Sally Could Use A Pick Me Up

 Finding interesting ways to train is part of the journey in fitness. It could be in tribute to someone, it can be for a cause, hell in this case it comes in the form of music. Music has a way of being part of our workout routines by pumping us up, feeling stronger and accelerating those endorphins to hit that "happy hormone" and many other ways.

In this particular manner, music comes in the form of a challenge. It has been around a few years and it has mainly been used as a push-up challenge and it's Bring Sally Up, Bring Sally Down by Moby Flower. Some have used it as a Squat Challenge which to me is a bit better. The way you do it is you start in the low position of the squat and when the singer says "Bring Sally Up" you return to the top position and when he says "Bring Sally Down" you go low again and hold it until the lyrics are repeated. 

It's an interesting Micro Workout since it combines movement and isometric holds. The song is over 3 minutes long, so holding a position for a period of time repeatedly between exploding upward and going down again can really hit some muscles there. One of the first times I tried doing an exercise where I held it during a song was the first time I held a Nose To Mat Wrestler's Bridge while listening to Black Sabbath's Paranoid which is just under 3 minutes long. I had a friend turn on the song as I held the bridge. Another time was doing a quick "warm up" of hitting the tire with my sledgehammer while the Song "Make A Man Out Of You" (Covered by Peyton Parrish) played. 

Certain songs can add an interesting element to a fitness routine or you can just do an exercise while a whole song played. Holding a Horse Stance while Metallica's Mercyful Fate plays would be brutal if you knew how long that song is, I think that would be worse than Bringing Sally Up LOL. It brings a certain unique aspect to what you can accomplish or even attempt with certain types of music. Now some music can be a little weird when you go hard, ABBA is not one of those bands to workout to as Bud Jeffries once said to me "It's the unmanliest thing to listen to while working out." Just before the wedding, we went out in the backyard to do some kettlebell stuff (you can find it on his Instagram) and let's just say another member of my family wanted to get some line dancing in and blasted ABBA, we shut the screen door and only heard whispers of the Swedish Group while we trained. It was pretty funny. There's your unintentional Bud Jeffries story.

If you want to give Bring Sally Up a shot, go for it and I hope you succeed. I did it a couple times and it wasn't too difficult but it's not easy either. Use music as a tool and see what you can do with it. Have fun and be amazingly awesome.