SoG Heading to Spartan Tryouts
You heard that right. I finally passed the 300 test.
I have finally made it into the Spartan Army even though I am still no Leonidas. I am probably at the rank of toilet cleaner or something like that. I am still super stoked that I made it. I got through the entire thing in 27 minutes. I actually got most of the workout done in 20 minutes but the last pullups took me the remaining 7 minutes to finish… it was slow, painful and torturous.
SoG Spartan Goal #1 – Complete the 300 test in under 30 minutes – DONE!
SoG Spartan Goal #2 – Complete the 300 test in 20 minutes or under – Now in progress
SoG Spartan Goal #3 – Get a freakin suntan! Look at that pasty bastard… it is amazing you can see any definition at all! lol
| Monday | Weight | Reps | |
| 25x Pullups | 25 | ||
| 50x Deadlift | 135# | 50 | |
| 50x Push-up | 50 | ||
| 50x Box Jump | 50 | ||
| 50x Floor Wiper | 135# | 50 | |
| 50x KB Clean and Press | 20kg | 50 | |
| 25x Pullups | 25 | 27 minutes |
Celebrating my success
Has anyone else been doing these tests with me? How has you development gone?
Previous 300 test posts here, here, and here.
February 24th, 2009 - 7:24 am
Is there a way to do the workout without weights? Can one do it WITHOUT having access to equipment?
February 24th, 2009 - 8:02 am
Congrats!!
Feels good to accomplish a big goal like that, eh? Good luck with the next challenge!
-BEE
http://www.BEELifestyle.com
February 24th, 2009 - 8:39 am
hmmmm
sun tan= skin cancer
u look fine.
i can give u a can of stain and u can paint urself instead
February 24th, 2009 - 8:43 am
Todd,
The deadlifts and kettlebell clean & press require weights. The rest you could probably get away with doing without.
BEE,
Why thank you!
lm,
Sunburn=skincancer, too much sun=skin cancer, light suntan=healthy dose of vitamin D.
February 24th, 2009 - 8:47 am
haha, gotta love those pictures!
good job, I wonder if I could make it in that time. really tempted to find out now
you’ve really come a long way since first “appearing” on MDA !
also, I’ll use this opportunity to say thanks for the amazing recipes, even though I’ve never actually used one yet :/ – but I will! very soon – even have almond flour now .)
February 24th, 2009 - 8:52 am
Vasco,
There is no way I would make it. Without my contacts or glasses, I am as blind as a bat (though my vision has actually improved slightly since going primal!). I would be dog meat. Not all modern technology is bad lol. Thank you for the kind words. Let me know how those recipes work out for you!
February 24th, 2009 - 11:11 am
Nicely done. It’s great to see people reaching their goals. BTW, I did try the stuffed pepper recipe from yesterday and it was fantastic. Tasty, filling, and healthy. Hard to beat that! I’m looking forward to more.
- Dave
February 24th, 2009 - 11:26 am
Great job, SoG!
your setting the yardstick for the rest of us!
Looks like you’ve put on some size.
I tried the pepper recipe last night, one question. How do you know when its done? Should the peppers be soft or still “crisp”? Tasted great, but maybe I didn’t cook them long enough.
( I’m new to this cooking game, thanks to you for all your bachelor simple recipes!
February 24th, 2009 - 11:40 am
David,
I’ll do my best to keep them coming!
hq,
Thanks! I think I have managed to put on a smidge of size. You could probably cook the peppers to your preference. Since you are browning the meat ahead of time, they are pretty well done whenever you want them to be. I like mine a little softer/rubbery when it comes to stuffed peppers.
February 24th, 2009 - 1:01 pm
GREAT job my man!!!!!!!!!
I’ve accomplished 20 minutes. However….
I’ve yet to complete the last 4 pull ups. I get stuck at 21, 22 or 23.
For all you reading thinking “come on man, that’s just 2 or 3 pull ups??!!!” I challenge you to try it. I’m talking utter utter muscle exhaustion. My fingers literally can’t hold on to the bar anymore.
Looking good SOG!!
