6 WEEK

BODYWEIGHT
BOOT CAMP
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INTRODUCTION

We live in a world of mediocrity. All around

us, we see standards being dumbed down.
As we’ve gotten increasingly out of shape,
less resilient and – let’s face it – more lazy,
our fitness challenges have become less
challenging, too.
So have workout styles.
Gyms have morphed into Instagram
backdrops for posers and wannabes who
spend more time pushing their smartphone
keys than pumping iron.
It’s time to get back to serious training.
Gut wrenching training.
The type of training that leaves your body
quivering, your heart pounding and your
muscles pumping.
The type of training that challenges you
both physically and mentally – even scares
you a little.
That’s the type of training that’s truly bad-
ass. And it’s what you need to be doing to
get fast results.
I’s the type of training you’ll see in military
training camps all around the world. It’s the
type of training that takes raw recruits and
pumps out soldiers.
And it’s the type of training that you need to
be doing.
So, welcome aboard!
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WHY MILITARY FITNESS?

Why should we look to the military for inspiration on how to get in the best
shape of our lives?
The answer is obvious – the armed forces produce the most bad-ass, fittest,
toughest and rugged humans on the planet. Over the centuries, the military
has developed the fine-tuned expertize required to take in overweight, unfit
couch potatoes and turn them into elite fighting machines. In the process,
the soldier develops a level of peak physical and mental conditioning that is
rare in the civilian world.
Unlike many other fitness programs, military selection programs require
balanced fitness that incorporates . . .

Strength Power Explosiveness Endurance Agility

Armies run the largest fitness programs in the world. The training programs,
challenges and fitness tips presented in this Bad-Ass Basic Training Guide
are all derived from the actual training going on right now in army bases
around the United States.
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HOW IT WORKS
We’ve drawn this 6-week program from every branch of military service in
the United States. We’ve combined the best elements into the most results
producing, comprehensive, bad-ass program you’ll find short of signing up
for the military!
Every week you’ll have 3 Workouts, 2 Endurance Sessions and a Fitness
Challenge.
The workouts are to be done on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. That
provides you with a much needed 48-hour recovery window between
workouts.
Your Endurance session will take place on Tuesday and Thursday.
Every Saturday you will complete your weekly fitness test.
Sunday is your day of rest – make the most of it!
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TRAINING
PROTOCOLS

LADDERS
The ladder is a classic military training protocol that involves ascending and
descending reps in a pyramid set. Ladder exercises with be accompanied by
a number range, such as 1-5. In that case, you would do one rep, pause for a
count of 10, then do two reps. You then rest for another 10 count before doing
3 reps. Continue this pattern until you have done 5 reps in a set. Then come
down the ladder by dropping to 4 reps, 3, 2, and then 1.

ACCUMULATION
Accumulation is when you have a target of a certain number of reps to
achieve in either a set time-frame or as quickly as you can. You are free to
break up the number into manageable chunks. Often two or more exercises
are paired in an accumulation challenge.
An example of an accumulation challenge may be 30 pull; ups, 50 push ups,
and 70 air squats. If this was a timed accumulation, you have a target time to
complete the exercises within. When you are doing an accumulation workout,
devise a strategy that will work best for you. For example, pull ups are the
hardest exercise, so you might plan to do 6 sets of 5 reps. After every set of pull
ups do 10 push ups and then 15 air squats. Aim to work through this sequence
continually until you knock off your numbers without any rest!
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EMOM
EMOM is challenging, relentless protocol that is popular in all military training
programs. The acronym stands for Every Minute On The Minute. In this protocol,
you have a designated number of reps or time to perform an exercise in a
minute. You get the balance of the minute to rest. But as soon as the next
minute begins, you have to start again.

Here’s an example of an EMOM workout . . .

Perform 25 push ups every minute for 5 minutes. Your first set takes you 45
seconds to get your 25 push ups. That gives you 15 seconds to rest before
the next set. During the second minute, you pump out your 25 reps in 51
seconds, leaving you with a 9 second rest. You continue in this pattern with
the objective of getting those 25 reps of push ups within the minute. Of course,
the very small rest periods will make this increasingly hard in the last couple of
minutes!

A slightly modified form of EMOM gives you a set time to perform the exercise.
For example, you might have a series of four exercise, where you do each one
for 50 seconds then rest for 10 seconds before moving to the next one.

FARTLEK
Fartlek training involves constantly changing up the pace of a running
activity. The word Fartlek is Swedish, meaning Speed Play. Fartlek differs from
traditional interval training in that it does not follow set distances or times to
be at certain paces. It is more unstructured relying on how the runner feels.
Introduce Fartlek into your program by adding in short bursts of sprint work
into your run. Because it is unstructured Fartlek relies on a trust model. When
your program indicates a Fartlek run, do the sprints as you feel, but be sure not
to short change yourself!
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US ARMY
PRINCIPLES OF
EXERCISE
Regularity. To achieve a training effect … one
should strive to exercise … at least three times
a week. Infrequent exercise can do more harm
than good. Regularity is also important in
resting, sleeping and following a good diet.
Progression. The intensity (how hard) and/or
duration (how long) of exercise must gradually
increase to improve the level of fitness.
Balance. To be effective, a program should
include activities that address all the fitness
components, since overemphasizing any one of
them may hurt the others.
Variety. Providing a variety of activities reduces
boredom and increases motivation and
progress.
Specificity. Training must be geared toward
specific goals. For example, soldiers become
better runners if their training emphasizes
running. Although swimming is great exercise, it
does not improve a two-mile-run time as much
as a running program does.
Recovery. A hard day of training for a given
component of fitness should be followed by
an easier training day or rest day for that
component and/or muscle group(s) to help
permit recovery. Another way to allow recovery
is to alternate the muscle groups exercised
every other day, especially when training for
strength and/or muscle endurance.
Overload. The workload of each exercise
session must exceed the normal demands
placed on the body in order to bring about a
training effect. – U.S. Army, FM 21-20, 1–4
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THE FITNESS TEST

