You Only Need Two Dumbbells and Three Exercises To Put Your Fitness To The Test

You have to be incredibly fit to make it to the CrossFit Games. You also have to be incredibly fit to be a Navy SEAL.

Josh Bridges is one of the few people to have done both, so if you’re feeling fit and want to see how you measure up to the best, see if you can keep up with one of his sessions.

He’s shared a three-move metcon that will test your strength, muscular endurance and cardio capacity with nothing more than a couple of heavy dumbbells—Bridges uses a pair of 60lb (27kg) weights.

The format of the session is straightforward; five rounds of three moves for time. You’ll repeat a sequence of 15 burpee deadlifts, a 200-meter run and 15 dumbbell front rack squats, resting as little as possible between moves until you reach the finish line.

Simple? Yes. Torturous? Most likely.

Take a look at Bridges’ efforts and see how to perform each exercise in the video below.

In recent months I’ve had the chance to train with CrossFit Games athletes including Emma McQuaid, Moritz Fiebig and Chandler Smith, and the CrossFit workouts they’ve subjected me to have add one common denominator: simplicity.

With no high-skill element or scheduled rest, Bridges’ workout—like the others I’ve tried recently—challenges you to keep moving as you tire to finish as quickly as possible.

As well as the cardio hit from the sustained movement, the burpee deadlift will hit mirror muscles like your chest and shoulders as well as your posterior chain, while the front squat trains your large leg muscles as well as challenging your core.

What’s more, if you really hit the gas, you can have the workout wrapped up within the time it takes to watch an episode of Friends.

So next time you’re thinking about firing up Netflix, why not fire up your body instead? You’ll thank us later, probably.