At NGPT we work with people that go through massive transformations and we know that it is important to continue to come up with gym challenges that will allow people to measure their progress as they transform. We strongly believe that everyone must find multiple ways to measure their success so that they don’t get ultra obsessed with what happens on the scale at each weigh in checkpoint. Eventually you run out of weight to lose and you will need another measuring stick to keep you motivated! Each quarter of the year we come up with a handful of new gym record challenges for our clients to take on. Here are the gym record challenges for the 3rd quarter of 2013:

Gym Record Challenge #1: The Burpee Run. This one will test your upper and lower body endurance as well as your overall toughness. You must do 50 burpees and then run 1 mile. A good starting goal is to complete this in under 15 minutes. If you can get it done in under 12 minutes you are doing really well. If you can get it done in sub-10 minute time……you are a beast! To qualify for this gym record you must perform your burpees in the blue room at NGPT and then run the square mile around our building following the sidewalk the entire time. Get with an NGPT instructor to go over the exact route and then give it a try!

Gym Record Challenge #2: Five Minutes With Jacob. This is an awesome endurance test! If you have never been on a Jacobs Ladder machine you are missing out! This test must be timed on a stopwatch and not using the machine’s timer (just in case you decide to stop and rest a bit!). The hands must be on the ladder rungs as you climb also! Your total feet will be recorded at the end of your five minute climb. A solid starting goal is 400ft. If you can cross 500ft you are in good shape. If you can get to 600 ft you are at an elite level of conditioning. To check out more details on the Jacobs Ladder machine just check out their website HERE.

Gym Record Challenge #3: Three Rep Max Deadlift. We have done some deadlift challenges in the past but this one is a little different because it is for max weight and we are NOT factoring bodyweight % for this one. You just have to complete three good reps going from the floor to a completely locked out standing position. For some deadlift tips and benchmarks check out this video I filmed last year:

Gym Record Challenge #4: Floor to Overhead for One Rep (% bodyweight). This one is simple…so to speak. Just load a barbell and take it from the floor to an arms locked out overhead position. We will rank these based on the percentage of your bodyweight that you are able to complete one rep with. So, for example, if you weighed 200 lbs and were able to lift 100 lbs from the floor to the overhead position you would be scored as lifting 50% of your bodyweight.

So those are our four new gym record challenges for you to tackle during the months of July, August, and September. To set an official record at NGPT you must have an instructor or personal trainer there to verify it. We will be offering some opportunities to set these marks during classes and personal training sessions as well!