Summer Solstice to Labor Day:
77 Days. 50 Workouts. 20 Feats.

Welcome to camp! By Labor Day you won't remember the pale, worried city kid you are now. You'll be strong, and smiling, and full of enough summer to coast happily to Thanksgiving. It won't always be easy. In the next 11 weeks, some of you will struggle mightily, even cry. But, with a little effort, you can do it. Guaranteed.

Right, to successfully complete the Challenge, you must achieve you some feats! With the help of various Western and Eastern experts, and qualified officials from our very-plugged-in partners, we have created an unprecedented list of 27 mind-body feats. These are available for browsing on our Feats page, (also copied below.) Your job is to achieve 20 of these. Detailed instructions for each feat are on the individual feat page, which is also where you'll go when you want to record your accomplishment.

If you're arriving at this page for the first time, however, you'll want to sign up for a username on Social Workout, and then officially join the Challenge....

 

Work out and Achieve!

Just as in past Social Workout Challenges, to complete this challenge, you must work out regularly. You may be into Pilates, or Tae Bo, or treadmilling, or long walks. We're not here to prescribe the routine. Paths are many, truth is one. The new wrinkle here, is that we've got some feats of strength, coordination, and/or grace for you to achieve. You may choose your favorite 20, or go for all 27.

Blog It!

Keep track of your progress -- and to allow us to do the same -- by blogging your daily workout on SocialWorkout.com. It's as simple as clicking a button and typing an email. For detailed instructions on how to post a workout, and examples, both minimal and liteary, see here. In the next several days, we'll also be unveiling new feat-acheivement-tracking technology....

Win It!

As in the past, we've rounded up a team of fine sponsors prepared to give away lot's of cool stuff to help motivate you. There are different categories, but to take home the grand banana, you need to achieve all of the feats, to show self discipline, workout creativity, and at least some flair for self expression and community spirit.

Track Your Progress

To see everyone's record to date, check out the official Attendance Sheet!

What Else?

Your posts will appear below, on your user profile page, and on the TalkAmongstYourselves page. Judging will be done both by popular acclaim and our panel of celebrity judges. We'll be updating this page as we go along, but, if you have questions, post them to the site, or email us. That's about it! Ready to go? Just start clicking the buttons below...

First: Join
SocialWorkout.com

Join Social Workout
Then: Join
the Challenge!

Join the Challenge

 

