This workout is designed to be done with a partner or group. See the ?How-to? section below for instructions.
How-to:
Warmup: A couple rotations of the Grok Squat and a few 50 meter runs at moderate effort.
Equipment:
Sandbag or some other heavy weight for a “Hunt” prize. A 50 lb sandbag works well, but any weight that is heavy to you and your partner will work. A soft weight (sandbag, medicine ball, etc.) is highly recommended.
A kettlebell, set of dumbbells or any other weight(s) you can hold at your chest or shoulders and press overhead.
Bandana, flag or some other piece of cloth.
Setup:
Find a large, open field. Set up this WOW by placing the prize (sandbag or alternate weight) on one end of the field and the dumbbells (or alternate weight) on the other, about 50 meters apart. Each “tribesman” needs to wear a flag at their hip.
This WOW has two phases: the “Hunt” and the “Battle”.
The Hunt:
Starting at the sandbag end, each “tribesman” completes a set of 30 walking lunges as he hunts the “prize”. Once you complete your lunges, it’s a sprint for the “prize”. The tribesman who gets the “prize” then has to evade the competing tribesman, all the while lugging the heavy prize around. Once the flag is captured, the prize is handed over and the beaten tribesman cranks out 10 pushups while the other tribesman makes his escape. Repeat until each tribesman has completed 2 sets of 10 pushups. After reaching “stalemate”, the prize is left, and (in time-honored tradition) the tribes go to war.
The Battle:
Sprint back to “camp”, grab the dumbbells (or other suitable weight) and complete 20 squat thrusters.
Rest for 2 minutes and repeat for two more cycles. If the sandbag ended up closer to “camp” than the 30 lunges now permits, just go past it and sprint back.
*How to Perform a Squat Thruster: Holding the weights at your shoulders (or chest depending on the type of weight) perform a full squat (using proper technique). On your way back up from the squat position press and fully extend the weight overhead. Then bring the weight back down to your shoulders while simultaneously performing another squat. The squat thruster should be a fluid motion, with legs and arms working at the same time.
Variations:
If you can?t do a proper squat thruster or pushup substitute movements from Levels 1-3 of Primal Blueprint Fitness Lift Heavy Things (chapter 3).
Scale the amount of weight you use to vary the difficulty.
Hat Tip:
This reader-submitted WOW passed the scrutiny and testing of me and my team. It comes courtesy of Mark?s Daily Apple reader Will. Thanks, Will!
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 WOWsreplace 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 more than three decades 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 flavorful and delicious kitchen staples crafted with premium ingredients like avocado oil. With over 70 condiments, sauces, oils, and dressings in their lineup, Primal Kitchen makes it easy to prep mouthwatering meals that fit into your lifestyle.