Make your next strength workout more challenging by grabbing a pair of heavy dumbbells, says Gallagher. By performing this extra effort without slowing down, you'll turn a weight-lifting session into a weight-plus-cardio one. Set a 24-minute timer and complete as many levels of the following increasing ladder as possible. Every three minutes, stop where you are and complete five burpees. Follow the same pattern, increasing your reps by two for each round. For example:
Workout:
- Round 1: 2 renegade rows, 2 thrusters, 2 weighted lunges, 2 weighted sit-ups
- Round 2: 4 renegade rows, 4 thrusters, 4 weighted lunges, 4 weighted sit-ups
- Round 3:6 renegade rows, 6 thrusters, 6 weighted lunges, 6 weighted sit-ups
Renegade rows: Grab a pair of dumbbells and start in a plank position with both hands gripping the weights. Your body should form a straight line from your head to your heels and your feet should be a little more than shoulder-width apart. Keeping your hips still, pull your right elbow up into a row, then return the dumbbell to the floor. Repeat this movement with your left arm for one rep.
Thrusters: Holding a pair of weights at your shoulders, drop down into a squat, then push through your heels to explode upward, pushing the dumbbells toward the ceiling.
Weighted lunges: Keep your front knee over your ankle and tap back knee to the ground. Hold the dumbbells by your waist, or for added difficulty, overhead.
Weighted sit-ups: hold one dumbbell by both ends, across your chest. For added difficulty, press the dumbbell over your head at the top of the sit-up.