Marc
February 24th, 2009 - 1:24 pm
Dude, looking good.
p.s. ou got great artistic skillz lol
-Yavor
February 24th, 2009 - 2:04 pm
Marc,
I will catch you sooner or later. Maybe that should have been one of my SoG Spartan goals! And yes.. those last pullups seem next to impossible.
Yavor,
Thanks man. As for the artistic skills… that is years of training at work there my friend.
February 24th, 2009 - 2:37 pm
Todd,
Have you ever heard of crossfit? Basic crossfit programing allows an almost infinite combination of bwt. workouts. The 300 workout is actually a relatively easy crossfit workout. A few forum posts that should help are…
http://board.crossfit.com/forumdisplay.php?f=7
http://www.board.crossfit.com/showthread.php?t=21576
http://www.crossfitbrandx.com/index.php/forums/viewforum/20/
My favorite bwt. workout is done with a deck of cards. Assign each suit an exercise (my favorite combo is jackknife push-ups, push-ups, burpies, and sit ups), a face card is worth ten and a number card is worth its number value. To execute simply flip up one card and do the excercise(for example if a queen of spades comes up do ten burpies) and repeat until you have gone through the deck. The intensity should be very high because it is done for time. My reccord for that combo is 11:57. Push ups and burpies are chest to deck to complete shoulder activation at the top. The burpies standards are chest to deck to clapping hands over your head when both feet are off the ground.
February 24th, 2009 - 4:08 pm
Chris,
I din’t think it was easy
lol. Thanks for the links and the info.
February 24th, 2009 - 5:18 pm
You really need to put a before and after picture up side by side,you look great.
February 24th, 2009 - 6:15 pm
There is no doubt that it is not an “easy workout”. Hard and easy have many different definitions. For example, an unbelievably difficult workout was 3 rds of (10 1-legged squats, 15 Turkish-get-ups, and 20 Hollow Rock) The limiting factor was not speed, strength, endurance, ext, but rather coordination and stability(Mainly neurological). Being a very low power output workout it cannot be compared to a high power output workout such as 21-15-9 95lb Thrusters and Pull Ups or 75 75lb Power Snatch for time. Which is harder 100 kipping pull-ups for time or 100 strict pull-ups for time? I would argue from anticidotal evidence that the 100 kipping pull ups are harder.
P.S. Try kipping pull-ups marc(example is at end)
http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/StrictVKippingPullup.wmv
February 24th, 2009 - 9:54 pm
Bill,
Thanks, I appreciate that. I think I am going to wait for the 1year anniersary to do the side by side.
Chris,
I am familiar with kipping pullups. I tend to find them a little easier than normal pullups for myself.
February 25th, 2009 - 12:38 am
Holy shit! Your physique has changed. Completely. Maybe you could do a post with a timeline of photos.
February 25th, 2009 - 6:52 am
Patrick,
Thanks man! There is a timeline of photos on the “About the SoG” page!
February 25th, 2009 - 10:14 am
SoG:
You need a real Spartan sword for your pictures!
http://www.museumreplicas.com/p-290-spartan-lakonia-short-sword.aspx
Well, I don’t want to spin off into some Umberto Eco-style talk about “genuine authentic fakes” or anything like that, but you do need a sword. (What’s more primal than a sword? OK, maybe a spear . . . . )
Love the blog.
February 25th, 2009 - 10:55 am
Lewis,
Ok.. that is pretty cool. I might have to talk the wife into letting me get one!
February 25th, 2009 - 6:26 pm
You look incredible. I say stay away from the tan as well though, but then I prefer Celt to Spartan
I am curious if there is a way to work up to such a routine, as in how do I “start”?
I have lost 150lbs and am in good shape, but not even close to the definition you have. I am in the gym 5 days a week. I lift, do isolation work (like lunges), and do cardio. I am not in the market to lose “weight” just want to define the muscles. But the intensity of your workout is a bit intimidating.
is there a “beginners” section?
Great work!
February 25th, 2009 - 7:35 pm
Marissa,
Thanks! I don’t know about looking that good but I am pretty happy with where I am at after only 6 months or so.
