It started with a simple question from Gregg, the creative lead here at the agency.

“You want to do the 300 challenge?”

“What is that, some type of bowling tournament,” I asked. Ah…no.

The 300 challenge, as I soon learned, was anything but bowling. Modeled after the popular movie 300, the challenge is a workout…more of an extreme workout in my opinion…in which you do a series of seven exercises that total 300 repetitions. And the seven exercises are done one after another with no rest. The goal is to see how fast you can get through it.

Gregg and Judson, our director of research, were in, so I might as well be too. The 300 challenge is, in this order:

- 25 pullups

- 50 135-pound deadlifts 

- 50 pushups

- 50 24-inch box jumps

- 50 floor wipers

- 50 single arm clean-and-presses with a 36-pound kettlebell (25 for each arm)

- 25 pullups

Start and finish with 25 pull-ups? I can’t even do three.

We’re giving ourselves six months to train for this, so on or about March 1 we’ll be taking the challenge. We plan to each throw some money in a hat for a winner-take-all prize as further incentive. Plus the fact that we’re announcing it here and on our Facebook page acts as further reason to stick with it. We even roped in Dean, the agency’s principal, as well. Turning our event into some type of fundraiser is also being considered. But really, I’m just worried about how I can take my three pull-ups and add 47 more to the program.

So as of today the clock is ticking. We’ll be posting periodic updates to let you know the musclemen are coming along. In the meantime wish us luck…and send some Ben Gay.  I think the others need it!