Rescue crews have been drilling three separate wider holes to send down the rescue capsule and hoist the men to the surface.

CNN: Rescue drill reaches 33 trapped Chilean miners

Copiapo, Chile (CNN) -- Chilean officials said Thursday the first test of a rescue capsule designed to rescue 33 trapped miners was carried out successfully.

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He said the miners are working out for at least one hour a day to ensure they keep their weight down and can fit into the rescue capsule.

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After the 2, 300-foot hole in Chile is secure, materials and equipment will be brought in so that the rescue capsule -- dubbed the Phoenix -- can be lowered into the mine.

CNN: Rescue drill reaches 33 trapped Chilean miners

Once one of the three drills working to reach the trapped miners breaks through, a rescue capsule will be lowered at least 600 meters (1, 968 feet) to begin ferrying the men to the surface.

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The Plan A drill -- a mining drill -- reached 148 meters (486 feet), but the hole it was drilling would still need to be widened to 70 centimeters (27.5 inches) to accommodate the rescue capsule.

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Jean Romagnoli, sports medic and personal trainer working to get the miners in shape for their rescue, said the Phoenix capsule would be hoisted to the surface at a speed of about 60 kilometers per hour and would exert about 2 Gs of pressure on the miners.

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