8 Workouts That’ll Have You Ready to Throw Down
A couple of weeks ago Erika and I did our gym’s annual 3-day competition, The Fit Pit Throwdown. I’ll be sharing a full recap on my freakin’ incredible experience (spoiler: it was one of the hardest and coolest things I’ve ever done, fitness-related or not) tomorrow, but before I do that, I thought it would be fun share the workouts we did. Because, guys, they were amazing.
Testing your grit, strength, speed, agility, endurance and even strategic planning skills, these eight workouts are no joke. They work your entire body and aren’t long, but they’re meant to be done as quickly as possible and/or as hard as you can — so they’re intense. I did all of them over a three-day period (WODs 1 to 3 on Friday, WODs 4 to 5 on Saturday, WODs 6 to 8 on Sunday) and I was toast. I mean, like, burnt-to-a-crisp got-nothing-left-in-the-tank toast. The Throwdown is all about “redefining your limits” — a tagline I love — so it’s meant to really push you so far out of your comfort zone that you’re shaking in your sneaks (which, another spoiler, I was).
But, that doesn’t mean that you couldn’t do any single one of these workouts and totally tap into your inner competitor. Or, pair a couple or a few of them together to give yourself a mini Throwdown situation. Heck, you could even gather some buds together and race against the clock together. (Because even though these workouts are designed to bring out the beast in you, that doesn’t mean you can’t be a nice and friendly beast that cheers on everyone.) Or do them every few weeks and use them as a benchmark to push yourself to do even more and go even faster as you get fitter and fitter.
No matter how you use them, just try ’em! They will definitely get you out of your comfort zone and in touch with that inner competitor/beast inside ya that’s just dying to get out. (Don’t think she’s there? Me neither; until I DID THESE!) And I know not everyone has access to sand and all this equipment, so on the ones that I thought could be modified for different equipment and/or beginners, I added suggestions to do just that. And, as always, when doing any workouts, talk to your doctor and listen and respect your body! You want to push your limits, but not get injured or overtrain. Of course.
Now there’s only one thing left to say, grrr!!!!
Workout 1: ThROWster
Clock is set for 7 minutes.
Row for 60 seconds straight, then at the top of each minute, do barbell thrusters as follows:
- 6:00: 6 thrusters, then return to rower and row
- 5:00: 5 thrusters, then return to rower and row
- 4:00: 4 thrusters, then return to rower and row
- 3:00: 3 thrusters, then return to rower and row
- 2:00: 2 thrusters, then return to rower and row
- 1:00: 1 thruster, then return to rower and row
Score = Total meters rowed
Modification: Can use dumbbells for thrusters instead of the barbell. Beginners, sub thrusters for squats.
Workout 2: Leg Assault
Clock is set for 2 minutes.
- First minute: stationary bike
- Second minute (no rest between): box jumps
Score = Calories burned on bike + number of box jumps completed
Modification: Beginners, sub step-ups for box jumps
Workout 3: Floater Like a Butterfly, Stings Like a Bee!
Erika, focused and ready to beast it out.
Clock is set for 2 minutes.
Using a 55-pound/75-pound fat bar (female/male), take the bar from ground to overhead as many times as you can. (Can be doing snatches, clean and jerk, thrusters, a combo of all, etc.) Plates must touch the ground and you must have full extension at the top. You can’t drop the bar from overhead.
Score = total number of reps
Modification: Sub with a normal barbell. Beginners, sub dumbbells (10 to 15 pounds each) for barbell.
Workout 4: Sandy Tots
12-minute AMRAP:
- Run 200 meters in the sand
- Perform 12 kettlebell taters
- Repeat as many times as possible in the 12 minutes!
Score = number of runs (one lap = 1) + total number of kettlebell taters completed
Modification: We did this in the sand (hence the “Sandy Tots”), but you could easily run 200 meters on a treadmill or on a track. Beginners, sub kettlebell taters for kettlebell swings or squats with or without holding dumbbells at your sides.
Workout 5: Sand Bagging
The course of this ones moves from the front of the sanded area to the back, in a straight line. For time:
- Start by carrying an atlas stone to the back of the line.
- Then, place the atlas stone in a sack, and close the sack with a caribiner and attach a rope.
- Run the rope to its full length, running to the start. Pull the bag/stone to the start line.
- Once you reach the start line, sit or stand to bring the bag/stone to you, crossing the start line.
- Short-choke the rope and drag the bag until the rope is fully extended (headed back to the back of the line). Get the bag/stone across the back line.
- Remove the stone from the bag and chest press it back to the start.
Score = time
Modification: You really do need a lot of gear and space (plus sand! Everything is harder in the sand!) for this one to get the full experience, but you could get the flavor of doing it by just setting a 100-meter lane and then seeing how long it took you to carry something heavy (like a kettlebell or sled or punching bag or sandbag) down and back a set number of times.
Workout 6: Dead Run
For my deadlifts, I did: 155, 165, 175 and 195 pounds. My one-rep max is 250. Choose a weight that allows you to lift heavy but still move fast!
For time, each set of deadlifts you do, you must add weight (how much weight you add is up to you, but think strategy as you do it as both the pounds lifted and the time is scored — this is, by far, the workout I stressed the most about because there was so much to consider!):
- 4 deadlifts + 25-meter run
- 3 deadlifts + 50-meter run
- 2 deadlifts + 75-meter run
- 1 deadlift + 100-meter run
Score = Total pounds lifted and time
Modification: If you don’t have access to a barbell, consider doing deadlifts with kettlebells or dumbbells. Choose weights that work for you and your goals.
Workout 7: Countdown 150
For time:
- 50 air squats to ball
- 40 double-unders
- 30 pull-ups
- 20 dumbbell snatches (Left/right = 1)
- 10 toes to bar
Score = time
Modifications: Do 25-50 squats with or without ball, 80-120 jump rope singles, 15-30 body rows, 10-20 dumbbell snatches or shoulder presses, and 10 sit-ups.
Workout 8: 2016 Fit Pit Throwdown Final
Only the top four male and female finishers did this one to see who would be the 2016 Throwdown Champion! A big congrats to Krissee on this impressive first-place finish!
For time:
- Run 400 meters
- 25 pull-ups
- Row 500 meters
- 25 box jump overs
- 100 double unders
- 25 toes to bar
- Row 500 meters
- 25 burpees, jumping over the rower
- Run 400 meters
- 1 rope climb
Score = time
Modification: Shorten run and row distances as needed, and sub body rows instead of pull-ups, normal box jumps or step-ups for box jump overs, singles for double unders (suggested rep count 100-300 jumps), sit-ups for toes to bar, low-impact burpees for regular burpees, and nix the rope climb altogether.
There you have it. The eight epic workouts of The Fit Pit Throwdown! Which one(s) look the best and hardest to you? I lost sleep over picking my weights for WOD 6, but it was really the snatches in WOD 7 where I hit a wall. I did it though! Come back tomorrow to read my full recap … it. was. life-changing! —Jenn