Most men who love training will at some point daydream about having their own personal workout space. It usually occurs at the gym when the queue for the bench press is three deep and you can’t get to a squat rack because it’s being used for biceps curls. The luxury of having a well-equipped workout space in your home is well out of reach of most of us because of two big reasons: space and cost.
But both of those problems disappear when you consider the new FitBench Flex, the cheaper and more compact version of the all-in-one workout kit box embraced by commercial gyms across the US to offer clients a way of working out within their own space where all the kit they need is never more than an arm’s length away.
“The beauty of the FitBench is that it contains all the kit you need to improve your strength, build muscle, burn fat and achieve any other training goal,” says health and fitness consultant Tom Eastham. “It contains dumbbells, kettlebells, a medicine ball, resistance bands and even battle ropes to provide all the equipment you’ll need for fast and effective home workouts, even if you’re limited for space.” The FitBench Flex is only available in the US – for now – so to whet your appetite Men’s Fitness asked Eastham to put together three different goal-based workouts using the FitBench Flex to show how versatile this one-kit wonder can be.
- Supersets: Do these five pairs of moves using the bench, dumbbells, kettlebells and med ball to build lean size and strength in all your major muscle group
- EMOM: After a mobility and activation warm-up, do these three moves every minute on the minute (EMOM) to turn your body into a fat-fighting machine
- AMRAP: Doing these two “as many reps as possible” (AMRAP) circuits of three moves will push your heart, lungs and muscles to the limit, and improve your fitness
Workout 1: Supersets
How After a five-minute warm-up, start the session with the first superset. This means you do one set of 12 reps of move 1A, rest 30 seconds, then do one set of 12 reps of move 1B. Rest 30 seconds then repeat this for a total of three supersets. Then move on to the second superset and repeat until you’ve done all the sets of the fifth and final superset.
Why “This is a very effective time-saving workout that hits all your major muscle groups in the right rep ranges to stimulate the building of new muscle mass,” says Eastham. “The short rest periods work your heart and lungs to get your heart rate high so you burn more calories. It’s a fantastic workout that builds muscle and burn fat.”
1A Paused goblet squat
Sets 3 Reps 12 Rest 30sec
Stand tall in front of the bench holding a dumbbell in both hands like a goblet. Squat down until your thighs go past parallel to the floor. Hold this position for two seconds. Push through your heels to stand up.
1B Dumbbell bench press
Sets 3 Reps 12 Rest 30sec
Lie on the bench with your feet on the floor, holding a dumbbell in each hand with straight arms. Lower the weights to the sides of your chest, then press them back up to return to the start position.
2A Paused dumbbell Romanian deadlift
Sets 3 Reps 12 Rest 30sec
Stand tall, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Keeping your legs straight, hinge forwards from your hips. Pause for two seconds at the bottom, then reverse back to the start.
2B Dumbbell seated overhead press
Sets 3 Reps 12 Rest 30sec
Sit on the bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing at shoulder height. Press the weights directly overhead until your arms are straight, then lower back to the start.
3A Kettlebell step-up
Sets 3 Reps 12 Rest 30sec
Stand in front of the bench with a kettlebell in the racked position. Step up with your left leg to stand with both feet on the bench then step back down. Do six reps then switch arms and leading leg.
3B Dumbbell renegade row
Sets 3 Reps 12 Rest 30sec
Get into the press-up position with your hands gripping dumbbells. Brace your abs, row one hand up to your side, then lower it and repeat with your other arm. That’s one rep.
4A Tuck-up
Sets 3 Reps 12 Rest 30sec
Sit on the bench with your abs braced. Crunch up to raise your torso as you also bring in your knees towards your chest. Pause, then reverse the move. Maintain tension on your abs throughout the set.
4B Russian twist
Sets 3 Reps 12 Rest 30sec
Sit on the bench holding a medicine ball in both hands. Raise your torso and feet, then use your abs to rotate your torso to the left then back to the right then back to the middle. That’s one rep.
5A Bench jump
Sets 3 Reps 12 Rest 30sec
Stand with the bench in front of you. Lower into a quarter squat, then jump up explosively to land on the bench. Step back down. Make it harder by jumping over the bench then turning around and jumping back to the start.
5B Kettlebell swing
Sets 3 Reps 12 Rest 30sec
Stand tall, holding a kettlebell in both hands. Swing the bell back between your legs, then push your hips forwards to swing it up to head height. Swing it back down and repeat.
See related
- The Best Home Gym Equipment
- The EMOM Sandbag Workout For Rock-Hard Abs
- An AMRAP Workout To Build Strength, Fitness And Mental Toughness
Workout 2: EMOM
How Do three rounds of the five warm-up exercises pictured below to activate your muscles and fire up your central nervous system for the main workout. For that, start a timer, then do 15 reps of move 1. Once you finish, rest for however much of the first minute is left, then do 30 reps of move 2, resting for the rest of that minute, then do 15 reps of move 3, resting for the remainder of that minute. Then go back to the start and continue for 30 minutes.
