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3 Hellishly Difficult Workouts to Burn 1,000 Calories

Dial in your diet, hit these three workouts hard, and you can shed a pound of fat in one week.

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Lat Pulldown
Dustin Snipes / Pavel Ythjall / M+F Magazine
Lat Pulldown
Dustin Snipes / Pavel Ythjall / M+F Magazine

It’s about time for many lifters to think about changing from a “get lean” routine to a “pack on mass” regimen. But some of us prefer to switch things up sim­ply to avoid monotony without abandoning our goal of staying lean year-round. To accomplish this we asked Jim “Smitty” Smith, C.P.P.S., owner of Diesel Strength and Conditioning, to whip up a hellish three-day workout program that would burn 1,000 calories per session.

Warning: Putting yourself through these will absolutely suck. However, the math speaks for itself. There are 3,500 calories in 1lb of fat. That means when you hit all three workouts, you’ll be left with only 500 calories to burn. Consume 70 fewer calories a day—drop that Snickerdoodle, buddy!—and that’s a guaranteed pound of fat lost per week.

Each workout is made up of three parts: a main lift, an every minute on the minute (EMOM) protocol, and a finisher. Now that you have the plan all you need to do is remove the excuses and execute.

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Main lift

The main lift is a multijoint move­ment meant to build strength and increase calorie expenditure, since you’re recruiting multiple muscles. Also, an all-out dropset follows your final set to reinforce a proper range of motion and up your total volume.

EMOM

For EMOM, start at the top of a minute and perform 10 reps for the first exercise (marked 2A). If it takes 40 seconds to perform the entire set, rest the remainder of the minute (so 20 seconds in this case), then move to the next exercise. Re­peat the same EMOM technique for 2B and 2C. The EMOM sets in these workouts will equate to a total of 12 minutes. “This protocol shortens the rest periods, keeps the intensity high, and keeps the lifter account­able by ensuring the rest periods are structured,” says Smith. “You can keep the weight the same for each movement, or if it’s too light, increase it slightly.”

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Finisher

“These finishers will finish off your workout with a major bang,” Smith says. “It’s simple: These are intense, short, and sweet circuits that’ll stress your metabolic rate.” Smith mixes in core work with short bouts of extreme effort with moves like sprints, kettlebell carries, and bear crawls.

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Routine

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Workout 1

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 2 of 6

Goblet Squat

Equipment
Dumbbells, Kettlebells
Sets
1
Reps
AMRAP
Rest
--
Rest 90 seconds after the last set of the main lift and then perform this set. Use 50% of your body weight.
Exercise 4 of 6

Lat Pulldown

Equipment
Adjustable Cable Machine, Lat Pulldown Bar
Sets
4
Reps
10
Rest
--
Perform EMOM style, and perform with a narrow grip.
Exercise 5 of 6

Inverted Row

Equipment
Barbell, Squat Rack
Sets
4
Reps
10
Rest
--
Perform EMOM style, and perform with feet elevated.
Exercise 7 of 6

Plank

Equipment
Sets
10
Reps
30 sec.
Rest
--
90 sec.

Workout 2

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 9 of 6

Dumbbell Bench Press

Equipment
Bench, Dumbbells
Sets
1
Reps
AMRAP
Rest
--
Rest 90 seconds after last set of the main lift and then perform this set. Use 25% of your body weight (each hand).
Exercise 10 of 6

Barbell Squat

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
4
Reps
8
Rest
--
Exercise 13 of 6

Farmer’s Walk

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
4
Reps
30 sec. / 30 sec.
Rest
120 sec.
Every 30 seconds, alternate between holding the kettlebells in a front rack position, one-arm overhead, and at your sides.

Workout 3

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 15 of 6

Dumbbell Row

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
1
Reps
AMRAP
Rest
--
Perform in the prone position. Rest 90 seconds after the last set of the main lift and then perform this set. Use 25% of your body weight (each hand).
Exercise 17 of 6

Dumbbell Swing

Equipment
Sets
4
Reps
20
Rest
--
Perform EMOM style.
Exercise 19 of 6

Bear Crawl

Equipment
Sets
4
Reps
10 ft.
Rest
--
Repeat this sequence five times and then rest for 2 minutes. Repeat three more times for a total of 20 sequences.
Exercise 20 of 6

Pushup Plank

Equipment
Sets
4
Reps
10 sec.
Rest
120 sec.
Repeat this sequence five times and then rest for 2 minutes. Repeat three more times for a total of 20 sequences.
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