From personal experience I can assure you that this is the hardest Superhero Workout Stupid Gym Shit has created so far.   It’s called “The Punisher” for a reason.  It takes a tremendous amount of physical and mental toughness to get through it.

With Crossfit gyms opening up on every corner, many trainers have the mindset to simply create the most grueling and hardcore workouts imaginable.  There MUST be a systematic approach to each workout and the sequence of movements within a single workout.  Although these workouts may seem extreme, there has been a tremendous amount of planning that went into creating each and every one of these.

These are not workouts that you would do each time you came to the gym, but they are tremendous programs to gauge your progress and test your mental toughness.  Many people lack that mental-drive, which will eventually inhibit their progress and results.  You’ll be amazed at how much more you can actually accomplish if you break through mental barriers in your training.  Arnold Schwarzenegger said it perfect; “The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow.  This area of pain divides the champion from someone else who is not a champion.  That’s what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just they’ll go through the pain no matter what happens.”

Now please don’t mistake pain for stupidity.  Most people know when they’re on the verge of injuring themselves, and I’d never recommend pushing yourself to the point of injury.  Comfort kills, and the more you challenge yourself, the more change you’re going to notice.  If you’re happy with that muffin-top or those bat-wing arms, then keep training within your comfort zone.  But if you want your training to actually elicit any type of significant change, you MUST challenge yourself.  Get comfortable with being uncomfortable in your training and you’ll never plateau.

Since only three people have completed The Punisher, me being one of them and one of the others being on a trip to India (Sylvia Ferrero), I had to summon the only one left out of the original three.  My good friend, and ex-NFL Pro Linebacker Kurt Campbell, agreed to go through hell again to show what it takes to go through The Punisher.  Kurt was drafted in 2005 by the Green Bay Packers, and spent time with the Oakland Raiders and Tennessee Titans. He’s definitely a special breed of athlete. His size and speed are a true testament of what it takes to be in the NFL.

You’ll see Kurt in the video below, and he completes The Punisher in a blazing time of 16:15!  I like to think of myself in pretty good shape, and he blew my personal time away by a full 4 minutes.  Guess that’s why he was in the NFL and I wasn’t.  The video is sped up through many of the movements, but it’s actually very entertaining to watch.  Give it a try and let me know how you do.

It’s definitely time for another killer Superhero workout, since the majority of you are beginning to get bored with The Hulk & IronMan.  Somehow I convinced Super-Star Sylvia Ferrero, to demonstrate how to complete the Venom workout.  As you can see by the description of the workout below, we titled this one Venom not only because it will literally bite you in the ass, but also because you have to scale up and down a 25-foot rope 5 times throughout the workout.  This workout is the real deal, and will specifically challenge both strength and power.

Climbing ropes are not common in most training facilities or gyms, so another alternate to the rope climb would be to pull in a car with a 40-50 foot rope attached as seen in the picture below.  If you don’t have access to a rope or something heavy to pull in, you can always substitute the rope climb for pull-ups.  But Venom will NEVER fully be appreciated until you add in the rope climb.

Watch the video below to see Venom in action. Give Venom a try and let me know how you compare to Sylvia’s time of 8:34. If Venom does end up biting you in the ass half way through, don’t be alarmed because he’s not actually poisonous!

I thought it was time to post another Superhero Training workout, so I’ve decided to bless you with the super-challenging “IronMan” workout.  This workout was designed to challenge your endurance (400 meter run), strength (overhead lunges), and power (box jumps).  You’ll see the workout below, and I convinced certified Bad-Ass, Sylvia Ferrero, to demonstrate what the workout entails.  The workout consists of a circuit of six different movements, repeated four times through for the fastest possible time.

Sylvia is a two-time Women’s Tri-Fitness World Champion, and is the first to ever capture the title twice! Sylvia has been featured on numerous fitness magazine covers including Oxygen, as well as being featured in dozens of articles, ads, television programs, and even on the big screen as a stunt double.  Like I stated previously, she really is a certified Bad-Ass! If you don’t believe me, try the “IronMan” workout yourself and see how you compare to her time of 18:47.

