Testing Pavel: Can He Handle Tough Workout

For the Pavel’s first casting we received mixed reviews, although the overall result was more than satisfactory. A few members doubted if he can handle tough, demanding and brutal workouts that he must endure as part of our stable. The only way to find out would be to put the boy on trial. We chose one of the hardest and dreaded routines among our trainees: the Gladiator Abs. The routine is focusing on the boy’s abs, presentation skills and also pain tolerance.

If Pavel can endure this workout, he will be able to handle anything. In this routine, demanding sets of abs exercises in various form are changed with stress poses where we can admire the results of the training. Every main set in this workout is followed by gut punching (and slapping). This is to make the trainee familiar with the penalty concept and test his readiness to submit to the rules of the training.

Pavel is eager to please. We put his slender body through a trial that he has probably never experienced before. Hundreds of gut punches are landing on the smooth skin covering his abs. Followed by endless reps of abs routines, followed by more gut punching.

The hardest part is the routine where the crunches are combined with punches. This way the workout is really double effective – the boys abs work as he flexes them for the crunch, but in the rest position he receives a punch or slap from the trainer. This means that in anticipation of the blow, instinctively, the boy will flex his abs again! The time that would otherwise be wasted for a short rest, is effectively used. The boy  must muster all his willpower to stay in the challenge. But he succeeds and offers us a wonderful display of strength, beauty and determination.

Pavel: Gladiator Abs starts playing on 12 August 2019