A great way to do double duty at the gym is to combine a couple of otherwise very different exercises into a single movement. Hanging leg raise to pull-up would be one example of a single gut-busting, lat-straining exercise.
Another really super great combo is the squat to shoulder press movement, otherwise known as a thruster (in crossfit lingo anyway – a key element to the “Fran” benchmark).
The thruster is, as I described, a single movement between squat and press. The exercise can really be done with any sort of weight – kettle bells, barbells, dumbbells, medicine ball – anything you can do a squat and shoulder press with.
Start with the weight positioned at shoulder level as though you are about to do a shoulder press. Instead, go down into a squat, back up and then do the shoulder press. Go immediately back to start – that’s a rep.
Try doing three sets of 8 at an empty bar, 45lbs or 65lbs to start. You may find that you can easily go up to 95 or higher (depending more or less on your shoulder press), but before you do that, attempt to increase the intensity. Whipping off 8 reps of this exercise without pausing between reps will make your heart pound and get your sweat on like you’ve just run a record mile.
P.S. Just don’t overdo it. Exercises like the thruster can really give your body a run for its money.
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