This trendy new workout is literally torture.
An ex-Marine is running a strength and conditioning gym in Midtown Manhattan inspired by his own training, where workout warriors are put through the wringer during 2 a.m. sessions and get blasted by a hose as punishment.
Muscle-building masochists hurled 60-pound sandbags and 55-gallon water jugs as part of the twice-annual challenge at The Training Lab — and those who didn’t hustle hard enough were doused by owner Ruben Belliard in the middle of West 39th Street.
Videos on social media also showed the group — many in just tank tops or sports bras on the chilly Oct. 13 night — getting drenched as they did jumping jacks and planks barehanded on the pavement as party goers and passersby watched in awe.
Workout walk-ins paid $155 for the privilege.
“By the time the water hose came out, we had been at it for about six and a half to seven hours,” said Edward Peña, who came back home to New York from Virginia to take do the challenge — his second time at it.
Workout warriors participated in a late-night, military-style challenge at The Training Lab in Midtown last month. Instagram @thetraininglabnycParticipants in the late-night SERE challenge — a riff on the military’s survival, evasion, resistance and escape school — started by turning in their phones and didn’t know in advance how long the class would go. It ended at 2:30 a.m. In past years, it ran from midnight to 6 a.m.
“Something like SERE has you assess what in life is truly difficult, because it’s not fully the physical component, it’s the mental,” said Peña.
And there’s always a water component, said Belliard, a Lower East Side native and Operation Iraqi Freedom Marine veteran.
Twenty-four brave people signed up for the last class, and 18 showed up. Only 15 finished.
Ruben Belliard, founder of The Training Lab in Midtown, is an Operation Iraqi Freedom Marine veteran. J.C. Rice
Coach Gabriela Mejia leads a signature stength class at The Training Lab. J.C. Rice
Training day classes at The Training Lab consist of a 55 minute high intensity, total body workout with barbells. J.C. RiceAside from regular strength and training classes throughout the week, a class known as “The Beatdown” — not recommended for beginners — takes place every Saturday and can require outdoor runs, stair workouts and wearing a weighted vest.
A special Veterans Day “Throwdown” event will push co-ed teams to their limits with a day full of competition, while also raising money for the Wounded Warrior Project.
Business has boomed thanks to the increased popularity of weight training along with people returning to Manhattan for work.
Allison Webber squats during a group strength training class at The Training Lab. J.C. RiceThe classes are just like what Belliard did in the Marines he said, and often include partner work.
“It’s like, you can’t slack because I’m depending on you. If you’re slacking, then I’m going to have to work harder,” he said.
It’s mind over matter, said Daria Daspin, a coach, event planner and scheduler at the gym, who abides by a popular Navy SEALs rule: “When your mind is telling you that you’re done, that you’re exhausted, you’re not — you’re only 40% done.”
