Note: this exercise challenge has been updated and modified. Either version is still a great option if you are looking for a challenge. Check out the new version here: The 99 Workout New and Improved.
I recently came across an exercise workout on Pinterest called “The Ninety-Nine”. It is said to have originated from this blog: Beautiful Day 4 Running but I can’t find an actual place on the blog where it was posted.
Anyhow, I tried the workout.
And it rocks.
It worked muscles I didn’t know I had, and for someone like me in good shape already, that is a very important feature in a workout. I did have an issue with one aspect of the exercises and that was the leg raises so I changed it up a bit and made a sheet that you can print out and hang on the wall if you want to give it a try. It’s not for the faint of heart but will give you a great workout. The initial exercises took me 55 minutes, then 11 minutes for the run.
The workout consists of 8 set of 5 exercises. The first set starts with 99 reps of each except the push-ups you do 9 reps. Each subsequent set is 11 reps less than the previous set. The 9th set is just an 11 minute run, jog, walk…whatever you can do after almost an hour of calisthenics.
The exercises are fairly explanatory. Jumping jacks and crunches are what they usually are. The wall sit is a squat with your back against the wall. You go down as low as you can and hold the position. Knee lifts you do while standing just alternating raising each knee as high as you can. Push-ups are fairly standard too, though you can always do them on your knees if you need to.
So….do you dare?
Matthew says
September 1, 2017 at 2:05 amgreat challenge! if i do around 100 jumping jacks, and 100 crunches, each day.. will that be enough to keep my weight from going up?
Kim says
September 2, 2017 at 12:50 pmThat’s not something I can answer, you’d have to see for yourself how much exercise you need vs your food intake. Good luck!
Charlize says
November 9, 2015 at 4:52 amThanks for the post.
You helped me a lot with it. 🙂
PG says
October 20, 2015 at 11:41 pmCrunches are worthless.
DeVaughn Burke says
August 1, 2015 at 10:50 pmThis is a great change up to the regular workouts that you usually do. I’m going to try this
Swole says
June 11, 2015 at 3:26 amGreat way to get cardio in while changing it up
Aaron says
April 20, 2014 at 9:30 pmJust finished this up after stumbling upon it….Crunches were absolutely brutal! Pretty much had to break it down into 20s to begin with then struggling through 10-15 at a time…..That might sound sad….but….I’m 350 pounds!
Kimberly Grabinski says
April 21, 2014 at 8:37 amNot sad at all Aaron. Most people don’t even try. You got up and got moving! Keep up the great work and just work your way up. This is an extreme workout and again, you have my respect for even giving it a shot!!
Realadvice says
April 14, 2014 at 7:44 amJust lowering the variety and adding lots of reps doesn’t make a good workout!
nicole says
February 23, 2014 at 8:19 pmthis is really easy if you put your mind to it i just finished it in about 2 hours it takes a while to finish but you feel like the hulk when you are done lol!
Prat says
April 29, 2014 at 6:08 pmYeah, actually working out for that long isn’t really good for you.
Joy Williams says
September 1, 2013 at 12:40 pmTotally pinning this for future reference!
Dheeraj More says
September 1, 2013 at 5:18 amPost a video of you doing these 9 sets, i bet you will pass out before set 5.
Kimberly Grabinski says
September 2, 2013 at 11:18 amI’ve done this workout start to finish, more than once. Thanks for being a troll, it makes things interesting.
Rob says
June 5, 2013 at 12:52 pmJust stumbledupon your post! Always great to find new creative ways to work out to prevent boredom. Thanks for sharing, will give it a try next time!
Ryan Bruno says
April 17, 2013 at 10:25 amInteresting workout, I’ll test it out.
Jack Kastor says
April 10, 2013 at 8:05 amThat’s just brutal. I’m currently doing the 200 squats/200 situps/100 pushups programmes, and the’yre painful, but this – this is what Sauron forces on the Fighting Uruk Hai, it’s what they suffer in Guantanamo, it’s how Chuck Norris takes some r’n’r.
Norma says
April 11, 2013 at 11:51 amI think it’s so much better to leave a little bit for the next day and not do too much. I don’t think the body can deal with that much strain in one day. You got to have some kind of strength for daily living. You can exercise every day instead if you’re feeling like you want to get in shape fast. But to do all of this workout in one day is too much. Eventually you are going to be very tired. You may even lose motivation to keep working out, because it’s so hard. This is exactly what I write about in my books. You can’t build a body in one day. It’s gradual exercise every day. The body will react and shape up eventually.
