Whenever I interview elite athletes, I like to ask for their bread and butter workouts then take them for a spin. I know I’ll never match their athletic prowess, but it’s fun to see how they train and put their other-worldly fitness levels into perspective.
Over years of doing this, one thing has become abundantly clear: simple is often best. Adam Peaty had me doing heavy back squats, Eilish McColgan set me 10 lots of 1km running intervals, and All Blacks performance coach Nic Gill told me to hit “The Bronco Test” – a series of shuttle runs which turned my legs to lead inside five minutes.
Chatting to BMX star and Olympic silver medallist Kieran Reilly, this trend rang true again. The Red Bull athlete’s go-to session only contains one exercise and takes just 20 minutes, yet it was still able to leave me lying on the floor, lungs heaving, staring at the ceiling.
Here’s how I got on, and how you can try this surprisingly accessible workout for yourself.
How to do Kieran Reilly’s workout
Complete 10 rounds of:
“I have a bunch of workouts in the notes on my phone that I often retest,” Reilly tells me. “ Doing 10 rounds of a 300m row, with a minute's rest between each one, is one of them.
“In BMX competitions, runs are a minute long, and a 300m row usually takes between 57 seconds and a minute, so this workout helps me build my lactate threshold for that amount of time. And the rowing machine is one of the best things for building that lactate threshold because you’re using so much of your body; your arms, your grip, your back, your quads.”
In other words, Reilly is developing his body’s ability to work at high intensities for one-minute spells. The benefits of this could be seen in his second run at the Paris Olympics, during which he fought through fatigue to land a massive trick in the final few seconds and secure a silver medal.
“I was going into the unknown in those final 15 seconds,” he says. “I didn’t know how it was going to feel before I did my biggest trick, so I needed that mentality of, ‘I don’t feel great, but I’m doing it either way’.”
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Tips for tackling Kieran Reilly’s workout
Consistency is key in this workout, with Reilly targeting a time of 57-60 seconds for each 300m interval. For the rest of us non-Olympians, a slightly slower goal might be more appropriate – if you hit a similar relative intensity, you can still reap the same rewards from the session.
“Aim for consistency and don’t go out too hot on that first round,” says Reilly. “After that first round you want to feel fairly fresh, rowing at what feels like an 80-90 per cent effort, then keep consistent times from there. The goal is to look at your average time, not your fastest or slowest, then work on bringing that down over time.”
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My experience trying an Olympian’s one-move workout
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my years of training, it’s that the simpler a session looks, the more likely it is to hurt. As soon as Reilly laid down this particular gauntlet, I knew I was in for a hard time, so I settled into the saddle of a Concept2 rowing machine with some degree of trepidation.
The first round went surprisingly smoothly. I did my best to stay composed, maintain decent technique, keep my breathing regular and hold a steady pace, and was rewarded with a Reilly-worthy 58-second finish.
The second, third and even fourth round went off without a hitch too. I still felt in control and my brow was bone dry, although I couldn’t help noticing my time slipping by about one second with each passing interval.
It was during round five that the wheels came off. My Apple Watch flashed an aggressive orange as my heart rate rocketed, and I started to wince as the oxygen supply to my working muscles was outstripped by an ever-increasing demand. The minute of rest couldn’t come soon enough, but when it finally arrived it passed me by in the blink of an eye.
Things got worse in round seven – my slowest of the workout, taking 66 seconds. By this point, it felt like all strength had been sapped from my muscles, and trying to maintain my previous paces seemed an impossible task. With Reilly training to go all out for 60 seconds at a time, even on tired legs, I could see how this workout would be the perfect way to prepare.
But in round eight, a mental switch flicked. Knowing there were only three rounds to go, my brain drew on some hitherto untapped energy source in an attempt to finish strong. My times started to travel in the right direction, first to 64 seconds, then 62, before finishing the final round in one-minute flat.
After the last stroke, I keeled out of my seat and spent a good few seconds trying to find a comfortable position – my baggy old 10K t-shirt now drenched in sweat and a plume of steam erupting from my mouth with each deep breath. This isn’t a workout I’ll forget in a hurry.
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Would I do this workout again?
Absolutely. It’s simple, accessible and effective, taxing your whole body, heart and lungs in as little as 20 minutes.
I also love how measurable the session is. Your times are there in black and white on the Concept2’s no-frills monitor, so you can always revisit this workout at regular intervals to test your progress. As Reilly says, “if you do hard things, hard things become easier.”
For this reason, I’d recommend giving it a go, making sure to set target times for each round that suit your fitness level – something you can hit consistently at an eight or nine out of 10 effort level. I can’t promise there’s an Olympic silver medal at the end of it, but there’s certainly a sweaty, fun workout to be had.
