These WODs can be performed with minimal equipment.
BY EMILY SHIFFER, APR 29, 2020
BERKO85GETTY IMAGES
Your current home gym equipment may be pretty slim, limiting the types of workouts you can do during quarantine. That might make matters particularly bleak if you love the typically barbell-heavy WODs associated with CrossFit, since those workouts are especially dependent on gear and space.
But YouTuber and CrossFit enthusiast Absolute Beast has come up with an efficient set of CrossFit workouts you can do at home that only require a dumbbell(he demos most of them using a pair). He looked at some of the most popular benchmark CrossFit workouts and a few of his favorites from CrossFit pros, then made some adjustments before sharing out the rep schemes for other CrossFitters missing their boxes while stuck at home. As one viewer commented, “Love them all, hate them all.”
If you want to give these CrossFit dumbbell workouts a try, just keep in mind that they ask for a lot of volume in a small amount of time. So if you are going to give them a go, just remember that you should approach each workout at your own pace. Looking for even more? Try these 12 at-home CrossFit workouts next.
The other major key to these dumbbell workouts: Don’t be afraid to modify the moves, especially when it comes to overhead exercises. If a workout places you in a position you’re not comfortable in, skip it; longevity beats training for the sake of training every time.
Workout 1A/1B – Grace/Isabel
30 Clean and Jerks
30 Snatches
Workout 2 – Dumbbell DT
5 Rounds for Time
12 Deadlifts
9 Hang Power Cleans
6 Push Jerks
“How long can you hold on for? This is about a 10-minute workout, so set the time cap and stay committed to those 2 minute rounds,” he says. “If you only have one dumbbell, do all 5 rounds on one side, rest 2 minutes, then complete on the opposite side.”
Workout 3 – Elizabeth
21-15-9 (rep scheme)
DB Squat Cleans
Ring/Box Dips
“Let’s get those triceps pumping,” he says. If you don’t have rings or another station for dips, crush your tris with close-grip pushups instead. And even if you do have a spot to do dips, consider close-grip pushups anyway; they’ll still hit your triceps but they’ll spare your shoulders any pain and soreness.
Workout 4 – Nancy
5 Rounds (For Time)
400m of Cardio OR 75 Double-Unders
15 Overhead Squats
“For the cardio, running, rowing, biking, skiing… if you have none of those, I suggest 75 double-unders as an alternative,” he says. “Then 15 overhead squats with a single dumbbell.”
Can’t nail the double-unders or missing a jump rope? Try jumping in place for the same amount of reps.
Workout 5 – Jacob Heppner’s DB Burpee Deadlift Workout
21-15-9 (For Time)
Dumbbell Burpee Deadlifts
50-meter Handstand Walk after each set OR Bear Crawl
“If you only have one dumbbell, just go the same rep range and aim to go faster,” he says. Unless you’re a seasoned CrossFitter (and if you’re inside, even then) leave the handstand walks alone. Go for the bear crawls.
Workout 6 – Pump Sesh
21-15-9 (For Time)
Dumbbell Strict Press
Bent Over Rows
“If you’ve got just one dumbbell, I suggest 21-15-9 on each side,” he says. “Get that big pump going.”
Workout 7 – Diane
21-15-9 (For Time)
Dumbbell Deadlifts
Strict Handstand Pushups
“Do strict handstand pushups… alternatively, pike pushups are way more manly than kipping,” he says. Like the handstand walk, you probably shouldn’t try to go upside down for your first time to attempt this WOD. Try the pike pushups instead.
Workout 8 – Kalsu
100 DB Thrusters (For Time)
Every Minute on the Minute (EMOM) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUHtmDIVMtk&t=0s5 Burpees
This is potentially one of the toughest workouts on the list. Given the EMOM structure, you’ll do 5 burpees at the start of every new minute until you’re finished. “The workout itself starts with 5 burpees, then your thrusters, then at the first minute, back into burpees again,” he says.
If your shoulders are too taxed under the dumbbell before finishing, ditch the dumbbell and wrap up your reps using only your bodyweight.
Workout 9 – Patrick Vellner’s Devil’s Press Workout
100 Devil’s Press reps
“This workout will be sh*t with any weight,” he says. “This workout is all about grit.” It’s also a workout you should approach with caution if you have shoulder issues. The Devil’s Press inherently involves a kettlebell-swing-type action overhead, and that can be unfriendly if you can’t really go overhead.
Workout 10 – Jason Khalipa’s Push/Pull
4 Rounds, 1 Minute each
Max Thrusters
Max Bent Over Row
Max Burpees
Max Hang Snatch
1 Minute Rest Between Sets
“My heart rate remained low. My arms, however, turned into spaghetti. They were completely destroyed,” he says. (He notes this is also a 20 minute workout.)
If you give this a try, don’t make piling on reps as quickly as possible your only focus. Instead, focus on quality reps—if you feel your form slipping, slow down and focus up.
https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a32315457/home-crossfit-workouts-1-dumbbell/