stirrups)

Sets 3 Reps 8-12 Rest 30-60sec

Set the stirrups at anchor points in line with your shoulders or slightly higher. Grasp each handle to brace the weight, then step away from the cable station and adopt a split stance to provide stability. Maintaining a slight bend in your elbows throughout, bring the handles together in front of your chest. Pause, then slowly return your hands to the starting position. Keep your back straight and core muscles engaged throughout the entire movement. Switch feet halfway through each set. 

5 External rotation in 90˚ abduction (stirrups)

Sets 3 Reps 8-12 each side Rest 30-60sec

Go very light with this one. Set one stirrup at chest height. Facing the machine, grasp the handle using an overhand grip, palm facing away from your body. Start with your arm raised out to the side of your body and your elbow bent to 90˚, with your elbow level with your shoulder and forearm parallel with the floor. From here, rotate your forearm to vertical. Pause, then slowly rotate your forearm back to the start. Do all your reps on one side then change sides.

Advanced Cable Shoulder Workout

Advanced exercisers can take full advantage of cable machine. If you have sufficient strength and mobility in your shoulders, don’t shy away from heavy lifts, complex movements and isometric holds—embrace the variety and see your shoulder size and strength soar. 

For each exercise, perform a light warm-up set of 8 to 12 repetitions, then progress to heavier weights for each working set. Rest for two minutes between the heavy sets.

1 Cable standing shoulder press (stirrups)

Sets 3 Reps 4-8 Rest 2min 

Set both stirrups at the lowest anchor points. Facing away from the machine, stand with the bar in front of you and grab it with both hands using an overhand grip, palms facing away from you. Keeping your back straight and core muscles engaged, press the bar overhead until your arms are fully extended. Slowly return to the starting position.

2 Cable Y raise (stirrups)

Sets 3 Reps 4-8 Rest 2min

Set the stirrups at the lowest anchor points. Grasp the right stirrup in your left hand and the left stirrup in your right hand. Standing between the cable towers, bring your arms down so your hands are crossed in front of your body. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, pull the cables up and back until your body resembles a letter Y. Slowly return to the starting position. Avoid rounding your shoulders, hunching your back or tilting your body backward. Start light and build the weight up gradually.

3 Cable twisting overhead press (stirrups)

Sets 3 Reps 4-8 Rest 2min

Set the stirrups level with your belly button. Facing the cable machine, grasp the handle with an overhand grip, palm facing you, then stand in a wide stance with your free hand placed on your hip to help maintain your balance. Bring the stirrup to your upper chest level. Brace your core, then press the handle up and across your body until your arm is fully extended while slightly rotating your torso. This rotation will recruit more muscles around your shoulder than a traditional overhead press. Slowly return to the starting position.

4 Cable lateral raise hold (stirrups)

Sets 2 Reps 4-6 each side with a 5sec pause Rest 2min

Set the stirrup attachment at the lowest anchor point. Holding the stirrup in your right hand, position yourself sideways to the machine, so the cable runs in front of your body. Keeping your back straight and core engaged, slowly raise your arm to the right. Once your hand reaches shoulder height, pause for five seconds, then slowly lower the arm to the starting position. Maintain a slight bend in your elbow throughout the entire movement. Change sides after you complete each set. 

5 Cable front raise hold (stirrups)

Sets 2 Reps 4-6 per side with a 5sec pause Rest 2min

Set the stirrup at the lowest anchor point. Facing away from the machine, grasp one handle with an overhand grip (palm facing behind you). Keeping your back straight and core muscles engaged, raise your arm in front of you. Once your hand reaches shoulder height, pause for five seconds, then slowly return to the starting position. Maintain a slight bend in your elbow throughout the entire movement. Change sides after you complete each set. 

If you only have 10 minutes to fit in your workout, then you need to train smart, and this 10-minute dumbbell workout from personal trainer Adam Enaz will certainly encourage you to do just that.

The workout uses two strategies based on studies that have proven them effective—antagonist supersets and stretch-mediated hypertrophy.

“Antagonist supersets mean you work opposing muscle groups with little rest to save time,” says Enaz. “By doing this, it allows one unrelated muscle group to rest while the other gets worked.”

“We are also going to use the most effective exercise for each muscle group that stimulates the most growth using the latest ‘stretch-mediated hypertrophy’ method, which has shown that the more a muscle is worked in the stretch position, the more it grows.”

10-Minute Dumbbell Workout

After a quick warm-up set of squats, the workout involves doing two supersets and then a tri-set, where you’ll be resting for a maximum of 15 seconds between each exercise in the sets. For each move Enaz says to go close to failure, aiming for at least 12-15 reps, so choose your weight with this in mind.

If you’re going to fit this into 10 minutes, you will need to move fast and take minimal rest, so it’s worth lining up the equipment you need for each exercise in advance—you’ll have to use a bench and a preacher bench, as well as having the dumbbells you need to hand.

10-Minute Dumbbell Workout Overview

• Warm-up Unweighted squat x 25
• 1A Bulgarian split squat x 12-15+ each side
• 1B Lateral raise x 12-15+
• 2A Dumbbell bench press x 12-15+
• 2B Single-arm row x 12-15+ each side
• 3A Preacher curl x 12-15+ each side
• 3B Triceps overhead extension x 12-15+ each side
• 3C Dumbbell sit-up x 12-15

Warm-Up

Unweighted squat

Reps 25

“Start by doing 25 warm-up bodyweight squats, crouching up and down to get your heart rate up,” says Enaz.

Superset 1

1A Bulgarian split squat

Reps 12-15+ each side

Targets Glutes, quads, hamstrings

Hold dumbbells by your sides, stand with a knee-high platform such as a bench or sofa two to three feet behind you. Extend your right leg behind you and rest your toes on the bench. From this starting position, bend your front knee to lower until your front thigh is horizontal. Push through your front foot to return to the start. Do all the reps on one leg then switch to the other.

1B Lateral raise

Reps 12-15+

Targets Shoulders

Hold dumbbells by your sides with your palms facing you. Lift the dumbbells out to the sides to shoulder height, pause then lower under control. Maintain a slight bend in your elbows throughout.

Superset 2

2A Dumbbell bench press

Reps 12-15+

Targets Chest

“Lie back on a bench and keep the dumbells close to your chest,” says Enaz. “Press the dumbbells to lock out at the top and bring them back down, holding for two seconds in the stretched position at the bottom.”

2B Single-arm row

Reps 12-15+ each side

Targets Back

“Holding a dumbbell in your right hand, bend over to place your left knee and left hand on a bench to support your body weight,” says Enaz. “Your hand should be placed directly under your shoulder and your knees should be positioned directly under your hips. Now pull the dumbbell towards your hips and then slowly lower.”

Do all your reps on one arm then switch to the other side.

Tri-set

3A Preacher curl

Reps 12-15+ each side

Targets Biceps

“Grab a dumbbell with your left hand and place the upper arm on top of the preacher bench, which you should have at a 60° angle,” says Enaz. “The dumbbell should be held at shoulder height. This will be your starting position. Slowly lower the dumbbell until your upper arm is extended and the biceps is fully stretched and then bring it back up to the starting position.”

Do all your reps on one arm then switch to the other side.

3B Triceps overhead extension

Reps 12-15+ each side

Targets Triceps

“Grab a dumbbell with one hand and position it behind your head with your elbow flexed to 90°,” says Enaz. “Contract your triceps and press the dumbbell upwards until your arm is fully extended. Pause and return the weight to the start.”

Do all your reps on one arm before switching to the other.

3C Dumbbell sit-up

Reps 12-15+

Targets Abs

“Lie down on a mat with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor,” says Enaz. “Hold a dumbbell to your chest. Engage the core and slowly roll up so that the dumbbell touches your knees. Lower back down with control.”

Need help choosing? Our guide to the best dumbbells will help.

“What’s your Fran time?” is the CrossFit equivalent of “What do you bench, bro?”

The two-move CrossFit workout is the sport’s best-known benchmark test, and a sub-six-minute time will earn you a nod of approval from seasoned box-goers. 

That’s because to achieve that time you need to go to hell and back. The combination of thrusters and pull-ups is like a weekly push/pull/legs split condensed into a few minutes—it will send your heart rate soaring before leaving you flat on your back.

Still want to try it? Thought so. Find out how below, along with some top tips from professional CrossFitter and Represent 247-sponsored athlete Victor Hoffer for achieving your best possible time.

How To Do CrossFit Workout Fran

Perform 21-15-9 reps of:

1. Barbell thruster (RX weights 95lb/43kg for men, 65lb/30kg for women)
2. Pull-up

Fran is a straightforward workout. Complete alternating sets of barbell thrusters and pull-ups in a descending 21-15-9 rep scheme: 21 thrusters, 21 pull-ups, 15 thrusters, 15 pull-ups, nine thrusters and nine pull-ups. 

To meet CrossFit’s standards on the thrusters, the crease of your hip has to pass below the top of your knees during the squat, and your hips, knees and arms must be fully extended at the top of the rep. 

However, there are three options for performing the pull-ups. You can do butterfly pull-ups, kipping pull-ups or strict pull-ups. 

If you’re not racing and want a greater challenge, choose strict pull-ups. But if you’re looking for your best possible score, you’ll want to go for butterfly or kipping pull-ups, depending on which one you’re more proficient in.

These two pull-up variations use a leg swing to generate momentum as you raise your chin over the bar, saving your muscles and speeding up your reps. Kipping pull-ups see you swing up and down from the bar in a C-shape, while butterfly pull-ups involve moving your chest in a fluid, round motion—as your chest comes forward, your legs go backward, and vice versa. 

However, it’s recommended that you are proficient with strict pull-ups before progressing to kipping or butterfly variations. It’s also important that you learn how to do these advanced versions from a certified coach, as they require a higher level of skill to perform than the strict version of the movement. 

Who Created The Fran Workout?

According to the CrossFit Journal, CrossFit founder Greg Glassman believed that training with weights would improve his abilities as a gymnast, but he found traditional bodybuilding moves, didn’t light up his lungs and muscles like a traditional two-minute gymnastic routine on the rings or parallel bars.

This led him to pair thrusters and pull-ups using a 21-15-9 rep scheme—a workout he completed in 6min 46sec.

How To Get A Good Fran Time

Even though this is a short workout, the way you approach it will depend on your training experience and fitness level, according to professional CrossFit athlete Victor Hoffer.

“If you’re at that elite level then it’s quite a light thruster weight and the workout is very fast, so people will just want to go ‘full send’,” says Hoffer. 

However, if you’re a beginner or intermediate athlete, a 95lb/43kg or 65lb/30kg is going to feel fairly heavy, particularly after 20 reps. For this reason, Hoffer recommends breaking up at least the first round into smaller, faster and more manageable sets. 

