This was a challenge developed from a discussion with a very good friend of mine, someone I have been CrossFitting with since 2006.  We were looking for a goal to try and reach by a month out.  Not competing anymore coupled with the amount of time we have been CrossFitting, we were looking for something to spark our drive.

Pull ups are very underrated by most people and I feel it is an essential skill especially for someone that trains.  You can walk into a any gym in the world and you would have a hard time finding someone that can do 20 strict pull ups, let alone 25.  Same can be said with push ups. There is something very humbling about not being good at doing something as simple as push ups, yet they are a very perishable skill. These two components alone are the where I expect people to have to reevaluate themselves.

The standards are as follows, however, I don’t want someone who can’t meet these yet to shy away from this challenge.  This is more of an internal workout than external. The goal here is to go hard and learn something about yourself. To face something challenging and test yourself. Be unconquerable. 

• The movements are done in a continuous pace without stopping to rest. For ex: Hanging at the bottom of a pull up or stopping at the top of a pull up isn’t going unbroken in this case.  If you can’t reach the target number then go for max effort on your sets until you hit the number.
• Pull ups are full arm extension at the bottom and chin over the horizontal plane of the bar.  *Please engage your lats.  A good mental cue is to pull your elbows to your hips. Thinking about getting your chin to the bar puts your cervical spine in extension and elevates your shoulders out of their strongest position.  This workout is about good quality movement.
• Push ups are chest-to-deck and full extension of the elbow at the top.  The armpit of the elbow should face forward to ensure full extension.  Butt should be turned on and at no point should your quads touch the ground.
• Lateral jumping squats are just like jumping squats but you are jumping side to side and having your feet land in a different spot than they were just in.  The top of the knee should be below the hip crease at the bottom of each squat. You just need a little daylight under your feet on the jump.  Again, the goal is continuous movement here. I find these the most challenging part of the workout.  Here if you want rest (when you are floating in the air) you have to earn it by accelerating and using leg muscles to rest leg muscles.
• Kettlebell swings are Russian style so arms just past the parallel line with the ground.
• Mile run This is a character test.  Nothing sexy, just grit.  Go hard.  Get after it.

The amount of rest between exercises is on you.  If you have to rest 1-3 minutes then do so.  If you can do it unbroken, then next time reduce the amount of rest.  My goal here and challenge to you is to go hard, pay attention to how you are doing and feeling, and learn something about yourself.  Its just you vs you, who will win?

I am still working on getting this done unbroken myself.  The squats have proved to be a valiant foe, but its only a matter of time and persistence before I conquer them!  Please let me know how you did and what you learned.