This ‘Dumbbell Death March’ Workout Will Torch Your Whole Body

THIS DEMANDING ROUTINE ONLY TAKES 20 MINUTES

Training at home with limited access to equipment can make it harder to push yourself in a workout, but Athlean-X’s Jeff Cavaliere C.S.C.S. believes it’s possible to get the exact same results in a home workout that you would in a gym. He devised a workout that can be completed in 20 minutes or less, consisting of moves that combine bodyweight and dumbbell exercises.

The routine is designed to be suitable for any fitness level; for beginners, Cavaliere recommends using a pair of 10-pound dumbbells, 30 pounds for intermediate level, and 50 pounds for people who are more advanced.

Each round starts with a variation of the dumbbell pushup crawl: the dumbbell death march. Beginning in a pushup position with a dumbbell in each hand, you then “walk” by rowing each dumbbell to travel forward. (This move can also be done in place as a more traditional renegade row if space is limited.) Perform 5 reps on each side, before going into the next move.

Round 1 consists of the death march, followed by a dumbbell thruster, which hits the shoulders, the upper chest, the triceps, and the legs. Cavaliere performs this for 40 seconds, then rests for 20 seconds.

He starts the second round with another 5 reps on each arm of the death march. After this, he goes into the dumbbell squinter lunge for 40 seconds, a variation which involves stepping backwards and tilting his torso forward at the bottom of every rep.

After another 20 second rest and set of death marches, Cavaliere works the upper body in the third round with a close-grip dumbbell pushup. “I’m bringing the dumbbells in close to my body to accentuate the triceps, but I also get the chance to squeeze my hands in as much as I can, so I get that extra engagement of the chest,” he says.

Cavaliere rests for another 20 seconds, does his death marches, and then comes the last exercise: 40 seconds of dumbbell high pulls from the floor. “This is not an upright row,” he says. “We’re keeping the thumbs higher than the pinkies at all times.” This is important so that you avoid potentially dangerous internal rotation.

The entire circuit takes around 5 minutes. Cavaliere recommends completing the full circuit three times, with a 2-minute rest period in between. All in all, it should take no longer than 20 minutes.