Harisankar P S says
April 7, 2013 at 4:19 pmI took want to build a bit, not sure for how long I will be doing this. But challenge accepted.. 😀
kjoel007 says
April 2, 2013 at 5:18 amHahaha, I dare! so i am going to try this out 😀
Jake says
March 27, 2013 at 3:22 pmThis has been the background on my comp for weeks now, though a diff image. I use it on my active recovery days, works like HIIT Training, love it.
devim says
March 12, 2013 at 10:25 amAlmost 500 crunches in perfect or good form is crazy
Shekar says
March 9, 2013 at 10:46 amwe used to start with
1)Thirty knuckle pushups reducing to 20 (that is 10 circuits)
2)fifty situps
3)100 steps duck walk
4) and 40 different kicks on each circuit
that was my from Tae-Kwondo class and used to do only on sunday mornings.
Michele says
March 2, 2013 at 8:42 pmI think I’m going to try this out. It looks like an interesting workout. Kind of like a countdown.
Kimberly says
February 27, 2013 at 1:46 pmOh, no! Not gonna try that workout!!!!
The Frugal Exerciser says
February 26, 2013 at 10:58 amI would change some exercises around but this is torture. LOL.
Jen @TheFitHousewife says
February 22, 2013 at 11:40 amHi! I came across your blog today and love it. I love all the healthy recipes and fitness tips. Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
brandi says
February 18, 2013 at 9:11 pmI dont think I could do 99 sit ups all at once lol. Do we start at the bottom and work my way up everyday doing more?
VALife Sciences says
February 13, 2013 at 12:18 amI am starting to do this to lose my fat, thanks
sam says
March 12, 2013 at 10:19 amme 2 😀
Ross says
February 12, 2013 at 9:20 pmWhile I agree that this is a great workout, I would never recommend it to just anyone. This workout is based on many restrictions of ROM and ability and is not suitable for just anyone. Also, no resistance training is involved and, although killer, is completely worthless for anyone starting a new workout regimen with the intent of getting in shape/
Tom says
February 10, 2013 at 5:15 pmHey I love this workout its a complete body burner and its simple! I promote NO NONSENSE exercises on my blog. Check it out and tell me what you think:
http://www.muscleandfood.wordpress.com
Follow me by email, I will be introducing some killer workouts just like this!
bee says
February 6, 2013 at 4:51 pmPleasevwhat’s jumping jack?
kevin says
February 5, 2013 at 12:19 pmread Stuart McGill
No more crunchies
Jae Mac says
January 30, 2013 at 7:12 pmI don’t know if I can hang with this. That’s a whole hell of a lot, but I’ll try it!
Jae Mac, I’m Just Sayin’…(Damn!)
GoalSugar says
January 30, 2013 at 1:34 amNow that is a Workout. Those Jumping jacks are no Joke, hard but they really burn fat
Jennifer says
January 29, 2013 at 5:57 pmI just may have to try this!
Felisha says
January 26, 2013 at 9:26 amThis might possibly be everything I need to tone up. I’ll print this one out and give to my friends.
Harry says
January 22, 2013 at 9:41 amGot to give it a try! This looks fun and exhausting 🙂
Jenn @comebackmomma says
January 18, 2013 at 11:30 amWow! This looks like one heck of a workout. I pinned it and will have to give it a try soon.
Corey says
January 18, 2013 at 8:45 amFirst time doing this, completed it. Great challenge
ManuMalca says
January 14, 2013 at 9:47 pmThe point here is to start them, everything can be achieved with courage
fawas says
January 8, 2013 at 11:52 amI have to do al the 9 sets on one day ???
fawas says
January 8, 2013 at 11:52 amall** sorry about that
Ethel says
January 1, 2013 at 2:58 pmThis is neat! I want to try this myself soon!
I apologize, but what is a sec. wall sit?
Kim says
January 1, 2013 at 3:23 pmhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-wV4Venusw
derv says
January 9, 2013 at 3:58 pm99 SECOND wall sit
Xenon_1978 says
December 21, 2012 at 7:25 ama lot tips for work out. keeping this +99 tips in my mind & will start to workout. great tips to follow.
thanks
Alyssa says
December 18, 2012 at 7:26 pmCool! Thank you! I think I’ll take this one or two reps a day and slowly build up to all 9. Because as of right now, I think I’m a little too soft to take on such a hardcore workout like this one.
sarah says
December 13, 2012 at 9:38 amlol @ Franke, if you need to do more than the amount of push ups per set go ahead, don’t criticize her work out…
btw this is GREAT workout.
