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Crush Your Week: 5 Dumbbell Workouts to Prep for Obstacle Course Races

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Crush Your Week: 5 Dumbbell Workouts to Prep for Obstacle Course Races
Presented by Spartan Training®

Obstacle dominance is built on a foundation of stabilization, mobility, strength, power, and technique. This week's Crush the Week workouts, courtesy of Spartan SGX Coach Rose Dey, are designed to help you build the necessary core, grip, and muscular strength using just dumbbells. Use each day to create immunity against every obstacle type and to become unstoppable out on the race course.  

What are the benefits of dumbbell workouts?

There are plenty of reasons to add free dumbbells – rather than machines – to your at-home gym and weekly workouts, including:

  1. Improved balance and proprioception
  2. Strong core
  3. Increased mobility
  4. Joint stability
  5. Freedom of movement and increased exercise potential
  6. Improved functional and grip strength

01

Workout: Monday

Two unique, 12-minute, 3-round EMOM (every minute on the minute) workouts, where you'll do 50 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest. Rest 1 minute between the two different circuits after 3 rounds of the first are complete. Use the same moderate weight of your choice.

Circuit I

  1. Suitcase deadlifts
  2. Dumbbell cleans
  3. Front squats
  4. Mountain climbers

Circuit II

  1. Floor press
  2. Bent-over row
  3. Push press
  4. Drop squats (no weight)
    
02

Workout: Tuesday

Three unique circuits separated by 60 seconds of rest each. Perform 3 rounds of each circuits before moving onto the next circuit. Perform each exercise for 10 reps per round with 30 seconds of rest between rounds. 

Circuit I

  1. Inchworm to push-up
  2. Bear crawl
  3. Alternating Spiderman T-spine rotation

Circuit II

  1. Suitcase lateral lunge
  2. Alternating crab toe touch (20 total reps)
  3. Gorilla planks (plank to jump into deep squat)

Circuit III

  1. Front squat with 3-second isometric hold
  2. Army crawl
  3. Plank up-down
    
03

Workout: Wednesday

Perform 4 rounds of the below circuit, doing each exercise for 30 seconds and resting 60 seconds between rounds. 

  1. Hollow body rock
  2. Plank jack
  3. Weighted butterfly sit-up
  4. Bear crawl
  5. Weighted toe touch
  6. Flutter kick
  7. Superman
  8. Dumbbell plank drag-through
  9. Crab toe touch

04

Workout: Thursday

A 20-minute AMRAP. Perform as many rounds as possible within 20 minutes.

  1. 30-second dumbbell suitcase carry (left)
  2. 30-second dumbbell suitcase carry (right)
  3. 8 single-arm overhead reverse lunges (left)
  4. 8 single-arm overhead reverse lunges (right)
  5. 30-second farmer carry
  6. 16 plank shoulder taps
  7. 8 upright dumbbell rows (left)
  8. 8 upright dumbbell rows (right)
  9. 16 alternating dumbbell push presses

05

Workout: Friday

A ladder up-down workout where you'll alternate between two movements, building up or breaking down the reps each round. If you have what it takes, go back down once you reach the end!

  1. Dumbbell thrusters: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20
  2. Burpees: 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2

 

Get Obstacle Ready