Muscle for hustle: Without breaking a sweat

The popular 30-day sit-up challenge continued to scale new heights of virality. A great test for core strength, this fitness challenge involves performing a fixed number of sit-ups within a given time frame that changes every week and continues till the fourth week. The number of sit-ups goes from 10 to 45 and is designed to improve core strength and endurance with progressive overload.

THE MURPH

Named after US Navy lieutenant Michael Murphy, who followed the routine and was killed in 2005 in Afghanistan, this workout comprises a one-mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, and 300 squats. Men and women need to wear weighted vests (9kg and 6.35kg, respectively) for this challenge that came into the limelight after Meta CEO and tech magnate Mark Zuckerberg completed it in June.

MADONNA SQUAT FITNESS CHALLENGE

Twenty-two years after pop icon Madonna—then 43, wearing heeled boots and two hours into the show—famously pulled off 15 perfectly timed jump squats in a row during the performance of her track Music at a Drowned World Tour concert, the gut-busting routine went viral on TikTok. The punishing dance workout tests leg strength and endurance, and social media users have been attempting it by the dozen.

#75HARD

Created by entrepreneur Andy Frisella in 2019, the 75-day programme claims to fortify “mental toughness” by sticking to five critical tasks a day (following a structured eating programme sans alcohol, two 45-minute workouts, 1 gallon (3.7L) of water) and reading 10 pages of a book. Participants are also needed to take a progress picture every day.

DUBAI FITNESS CHALLENGE

The seventh edition of the Dubai Fitness Challenge 2023 was seen inspiring people from other countries to take up similar initiatives. Under the Dubai Fitness Challenge, residents and visitors are challenged to commit to 30 minutes of exercise daily for 30 days in October and November. Featuring a wide array of events and activities, it aims to get everyone, no matter their age or fitness level, moving.

HANGING CORE

In July, actor Kriti Sanon’s trainer, Karan Sawhney, shared a video of the duo undertaking the ‘hanging core challenge’ where Sanon was seen throwing flutter kicks at an exercise ball. Sawhney explained the drill: “Get a good grip on the bar. Go as fast as you can for 20 seconds. Don’t let your lower body swing back and forth.”