7 Agonizing 2-minute Workouts That’ll Torch Every Muscle in Your Body-NICK RANA

7 Agonizing 2-minute Workouts That’ll Torch Every Muscle in Your Body-Nick Rana

You can’t step foot in a gym these days without hearing rabid talk about the VersaClimber. Thanks to the excruciating full-body workout it provides, the 1980s relic is now the top-trending toy for athletes (LeBron!), celebs, and gym rats willing to endure two minutes of vomit-inducing torment to get that total-body burn.

Science backs up the benefits of this type of hardcore training: A 2016 study found that one minute of super-high-intensity training three days a week for 12 weeks equaled 45 minutes of low-intensity workouts—and improved stamina and oxygen consumption.

But if you don’t have access to a VersaKiller—er, Climber—you can still get in 120 seconds of lung-torching cardio and gut-busting muscle training with these seven routines. They’re tough, but you’ll love the pain—and the knowledge that after you’ve rocked a killer workout, you can enjoy the rest of your day.

So get ready to hear your muscles scream.

1. Pullup to pain

Body parts: forearms, grip, biceps, back, lats, core

We know what you’re thinking: “Two straight minutes of pullups?”

Yup. “A pullup uses every part of the body,” says Jacques Devore, godfather of the VersaClimber workout and CEO of L.A.’s Sirens & Titans Fitness. “It’s one of the best moves you can do.”

The keys: pace and technique. If you try to hammer pullups like Rambo, you’ll never make it the full 120 seconds—and, even worse, you could end up with elbow tendinitis or wrist problems.

Devore advises resting five seconds between every 10 pullups to help maintain proper form. As for technique, he suggests switching your grip—from wide to narrow, from overhanded to underhanded (aka supinated)—every 20 seconds or so to lower the risk of injury and better isolate your back and biceps.

2. Rowing agony

Body parts: core, upper and lower body strength, cardio

There’s a reason Olympic rowers use Concept2’s Model D ergometer (rower)—it leaves you drenched and utterly exhausted.

But to prevent lower-back injuries, good technique is crucial. So pretend you’re moving heavy boxes: Drive—don’t pull—through your hips, explode through your heels, and, most important, don’t round your back. Crank out 30 seconds at a good tempo (you shouldn’t be able to carry on a conversation), followed by 30 seconds all out, and repeat. This row will absolutely crush your cardiovascular endurance.

3. Medicine ball misery

Body parts: glutes, hamstrings, quads

Two minutes of medicine ball slams will keep paying dividends long after you’ve finished the workout. Three of the body’s largest muscle groups will be cooked, and the oxygen they’ll require for recovery will lead to an after-burn effect, so you’ll get great caloric expenditure even when you’re resting.

Start with the ball over your head, your back straight, and your feet shoulder-width apart, with your weight focused on your heels. (If you can’t wiggle your toes, reset your stance to relieve the pressure.) For each rep, bring the ball down quickly until your hands are level with your navel, then slam it to the floor while exhaling as if you were blowing out birthday candles. Bring it back up over your head to finish.

If you’re not winded after 30 seconds, pick up the pace, but don’t forsake form—a curved back could fatigue your lower lumbar.

4. Mattress pushups to exhaustion

Body parts: core, chest, triceps, shoulders

When 50 Cent is traveling, trainer Jay Cardiello throws a mattress on the hotel room floor and has the rapper bang out pushups.

Why do it? The mattress makes balancing more difficult and forces you to improve stabilization. It also works your chest, triceps, shoulders, and core—and will have you gasping like you just ran the mile in gym class.

But it’s easy to have poor technique on the mattress, so keep your feet hip-width apart and form a straight line from your shoulders to your heels.

“If your hips start to sag, stop,” says Cardiello, “then reengage.”

5. Dumbbell torment

Body parts: lats, back, core, upper and lower body

This drill mixes 20 seconds of jumping dumbbell push-presses, for explosive power, with 20 seconds of renegade rows, for rotational stability. “It’s core and total body,” says Devore. “And, holy crap, is it brutal.”

Using a pair of 15- to 35-pound dumbbells, do a shoulder press. With your arms still raised, squat down, then explode up into a jump with, says Devore, “the dumbbells locked overhead like a cheerleader.”

But it’s not over: Still gripping the dumbbells, drop into a pushup position. Lift one dumbbell to your side, hold for 1 second, then slowly lower it back down; repeat with the other arm.

6. Climb and cry

Body parts: chest, hip flexors, core, lower-body power, knees, shoulder and trunk stability

Starting in a plank position, drive one knee toward your torso and hold briefly; switch legs. Keep your hips low, which forces you to load your core.

“It can really shred your stomach,” Devore says. Repeat for 10 seconds.

Next, move to the jumping split-squat overhead press: Grab two 10- to 20-pound dumbbells and, with feet in a staggered stance, raise the ’bells overhead. Drop down into a lunge (start slow and shallow; as you get stronger, you can go faster and deeper), then jump up to switch feet.

Repeat for 10 seconds, then switch back to the climbers.

7. Harrowing cross and kettle

Body parts: leg strength, hip mobility, lower-body power, cardio

Lay a gym agility ladder (rope with “paint-can stirrer” rungs) on the floor; set a 10- to 20-pound kettlebell at each end.

Stand next to one end, facing down the ladder’s length. Bring the outside foot across your body and drop it into the first “box.” Repeat with the other leg, moving “like it’s a hot plate you want to get off fast,” says Devore.

At the end, switch to kettlebell swings, swinging it between your legs then up to shoulder height. Drive through the glutes, with your back flat and your weight on your heels. Continue for 30 seconds, then head back down the ladder.

Topics: 15-Minute Workouts full-body workout High-intensity workouts rowing Total-body workouts workout routines Workouts

7 Agonizing 2-minute Workouts That’ll Torch Every Muscle in Your Body-NICK RANA