The US Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) is the standard that we will use
to assess your starting fitness level and your progress at the end of this
6-weelk program. It is designed to test your . . .

Muscular Strength Muscular Strength Cardiovascular

Respiratory Fitness

The fitness test involves the following 3 events:

Push Ups Sit Ups 2-Mile Run

You will be scored on a scale ranging between 0 and 100 points for each task.
In the army, you need to score a minimum of 60 on each task to pass. Your
overall score will be the sum of the 3 events, with a perfect score being 300.

Let’s Do the APFT Test . . .

It is best to have a friend standing by with a timer rather than timing yourself.
That way you will be able to make the most of every single second.
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PUSH UPS

Have your friend give you the command ‘Get Set’. On this command, get into
the front leaning rest position by placing your hands palms down on the floor
and arms extended (top push up position). Your feet can be up to 12 inches
apart. Your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your
ankles.

On the ‘Go’ command, start performing push ups by bringing your entire body
to the floor as a single unit. In the bottom position your upper arms need to
be parallel to the ground (your chest should be about an inch from the floor).
Then return to the start position with your arms fully extended.

Your assistant should count off the fully completed reps as you go. If you do
not come down to an upper arms parallel or up to a full arm extension, the rep
will not count. You must also keep your body straight with no buckling at the
hips.

If you perform an incorrect rep within the first 10 reps, your assistant can stop
the test and explain to you what you are doing wrong. After the first 10 reps,
however, a restart is not allowed.

Rest 2 minutes before the next event.

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SIT UPS

On the ‘Get Set’ command, get into the start position by lying on your back
with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Your feet can be up to 12-inches
apart. Have you assistant grasp your ankles with their hands. Your heels must
remain in contact with the floor at all times. Interlock your fingers behind your
head so that the backs of both hands touch the floor on each repetition. Your
elbows are not required to touch the floor.

When your assistant gives you the ‘Go’ command, lift your upper body up to
the vertical position so that the base of your neck is above the base of your
spine. Then lower your body until the bottom of your shoulder blades touch the
floor. Your hands do not have to touch the floor.

Your assistant will not count a rep if you fail to reach the vertical position, do
not maintain the fingers interlocked position, arch or bow your back, lift your
butt from the floor or allow your knees to secede the 90—degree position.
Again, you will be able to start over if you have a disqualified rep within the first
10 reps.
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TWO-MILE RUN

We suggest performing your two-mile on a running track if at all possible. If

not, drive the route ahead of time, checking the distance on your odometer.
Pace yourself during this two-mile run with the goal of completing it in the
shortest possible time.

SCORING

Here is a link to the APFT Scorecard. Check it to get your score for each of the 3
tests. Then add them up for your total score.

Here are the standards to achieve a Perfect Score for a 28-year old guy . . .

Push Up – 77 reps

Sit Ups – 82 reps

2 Mile Run – 13 minutes, 18 seconds

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THE WARM UP
On this program you cannot afford to skip the warm up. You’re about to put a
lot of stress on your body so it is absolutely vital to physically prepare yourself.
Plan a 5-minute warm up before EVERY workout.
You want to get your heart rate up to 70% of your maximum during the warm
up. It should also prepare your individual muscle groups for the work to come.
To achieve that you should combine dynamic stretching with low intensity
cardio.

Dynamic Stretching

Begin with shoulder rotations. Simply swing your arms windmill fashion with
your elbows locked, 5 front and 5 back.

For the chest and upper back, perform flys by starting with your arms
extended out in front of you with elbows locked. Bring the arms out to the
sides until they are perpendicular to your torso. Do 10 of these, focusing on
contracting and extending the pecs and lats.

To warm up the muscles of the core, perform twists. Start with arms extended
in front of you, then twist the body to the right as you bring your arms around
to that side. Focus on the movement of the intercostals at the side of your
waist. Do five twists to each side.

Pelvic circles will thoroughly engage the pelvic area. With hands on hips and
feet shoulder width apart, perform exaggerated circles with the hips, going in
each direction 5 times. Keep your legs straight throughout this movement.

