Fitness Challenge: Flight of 100

Hey everyone,

It was time for another fitness challenge.  As we looked back in our training log recently, we realized that we had neglected farmer's walks over the last couple of months.  These are an excellent full body exercise and are very functional - in a basic sense, they involve walking while carrying weight.  You may have seen them featured in strongman competitions...

We have created another version of farmer's walks: stair carries.  As you'll see in this post, there are many different variations of this exercise, but they are all challenging, albeit in different ways.

For the fitness challenge, we looked back in our training log to see how many reps we had done in a previous workout (71).  We decided to make this a stretch goal and aim for 100 reps (flights).  We then picked four variations of the exercise and left the space to record our reps.  The goal was to finish the workout (and 100 flights), no matter how long it took, switching to a new variation when completely fatigued.  Here is what we did:

1. Double kettlebell stair carries (Tannys - 2x 12kg; Alex - 2x 24kg).  Reps: 5 sets of 5 (25 total).  You will feel the burn in your legs and grip.

2. Overhead kettlebell stair carries (Tannys - 12kg; Alex - 24kg). Reps: 5 sets of 3, per side (30 total).  These are tough on your shoulders and core.

3. Double kettlebell stair carries, with lifting straps (Tannys - 2x 12kg; Alex - 2x 24kg). Reps: 5 sets of 6 (30 total).  At this point you're tired - these feel like they last forever and your legs and lungs are on fire.

4. Racked kettlebell stair carries (Tannys - 12kg; Alex - 24kg). Reps: 3 sets of 5 (15 total).  You're completely exhausted at this point and only the proximity of the end of the workout suffices to keep you going.

This was an intense fitness challenge.  It took us about 75 minutes to complete it (alternating sets, as we shared one staircase).  It felt awesome to do 100 reps.  Each rep was one flight of stairs up (14 steps) and down (another 14 steps), while carrying weight.  It was like walking up and down a 100-storey building carrying kettlebells.

If you're up for the challenge, then give this a try.  If this is too intense, you can modify the weight carried and the number of sets and reps.  Set a goal, give it a try and let us know how it goes!

- Tannys & Alex