How long does it take to reduce two reasonably healthy men to a heap on the gym floor after a work out? Only eight minutes if you are doing crossfit.

Crossfit is the latest high intensity sport set to take the fitness world by storm, combining exercises from various sports and manipulating them to create an all round pulse-racing workout.

Wandsworth Guardian sports editor Graham Moody and I were given a sneak peek into the crossfit world and, under the guidance of trainer Tom Bold at his Crossfit Bold gym in Earlsfield, attempted to complete what we were told was a basic work out.

After taking us through the routine, correcting our posture and explaining to us that we would be racing against the clock and each other; we set out ready to throw ourselves into it.

The workout consisted of three exercises to be completed sequentially and three times over without rest.

First up was 21 kettle bell swings, then 21 box jumps and then 21 squats combined with throwing a 7kg ball up against the wall and then remembering to catch it.

Then you repeated each exercise 15 times and then nine times.

The box jumps sound deceptively simple on paper, requiring only for us to jump on and off of a wooden box, but underestimating it was a big mistake – proven as we were both left breathing heavily with our hands on our knees before even reaching the squats – the most gruelling of the three exercises.

More than once, the ball collided with our faces as we struggled to catch it as the exhaustion began to take hold.

After the first round, we were both run ragged and the reduction in reps became immaterial – just standing was a task in itself.

But with Bold’s encouragement and the race spurring us on, we managed to muster up every ounce of energy we had and completed the first two rounds.

After that, everything is a blur – I am told I got to the end around the eight minute mark while Graham collapsed out early half way through the final round.

Despite spending what seemed an eternity sprawled out on the floor, gasping for breath and drenched in sweat, a sense of personal achievement slowly began to take hold and it is easy to see why crossfit is becoming popular.

It is an entirely different animal to a normal workout and tests both your mental and physical resolve.

You have to be prepared to give everything you have got in your locker and then some more.