Complete the 3 rounds of cardio first, before your 3 rounds of strength. Finish this workout off with some serious ruck & sandbag conditioning — 2 or 4 miles, alternating between both bags. (Select your mileage solely based on the time you have to devote to this workout. If it's a weekend and your time is your own, go for 4 miles. If you're trying to fit this in on a Wednesday at 4:30 AM, do 2 miles.)
This is going to be a long, nasty old-fashioned slog and you can cry at the end, but for now, make your plan and execute it. You do not have to do this workout quickly -- there are no real gains to be had rushing through a workout of this nature. Go into this workout thoughtfully and with the intent to complete it as written.
IMPORTANT WEIGHT NOTES:
- Your sandbag should be between 20 and 40lbs (9-18kg) for under 150lbs bodyweight and between 30 and 60lbs (13-27kg) for over 150lbs.
- Your ruck should be adequately heavy, at your current ruck weight. If you would like to increase your ruck weight for this workout, do not go beyond a 10% increase.
WHAT EQUIPMENT DO I NEED FOR THIS WORKOUT?
- Ruck + weight
- Sandbag (see above for weight details.)
WHAT EXERCISES DO I NEED TO KNOW?
MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS - RUCK ON This exercise is far more controversial than I ever realized! Do you pike your hips? Do you run? Where do you put your feet? This workout requires you to wear your ruck while completing the exercise. This *forces you* to keep your hips low to protect the back of your head from your ruck and fully engage your core. MC's are a core exercise -- not "just" plyo. Wearing your ruck will train your body to perform the exercise as it is meant to be done, low, with core firing. If you need to slowly jump one foot in and then the other one to correctly execute the move, go slow. Keep hands clawing into the floor, hips low as in a plank, and lightly leap one foot in at a time.
PLANK JACKS - RUCK ON In high (hands) plank, jump your feet in and out as in a Jumping Jack. Again, take care to engage your core and protect the back of your head. This move will wobble your ruck around, so make sure it is cinched tightly at the waist. Perform this exercise with solid body control. I prefer a "jump in, 1 second count, jump out, 1 second count" to control the additional ruck movement.
BURPEES - RUCK ON TLDR: with Push Up Watch your form, keep your core tight, and move slowly to protect the back of your head.
SQUAT JUMPS - RUCK ON Perform with total body control and as slowly as you need to in order to complete them safely. The benefit is not doing them really fast -- it's in doing them really well. As you sit into your squat, sit deeply and think FIRE as you launch yourself up into your jump. I prefer to hold my hands together in front of me to provide additional squat stability while wearing a ruck.
CLOSE-GRIP SUMO DEADLIFTS - SANDBAG Begin by standing, feet wider than hip-width, toes pointed out ala sumo wrestler. Your sandbag should be in both hands, held by the central handle for a close grip (wide grip acceptable if your sb does not have an easily accessible central handle). Have a soft knee bend as you hinge forward from the hips, grazing your sandbag across your shins as you bring it to the ground. Fire all glutes and hamstrings as you lift.
BENT OVER ROWS - SANDBAG Begin by standing, feet hip-width apart, core firmly engaged. Hold your sandbag in both hands by the wide handles. Hinge forward from the hips, engaging your lower abs as stabilizers, and squeezing glutes/activating hamstrings. Keep your elbows close to your body as you row the sandbag towards the ground and then back up to your chest.
BACK SQUATS - SANDBAG Begin by standing, core tight and engaged, sandbag laying horizontally across your shoulders. Sit back into your squat, glutes firing and hamstrings supporting. Knees should track over your second toe. Pause briefly at the bottom of your squat before rising. While the demo video utilizes a barbell, the mechanics of the exercise are exactly the same.
CHEST PRESS - SANDBAG Begin on your back, knees bent, feet flat. Your sandbag should be across your chest, elbows tight to your sides, hands under the sandbag ready to lift. Using your core to help you leverage the weight (including squeezing them buns), lift the sandbag up as in a bench press to full arm extension, and then bring everything back to the start.
GLUTE BRIDGES - SANDBAG Begin on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Place your sandbag across your hips. Lift your toes so that your quads don't help you! Lift your hips, count to 3, and then lower them slowly and with control. Your hamstrings and glutes are powering this movement.
WORKOUT
Cardio x 3 Rounds - WITH RUCK // SLOWLY
- 24 x Mountain Climbers
- 24 x Plank Jacks
- 12 x Burpees
- 12 x Squat Jumps
Sandbag x 3 Rounds - WEAR RUCK IF EVENT PREPPING, otherwise bodyweight + sandbag OK.
- 12 x Close Grip Sumo Deadlifts
- 12 x Bent Over Rows
- 12 x Back Squats
- 12 x Chest Press
- 12 x Sandbag Bridges
Miles x 2-4 miles - select based solely on time, not energy.
- 1 sandbag mile
- 1 ruck only mile
- Repeat if time allows
