During the holiday season, it’s not unusual for even the most active adults to spend a little more time outside the gym. That can be a very positive thing for enhancing rest and recovery. So when you head back to your fitness center after the long weekend, you might be recovered enough to try a challenging workout that doesn’t involve typical reps or sets.

There’s nothing typical about a CrossFit workout. These short, intense strength and conditioning sessions can be scaled up or down to any level of fitness, and utilize everything from barbells and pull up bars to kettlebells and plyometric boxes. This is non-specific training designed to enhance the overall performance of any type of athlete.

Team ON Athlete Jaquelyn Kastelic has designed a four-day program for anyone who’s interested in seeing what CrossFit’s all about. TIP: Take it easy the first time you try each of these workouts. You can ramp up the intensity after you get a better feel for this style of training.

Workout #1

Burpees & Deadlifts

Select a relatively light weight for reps. Your first set is 21 burpees and 21 deadlifts. Without resting, do a second set of 15 burpees followed by an equal number of deadlifts. Finish up with a final set of 9 burpees and 9 deadlifts.

Workout #2

Sprints, Push Presses & Sit Ups

Start out with a 400-meter sprint. Then perform a set of 10 push presses. Next up is 20 sit ups. You’ve just completed the first of 5 sets.

Workout #3

Back Squats

This one’s very straightforward. Load the barbell with your 5 rep max (the heaviest weight you can manage for 5 reps). Then do 5 sets of 5 reps.

Workout #4

Pull Ups, Kettlebell Swings & Box Jumps

Close out your week of intense workouts with a solid 10 minutes of pure physical challenge. The set begins with 5 pull ups. Then it’s 10 kettlebell swings (get some instruction in technique if you’re new at this). Finally, it’s 10 jumps on and off a 20-inch high plyometric box. Keep going until the entire 10 minutes is used up.