Training: Trial by Fire

This weekend was my first serious attempt at completing a complete "trial by fire" with my 15lb Clubbells. For those who do not know, a trial by fire (Created by Coach Scott Sonnon) consists of 100 continuous repetitions three specific exercises: 100 clubbell double swipes, followed by 100 mills with each arm, followed by 100 clubbell hammer throws. You can watch a video of a Trial by Fire here. To count as "official," the entire "trial" needs to be completed in under 30 minutes.

I've been working with Clubbells for some time, but I'd never attempted a complete trial before now. I've set a personal fitness goal of completing an official TBF, so I figured that I'd better get working on it.

In a word, it was TOUGH. Swinging the clubs really challenges your grip strength, particularly because the weight of the club pulls across your grip instead of into it. So, I was forced to take several short breaks to prevent "catastrophic grip failure" that would have resulted in by clubs becoming unintended projectile weapons.

I completed all 100 double swipes by doing a set of 35, followed by a set of 15, and then sets of 10 or 15 until I reached 100 repetitions. The mills were the hardest part of the trial; I switched hands often and took a few breaks to get 100 done on each side. The 100 hammer throws seemed to be the easiest part of the trial — those I completed in just two sets (one of 60 and one of 40).

My entire Trial by Fire took me 35 minutes, and the reps were not non-stop, as prescribed. So, my goal of completing a full, nonstop, continuous TBF in 30 minutes or less is within reach, but I've still got some work to do.

And oh YES -- I was really sore the next day!