Walking Kettlebell Swings: Males = 53 lbs Kettlebell      Females = 35 lbs Kettlebell

Overhead Lunges: Males = 45 lbs      Females = 25 lbs (strong females should use 45 lbs)

Pull Ups: If females can’t complete regular pull ups, then “Jump Pull Ups” are a great substitute (Sylvia demonstrates this in the video)

This Stupid Gym Shit blog post is geared specifically to women.  Not all women will fall into this Stupid Gym Shit category, but I’m sure many will. My goal is to give you a self-evaluation checklist so you don’t remain in this group of underachieving females.  By your next workout you should be on your way to achieving your true potential.

I’m referring to all those women out there that are scared of weight training.  Meaning that you have the misconception that by lifting weights you might get too bulky or lose some of your feminine characteristics.  I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve heard a woman tell me; “I put on muscle very easily and I don’t want to get too muscular.” Or, “My husband or boyfriend doesn’t want me to put on too much muscle.”  My favorite one is, “My last trainer had me on a program that made me way too bulky.”  Every female is looking for that tight, firm, and toned body, right?  Arnold Schwarzenegger said it best; “If it jiggles, then it’s fat!”

Sylvia Ferrero

You will never achieve that firm and toned appearance without developing muscle.  The most important concept that you must realize is that it’s physiologically impossible for you to have to worry about getting “too big.”  Put your mind at rest because the majority of you ladies don’t have enough testosterone pumping through your body to elicit those types of responses to weight training.  If putting on muscle was that easy, every single male that you see working out on a regular basis would look like the Incredible Hulk.  And trust me, I’ve seen plenty of guys (who have lots of testosterone) lift weights very heavily for years and can’t put on even close to the amount of muscle that I hear some females claim they can achieve.

Julie Durda

Without testosterone, significant increases in muscle mass just aren’t possible.  So where is all that extra “weight” coming from that all these women claim to be putting on?  A few pounds (1-3 lbs.) may be muscle in the first few months of training, but most of the additional weight they are gaining is either fat or water weight.  You can obviously put on more than 3 pounds of muscle over time, but your training is going to have to be very intense and I promise that you will have plenty of notice if you feel like you’re getting too muscular (it doesn’t happen overnight).  Just because you are working out more than you did last week, doesn’t mean that you can eat those extra cookies or have an extra glass of wine.  As long as you are eating a balanced diet that is high in protein, fibrous vegetables, fruits, and low in processed carbohydrates, it’s almost impossible for you to gain fat unless you’re over eating.

So please, stop lifting those 5-8 pound dumbbells and challenge yourself so that you can actually stimulate what little muscle mass you can hormonally achieve.  Some women genetically have much higher levels of testosterone than your average female, and these women would obviously be more susceptible to generating muscle.  So here is a self-checklist you can do to see if  you are one of those women.

• Do you have a mustache or a beard (do you have to shave your face)?
• If I call your house, is there a chance I may mistake you for your brother (do you have a deepened voice)?
• When you go get your legs waxed, do they recommend they wax your chest during that same visit (do you get hair on your chest or other unusual body parts)?
• Do you find yourself dialing the number to the “Proactive” infomercial (are you getting increased acne on your face or body)?
• Have you secretly joined the “Hair Club for Men” (male pattern baldness)?

Between 4% and 7% of women produce too much testosterone in their ovaries and may experience one or more of the symptoms above.  If you’re ever in doubt, I definitely recommend going to get a hormonal profile done and you’ll know for certain if this is a concern for you.

Michelle Diaz

If you ever want to get out of that skinny-fat category and put an end to those “turkey arms” (the fat on the back of your arm that flaps when you wave goodbye to your kids at school) once and for all, you MUST lift weights that are challenging.  Billy Beck states it best; “Challenge creates change!” Chose a weight that is challenging for 10-12 repetitions.  If you can do 15-20 repetitions, then it’s too light.  Extra lightweight is better than nothing, but it’s not enough of an overload to create noticeable change.

As proof, I’ve added pictures of 3 women who train harder than most men.  As you can see, no bulky appearance or muscle bulging biceps on these ladies.  These women curl 70 pound barbells, climb 40 foot ropes, push trucks, pull in cars, and flip 350 pound tires.  I’m not saying that you have to train this way, but if they can train to that intensity and still maintain their feminine characteristics, you can lift more than a 10 pound dumbbell and not have to worry about putting on too much muscle.  Challenge yourself next time you lift weights and you’ll be amazed at how you respond both physically and mentally.