WEIGHT VEST
WORKOUT GUIDE
'endurance'
ɪ ˈ ʒʊə ə
/ nd
.r
ns/
noun
'the ability or strength to continue or last,
especially despite fatigue, stress, or other
adverse conditions.'
The Bulldog Gear Challenge was
designed to test your strength,
stamina and capacity for
doggedness once fatigue sets in.
Pushing your ability to run, pull, press and
lunge all with a burden greater than your own
body weighing you down; testing not just your
physical strength, but your mental
determination.
Moreover the challenge was designed to give
you a clear goal to work towards, a tangible
focus for your training, giving you the
opportunity to hone all of the qualities
required, before putting yourself to the test.
The workouts in this guide will
provide a progressive framework
to help you build towards the full
challenge, adapting and
increasing your capacity as you
go.
Designed to be performed
sequentially for 2-4 sessions per
week over a 4-8 week period.
Slot them in where you can
ensuring adequate recovery and
minimum interference with and
from the rest of your training.
Every session will help to
acclimate you to the
challenge ahead, but each
one is categorised and
serves a unique purpose:
CHALLENGE PREP:
The full works. Each session
building steadily in volume
from a tough but accessible
day one, right through to the
full fat finale.
CALISTHENICS PREP:
Building your tolerance for
bodyweight movements and
increasing your proficiency.
Better reps save energy, and
practice makes perfect.
WHEELS:
Strengthening the
foundations every week with
a session dedicated to
building the lower body and
drilling running on fatigued
legs.
BODYWORK:
More than just an excuse for
a pump; building strength
endurance and work
capacity through the smaller
muscles groups that will be
called upon to push you
through once the reps start
clocking up.
Also a good excuse for a
pump.
001
CHALLENGE PREP
for time:
200m run
75 walking lunges
200m run
50 push-ups
200m run
25 pull-ups
200m run
NOTES:
break up each movement as
necessary to maintain good form,
but keep it moving.
Go light-medium on the vest .
002
CALISTHENICS PREP
warm-up, then...
10 rounds for quality:
3 x pull-up
6 x push-up
9 x jump squat
NOTES:
use a weight in your vest that feels
easy for the first 3-4 rounds, but
allows you to keep pull-up reps
unbroken throughout.
003
WHEELS
warm-up, then...
AMRAP 30
-200m run
-10 x reverse lunges*
NOTES:
*add an additonal 10 reverse lunges
each round, work your way as far
up the ladder as you can in 30 mins.
Go heavy on the vest.
004
BODYWORK
warm-up, then...
6 rounds for time:
10 x vest curl
20m vest gun walk
30 push-ups
400m run
NOTES:
remove your vest and perform 10
bicep curls, after your final curl
keep the vest in the top position of
the curl and perform a 20m walk.
005
CHALLENGE PREP
for time:
100m run
100 walking lunges
200m run
50 push-ups
300m run
25 pull-ups
400m run
NOTES:
break up each movement as
necessary to maintain good form,
but keep it moving.
Go light-medium on the vest .
006
CALISTHENICS PREP
emom 'TYQ'
1 x pull-up
2 x push-up
3 x squat
NOTES:
TYQ= 'til you quit.
perform all three movements in the
same minute, every minute add an
additional rep to each.
Workout ends when you can no
longer fit the prescribed reps into
60s, or you quit.
Go heavy on the vest.
007
WHEELS
warm-up, then...
100/80/60... 10:
air squat
hanging knee raise
*200m run between
each round
NOTES:
scale to laying leg raises if
necessary.
Don't sandbag the run. Mean it.
Go heavy on the vest.
008
BODYWORK
20-1 / 1-20 of-
Push-up
Vest GTOH*
*ground to overhead
NOTES:
Perform 20 push-ups then remove
your vest and perform 1 GTOH , put
your vest back on and perform 19
push-ups followed by 2 gtoh.
Continue subtracting and adding a
rep from each until you hit 1/20
009
CHALLENGE PREP
for time:
200m run
150 walking lunges
400m run
100 push-ups
600m run
50 pull-ups
800m run
NOTES:
break up each movement as
necessary to maintain good form,
but keep it moving.
Go light-medium on the vest .
010
CALISTHENICS PREP
amrap 30
10 x ring rows
10 x push-ups
10 x reverse lunge
NOTES:
30 minutes is a long time, so focus
on quality movement and
maintaining tension.
Go for a medium weight on the vest.
011
WHEELS
emom 30 (alt)
even mins'legless' complex:
-reverse lunge left/right
-squat
-fwd lunge left/right
-squat= one rep
odd mins- 100m run
NOTES:
start with one complex, add an
additional complex each round until
failure, or 30 mins.
Go heavy.
012
BODYWORK
40s work/20s rest x 5
Bar hang
Vest curl
Push-up
Heels elevated squat
NOTES:
Perform a 40s effort, followed by 20s of
rest, repeat each movement for 5
rounds before moving on to the next
exercise.
For the squats, remove two bricks from
your vest and use them to elevate your
heels.
(wear vest for all movements bar curls)
013
CHALLENGE PREP
for time:
400m run
200 walking lunges
600m run
150 push-ups
800m run
75 pull-ups
1000m run
NOTES:
break up each movement as
necessary to maintain good form,
but keep it moving.
Go light-medium on the vest .
014
CALISTHENICS PREP
for time
100 x pull-ups
200 x push-ups
300 x walking lunges
NOTES:
break up each movement as
necessary to maintain good form,
but keep it moving.
Go light-medium on the vest .
015
WHEELS
emom 30 (alt)
even mins'legless' complex:
reverse lunge left/right
squat
fwd lunge left/right
squat= one rep
odd mins- 100m run
NOTES:
start with one complex, add an
additional complex each round until
failure, or 30 mins.
Go heavy.
016
BODYWORK
25/20/15/10/5 of-
Vest upright row
Vest curl
Vest chest to overhead
Push-up
NOTES:
Perform 25 reps of each movement,
followed by 20 of each, then 15 etc.
Put your vest back on for the pushups
800 METRE RUN
300 WALKING LUNGES
800 METRE RUN
200 PUSH-UPS
800 METRE RUN
100 PULL-UPS
800 METRE RUN
NOTES:
Break up as necessary but complete all reps
before moving onto next run/ movement.
Scale as needed, choose movements and a vest
weight that will push you out of your comfort
zone, that's the only goal.
SCALING OPTIONS:
Scale any of the reps,
distances, movements or
weights according to your own
capacities, the aim is to get
uncomfortable, to find your
limits, but still to complete the
workout.
Ring rows, banded pull-ups,
hands elevated push-ups and
reverse lunges are all excellent
and respectable option.
Don't be afraid to do more than
you planned, upping the scales
during the workout, if you find
you can push harder.
Find your edge.