Bring Sally Up Download Song
Marién Hadges
Even if you're a seasoned resistance trainer, putting in hours with barbells and the best adjustable dumbbells, this classic military calisthenics challenge is going to test you. It requires a strong core, chest, triceps, the ability to hold a plank position for at least three minutes, and a bit of mental toughness.
Many people will know what the Bring Sally Up challenge is, but for the uninitiated, you play the song "Flower" by Moby, which consists of a hook played on repeat: "Bring Sally up, bring Sally down, lift and squat, gotta tear the ground". Every time the song says "bring Sally up" you push up.
Every time the song says "bring Sally down", you lower yourself down, until you're hovering just off the ground. You do this until the song ends, three minutes and 32 seconds later. You could do this challenge with any bodyweight exercise, such as squats or even pull-ups for the truly masochistic, but the garden-variety version you'll see online tends to be centered around push-ups.
I would say I'm generally quite healthy. I train three or four times a week, usually a mixture of strength training and running with the occasional yoga class. I know how to do a push-up properly, and eat pretty well. I thought this challenge was going to be relatively straightforward, and I'd complete at least two minutes. Spoiler alert: it wasn't, and I didn't. You can see my attempt below:
The plank holds at the bottom of the push-up were, by far, the most taxing thing about this challenge. You're holding the push-up position at the hardest point, the "bottom" of the lift, which is a difficult isometric exercise.
However, it's great for your muscle development and one of the best reasons to try this challenge: researchers from the University of Waterloo found isometric training, like holding plank poses, created more effective core stability in athletes, and other research found it creates as much muscle activation as more dynamic exercises, like normal push-ups.
Want to take this challenge on? I recommend practicing with lots of push-ups and planks, as well as learning how to do a bench press and the best workouts for abs to improve the muscles needed for the sequence. I'm certainly intending to give it another go, and maybe even finish the whole song in a few months' time.
Matt Evans is an experienced health and fitness journalist and is currently Fitness and Wellbeing Editor at TechRadar, covering all things exercise and nutrition on Fit&Well's tech-focused sister site. Matt originally discovered exercise through martial arts: he holds a black belt in Karate and remains a keen runner, gym-goer, and infrequent yogi. His top fitness tip? Stretch."}), " -0-7/js/authorBio.js"); } else console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','no lazy slice hydration function available'); Matt EvansSocial Links NavigationMatt Evans is an experienced health and fitness journalist and is currently Fitness and Wellbeing Editor at TechRadar, covering all things exercise and nutrition on Fit&Well's tech-focused sister site. Matt originally discovered exercise through martial arts: he holds a black belt in Karate and remains a keen runner, gym-goer, and infrequent yogi. His top fitness tip? Stretch.
Moby's 'Bring Sally Up' is a song that, at first glance, seems to have a simple and repetitive structure, but upon closer inspection, it reveals a deeper narrative and cultural significance. The lyrics consist of a series of commands that are repeated throughout the song, which are reminiscent of children's playground songs or traditional work songs that are designed to keep rhythm during physical labor. The repetition of 'Bring Sally up, and bring Sally down, lift and squat, gotta tear the ground' suggests a continuous and strenuous physical activity, possibly a metaphor for the ups and downs of life and the resilience required to navigate them.
The mention of 'Old miss Lucy's dead and gone, left me here to weep and moan' introduces a somber note to the song, hinting at loss and mourning. This line contrasts with the otherwise rhythmic and almost cheerful commands, adding a layer of depth to the song. It could be interpreted as a reflection on the inevitability of death and the emotional toll it takes on those left behind. The song ends with a call to the listeners' emotional response, asking them to fold their arms if they hate it or clap their hands if they love it, which could be seen as a commentary on the subjective nature of grief and the different ways people cope with it.
Musically, Moby is known for blending electronic music with samples from various genres, including gospel, blues, and folk. 'Bring Sally Up' fits within this eclectic style, as it uses a repetitive and catchy beat that could be associated with work songs or spirituals, while also incorporating modern electronic elements. The song's ability to evoke physical movement and emotional response makes it a powerful piece that resonates with listeners on multiple levels.
But what does the "Bring Sally Up" challenge entail and how do CrossFit trainers use it to improve their athletes' physical preparedness and performance? Here, fitness experts explain the challenge and share what it can (and cannot) do for the average exerciser.
If you've never played the bop before, the lyrics repeat the phrase "bring Sally up, bring Sally down" over and over throughout its 3.5-minute duration. The workout challenge involves moving in tandem with these lyrics. Specifically, you're supposed to execute the concentric portion ("up" phase) of a movement when the song says "up" and then perform the eccentric portion of a movement ("down" phase) when the artist says "down."
Typically, the challenge is completed with body-weight movements, such as push-ups or air squats, which your CrossFit coach (or you, if you're working out on your own) chooses based on which muscles you need to "wake up" for the programmed strength work or metabolic conditioning.
If you're doing the challenge with push-ups, for instance, you'll remain in high plank position when Moby says "up" and lower down to the floor when Moby says "down." If you're doing the challenge with air squats, you stand on "up" and squat on "down."
The instructions are easy enough, but the challenge is anything but. As the reps accumulate, your muscles will feel the burn. And because there is sometimes a multi-second pause between when Moby instructs you to "bring Sally up" and when he tells you to "bring Sally down," you'll be forced to hold an isometric (or static) hold at the top or bottom of the rep for several seconds at a time.
"The song and corresponding protocol provides movement, and done all the way through, this challenge will increase blood circulation in our bodies and therefore is a good general warm-up," he tells LIVESTRONG.com.
In addition to increasing your core body temperature, the increase in blood circulation also increases the oxygen and nutrients getting carried to our cells, notes registered dietitian and certified strength and conditioning Reda Elmardi RD, CSCS, founder of The Gym Goat, an online wellness site.
"As blood flows through our bodies, it carries oxygen and nutrients to cells and removes carbon dioxide and waste products," he tells LIVESTRONG.com "This means more oxygen and nutrients are delivered to muscles and organs, which fuel our movements."
Warming up prior to exercising is non-negotiable, according to Harcoff. By increasing the circulation of blood in our bodies and increasing internal body temperature, "warming up also helps our muscle fibers contract more effectively," he says.
The result: You won't be able to perform during the main portion of your workout, he says. For example, for a new or intermediate lifter doing "Bring Sally Up" with push-ups before bench pressing, it could interfere with their ability to bench as many plates. Not ideal!
If you're going to shoulder press, for example, the way to prepare is by shoulder pressing, and likewise if you're going to deadlift the best warm-up would incorporate lower-body hinge exercise or two.
But, "in most cases, people are not spending any time warming up at all," Harcoff says. So if doing a challenge like this is the only way you can convince yourself to warm up, he says have at it. Plus, while push-ups and air squats are popular moves for "Bring Sally Up," you can still perform the challenge with other exercises that reflect what you'll be doing in your main workout.
So, if the "Bring Sally Up'' challenge feels more like a workout than a warm-up to you, then use it as your workout! If you decide to do push-ups along with the song, Elmardi says that there's no doubt that doing this challenge a few days a week will slowly build up your push-up capacity.
One option would be to do a repetition every other time Moby says "bring Sally up, bring Sally down," effectively cutting the work in half. Another option is to scale the movement you're doing the challenge with, Harcoff suggests. Rather than doing push-ups, for example, you could do wall push-ups or knee push-ups, which tap into less muscular strength. Similarly, rather than doing weighted goblet squats, you could do unweighted air squats.
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