Personal trainer shares 5-move ‘Centurion’ dumbbell workout to build full-body strength, muscle and stamina

Man performing a push-up during workout with dumbbells next to him

(Image credit: Shutterstock/ Max Kegfire)

The term “Centurion” (no, not the drinking game) originates from the Roman army, meaning to lead a century or 100 men. Since then, it has been plucked and replicated for many purposes. I mean, yes, by drinkers too, but also within the fitness industry.

In the fitness world, we stick 100 reps on a workout and call this a Centurion because we’re highly original and love a challenge. I’ve designed and tested this Centurion workout to build stronger muscles, endurance and stamina by overloading the body to failure.

You can keep rinsing and repeating this session with the same or different exercises to test your progress, helping to strengthen and build muscle all over. Sound like fun? Let’s jump in.

What are Centurion sets?

For each movement below, perform 100 reps in the “chipper” style. That means chipping away at the reps alone or with a partner, in any order, until all reps are complete.

If you work with a partner, adopt a “you go, I go” strategy and either complete 100 reps per move between you or double up to complete 100 reps each.

There’s minimal rest during Centurion workouts, so recover when your partner works or break it down into a number of reps at a time, taking a quick breather between. Some movements are performed bodyweight, while others require dumbbells, so I recommend a set from our best adjustable dumbbells guide if you need some options.

I’d opt for a weight range that allows you to perform 15-20 reps unbroken as you work toward endurance rather than out-and-out strength. If your form dips, take a rest to prevent total burnout. 5 sets of 20 reps per move is a solid goal or 10 at the very least. There’s nothing worse than emptying the tank early and still having a load of reps left to do.

Beginners: aim to finish the workout or note how many reps you manage. I highly recommend splitting with a partner on your first attempt unless you already have weightlifting experience.
Intermediate to advanced: Set a time cap and note your finish time for the future.

Remember, Centurion is about full-body stamina. You’ll practice compound exercises for high reps and little rest, reaching failure as you finish the reps.

Be smart. High-rep sets allow you to build intensity using high volume over heavy weights, so go easy on your weight selection and avoid picking up weights with your ego.

I can’t stress enough how important form is. As soon as fatigue sets in (subconsciously and consciously), form begins to suffer. Keep a full range of motion throughout, meaning no passing off half or quarter reps as a full rep.

Focus on engaging your core muscles, and ensure you’re comfortable performing each move before you start. If you begin to feel unwell or experience pain, stop.

Here's the workout:

100 dumbbell front rack squats
100 burpee jump over dumbbell
100 dumbbell push-ups
100 dumbbell push press
100 weighted dumbbell sit-ups.

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Vector dumbbell front squat — (Image credit: Shutterstock)

Burpees must be performed chest-to-floor with a jump sideways over the dumbbell (laid flat) every rep. Perform dumbbell push-ups by gripping the dumbbells on the floor, creating a deficit so that your chest and shoulders are further from the ground and must work harder to reach your full range of motion. Hold the dumbbell however you like for the sit-ups. You could opt for overhead or to the chest.

Push hard to finish in as few sets as possible, staying in a high-intensity zone the entire time. Some research even suggests muscle hypertrophy (growth) could improve as sets terminate “closer to failure,” meaning the amount of reps in reserve can influence your muscle growth potential.

Here's what happened when I tested the Centurion workout

In one word: grueling. But the reward at the end is that you've left absolutely everything on your mat and feel utterly spent. Centurion workouts are a challenge to your physical and mental strength, and you don't have to be an athlete to do them, you just need the correct tactics and a desire to push through when it becomes uncomfortable.

There's no set time cap, so note your reps or finish time and try to build upon it. Next time, you can use your first score as your time cap.

For guidance, I split my reps up into 20 front rack squats, burpees and dumbbell sit-ups, then 10 reps each round for push-ups and push presses. I fatigue pretty quickly on these latter exercises and there's no way I'm maintaining 20 reps with good form.

This tactic slightly slowed me down, but I guarantee I'd have taken even longer if I'd reached full fatigue and had to continue through burnout. This way, I skirted around failure and just managed to hold it together to reach the finish line. If you want an even bigger challenge, try performing these two push moves back to back.

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Sam Hopes is a level 3 qualified trainer, level 2 reiki practitioner and senior fitness writer at Tom's Guide. She is also currently undertaking her Yoga For Athletes training course. Sam has written for various fitness brands and websites over the years and has experience across brands at Future such as Live Science, Fit&Well, Coach, and T3.

Having worked with fitness studios like F45 and Virgin Active, Sam now primarily teaches outdoor bootcamps, bodyweight, calisthenics and kettlebells. She also coaches mobility and stretching-focused classes several times a week and believes that true strength comes from a holistic approach to training your body.

Sam has completed two mixed doubles Hyrox competitions in London and the Netherlands and finished her first doubles attempt in 1:11.