Editor's Note: This is a sponsored post in conjunction with our friends at Spartan Race, who have challenged one BroBible staffer, new guy Buckeye, to train for the upcoming Spartan Race in Tuxedo Park, N.Y., on June 5.
Day five started with me having to decide whether or not to pop the blood blisters beginning to form on the balls of my feet and big toes. All this newfound mile-running and rugby training managed to compound into a massive foot/ankle/shin failure. For the sake of my health, and in the interest of being able to kick your asses on Sunday in Tuxedo, N.Y., I decided to take today's workout a little easier. After two-and-a-half hours of rugby drills and one hour of game play, I headed back to NYC from New Haven to complete a Marine Corps–inspired routine.
Whoever is writing the Workouts of the Day has consistently had a massive hardon for pull-ups (for good reason, as they are an excellent back and arm builder,) and today was no different. Pull-ups to failure, crunches for two minutes, and a 3 mile run. The whole thing twice. Judging from the workouts so far, I imagine you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who could actually fill one of the leather skirts from 300 after all this cardio. As an aside, the training routine of the 300 cast was actually much more focused on lifting and proper nutrition rather than running. So if you're seeking to look like a Spartan, and not just be able to keep up with one in a 6-mile foot race, weightlifting may need to take a bigger role.
The substitutions I made were for the crunches and 3-mile run. I'm not a huge fan of the position crunches put your spine in, so I chose to do two minutes worth of scissor holds on my back with one leg extended straight out and the other straight up. One minute for each leg. Because my feet were killing me, I did a single-mile stationary bike (level 15 or something for me -- make it difficult) for time, and made sure none of my blisters were near the pedals so I wouldn't have to scream like a little girl every time they touched something. I completed 10 dead hand pull-ups and finished my mile in approximately two something minutes the first round. The bike took some of the ab stress out of the equation, but if you choose to run the mile, you should have a hell of a time maintaining proper posture. I got nine pull-ups the second time around, and finished the mile again in about two minutes.
I'll include some video footage this week, hopefully giving y'all some insight into proper form on a couple of the lifts. If not, perhaps it will give you some solace as you watch me suffer. Just seven more days.
