I’ve never been named the fittest man on earth. Chances are, you haven’t either, but that doesn’t mean we can’t train like someone who has.
Two-time CrossFit Games champ Justin Medeiros recently shared a four-minute workout finisher you can try at your local box or gym—all you need is a pair of dumbbells and a rowing machine, preferably the Concept2 RowErg. He’s even revealed his score so you can see how you stack up against the sport’s elite.
The session is simple. Start a four-minute timer and perform 20 devil presses (Medeiros uses a pair of 60lb/27.5kg dumbbells) then burn as many calories as possible on the rower before the clock hits zero.
Medeiros reached 56 calories on the rower. Can you get anywhere near his score?
Medeiros tackled this short but sharp challenge after a one-rep max deadlift using a buffalo bar—a barbell with a curve.
This was part of a “max-effort lower session” with his physique coach Jesse Bifano, which offers a glimpse into the conjugate method training system he follows.
This style of training revolves around one-rep max attempts at the barbell squat, bench press and deadlift. Since starting to use this system after the 2020 CrossFit Games, Medeiros reports countless PRs and a 15lb (7kg) increase in body weight.
“It was adapted originally by Louie Simmons from Westside Barbell, from Russian training for weightlifters,” says Bifano in a separate video on Medeiros’ YouTube channel. “The idea is very similar to CrossFit. You’re using constantly varied movement patterns under high-intensity efforts to produce results. But where CrossFit is broad in general, ours is more specific in the nature of powerlifting—squat, bench and deadlift.
“But that system has adapted pretty comfortably into that CrossFit world.”
