Friends Don’t Let Friends Work Out Alone
Challenge your friends to a grueling drill-based challenge, then whoop their butts.
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Not everything has to be a competition. But don’t ignore the benefits of integrating a little competition into your life. For this total-body workout that will tax your muscles and heart to prep your body for outdoor adventure, grab two equally athletic friends and see who ends up on top. Just for kicks.
Name: Two-Minute Drills
Time: About 30 minutes
Place: Open field, preferably with some room to run
Additional Needs: Stopwatch; three equal-weight rocks/logs/dumbbell; truck tire (optional); two friends
Directions: Do each move for two minutes (unless otherwise noted). Log your totals at the end of each move. (You can rest as needed at your own pace during the two minutes.) The person with the most reps earns three points, second place gets two points, and third place scores one point. The person with the most points at the end is declared the Wicked Wednesday Workout Winner.
The Workout
1. Warm up for five minutes (light jog; dynamic stretches like lunges, bodyweight squats, and side shuffles).
2. Pushups: Total pushups in two minutes. Use the honor system to ensure you go all the way down and all the way up.
Rest for two minutes.
3. Tire flips: If you have access to a truck tire, do as many flips as you can in two minutes. Bend your knees into a squat to put your hands under the tire (don’t roll your back), lift the tire, then push it over. The others do bodyweight squats while one person is flipping. Count the total number of flips. (Squats don’t count—they just ensure equal rest and work periods for all three people.) Alternative: No tire? Do weighted squats, with each person holding the same amount of weight. Count the total weighted squats for two minutes.
Rest for two minutes.
4. Run: Run as fast as you can for two minutes. The person who covers the most distance in two minutes gets three points, and so on.
Jog back to your field together for the recovery period.
5. Overhead press: Using a log, rock, sandbag, dumbbell, or some other form of resistance, do as many reps as you can.
Rest for two minutes.
6. Walking lunges: With everyone starting at the same point, do walking lunges. The person who covers the most distance in two minutes gets three points, and so on.
Rest for two minutes.
7. Plank: Whoever can hold a plank the longest earns three points, and so on.
Rest for one to two minutes.
8. Run: Run as fast as you can for two minutes. The person who covers the most distance in two minutes gets three points, and so on.
Jog back and cool down.
Ted Spiker, who has designed and led backyard and neighborhood workouts for his friends for the past three years, is a journalism professor at the University of Florida who specializes in health and fitness writing. He recommends you pick up a scrap truck tire to add more variety to your workouts.