Perform 5 Deep Knee Squats for the quads and glutes. With your arms directly
out in front of you, and your back arched, lower yourself into a full squat. Look
up throughout this movement.
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US ARMY TIPS:
RECOVERY
NUTRITION
Proper nutrition for recovery is not limited to
what goes into your body after your training
session. It involves eating well all day every day.
Your specific recovery nutrition begins before
your workout. Make sure that you go into your
session with a full gas tank. You can achieve
this by having a banana thirty minutes prior to
training.
Following your workout, your body has unique
nutrient demands. Within 30 minutes of your
session, you should have a recovery snack to
replenish glycogen and sodium. Your recovery
snacks should be a mixture of fluids, sodium,
carbohydrates and a little protein. Let thirst
be your guide to rehydration. Here are 3 good
options for a recovery snack:

Fruit and yogurt

Fresh juice and a handful of nuts

Bagel with cream cheese or peanut butter

About two hours after the workout, have a

balanced meal. A third of the plate should
be lean protein, with two thirds being starchy
carbs and leafy vegetables. Use healthy fats
to season your carbs. For the remainder of the
day, continue to drink water to match your thirst
level and eat a variety of health foods.
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Low Intensity Cardio

Set your timer and then jog for 30 seconds at a medium pace. Then pick up
the pace for 30 seconds as you perform high knees (lift your knees as high as
possible), followed by 30 seconds of butt kicks (touch your ankles to your butt).
Then finish with 30 seconds of medium paced jogging.

READY FOR
ANYTHING
The results that you get from this program will
depend on how much effort, or intensity, you
put into it. It is quite possible to put in a half-
assed effort and get minimal results, even
though you perform every exercise for the entire
six weeks. Of course, if you tried that in the
Armed Forces you’d be out on your ear!

Developing the mental toughness required

to excel at this program is largely a matter of
playing mind tricks on yourself. It’s what the
military instils in new recruits to allow them to
withstand the tremendous challenges that they
face in training and in actual combat.

Imagine if your six-year-old daughter was

being held hostage. There is a gun to her head
and she is going to die if you do not keep doing
the hover push up for another 30 seconds. Make
that your reality and you will succeed!
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GAUGING TRAINING INTENSITY

Training Zone Quick Test What It Means

Moderate activity: You can talk easily 50-60% of max heart

50-60% effort rate

Weight Management You can only talk in 60-70% of max heart

Zone: 60-70% effort short sentences rate

Aerobic Threshold You can utter a few 70% of max heart rate
Zone: 70% effort words at a time

Anaerobic Threshold You are only able to 80-90% of max heart

Zone: 80-90% effort saty one word at a time rate

Redline Zone: 90-100% You have absolutely no 90-100% of max heart

activity chance of saying a word rate

THE WORKOUT

Week One Bodyweight

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MONDAY
EMOM 3 rounds
(60 secs rest between rounds)

Push Ups 20

Pull Ups 10

Wall Sit 45 seconds

LADDERS
Burpees 1-5

Decline Push Ups 1-5

Box Jumps 1-5

ACCUMULATE
Canoe Crunch 100

WEDNESDAY
EMOM 3 rounds
(60 secs rest between rounds)

Decline Push Ups 20

Pull Ups 11

Wall Sit 50 seconds

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LADDERS
Burpees 1-5

Plyo Push Ups 1-5

Box Jumps 10-14

ACCUMULATE
Air Squats 100

FRIDAY
EMOM 3 rounds
(60 secs rest between rounds)

Handstand Push Ups 10

Pull Ups 12

Wall Sit 55 seconds

LADDERS
Heels to the Heavens 10-14

Burpees 1-5

Box Jumps 10-14

ACCUMULATE
Sprinter Lunges 100
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Endurance
Tuesday
Two Mile Run

Your first run should be done at a gentle to moderate pace. Do not try to beat
the time you recorded on your Fitness Test. Your goal is run smoothly and
enjoy the experience. If you feel like doing a few Fartlek sprints feel free but
don’t be obliged to. Try to run on an undulating trail if possible.

US Army Tips: Running Technique

Run in an upright position with the angle originating from the ankle,
not the hips.

Keep your head up.

Keep your core tight and your shoulders down.

Your mid foot should contact the ground first (the neutral strike).

Your arms should be moving freely at your sides.

Thursday
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
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HIIT training is among the most time productive forms of

endurance training that you can do. As well as burning a ton
of calories while you’re doing it, it also keeps your metabolism
elevated for 24-48 hours after the session.

Another major benefit of HIIT is that it is short and sweet! In fact,

this workout will be all over inside of 10 minutes.

You’ll need a stopwatch that you can set timers at 20 and 10

second intervals. Get yourself down to a running track (or any
open space where you can sprint for around a hundred yards).

Begin with a two-minute warm up of slow jogging, building

in intensity during the last 30 seconds. As soon as you hit the
2-minute mark, begin sprinting at maximum speed. Imagine
that you are being chased by a huge, hungry dog with very
sharp teeth! Pump you arms and move your legs with full
strides. Keep pushing as hard as you can until you hear the 20
second alarm. Then slow to a walk for 10 seconds. On the alarm
begin sprinting again. Your goal this time is to maintain the
same speed and momentum that you did on the first sprint.

Repeat this sequence until you have completed 8 rounds of

sprints. Be absolutely determined to not allow the quality of
your sprints to go down from round to round!

Once you’ve finished this workout, you will be absolutely

exhausted (if you aren’t, you need to ask yourself why not!).
Give yourself exactly 60 seconds to lie on the ground, breathe
heavy or do whatever else you need to do to recover. Then get
up and begin walking. Walk up and down the running track for
2 minutes as your warm down.

