The 50-40-30-20-10 Workout is very simple. You do 50 reps of an exercise, then 40, then 30 and so on. This simplicity is what makes it so versatile. You can do it with bodyweight exercises or resistance. You can do it in a hotel room while traveling, at home or at the gym.

Only have 20 minutes free to squeeze in a workout? No problem.

How to Structure 50-40-30-20-10 workouts

You can stack multiple 50-40-30-20-10 sequences into your workout with different exercises, like this:

50 Jump Lunges
50 V-Ups
40 Jump Lunges
40 V-Ups
30 Jump Lunges
30 V-Ups
20 Jump Lunges
20 V-Ups
10 Jump Lunges
10 V-Ups

You can do the same thing and make it a little more interesting, like this:

50 Jump Lunges
10 V-Ups
40 Jump Lunges
20 V-Ups
30 Jump Lunges
30 V-Ups
20 Jump Lunges
40 V-Ups
10 Jump Lunges
50 V-Ups

Or, you can mix up the exercises in the same 50-40-30-20-10 sequence, like this:

50 Burpees
40 V-Ups
30 Air Squats
20 Lunges
10 Leg Lifts

When designing your workout, remember that a single 50-40-30-20-10 sequence will take about 10 to 15 minutes to complete. That means that if you want to work out for an hour, plan to do four sequences.

Your goal in the workout should be to finish as quickly as possible. Time yourself, and see if you can beat your record on the next try.

Exercises to do in 50-40-30-20-10 workouts

Because the workout starts with sets of 50 reps and 40 reps, it’s suited well for bodyweight exercises. This can include movements like:

Explosive movements

• Jump lunges
• Jump squats
• Long jumps
• Burpees
• Plyo push ups

Lower body

• Air squats
• Air lunges
• Frog squats
• Spider squats

Upper body

• Push ups
• Handstand push ups
• Plank push-ups

Abs

• Sit ups
• V-Ups
• Hollow rocks
• Russian twists

However, if you happen to have a kettlebell or a pair of dumbbells handy, you can incorporate resistance exercises like:

• Kettlebell swings
• Thrusters
• Overhead presses
• Gorilla rows

Points to remember when doing 50-40-30-20-10

You’ll notice that you do 60% of your reps in the first two sets. It’s going to get very tempting to stop and take a break midway through these sets, but do your best to fight through the set without stopping. This is what will help improve your cardio.

When your set is complete, you can take a breath or two, but our goal is to finish as quickly as possible, so move on to the next set as fast as you can.

When designing your workout, make sure to alternate exercise emphasis points at the transitions. In other words, don’t follow a lower body exercise with a lower body exercise. When you switch it up — like lower body to abs to upper body, for example — you make it possible to go from set to set without taking breaks (and get a full body workout!)

The last two sets are going to feel very easy after fighting through sets of 50 and 40. But don’t allow yourself to go easy here. Finish strong: Use good form and keep your effort up.

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