The Feats of Summer: Challengers Must Complete 20 of the Following

  1. 50 WORKOUTS: Required by all. Over 11 weeks, you must complete and blog 50 workouts. or roughly five workouts a week.
  2. THE MILE RUN: Run a mile -- on a track, in a park, or down city streets. Time yourself. Your targets: Men: 7:15, and Women: 8:15.
  3. HALF MILE SWIM: This is an untimed feat. Must swim half a mile, without the help of flotation devices or swimming aids of any sort. You may complete the feat in a pool, or in the open water, with or without wetsuit. (In an Olympic sized pool with 25 meter lanes, complete 33 lengths. In a 25 yard pool, complete 36 lengths. In pond, lake, or ocean, please find a reliable way to verify the distance. Most important: Please be safe. Stay close to shore, and make sure you are not alone, and can get help if necessary.)
  4. UNDERWATER SWIM: To complete this feat, you must swim 25 yards under water. This may be a full length of a 25 yard pool, or the equivalent in a larger pool, or in the open water. Again, please be safe.
  5. GROUP FITNESS CLASS SAMPLER: To complete this feat, you must take three group fitness classes, as follows. Note: At least two of these must be live, physical classes. One may be taken at home, via DVD, streaming video or audio, or via Wii or other gaming console: Sampler: 1 Spin Class; 1 Yoga Cass; 1 Other Class of Your Choosing, (the nuttier or tougher, the better.)
  6. CHINUPS: Proper form and procedure -- as best articulated by the Marines -- must be followed. Your targets: Men: 10; Women 1.
  7. PUSHUPS: These are proper pushups, done consecutively without breaks. Your back must be straight, arms must bend to 90 degrees and then back to full extension. Knees may not touch the ground. Your targets: Men: 60; Women: 35.
  8. SITUPS: Must do 75 consecutive situps. There are a wide variety of situp forms, we will again use the Marines Phsyical Fitness Test as our standard. (Note: Unlike the Marines, however, there is not time limit for this feat.)
  9. HEADSTAND: Hold a headstand, without support from wall or friend, for at least one minute. See here for guidlines on form and practice tips.
  10. HANDSTAND: Hold a handstand for 20 seconds. You may do this against a wall to help with balance, but you can not have any assitance in holding up your weight. See here for guidelines on form and practice tips.
  11. WHEEL POSE: Hold the classic wheel pose, unsupported, for one minute. See here for guidelines on form and practice tips.
  12. PLANK PERSONAL: Inspired by SW reader body electric. The goal here is to hold a standard plank pose for an extended period. Unlike other feats, this feat will be personalized. If you wish to accomplish it, within the first week of the Challenge you must measure how long you can hold a plank to failure. By the end of the challenge, you then must beat your initial score by at least 50%. See here for guidelines on form and practice tips.
  13. SLEEP DISCIPLINE SIX-BY-SIX-THIRTY: The bedrock of good health, is sleeping well and sufficiently. To complete this feat, you must get up -- and stay up -- by 6:30 A.M. six days in a row.
  14. ONE DAY WATER FAST: To complete this feat, you must go for a 24 hour period without any food. You may drink water, and it is recommended that you drink plenty of it. Note: Please DO NOT attempt this feat, if you believe it could be remotely problematic for your health. There is a wealth of fasting-related information available online. Here is one reasonably good article on how to do a one day water fast.
  15. ALT.HEALTHY.FAST: To complete this feat, you must give up caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, and any other addictive, discretionary drugs for a period of one week.
  16. GENERAL HEALTHY EATING: Cook (or otherwise prepare) and eat one healthy dinner per week, every week, for the duration of the challenge. "Healthy" is subjective in this case, but the meal should be nutritionally balanced, not excessive in volume, and include large quantities of fruit and vegetables. (Note: You must record these meals in your workout posts, or other blog entries.)
  17. DAY OF SILENCE: Silence is a rarity in today's world, but it's a staple of virtually all monastic and meditative traditions. For many, going 24 hours without talking be the most difficult feat to achieve. There can be no breaks of silence. Communication with others must be in written for, or via other non-verbal means. Ideally, the day of silence would also be a day of limited communication with others, as well as limited consumption of media, though these requirements are not strictly a part of the feat. Some inspiration here.
  18. CARTWHEEL: To complete this feat, you must be able to execute a respectable cartwheel, with legs fully extended, and landing smoothly. For amusing explanations of the cartwheel, see here or here.
  19. HULA HOOP: Must be able to hula hoop for one minute without dropping the hoop, or otherwise assisting with your hands. Check Hooping.org for instructions and examples.
  20. JUMP ROPE: Must be able to jump rope for one minute, without mistakes, and, during this time, to execute at least five successful "criss cross" jumps. See here for good example of the criss cross jump.
  21. SPOT TURN: The spot turn is central to virtually all forms of dancing. To complete this feat, you must be able to convincingly execute a spot turn, and, ideally, several in a row. See here for instructions and examples.
  22. MOONWALK: Actually, it wasn't actually called the "Moonwalk" until Michael Jackson came along. (It seems the "Moonwalk" was a different dance, but MJ's label stuck.) Point is, if you can do this, you got moves. See here for instructions and inspiration.
  23. SING: Singing, ideally with friends, is good for your health. Ask Brian Eno. To complete this feat, you must memorize and sing a song, in public or for a group of friends. Your performance can be a cappella, with accompaniment, or even via commercial karaoke, BUT you must know all the words and be able to carry the tune even without help.
  24. JUGGLE: A classic and invaluable skill. To complete this feat, you must be able to juggle three items, continuously, without drops, for one minute. Instructions here, and inspiration here.
  25. HALF CENTURY BIKE RIDE: Complete 50 Miles in five Hours or less. This is not a fast pace, and it even should allow for a break, like, say, lunch. The point is to get out and go for a long ride. If you want to go faster, please do. Regardless, please be safe.
  26. BENCH YOUR WEIGHT: A timeless, macho measurement of basic upper body strength. It's not easy, but if you can do this, you can earn Big Respect in the free weights area of your local gym. A little training will go a long way here, but please be safe and work always with a spotter. For guidelines on form, see here.
  27. FREE THROWS: To complete this feat, you must successfully complete five out of ten standard basketball free throws. A 50% free throw shooting percentage is solid for a non-player, and it would put you on a par with Shaquille O'Neal, who admittedly is one of the worst free thow shooters in the history of the NBA.
Sponsored by

Shockingly Good Prizes

  • Grand Prize - General Heroism

  • One Full Year of Free Membership at Crunch! OMG. Crunch in the house! That's well over $1,000 value, and they've got locations in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Atlanta, and San Francisco.


  • Who Can Play and Other Stuff

  • The Challenge is open to anyone of reasonable age, regardless of race, creed, sexual orientation, physical handicap, or geography. If you plan to win, however, it would be nice to live in a town where Crunch has gyms!
  • Want to sponsor our next challenge? Talk to us!
  • How do we know you're telling the truth? We trust you. Want legalese? Look here.

