Time to Face Your Fears: 5 All-Time Scariest(!) Spartan Workouts for Halloween
BOO! In honor of the spookiest day of the year, we challenge YOU to face your fitness fears and confront these scary workouts – yes, that means burpees. They’ll get your heart racing almost as much as running through a haunted house, and they all take 10 minutes or less, so you’ll have no excuse to quit.
We tapped our Spartan SGX Coaches for their favorite sets that boost strength, speed, and performance to prep you for candy-crushing this month. So brave these butt-busting workouts and celebrate Halloween in Spartan style – the hard way.
Be Afraid: 5 Halloween Workouts
1. Catching Clock
By Pablo Romo, Spartan SGX Coach, CrossFit L2, and Kettlebell
Follow on Instagram: @pabloromom
Ready to sprint from house to house when trick-or-treating with your kids? Try this workout first. This blood-pumping three minute quick hit will leave you totally gassed and prepare you for the big night.
3 rounds for time on the 3-minute mark:
- 400-Meter Run
- 5-10 Burpees (5 for beginner, 7 for intermediate, 10 for beast)
2. The Tough Ten
By Allison Tai, Spartan SGX Coach, Spartan Canada Point Series winner 2015, Second place at Canadian Championships 2017
Follow on Instagram: @grit.farm.fitness
Put your bodyweight endurance to the test with this heart-pounding set. It's super simple on the front end, but sustain it for 10 minutes and it’ll be scary how strong you get.
"Just like in a Spartan race, the trick is to keep moving and pace yourself," Tai says.
10 rounds:
- 10x Squats
- 10x Jumping Jacks
- 10x Push-ups
Or try for time:
- Beginner: 10 minutes
- Intermediate: 8 minutes
- Beast: 7 minutes
3. MetCon Countdown
By Barb Snelling, Spartan SGX Coach, Can Fit Pro Certified Personal Trainer, Proud Mom of Two Spartan Daughters
Follow on Facebook: @FitnessEndorphinsWithBarb
Be warned: This drop set is particularly frightening. But it gets your heart pumping more than your favorite scary movie, and builds stamina like no other.
Countdown of 10 reps of each move reducing by 1 until workout set is complete:
- 10 Burpees (then 9, then 8, then 7 and so forth)
- 10 Kettlebell Swings (using the Russian Swing Technique)
- 10 V-Ups (can modify to Seated Tucks or Crunches as required)
Related: 6 Weighted Vest Workouts From Veteran SGX Coaches
4. Acid and Sand
By Cody Fuiten, Spartan SGX Coach, CPR/AED
Follow on Instagram: @codyfuiten
No rest for the weary on Halloween. Try this sandbag buster to push your limits and spook the stamina right out of you.
"Who says you can’t have everything? This isn’t just a running workout, it’s a heavy lifting workout as well," says Fuiten. "Put the pedal down and see how long you can redline."
4 rounds of:
- 400-Meter Run
- 6 Heavy Sandbag Clean to Shoulder (Sandbag can be dropped behind or dropped back to the front but must land and sit on the top of the shoulder to count)
To gauge the weight of sandbag:
- Beginner = M 50 lbs, F 35 lbs; 8-10 mins
- Intermediate = M 75-100 lbs, F 50-75 lbs; 7-10 mins
- Beast = M 125-150 lbs, F 100 lbs; 7-10 mins
Lighter weights can be used if needed. The goal is to move through the weighted "obstacle" as fast as possible and get back to a run.
Related: 3 SGX Coaches Share Their Favorite Simple Post-Workout Recipes
5. Kettlebell 5 x 5 x 5
By Todd Cambio, Spartan SGX Coach, Elite Kettlebell Instructor
Follow on Instagram: @The_Red_Gorilla
Packing as many reps as you can handle, top off your terrifying set of workouts with this kettlebell killer and see how "monster" you can become.
"If you are low on time, turn up the intensity!" Cambio says.
Five reps of each exercise for as many rounds as you can for 10 minutes
- Kettlebell Swings x 5
- Push-Ups x 5
- Gorilla Rows x 5
The goal is to get as many QUALITY reps as possible.
