Bearss workout - Marine Corps News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Marine Corps Times

Bearss workout

The workout is named for Col. Hiram Bearss, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Philippine-American War.

Needed

• A 9-foot pull-up bar.

• A 110-pound truck tire or regular car tire, with 60-pound weights inside.

• 25 meters of space.

The moves

This timed workout requires three rounds of:

1. Complete 21 “burpee pull-ups.” Place the pull-up bar in the middle of a 25-meter area. Then, starting beneath the bar, complete a “burpee”— part squat thrust, part star jump — catch the bar and pull your chin over it. (Do 15 in Round 2 and nine in Round 3.)

2. Perform 21 25-meter sprints. (Do 15 in Round 2 and nine in Round 3.)

3. Drag the tire 25 meters. It should be located opposite of your starting point for the sprints.

History

1. On Nov. 17, 1901, on Samar Island in the Philippines, then-Capt. Bearss and his Marines scaled a 200-foot cliff using ropes and bamboo ladders to launch a surprise attack on a well-fortified Philippine force. The burpee pull-ups using a 9-foot bar simulate their 200-foot ascent.

2. When Bearss and his men drove the Filipinos from their caves atop the cliff, they traversed several paths booby-trapped with pits and poisonous spears. These sprints simulate their close-quarters engagement

3. Bearss led his men across a river and once again scaled a cliff on the opposite side of the island to destroy the enemy camps there. The tire drag simulates their struggle to cross the water.