Are You Man Enough?
A Real-Life Navy Seals Fitness Experience
2022
Photos by Sarah Rushford

This was an 80-minute performance, in which I followed the entire VHS tape called "The Navy Seal Burnout PT Challenge: The Navy Seals Fitness Program (1995)," which I had never seen in full. I played the tape on my small Panasonic TV/VCR set, with audio amplified and the screen oriented away from the audience. I invited others to join me in the workout on a drop-in basis.

The title was drawn from promotional language on the VHS box, which read: "This is not a video featuring lycra clad dancers aerobicizing in a studio. NAVY SEAL BURNOUT PT CHALLENGE is over an hour of the most demanding workout you’ll ever endure. Are you man enough to take the challenge?"

This was a hilarious endeavor for my out-of-shape body, and also a serious exploration of the performance of gender and of toxic masculinity, as well as the social capital we attribute to the hard work of physical fitness.