I have had to work up to this routine myself. Any kind of intense circuit training will help you build up.
I used to be in the gym 5 days a week and do a lot of cardio… it killed me and I got nowhere. I cut workouts to an intense 30 minutes 3 times per week. I also dropped cardio and started doing a sprint session 1 – 2 times per week. This allowed my body to heal and recover and is when I started seeing results. The feeling that I had to workout everyday was SO hard to break but it is one of the best things I have done for my body and my health.
There is a “beginners” section on my workout philosophies actually!
Check out:
http://www.sonofgrok.com/2009/02/exercise-for-beginners-and-non-beginners-1-walking/
http://www.sonofgrok.com/2009/02/exercise-for-beginners-and-non-beginners-2-sprints/
http://www.sonofgrok.com/2009/02/exercise-for-beginners-and-non-beginners-3-strength-and-resistance-training/
I will also continue to post beginner and advanced workouts that I actually recommend and do myself in coming weeks!
February 26th, 2009 - 10:39 am
Thank you!!
I think that I am a tad paranoid about making the change. I have been reading Mark’s Daily Apple and The Modern Forager for a few months now, and I can’t get a couple of things out of my brainwashed head. I STILL worry about fat intake, and also feel like I NEED to do the cardio and hit the gym 5 days a week. I want this to be out of my head, especially if I am going to be healthier because of it!
I am not fully primal. I am not sure I ever can be as I border on vegetarianism (I eat fish a couple times a month). But I have cut grains and sugar from my daily diet. I do eat some dairy and this is where I do wonder about fat. I just don’t know if it is better for me to have the full fat, lower fat, or non-fat when it comes to this stuff. I don’t eat a ton of dairy, but I do have milk in my coffee and a cup of yogurt or 1/2 cottage cheese a day.
You do look incredible, and I bet you feel it too.
Thank you SO much for the workout links. I am also recovering from surgery so I have to take it easy on certain things for now, but I am going to try to do as much of this as I can and try to get my mind straight about it.
I find that the easy part is dealing with the body. The mind is another story entirely.
Thank you again! Glad I got a link to your blog.
February 26th, 2009 - 10:59 am
Marissa Thanks,
Primal and vegetarian is pretty darn hard to pull off. When it comes to dairy, I am of the firm opinion you have to go full fat. Anything else is cheating yourself of the health benefits. While dairy is not considered primal, I do indulge in occasional full fat organic yogurt, sour cream, cream cheese and cheeses. In moderation of course. For someone who is borderline vegetarian, it is probably a huge help.
February 26th, 2009 - 12:14 pm
Yes, I am fully aware that my diet can never really be primal. I don’t think of myself as being ethically superior or anything. I actually don’t take issue with people who buy organic free range (and hopefully humanely slaughtered) meat. For me though I just cannot do it. I do eat fish though, just not often (mostly due to finances).
Good to know about the dairy. I just was concerned about calories and fat. I read one thing, but it is so hard to get those crazy things out of your head!
February 27th, 2009 - 12:43 pm
Thanks for the advice. I am in a very small house and it is difficult to even do the pull up stuff. However the burpees, military squats, different types of pushups… those are all great.
Thanks again!
February 28th, 2009 - 10:20 am
SOG – what are floor wipers?
February 28th, 2009 - 9:58 pm
SOG – okay I found your response that describes the floor wiper, but am still a little confused. So the bar you use – are you actually holding it at the top of a bench press position in your hands? Or is the bar in the rack? Do you suggest these be done on the floor or on the bench? Thanks.
March 1st, 2009 - 11:46 am
Andy,
Sorry it took me so long to answer. Yes, I hold it at in my hands at the top of the benchpress position and do it. I suggst doing these on the floor.
March 1st, 2009 - 1:05 pm
SOG – no worries. Digging around a little, I found a few videos on youtube which cleared things up. I can’t post the links right now, but I now appreciated doing these on the floor. It looks like trouble if one was going to do these on the bench. BTW – these things look really difficult.
Thanks for the input.