“I think taking some breaks will help you go faster overall: do quick thrusters, drop the barbell, take a breath, then get back to doing quick thrusters.  

“When I have a big set like 21, I love to do sets of eight, seven and six reps. Every time you’re doing that little bit less, which can be good.”

You can mirror this with your sets of pull-ups, or tweak it depending on how confident you feel with this higher-skill exercise. 

“If you’re comfortable with the gymnastics move, it may be easier to do just one break,” says Hoffer. “Then for the round of 15 you could do an eight and a seven, before trying to go unbroken on the final round of nine.”

If you’re looking for a simple but effective session to strengthen your upper body, grab a kettlebell and give this workout a try. This upper-body kettlebell workout has been put together by Kunal Makwana, PT and founder of KMAK Fitness, and the difficulty can be adjusted for different fitness levels by using a lighter or heavier weight.

Depending on the speed at which you tackle the exercises and the amount of rest you take, the session will take between 20 and 45 minutes including a warm-up and warm-down. Take enough rest to ensure you’re working with good form and at the right intensity during your sets.

Upper-Body Kettlebell Workout

Warm-Up

1 Arm circles

Sets 1 Time 30sec each direction

“Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, extend your arms to the sides at shoulder height, and make small circles, gradually getting larger,” says Makwana. “Do this for 30 seconds in each direction.”

2 Kettlebell halo

Sets 1 Reps 8-10 each direction

“Hold a light kettlebell by the handles in front of your face,” says Makwana. “Slowly circle it around your head, keeping your core tight and posture upright. “Perform 8-10 halos in each direction.”

Workout

1 Kettlebell swing 

Sets 3 Reps 12-15 Rest 30-60sec

Targets Shoulders and back

“Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding the kettlebell with both hands,” says Makwana. “Hinge at your hips to swing the kettlebell between your legs, then thrust your hips forward, swinging the kettlebell to chest level. Keep your arms straight and core engaged throughout the movement.”

2 Kettlebell clean and press

Sets 3 Reps 8-10 each side Rest 30-60sec

Targets Shoulders, chest and arms

“Start with the kettlebell between your feet,” says Makwana. “Bend your knees slightly, hinge at the hips, and grab the kettlebell with one hand. In one smooth motion, lift the kettlebell, flipping your wrist so it rests on your forearm by your shoulder. Press the kettlebell overhead, extending your arm fully, then lower it back to the starting position.”

3 Kettlebell row

Sets 3 Reps 10-12 each side Rest 30-60sec

Targets Back and biceps

“Place one hand on a bench for support, and hold a kettlebell in the opposite hand,” says Makwana. Alternatively, you can take a split stance and place one hand on your front knee. “Keep your back flat and let the kettlebell hang straight down. Pull the kettlebell up to your side, keeping your elbow close to your body, then lower it back down with control.”

4 Kettlebell floor press

Sets 3 Reps 8-10 each side Rest 30-60sec

Targets: Chest, triceps, and shoulders

“Lie on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor,” says Makwana. “Hold a kettlebell in one hand above your shoulder with your arm fully extended. Lower the kettlebell until your elbow touches the floor, then press it back up to the starting position.”

5 Kettlebell windmill

Sets 3 Reps 6-8 each side Rest 30-60sec

Targets Shoulders, obliques and hamstrings

“Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a kettlebell in your right hand overhead,” says Makwana. “Keeping your gaze on the kettlebell, hinge at the waist and lower your torso towards the left foot, touching it with your left hand (or as close as you can). Reverse the motion to return to the starting position.”

Warm-down

“Focus on stretching the upper-body muscles that were worked during the session,” says Makwana. “Include stretches for the shoulders, chest, back and arms, holding each stretch for 20-30 seconds.” 

Get help deciding which kettlebell to buy with the expert advice in our guide to the best kettlebells.

Incorporating regular strength training into your routine is one of the best ways to become a better runner, and normally that means a lot of single-leg exercises and core work. But if you completely neglect your upper body you could be missing out on performance benefits.

Running coach, ultra runner and level 4 personal trainer Olga Stignii, who is also captain of Midnight Runners, recently shared a workout on Instagram designed to help runners strengthen the muscles in the arms, core and back.

Intrigued, I got in touch with Stignii to find out why she recommended upper-body work for runners. “A fortified upper body helps you to run stronger for longer,” Stignii told me. “Prioritizing upper-body strength training can elevate your running, enhance endurance, and reduce the risk of injuries as it helps build a strong foundation.

“Arms play a crucial role in propelling you forward, especially during sprints and uphills. With more power in your upper body, you’ll push through fatigue and maintain your pace.”

Take a look at Stignii's Instagram Reel where she demonstrates each of the moves. Complete three sets of 12-15 reps for each exercise. Rest for two minutes between each set to allow your body to recover.

Stignii told me she likes to program compound exercises such as rows, presses and pull-ups, to engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously, which mimics the demands of running.

She also includes exercises that work one side of the body at a time. “Unilateral exercises such as single-arm rows, single-arm presses and unilateral cable machine exercises to address asymmetries and improve balance,” says Stignii.

There’s no single workout that will help you hit your weight loss goals by itself (and it needs to be paired with a suitable nutrition plan), but some are more helpful than others. This dumbbell workout is a great addition to any routine, helping you to burn fat and build muscle, as well as improving your cardio fitness. 

It’s been put together by Sarah Spence, personal trainer at F45 Brixton, and should take around 30 minutes to perform, depending on how long you need to rest during and in between the four rounds of six exercises.

Dumbbell Workout For Fat Loss Instructions

“This workout will build muscle, increase strength, get your heart rate up and get you in that fat-burning zone,” says Spence. “There are six exercises in total and four rounds. Rest when you need it but try to keep moving as much as you can and limit rest between exercises.

“A medium pair of dumbbells is best for this, you should be able to move quickly and explosively but still feel challenged by the weights.”

Dumbbell Workout For Fat Loss Overview

Complete four rounds of the following.

1. Dumbbell squat to press x 10
2. Dumbbell reverse lunge x 10 each side
3. Renegade row x 8 each side
4. Dumbbell Romanian deadlift x 10
5. Dumbbell star jump x 30
6. Devil’s press x 10

Dumbbell Workout For Fat Loss Form Guides

1 Dumbbell squat to press

Reps 10

“Stand with your feet just wider than hip-width apart and the dumbbells by your shoulders,” says Spence. “Squat down, then drive up and press the dumbbells above your head. Use power from your hips to help push the dumbbells up.”

2 Dumbbell reverse lunge

Reps 10 each side

Stand holding the dumbbells by your sides. Step back and bend both knees to lower until both knees are bent at 90°. Push back up through your front foot to stand. Alternate legs until you’ve done 10 reps on both sides.

“Keep your feet hip-width apart and don’t get too narrow in the lunge,” says Spence. 

3 Renegade row

Reps 8 each side

“Start in a high plank position with your hands on the dumbbells,” says Spence. “Push into one dumbbell and row the other dumbbell up towards your hip. Keep your hips as still as possible, you can drop to your knees if needed.”

4 Dumbbell Romanian deadlift

Reps 10

“Stand holding the dumbbells in front of your legs,” says Spence. “Keep the dumbbells touching your legs as you push your hips back, keeping the knees soft. Bring the dumbbells down to just below the knee—this may vary depending on your hamstring mobility. Keep your back flat and chest proud. Stand up tall using your hips, keeping the dumbbells close to your legs. This movement should feel controlled.”

5 Dumbbell star jump

Reps 30

“This will raise the heart rate,” says Spence. “Start with the dumbbells on your shoulders. Punch the sky with the dumbbells as the feet jump out. Jump your feet back in and bring the dumbbells back down to your shoulders. Move as quickly as possible.”

6 Devil’s press

Spence has detailed a modified version of the devil’s press—you don’t need to lower your chest to the floor.

Reps 10

“Start in a high plank position with your hands on the dumbbells,” says Spence. “Jump your feet forward so they land outside your hands with your heels on the floor. Sit back into a squat position and then stand tall lifting the dumbbells overhead. Try to use the power from standing up to lift the dumbbells, then control the movement on the way down back to a high plank.”

The benefits of strength training for women are profound. Beyond the obvious improvements in functional strength for everyday activities, regular resistance training can also help resist osteoporosis, improve mobility, flexibility and posture, and reverse the signs of aging. Genuinely.

“As we age we naturally lose muscle, therefore ensuring we stimulate muscle tissue regularly is of utmost importance in order to counteract this,” says personal trainer Sian Childs, who specializes in training women. 

“Strength training also has a huge benefit in terms of pain management and recovery when carried out safely during pregnancy, postnatally and also during the menopause,” she adds.

Getting started is straightforward too, and to help Childs has devised a six-move upper-body workout that only requires a pair of dumbbells and a sturdy platform—a weights bench if you’re in the gym, or a sturdy chair if you’re at home. No dumbbells? No problem, you’ll find plenty of workouts for women, from PTs who work extensively with women, in our women’s fitness section.

How To Do This Upper-Body Workout For Women

This upper-body workout for women is built around three supersets, which require you to perform each pair of exercises back-to-back with no break in between. After each superset, rest for 60 seconds, then return to exercise A and repeat until you’ve completed each superset three times in total. Then move on to the next superset. 

You'll notice there are also rep ranges for each exercise. Childs suggests choosing a weight that makes completing the lowest number of reps manageable, but still challenging.

“If you complete eight reps of each exercise the first time you complete this workout, aim for sets of nine or 10 the next time you tackle it,” says Childs. “When you repeat it for a third time, try increasing the weights you use for each set, aiming for eight reps and so on.”

This bit-by-bit approach, known as progressive overload, is the secret sauce for increasing muscle size and strength. Repeat the workout regularly and you’ll see results fast.  

If all you have is one pair of dumbbells that feels a little too light for some of the moves, such as the row, slow down the movement to keep your muscles under tension for longer. 

Likewise, if your weights are too heavy for any exercise, such as the lateral raises, go for partial reps instead, where you only lift the weight for half or a quarter of the given rep range. It will still put your muscles under tension and encourage them to adapt and grow.  

Upper-Body Workout For Women Overview

• 1A Push-up: 3 x 8-10
• 1B Single-arm row: 3 x 8-10
• 2A Single-arm overhead press: 3 x 8-10 each side
• 2B Bench dip: 3 x 10-12
• 3A Biceps curl: 3 x 10-12
• 3B Lateral raise: 3 x 12-15

Upper-Body Workout For Women Form Guides

1A Push-up

Sets 3 Reps 8-10 Rest 0sec

Target muscles Chest and triceps

Get onto your hands and the balls of your feet with your arms extended and hands underneath your shoulders, your core engaged and your body in a straight line from your shoulders to ankles. Bend your elbows and lower your chest as low as you can, then push up to the start position. If performing this move on your knees, ensure your shoulders, hips and knees are in alignment.