Latest Challenge Posts

Workout

Cramming Feats

I got back from Boston mid afternoon, and headed to Hudson River Park with my basketball. I played one game of full court hoops, shot five for ten from the line, and ran a mile in under six minutes. I also jogged. In short, I completed three feats in about two hours, and would have done more if Equinox Greenwich Ave. was open for me to use the pool.

Where (gym, studio, etc.): : 
Workout Date: 
Mon, 09/07/2009 (All day)
More...

Workout

The Big Swim

We did it. Set out from Fireplace Farm, and swam to Gardiners Island. To be precise, I only swam about a half a mile, maybe 3/4. Into a fierce current. Dave K. swam 3.2, as did Steph with fins.

Where (gym, studio, etc.): : 
Workout Date: 
Sat, 09/05/2009 (All day)

Workout

Micro Fast with Satchel

TGIF. This I remember: Post work, pre-premiere of The September Issue and subsequent bottle of wine at Giorgione. I carried a valuable envelope of stuff to the gym, and was forced therefore to bring my bookbag with me, both to the elliptical and into the shower. This was slightly comedic. The entire workout lasted not more than 30 minutes, but I will count it.

Where (gym, studio, etc.): : 
Workout Date: 
Fri, 08/28/2009 (All day)

Workout

Pilates norm. though my memory is a bit fuzzy...

Jamie Darling? I could swear I went.

Where (gym, studio, etc.): : 
Workout Date: 
Tue, 08/25/2009 (All day)

Workout

Sept Day 8, Is there a new challenge yet?

I still wanna play even though I "won" something already. I never got my prize...maybe bc the prize is that I continued to workout and even did the next challenge (feats), even though I didn't get to finish...

ANYHOOO....
9am Ran 2.5 miles

Where (gym, studio, etc.): : 
Workout Date: 
Wed, 09/09/2009 (All day)
More...

Eis4Emily said "

urban -thanks for the pointers! I know i have to push through the ..." More comments...

Workout

Run run run

Getting back to work after the summer is hard. Getting back after a great 4 day weekend is even harder. So I left work not really feeling kickboxing or fighting for a spot at YTTP, so I just did a regular cardio workout. 40 minutes on the treadmill- 5 min walk, 25 min run, 10 min walk on an incline. I have no idea where this adrenaline came from!

Where (gym, studio, etc.): : 
Workout Date: 
Tue, 09/08/2009 (All day)
More...

Workout

i need a shower

morning yoga with Lesley at Prema!!
yay healing shoulder and hip!!! i love turmeric and glucosamine!!

still not 100% but getting there....

Where (gym, studio, etc.): : 
Workout Date: 
Tue, 09/08/2009 (All day)
More...

Eis4Emily said "

i am not logging food anymore bc i am eating ridiculous crazy ..." More comments...

Workout

catch up 1, monday

took a hiatus!!
3 days off from working out! i was sick with swiney whiney flu.

monday I came home from NJ bbq in search of something exciting to do for a workout!! unfortunately due to the holiday, most of the studios were closed!

I:

Where (gym, studio, etc.): : 
Workout Date: 
Mon, 09/07/2009 (All day)
More...

urbansherpa said "

oh my. that means i'm terrible with keeping up with what's going on ..." More comments...

Workout

W26 Time Warp

Along Hudson River for 4.5 miles, under an hour

Tonight, I ran with a colleague. Time went by faster! It was a beautiful evening: nice temperature with a cool breeze.

Workout Date: 
Tue, 09/08/2009 (All day)

How I'm BMOC and full circle at Superdive

Last night, morizzle and I went to SuperDive....we decided to celebrate the end of the feats of summer, where it all began. Memories of my crutches and hot pink lipstick kisses mixed with the smell of beer. There were lots of young men swarming the kegs and I felt a little bit like I was posing as Courtney Cox on the cover of a Couger Town billboard.

More...

New York

sassletics82 said "

I just laughed out loud and hard : )

" More comments...

Workout

lunch on the plaza

Couldn't ask for a more beautiful day to finish off the feats. Went with a couple of friends to the Slow Food Eat-In Potluck at Civic Center.

Where (gym, studio, etc.): : 
potluck at city hall!
Workout Date: 
Mon, 09/07/2009 (All day)
More...

Workout

Stumbling to the finish line

I barely got my 50th workout in today. I went to one wedding this weekend and the after party for my bride-to-be's shower and I have been partying all weekend. That being said, I just finished my 50th workout and didn't make it to the 5K I was planning. I did do a yoga workout with pittami and twinklefee and it was tough but I think it is because of my current state.

