This workout will work your whole body and it will build solid muscle, strength, burn fat like crazy and get you in great shape. The nice part is you won’t have to do any extra conditioning on top of this workout because while there isn’t any running or traditional cardio involved you will get your conditioning in without question.
What this workout isn’t
This is not a bodybuilding workout for those who are trying to get HUGE and be one of those bodybuilders that look a fire plug.
If that is the case then this is not for you, but if you want to build some nice solid muscle and get a strong and athletic body then this workout will get you there.
What is the basis of the workout?
This workout is based around basic, muscle and strength building exercises. These are all compound exercises that will be working your entire body, no body part gets left behind here.
Some of you may say you have seen this workout before. It is based off the CrossFit WOD The Seven. While it is based on this workout it is a little different, one exercise has been changed out to get a good chest exercise in there. If you want to stick with the original Seven WOD that is fine but this modified version will hit the chest better than the original and allow for better pec development to make this the only workout you will need.
The Workout
Do seven reps of the following exercises:
Burpees
Deadlifts
Dips
Thrusters
Pull-ups
Handstand push-ups
Kettlebell swings
Complete seven rounds for time.
Exercise analysis
I have done this workout before, many times. Here is my analysis on each exercise
Burpees – We all know burpees suck. The good news is you are only doing 7 of them at a time. The bad news is doing just seven of them sucks while doing this workout and will have you gassed as you move on to the next exercise
Deadlift – You can do traditional, sumo or trap bar deadlifts. The Seven WOD uses 245lbs for men and 165lbs for women. You can also scale them back accordingly if needed.
Dips – This is the exercise we added to the workout to get some chest work in while doing this workout. We took out the toes to bar as we felt dips were a better option if you are trying to get your entire body worked with one workout. If you can’t do dips do push-ups instead.
Thrusters – Yeah, these suck too but they are a great exercise that works the whole body with emphasis on the legs and shoulders. The recommended weight for The Seven WOD is 135lbs for men and 95lbs for women.
Pull-ups – These are real pull-ups too, no kipping. If you can’t to normal strict pull-ups you can kip, if you don’t need to then they should be done with strict form.
Handstand Push-ups – Do seven handstand push-ups. If you can’t do a handstand push-ups, then you can do push-ups instead on this one as well.
Kettlebell Swings – Do seven heavy kettlebell swings. 70lbs for men and 50lbs kettlebells for women at least. If you can do more than do so.
Overall this works your entire body. Chest, shoulders, legs, back, butt and even biceps and triceps and core indirectly.
Scaling it Back
This workout isn’t for wimps and you may need to scale it back especially if you are not advanced. One way you can scale it back is to use less weight, this can be up to your own judgment just be sure you use a weight that will challenge you. Another way to scale it back is to do fewer rounds, this again is up to you, do as many rounds as you can handle reasonably and then try and do another time the next time you do the workout until you get to seven. Another way to scale back can be to rest between rounds. 1 minute or up to 3 minutes of rest depending on your fitness level is another great option. Eventually, you want to get to the point where you can do it without any rest and doing the full seven rounds.
The Drawback
As I said before I have done this workout myself about a half a dozen times, and while it covers everything you need for a strong and athletic body it is brutal and feels like you are going through hell. It is really challenging, even if you are one of those people that likes tough workouts this one can really be a ballbuster and is demanding both mentally and physically. While it is a great workout and works every body-part well it is not something many people are going to want to do over and over again. Unless you are a little sick and twisted in the head and like the self-torture, if that is the case good for you, you will be able to reap the benefits of this badass workout.
As we have already stated this exercise works your entire body and uses solid muscle-building exercises. The fact that it is done for time will have you gasping for air and cover you for cardio as well. While this workout is brutal to do, and can suck while you are doing it, when you are finished you will feel like a god. It gives you that “I am such a badass” feeling along with the “damn, that was a great workout feeling”. If you can manage to do this workout every 5 days or so you will be set. More often than that can lead to overtraining.
Conclusion
Overall this is a kick-ass workout that will build muscle, blast fat and give you a great cardiovascular workout and is all you need for an athletic body. Every exercise on here is a solid muscle builder (aside from burpees) and every muscle group gets worked hard. If you could do this workout once every 5 days as your only workout you would be a beast. The problem is this workout can be brutal and is more of a once in a while kind of workout rather than all the time. The more often you can do it the better you will be, it is a challenge both mentally and physically and you will be better for it.