1B Single-arm row

Sets 3 Reps 8-10 each side Rest 60sec

Target muscles Upper back and biceps

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart facing a weight bench or sturdy chair, holding one dumbbell in your right hand. With a slight bend in your knees, hinge forward at your hips and place your left hand on the bench, letting your right arm hang down. Your torso should be close to parallel with the floor. Retract your shoulder blade on your right side to engage your upper back muscles, then lift the dumbbell toward your right hip, pause, then lower under control. Do all your reps on one side, then switch sides.

2A Single-arm overhead press 

Sets 3 Reps 8-10 each side Rest 0sec

Target muscles Shoulders

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding one dumbbell at shoulder height with your palm facing you and the other arm outstretched to the side for balance. Engage your core and extend your arm to lift the weight straight up. Lower under control and repeat on all sides before switching arms. 

The version outlined above is a strict form dumbbell shoulder press. If you find the weight a bit heavy, you can use your legs to help get the weight up. Bend your knees slightly, then straighten your legs as you press the dumbbell overhead—the extra momentum will help. Just slow down the lowering part of the movement to develop shoulder muscles.

2B Bench dip

Sets 3 Reps 10-12 Rest 60sec

Target muscles Chest and triceps

Sit on the edge of a bench or chair, with your legs extended in front of you and your heels resting on the floor. Place the palms of your hands on the edge of the bench and shuffle your butt off the chair, then bend your elbows to lower. Pause once your elbows are bent to 90°, then extend your arms to return to the start position. Keep looking forward throughout. 

3A Biceps curl 

Sets 3 Reps 10-12 Rest 0sec

Target muscles Biceps

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells with your palms facing forward, elbows tucked in to your body. Brace your core and bend your elbows to lift the dumbbells to your shoulders. Squeeze your biceps hard, then lower under control. If fatigue sets in, alternate arms with each rep to make it slightly easier. 

3B Lateral raise

Sets 3 Reps 12-15 Rest 60sec

Target muscles Shoulders 

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides with your palms facing and a slight bend in your elbows. Engage your core and squeeze your glutes to provide a strong base, then raise your arms out to the sides, stopping when your arms are parallel with the floor. Lower the dumbbells slowly. 

If you only have one pair of weights and they are too heavy for you to complete the movement, perform partial reps instead. From the start position, raise the weights up halfway or a quarter of the way to engage your deltoid muscles, then return them to the start position slowly and repeat. Aim to keep the muscles under tension as long as you can bear. 

See more great options with our guide to the best dumbbells.

Anyone who’s jumped on an air bike and put the pedal to the metal will know this cardio machine is a nasty piece of work. It batters your arms, legs and lungs—leaving you feeling like a lactic-filled sack. 

If you’re the sort of person still reading after that intro, I’ve got something for you: a brutal air bike workout that takes five minutes.

I stumbled across it in the Assault Fitness newsletter and couldn’t resist trying it. It promptly reduced me to a jelly-legged mess, so I thought I’d pop it here for Coach readers to try too. Sharing is caring, after all. 

How To Do Assault Fitness’ Air Bike Workout

For time (as fast as possible):

• Air bike x 21 calories
• Burpee x 9
• Air bike x 15 calories
• Burpee x 15
• Air bike x 9 calories
• Burpee x 21

This is a twist on the popular 21-15-9 CrossFit workout format. Instead of doing descending reps for both exercises, the burpees start at nine and finish at 21 and the air bike calories start at 21 and finish at nine.  

The aim is to finish it as fast as possible—all gas, no brakes. 

What Happened When I Tried This Air Bike Workout

“You looked like you were in pain,” a fellow gym-goer told me after I finished this workout. I laughed. I was in pain. 

It all started so promisingly too. I put the hammer down to try and race through the opening 21 calories on the bike and the first 10 calories flew by. Say what you want about an Assault Bike, if you give it your all the calories tick up quickly.

Then things started to slow down. My heart rate spiked, my quads started to feel heavy and I found it increasingly hard to generate power through the pedals. The air bike’s monitor told the story, with my RPM plummeting and the calories creeping up in 0.2 increments towards the end of the set. 

I eventually made it to 21, dismounted and cranked through the burpees. My speed isn’t amazing on burpees but I can keep going—fall down, get up, small jump, repeat. 

Then it was back to the bike. As is always the case for an average athlete like me, the 21-15-9 format is too long to sprint and too short to relax into. 

So, rather than going full send as I did at the beginning, I found a maximum sustainable pace for the remaining two rounds, settling in at roughly 65-70 RPM, before pushing hard on the last set of 21 burpees.

I finished in 5min 13sec, shy of my sub-five target, then crawled off to a quiet corner to recover. 

Next time, I’d try to hold a consistent pace rather than sprinting straight out the gate. By doing this, I could avoid taking myself to exhaustion then slowing considerably, and hold a higher average speed throughout the workout to achieve a faster time. 

Many of us have favorite workouts we return to time and again, workouts we know are building strength in the most-needed areas and that don’t require specialist equipment.

This workout from PT Ollie Thompson deserves a place on any list of favorite workouts. It’s a five-move equipment-free workout that targets all your muscle groups. “When combined, these exercises are excellent for building a strong core and posterior chain,” says Thompson. The posterior chain is the collection of muscles that run down the back of your body and are essential for good posture. 

“The glute bridge and reverse lunge target muscles on the back of the legs, including the glutes and hamstrings. This makes the workout particularly beneficial if you're struggling with a stiff lower back, making it an ideal session to perform after a long period of sitting at a desk or traveling.”

And because it’s a bodyweight workout, it can be done virtually anywhere and in next to no time. “Bodyweight workouts are highly efficient,” says Thompson. “You can complete a lot of exercises within a short period making them especially valuable for people short on time.”

Full-Body No-Equipment Workout

1 Push-up to pike

Reps 10-12

Start in a high plank position, with your hands under your shoulders, arms extended, body in a straight line from head to heels, feet hip-width apart and your core engaged. Bend your elbows to lower your chest to the floor, then push through your hands. As you rise, push your hips up and backwards so your body forms an inverted V. Return to the high plank position.

2 Side plank with rotation

Reps 15 each side

Lie on your side with your lower forearm on the floor, elbow directly underneath your shoulder and both feet on the floor, one in front of the other. Lift your hips until your body is in a straight line. Extend your top arm up straight up, then bring the arm down and through the gap between your body and the floor, rotating your torso. Pause, then return to the starting position. Do all your reps on one side then switch sides.

3 Alternating reverse lunge

Reps 15 each side

From standing, step backward and bend both knees to lower until your rear knee is just above the floor. Push through your front foot to return to the start. Repeat on the other side, alternating sides with each rep.

4 Long lever plank

Time 20-30sec

Start in a low plank position, on your forearms and balls of your feet, with your elbows directly underneath your shoulders and your body in a straight line from head to heels. With your core and glutes engaged, walk your feet backward until your elbows are in line with your forehead. Hold for the allotted time, maintaining the position of your body, then release.

5 Single-leg glute bridge

Reps 15 each side

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your arms by your sides. Lift your right foot off the floor, keeping your knee bent. Push through your left foot to raise your butt until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your left knee. Pause then lower your butt back to the floor. Perform all your reps on one side then switch sides.

The chest is one of the most popular upper-body muscles for weight room regulars to train, so I’m always on the lookout for worthy chest workouts to introduce to readers.

That’s why I’m sharing this muscle-building chest session from PT, Nike Well Collective coach and Coach favorite Ali Kabba. It’s ideal for people who are training more than three times a week and have the gym experience necessary to dedicate a session to a single body part. 

If you’re training less than three times a week, it might be better to concentrate on full-body workouts. Try modeling your routine on the progressive plan outlined in this beginner gym workout program.

To complete this routine, you’ll need TRX bands (or another of the best suspension trainers), a weights bench, a barbell and weight plates, and a pair of dumbbells.

Watch Kabba’s Instagram Reel where he demonstrates each exercise.

If you haven’t tried the TRX before you’re in for a treat—incorporating this piece of kit into your routine can offer you lots of benefits. TRX exercises provide a stimulus for the target muscles, but also engage your core as you work to keep your body stable.

Kabba’s workout also features the incline bench press, which shifts the emphasis to your upper chest compared with the flat bench press. In our guide to the incline bench press, NSCA-accredited strength and conditioning coach Andrew Reay recommends lifting a lighter weight than you would use for the flat version of the classic chest exercise. Reay’s rule of thumb is taking what you bench, then dropping the weight by 20-25%, going lighter the higher the angle of the incline.

This workout is made up of push exercises, which will train your chest, as well as your shoulders and triceps. This recruitment of your shoulders means it’s a good idea to add some shoulder warm-up exercises to your warm-up routine.

It’s also a good idea to follow up a chest-focused session with a back workout, to counterbalance the push moves with pull exercises. You can even structure your training this way. Take a look at Coach’s push/pull workout plan for an effective routine to follow.

If you wouldn’t be seen dead near a cardio machine, then you may want to try adding conditioning workouts into your routine to help your cardio fitness keep pace with your strength.

The EMOM format is a great way to structure a conditioning workout. EMOM stands for every minute on the minute and in this type of workout you have one minute to complete a set amount of work, then you rest for the remainder of the minute. That sequence is repeated over a set period.

In the case of the session PT Liam Fletcher recently posted on Instagram, the EMOM lasts 20 minutes and you have to complete six alternating dumbbell snatches and three burpees over dumbbell every minute. 

Watch Fletcher's Instagram Reel where he demonstrates the two moves.

While 20-minute workouts are normally in the “short” category, this is a hard workout that will feel long because the volume of work adds up and each round feels harder. When that happens you’re faced with a difficult choice: “You either move through the reps faster so you can rest for longer, or if you move slowly, you’ll have less rest,” says Fletcher.

A steady pace from the start is the smartest way to approach an EMOM. “Ideally, you want to find a consistent pace, so choose your weight wisely,” says Fletcher. “If it’s too easy you can increase the weight in the next round.”

If you’re unfamiliar with the dumbbell snatch, it’s also worth starting with a light weight until you’re confident with your form to avoid injury.

"To do the snatch, stand over the dumbbell with your feet shoulder-distance apart," says Fletcher. “Distribute your weight evenly through your feet. Keeping your core engaged throughout, hinge at your hips while keeping your and back straight, then lift the dumbbell off the floor. Drop quickly under the weight into a quarter squat, keeping your elbow high throughout the movement.”

For more guidance, read Coach’s dumbbell snatch form guide.

For help choosing the right dumbbell for you, read Coach’s guide to the best dumbbells.

It’s no secret we’re fans of Chris Hemsworth at Coach, and his Centr fitness app is one of our favorite workout apps (and it’s offering a seven-day trial at the moment). So whenever Hemsworth posts a workout on his Instagram account we’re keen to try it.

