They say ‘time flies when you’re having fun’, I’d like to adjust it to ‘time flies when you’re having fun, and sweating up a storm pushing your fitness levels to new heights!’

Boom! Here we are, officially into the second half of the Men’s Health #100DaysToMuscle challenge. Man, it doesn’t feel like we’ve already completed 50+ days! That being said, however, I do feel stronger! The amazing guys at Sports Science Institute (SSISA) and their carefully (and scientifically) calibrated RIPT programme certainly seem to be delivering what they declare on the tin, so I’ll say it again… I do feel stronger!

You know, it’s about the result at the end of the day, and more specifically, the results at the end of the challenge. So before I got all too caught up in the desire to check out my progress so far with halfway tests, my trainer Rodet (@rodet_yila) instilled some Yoda-like words of wisdom on me:

“You shouldn’t put too much emphasis on the numbers you see when (re)measuring yourself during a challenge, keep pushing through and make sure that you remain focused on the main goal. You’ll reap the rewards at the end.”

So, as far as I know, while it is important to note where you are in your training in terms of progress, you shouldn’t let it be a catalyst to overdo it. Keep your end goal in the crosshair and motivate to achieve that when the time comes (in my case, in less than 50 days from now).

This is what my week at RIPT looked like:

Monday (Day 1):

Warm-up – 2 x 2 mins cardio & dynamic stretches with lift prep.

Primary Lifts –  Sumo deadlifts (4 x 6) ss KB swings (4 x 8)

MetCon – (assisted) pull-ups / battle rope Burpees / push-ups / inverted rows / thrusters (BB only) (2 x 60:30 secs work:rest ratio)

Finisher – 2 x 3 min shuttle sprints (3 min rest)

Cool-down – foam roll & static stretches

Wednesday (Day 2):

Warm-up – 2 x 2 mins cardio & dynamic stretches with lift prep.

Primary Lifts – Paused back squats – 2 sec. pause (4 x 6) ss Front squats (4 x 8)

MetCon – box jumps / Paloff press / high knees / Cuban press (2 x 40:20 secs work:rest ratio) * 30 secs 1. reverse crunches 2. plank walk-out 3. curl-ups 4. bicycle crunches after each set of work

Finisher – MB Burpee into wall ball, with a 15 m shuttle sprint (Countdown – 5, 4, 3, 2, 1)

Cool-down – foam roll & static stretches

Friday (Day 3):

Warm-up – 2 x 2 mins cardio & dynamic stretches with lift prep.

Primary Lifts – BB inclined press (4 x 6) ss DB floor press (4 x 6/arm)

MetCon – hanging knee raises / Burpees / KB swings / shuttle sprints / KB goblet squats / bear crawl / overhead walking lunges / lateral shuffles (2 x 60:60 secs work:rest ratio)

Finisher – proprioceptive drills

Cool-down – foam roll & static stretches

So there we have it. Maintain focus on that end goal and the results will speak for themselves.

Ready for the back nine!