The 4th is a time to reflect upon being free. And with freedom comes responsibility, and with responsibility comes challenge.

Indeed, there are challenges and responsibilities that confront us as Americans.

Reflecting on these challenges will lead us to the conclusion that only teamwork can solve them.

Luckily, Spartans understand teamwork. They practice it during our races, and also in the training leading up to their races.

If someone is struggling to the finish, Spartans lend a hand...or shoulder.

They check on someone they might see on the side of the course that looks overly exhausted, distressed or injured.

They might chose to race for rank and to beat other Spartans, but they always do so with sportsmanship and honor, tact and grace. (And humor is good, too.)

Because of this, Spartans are practiced in knowing how to work with someone they just met. They know how achieve a goal by checking their egos a bit .

We hope you take this spirit with you into these 4th of July Workouts. Grab a group of friends, hopefully the most diverse group of people you can find. Maybe find a group of people you disagree with completely on every thing...and then work together to accomplish something together, even if it's just to have fun while keeping active.

America. We need to do this together. It's a group activity of Americans.

By all means, mix a hot-weather day with a cold beer, friends and fireworks. But in the spirit of how and why our country was born, get your Spartan tribe together and push yourself through one of these workouts as a reminder of why this is no time to coast. Why the hard way is always the best way. This is a time for sweat, teamwork and keeping our egos in check.

Here are four Spartan workouts to help you make this 4th a great one while practicing teamwork.

BBQ Ruck (Endurance/Strength)

Grab a grill. Grab a cooler. Grab drinks and good food. Grab your friends.

Time for a BBQ.

Just this time, it ain’t about pulling your truck right up to a picnic table. You are Spartans. Plan on humping all that food and drink to a scenic location for the day. Coordinate a meet-up a quarter-mile to two miles from where you want to set up your outdoor party. Then work as a team to move the grill and food to where you want to be.

You’ll work up an appetite, have fun with friends, and get ready for a Spartan Race, Hurricane Heat or Agoge, all while getting yourself where others can’t. You’ll end up with privacy and the best BBQ view of the weekend when you push yourself farther than everyone else.

Relay Races (Speed)

Nothing like a little competition to bring a group together.

First, get your party to go for a 10-minute jog together. Keep it light and friendly. Gradually increase intensity.

Then divide up into teams. Try and keep it balanced regarding people's speeds. If someone is overly ripped and athletic, give them a sandbag. 

Winner will be who can win 2 out of 3 races. There are 3 types of courses you should try.

The loop—In an open area mark out a loop approximately 1/4 mile. The goal is for this to be a track style relay race, just don’t worry about there being a track. You can use roads, trails or just grass. Run around your block. 

The shuttle run—Run 25 yards, touch the ground, run back. Run 50 yards, touch ground, run back. Run 75 yards, touch ground, run back. Run 100 yards, touch ground, run back, touch your teammate.  You don't have to have precise 25-yard intervals for distances, just pick landmarks that denote a spot to touch. After the shuttle run is done, you tag your partner and it is their turn. 

The obstacle course—Take some time to make a real-deal obstacle course. Use your surroundings. Climb over and under park tables. Make balance beams out of guardrails. Do a bucket carry with coolers full of ice. You get the idea. Be creative. Each person has to complete the course before tagging the next person on their team.

Note: Be safe! Always avoid and yield to traffic, be it automotive, pedestrian, horse or ATV.

4th of July Spartan Triathlon (Athleticism/Mobility)

Mix a group swim, a group bike ride and a group run together. Or maybe a hike followed by a canoe outing followed by a basketball game. Whatever. Pick 3 sports and activities and make sure you do each once during the day. Preferably back to back to back. You can make it competitive, semi-competitive, our just plain fun. 

Birthday Burpees for America (Overall Conditioning)

We are turning 242.

That’s 242 burpees.

Have each person in your party do 242 burpees, or achieve 242 as a group.

Enjoy.

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