Greg says
November 28, 2012 at 3:05 pm484 Crunches in one workout? Maybe not as fit as I thought, but that sounds a little out of my league…
Maureen says
December 19, 2012 at 11:17 pmGreg,
A suggestion I tell my clients, break up the crunches into different sets that work different sections of the abs. For example, 400 crunches: do 100 regular, do 100 each side, and do 100 flutter kicks. This works all of your abdominals and is a little easier to get through than running all 400 on one ab section 🙂
Amanda says
November 28, 2012 at 12:50 pmDo you do the entire thing in one shot? Or is this day by day?
Keith says
November 25, 2012 at 8:30 pmwhy just 9 push ups? I mean everything else is hardcore and long drawn out reps.
sarah says
November 28, 2012 at 6:05 ambecause most people, esp the average person who will try this, their upper body/ arm strength is only strong enough for that many at a time.
Franky says
December 11, 2012 at 1:44 pmEssh really? That’s what you think would be hard for an average person? Not the 450 sit-ups? Or the 8 minutes of wall-sit? Make them burpies instead of push-ups at least, I suggest…
Online Gym says
November 24, 2012 at 5:24 pmYeah this is a extreme workout for the average person. I only know this because i just did it. Most would not finish this. It remains me of my online gym workouts. Way To Go TheySmell.com! Yeah baby!
Alfian Effendy says
November 22, 2012 at 8:18 amYeah, I’m ready for this. I’ll do it 🙂
Brian L. says
November 5, 2012 at 6:43 pmWhat is the rest between sets? Or is there a rest?
Chris says
October 31, 2012 at 8:54 pmSweet! I’m going to try this myself and pass it on to my Sensei. Looks like a great warmup for martial arts.
Madhuri says
October 31, 2012 at 7:28 amI was just about to jump on the elliptical for some cardio this morning and stumbled upon this. Seriously, I am going to replace my morning workout with this and see how it goes. Maybe it’ll become a part of my routine! Thanks for posting this!
Dallas says
October 30, 2012 at 10:08 amI can’t wait to get off work and try it out eitherrr! I am so proud of myself for sticking to working out these last several months, and I have DEFINITELY seen the results I wanted! And all at home! I don’t have a gym membership, but I LOOK like I do haha. And most importanly FEEL like I do. Anyways, cheers to all you guys sticking with it even when it’s hard and you’re sore, it’s so worth it in the end! And I have found that if I eat generally healthy, and just make sure that I get enough vitamins and minerals and protein, I can eat as much as I want! Hell, yes 😉
Jaswinder Singh says
October 27, 2012 at 10:18 amThe 99 workout I’ve got to try this out. I find doing jumping jacks hard to do but its worth the effort. Great set of workouts.
Bigstep says
October 26, 2012 at 1:10 amCool workout! I can’t wait to get home from work and try it!
Rich says
October 15, 2012 at 9:20 pmWhats the rest time in between? Varies with fitness level?
Kim says
October 16, 2012 at 10:21 amYes, definitely. I take about 30 seconds in between sets, maybe 10 seconds between each exercise.
Rich says
October 14, 2012 at 8:59 pmI’m going to go for it !!!
Ellie says
October 14, 2012 at 12:31 amI think this would be a good challenge. I’m in pretty good shape… I think I can do it 🙂
Amanda says
October 13, 2012 at 12:29 pmThi really wasnt that hard I completed this work out in 35 minutes.
gaurav kumar says
October 12, 2012 at 10:36 pmawesome workout..
CoreySmith says
October 12, 2012 at 9:55 amFor everyone saying this is unachievable: You can do anything you set your mind to. Get out of your computer chair, turn the TV off, go outside and play. Sprint, climb, play basketball, roll around in the yard. SOMETHING! And when you’re done, eat a plateful of like 100 eggs, and big “dose” of bacon. Also drink a lot of water. Also, stop eating fast food.
sani says
October 11, 2012 at 10:45 amAwesome
Rose says
October 10, 2012 at 4:45 pmMission Completed! Awesome workout, it was a good challenge. (:
gerri says
October 9, 2012 at 4:05 pmAre you freaking KIDDING me!?!?
Congratulations, but – ahem – you’re right, I must be VERY faint at heart. As in, ready to have a heart attack just reading this…seems a bit over the top, but who the heck am I to say?
Laurie says
October 8, 2012 at 2:03 amThis is too much of a workout … are we humans or machines ??
Johnathan says
October 7, 2012 at 10:52 pmthat sounds brutal it seems to be even hard for someone in good shape like you what are the chances for the rest of us who workout rarely. This workout should not be attempted by anyone ot in good shape.
