Workout of the week: 12-min EMOM Christmas workout

19th December 2022

ALL LEVELS / EMOM Christmas workout / 12 minutes

Equipment: Dumbbells, barbell & kettlebell

“Can you hear the Christmas bells?” You better hear them because Christmas is just around the corner — it’s already next Sunday. Yes, 2022 flew by, and here we are, a few days away from December 25th. It’s the perfect opportunity to reflect on the past year and consider what matters the most. Namely, love, health, and other things like: how good is Santa’s workout? He has to be in great shape to deliver so many gifts in such a short time.

Now, this EMOM Christmas workout won’t make you as strong as him right away, but if you behave well, you’ll get there. It’s an EMOM (Every Minute On a Minute) session, which means you must complete a predefined number of reps of different exercises within 60 seconds. This combination of cardio and strength guarantees you’ll meet Santa’s deadline. It has 4 exercises, each with a different rep range, to complete in 3 rounds. All combined, it will take you 12 minutes to complete.

Dumbbell sumo squat – 15 to 20x
Deadlift to row – 15 to 20x
Barbell shoulder press – 15 to 20x
Kettlebell swing – 20 to 30x

Ready? Let’s work for those Christmas presents!

WORKOUT SETUP

4 exercises
3 rounds
EMOM (Every Minute On a Minute)
Different rep range for each exercise
12 minutes total
Equipment: Dumbbells, barbell & kettlebell

WORKING OUT FROM HOME? NO PROBLEM.

If you don’t have the equipment originally needed for this workout, you can substitute it with these everyday items or use these alternative exercises.

Alternative equipment

Kettlebell = bag with some weights, such as books, cans of food
Dumbbells = water bottles filled with water and / or sand
Barbell = a broom handle with a gym bag with weights on it

WORKOUT EXERCISE LIST

3 rounds

1 – DUMBBELL SUMO SQUAT

15 to 20 reps

Grab a dumbbell and hold it with both hands. You should stretch your arms, and the dumbbell should be in front of your waist.
Feet apart (about twice your shoulder width) with your toes pointing out slightly.
Lower your body as far as you can, hips back and knees bent.
Pause before pushing yourself to the starting position.
Maintain your core tight and your torso upright.

2 – DEADLIFT TO ROW

15 to 20 reps

Standing up proud, hold two dumbbells in each arm.
Now, bend forward until your upper body is slightly above parallel to the ground. Your back should remain under tension/straight throughout the motion.
Row the dumbbells up and down one time. Bend your elbows and retract your shoulder blades.
With your arms returned to the lower position, raise your upper body back up.

3 – BARBELL SHOULDER PRESS

15 to 20 reps

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a barbell with a pronated (overhand) grip at upper-chest height.
Exhale as you push the barbell straight upward.
At the top of the movement, shrug your shoulders to raise the barbell even higher.
Inhale as you reverse the motions and lower the barbell to the starting position in a controlled manner.
Do not lock your elbows out, and use a grip that is a little wider than shoulder width.
To move your head out of the way of the bar, rock your body slightly forward as the bar ascends and slightly backward as the bar descends.
Your head should be facing forward, not looking up.
Keep your elbows a little forward, not directly out to the sides.
Keep your wrists directly above your elbows.

4 – KETTLEBELL SWING

20 to 30 reps

Hold the kettlebell with both hands.
Hinge the hips to initiate the swing movement.
Rapidly drive hip extension to swing the kettlebell upwards.
Control your swing descent with a hip hinge by swinging the kettlebell between your legs.
Repeat.