Putting together the perfect training playlist is somewhere between an art and a science. The right choice of uptempo song can help to motivate you and take your workout to the next level by matching your movements to the rhythm of the track, like when Athlean-X's Jesse Laico trained his abs using the 'Baby Shark' workout.
The latest musically inspired fitness challenge to hit the internet involves a song called 'Bring Sally Up', which involves matching your movements to the lyrics: "Green Sally up / and green Sally down / lift and squat / gotta tear the ground."
A number of YouTubers have attempted this with pushups, moving up and down with the "up" and "down" of the song, and holding their lower position for the third and fourth lyric. If at any point your chest touches the ground while in the lower position, you're out.
Laurie Shaw recently tried this with a couple of friends, and found that performing the pushups themselves isn't the difficult part of the challenge, but maintaining that tension for the stretches of the song that don't include an "up" or "down" instruction. At around 1 minute 42 seconds, less than halfway through the song, they have all given in and dropped to the ground, having completed 15 pushups. "It's bloody hard," says Shaw.
The actual title of the song is 'Flower', taken from the 2000 album Play: The B Sides by Moby. And it applies to more than just pushups; other bodyweight exercises, such as squats and pullups, work too. (The 'Bring Sally Up' squat challenge actually started as early as 2015.)
'Bring Sally Up' pullups, though, are even more challenging than the pushups, as demonstrated by Sergeant Michael Eckert and his platoon in their challenge, with some participants maxing out after just three reps:
"Even an expert in pullups won't do it well, because of the complexity of the movement," says Men's Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. of the 'Bring Sally Up' challenge. "The pullup one is really good for grip strength, just don't be afraid to dismount early or try to be a hero if you do that one."
What exercise do you think you can try to match the song? Give it a try and tag Men's Health on social media—just don't be surprised if you only make through a few reps.
