Fitness Challenge-Health and Fitness

Now you can join them, even if you never take part in our competition. This is because we have created three Urban Athlon inspired workouts you can do just anywhere and at any time grease, sweat buckets fighting, and put yourself in the best shape of your life. Are you ready for the challenge?
THE WORKOUT URBAN ATHLETES
We asked sports-performance coach Alwyn Cosgrove, CSCS, co-owner of Results Fitness in Santa Clarita, California, to three mini-workouts, each inspired by our most recent Urban Athlon, which has been plagued runs interspersed with muscular design challenges. Training trains you for a sustained effort, while the other two will build aerobic capacity and promote fat loss. Complete each routine once a week. Also, add a challenge described on the next page workouts 2 and 3. You inject variety into your workout time if you have more fun and better results. 
Training 1
Step 1: Run 2 miles.



Step 2: Find a hill and run 50 meters at about 80 percent of your sprinting speed. Walk back to the beginning. Do this a total of 10 times. 
Step 3: Run 2 miles more.
Each week, add one quarter mile to step 1 and step 3 until you build up to 6 miles in total. 
Workout 2
Step 1: Create a 400-yard sprint, timing yourself with a stopwatch. Try to run at the fastest pace you can maintain from start to finish. 
Step 2: Rest for the same amount of time it took to do the sprint. 
Step 3: Add in Challenge 1, 2 or 3 (on next page). 
Step 4: Rest for the same amount of time you feel in step 2. 
Step 5: Repeat three times for a total of four rounds.
Each week, add a round (including challenge) until you build up to eight rounds. 
Training 3
Step 1: Has a 800-yard sprint, timing yourself with a stopwatch. Try to run at the fastest pace you can maintain from start to finish. 
Step 2: Hold for twice the amount of time you needed to do the sprint. 
Step 3: Add in Challenge 1, 2 or 3 (on next page). 
Step 4: Rest 60 seconds. 
Step 5: Repeat three times for a total of four rounds.
Each week, add a round until you build up to eight rounds.
Challenge 1
In the first stage of the Urban Athlon, participants must demonstrate their agility and balance maintained if they passed the blast furnaces at peak aerobic capacity. They make their way along the top of a concrete highway barrier as a sort of balance beam and then climb straight up monster-truck tire. Then they tied in and out a series of oversized tires. Then racers must navigate over and under the police and traffic barricades. While this may sound simple, winner of last year, Shane Logan, said: "It kicked the crap out of me. I think it took a half mile or so up, even my legs back." A little perspective: This man runs a marathon in under 2:30.
Train for: Perform 1 set of each exercise below, and then rest for 30 seconds. Once again, until you have a total of 2 sets of each exercise done.
Exercise 1: Jumping ChinupChinup are under a bar and, in one motion, jump, grab the bar with a private grip, and your chest to the bar pulling. (The momentum of your jump will help pull you up.) DO 2 reps.
Exercise 2: Reverse BurpeeFrom a standing position, squat down and lean forward simultaneously, and go immediately into a pushup position. Lower your chest to the ground, and in one smooth motion, an explosive self back up and push into a standing position. Do 10 repetitions.

 Challenge 2
The obstacles in the two legs are just as fun. You have to climb over a traffic jam (seriously: It is a comprehensive mashup of parked cars), crawl under a long net, and swing your way across monkey photo a classic navy drills. Can not make it from start to finish on the monkey bars? You have until 25 Swiss-ball pushups do as a penalty.
Train for: Do 1 set of each of the following exercises. Go back to your training.
Exercise 1: Walking lungeStart with your hands behind your head (if you're arrested). Keep your torso upright, step forward with your left leg and your body straight down until your left knee bent at least 90 degrees lower. Push your left heel into the ground, and step forward into a standing position. Then repeat with your right leg. Continue until you have traveled a total of 50 meters.
Exercise 2: Bear CrawlAssumed a pushup position with your body in a straight line from your head to your ankles. (If this is more like a lizard position feels right for you, feel free to speak of the iguana crawling.) Now move your right hand forward a few inches, and bring your left knee as close to your chest as you can without change position of your torso or your lower back rounds. That is the starting position. Creep forward by switching the positions of your arms and feet, moving your other arm and leg at each "step." Continue until you have traveled a total of 50 meters.

 Challenge 3
From the perspective of a spectator view, leg three of the Urban Athlon is the best. These are fast moving to a "file" of actual cabins, climbing a cargo net at the top of a city bus, and scaling an 8-meter high wall. But before you do all this, then you win Soldier Field. You enter the legendary stadium only to find yourself in hell: to 226 steps, down 88 steps, up 81 steps, from 167 steps up to 162 steps, 142 steps. Logan says: "I'm sure I would roll through Soldier Field. But I was shocked that the first long flight, I had to grab the track and in fact run. My legs felt like they were exploding."
Train for: Do 1 set of each exercise. Then rest 60 seconds and repeat. Once you've done two rounds, back to your drills.
Exercise 1: StepupAttitude towards the seat of a bench in the park. Place your left foot on it or on another object of the same height and place your hands behind your head. Push your heel in the bank as you push your body up on the bench until your left leg straight. (Do not rest your right leg on the bench at the summit, instead, keep it in the air.) Leave yourself to the ground. That's one rep. Do 20 reps, then repeat with your right leg.
Exercise 2: Bulgarian split squatStanding a few meters from a park bench with your back to the seat. Bend your right leg and place the top of your right foot on the bench when your hands behind your head. This is the starting position. Keep your torso upright, bend your left leg and your body until your left leg is at least 90 degrees lower. Push your body back to the starting position. That's one rep. Do 20 reps and switch legs and repeat.