My legs must have weighed 100 lbs each. Half a mile in they started to loosen up and felt slightly more normal. Half a mile later it was over. I felt terrific.

It was Memorial Day and I had just completed the Murph Challenge. Created by fallen Navy Seal Lt. Michael Murphy, the challenge consists of running a mile, followed by 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, followed by another mile. It is a great workout.

Traditional training regimens consist of prescribed sets and reps. After completing the “Murph Challenge” I decided to switch up my training to be solely challenge style rep based. For example 50 pull-ups, 100 push-ups.

Challenge style training works perfectly with bodyweight training and provides new ways to measure progress. Increasing the number of reps achieved on the first set measures strength gained . Adding additional reps to an exercise measures workload. Completing total reps in fewer sets or less time measures intensity.

An example of my summertime challenge style workout:

Day 1

warm up - 10 min

50 pull-ups

100 dips

100 squat jumps

10 skin the cats

Finisher - sprints or burpees

Day 2

Warm up - 10 min

75 rows (aussie pull-ups)

100 parallel bar push-ups

100 walking lunges

5 front levers (10 seconds)

Finisher - sprints or burpees

That’s it. Get in two cycles each week for a total of four workouts. Take rest days when tired or feeling beat up.

Don’t get stale. Once a month, create a unique challenge and crush it (sometimes it crushes me). An example is: 100 Dips, 100 pull-ups, 100 push-ups, 100 rows, 200 squat jumps. Another idea is to add in a challenger finisher every other week. Example is; 10 pull-ups, 20 push ups, 20 leg raises, sprint a 400, all with out resting. The possibilities are endless.

Take action, get outside, challenge yourself, feel great, and get in shape!