Rachel says
October 3, 2012 at 6:51 pmI love this. definitely going to have to try it!!
vinodh says
October 9, 2012 at 4:54 amRachel, you just love this. I’m pretty sure you’re not gonna do this. 😀 lol
Jason says
October 1, 2012 at 5:37 pmReminds me of a workout me and a mate tried, it was a crossfit challenge.
2500 reps in total
500 reps each of
pullups
squats
pushups
flutter kick
situps
Complete any way you can.
*Emilia says
September 30, 2012 at 9:26 amAnd each set is 11 less reps each time not 10…in case you wanna edit that.
Vegeta says
September 29, 2012 at 12:27 pmI do this excercise too, except i start at OVER 9000!
elliot says
September 27, 2012 at 9:20 pmThis is just like my morning workout, except I start at 999.
*Emilia says
September 30, 2012 at 8:56 amCool story , bro.
Elisha says
September 27, 2012 at 1:56 pmI found where it was on the blog!
http://beautifulday4running.tumblr.com/post/2835984024/when-doing-the-100-workout-for-the-first-time-i
allison says
September 26, 2012 at 8:17 amsaved the picture on my wall! hope to try it since I’m always looking to keep my body active when I’m home working!
– Allison
Ellen B says
September 25, 2012 at 2:03 pmno I don’t think I can do that – lol – I really don’t exercise
Billie says
September 25, 2012 at 11:05 amAccording to Dave, I’m a big hippo fat whale gut lard in the shape of cake so there’s no way I could do this. I would need to modify it and work up. I’ll get there someday, not because I want to, but just to say that I can.
Dave says
September 25, 2012 at 1:38 amI did this. It’s cake if you’re in any kind of decent shape at all. On the other hand if you’re in the shape of a cake you’re going to have trouble you big hippo fat whale gut lard.
Toni says
September 24, 2012 at 3:10 amHere’s an idea if this is too scary to try: Start out with the jumping jacks and go for as long as you can then what ever number you fall short on (unless you can get to 99 easily) just start from there, for instance if you could only do 25 jumping jacks, then just do 25 crunches and so on, ending at a 15 minute walk, run or bike/stationary bike ride. And then the next day try to achieve a higher number, higher each day, hey maybe you’ll exceed the 99. Just exercise, that’s the main goal not how many of something you can do
jen says
September 26, 2012 at 6:25 pm..what tori said. just get movin’. this chart is a little ridiculous for the average person. and i dont think an above average person could do this either wihtout being completely drained before it finishes. just move!
Dana says
September 26, 2012 at 6:51 pmI completely agree with you Toni!! I have nothing else to say since you said it all haha.
Cat Davis - Food Family Finds says
September 23, 2012 at 8:30 pmYou have fun with that. I got tired thinking about doing 9 jumping jacks letting alone 99 of them.
Tiff @ Babes and Kids says
September 23, 2012 at 8:22 pmThis looks like a great workout. When my marathon soreness is gone I am going to try this!
Thomas Murphy says
September 22, 2012 at 3:43 pmThis looks pretty hard, I think i’ll give it a try.
SCM (SocialCafe Magazine) says
September 20, 2012 at 8:57 pmOh my! I’ll have to try this 😉
Maryann says
September 20, 2012 at 6:49 pmmaybe! I was doing ripped in 30 wHich i LOVE but i hurt my back and now I can’t do it. This might be perfect until I can get back to it.
Alison says
September 20, 2012 at 7:53 amI don’t dare. I will leave that up to you. 😛
Wendy T says
September 20, 2012 at 7:49 amI’ve fallen off the exercise wagon since going back to work. This looks simple enough…once I find my motivation and energy.
Nichol says
September 19, 2012 at 2:30 pmUm nope I don’t dare. Maybe I’ll start once I’ve kicked brochitis in the butt. Looks great though!
Lynsey @MoscatoMom says
September 19, 2012 at 7:50 amSo should I practice this so we can do it each morning in Pigeon Forge? LOL Looks awesome.
Kat @ iHeart7.com says
September 19, 2012 at 7:43 amThat’s pretty much the same level of activity in a typical day of our boot camp which I do 4 times per week. I’m going to start replacing one of my daily workouts with this one and see how I like it. I’m going to start the pushups at 40 and go down in increments of 5 though… 9 pushups is nothing for me lol I’ve gotten really “used to” the Fat Blaster workout that I started doing several weeks ago so this will give my body a little bit of a much-needed shift during the three off-days from boot camp each week 🙂 Thanks for posting!! I love that it ends with a run… I can get just over a mile in with that 11 minutes! Fitnessssss for the win!