Remember we said that Intentionality is one of the three principles of BDP? Let's return to that topic.
In BDP, every second of every workout is geared towards a training goal. But where do those goals come from? The answer: the four-tiered Level System that governs the Busy Dad Program.
As a practitioner of BDP, you will be assigned a specific level within the program on the basis of your current degree of fitness in the two Sacred Movements. Your long-term goal is to complete the Busy Dad Program. That's like building the house. Your medium-term goal is to advance to the next level within the program. That's like building a room in the house. And your immediate term goal is to do something that helps you edge closer to the next training level. That's like laying a brick in the foundation.
Every level of the system is unlocked by two Landmark Workouts: one 20-minute 6-count workout, and one 20-minute Navy Seal Workout. Let's break down those levels and the Landmark Workouts that unlock them.
Long-term goal
Complete the Busy Dad Program
Building the house
Medium-term goal
Advance to the next level within the program
Building a room
Immediate goal
Do something that edges you closer to the next training level
Laying a brick
Level 1 is the most elementary level of the program, and it is further differentiated into four sublevels. There is an enormous difference between someone at the beginning of Level 1 and someone at the end of Level 1, and the sub-levels are in place to acknowledge those differences.
This where the journey starts: the most elementary level of the program. If you can complete a single repetition of each of the two sacred movements of BDP, you have cemented your status as a level 1A practitioner of BDP. Now it is time to start chaining together the reps and working toward 1B.
6-Count
1 in 20 minutes
Navy Seal
1 in 20 minutes
The first level-change within the Busy Dad Program, 1B is a meaningful advance from Level 1A. You are building the muscular fitness and aerobic conditioning you will need to take your practice to the next level. Many elite practitioners begin their journey here.
6-Count
50 in 20 minutes
Navy Seal
20 in 20 minutes
At this level, you are already starting to pull away from the pack. It isn't everybody who can complete at least 100 high quality 6-counts within 20 minutes, or 120 push ups' worth of navy seal burpees. Whether you tested in here or sweated to earn this status, you can take pride as a 1C practitioner of BDP.
6-Count
100 in 20 minutes
Navy Seal
40 in 20 minutes
You are starting to breathe rarefied air in the upper climbs of Level 1. Level 1D is worlds apart from Level 1A, and for many of us, the journey to this level of the program is long and arduous. Level 2 is beckoning, and numbers that might once have seemed impossible are calling to you.
6-Count
150 in 20 minutes
Navy Seal
60 in 20 minutes
Once you unlock Level 1D, your new training mission is to unlock Level 2.
This is the first major line in the sand. There are many professional athletes who could not complete 200 high quality 6-counts in 20 minutes, and if you have made it to this level, you will reliably be the fittest person in the room. But your work is just beginning.
6-Count
200 in 20 minutes
Navy Seal
80 in 20 minutes
There is a vast desert between level 2A and Level 3A; 2B is a pitstop on your journey. Take stock here, savor your achievements, and prepare for your campaign to unlock Level 3. You are closer than you think.
We are moving toward elite conditioning. As a 3A practitioner of the Busy Dad Program, you are in rare company. Many practitioners could spend a lifetime working toward this level. If you have unlocked it, you have greatness in you.
6-Count
250 in 20 minutes
Navy Seal
100 in 20 minutes
Only a practitioner can know how demanding the workouts are that unlock Level 3B. The kind of volume you are now packing into 20 minutes sets you apart from the many. You might feel a bit of vertigo at these dizzying heights of the program, but make no mistake: if you've made it this far, you can take it all the way.
Welcome. You are officially an elite burpee practitioner. The vast majority of us could train for a lifetime and never reach these heights. That is OK: you would never throw shade on a fellow practitioner. But you can take great pride in your status, which you will have to fight to maintain.
6-Count
275 in 20 minutes
Navy Seal
120 in 20 minutes
The final level of the Busy Dad Program, this is your last pitstop before you begin your campaign to graduate. It takes greatness to reach this level of BDP, but now is not the time to rest on your laurels. Thousands have tried, only a tiny handful have made it all the way. Could you be the next?
Where to next?
Busy Dad · Max Edwards
You are a graduate of the Busy Dad Program, one of the tiny elite of black belt practitioners. Your achievements make you nothing less than a world-class burpee practitioner. But you will have to fight to maintain your status: repeat these workouts in 30 days or you will slide back to Level 4B.
Graduation Workouts
6-Count
325 in 20 minutes
Navy Seal
150 in 20 minutes
All of the Landmark Workouts can be found on the Busy Dad Training YouTube channel.
Max Edwards
Join thousands of busy dads who stopped overcomplicating fitness and started getting results with 20 minutes a day.
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