7-Day Basic Training Challenge:

Timed Body Blast
250-yard run

50 Air Squats

30 Push Ups

Perform 3 Rounds
Goal – sub 10 minutes
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US ARMY TIPS:
3 KEY TRAINING GOALS
Perfect Technique
Ok, perfect might be a hard ask, but you need to ensure that your technique
is as close to perfect as possible on every rep. In the armed forces you’ll get
called out for every sloppy rep and made to perform a do-over. Be that tough
on yourself. When you are doing exercise to a timer there is a tendency to
focus more on the elapsing time than on the quality of the exercise that you
are performing. Don’t be that person. Technique must trump everything.
Make sure that you are going through a full range of motion on every exercise,
especially when you are approaching failure. Partial reps don’t cut it on this
program!
High Intensity
When it comes to your workout, it’s time to go to work. Your goal must be to
make every second count. Forget about those guys who stare at their phones
after every few reps down at your local gym. You need to approach your
workout as if it is a life or death mission. The design of these military workouts
is a stair-step effect to keep ratcheting up the tension on your muscle groups
– and your cardiovascular system -every succeeding minute.
Consistency
Make the commitment now that you will NOT miss a single workout over the
next 6 weeks. Plan to do them when you are not going to be distracted. If
you can, plug them into your schedule early morning. And don’t accept any
rubbish from yourself about not having enough time – if Dwayne ’The Rock’
Johnson can get up at 4:30 for his workouts while making movies and running
several businesses, what’s your excuse?
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Week Two Bodyweight

MONDAY
EMOM 4 rounds
(60 secs rest between rounds)

Push Ups 20

Pull Ups 10

Wall Sit 45 seconds

LADDERS
Burpees 1-5

Decline Push Ups 1-5

Box Jumps 1-5

ACCUMULATE
Mountain Climbers 200
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WEDNESDAY
EMOM 3 rounds
(60 secs rest between rounds)

Decline Push Ups 20

Pull Ups 11

Wall Sit 50 seconds

LADDERS
Burpees 1-5

Plyo Push Ups 1-5

Box Jumps 10-14

ACCUMULATE
Air Squats 100

FRIDAY
EMOM 4 rounds
(60 secs rest between rounds)

Handstand Push Ups 10

Pull Ups 12

Wall Sit 55 seconds

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LADDERS
Heels to the Heavens 10-14

Burpees 1-5

Box Jumps 10-14

ACCUMULATE
Sprinter Lunges 100

Endurance
Tuesday
Two Mile Pack Run

Today you will run the same course that you covered a week ago. However,
today there will be two differences:

You will be wearing a back pack with 25-pounds of weight in it!

You will be running for time.

This one is going to be tough. Get yourself psyched up, set your sights on your
goal and go for it.

So, what is your goal?

Look back to your fitness test time a week and a half ago. Of course, you did
that without the extra bulk of a 25-pound back pack. But now you’re 10 days
fitter! So, make that time your target!!!
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THURSDAY
Circuit HIIT
Today, you’ll do a modified version of the HIIT training that you did last
Thursday. This endurance workout will be structured around 8 intervals.
Each interval will involve 40 seconds of exercise, followed by a 20 second
rest period. Here are the exercises:

01 Jumping Jacks

02 Jump Squats – a deep squat with a jump at the top

Reverse Lunge with Jump – step back to a lunge the, as you back up,
03
jump up before repeating with the other leg

High Knees – jogging on the spot, driving your knees as high as they
04 can go (move as quickly as you can)

Split Jumps – hopping back and forth in a jumping lunge motion

05 without actually dropping into the lunge

Repeater Knees (Right) – You are simulating a sprinting motion but

06 with only one leg at a time so that you are driving your knee quickly
forward and back. The other leg should be in a quarter squat position

07 Repeater Knees (Left) – same thing, using the opposite leg

Heel Tap Jumps – starting with feet shoulder width apart, quickly
08 move your legs in and out as if you were doing jumping jacks.
Because you are not involving your upper body, you will be able to
move more quickly than in a normal jumping jack.

Now rest sixty seconds before going through the circuit again.
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14-Day Para Military Challenge:

Circuit Challenge
Run 400 meters

100 push-ups

Run 400 meters

50 pull-ups

Run 400 meters

50 mountain climbers

Run 400 meters

100 air squats

Goal – sub 26 minutes

US ARMY TIPS:
HYDRATION
The Armed Forces take hydration surrounding workout time very seriously. The
following recommendations are based on US Army guidelines:

On your workout days, you should drink about 500 mls (17 oz) of water in the
hour before your exercise session. This will allow you to start your workout with
normal plasma electrolyte levels.
During the workout, you should take in about a cup of fluid (250 mls or 8.5 oz)
every 20 minutes. In order to replace both fluids, glycogen and electrolytes,
you may wish to use an electrolyte infused carbohydrate drink.
In the two hours after your workout, you should drink another liter (34 oz) or so
of water to assist in the workout recovery process.
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Week Three Bodyweight

MONDAY
EMOM 4 rounds
(60 secs rest between rounds)

