It’s not what you do once in a while that matters. It’s what you do every day, which is why I was intrigued by Chris Hemsworth's Daily 50-Rep Challenge. If you could do 50 reps every day for the rest of your life - you’d be in fantastic shape, right? Right. I had to give it a go.
I’m a solid fan of mixing up my workouts and trying new things to keep things fresh and fun, whether swapping strength workouts for Reformer Pilates for a week or 100 hanging leg raises every day for a month.
If I could get results in just half the time of my usual workout - and without the need for a gym - it’s even better, which is why I was intrigued by Centr-founder Mr Big Arms' routine. I had no intention of getting as buff as he was when he recorded the video for the workout, but as long as the session gives me a bit of a boost, I'm game.
Could the 50-rep challenge be the secret sauce of spicing up your workout routine? There was only one way to find out. Here’s what happened when I swapped my usual workout for the 50-rep challenge.
What is the Daily 50-rep Challenge?
Chris' Daily 50-rep Challenge is designed to improve strength, endurance, and cardiovascular fitness, with minimal rest between exercises. It's scalable based on fitness levels by adjusting dumbbell weights and rounds.
To do this, all you need is a pair of dumbbells – or, even better, some adjustable dumbbells. These are perfect for those who can’t get to the gym and like to keep challenging themselves without needing to store and buy new and heavier dumbbell sets whenever they want to push a little harder. You then need enough space to perform.
- 10 reps of the Dumbbell Burpee to Curl and Press, a full body move where you crouch to the floor, jump your feet out, jump your feet in and then perform a Bicep Curl to Press
- 10 Squats to Curl to Press
- 10 Alternating Reverse Lunge to Curls
- 10 Bicep Curls
- 10 Standing Shoulder Presses
The aim is to repeat the five-move circuit five times, resting for just 60 seconds between each round, for a muscle-building full-body workout that will also leave you with a few beads of sweat on your forehead.
Do I have to fit to do the Daily 50-rep Challenge?
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to go far to accomplish a great workout. Whether you don’t have time for the gym or prefer to crush reps in your living room, this is a great workout to get the heart rate up, work every muscle from head to toe and strengthen areas you didn’t even know existed.
Not only are the movements in this workout efficient and interesting, but they’re all compound exercises that activate several muscles simultaneously, making them absolutely ideal for when time is tight but you want to lose weight and build muscle simultaneously.
Working the full body by performing moves like burpees and reverse lunges is also key to improving coordination and overall strength while preventing injury, especially by strengthening the hips and knees.
On day one, I started with just 3kg of dumbbells, but on day two, I decided to progress through my weights with each round, lifting 8 kg by round five. It was hard, but the key is to mix things up and keep your body and mind engaged. It certainly did this: my heart was pounding, and my muscles were burning.
Why is the Daily 50-rep Challenge so effective?
The workout, which starts with the burpee, is a great way to get the body warm while encouraging deep squats that see you explode up through the legs before pressing your dumbbells over your head.
For some of the exercises, I could perform 10 straight reps without an issue, but being very upper-body focused, my arms and shoulders started to burn as I hit the last move (standing shoulder press). A quick shake was enough to sort them out, and I found that as I progressed through the week, I got used to the intense burn in my shoulders and biceps.
Despite the recommended 60 seconds, I gave myself 30-ish seconds at the end of each round and smashed through each circuit in just under 3 minutes, give or take. It was short, intense, and a full-body blitz, taking around 20 minutes.
My verdict on the Daily 50-rep Challenge
One thing for sure is that the Daily 50-rep Challenge ticks all my workout boxes. High heart rate? Check. High-volume reps? Check. And last but not least, are my muscles on fire? Check.
Going forward, I know that if I’m short on time, I can get a real burn with just one or two rounds. But if I want to push further, I can play around by using kettlebells instead of dumbbells – or I can simply use my bodyweight if I’m short on space or away from home.
What I love about this workout is that it’s quick, creative, and whatever you want to make it. My only regret is that I didn’t get to do the workout with the coastline view like Chris has, but then again, never say never.