Unconventional Athletes Issue 3

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I will now give an overview of the
“challenge”, before explaining it in
more detail:
Step 1) I mow my lawn with a small
push mower, while utilizing the O2
Trainer and nose clip, this adds to
the intensity and trains my bellows
(lungs). This usually takes me about an
hour to complete (At this point I mow
the entire yard, except for the small
strip surrounding the odd objects). I
recommend that you start with setting
1 on the O2 trainer, and gradually work
your way up. This is especially
important in the summer months,
when heat and humidity are at peak
levels.
Step 2) Park the mower near the odd
objects so that you can mow the
grass under them once they are
moved out of the way.
Step 3) Begin timing yourself with
the stopwatch. Next, move the objects
from their resting place to a spot near
the fence, using a combination of bear
hugs, push jerks, and carries. This
allows you to mow the grass that they
rest on. You can do this while still
wearing the nose clip and O2 Trainer.
I have intentionally stacked these
objects in such a way that they must
be moved in order for me to be able
to mow the lawn.
Step 4) Restart the mower and finish
the lawn mowing task.
Step 5) Once you have finished
mowing and each object is carried back
to it's original resting place, utilizing
the same techniques described in Step
3. Stop the stopwatch. Keep a record of
your times so that you can try to beat
your personal best each time you take on
the challenge.
Step 6) Remove the O2 Trainer and
nose clip, and then I store the
lawnmower in my shed.
Step 7) Rest, rehydrate, and enjoy the
rest of my day.
Once you establish the setup of your challenge, you must
HAVE a way to gauge progression in your performance.’
WHY THE LAWNMOWER CHALLENGE?
There are several reasons why I like to
do The Lawnmower Challenge. First,
it's a great test of your fitness and
strength level. You're following up an
hour of fairly hard cardio with heavy
lifting. I know that if I can get through
the challenge on a hot, humid day, my
strength will not fail me in real-life
situations. This also lets me know that
I have still "got it". Secondly, it allows
me to incorporate a great full body
workout into my weekly yard work.
This results in huge time savings.
With the schedule I have, it's important
that I squeeze in a workout whenever I
get the chance to do so. Lastly, taking
on the challenge builds mental
toughness, if you allow it to. What I
mean is that you're already tired
from the heat, the mowing, and the
use of the O2 Trainer. Now you are
expected to do some heavy, awkward
lifting without the benefit of a proper
warm up. If you approach this tough
challenge knowing that quitting is not
an option and that you must complete
it, you will strengthen your mind every
time you take it on.
CONTRAPT YOUR CHAllENgE!
Now that we have established how
the challenge works and what it does
for you, I will show you how to setup
a challenge for yourself, using mine
as an example. As you will see in the
photos, I have my implements (odd
objects) set up in an easily accessible
area of my yard. This allows for
consistency and ease of use. I have
them set in a certain order that I do
not change. The order is as follows:
• 2 stones (50 – 60lbs. (22.7 –
27.2kg) each)
• 1 Stone (127lbs. /57.6 kg)
• 1 Stone (149lbs. /67.6 kg)
• 1 Granite Ball (100lbs. /45.3 kg)
• 1 Keg (160lbs. /72.6 kg) *This Keg
is filled with a combination of
sand, water, and bent 60 Penny
Nails*
• 1 Keg (132lbs. /59.9 kg) *This Keg
is filled with a combination of
sand and water *
• 1 Concrete Atlas Stone (240lbs.
/108.9 kg)
*O2 Trainer is set at level 5 for mowing and lifting.
Do not be “too tough” and take breathing breaks
and water breaks during the challenge.This is
very taxing, even on the fittest bodies / minds*
Issue 03 - Volume 1 Page 13