Cellucor-sponsored IFBB physique pro and longtime Bodybuilding.com spokesmodel Craig Capurso is a big believer in not letting his workouts drag on forever. Sure, you could hang out in the gym for an hour and a half every day but, come on, man, you've got a life to live! Capurso is going to take you through one of his most punishing workouts, and it will only take 15 minutes. At the end of that measly quarter hour, you're going to need a stretcher—and maybe a couple of helpers—to reach the locker room.
Capurso combines five exercises, starting with push-ups, hanging pikes or "toes-to-bar," burpees, pistol squats, and finishing up with clean and presses. We'll give you the numbers below, but the idea is to add one rep every time you complete the circle.
The cool thing about Capurso's workout is that you can score it to help you track your progress over time. For example, doing 10 push-ups earns you 10 points, and when you do the clean and press at 135 pounds, one rep is going to be 135 points while 2 reps is 270 points. At the end of the workout, add the points up. That's your score.
You're going to do as many of these exercises as you can in 15 minutes, so you need to hit it, then quit it. Rest when you need to. Some exercises will tire you out more than others, so just grab air when you can, hit it hard, and rack up those points!
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Craig's Technique Keys
Push-up: Capurso says to keep your elbows a little bit more tucked in, like you would on the bench press. When your elbows stick out, you're hitting shoulders, while he's after chest.
Hanging Pike: Also known as "toes-to-bar." You want to get a good grip on the bar for this move. You could strap in but, as Capurso says, you probably won't want to lose points by going through all that with every set. Instead, hang on tight, hit your abs, and crush your core. Capurso says to make sure your pelvis comes up along with your legs. Don't try to just move your legs alone. It isn't going to work.
Hanging Pike
Burpee: As you'll see, Capurso is speechless—and breathless—about this one. You've just got to dig deep and get them done.
Pistol Squat: It might take you some time to master this move. If you need to, Capurso says to hold on to a rope or bar to help you keep your balance and get back up to standing. But after a while, progress to the point where you can do them by yourself. Focus on sitting down on your heel on the negative. Use every ounce of strength you have to get back up.
Clean and Press: This is another one of Capurso's "willpower gut checks," like his "Ultimate Shoulder Workout" and his "Heavy-Volume Gut-Check Workout." He's practicing a more Olympic style with this exercise. Instead of muscling it and holding it, he's focusing on bringing it around, getting down some, popping a little bit, and pressing the bar overhead. See if you can do it that way, too.
Clean And Press
Capurso is putting a lift at the end of all these bodyweight moves to give you a good rip and pull at the end to see what you've got left—kind of like sprinting to the finish line. It'll be a little challenging to lift the weight with the fatigue you're feeling at this point, so be extra careful and make sure you come underneath the bar before you press it overhead.
Capurso recommends doing this workout on a weekly or monthly basis, or, hell, even every couple of days if you want to burn some serious calories and work on your endurance. Keep score of your performances, and see if you can keep beating your previous total. You've picked the ultimate adversary: yourself!