The 20 Min Gym Workout That's The Equivalent Of A Triathlon | Men's Health Magazine Australia

The 20 Min Gym Workout That’s The Equivalent Of Competing A Triathlon

What are the least used things in your gym? The rowing machines? Kettlebells? Mat space?

Well, the next time you’re working out leave your towel at home and bring a duster because we’ve got a workout for you that uses all of this equipment, but be warned, it’s brutal.

Formula 3, as it’s called, is a full-body conditioning circuit that gets your body working at a high intensity, but in three completely different ways. It’s like completing the gym equivalent of a triathlon.

“The whole workout is harder than the sum of its parts, as your body not only deals with the work but also deals with the changes in work,” explains Luke Barnsley, master trainer at Third Space and the brains behind Formula 3.

“The class has three distinct components. Rowing, kettlebell work and bodyweight work. Each component lasts 4 to 5 minutes and runs at a high intensity. In total, you visit each component 3 times, combining to make for a 50-minute killer workout.”

If you’re not excited by the prospect of a “50-minute killer workout” then perhaps some of Formula 3’s other benefits might be more to your taste. As Barnsley explains, Formula 3 will increase your cardiovascular power, your cardiovascular power endurance and your VO2 max. The workout will also shred your body fat (providing your nutrition doesn’t increase dramatically) and over time it will lower your resting heart rate.

Improvements in rowing and kettlebell technique are non-optional.

The full-version of Barnsley’s savage workout is now available at Third Space City, London, but he’s given MH a two-round version of the real thing that you can try wherever you workout.

Block 1

First up is your row. On the rower, you’ll sprint all out for 30 seconds and gain 30 second absolute rest after each effort. You’ll do this four times to equal four minutes. Make sure the sprints are all out efforts!

Rowing

Sit at a rowing machine with your feet fastened and grab the handle with an overhand grip. Straighten your legs to push the seat back – when your hands pass your knees, pull them up to your chest. Reverse the movement and repeat.

Next up is the Kettlebell section. Start with four quality reps of the following three exercises. After each round you’ll add 2 reps to every exercise. You’ll keep working in this way, seeing what is the highest number of reps you can achieve until you’ve been working with the kettlebells for four minutes in total.

Kettlebell swings

Place a kettlebell a couple of feet in front of you. Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and bend your knees to lean forward and grab the handle with both hands. With your back flat, engage your lats to pull the weight between your legs (be careful with how deep you swing) then drive your hips forward and explosively pull the kettlebell up to shoulder height with your arms straight in front of you. Return to the start position and repeat without pauses.

One leg kettlebell stiff legged deadlift

Hold a kettlebell in front of your thigh, palm facing inwards. Stand on one leg, the same side as the hand holding the kettlebell, and as you push the other leg straight behind you, lean forward and place the kettlebell on the floor. Pause, then return to upright position. Repeat the sequence. 

Kettlebell thruster

Hold two kettlebells by their handles but so the weight is resting on the back of your shoulder. Slightly bend your knees and squat down, keeping your legs in line with your shoulders. Drive through your legs and straighten them, extending your arms as you do so to raise the kettlebells above your head. Squat down and repeat. 

You’ll finish off the first block of the workout with a deadly EMOM lasting 4 minutes. EMOM stands for Every Minute On the Minute, so at the beginning of each minute you’ll have to achieve 12 bodyweight burpees. Get them done early and you can rest the remainder of the minute! So work hard.

Burpee

From a standing position squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor and place your palms on the floor. From there kick your feet back as far as you can while keeping your arms extended. As soon as your feet land jump them back in towards your hands, then jump up into the air. Land and immediately squat down to go into the next rep.

Block 2

Onto block two, which is simple, but brutal. Start with a continuous 4 minute maximum effort to see how far you can row. Not only will this test you, it’s a great measure of how much you are improving over time. As you become fitter, you’ll be able to achieve longer distances, this in turn will motivate you to keep at it.

Rowing

Sit at a rowing machine with your feet fastened and grab the handle with an overhand grip. Straighten your legs to push the seat back – when your hands pass your knees, pull them up to your chest. Reverse the movement and repeat.

Your kettlebell round will be an EMOM, which you’ll remember from the bodyweight section of block 1. This time, as the minute begins, you’ll owe 20 swings and 10 press-ups. Again, get them done early and you’ll earn some rest. However don’t sacrifice your form for speed and make sure you practice nailing the exercises before you begin the session.

Kettlebell swings

Place a kettlebell a couple of feet in front of you. Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and bend your knees to lean forward and grab the handle with both hands. With your back flat, engage your lats to pull the weight between your legs (be careful with how deep you swing) then drive your hips forward and explosively pull the kettlebell up to shoulder height with your arms straight in front of you. Return to the start position and repeat without pauses.

Press-up

Set up with your weight supported on your toes and hands beneath your shoulders, body straight. Take care to keep your core locked so a straight line forms between your head, glutes and heels. Lower your body until your chest is an inch from the ground then explosively drive up by fully extending your arms.

The bodyweight section of this block is a challenging superset. You’ll do 21 reps of both exercises, then 15, then finishing on 9. The challenge is to complete this before the 4 minutes is up.

Squat jump

Squat down, keeping your back straight, until your thighs are parallel with the floor and your bum is about level with your knees. Explode upwards into a jump, and go straight into the next squat.

Burpee

From a standing position squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor and place your palms on the floor. From there kick your feet back as far as you can while keeping your arms extended. As soon as your feet land jump them back in towards your hands, then jump up into the air. Land and immediately squat down to go into the next rep.

This article originally appeared on Men’s Health UK.

More From