The 40-year-old shared a quick snippet of a recent workout, revealing the content and duration of his session (a compact 40 minutes) without disclosing the format.

So I asked the Trainer Academy’s Domenic Angelino to fill in the gaps, creating a testing yet relatively short workout Coach readers can try out themselves. 

Next time you’re in the gym, make like Hemsworth and give it a go. Need to brush up on how to do each exercise? Click the exercise names below to read our form guides.

How To Do Domenic Angelino’s Chris Hemsworth–Inspired Workout

1 Medicine ball slam

Sets 4 Reps 6 Rest 30sec

“High-power exercises should be performed earlier in a workout,“ says Angelino. “This helps get around your ability to perform them being limited by fatigue. Power exercises, more than any other, are extremely ineffective when performed while fatigued.”

2 Single-arm kettlebell snatch 

Sets 4 Reps 6 each side Rest 45sec

Hemsworth’s post suggests he does this move third in his workout, but Angelino says most people could benefit from bumping it up to second. This is because you’ll be able to attack it with fresh shoulders rather than wearing out the working muscles ahead of time with overhead carries, potentially leading to a deterioration in form. 

Like all kettlebell exercises in this workout, this move can also be done with a dumbbell. Read our dumbbell snatch form guide for more.

3 Overhead kettlebell farmer’s carry

Sets 2 Time 30sec Rest 30sec

4A Squat curl press 

Sets 4 Reps 8 Rest 0sec

Superset the squat curl press and bent-over row, meaning you perform one set of the squat curl press, one set of the bent-over row, rest for 45 seconds, then repeat until all the sets have been completed.

4B Supinated barbell bent-over row

Sets 4 Reps 8 Rest 45sec

Perform a bent-over row with an underhand grip.

5 Single-arm triceps kick-back

Sets 4 Reps 12 each arm Rest 30sec

6 Sprint

Sets 5 Time 30sec Rest 45sec 

“Aim to sprint at roughly 90 to 95% of your maximum speed,” says Angelino.

What Are The Benefits Of Chris Hemsworth’s Workout?

While there aren’t many similarities between Hemsworth and the rest of us, one thing most of us have in common is that we have too much else going on to spend hours on every workout.

“I love this type of workout,” Hemsworth writes in the caption. “Being able to cover a lot of bases—explosiveness, strength, stability, speed and hypertrophy—helps me feel functional and strong. Continually moving for about 40 minutes.”

Making sure you can fit training around the rest of your responsibilities is an important factor in developing a sustainable long-term workout plan, Angelino tells me. And that’s not the only advantage of Hemsworth’s high-volume, low-rest session. 

“Workouts like this will help you burn more calories, increase your muscular endurance, improve your cardiovascular system and increase the size of your type I [slow-twitch] muscle fibers.”

But Agelino warns that, just because the workout will pass by quickly, that doesn’t mean all of your movements should be rapid. 

“Some exercises, like a medicine ball slam, are great to do quickly because they are designed to help you increase muscular power—the rate at which you produce force.”

But for strength-based exercises, such as the supinated bent-over row, you should focus on your form and change gears throughout the movement. 

“You’ll notice that Hemsworth moves more quickly during the concentric [lifting] phase of the reps he performs, and more slowly during the eccentric [lowering] phase,” says Angelino.

“The concentric phase is where you’re applying the most effort, like when you row a barbell to your abdomen. The eccentric phase is the opposite—it’s the easier part of the movement. 

“Going faster during the concentric phase and slower during the eccentric phase will lead to you recruiting more muscle fibers.”

More muscle fiber recruitment can boost the potential for muscle growth. Thor-like physique, here we come!

Running is a high-impact sport and if you’re not careful your body won’t be able to handle the demands running places on it, which can lead to injury. Following a progressive running training plan is a smart way to let your body adjust gradually to more running, but you can also strengthen your muscles to better cope with running.

Physiotherapists Davis Hallberg and Cate Rudnicki recently shared a workout on their Instagram page @thatdptcouple specifically for runners. 

“This workout is beneficial for runners because it incorporates single-leg glute strengthening, which can help with pelvic stability when running,” says Hallberg. “Proximal [hip and pelvic] strengthening can also help with injury prevention, especially in regards to knee pain.”

All you need is a short-looped resistance band. Watch the Instagram Reel where Hallberg demonstrates each of the exercises.

I spoke to Hallberg to find out more about the moves and tips for doing them effectively.

The first exercise is a standing fire hydrant. “This exercise activates the extensor and rotational fibers of the glute max by pressing the back heel into the wall as the leg rotates,” says Hallberg.

Follow this with two rounds of standing clams for 60 seconds on each side. “Maintain a slight bend at the hips and knees, and keep tension in the band the entire time,” says Hallberg.

The next move is a plyometric exercise, which is designed to increase your ability to produce power. “With the lateral hops, focus on sticking the landing. Avoid excessive trunk lean and knee rotation,” says Hallberg.

Finally, complete 20 reps of a side plank leg raise on each leg, which targets the gluteus medius. “Keep your shoulders in line and try to maintain a neutral pelvis,” says Hallberg. If you struggle to maintain the side plank position for 20 lifts, drop onto your knee.

Once you’ve mastered this routine, continue making good use of your glute band with these three glute activation exercises for runners and this resistance band glute workout.

Low-impact workouts are a great training tool to help build strength without putting additional strain on your joints, especially if you’re a fan of high-impact exercise such as running or HIIT. Low-impact exercise doesn’t just mean swimming or cycling, joint-friendly low-impact strength workouts can help with injury prevention by reducing stress and load on your body.

“A low-impact workout is a session consisting of exercises that impose minimal impact, stress, and strain on your joints,” says personal trainer Ollie Thompson. “Typically, they avoid jumps or rapid movements.”

Thompson has put together a five-move low-impact workout for Coach that requires just one dumbbell, so you can do it at home or at the gym. Low impact doesn’t mean low effort though—this is a challenging full-body workout. “By performing all five moves, you engage all major muscle groups through various movement patterns while also addressing mobility and stability,” says Thompson.

This kind of workout is ideal for those returning to exercise after injury, or for beginners, but don’t be fooled into thinking they’re just for people starting out. “Low-impact workouts are not only beneficial for individuals recovering from injuries or surgery but also for those looking to build strength and control,” says Thompson. “Many low-impact strength movements require increased tension and control to perform effectively, meaning they help strengthen both muscles and joints.”

Because there are no jumping or other high-impact moves involved, there’s less risk of injury, but be aware there is still a risk. “Injury remains a potential concern with low-impact exercises, but through proper control and good technique the risk is significantly reduced,” says Thompson.

Low-Impact Full-Body Workout

1 Single-arm floor press

Reps 12-15 on each side

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Hold a dumbbell in one hand and extend your arms straight up. Slowly lower the dumbbell, bending your elbow, until your elbow is on the floor, keeping your wrist over your elbow. press back to the starting position. Perform all the reps on one side then switch.

2 Dead bug

Reps 30

Lie on your back holding the ends of the dumbbell above you with your arms extended, and your feet raised and your knees bent at 90°. Engage your core engaged, and raise your head and neck off the floor slightly. Extend your right leg, pause, then extend your left leg as you bring your right leg to the start position. Continue, keeping your movements slow and controlled.

3 Three-way lunge

Reps 8-10 on each side

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, cupping one end of a dumbbell in both hands in front of your chest. Engage your core and, keeping your back straight throughout, step your right foot forward and bend both knees to lower into a lunge until your left knee is almost touching the floor. Return to the starting position. Step your right foot out to the side, bending your right knee to lower while keeping your left leg straight. Return to the starting position. Step your right foot back and bend both knees until your right knee is almost touching the floor. Return to the starting position. That is one rep. 

“The three-way lunge explores your hip range of motion with resistance, which is great for improving hip mobility,” says Thompson.

4 Plank drag

Reps 8 on each side

Place your dumbbell close to your left hand and get into a high plank position. Your feet should be wider than hip-width apart, your hands should be directly under your shoulders, arms extended and your body in a straight line from head to heels. Staying in this plank position, use your right hand to move the dumbbell to the other side. Squeeze your core as you move the weight and avoid your body from twisting to one side. Repeat the move on the other side. Continue, alternating sides with each rep. 

5 B-stance Romanian deadlift

Reps 10 on each side

Stand with your weight on your right leg, with your left foot slightly behind the right one, left knee bent slightly and your left heel off the floor. This foot acts as a kickstand to offer extra stability. Hold a dumbbell in your left hand and—keeping your back flat and without twisting your body—push your hips back, letting the weight lower to mid-shin level, as long as your mobility allows you to reach this level without rounding your back. Only lower as far as you can while maintaining a straight back. Push through your right foot and move your hips forward to return to the starting position.

“The B-stance Romanian deadlift exercise effectively challenges your core muscles and rib cage control as you hold the load in one hand and resist torso rotation,” says Thompson.

Need help deciding on a new set of weights? Our guide to the best dumbbells will help.

When you’re short on time but still want to squeeze in an effective sweat, turn to circuit training. The minimal rest periods mean you’re not counting down the seconds to your next set, and you’ll raise your heart rate and keep it high to improve your cardio fitness.

To work on your strength as well, keep this kettlebell circuit to hand. It’s from personal trainer Matt Tralli, who’s trained celebrities such as Tom Holland, Jacob Elordi and Dua Lipa.

The circuit is made up of just four kettlebell exercises, but you’ll challenge muscles all over with full-body exercises such as the thruster. Take a look at Tralli’s Instagram Reel where he demonstrates each of the moves.

You’re working hard from the off, so if you’re using the circuit as a standalone session (rather than a finisher after a strength session), make sure to warm up first—this warm-up routine will do the trick. 

Both the lateral lunge clean and deadlift to sprawl require excellent core strength and stability to perform correctly. The kettlebell clean alone is a technical move that’s easy to get wrong, leaving you with bruises on the back of your wrist if you’re not careful.

If you haven’t mastered it yet, start with this kettlebell workout for beginners. It’s also formatted as a circuit but steers clear of cleans and snatches. This kettlebell HIIT workout is another great option that represents a step up in difficulty with a larger selection of exercises.

If you need help deciding on the right weight for you, read our guide to the best kettlebells.

I’ve never been named the fittest man on earth. Chances are, you haven’t either, but that doesn’t mean we can’t train like someone who has. 

Two-time CrossFit Games champ Justin Medeiros recently shared a four-minute workout finisher you can try at your local box or gym—all you need is a pair of dumbbells and a rowing machine, preferably the Concept2 RowErg. He’s even revealed his score so you can see how you stack up against the sport’s elite.

The session is simple. Start a four-minute timer and perform 20 devil presses (Medeiros uses a pair of 60lb/27.5kg dumbbells) then burn as many calories as possible on the rower before the clock hits zero. 

