Check out this intense Guns and Gut Gauntlet from Men's Health, featuring Todd Durkin, Drew Brees and TRX CEO Randy Hetrick. Can you beat their time?
For the past seven months, Todd Durkin, C.S.C.S., author of The IMPACT! Body Plan, has challenged you to a fitness test every weekend. But this time, he also challenged Pro Bowl quarterback Drew Brees and former Navy Seal Randy Hetrick to try this fearsome four-move circuit that combines grueling upper-body strength moves with lung-busting cardio.
"It smoked me," said Hetrick, dripping with sweat after he finished the challenge. That's because the circuit includes exercises performed with a TRX training system. Created by Hetrick himself while on the road during one deployment, TRX uses suspension body-weight moves to boost your biceps, blast your triceps, and pump up your entire upper body. Plus, the instability of the TRX forces your core to work harder, increasing the difficulty of the exercises.
If that doesn't sound hard enough, Durkin also added single-arm kettlebell swings and a sprint to the mix to test your cardiovascular fitness and torch your gut.
Here's how to do it: Grab a stopwatch and time yourself completing the following four exercises in a row.
Single-Arm Kettlebell Swing
Grab a kettlebell with one hand and assume a shortstop position (quarter squat, hips pushed back, spine in alignment), letting the bell hang in front of you. Swing it between your legs and behind your hips. Now stand and swing it up to eye level while extending your hips and contracting your glutes. Drop back to the starting position; let gravity bring the kettlebell back between your legs. Complete 15 reps with one arm, and then hold the weight with your other hand for 15 reps.
TRX Atomic Pushup
Attach TRX suspension training straps to a secure object. Then place your feet in the straps and assume a pushup position with your hands just wider than shoulder-width apart. Your body should form a straight line from your ankles to your head. Now do a pushup, by bending your elbows and lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor. Press back up, and without rounding your lower back, pull your knees toward your chest. Reverse the movement back to the starting position. That’s one rep. Do 20.
TRX Arm Splits
Secure the TRX to a secure object so the handles hang at waist height when standing. Face the TRX and hold the handles with palms facing down. With your feet hip-width apart, lean back until your arms are fully extended. This is the starting position. Next, pull your body forward toward the anchor point by simultaneously bringing your right arm above your right shoulder and your left hand down by your left leg. Then return to the starting position. That's 1 rep. Do 10 total.
30-Second Run
Hop on a treadmill and run for 30 seconds. Hetrick and Brees ran at a speed of 8.5 mph.
Can you keep up with the Pro Bowl quarterback and former Navy Seal? Watch the video above to see Drew Brees and Randy Hetrick complete this weekend's challenge. Brees completed the circuit in 5 minutes and 15 seconds, while Hetrick performed the moves in 5 minutes and 58 seconds.
Want more from Durkin? Get the TRX Performance: Train Like the Pros workout.