Why “EMOM workouts are very tough, because as you fatigue each set takes longer, giving you less and less time to rest before moving on to the next move,” says Eastham. “This type of workout is fantastic for losing fat and improving cardio fitness, so if you’re new to it aim for 18 to 21 minutes the first time, and instead of counting reps, do 40 seconds of work and 20 seconds of rest to give yourself enough recovery time.”
Warm-up
Do three rounds of the following:
1 Scapula press-up
Reps 10
Get into the press-up position, then lower your shoulder blades and raise them again, keeping your arms and legs straight.
2 Bungee reverse flye
Reps 10
Stand tall with a handle in each hand. Raise your hands out to the sides to feel a good stretch across your upper back.
3 Single-arm chest press
Reps 20
Lie on the bench holding a dumbbell in one hand. Lower the weight, then press it back up. Do ten reps on one side, then switch.
4 Paused kettlebell Romanian deadlift
Reps 10
Stand tall holding a kettlebell. Keeping your legs straight, hinge forwards from your hips. Pause, then reverse back to the start.
5 Down-up
Reps 10
Stand tall, then drop to the floor to get into the bottom of a press-up. Bring your knees back under your torso and stand back up.
EMOM workout
1 Feet-elevated press-up
Reps 15
Get into a press-up position with your wrists, elbows and shoulders aligned and your feet elevated on the bench. Bend your elbows to lower your chest to the ground, then straighten your arms to press back up to the top. After your 15 reps, rest for the remainder of the minute and then move on to exercise 2.
2 Kettlebell swing
Reps 30
Stand tall, holding a kettlebell in both hands. Swing the bell back between your legs, then push your hips forwards to swing it up to head height. Swing it back down and repeat. After your 30 reps, rest for the remainder of the minute and then move on to exercise 3.
3 Burpee
Reps 15
Stand tall, then drop down on to your hands and feet. Kick your feet out to straighten your legs, then lower your chest to touch the floor. Bring your feet back in underneath your torso, then jump up explosively. As soon as you land, go straight into the next rep. After your 15 reps, rest for the remainder of the minute and then return to exercise 1.
Workout 3: AMRAP
How Do two rounds of the four warm-up moves pictured below, then move on to the main session. In AMRAP 1 do ten reps on each leg of move 1, then go straight into ten reps of move 2, then straight into ten reps of move 3. Without resting, go back to move 1 and repeat. The aim is to complete as many rounds as you can in ten minutes. After that time, rest for five minutes, then do AMRAP 2 following the exact same pattern for ten minutes.
Why “Doing ten minutes of constant work before getting a breather is really tough, so it’s important you get smart and pace yourself at the start so you don’t run out of gas after a few minutes,” says Eastham. “Focus on perfect form and breathing consistently to get in enough oxygen and, if you can, up the intensity towards the end to finish each AMRAP in style. It’s better to start smart then end strong than go out too quickly and blow up.”
Warm-up
Do two rounds of the following:
1 Banded external rotation
Reps 20
Stand tall with a handle in one hand with your forearm parallel to the ground. Rotate your hand up so your fists points to the ceiling, then reverse the move back to the start. Do ten reps on one side, then switch and repeat.
2 Half-kneeling straight-arm dumbbell overhead press
Reps 20
Start in a lunge position, with your front foot and back knee and toes on the floor, holding a dumbbell in one hand. Keeping your abs braced, press the weight overhead then lower it. Do ten reps on one side, then switch.
3 Lateral lunge
Reps 10
Stand tall with your feet wide apart. Bend one knee and lower into a side lunge, keeping your arms straight and parallel to the floor. Return to the start, then lunge to the other side. That’s one rep.
4 Kneeling rainbow medicine ball slam
Reps 10
Kneel on the floor, holding a medicine ball in both hands. Raise the ball over your head then slam it down to the side. Pick it up and repeat, moving in the other direction. That’s one rep.
AMRAP 1
1 Dumbbell overhead lunge
Reps 20
Stand tall with a dumbbell in your right hand at shoulder height. Lunge forwards with your left leg, pressing the weight overhead as you do. Push off your front foot to return to the start, lowering the weight. Do ten reps, then swap sides.
2 Medicine ball slam
Reps 10
Stand tall, holding a medicine ball in both hands. Raise the ball high, then slam it down to the ground. Pick it up and repeat.
3 Bench jump-over
Reps 10
Hold the sides of the bench with both hands, with your feet together on one side. Jump your feet up and over the bench to land on the other side. That’s one rep. Keep the reps fast and controlled.
AMRAP 2
1 Single-leg box squat
Reps 10
Stand tall in front of the bench on one leg, holding a kettlebell in both hands against your chest. Squat down until you sit on the bench, then stand up and repeat. After five reps, switch standing leg.
2 Ketlebell snatch
Reps 10 each side
Start with a one-arm swing, but as the kettlebell starts to come through your legs, shrug your shoulder backwards and up. Raise your elbow to draw the weight up and, as it and your elbow reach the same height, rotate your arm under the weight and press it overhead.
3 Hollow body rock
Reps 20
Lie on the bench with your legs straight and feet together and your arms extended straight overhead. Keeping your abs braced, rock your torso up so your legs go down, then rock your legs up so your torso goes down. That’s one rep.
