THE DREADNOUGHT
Undoubtedly one of the toughest things I have ever done.
Alongside my teammates Charlie and Ben — two other coaches from The Commando Temple — I spent three days crossing the Peak District carrying an 80kg railway sleeper.
WHAT IS THE DREADNOUGHT?
It's quite simple, really.
In a team of three, each wearing a 10kg backpack, you pick up an 80kg railway sleeper.
One person takes the front. One takes the back. The third gets a break.
You march for 20 minutes.
Then you rotate: the person off the sleeper takes the back, the person at the back moves to the front, and the person at the front finally gets a break.
Then you do it again.
And again.
For more than 10 hours a day. For three days.
We crossed the Peak District in sun, wind and rain, carrying the sleeper over hills, footpaths, woodland and fields.
It was brutal.
TRAINING FOR THE DREADNOUGHT
This event was way outside my comfort zone.
Strength training has always been my world. At the time, I hadn't done anything remotely resembling this kind of endurance challenge.
Preparing for the Dreadnought meant rucking marathons and half-marathons, alongside hours upon hours of stepping, loaded carries, rowing, sweating and mind-numbing repetition.
It taught me a huge amount about the difference between simply being strong and being able to keep expressing strength when you're exhausted.
And no amount of preparation could completely replicate what happened over those three days.
THE HARDEST 20 MINUTES
One particular 20-minute stint remains the hardest 20 minutes of physical activity I have ever done.
It's day three.
I'm exhausted. My feet are blistered, my back is in pieces and I've got a throbbing tension headache from the weight of the log going through my neck and shoulders.
I'm at the front of the sleeper. Ben is at the back.
Then we begin a steep ascent through woodland.
Charlie is off the log and walking ahead of me. I'm holding onto his backpack as he navigates the slippery, muddy path, pointing out roots, rocks and anything else that could trip us up.
I'm concentrating on finding every foothold without slipping or twisting my knee — bearing in mind there is an enormous amount of weight bearing down on us.
The three of us have to move almost as one.
If I commit to a step, I unexpectedly pull Ben forwards.
If he commits to one, he pushes me forwards.
The adrenaline is pumping — but not as hard as my legs.
They went beyond burning.
The constant climbing under load created an absolutely brutal build-up of fatigue. Sweat was pouring into my eyes, but my hands weren't available to wipe it away. It felt like I was underwater.
I'm dry heaving.
But movement has to continue.
Because the quicker we get up there, the quicker we get the goddamn log off.
Eventually, we reached the top of the hill.
Switch.
The relief was unreal.
It's difficult to properly express how good it felt to have that weight taken away.
There were plenty of painful moments over those three days, but that 20-minute stretch is the one that has stayed with me.
STRENGTH IS MORE THAN A BIG LIFT
The Dreadnought reinforced something that has influenced the way I approach strength training and personal training ever since.
Being strong isn't just about what you can lift once when you're fresh.
Strength can mean carrying something awkward. Moving efficiently under load. Having enough conditioning to keep going. Working with other people. Staying composed when you're exhausted.
And sometimes it's simply about putting one foot in front of the other when absolutely everything in you wants to stop.
That's one of the reasons my coaching isn't built around chasing gym numbers alone. I want strength to make you more capable.
£14,000 RAISED FOR THE NOT FORGOTTEN
As brutal as the Dreadnought was, it was absolutely worth doing.
Together, we raised £14,000 for The Not Forgotten, a military charity supporting serving personnel and veterans.
Three days carrying an 80kg railway sleeper across the Peak District suddenly seems a lot more worthwhile when there's a reason for doing it.
Check out the video below for a taste of what we got up to.
PERSONAL TRAINING WITH COACH BEN IN DEPTFORD
These days I coach one-to-one clients at The Commando Temple on Resolution Way in Deptford, helping people of all abilities become stronger, fitter and more physically capable.
Don't worry — carrying an 80kg railway sleeper across the Peak District isn't compulsory.
You can find out more about personal training with me in Deptford here.