Push Ups 25

Pull Ups 13

Wall Sit 55 seconds

LADDERS
Burpees 3-7

Chin Ups 1-5

Box Jumps 3-7

ACCUMULATE
Bent Knee Windshield Wipers 200
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WEDNESDAY
EMOM 4 rounds
(60 secs rest between rounds)

Decline Push Ups 30

Pull Ups 14

Wall Sit 60 seconds

LADDERS
Burpees 3-7

Plyo Push Ups 3-7

Box Jumps 10-14

ACCUMULATE
Air Squats 125

FRIDAY
EMOM 4 rounds
(60 secs rest between rounds)

Handstand Push Ups 12

Pull Ups 12

Wall Sit 60 seconds

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LADDERS
Heels to the Heavens 10-14

Burpees 3-7

Box Jumps 10-14

ACCUMULATE
Sprinter Lunges 110

Endurance
Tuesday
Two Mile Hill Run

For today’s run you need to find an area that you can hit the hills. Ideally you
want to be able to cover 2 miles with about four decent hills. As a last resort,
you can use a treadmill with an incline function. Your objective is to jog the
straights and sprint the hills!

Don’t time yourself on this one – just go for it!!!

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Thursday: HIIT Burpees

This is your third experience with

HIIT training, so you know just how
grueling it is. This time, you are going
to plug in a full body plyometric
exercise that you may remember
from your school days – Burpees!

Click here for an exercise description.

Now, here’s a recap of the HIIT

protocol:

2-minute warm up

20 seconds of burpees

10 second recovery

Repeat 8X

60-recovery

2-minute warm down

Burpees are hard work. They

combine push ups, explosive jumps
and leg kick backs, making them
a fantastic total body worker. They
key here is to set a target and keep
pushing to maintain it on each set.
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21-Day Special Navy Seal Challenge:

Today your challenge is to undergo the US Navy Seal Initial Physical
Screening Test. Here’s what you’ve got in front of you:

Swim 500 yards

Push Ups 50

Sit Ups 50

Pull Ups 10

Run 1.5 miles

Target Time = 27 minutes

US ARMY TIPS:
MENTAL IMAGERY
A major key to achieving success as is to be able to plant in the forefront of
your mind vivid imagery of yourself doing the thing that you want to achieve. A
few years ago, mental imagery, also known as visualization, was the domain of
professional athletes and self-help gurus. In recent times, however, there has
been an increasing appreciation for the positive effects of metal imagery on
goal attainment among the everyday exerciser.
When you regularly visualize yourself accomplishing your goals in your ‘mind’s
eye’, you provide a powerful stimulus to success. All you need to do is to utilize
your imagination and focus to mentally rehearse the attainment of your goals.
Start at the daily level and do it while you are lying in bed before you get up in
the morning. See yourself doing everything that you need to in order to have
a perfect goal attainment day, from springing out of bed, enjoying a healthy
nutritious breakfast, powering through an invigorating, calorie depleting work-
out and then enjoying an energy restoring post work-out shake.
When you’re lying in bed at night, you should undertake another mental
imagery session. See yourself having accomplished your end goal with the
body, the strength and the energy that you are working towards. Create a
crystal-clear image of this new you and embrace the feelings that go with it –
the self-confidence, the energy and the joy of accomplishment.
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Week Four Bodyweight

MONDAY
EMOM 4 rounds
(60 secs rest between rounds)

Push Ups 30

Pull Ups 14

Wall Sit 60 seconds

LADDERS
Burpees 5-9

Decline Push Ups 10-14

Box Jumps 11-15

ACCUMULATE
Air Squats 125
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WEDNESDAY
EMOM 4 rounds
(60 secs rest between rounds)

Decline Push Ups 35

Chin Ups 13

Wall Sit 60 seconds

LADDERS
Air Squats 20-24

Plyo Push Ups 3-7

Box Jumps 10-15

ACCUMULATE
Burpees 50

FRIDAY
EMOM 4 rounds
(60 secs rest between rounds)

Handstand Push Ups 13

Pull Ups 14

Wall Sit 60 seconds

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LADDERS
Heels to the Heavens 11-15

Burpees 5-9

Box Jumps 11-15

ACCUMULATE
Wall Sit 5 minutes

Endurance
Tuesday
Fartlek 3 Mile Run

Today, your weekly endurance run takes on two new dimensions to ramp up
the intensity level:

You will be running for 3 miles rather than 2.

You will incorporate Fartlek sprints.

Remember that Fartlek training involves unscheduled periods of sprint work

interspersed into your normal pace. So, sprint when you feel like, but don’t sell
yourself short!

You don’t have to time this run – just get out there and enjoy it!
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Thursday
High Intensity Interval
Training (HIIT)

Today, you will be performing

another HIIT sprint training session.
Now that you are three weeks fitter
than your last session, however, you
will be doing 10 rounds rather than 8.

Here’s a recap:

2-minute warm up

20 second sprint

10 second recovery

Repeat 10X

60-recovery

2-minute warm down.

Push it to the limit on this HIIT

session. Remember you’ll only
be doing 5 minutes of total work,
excluding the warm up and warm
down. Make every one of those 300
seconds count!
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28-Day Combat Challenge:

Bodyweight 300

10 Handstand Push Ups

10 Air Squats

10 Sit Ups

25 Jumping Jacks

25 Box Jumps

25 Burpees

25 Walking Lunges

20 Chin Ups

Your goal is to complete 2 rounds of this workout inside of 17

minutes. You don’t have to do them in the given order – just get
to that magic 300 total!

