We’ve got a couple bodyweight workouts, but what about lifting weights? There’s something about picking up heavy things and putting them down that you just can’t recreate with calisthenics. Let’s look at one more effective, short workout, this time using barbell squats and deadlifts. The workout is 5 barbell squats, followed by 5 deadlifts, for 5 rounds. There’s no time intervals, you do the whole workout as fast as safely possible, aiming to get under 10 minutes. This workout is not for everyone. You need to be strong and secure on your barbell exercises, and know your strength levels well enough to pick the right weights. Start light! If you find it too easy, you can increase the weight next time. You’ll probably use weights that you can do 10 reps or more with in isolation. Fatigue builds up very quickly in this workout, and you have to be able to stay tight with your form while you grind out the reps. If you’re not very strong on these exercises, you can do goblet squats and kettlebell deadlifts. Those exercises are safer and easier to set up, but there’s a limit to how heavy you can go with them. Especially with deadlifts, you will probably exceed the KB weights quickly. The sweet spot for this exercise seemed to be around 7-8 minutes for the whole thing. You can go above that time - and even below, although it’s TOUGH to move that fast. If you are taking longer than 10- minutes, definitely reduce the weights. You really want to move from one exercise to the other with just enough time to sort-of catch your breath. If you are getting through in under 7:30, consider adding weight to the bar. I added 10 pounds a month, which worked for a while but I couldn’t keep up with the increases. In retrospect, it would have been better to just add 5lbs and focus on sustainability. Although this workout uses strength exercises, it’s not targeted at building strength. You need much longer rest periods for that! It is incredible for recovery though. I did this workout once or twice a week for about five months, and during that time, I felt like I hardly got tired, and when I did, I bounced back right away. If you have access to the equipment, you are strong on your barbell lifts, and confident in your knowledge about selecting the right weights, give this one a try. It’s probably the hardest of the three I’ve written about, so enjoy the challenge!
