Some workouts will build muscle, others endurance or strength, and some just plain suck. After looking at bodyweight workouts for strength/power and bodybuilding (click links to open in new window), here are a few workouts that are simple but brutal. FUN TIMES.
These are all pretty basic so we don’t waste time getting mixed up or trying to remember what comes next in the sequence. I agree that a workout with 10+ different exercises or protocols can also be challenging (while offering more variety), but it would also be harder to keep track of and keep moving in a fluid fashion. The lack of variety means we need to use a bit more discipline to complete the workout, but this just means bonus willpower gains in doing so.
There will be a wide variety of people reading this, with a wide range of athletic abilities, so there is no penalty for calling it quits at any point. Just make a wee note of how far you got, and try to beat it next time - either after a break or some more training. If you find them too easy, they are simple enough to make more difficult - more time, more reps, add in a weight vest or wear a backpack with heavy stuff in it. Feel free to put your own spin on them or use them as templates to create your own crushing challenge.
1. JUMPSKI
Here we’re doing a broad jump followed by 10 squat hold to reverse lunges (hold a squat position and stick one foot back to get into a lunge position, repeat with opposite foot and alternate for 10 reps - no standing until reps are complete), repeating the jumps and holds until we can do no more.
For this we’ll need a bit of space and a few markers (water bottles, jumpers, cones, etc), as the broad jump will be either your full height (aiming to leap to or beyond the far markers), or between full and half of your height (aiming to land in the halfway zone each time). How far you jump is up to you, and you can always start with the full height jump and then switch to the shorter jumps as the legs get tired. The challenge ends when you have to stand up from the squat holds, or you can no longer make the chosen distance in the jumps.
2. LADDER OF DOOM - PRESS UP EDITION
For these we’re doing an increasing number of press ups with each subsequent set (starting with 1, rest, then 2, etc), resting as much or little as you want between sets If you’re doing full press ups (body straight, knees off floor), there’s no dropping to the knees to make things easier - you gotta stick to knees off floor for the entirety of the workout.
1 rep, 2 reps, 3 reps, 4 reps… how far can you climb?
3. 300
Set a timer for 5 minutes, then start performing jump squats (squat, then jump into the air - doesn’t have to be super high, feet just need to leave the ground). When your legs get tired, switch to press ups (no rest). Once you can no longer do press ups, switch back to jump squats (again, no rest). Keep switching back and forth until the 5 minutes is up.
Can you keep moving for the full 5 minutes?
4. IMPOSSIBLE REPS
Each set is only 3 reps long, but they’re going to be a long 3 reps. Here we’re performing 1 press up, 1 v-tuck, and 1 squat - but each rep is going to take 60 seconds to go down, and 60 seconds to come back up, no rest between exercises.
Finish this circuit 3 times to complete the workout - 9 reps over 18 minutes, can you survive?
V-Tucks: balancing on your butt, slowly extend the leg (keeping feet off the ground) and lean your torso back (keeping shoulders off the ground). Once the legs are fully extended, start to make your way back to the start position.
5. A GRAND DAY (ALL DAY CHALLENGE)
From the moment you wake up to the minute you go to bed, complete a grand total of 500 press ups and 500 squats. This can be done however you want - 100 reps in the morning, 10 sets of 5 every few hours, blasting them all out in one workout - as long as they are completed in the same day (or wake cycle if you are on weird hours). This will be a lot of press ups for many of us, so it’s cool to switch to from-the-knees press ups when we’re struggling for reps - just note how many you were able to do full, and how many from the knees.
If you finish before half your day is done (and still realistically have time to do so), the goal jumps up an additional 250 reps - to 750 press ups, 750 squats total.