Austrian Felix Baumgartner has become the first skydiver to go faster than the speed of sound! Felix reached a maximum speed of 833.9mph Sunday afternoon (mind blowing)! In jumping out of a balloon 128,100ft (24 miles; 39km) above New Mexico, the 43-year-old also destroyed the record for the highest ever free fall Felix said that he almost aborted the dive because his helmet visor fogged up due to a heating issue in the visor. It took just under 10 minutes for him to land back to Earth. Once he touched down, he fell to his knees and raised his fists in success. Helicopter recovery teams were on hand moments later.
Training Demands
By side from the intensive, technical training required to get Felix to the edge of space and back down to earth again, he has also on his the gym flow 100 hard to ensure that his mind and body was ready for this momentous record. “There is a volume of baseline training that we have Felix on just so he can sustain the days and weeks of training that he has to do,” says Red Bull high performance director Andy Walshe. “The specific technical training in the capsule, the travel, the meetings. It’s cardio respiratory that allows him to cope with the volume time and energy required during the run-up to the mission. The fitter you are, the longer you can sustain your concentration levels, and the better you can recover. That’s training to support the training.”
Then there was the mission specifics that were required for him to train too. As well as having to be mentally focused, he has had to build the strength required to move around in an awkward, heavy pressurized astronaut suit. “There is also a slight altitude effect,” says Andy Walshe, factoring in the artificial atmosphere of the suit. “It’s around the equivalent of 10-15,000ft, mildly increasing aerobic demand on the body. But it requires a bit of work just to breathe in this suit. It’s probably comparable to the regulator in a diving suit. You’re breathing pretty easily but it’s still more challenging than the every day breathing you’re used to.”
The Training Regime
“He’s in good shape, right up there with world-class athletes,” Andy Walshe says about Felix, who exercise is mixed with a bit of boxing training, intensive cardio and kettlebell sessions in preparation of his def defying space jump. “We’ve also integrated some of the cognitive challenges he’ll face on the mission, like mission control scenarios. So while he’s on the bike and he’s struggling a little bit, I’ll have him rehearse Evacuation Plan C or Fire Drill A. I want him to be challenged physically and still deliver higher executive function cognition. It’s a great way to ensure you’re making the right decisions under extreme pressure.”
Space Jump Workout Routine
Use this sample of Felix Baumgartner’s workout routine to take your workout into outer space. You will build upper body strength and lean muscle definition. You also will be increasing your baseline cardio performance but your concentration and decision making, too.
- Warm-up (5-10 minutes)
Complete the following circuit, repeating each exercise for 1min before moving onto the next station
Skipping
Punching with light weights
Lunges
Press-ups
Shadow boxing - Cardio (20 minutes)
Sprint on a treadmill or outside at 80-90% effort for 45 seconds. Next, jog lightly for 1-2mins. Repeat for 20mins. To increase your ability to perform cognitively under pressure, try to recite your times tables or say the alphabet backwards when you start to tire. - Strength (20 minutes)
Complete each of the following kettlebell moves. Do 8 reps of one move, rest for 30sec then move onto the next. Complete 5 full circuits.
Kettlebell High pull
Kettlebell Clean
Kettlebell Snatch
