Watch These Bodybuilders Take on the 'Toughest Fitness Test on Earth'
YouTube's Buff Dudes, aka bodybuilding brother duo Brandon and Hudson White, have tried out all kinds of workouts and fitness challenges on their channel. In their most recent video, they throw themselves into what they deem to be the toughest workout in the world: the Hotshot 500, a physically grueling training routine that is the brainchild of the Interagency Hotshot Crew (IHC), a team of wildland firefighters who work in some of the most remote areas in the country.
The Hotshot 500 is a 6-mile hillside hike which also consists of:
100 pushups
100 squats
100 flutter kicks
100 shoulder press
50 rows
50 curls
50 burpees
Oh, and that's all while they're each carrying a 50-pound backpack which they will need to complete the various weighted exercises. Once they reach the first half-mile mark on the hike, they stop to attempt the first exercise: the first 50 pushups. And yes, they're doing them with the backpacks still on. That means they're lifting a total of around 280 pounds on every single rep.
A mile in, they churn out 100 air squats, and this is when it really starts to feel difficult. "I've done heights, I've done elevation, of course I've done squats, but I've never done both at the same time," says Hudson. "This is taxing, man. I am hitting muscle fatigue, my muscles are burning, they're failing. It really pushes you to the limit." When it comes to doing those second 50 pushups, he adds: "My chest feels like it is tearing in half."
Next up are the flutter kicks and the shoulder press, both of which require the Dudes to use the weighted backpacks. "My delts are burning!" Says Hudson after the set of 100 press reps is complete.
When they reach the 1,500-feet peak, they pause to take in the view—and knock out 50 burpees each before beginning their 3-mile descent. As Brandon says: "You can take the Buff Dudes out of the gym, but you can't take the gym out of the Buff Dudes!"
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