The Total-Body Workout You HAVE To Try

Meet the cure-all for that annoying gym plateau

The secret to busting out of a fitness rut is doing something totally out of your comfort zone. You need a workout that’ll surprise your muscles and keep you engaged the whole time. The fix: an intense series of supersets and fat-burning cardio intervals. Sound confusing? It’s not—let us show you exactly how it’s done.

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The Workout
Do this routine two or three days a week on nonconsecutive days. For each superset—that is, a pair of back-to-back exercises—complete as many reps of the first move as you can (with perfect form) in 30 seconds, then immediately do the same for the second. Without resting, follow each superset with the corresponding cardio interval, doing the exercise of your choice (treadmill, bike, elliptical, or stair stepper). Don’t worry, you get a short break after each cardio interval. Alternate until you’ve done all four supersets and three cardio intervals. 

A Couple Tips
*Choose a weight and pace that exhaust you by the end of the set or interval, while maintaining good form throughout.
*Pause and rest if you need to, but your goal is to do as many reps as you can within the 30 seconds.

Superset 1:
Dumbbell Lunge to Overhead Press (you’ll need two dumbbells)
Split-Stance Cable Chop (you’ll need a cable machine)

Cardio Interval 1
Minutes 1 and 2: Effort level 4 (breathing and speaking comfortably)
Minute 3: Effort level 5 (increased breathing but speaking comfortably)
Minute 4: Effort level 6 (tough to speak in full sentences)
Rest for one to two minutes.

Superset 2
Underhand-Grip Lat Pulldown (you’ll need a lat pulldown machine)
Stability-Ball Back Extension (you’ll need a stability ball)

Cardio Interval 2
Minutes 1 and 2: Effort level 5 (increased breathing but speaking comfortably)
Minute 3: Effort level 8 (tough to speak more than six words at a time)
Minute 4: Effort level 9 (tough to speak more than two words at a time)
Rest for one to two minutes.

Superset 3
Stability-Ball Hamstring Curl (you’ll need a stability ball)
Stability-Ball Front Bridge (you’ll need a stability ball)

Cardio Interval 3
Minutes 1 and 2: Effort level 5 (increased breathing but speaking comfortably)
Minute 3: Effort level 7 (tough to speak in full sentences)
Minute 4: Effort level 8 (tough to speak more than six words at a time)
Rest for one to two minutes.

Superset 4
Stability-Ball Alternating Dumbbell Bench Press (you’ll need a stability ball and two dumbbells)
Weighted Russian Twist and Press (you’ll need a weight plate or a dumbbell)

OK, it might seem like a lot, but remember that you’re doing the supersets in 30-second blasts and each cardio interval for just four minutes, which ends up being about a 40-minute routine. (You can even get a print-out of the whole workout here.) Goodbye, workout slump! 

For more great workouts like this, be sure to check out our collection of calorie-crushing, strength-building workout videos. Some great options to choose from:
5-Minute Fat Blast: Crush Calories With This Quick Workout
The Butt Workout That’ll Lift, Tone, Tighten—and Turn Heads
15-Minute Workout: 4 Strengthening Isometric Moves

Categories: Total-Body , Workout