Medeiros reached 56 calories on the rower. Can you get anywhere near his score? 

Medeiros tackled this short but sharp challenge after a one-rep max deadlift using a buffalo bar—a barbell with a curve. 

This was part of a “max-effort lower session” with his physique coach Jesse Bifano, which offers a glimpse into the conjugate method training system he follows. 

This style of training revolves around one-rep max attempts at the barbell squat, bench press and deadlift. Since starting to use this system after the 2020 CrossFit Games, Medeiros reports countless PRs and a 15lb (7kg) increase in body weight. 

“It was adapted originally by Louie Simmons from Westside Barbell, from Russian training for weightlifters,” says Bifano in a separate video on Medeiros’ YouTube channel. “The idea is very similar to CrossFit. You’re using constantly varied movement patterns under high-intensity efforts to produce results. But where CrossFit is broad in general, ours is more specific in the nature of powerlifting—squat, bench and deadlift.

“But that system has adapted pretty comfortably into that CrossFit world.”

If, like me, you’re used to training with weights, you might forget just how challenging bodyweight exercises can be. Plus, they’re a convenient way to work out when you don’t have access to a fully appointed commercial gym or your regular equipment.

I’m currently traveling and can’t make it to the gym as often as usual, so I’m looking for different ways to maintain my strength and fitness.

Hotel gyms help, but they don’t always have what I need. However, they usually have some cardio machines and enough room to do bodyweight work.

NASM-certified personal trainer Pippa Sealey has put together a workout that doesn’t take long and only requires a few pieces of kit. “This workout is suited to someone with minimal equipment, potentially in a small gym like in a hotel,” says Sealey.

It includes some intervals on a bike and a rower, but Sealey says that you can swap this for a bodyweight exercise such as burpees or running on the spot if you need to. 

“Between the cardio exercises I’ve added some strength work,” says Sealey. “There’s a mixture of core, upper body and lower body for a full-body workout, improving both strength and endurance.”

It’s an EMOM (every minute on the minute) workout, which is a great format to use if you don’t have a lot of time. “It adds a bit more structure to your work and rest ratio and makes sure there’s no procrastinating,” says Sealey.

If you’re traveling and you don’t have access to a hotel gym, pack a resistance band and use this travel workout instead.

Hotel Gym Workout Part One

The first section of the workout is an eight-minute EMOM. In the first minute, do 8 calories on a stationary bike then rest for the remainder of the minute. In the next minute, complete the reps of the first strength exercise below. In the third minute jump back onto the bike for another 8 calories, followed by the reps for the next exercise. Repeat this format alternating the bike and a strength exercise until the eight minutes is up. Here’s an overview of the workout, followed by form guides for each exercise. 

1. Stationary bike x 8cal
2. Lunge x 8 each side
3. Stationary bike x 8cal
4. Push-up x 12
5. Stationary bike x 8cal
6. Single-leg glute bridge x 8 each side
7. Stationary bike x 8cal
8. Plank ankle tap x 16

Lunge

Reps 8 each side

From standing, engage your core and take a big step forward and bend both knees to lower until both knees are bent to 90°. Keep your front knee above your ankle, don’t let it go forward past your toes. Keep your torso upright, back straight, shoulders relaxed and chin up. Make sure your core is engaged throughout the movement. Push through your front foot to return to the start.

Push-up

Reps 12

Get on your hands and toes, with hands just wider than shoulder-width apart, arms extended and your body straight from head to heels. Bend your elbows to lower, keeping your elbows close to your body. When your chest is just above the floor, extend your arms to return to the start. If that is too challenging for all 12 reps, drop to your knees.

Single-leg glute bridge

Reps 8 each side

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Rest your arms on the floor by your sides with palms down and extend one leg to lift the foot. Push through your foot to lift your hips until your knees, hips and shoulders form a straight line. Squeeze your glutes and keep your core braced so you don’t overextend your back. Pause then lower under control.

Plank ankle tap

Reps 16

Start in a high plank position on your hands and toes, with your hands directly under your shoulders, arms extended and your body in a straight line from head to heels. Push your hips up and back and reach one hand back to touch the opposite ankle, keeping your hips square to the floor. Return to the start then repeat on the other side. Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

Hotel Gym Workout Part Two

The second part of the workout is another eight-minute EMOM, but this time it focuses on core strength. You will need a rowing machine and gym ball. Here’s an overview of the workout, followed by form guides for each exercise.

1. Rowing machine x 10cal
2. Gym ball knee tuck x 8
3. Rowing machine x 10cal
4. Gym ball crunch x 12
5. Rowing machine x 10cal
6. V-up x 12
7. Rowing machine x 10cal
8. Side plank dip x 8 each side

Gym ball knee tuck

Reps 8

Rest your shins on the gym ball, place your hands on the floor in front of you with your arms extended and your body in a straight line. Bend your knees and bring them into your body to roll the gym ball towards you, keeping your hips level. Return to the start under control.

Gym ball crunch

Reps 12

Position your lower back on a gym ball with your knees bent and feet planted firmly on the floor. Cross your arms over your chest or hold your hands by your temples if you need extra help with your balance. Lie back until you feel a stretch in your abs, then contract your abs to lift your shoulders and upper back off the ball. At the top of the move, squeeze your abs then lower under control.

V-up

Reps 6 each side

Lie on the floor with your arms by your sides. Keeping your legs extended, raise one as high as you can and lift your torso so your body forms a V shape, the lower under control to the start. Repeat with the other leg. Keep your back straight and your movements smooth and controlled. You can keep your hands on the floor for support or bring them up to meet your feet.

Side plank dip

Reps 8 each side

Lie on your side with your feet together, supporting your upper body on one forearm with your elbow directly beneath your shoulder. Contract your core and raise your hips until your body forms a straight line from head to feet. Lower your hips to touch the floor, then return to the side plank position.

Six-time fittest woman on earth Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr is the most decorated individual CrossFit athlete in history. But even she started out in her local CrossFit box with an empty barbell and a whole lotta drills. 

It’s these early encounters with the sport that led her to name Nancy as her favorite benchmark CrossFit workout during a recent interview with Coach.

“Overhead squats were actually quite challenging for me when I first started. A lot of the weightlifting movements were,” Toomey-Orr tells me.

“Nancy is five rounds of a 400m run and 15 overhead squats. I was a runner prior to doing CrossFit so it allowed me to get ahead and do what I was really born to do, then it really challenged me when it came to the squats. But I could see progression every time I did it.”

CrossFit Workout Nancy

Five rounds for time:

• 400m run
• 15 overhead squats (95lb/42.5kg for men, 65lb/30kg for women)

Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr On How To Get A Good Nancy Time

Unlike in a complex chipper (a workout that could be up to an hour long with multiple moves), you won’t need to squint at the whiteboard for a mid-WOD reminder of the movements here. Nancy is a straightforward workout, which is part of the appeal for Toomey-Orr. 

But in CrossFit, straightforward rarely means easy. That’s why the perennial champ says the key to success is strategy, playing to your strengths and nailing down your technique for the overhead squats.

“When you walk into a gym and you see the workout on the whiteboard, I think the best thing to do is to work out where your strengths are and where your weaknesses are,” she says.

“For example, in Nancy, I knew that my strength was going to be on the running portion, but when I came back in from the run my overhead squats were going to be the limiting factor.

To hone her technique, Toomey-Orr tackled Nancy with an empty barbell at first, leading to her next piece of advice: Scale the workout where needed and work on building strong foundations in each of the movements.

If Toomey-Orr can benefit from scaling workouts, chances are you can too. 

“I had to learn not only the movement, but also build my body awareness as well,” says Toomey-Orr. 

“When you face movements that you’re less confident with, it’s about giving them a little bit more time, being a bit more patient with the whole process and just breaking it down. 

“Everyone wants to go from zero to 100, but you need to take your time and put the work in.”

Want to train your core? You don’t need to do sit-ups and crunches to work the muscles in your midsection. In fact, I’m training my core whenever I exercise, even when I’m not doing core-specific moves. It’s because my core has to engage for every move I do at the gym to ensure my body stays balanced and stable.

Using kettlebells when I work out adds another layer of intensity. Because the weight of a kettlebell sits below the handle—unlike a dumbbell where the weight is evenly distributed on either side—you have to work harder to keep the kettlebell stable during exercise and your core plays a significant part in helping you do that.

My PT, Will Duru, is a huge fan of kettlebell workouts. “Kettlebells are really effective for core strength because they can be used to imitate real-life situations such as picking things up from the ground, thrusting from the hips, and lifting boxes overhead,” says Duru. “Kettlebells teach you to be flexible in your core strength through rotational movements too.”

Want to train your core without doing back-breaking sit-ups? Give these moves a go. I leave a 30 to 60-second rest between each set depending on how I am feeling.

1 Single-arm swing 

Sets 4 Reps 12 each side

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a kettlebell in one hand in front of you by its handle. Engage your back and core muscles so your back stays flat throughout. Hinge at your hips, pushing your hips backwards and letting the kettlebell swing through your legs. Push your hips forward to generate the power to swing the kettlebell up to shoulder height, but don’t overextend and let your back curve. Control the descent and go straight into the next rep. Do all your reps on one side, then switch sides. Read Coach’s kettlebell swing form guide for more technique pointers.

2 Standing Arnold press

Sets 3 Reps 12

Hold lighter kettlebells by your shoulders with your palms facing you. Press the kettlebells up, rotating your hands 180° so your palms face forward when your arms are extended. Avoid using your lower body during this exercise so that your core has to work that extra bit harder to hold you upright as you press the kettlebells overhead. Coach’s Arnold press form guide has more about this excellent shoulder exercise.

3 Gorilla row

Sets 4 Reps 12 each side

Stand over two heavier kettlebells, push your hips back and bend your knees slightly to take hold of the kettlebell handles. Keep your core engaged and back flat as you lift one kettlebell to your rib cage, pause, and then lower back down. Repeat on the other side. Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

4 Plank pike and push-up

Sets 4 Reps 8 each side 

Get into a high plank position, with a light kettlebell by each hand. Lift one hand and pick up the kettlebell on the opposite side. Keeping your arms and legs extended, lift your hips and pull the kettlebell towards your opposite foot. Return to the start, then perform a push-up, bending your elbows to lower your chest to the floor and pressing back up, before repeating the pike on the other side. Keep your core and back engaged so that your body stays square to the floor as you move the kettlebell.

5 Plank drag

Sets 4 Reps 10 each side 

Place a kettlebell next to one hand and get in the high plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders, arms extended and your body in a straight line from head to heels. Maintaining the plank position, use your hand furthest away from the kettlebell to drag it under your body to the other side. Squeeze your core as you move the kettlebell to stop your body from shifting to one side.

6 Squat and press

Sets 3 Reps 10

Hold a heavier kettlebell upside down in both hands in front of your chest. Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower into a squat. As you rise, press the kettlebell overhead.

