Weekly Workout: Rest with Knot Tying or Other Skills

Adding a skill to your workouts is a creative way of getting your brain involved with training, and it lets you practice need-to-know skills under duress.

Here is a full-body workout that mixes calisthenics, running, weights, TRX and swimming with a resting element of knot tying. In many military schools, knowing how to tie knots is critical. Learning to do them while dealing with an element of physical stress may help you perform better in a high-stress situation.

Warmup Plus Section

Squat/push-up pyramid 1-20 with 25-meter run between each set -- stop at 20 (do not go down)

• Every fifth set, do max pull-ups and dips
• Tie a knot as a rest*

*Equals 210 push-ups/squats total.

Rest with knot tying as needed every fifth set: Bowline, right angle, square knot, becket's bend, clove hitch

Repeat five times.

• Five-minute Tabata interval (bike, elliptical or row) or just run five minutes fast
• Pull-ups max
• TRX atomic push-ups max or bench press -- max reps at 135 pounds
• TRX rollouts 10 or one-minute plank pose
• Thrusters 10-15 (front squat/push press combo)
• Deadlift 5
• Farmer walk up/down steps five times while carrying 30-40 pounds of weights/weight vest/ruck

Run 2-3 miles and/or swim with fins 1,000 meters timed (15-20 minutes)

Swim 5 x 100-meter sprints, rest with knot tying, one knot per set.

Enjoy.

Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL and fitness author certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Visit his Fitness eBook store if you're looking to start a workout program to create a healthy lifestyle. Send your fitness questions to stew@stewsmith.com.

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