If you saw Jay Maryniak's One-Take Workout, you're probably wondering how you can work your way up to attempting such a seemingly impossible workout. It takes time and practicing the basics to do so. Maryniak has a full-body killer here for you that will do exactly that, giving you a taste of what it's like to train like the functional-fitness wunderkind that he is.
A lot of times, you can get a workout in and feel accomplished without improving technique and overall functionality. Maryniak's style of training provides no such free pass, however, mercilessly revealing chinks in your overall fitness armor. One might call this the "productively exhausting" workout.
The protocol goes as follows: You will do three continuous sets of 40 seconds of work, 20 seconds of rest. After the third set, rest for 1 minute and 20 seconds before moving on to the next exercise. With this workout being timed, the goal is to get in as many good reps as you can. This way you can focus more on executing technique and quality movement.
"The goal of this workout is keeping that heart rate up, building strength, and burning fat," he says.
All told, the workout should only take around 30 minutes. Maryniak advises doing this workout 2-3 times per week. Even if you don't own dumbbells, you can make this into a home workout by replacing the DBs with similarly weighted household objects. A less-intense version would use only your own body weight.
If you reach the end of this workout and realize you want to explore more dumbbell-only training options, check out Total-Body Dumbbell Fix on BodyFit Elite.
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Technique Tips
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
Your feet should be shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Keeping your back as flat as possible and arms straight, push your hips back and let the dumbbells slide down your legs as you reach down toward the floor. Maryniak makes it a little tougher by adding a tempo prescription of 4:2:1—the downward motion should last 4 seconds, hold for 2 seconds at the bottom, and 1 second coming up.
"Keep that spine neutral," says Maryniak. "I see way too many people at the bottom of the deadlift cranking their neck back, keeping it in full extension, and looking up."
Dumbbell Push-Up Pull-Through
Start in a push-up position with a dumbbell underneath near your rib cage. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart for maximum stability. After completing one push-up, keep your hips and core locked in as you reach underneath and across with the opposite hand to move the dumbbell over. No swaying or dipping of the hips! Alternate sides as you complete the set.
Hollow Body Crunch
Lying flat on your back, extend your legs and arms out straight and let them hover off the floor. Your lower back should be flat. Drawing in a big breath and contracting your abs will help you maintain that position. Draw your knees and your arms in at the same time, hold for a second, and return to the hover position. The goal is to keep your legs off the ground the whole time without needing to rest.
Dumbbell Thruster to Reverse Lunge
Maryniak even admits it: "This one's gonna be rough, guys." With two dumbbells in the front rack position, keep your core tight and your chest up as you descend into the squat. Thrust up out of the bottom position in a controlled manner and immediately go into an overhead press.
Once you bring the dumbbells back down, step back with one leg into a reverse lunge, come back to standing, then step back again with the opposite leg. It's easy to get off balance with the thruster, so be sure your feet are completely reset and core is tight before you start lunging. The leg burn is real here!
Broad Jump to High Knees
The broad jump must begin with your feet under your hips. Throw your arms up and back as you bend your knees and explode forward as far as you can. Landing with a soft knee helps you avoid injuries and nagging aches. It also leads to a quicker transition into the high knees portion of the exercise. "High knees" means you raise your knees to at least parallel with your hip flexor, if not higher. Your arms should also be pumping hard.
Bent-Over Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
Similar to the dumbbell Romanian deadlift from earlier, your spine should be neutral and your head facing down. With your core tight, alternate rows on each side, pausing for 2 seconds at the top of each movement. This will force you to focus on the contraction and feel your lats working. You'll find that this isn't just an upper-body exercise once your hamstrings and glutes start to burn from the tension in the bent-over position.
Hollow Body Pull-Over
The same tips from the hollow body crunch apply here, just a slightly different motion. Your toes should stay pointed; your legs should be motionless, straight, and raised off the ground. Holding one dumbbell between both hands, your elbows should stay locked out as you raise and lower the dumbbell from behind your head each time. Not quite on this level yet? Maryniak says to try this with your knees bent instead, or without weight. Build your way up from there!
Burpee Tuck Jump
Starting in a push-up position on the floor, your hands should be directly under your shoulders. Let your chest come to the ground, jump in toward your hands, and explode right up off the floor, tucking your knees as high as you can up toward your chest. Maryniak stresses the importance of soft landings again on your jumps, and that you shouldn't be landing with straight legs. This too will soften the impact on your knees. Plus, you'll just look more like an athlete!