7 Flutter kick

Sets 3 Reps 20

Lie on your back holding two light kettlebells above you with arms extended. Lift your legs just off the floor and, pressing your lower back into the floor and keeping your legs extended, lift one foot and lower the other, then reverse the movements, alternating at pace. Find out an adjustment to use if you can’t keep your back pressed into the floor with Coach’s flutter kick form guide.

The most effective way of becoming a better runner is, of course, to run regularly—that’s what we learned when we asked elite runner Mara Yamauchi how to run faster—but supplementing your running with strength training can also help.

“Doing low rep but challenging running-specific strength exercises can improve your running performance by up to five percent,” says certified running coach Richelle Weeks.

Weeks recently shared a workout on Instagram featuring four exercises that are designed to help you speed up.

You’ll get the most out of this workout if you perform it regularly. Weeks recommends doing it twice a week if you have time, increasing the weight over time.

“The weight should be challenging which means you have two to three reps left in you when you complete your last rep, but no more than that,” Weeks says. “If you can do another 10 or more repetitions, you need to add weight or resistance. If you can barely finish the last rep you might want to ease back a bit."

Complete three sets of 8 reps of each exercise (8 reps on each side where applicable. Take a look at Weeks’ Instagram Reel where she demonstrates the moves.

For this routine, you’ll need free-weights (kettlebells and/or dumbbells), a skipping rope and a bench (or couch—as long as it’s solid and stable).

The first exercise is a single-leg bent knee calf raise. “These are excellent for runners because they target the soleus,” Weeks says. The soleus is part of the calf muscle which plays an outsize role in running. 

“Almost 50% of your forward momentum when running comes from below the knee so calf strength work is key,”  says Weeks. “Keep the knee flexed and make sure you’re not straightening your knee at the top which uses your quads.”

Then move on to Bulgarian split squats, which are great for building strength in the quads and glutes, as well as single-leg balance and hip flexor mobility. “If you lean your trunk forwards you’ll target your glutes more and if you stay upright you’ll target your quads,” says Weeks.

The single-leg hip thrust also targets the glutes, as well as the hamstrings. Weeks’ number one form tip is to avoid arching your lower back during this exercise: “There should be a straight line between your tailbone and your head,” she says.

Finally, the routine finishes with skipping. “Skipping is a great way to build calf power and work on ground reaction time,” says Weeks. “Try to focus on leaving the ground as quickly as possible once you land.”

Weeks isn’t the only one to recommend skipping, WeRun running coach Chris Betteridge also includes skipping (albeit without the rope) in his selection of the best leg exercises for runners. And once you’ve mastered the routine above, try these exercises to run faster.

If you have recurring aches and pains in your back, you’re not alone. A review of global studies found that up to 84% of adults worldwide have experienced back pain at some point in their lives. I talked to Pilates instructor and founder of SW4 Pilates, Chiara Boswell, about how Pilates can help you avoid back pain.

“Most of the time, unless it’s a disc problem, back pain is due to lack of movement,” says Boswell. “With sedentary or desk-bound people, they are just not moving their spine enough.”

“I see this every day, but I also see people improving within a few sessions,” Boswell. “Their pain is gone and they are working on their mobility—true mobility takes time.” That’s certainly encouraging. While there’s no one (or even four) Pilates moves that will relieve your back pain, introducing more movement and mobility into your weekly routine will help you see longer-term improvements.

“Moving all the joints makes sure your blood circulates, there as well bringing oxygen to the stiffer joints, muscles, tendons and organs. Together with deep breathing, you develop this flow of movement.”

Pilates For Back Pain

As with anything new, when doing these exercises take it gently, and stop if it hurts. If you’re currently experiencing a flare-up of back pain, it’s best to consult your doctor or physiotherapist before trying new exercises.

1 Cat-cow

Reps 10-15

Start on your hands and knees with your wrists directly under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Inhale as you arch your back and lift your head and tailbone towards the ceiling (cow pose), then exhale as you round your spine upward and tuck your chin towards your chest (cat pose).

2 Spine stretch forward

Reps 10-15

Sit on the mat with your legs extended in front of you, feet flexed and hip-width apart. Extend your arms in front of you, palms facing down. Inhale to prepare, then exhale as you drop your head and reach your arms forward, lengthening your spine forward over your legs into a ‘C’ curve. Imagine you are curling forward over a ball. Inhale to return, starting the movement from the base of the spine, returning to the starting position sitting up straight on the mat.

3 Swan

Reps 6

Lie on your front, your hands on the mat under your shoulders with elbows bent and tucked into your sides, looking down at the mat. Inhale as you lift your head and neck off the mat, gaze forward as you start lengthening towards the front of your mat, and exhale as you lift one bit of your chest off the mat at a time. “If your back feels OK you can lift off the mat all the way up to your belly button, making sure you’re still able to breathe deeply and engage your thighs on the mat,” says Boswell.

4 Swimming

Reps 10-15

Lie on your front on the mat with your arms and legs extended. Inhale to prepare, then exhale as you lift your arms, legs, and chest off the ground. Reach your arms and legs away from each other as you pulse them up and down. Inhale to lower back to the start.

Complicated workouts that require lots of equipment can be off-putting. This workout from Australian personal trainer Kayla Itsines, head trainer of the Sweat app, requires just one thing that you likely already have access to—a bench. 

Whether you’re at home, in the gym or at the park, there’s probably something you can use as a bench. A chair, park bench, low wall—anything stable that’s around knee height or a little higher will do. If you use a chair, make sure it’s placed against a wall so it doesn’t move and that it’s sturdy enough to handle your entire weight.  

I appreciate Itsines’s no-nonsense workout videos and I enjoy her infectious energy and unpretentious approach. This five-move workout can be taken at your own pace and however hard you work, you know you’ll be done and dusted when the 15-minute timer rings.

Kayla Itsines’ Bodyweight Bench Workout

Set a timer and see how many rounds and reps you can do. This workout hits your chest, arms, legs, glutes, abs and core—you’ll be feeling the burn by the end of the allotted time, I’m sure.

1 Triceps dip

Reps 12

Place your hands on a bench behind you with your heels on the floor and your knees slightly bent. Lower slowly as far as you can, then press back up powerfully.

2 Three-way mountain climber

Reps 18 

Place your hands on the bench and get into a push-up position with your arms and legs extended. Keep your core braced and your shoulders, hips and feet in a straight line throughout. Bring one knee towards your chest, then return it to the starting position. Repeat with the other leg.

Then bring your leg out to the side, moving your knee outside of the elbow on the same side. Repeat on the other leg. 

Finish with the cross-body variation. Move your knee towards the opposite shoulder when you bring it forward, twist your torso slightly. Repeat on the other side. That’s one rep. Repeat at pace. 

3 Step-up

Reps 10 on each side

Stand facing the bench and step onto it with your right foot, tapping your left toe at the top. Step the left foot back to the floor ready to repeat the movement, keeping your right foot on the bench throughout. Change sides after you’ve done your reps and repeat on the other side.

4 Incline push-up

Reps 10 

Place your hands on the bench and get into a push-up position with your arms and legs extended. Bend your elbows to lower your chest to the bench. Pause and press through your hands to return to the start.

5 V-sit crunch

Reps 10

Sit on the bench with your hands holding the bench behind you. Keep your legs extended, raise your feet off the floor and lean back so your body is in a straight line and you’re balancing on your butt. Bend your knees and bring them towards your chest. Return to the start under control.

6 Lateral step-up with high knee

Reps 10 each side

Stand side-on to the bench with your left side closest to the bench. Interlace your fingers behind your head and place your left foot on the bench. Extend your left leg to rise and bring your right knee towards your left elbow, twisting your torso to bring your elbow closer. Return your right foot to the floor under control, keeping your left foot planted on the bench. Complete all the reps on side, then swap sides.

It used to be that gym-goers gave weights machines a wide berth in the gym, with the functional fitness crowd preferring free-weight exercises instead. However, a gym’s weights machines can be very useful when you want to challenge large muscle groups, like those in your legs, with lots of weight, and they can also effectively isolate muscles. That’s why you’ll find machines used in many of the best leg workouts, including this one from Krissy Cela. 

It’s the week one leg session from the new program on Cela’s EvolveYou fitness app for women. It combines compound exercises—including the Romanian deadlift and leg press—as well as leg extension and leg curl isolation exercises that target individual muscles.

Take a look at Cela's Instagram Reel to see the workout.

Cela recommends doing four sets of 10 reps of each exercise, apart from the Bulgarian split squat where it’s three sets of eight reps.

The first move in this routine is the Romanian deadlift, a variation of the conventional deadlift where the movement begins with the barbell off the floor. In our guide to Romanian deadlift form, strength coach Jeff Hoobler explains that the key to perfecting this move is in the hips: “The hips need to unlock before the knees. This means sending the hips backward first, then unlocking [or slightly softening] the knees as you lower the weight.”

Weights machines can vary, so make sure to check the written instructions printed on the machines you’re using for the next three moves.

The Bulgarian split squat is a tricky move that challenges your balance. If you haven’t attempted it before, starting with the split squat, where your rear foot stays on the floor, may be wise. To get the correct set-up for the Bulgarian split squat, sit on the platform with your rear foot under your glutes, then extend your other leg forward, locking your knee and placing your heel on the floor. Stand and rock your foot forward so it’s flat on the floor and adjust the placement of your rear foot. There are more tips in our Bulgarian split squat form guide. 

We have more Krissy Cela workouts for you to try too. If you don’t have access to a gym, you can try this glutes workout at home, or for a gym workout with lighter weights, start with Krissy Cela’s bum workout.

Whatever your reasons for working out, you should include routines that get your heart rate up and increase your aerobic capacity.

Whether you’re a CrossFitter looking to move faster and more efficiently, or your main focus is strength training but you want to incorporate conditioning sessions into your routine, personal trainer Tess Glynne-Jones recently shared a 30-minute workout that you need to try.

It’s an AMRAP workout, which means the aim is to complete as many rounds and reps as possible within the 30-minute time frame. 

The routine is mostly made up of bodyweight exercises but you’ll also need a pull-up bar, a medicine ball for wall balls and a cardio machine that tracks calories burned, such as a BikeErg, SkiErg or rowing machine.

Take a look at Glynne-Jones’s Instagram Reel where she takes you through each move.

Although this session is meant to be challenging, you should pace yourself so that you don’t exhaust yourself in 10 minutes.

Glynne-Jones says that you should inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth throughout this workout, using your breath to monitor your work rate. That means if you’re no longer able to breathe like this, you need to lower the intensity.

Concentrate on maintaining good form throughout, not only to reduce the chance of injury, but to conserve energy—30 minutes is a long time to be working without regular rest periods, although this will help to improve your muscular endurance.

