I'm a fan of body weight exercises and I like putting them together to create short, intense interval routines. I'm always on the lookout for new workouts and when I came across a recent article that describes two exercises that I do quite often:
- Dumbbell swings
- Burpees (or squat thrust)
According to the article (linked at the end of this post) these two exercises are effective when done one after the other without any rest in between. It is called a countdown workout. For example, you would start with say 15 reps. You would do 15 dumbbell swings, followed by 15 burpees. After that set, you do 14 reps of dummbell swings followed by 14 reps of burpees, and so on until you're down to 1 rep.
Countdown workouts can be done with most body weight exercises and you may find that you won't make it to one rep. That is fine though because it is supposed to be a challenging workout.
Why These Two Exercises?
If you consider the movements for both of these exercises you will see that they are working the entire body. Use them with the countdown method and you will end up doing 240 reps within 12 - 15 minutes. Since it's an interval type of workout, you will also have the effect of boosting your metabolism long after the workout is complete. The article itself has a link to a podcast that will explain even more about why these two exercises are so effective.
Here are examples of how both exercises are done in the videos below.
Single-Arm Dumbbell Swing:
Burpees or Squat Thrust:
Resource:
The Ultimate Two-Exercise Workout
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
These are two of my favorite exercises. Most people I know dread the burpee, but love them once they are done. The dumbbell swing (though I usually do them with kettlebells) is probably the best conditioning exercise of its kind that really challenges the core. Forget crunches! You want six pack abs? Do these two exercises…awesome choices!
I fall into that category of loving/hating the burpee. It is an awesome exercise!
Dumbbell swings are one of my all-time favs! The burpee makes me miserable, but that only means it’s effective I guess
The countdown workout is an awesome concept. I’ve done it with pushups in the past and it’s great. Rarely made it to 1 rep, however!
Nice post!
Hey Nate, I like the countdown workout too. I hardly make it to 1 rep as well. It’s tough!
Excellent exercises and certainly a challenging routine. Doing these Tabata style (20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest for 8 sets) provides a great workout as well.
Hey Dave, Tabata would be great for these exercises. Either method would be a huge challenge.
I think I like this better than some of the caveman style workouts I’ve tried, where you count UP. What a miserable mental battle that is!
There is no way I’d count reps up. I’d for sure want to quit much sooner!
Doing the dumbell swing with flip flops on looks awkward and dangerous.
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