A 5 minute rower and dumbbell workout to burn calories

LOOK OUT FOR brutal finisher to top off your workout? You’ve come to the right place to get your heart pumping and your forehead sweating.

In our 5 Minutes of Hell video series men health fitness editor Brett Williams, NASM CPT faces challenges designed by master trainers to push you to your physical limits in a five-minute window. So take a big gulp of water and tackle this session Ian Creighton from honeycomb.

On today’s agenda? An EMOM (or “every minute to the minute”) style workout that will push you to your cardio limits in no time. “We’re going to hit three breakaway rows at the top end of every minute, every minute straight into a calorie goal on the rower,” explains Creighton. This setup creates push-pull dynamics for the session, so your overall effort is more balanced. Just make sure your rowing form stays on point, even in tricky situations.

You can watch the video above to see if you have what it takes to survive those few brutal minutes, and read on for an overview of the routine below. FYI: You’ll need a rowing machine to take on this challenge, but if you don’t have one, check out our top picks here.

The Renegade & Row EMOM 5-Minute Workout

minute 1

Do three breakaway rows, followed by rows on a machine until you reach eight calories.

Get into a push-up position on the floor with your hands gripping a weight in each hand. Squeeze your back to row the weight to your chest with your right hand, place it back on the floor, then row to the left. Follow these reps with a push-up. Complete three times. Then push the rower until you reach eight calories. “Drive with your legs. Pull with your back,” says Creighton. Each row stroke targets your glutes, mid-back, and abs so you’ll really feel it the next day. Once you’re done rowing and have burned eight calories on the rowing machine, you can rest until the next minute starts.

minute 2

Do three breakaway rows followed by rows on a machine until you reach nine calories.

Make sure to tighten your glutes and abs to stabilize your hips during breakaway rows, as there’s a great temptation to slack off here as you become increasingly tired. “Keep your hips square to the floor,” says Creighton.

minute 3

Do three breakaway rows followed by rows on a machine until you reach 10 calories.

And you guessed it. This round will be even more difficult. If Williams can fight the fatigue to keep up with this five-minute sequence, so can you. While rowing, Creighton notes that Williams should ride on his legs and keep his chest out while you walk.

minute 4

Do three breakaway rows followed by rows on a machine until you reach 11 calories.

“Let’s keep your chest and hips straight against the floor,” says Creighton. Also, make sure to maintain a tight core. Another lap after that, so stick to the track even if you’re tired. Just in case, since this is an EMOM workout, the sooner you cross these two exercises off your to-do list, the quicker you’ll be done and can just enjoy some extra rest time.

minute 5

Do three breakaway rows followed by rows on a machine until you reach 12 calories.

Keeping your hips straight as you do the breakaway rows will be especially difficult on this round – but just remember that keeping your core balanced is important and it will all be over soon. Also, when rowing, be sure to flex your legs and arch your back while breathing deeply.

You are done. phew Worth noting: “If this calorie goal is too challenging, you can always lower the calories a bit. Or you want to make it more challenging, you can increase the number of calories per minute,” says Creighton.

“I really fought as hard as I could and did everything I could to earn my rest,” Williams said after catching his breath. “But what I really loved about it was that I worked so hard that when I went to those breakaway ranks I had to dial in shape right away.”

As Creighton points out, there’s a lot of pulling in this workout between the rower and the breakaway row, so throwing in the push-up also adds a nice chest workout to the mix.