Another good tip for working out smartly is this wall ball tip from CrossFitter Aniol Ekai. “Don’t stay with your arms outstretched at the top of the movement,” says Ekai, who points out that when you’re performing hundreds of wall balls, as you will in this workout, that’s minutes you’ll be spending with your arms above your head, and that extra effort adds up. You can read more tips from Ekai in our wall ball form guide.

If you haven’t mastered the toes-to-bar movement yet, Glynne-Jones suggests performing the V-sit. That’s still a challenging abs move and you’ll find more regressions in our V-sit exercise guide to find a movement to suit your current level of fitness.

I usually go to the gym three or four times a week and follow a CrossFit program that focuses on functional strength and fitness. However, I’m traveling at the moment so getting to the gym to keep up with my usual fitness routine is a struggle.

When I do have a chance to work out, I need to make my sessions count. Instead of splitting my sessions to focus on one or two specific lifts, it makes more sense to incorporate a range of moves that target a variety of muscles.

Fortunately, the friend I’m traveling with, Pippa Sealey, is a NASM-qualified personal trainer based at Luxe Fitness in Bristol. Below is the workout she put together for us. It took 45 minutes, but it seriously challenged my strength and left me with DOMs for days. 

“This workout is designed for people who have experience with resistance training and weightlifting, as there are advanced movements here,” says Sealey. “You’ll hit a lot of muscle groups, starting with compound exercises and moving onto some accessory moves that target the upper body and engage the core.”

The workout is made up of five exercises and you will need a barbell, a dumbbell and a suspension trainer or pair of gymnastics rings.

As I’m not currently lifting as regularly, I chose weights around 60-70% of my max effort.

This session put my strength to the test as I struggled to finish the last few reps on each lift. This pushed my heart rate up, proving I was working hard.  

It’s a routine I plan to repeat regularly while traveling. My aim is to maintain or increase the weight each week to ensure I don’t lose muscle mass while away from my usual gym routine.

The Workout

1 Deadlift

Sets 5 Reps 5

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your shins in contact with the barbell. Push your hips back and bend your knees to take hold of the bar with your hands just outside your legs. Lift the bar by driving your hips forward and extending your knees. Lower the bar under control. Keep a flat back and the bar close to you throughout.

“Keep your core tight and your spine as neutral as possible. Try to squeeze your lats before you lift,” says Sealey.

2 Front squat

Sets 4 Reps 6 

Hold the bar in front of your collarbone with your palms underneath the bar and elbows pointing forward. Stand with your feet around hip-width apart, and sit your hips back to lower into the squat, maintaining a neutral spine, your chest facing forward and your elbows up. Drive through your midfoot to return to standing.

“Keep your elbows high in the front rack position. Brace your core before lowering into the squat and keep tension in your torso throughout,” says Sealey.

3 Pull-up

Sets 3 Reps 6-8

Hold a pull-up bar with your hands just wider than shoulder-width apart using an overhand grip, palms facing forward. Start in a dead hang, with your arms fully extended. Use your lats to pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar. Lower under control.

If you’re still developing the strength to do this many pull-ups, Sealey recommends using a resistance band for a band-assisted pull-up.

4A Ring row

Set 4 Reps 8-10

Set the handles of a suspension trainer or gym rings at hip height and hold them with your palms facing down. Lean back and walk your feet forward until your body is at 45°, your arms are extended and your heels are on the floor. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and pull your armpits toward the rings, keeping your elbows close to your sides and rotating your wrists so they face. Return to the start under control.

“Keep your chest broad and your shoulders retracted so that you can squeeze your shoulder blades at the top,” says Sealy.

4B Z press

Sets 4 Reps 8 each side

Sit on the floor with your legs extended and your torso upright, holding a dumbbell by one shoulder. Aim to keep your hamstrings flat on the floor so your lower back remains braced. Press the dumbbell overhead, then lower under control. Perform all your reps on one side then switch sides.

“Keep your torso upright so that you’re using as much core stability as possible,” says Sealy.

If something sounds too good to be true, it often is, but there’s usually an exception to the rule. In the strength training world, that exception is myo-reps. 

According to myo-reps creator, strength coach Borge Fagerli, this technique delivers the same muscle growth and strength gains as straight sets do, but in much less time. 

He has the backing of bodybuilding royalty Arnold Schwarzenegger in his Pump Club newsletter which has repeatedly touted it as a top trick for serious lifters. 

But what are myo-reps, and how can you use them to upgrade your workouts? I spoke to Fagerli to find out.

How To Use Myo-Reps In Your Workouts

If you’ve done a drop set, superset or rest-pause set before as part of your muscle-building efforts, the myo-rep formula will feel familiar, but there are nuances you need to be aware of to get it right.

“The rule is to do eight to 15 reps for the first set. That’s called the activation set. You can go as high as 20, but I think eight to 15 is a good range.”

You should work up to a point where you feel like you have one or two reps in reserve (RIR). At this point, put down the weight, take three to five deep breaths, and then pick up the weight again for a set of three to five reps. Repeat this process until you hit failure. 

“Whatever number you pick—three, four or five reps—you stay with that until you can’t continue,” says Fagerli. 

“For example, if you pick five reps and you do sets of five, five, then you try to do five move but you can only manage four—stop there. 

“If you pick three [reps] then you might be able to do more sets, but the total volume will still be autoregulated [by your work capacity]. In practice, it always works out perfectly.”

Whether you should do three, four or five reps for your myo-rep set will depend on the type of athlete you are, and also require a degree of trial and error.

“A myo-rep set for me might be a set of 10; short rest; a set of five; short rest; a set of three; and stop. Whereas for somebody whose individual physiology is tailored more to muscular endurance, their set might look like 10, five, five, five, five, five, four. 

“That’s a more appropriate stimulus for their physiology, but the other version is better suited to me because I’m more fast-twitch muscle fiber dominant—I have a lower work capacity. 

“If I tried to do the second one, that would mean my recovery would not be optimal, but the other athlete could probably recover from it. It’s sort of like a biofeedback way of applying the training method.”

The weight you use will also be regulated by your physiology and performance, Fagerli adds. 

“I would use something between 40-80% of your one-rep max. I generally say that as long as you hit between eight and 15 reps during the activation set—that’s good.”

Who Should Use Myo-Reps?

“I’ve used it with beginners and advanced bodybuilders—all across the board. It’s a very effective technique,” says Fagerli, but he also points to two types of gym-goers who will reap more benefits than most.

“One type holds back too much—they’re keeping too many RIR. They think they have one RIR when they actually have five,” says Fagerli. “This technique intrinsically forces you to train closer to failure because it accumulates fatigue.

“On the other hand, we have those who tend to do too much volume and train too hard all the time. If they do myo-reps properly, then they will also start gaining because they’re lowering their volume and managing their fatigue better.”

Which Exercises Should You Use Myo-Reps For?

Myo-reps are a versatile tool. If your training frequency is low (two or three days per week) you can use them for all exercises in a full-body workout, or you can use them for isolation exercises within your wider workouts as “an excellent way to further boost your gains”, says Fagerli.

However, while he says high-level powerlifters and weightlifters have applied this technique to large compound exercises such as the barbell squat, bench press and deadlift, this isn’t how he would recommend using it.

“Since there is a cardiovascular component to [compound exercises], I prefer to use myo-reps on more stable exercises on machines, or isolation single-arm and single-leg moves.

“Before you exhaust the muscle, you’re going to exhaust the cardiovascular capacity so you’re probably going to get some technique breakdown.”

With so many different machines, weights and workout styles to choose between, it can be hard to know where to start at the gym—especially as a beginner.

Plus, if you’re trying to get in and out as quickly as possible, having a workout that can be done entirely from one machine is one worth saving.

NASM-certified fitness instructor Laura Lino recently shared a workout on Instagram that uses just one piece of equipment, the Smith Machine, which consists of a barbell between rails. The moves Lino chooses make up a full-body workout which can help beginners gain confidence with weighted moves.

The Smith machine is a great piece of kit for beginners as the barbell only travels between the vertical rails so you don’t have to worry about stabilizing it. There are also safety catches at regular intervals along the rails so you can twist the bar to rerack it at any point during the movement if you get stuck midway through a lift. 

“The Smith machine makes the exercise more stable which can be beneficial for hypertrophy training as well as for beginners,” says personal trainer Pippa Sealey. “The Smith machine is also good if you’re recovering from injury or you struggle with balance.”

Take a look at Lino’s Instagram Reel where she demonstrates each exercise.

This workout is split into three supersets, which means you do two exercises back-to-back followed by a rest. Coach’s guide to superset workouts goes into more detail if you want to find out more.

Each superset is made up of one upper-body and one lower-body exercise so you target a wide range of muscles in one session, a hallmark of a good beginner gym workout.

For alternatives to this workout, if you have free rein in the gym and want to stick to the machines, try this progressive weights machine workout plan. Or if the Smith machine is taken and the gym is heaving, turn to one of these easy one-kit workouts, instead.

Hulking bodies stumble forward, faces contorted with pain. 

Not the description of a Renaissance painting or a zombie apocalypse, but the closing stages of Acid Bath at the 2018 Dubai Fitness Championships. It was the first time the world had seen the CrossFit workout which has since become synonymous with suffering in fitness. 

What is the Acid Bath workout? You have to complete 500m on a Concept2 SkiErg, 500m on a Concept2 RowErg and 1,000m on a Concept2 BikeErg as fast as possible. It seems simple but it’s its own special kind of awful.

“Right as the workout finishes, that’s when the pain starts,” five-time fittest man on earth Mat Fraser told film crews at the Dubai event.

CrossFitters tend to like hard things, so when a friend suggested a detour from my usual training to attempt the Acid Bath workout during a Saturday session, my curiosity got the better of me.

Acid Bath Workout

Complete the following for time.

1. 500m Concept2 SkiErg
2. 500m Concept2 RowErg
3. 1,000m Concept2 BikeErg

What I Learned Doing The Acid Bath Workout

1. The Aftermath Is Worse Than The Workout Itself

The workout isn’t a walk in the park. My heart rate spiked immediately, the skiing obliterated my core, and by the end, my legs felt like lead. 

Initially, however, I didn’t think it was as bad as everybody says. There was a point on the rower when I felt fairly calm and in control even though I was working hard. 

The discomfort in my muscles wasn’t overwhelming once I finished, what I didn’t realize was that the worst was yet to come. 

A minute or two after finishing I, along with two others who had done the workout with me, collapsed into a heap, lungs gasping for air and stayed there for a good 15 minutes unable to properly catch my breath. The only time I’ve experienced something similar is after attempting Fran (21-15-9 of thrusters and pull-ups).

2. Pacing Goes Out Of The Window

I know that, of these three movements, rowing is a strength and skiing is a weakness, so for a longer workout made up of these movements I would aim for a steady pace on the SkiErg, saving my energy to excel on the RowErg.

