Here's an Old-School Workout that Is One of Our Favorites

Do you have a favorite place to work out? Indoors, outdoors?

Pretty much anywhere outside, on a big field, with a pull-up bar is my favorite place to train. If you ever have been to the Naval Academy grounds, you likely have seen a field called Farragut Field loaded with a row of pull-up bars. There are 36, to be exact.

Back when there were 36 companies at USNA, they had pull-up workouts there. Here is an old-school workout my group performed the other day that challenged some of our advanced athletes to tackle every pull-up bar on the field (36 sets).

Big PT Day

Run 1.5-mile warmup.

Repeat as many times as you can.

• 5 pull-ups
• 20 push-ups
• 20 abs of choice -- mix many ab choices/plank pose (20 seconds)

How many times can you do this? Ten, 20, 30?

Run 1.5 miles. Keep track of your time.

Swim or ruck 30 minutes at an easy pace, then stretch.

This is a lot of reps if you do multiple sets, so listen to your body and know when to stop. If you are not ready for 100+ pull-ups and 500+ push-ups, focus on abs, then stop at 10-15 sets.

Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL and fitness author certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Visit his Fitness eBook store if you’re looking to start a workout program to create a healthy lifestyle. Send your fitness questions to stew@stewsmith.com.

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