Yahoo News Can You Beat All 800 Reps and 1.5 miles of This Huge Bodyweight Challenge?
The best fitness challenges should make you a bit nervous. Any challenge should really, otherwise it’s not, well, challenging. CrossFit has made slightly scary workouts the norm, but many of the Hero WODS, named after a member of the armed forces or CrossFit community who has lost their lives, are long, gruelling and uniquely taxing on body and mind in equal measure.
‘Bert’ is one such workout. Named in honour of U.S. Marine Coproral Albert Gettings, who died aged 27 on 5th January 2009, while conducting counter-sniper operations in Fallujah, Iraq. There are no barbells, dumbbells or even a pull-up bar in sight. Instead, you are going to be chipping away at huge sets of at bodyweight basics, with a 400m run after each completed set.
“This is a big lot of work and is as much about your mind as it is your fitness,” says Scott Britton, co-founder of functional fitness movement Battle Cancer. “Break the bodyweight movements into manageable chunks so you don’t hit a wall, then try and maintain the same splits on each of the runs.
"This is all about pacing yourself physically and testing yourself mentally. You are capable of so much more than you think, so keep going. You'll feel amazing afterwards!”
For time:
1) Burpee x 50
Squat down and place both hands on the floor between your feet. Jump your feet back into the top of a press-up and lower your chest to the ground (A). Straighten your arms and hop your feet forwards, before jumping into the air with hands on head (B).
Run, 400m
2) Push-Up x 100
Assume a long arm plank position, with your core tight and your hands below your shoulders (A), bend your elbows to bring your chest to the floor (B). Keep your elbows close to your body as you push back up explosively.
Run, 400m
3) Walking Lunge x 150
Step one foot forward and sink into a deep lunge, rear knee lightly touching the floor. (A) Explode forwards back into a standing position, then immediately step the opposite leg forward (B), repeating to walk forwards.
Run, 400m
4) Air Squat x 200
Standing tall (A), keep your chest up and sink your hips back, before bending your knees to drop your thighs until they are at least parallel to the floor (B). No half-reps here, please. Then drive up. Take deep breaths and find a rhythm.
Run, 400m
5) Walking Lunge x 150
Step one foot forward and sink into a deep lunge, rear knee lightly touching the floor. (A) Explode forwards back into a standing position, then immediately step the opposite leg forward (B), repeating to walk forwards.
Run, 400m
6) Push-Up x 100
Assume a long arm plank position, with your core tight and your hands below your shoulders (A), bend your elbows to bring your chest to the floor (B). Keep your elbows close to your body as you push back up explosively.
Run, 400m
7) Burpees x 50
Squat down and place both hands on the floor between your feet. Jump your feet back into the top of a press-up and lower your chest to the ground (A). Straighten your arms and hop your feet forwards, before jumping into the air with hands on head (B).
If you want to step up your workouts and sate your thirst for competition, Battle Cancer UK City League is a series free gym events across six UK cities from 12th-24thOctober 2020. Your team can take on two Battle Cancer workouts and compare your score with the whole country. If you can’t make one of the locations you can simply do it in your own gym and submit your video and score online. Either way, get involved to pledge your sweat to a vital cause.
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