Train Like A Survivor

By now, pretty much everyone on the planet has heard the name Jeff Probst. For those new to this name, he is the host of reality giant “Survivor.” Of course, as the host of a show with such a name, he has to do something to stay in shape. After all, he couldn’t sit idle while contestants Jonny Gibb and Alicia Calaway were around.

Probst likes to keep his sessions short and sweet – twenty minutes or less – as he spends a lot of time in hot, dry climates and excessively long workouts could easily be more harmful than helpful.  Probst also likes variety. “I am not a gym rat,” he says. “I don’t like hanging out in a gym and just lifting weights.”

Doug Larson is the trainer who creates workouts which adhere to Jeff’s guidelines. He also has one other guideline – since he’s usually in some remote location, he needs routines which require minimal equipment. Jeff’s current routine only involves three pieces of equipment: a kettle bell, a wheel and a pull up bar. His twenty minute workout consists of pull ups, the clean and jerk and a menacing sounding exercise called the “wheel of woe.” His routine is as follows:

Pull ups
4 sets to failure

Kettle bell clean and jerk
3 ladders to 6 reps

Wheel of woe
3 sets

“I like testing my body and pushing my limits because as I get older I want to stay healthy. I want to be sure that when I trip and need to catch my balance, those muscles are ready to engage.” With exercises like the “wheel of woe” in his regimen, you can believe that his muscles will be ready to engage for years to come.

Written by: Donnell Peavy