US ARMY TIPS:
RUNNING FORM
Interval Training
Interval training involves running at a specified intensity for a certain period
of time, then resting at a recovery speed before repeating for a set number of
intervals.
Fartlek Training
With Fartlek Training, you vary the intensity of your running pace at designated
intervals. Fartlek training enhances your body’s ability to deal with lactic
acid build up. Lactic acid is a by-product of intense training. With this type pf
training you are constantly challenging your body as you switch between a
fast paced and steady state running pace.
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Week Five Bodyweight

MONDAY
EMOM 4 rounds
(60 secs rest between rounds)

Push Ups 33

Pull Ups 15

Wall Sit 60 seconds

LADDERS
Burpees 6-10

Decline Push Ups 15-19

Air Squats 25-29

ACCUMULATE
Box Jumps 3 minutes
 37

WEDNESDAY
EMOM 4 rounds
(60 secs rest between rounds)

Plyo Push Ups 20

Chin Ups 14

Wall Sit 60 seconds

LADDERS
Burpees 7-11

Clap Push Ups 2-6

Box Jumps 11-15

ACCUMULATE
Pull Ups 50

FRIDAY
EMOM 4 rounds
(60 secs rest between rounds)

Handstand Push Ups 15

Pull Ups 15

Wall Sit 60 seconds

 38

LADDERS
Canoe Crunch 20-24

Mountain Climbers 20-24

Box Jumps 11-15

ACCUMULATE
Push Ups 200

Endurance
Tuesday
2 Mile Hill Pack Run

Today, you are going to perform your 2nd pack run. You’ll be doing it on
the same hill routine that you followed in Week 2. That means that you’ll be
running uphill with a 25- pound pack on your back.!

Push this one hard!

This is a timed run. Get as close to your fitness test time as you can.
 39

Thursday
Circuit HIIT

Today, we revisit your Week Two

Circuit HIIT workout. This time,
though, you’re going to do it better
and longer. Instead of 8 rounds, this
time you will be doing 10 rounds.

Here’s a recap:

Jumping Jacks

Jump Squats

Reverse Lunge with Jump

High Knees

Split Jumps

Repeater Knees (Right)

Repeater Knees (Left)

Heel Tap Jumps

Now rest sixty seconds before going

through the circuit again.

This is the last time you’ll be doing

this HIIT workout, so you need to
absolutely OWN IT!

Don’t leave anything in the gas

tank!
 40

35-Day Battle Challenge:

Timed Circuit

This circuit will pit you against the clock. You’ll be performing 3
rounds of a six-exercise circuit as quickly as possible, ensuring
that you are maintaining perfect form on every movement.

Here’s the circuit:

50 Burpees

50 Push Ups

50 Mountain Climbers

50 Body Weight Squats

50 Lunges (25 each leg)

50 Jumping Jacks

If your math is working, you’ll have figured out that we are

challenging you to do 900 repetitions in 18 minutes. That
is going to take real focus and determination – the kind of
determination that you’ve brought to this challenge series
every single one of the previous 23 days. Why should today be
any different? It’s time for you to get it done. So, get your game
face on, get to your workout zone and own it!
 41

US ARMY TIPS:
RECOVERY
Proper recovery is an essential part of optimized physical performance.
When you are on point with every element of your recovery – nutrition, rest,
sleep, workout frequency – you will be able to slowly but surely improve your
strength, aerobic fitness and endurance. You will also be adding minute
amounts of size to your muscles. This will allow you to slightly increase the
intensity of your workout.

However, when you don’t, your performance level will drop off as fatigue sets
in. If left unchecked, improper recovery can even lead to over training.

Working out is hard work. Your body views it as a physical attack that shocks
it out of its normal state. When you don’t properly manage what happens
in the 24-36 hours after your workout, you are likely to enter into a state of
over training. But, when you do, you will be improving your metabolism, body
composition and mental wellbeing.

All forms of aerobic exercise produce what is known as excess post-exercise

oxygen consumption (EPOC).

The period of time that it takes for your body to return to its pre-workout
resting metabolism requires more oxygen. In the 24 hours after your workout,
you will burn an extra 6 to 15 percent of the calories you burned while
exercising. You can enhance this calorie burn by consuming a high protein
meal after your workout.

When you provide your body with adequate rest and proper nutrition post
workout, it will respond by making adaptations to meet the demands of your
next workout. This will include muscular hypertrophy in which your muscle
fibers get bigger and stronger. If your training goal is fat loss, the excess
calorie burn from your training and the EPOC effect will result in fat loss so
long as your post workout nutrition supports that goal in terms of caloric
consumption and macronutrient make-up (more on this in the next module).
Proper recovery will also allow you to be mentally fresh to come into your next
workout with a renewed level of energy.
 42

Week Six Bodyweight

MONDAY
EMOM 4 rounds
(60 secs rest between rounds)

Push Ups 40

Pull Ups 15

Wall Sit 60 seconds

LADDERS
Air Squats 26-30

Decline Push Ups 16-20

Box Jumps 13-17

ACCUMULATE
Burpees 60
 43

WEDNESDAY
EMOM 4 rounds
(60 secs rest between rounds)

