Bigger Stronger Leaner

Tip: 20-Minute Bench & Chin-Up Challenge

Test your bench press, chin-up, and conditioning with this brutal (but smart) challenge. Check it out!

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Want to really test your bench press and chin-up? Try this. The goal is to perform the entire challenge with 20 unbroken sets. If you must rest, do so and complete the set.

The Crisscross Challenge

How To Do It

  1. For the bench press portion, load the bar with your bodyweight. Do the chin-ups with no added weight or assistance.
  2. For the first set, perform 10 reps of chin-ups and 1 rep of bench press.
  3. On the second set, do 9 chin-ups and 2 reps of bench press.
  4. Continue the pattern until you reach 1 chin-up and 10 reps of bench press. You'll notice this always equals 11 reps total per set.

So that's 55 reps of each exercise and the goal is to complete it in under 20 minutes. If you're unable to complete it in 20 minutes, stop and record your total number of reps and get back to training.

Notes: If you haven't been doing bench press or chin-ups, get proficient in the lifts until you can perform multiple sets of 10 of each. Until then, either skip this challenge, pick easier versions of the exercises, or start at a lower rep range. Have a spotter present on the bench press at all times.