Between work commitments, family time and squeezing in a social life, it can be difficult to fit in quality training. Thankfully, US Army soldier David Winne has a workout that combines running, heavy barbell work and burpees into a brutal test of strength, fitness and pacing.
Winne calls it ‘the one with a bunch of “4s”‘, and the format lives up to the name. You’ll complete four rounds, each built around a four-minute working window, a 400-metre run and sets of 4 reps.
Describing it as ‘barbell work and a race against the clock’, Winne says he was able to complete ‘about three rounds of the AMRAP consistently’. The challenge is seeing how close you can get.
The ‘4s’ Workout
Do 4 rounds
Every 4 minutes:
With whatever time remains, complete as many rounds and reps as possible of:
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- 4 deadlifts
- 4 clean to overheads
- 4 burpees over the bar
Rest for 2 minutes between rounds.
Your score is the total number of rounds and reps you accumulate across all four rounds.
Weights
Men
- RX: 135lb / 61kg
- Scaled: 115lb / 52kg
Women
- RX: 105lb / 48kg
- Scaled: 85lb / 39kg
How to Do the Moves
- Stand with the barbell over your mid-foot, feet hip-width apart.
- Hinge at the hips and bend your knees to grip the bar just outside your legs.
- With a flat back, pull the slack out of the bar and drive through the floor to stand tall.
- Reverse the movement under control, pushing your hips back and returning the bar to the floor.
Clean to Overhead
- Stand with the barbell over your mid-foot, feet hip-width apart.
- Hinge at the hips and bend your knees to grip the bar just outside your legs.
- Keeping your core braced, drive through the floor and extend your hips and knees explosively to clean the bar to your shoulders.
- From here, dip slightly at the knees before driving the bar overhead until your arms are fully extended.
- Lower the bar back to the floor and repeat.
Burpee Over Bar
- Stand alongside the bar before dropping your hands to the floor and jumping your feet back into a high-plank position.
- Lower your chest to the floor, then press up and jump your feet forwards.
- Stand explosively and jump laterally over the bar.
- Turn and immediately begin your next rep on the opposite side.
Kate is a fitness writer for Men’s Health UK where she contributes regular workouts, training tips and nutrition guides. She has a post graduate diploma in Sports Performance Nutrition and before joining Men’s Health she was a nutritionist, fitness writer and personal trainer with over 5k hours coaching on the gym floor. Kate has a keen interest in volunteering for animal shelters and when she isn’t lifting weights in her garden, she can be found walking her rescue dog.