Clap Push Ups 5-9

Chin Ups 15

Wall Sit 75 seconds

LADDERS
Burpees 8-12

Clap Push Ups 1-5

Box Jumps 10-14

ACCUMULATE
Air Squats 100

FRIDAY
EMOM 4 rounds
(60 secs rest between rounds)

Handstand Push Ups 10

Pull Ups 12

Wall Sit 55 seconds

 44

LADDERS
Heels to the Heavens 16-20

Burpees 9-13

Sprinter Lunges 30-34

ACCUMULATE
Box Jumps 3 minutes 30 seconds

Endurance
Tuesday
2 Mile Run

This is your last endurance run so you’ve got the challenge of a five-mile run.

Your target time is 45 minutes!

Process it! Visualize it! Do it!

 45
Thursday Cardio Power
Your final endurance workout is going to push you to your limit.
Here’s what it involves:

Suicides (30 seconds)

Place two markers 10 feet apart. Start at one marker, crouched down with
your hand touching the marking. Now sprint across to the other marker and
touch your opposite hand on that marker.

Air Squats (30 seconds)

Perform your air squats with a smooth, rhythmic cadence. Take 4-5 seconds
per repetition and focus on feeling the work that your thighs, glutes and
hamstrings are doing.

Mountain Climbers (30 seconds) Cross Jacks (30 seconds)

Stand with feet shoulder width apart and arms at your sides. Jump your feet
wide apart and raise your arms overhead, crossing your wrists over. Now
jump your feet back together, crossing your feet over and your arms crossing
in front of you.

Split Squats (30 seconds)

Stand with one leg 3 to 4 feet in front of the other, with your toes pointed
forward. Your front foot should be flat on the floor, but only the ball of your
foot should be planted. To help yourself balance, line up each foot with it’s
corresponding buttock, not with the other foot. Keep your torso erect. Rest
your hands behind your head.

Bend both knees to lower your body straight down until your back knee is 2
to 3 inches off the floor and your front leg is bent at a 90-degree angle. Your
torso and rear thigh should form a straight line. Return to the start position.

Standing Long Jumps (30 seconds)

Jump off with both feet together as far as you can. Bend your knees before
you jump and focus on going low to go far. Sprint back to the start position
and repeat.

Burpees (30 seconds)

You are to complete all of these movements for 30 seconds with no rest
between them. You then rest for exactly 5 minutes before doing the whole
thing over again. Don’t think about it – just do it!
 46

42-DAY FINAL TEST

Today is the day that you prove to yourself how far you’ve come. You’ll be
repeating the fitness test that you did before you started the program.

Go back to the beginning of this guide and check back over the checklist for
the three test exercises:

Push Ups Sit Ups 2-Mile Run

You need to be absolutely focused on smashing your original test results.

Set your own target but we suggest aiming for between a 25-50%
increase.

If you can achieve that, you are a legend!!!

 47

US ARMY TIPS:
ELECTROLYTES
When we talk about electrolytes, we are referring to minerals that have the
job of, among other things, facilitating the passage of fluids through cell
membranes.

Five key electrolytes are:

Magnesium

Sodium

Potassium

Chloride

Calcium

It is vital to healthy body functioning that we have a proper balance of

electrolytes. As with fluid intake, this balance depends upon the difference
between electrolyte intake and electrolyte loss.
We lose electrolytes through urine and sweat. In order to replace them,
researchers suggest taking a carbohydrate drink that is infused with
electrolytes during and after intense exercise.
 48

OPTIMIZED EXERCISE
TECHNIQUE
Air Squat

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your toes pointed slightly
outwards. Put your weight on your heels. Place arms up at chest level with
your fingers touching each other. Looking straight ahead, push your butt back
and down. As the hips drop, extend your arms straight out. Lower until you’re
the crease of your hip is just below the knee. Maintain a slight lumbar curve
throughout the entire exercise.
Drive through the heels to return to the start position.

Bent Knee Windshield Wipers

Lie face down on the floor with your arms stretched out and resting on th
floor. With your knees together bring your bent legs to the right side of your
torso. Keep your legs locked in that position. Now lift the three inches from the
ground. Pivot from the hips to bring your knee up to a center position. Hold for
a second and then lower to the left- hand side. Stop three inches from the floor
and repeat in the opposite direction. Do not allow your legs or feet to touch the
floor through the movement.

Box Jump

Stand in front of a box that is either 16, 20 or 24 inches in height. I recommend

that women begin with a 16-inch box, while guys begin with a 20-inch box.
Stand six inches away from the box with your feet set under your hips. Bend
your knees slightly and load your arms at your sides. Lead with your arms
as you jump up land on the box. Land evenly in the box in the bottom squat
position. Immediately jump down (think Hot Potato) and move directly into the
next rep.
 49

Burpee

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and hands by your sides. Push back
and down while lowering down into an air squat bottom position. In the bottom
position, kick your feet back and place your hands on the ground. This will put
you in the start position for a push up. Now perform a standard push up. Then
tuck your knees to your chest while lifting your chest and arms. From here
explode back up into the air to return to the start position.

