Rob Lipsett and Mike Thurston were pushed to their absolute limits as they faced off on Europe’s toughest assault course.
In what was a major switch up from the pair’s usual bodybuilding workout routine, they travelled to the heart of Southern Spain to face straight-talking former jet-ski champion Michael Ritchie’s brutal creation at Mikes Gym Marbella.
The largest man-made outdoor assault course on the continent, Michael has made a name for himself by putting athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike through brutal boot camps.
While his spit and sawdust facility may be surrounded by breathtaking views of the beautiful coastline and rolling mountains, there is certainly nothing idealistic about the challenge which awaits you there.
In the words of the big man himself, “I call it the gladiatorial arena, because once you step in you never know if you’re going to step out.”
While the full circuit is 5km long and contains more than 150 elements including a swamp run and tightrope walk, Rob and Mike stuck to tackling some of the obstacles in small bursts.
After all, you would have to be a high-level endurance athlete to cope with that level of physical challenge in the blistering Spanish heat.
However, they both promised that if the video got 10,000 likes they would give it their best shot, although they would be hard pushed to beat the course record of 1 hour and 16 minutes.
Michael promised to throw the duo’s heart rate “through the f**cking roof”, and he quickly did just that, putting them through their paces with tyre and rope climbs followed by a series of calf-splitting hill sprints.
After touring some of the course’s most brutal components, Mike and Rob were tied at 3 apiece heading into the last challenge – an extreme version of monkey bars suspended above a swimming pool.
The challenge was to make it across the pool and onto the platform at the end. Both men took an involuntary dunk in the water, but Mike just about edged it to end the day victorious before heading for some well-deserved food.
