The industrial inspired fitness competition, Test Your Steel, is returning to Great Northern Square on 28th and 29th April to find Manchester’s best all-round athlete.
Built on the principles of strength and endurance, Test Your Steel pays homage to the infamously gruelling working conditions and backbreaking labours or workers during Manchester’s Industrial Revolution.
On Saturday 28th April, athletes from different sporting backgrounds will battle coal, brick, railway sleepers, sand, and stones over 5 challenges in a well-rounded test of physical strength and fitness, limited to 14 individual competitors.
Sunday 29th April is an open competition available for anyone to take part and have a go at the challenges, known as the Great Northern Gauntlet.
Day 1 – 28th April – Individual Competition
Event 1: The Labourers’ Toil (Muscular/aerobic endurance)
A grinding multi-stage relay which sees contenders battle railway sleepers and race to shift a metric tonne of brick and coal using sacks, barrow, and shovel under the increasing burden of heavy chains and other industrial objects.
Event 2: Sandbag Toss (Power/speed)
Competitors are allowed two throws to toss a sandbag as far through the air as possible.
Event 3: Conan’s Wheel (Maximal strength/speed/power)
The infamous Conan Wheel is back. Based on the Wheel of Pain from the 1982 film Conan the Barbarian, the wheels will be laden with chains for an iconic test of strength. How many laps can you complete in a minute before your forearms, biceps, and thighs fail?
Event 4: Atlas Hell (Grip/muscular endurance)
There is no better test of primal functional strength than lifting atlas stones. Athletes must lift several heavy industrial themed objects onto plinths including stones ranging from 50-120kg to test their brute strength.
Event 5: The Beasting (Aerobic endurance, grip/bodyweight strength/muscular endurance, mobility, strength)
It’s a race against time as contestants take on the slalom bar, a beam walk, and a goods carry, along with other strength challenges laid out in series, providing a taster of true hard work at speed and test how quickly competitors can get through.
Day 2 – 29th April– The Great Northern Gauntlet
An open challenge to the people of Manchester to complete a series of Industrial series of workouts, free for those brave enough to try – can you complete the challenge?
Think you’ve got what it takes? Watch the promo vid here.
Centre Director for Great Northern, Mark Schofield, said: “We’re delighted to welcome the Test Your Steel team back to the Great Northern – they certainly know how to set pulses racing with their unique strength and fitness challenges.
“We can’t wait to see who ends up top of the leaderboard, and the addition of the open challenge this year offers a great day out for the whole family.”
Follow the Great Northern over on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @GNWManchester.
To buy tickets for the event visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/test-your-steel-tickets-44096010354?aff=efbeventtix