Complete 3 cycles, without putting the weight down:
6 Cleans
6 Presses
6 Squats
6 Bent Over Rows
How-to:
Warmup: 30 second Grok Squat, lateral, forward, and backward leg swings (10 each leg).
Time was of the essence this weekend, and I knew I wouldn’t find time to get anything done during the symposium, so I had to come up with a quick, efficient workout. Before I headed out to UCLA, I grabbed a reasonably heavy sandbag (around 70 pounds, maybe) and threw this together.
It’s pretty simple. It’s right there in the description. Grab a weighted object (sandbag, barbell, kettlebell, rock, slosh tube, etc) and do not put it down until you have completed three full cycles of the prescribed workout. It becomes sort of a metabolic, tabata-esque workout, because you’d rather just get it all over with than hang around holding a heavy object in between cycles.
Here’s a video of sandbag clean and presses for reference. I went straight from the clean and press into the squats, and then straight from the squats into the bent over rows, and repeated two more times after a brief “break” (holding the bag hardly constitutes as a break).
A few things to remember:
Keep everything tight. Because it’s a tiring workout and you’re doing reasonably complex, compound movements, injury is a possibility. Keep that neutral spine and you’ll be okay.
Squats can be back or front.
Pick a weight that’s moderately challenging.
Variations:
Pick a weight that is suitable for you based on your fitness level. Add up to two more cycles if three doesn’t cut it for you.
What Are WOWs?
Workouts of the Week (WOWs) are an optional component of Primal Blueprint Fitness that add a fractal and often fun and playful quality to the basic PBF protocol.
In most cases WOWs should only be completed by those that have mastered Level 4 of each Lift Heavy Things Essential Movement. Also, it’s recommended that WOWs replace one or both Lift Heavy Things workouts or the Sprint workout (depending on the WOW) each week instead of being done in addition to the Lift Heavy Things and Sprint workouts.
Learn more about WOWs and Primal Blueprint Fitness by getting the free eBook. And access all Workouts of the Week in the WOW Archive.
Mark Sisson is the founder of Mark’s Daily Apple, godfather to the Primal food and lifestyle movement, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Keto Reset Diet. His latest book is Keto for Life, where he discusses how he combines the keto diet with a Primal lifestyle for optimal health and longevity. Mark is the author of numerous other books as well, including The Primal Blueprint, which was credited with turbocharging the growth of the primal/paleo movement back in 2009. After spending three decades researching and educating folks on why food is the key component to achieving and maintaining optimal wellness, Mark launched Primal Kitchen, a real-food company that creates Primal/paleo, keto, and Whole30-friendly kitchen staples.