But this is a short workout. Male athletes in Dubai were given a six-minute time cap to get it done, while female competitors had only a marginally more generous seven minutes. 

I aimed to spend 1min 40sec on each machine, so I had to drop the hammer from the off  and flirt with pushing myself too far and blowing up. 

Even with my nemesis the SkiErg slowing me down, I made up time in the row and bike segments to finish in 5min 33sec.

For context, the male winner in Dubai was Roman Khreniikov with a time of 4min 54sec, while Laura Horvath won the female side with 5min 23sec.

3. Transitions Are Important 

As with many other CrossFit workouts, this test is “for time”, which means complete it as fast as you can. I could have completed it marginally faster if I hadn’t lost a few seconds clumsily transferring between machines. 

I hadn’t preset the damper on my rower to the setting I wanted, and getting off the machine my heel caught in the footplate. 

If a workout with transitions crops up in competition like the CrossFit Open, these seconds could be enough to move you up or down the leaderboard.

Starting to exercise can feel hard if your body’s not used to physical activity, but at least it doesn’t have to be complicated. All you need is one kettlebell  , Whether you’re building strength at home with one kettlebell, or prefer to skip queuing for machines and work out in your own corner of the gym, getting a full-body session with just a kettlebell is possible. 

This routine created by online coach Chris Hover is made up of five kettlebell exercises. It’s great for beginners, skipping difficult-to-master moves like the kettlebell clean and kettlebell snatch, but people with experience of strength training will also benefit.

Some of these exercises—such as the goblet squat and suitcase deadlift—recruit multiple big muscle groups so use a moderate to heavy weight if you have access to a range of kettlebell weights. However there are a couple of moves—particularly the kneeling press shoulder exercise—that isolate weaker muscle groups, so unless you have a particularly strong upper body it’s a good idea to switch to a lighter kettlebell.

Take a look at Hover’s Instagram Reel where he demonstrates each move. If you need more detailed explanations, we have a goblet squat form guide that can help.

It’s a good idea to pause and brace your core before beginning each exercise by squeezing your glutes and abdominal muscles. This will maximize muscle engagement and help you to maintain good posture throughout the workout.

Move through 10 reps of each exercise except for the unilateral movements. For those, do 8 reps on each side for the suitcase deadlift and 20 reps each side of the offset march.

Complete the circuit four times in total, taking 90 seconds of rest in between each round. Like most circuit workouts, doing a series of exercises without rest in between will get your heart rate up and improve your cardio fitness. Depending on how quickly you move through the reps, this workout should take around 20 minutes.

For another accessible routine, try this kettlebell workout for beginners.

Need help choosing between deals? Our guide to the best kettlebells can help.

If you’re serious about building muscle and training your upper body more than once a week, you may want to add push and pull days to your routine. 

In Coach's guide to push/pull workouts, training and nutrition specialist David Wiener explains that push and pull are “two fundamental movements”. Push exercises work your chest, triceps and shoulders, while pull exercises train your back and biceps.

By including both, you can increase your training volume for maximum muscle gain. Targeting certain muscle groups in one session also means your training can be more focused for greater intensity. 

For your next push day, try this workout recently shared by trainer Christian Poulous on Instagram. It promises to maximize hypertrophy (building muscle mass), with smarter exercise selection.

Take a look at Poulos’ Instagram Reel where he runs you through his ideal push day, as well as exercises he avoids and what he does instead.

Poulos shares lots of tips in his video. He recommends tucking your elbows close to your chest during the incline bench press for maximum upper-chest gains and no matter which type of cable triceps extension you choose, Pulis advises that the cable and your upper arm are pointing in the same direction. He also adds that consistency and adequate nutrition are key to increasing muscle mass.

With this workout, you'll be working at a low to medium rep range, so make sure you choose challenging weights, depending on the exercise. Your chosen weight shouldn’t compromise your form but make sure the last rep or two feel tough. If you can easily finish the reps you probably need to up the weight to experience muscle growth.

Add this workout to your routine, gradually increasing the weight used when you repeat workout to see results. And make sure you’re eating enough protein to support muscle recovery and growth. Take a look at our seven-day meal plan for muscle growth for help keeping your protein intake high.

When a push/pull split doesn’t cut it anymore, move on to this four-workouts-a-week upper-body workout plan.

Find out more about these tried-and-tested picks in our guide to the best protein powder.

Harry Styles is a better singer than me. As People magazine’s sexiest musician alive 2023, he’s better looking too. But because I’m a fitness writer by trade, the hardest pill to swallow is that he might be in better condition.

This realization dawned on me as Styles’ coach Thibo David walked me through one of his typical training sessions. 

They kick things off with a slow 10 to 30-minute jog, followed by a rapid one-mile run and a bodyweight challenge comprising 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups and 100 air squats within eight minutes. Once that’s done, David considers the warm-up complete. 

What follows is a melee of weighted circuits, more running and core work which left me both intimidated and intrigued. So, as a fitness aficionado and Coach’s unofficial workout guinea pig, I decided to give it a go. All of it. 

Harry Styles Workout

1. Warm-up

• 30-minute slow-paced run 

If you include the one-mile run and bodyweight challenge, this is the hardest warm-up I’ve ever done, but, given the intensity required for the next two elements I’m promoting them to workout status. 

My usual warm-up routine consists of 10-minutes on a bike or exercise bike, followed by 15 minutes of dynamic stretching. The slow-paced run offered a similar introduction to my morning session, but after that I was in unfamiliar territory. 

2. One-Mile Run

• Run one mile as fast as possible

David says Harry Styles can run a mile in an impressive 5min 13sec—a standard some of the professional athletes David coaches can’t match—but I was urged to run my own race.

“Don’t go in thinking ‘he did it in five minutes, I’m going to do the same’, just keep on pushing,” says David. “Don’t think about anything else, your time is yours.” 

So I found myself haring through a UK park at 30°F. The cold air stung my lungs and my heart rate soon soared, but I managed to stick to a pace I, as an average runner at best, was fairly happy with and finished in 5min 59sec.

3. Bodyweight Challenge

• In eight minutes complete:
  • 100 push-ups
  • 100 sit-ups
  • 100 unweighted squats

This was far closer to my wheelhouse as a CrossFit fan. I chose to tackle it in alternating sets of 10, transitioning quickly between exercises to finish within the eight-minute limit. But even commando rolling from push-up to sit-up then springing into the squats left me little time to spare.

I took 7min 39sec, and, somewhat unexpectedly, given I can barbell squat more than 300lb, it was my quads that blew up the most. Whether this was the result of the one-mile run before it or heavy front squats the day before, I couldn’t say, but my thighs were on fire by the final rep. 

4. Free-Weights Circuit

• Four rounds of:
  • 1min kettlebell swings (16kg)
  • 1min box jumps
  • 2min sandbag over-the-shoulder (20kg)
  • 2min alternating dumbbell clean and press
  • 1min rest

This was the part of the training day I felt most comfortable with—probably because it bore the closest resemblance to CrossFit.

“I like to say that I train very smart, but you also have to be very stupid sometimes, you know? Do this type of workout in the most stupid way; go hard at the task at hand, like when you throw a ball for a dog and it goes super crazy. 

“This is a very good workout for that. Very good at building everything that needs to be added after the aerobic base; aggressiveness, speed, that go-hard mentality.”

I tend to ease off the throttle in timed workouts like this, so I set a couple of goals going in. 

Firstly: no taking long breaks mid-minute. Secondly, hit a set number of reps each round. I pushed my body reasonably hard during the first round and found that 30 kettlebell swings, 18 box jumps, 20 sandbag-over-shoulders and 30 clean and presses made tricky but achievable targets for me.

Things did become particularly spicy during round three and four though, as my body began to tire with the sustained effort. 

My posterior chain (the muscles running along the back side of the body) took a battering from the kettlebell swings and sandbag-over-shoulders, my already-fried legs felt heavy during the box jumps, and my shoulders grew tired from two minutes of straight clean and presses—it was a serious test of muscular endurance.

5. Hill Sprints

• Eight rounds of:
  • 30-45sec sprint (16-21km/h) at a 0.5-2.5% gradient
  • 90sec rest 

In the absence of a treadmill I sought out a nearby hill. For the first interval I ran as far up the hill as I could in 30 seconds (about 220 meters), sending my heart rate skywards. 

Then I took 90 seconds to walk back down the hill before repeating this distance. I also did 12 total rounds—I wanted the full Styles experience, after all—but I’d live to regret this. The hill I chose grew progressively steeper as I worked my way up it, and by the eighth round I felt like death. My sprints turned to slogs, and the time it took me to complete the distance I established in the first interval grew longer. 

The prior running and box jumps didn’t help either, but I got it done eventually in less than 30 minutes. 

6. Core Work

• 15 minutes of “diverse core exercises including planks, one-sided farmer’s walks, side planks and sit-up variations”.

These exercise suggestions offer a comprehensive core workout, recruiting a wide range of mid-body muscles from the rectus abdominis (of six-pack fame) to the spine-supporting transverse abdominis and erector spinae, which play a major role in maintaining posture. 

I also appreciated the addition of a one-sided loaded carry, which challenged my core to keep me upright as a weight pulled me sideways. After all, while the core is always credited with moving the spine, it’s also needed for resisting unwanted movement under load.

7. Stretching

• 10-15 minutes of assisted stretching

David left me to my own devices for this final part, so I worked my way through a 10-minute mobility routine on the Pliability app. 

This was a relaxing way to wrap up a far from relaxing morning of training, and gave me a second to catch my breath after a monumental effort which lasted a little over two hours.

How I Found Harry Styles’ Workout

I swapped this day of training for one of my usual CrossFit sessions and had a lot of fun doing it. Every part of my body felt like it had been put through the ringer thanks to the muscle-burning circuit and lung-taxing running elements. I was also very, very hungry. 

Another thing that impressed me was Styles’ evident fitness levels and work ethic; how he has the energy to perform for two hours during a stadium tour is no longer a mystery.

Another thing I liked about my chat with David was his openness and honesty. I often see articles online saying celebrities do a few Pilates classes or HIIT workouts each week to stay in unbelievable shape, and he was keen to dispel this myth.

“Collaborating with Harry Styles was an absolute delight; his commitment is unparalleled,” says David.

“But it’s important to note that this level of training isn’t suitable for everyone. Harry was inherently fit, but achieving the level of fitness needed for this session still required time, work and effort. Rushing into such high-volume workouts can pose risks.”

David also stressed that sessions of this intensity weren’t done every day, and the nature of his workouts will often “depend on the day and the state of the athlete”.

“It’s crucial to emphasize the significance of proper periodization,” says David. “Not every day constituted an intense session. In fact, we strategically incorporated recovery sessions which often involved a light run combined with core exercises and mobility work. Every workout was thoughtfully placed within the overall training plan.”