Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield is a four-time heavyweight title winner in the pro boxing universe, with a Golden Gloves championship, an Olympic bronze and a Pan American silver to show off from his amateur days, too. He has fought greats like George Foreman, Larry Holmes, and (of course) Mike Tyson. He’s been painfully bitten on the ear twice, yes, but he’s also done his share of over-the-line crap like headbutting. And don’t even open a discussion about his media career (woo, he’s in a Taco Bell commercial these days) or his family life. Just try to match his workout and then you can talk bad about him.
This little baby below is a killer. Our trainer modified this routine slightly from the original and put us through it and I wanted to perish and be laid to rest so I could stop having to do them. Good times.
Before you start, warm up. But not too much. You’re gonna need every ounce of strength and fortitude you can scrape together in order to finish this one.
- Sprint 40 yards
- Sprint backwards 40 yards
- Do 10 frog jumps (be explosive!)
- Do 10 push-ups
- Bear crawl (like Spiderman) 40 yards
- Bear crawl backwards 40 yards
- Sideways run right 40 yards
- Sideways run left 40 yards
- Do 10 frog jumps
- Explosive skipping (knee up as high as possible) forward 40 yards
- Explosive skipping (same as above) backward 40 yards
Let me just tell you in advance that those backwards bear crawls are going to make you cry. The forward ones are bad enough. But your brain just does. not. want. to do those things backwards in tandem with your muscles. Watch out for your face on the floor, there.
Oh, and the skips sound like such a vacation. They aren’t.
The point is to go for a solid 3 minutes — assuming you can complete this in 3 minutes — with your heart rate at or over it’s max capacity. For me that’s 180 bpm, and I have noooo problem reaching it on this plan. And it’s all anaerobic, meaning you’re operating without enough frikkin oxygen to your muscles. It’s imperative that boxers have high anaerobic capability because of how the sport works.
Oh, did you think you were finished? Dear, dear Virginia. You probably believe in Santa Claus, too.
No, honey, you have to finish this drill, puke if necessary, get your breathing under control, and go again. Two more times. It’s all good.
Did I say good? I meant to say, it’s pure hell. Have fun, boys and girls!
Image credit: cliff1066 on Flickr
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