Workout Date: 
Mon, 09/07/2009 (All day)
More...

Workout

Champagne is a bad pre-run drink

I was in a wedding this weekend out in PA and didn't have a whole lot of time to workout. I managed to squeeze a 2.5 mile run on Saturday morning between all the drinking and partying. Working out was rough with the lack of sleep and amount of partying.

Workout Date: 
Sat, 09/05/2009 (All day)

Workout

End of summer/beginning of the new July workouts

Began today with 1/2 hour of arms and abs at home, unsure of where the day would lead me. THEN, spent a lovely afternoon with Sass! Met her at the high line, where we put together a fantastic list of "September is the new July" plans, then walked along the water for a while.

Where (gym, studio, etc.): : 
Workout Date: 
Mon, 09/07/2009 (All day)
More...

sassletics82 said "

20 min run is a good legit run! you rock that lady. YAY. go mo go! ..." More comments...

Workout

50! and a Moonwalk to Celebrate!

Last day of the Feats of Summer.

Jogged over to Central Park to enjoy the lovely weather.
Got home and practiced my moonwalk to finish up my 20th feat.

Congrats to all my Challenge teammates on making it to the finish line!

Challenge Tracking:
Feat #1: Workout 50 of 50: 20 min jog in Central Park
Feat #22: Moonwalking in my apartment.
Feats Completed: 20!

Where (gym, studio, etc.): : 
my dancing shoes!
Workout Date: 
Mon, 09/07/2009 (All day)

sandyliz said "

congratulations to cj on completing the FoS!

" More comments...

Workout

First summer run in the park (on the last day of summer)

After months of swearing by the treadmill to get my heart rate up, I finally took to Prospect Park for a run. Perhaps it had something to do with Crunch closing early for Labor Day, or because I had some serious thoughts to work out in my mind (my best friend's dad suffered a heart attack yesterday and died... at 60).

Workout Date: 
Mon, 09/07/2009 (All day)
More...

Workout

Yoga X

A friend of mine is doing is doing the P90X workouts so I joined in for Day 4's workout: Yoga X.

Workout Date: 
Sun, 09/06/2009 (All day)
More...

spindig said "

Did you see the new feat on the feats page?

" More comments...

Workout

Summer Day 69, I was SO not it!

1pm Muay Thai. We did bagwork for half the class, then light technical sparring. This was fun bc I was with my regular partner and she didn't kick my ass too much and we ended up laughing for most of it. Class ended with froggy tag which killed me, but was tons of fun!

Rest of the day was a big huge calorie-fest. BBQ at my cousin's house and then running around chasing her 2 year old

Where (gym, studio, etc.): : 
Workout Date: 
Sun, 09/06/2009 (All day)

spindig said "

Sounds like a perfect labor day wknd!

" More comments...

Workout

wanna make it? make it happen!

Yes, that's my mantra. It has been for a good year and half now. It works well! I had not clue that weird chanting feat was posted until I saw it from my cell in a long car ride...so instead of napping I got coffee at a WaWa in PA and chanting "wanna make it...make it happen..." quite a lot of times!

Workout Date: 
Sun, 09/06/2009 (All day)
More...

msh258 said "

two more! you're so close! just do it!

" More comments...

Workout

Late night jog and mile run feat

We're crashing tonight in Rockaway, and since we failed on our 50 mile ride feat yesterday, I decided to do my mile run feat tonight, working through the pain and stiffness, rather than wait until tomorrow and risk that I don't have time to do two feats.

Workout Date: 
Sun, 09/06/2009 (All day)
More...



Warning: Table './sowoblog_live/watchdog' is marked as crashed and should be repaired query: INSERT INTO watchdog (uid, type, message, variables, severity, link, location, referer, hostname, timestamp) VALUES (0, 'php', '%message in %file on line %line.', 'a:4:{s:6:\"%error\";s:12:\"user warning\";s:8:\"%message\";s:349:\"Table './sowoblog_live/accesslog' is marked as crashed and should be repaired\nquery: INSERT INTO accesslog (title, path, url, hostname, uid, sid, timer, timestamp) values('Feats of Summer Challenge', 'node/6778', '', '18.97.14.85', 0, '6945d6601d869b036794d1873b75fdf8', 25393, 1733233700)\";s:5:\"%file\";s:63:\"/home/sowoblog/public_html/modules/statistics/statistics.module\";s:5:\"%line\";i:63;}', 3, '', 'http://sowoko.com/feats-summer-challenge', ' in /home/sowoblog/public_html/includes/database.mysql.inc on line 135