40 Strong is a dumbbell strength workout with a small number and a big footprint - five exercises, five reps each, forty total reps per round once both weights have travelled everywhere they are going. Thrusters, shoulder presses, chest rows, lateral raises and calf raises run the load from the floor to overhead and back down to your heels.

The five-rep format is the strength standard, and this workout applies it top to bottom. Thrusters open with the biggest demand - a front squat flowing directly into an overhead press, one continuous chain from heels to fingertips that recruits more muscle per rep than anything else on the card. Shoulder presses isolate the overhead half of that movement while your legs recover. Chest rows pull the elbows high and wide, hitting the upper back and rear shoulders that pressing leaves behind. Lateral raises then load the side delts through the longest lever in the session - five reps that feel like more - and calf raises close each round with the dumbbells hanging heavy at your sides, turning a simple lift into loaded work.

Drive the thrusters as one motion: the press begins before the squat fully ends, using leg momentum the way the exercise intends. Press without arching your lower back, and row your elbows to shoulder height with control. On lateral raises, lift with a soft bend in the elbows and stop at shoulder height - swinging higher hands the work to momentum. Rise through the full range on every calf raise.

Five reps, five lifts, forty ways to earn the name. Strong is a number you can count.

Make it Harder: Increase the weight while keeping every fifth rep as clean as the first.

Make it Easier: Use lighter dumbbells and split the thrusters into squat then press.