Canoe Crunch

Sit on the floor with your legs straight and your clasped in front pf your torso.
Now simulate a row boat action as y6ou lift our feet from the floor, bring your
knees to your chest and perform a side to side rowing motion with your arms.
Do not allow your feet to touch the ground each time your feet extend.

Heels to the Heavens

Lie face down on the floor. Keep your shoulder blades tucked into the floor
and your core pushed into the ground. Now, with feet together, bring your feet
directly up to the ceiling. Now your body should form a right angle hinged at
the waist. To perform the exercise pulse your butt up and down to contract
and expand the abdominal muscles.
 50

PUSH UPS:
Standard

Start from a standard plank position. Your

hands should sit directly under your shoulders
(this is closer than most people position their
hands). Place your feet together and think
of your body as a single unit in a straight
line from head to toe. Look down at a slight
angle to ensure proper spinal alignment. Your
scapula should be in a retracted position.
Lower down under control until your chest
is hovering about an inch from the ground.
Now contract your arms, back and chest s
you push through the floor to return to the
top position. Be sure to come all the way up
so that your arms are fully extended and your
shoulder blades fully retracted.

Decline

Place your feet on a bench or stool and get

into push up position. Your body should be
at around a 30-degree angle to the floor.
Perform the push up movement as described
in the standard push up description. Focus
on maintaining tightness in the core and
squeezing and contracting your chest on
each rep.

Shoulder Tap

Begin in the standard push up position.

Perform a push up as per normal but, on the
way up bring your left hand up to tap your
right shoulder. On the next rep touch your
right hand to your left shoulder.
 51

Plyo

From the standard push up position, lower

yourself into the bottom position. From there
explosively push through the floor with your
hands, lasts and chest. Propel yourself off the
floor so that you are airborne for a second.
Work up to generating enough explosive
pushing power that you are able to clap your
hands together before descending.

Handstand

Position yourself about a foot away from a

wall, get down on all fours with your palms on
the floor. Now put your feet on the wall behind
you and walk your way up the wall to the
point where your body is as close to vertical
as you can get it.
Perform a push up by lowering your head to
the floor. You must touch your head to the
floor and then completely extend your arms
to lockout to complete one rep.

Hover

From the standard push up start position,

lower yourself until you are in the mid-point
range. Now simply hover in this position for
the required amount of time.
 52

PULL UP / CHIN UP
Grab a pull up bar with an underhand grip. Wrap your thumbs around the bar
and strongly retract your scapula. Open up your chest and tense your lats. Pull
up from your back and arms to bring your sternum up to the bar. Your goal is
to bring your chin over the bar in the top position. Slowly lower but do not go all
the way to a fully extended position. Of you do go into the dead hang position,
you will lose the load in your back and shoulders. Do not allow momentum to
assist your ascent.
The Chin Up is the exercise you perform when your hands are facing away
from you. This is a tougher exercise than the pull up because it cuts out a lot of
the bicep involvement in the exercise, making the move more back focused.
The wider your grip, the more back engagement you will get – and the harder
the exercise will be.

Pull Up / Chin Up Checklist

Grab the bar with a slightly wider than shoulder width grip.

Position your legs slightly out in front of your body with your toes pointed
down, your butt squeezed and your thighs flexed. Do not bend your
knees.

Look at the bar on the ascent and imagine yourself pulling the bar to
your body rather than rising up to it.

‘Attack’ the bar with your chest.

Do not unpack your shoulders in the bottom position.

 53

Mountain Climbers

Get down in the start plank position, resting on your elbows and your toes.
Alternately drive your knees to your elbows. Be sure to keep your core taught
throughout the movement.

Scissors

Lie face up on the floor with your hands by your sides and your legs straight
out. Without lifting your head from the floor, pivot from the hips to bring
your legs of the ground. Your legs should be slightly bent but locked in that
position. Now alternately cross your legs on a scissor motion to engage your
core. This movement should be fast and short. Resist the temptation to lift
your head as doing so may put your spine out of alignment.

Sprinter Lunges

Begin in a classic sprinter position with one leg extended back and lowered
so that the knee is a bout a foot from the floor. Load your arms at your sides
in the ready position. Now explode into the air as change leg positions,
driving the rear leg forward and the front leg back. Powerfully drive through
with your arms as you do this movement. Immediately move into your next
rep.

Wall Sit

Sit with your back against a wall, just as if you were sitting in a chair. Your
feet should be shoulder width apart with your legs at right angles and thighs
parallel to the ground. Spread your arms out along the wall at shoulder
height. Hold this position for the set time.
 54

YOUR
FITNESS FUTURE
Congratulations!

Over the past six weeks, you have been challenged over
and over again.

And over and over again, you have risen to that challenge.

You’ve done things physically that, I bet, you thought you

were beyond your capability. In the process you’ve attained
a level of strength, power, endurance and overall fitness
that has put you in the top 10 percent of people walking
around on this planet.

Be proud of that – it’s quite an accomplishment.

I believe that this last 42 days has proven to you the

limitless potential that lies within you. No matter what area
of your life you wish to achieve in, you have the power to
bring it.

So, walk away from this experience with a renewed

confidence in your ability to conquer any challenge that life
puts in front of you. Above all continue challenging yourself
physically - and never stop being badass!