Grit and grind no sunshine; Strong and bold wet and cold. Iron sharpened iron at Meathead yet again……………………………………………………
6 beasts (including 1 FNG) answered the call to rise from ye old warm dry fart sack and embrace the wet cold world, partnering up to test their mettle and forge their strength and endurance.
English translation:
After a thorough disclaimer, this is what we did: Quick prayer of gratitude – thanks for the first breath we each took this morning, and for getting out of bed, healthy enough to make the tough choice to post today.
Mobility Warmup: SSH, IW, Merkins, (walk to the covered side walk with kettle bells), Flutter Kicks, 2 Handed Swings – 10-20 reps each
Muscle Warm Up: Clean and Press; Dead lift, Upright Row, and Goblet Squat; Curls; Tricep Extensions – 5-10 reps each
Partner up for PT Tests:
2 min max push-ups
2 min max sit-ups
2 min max two-handed swings
2 min max weighted squats
(Unanimous PAX vote)
Tally up team totals. Winner gets to use the 50 lb ruck for next set and when done pass it on.
(Q decision not to record totals. 50lb ruck open to any takers).
Weighted Carries:
P1 & P2 walk in opposite direction, exercise, return to center, exercise, repeat with new exercises – 10 reps each
Left suitcase carry then clean. Right suitcase carry then clean. Hand slap merkins.
Left rack carry then press. Right rack carry then press. Partner derkins.
Left suitcase carry then 1 handed swings. Right suitcase carry then 1 handed swings. Flutter press.
Left rack carry then squats. Right rack carry then squats. 1 legged merkins.
Full Body KB Work – 10 reps each
Dead lifts
Upright Rows
Goblet Squat
Overhead press
Dead lift to upright row to goblet squat to overhead press complex
Curls
Tricep Extensions
Doubles – 5-10 reps each
Swings
Cleans
Squats
Cleans to rack squats to press
5 MOM
Flutter Kicks, Heels to Heaven, Freddie Mercury, American Hammer
Ye Ole Pair o Tough Skins
Well, YHC was pleasantly surprised to see 5 others make the right choice today to post to Meathead, despite the weather. Strong work by all! Kotters to YHC who hasn’t posted at Meathead in 3.5 months?!? Veteran crew today, although some are newer to Meathead – keep coming back! T-claps to our FNG today. Not only did he pick a gear AO for his first post, in crummy wet cold weather, but he hoped a fence and walked 10 minutes to get here! Welcome, Brad Johnson aka Duluth. He recently moved here from Colorado for his wife’s volunteerism at a local church, bringing 3 kids with them. Originally from Minnesota, he attended U of M – Duluth. Not the most creative F3 name, but fitting for this cold morning.
Not much mumble chatter. Everyone got to work quickly. There was no where to hide under the lights on the covered sidewalk. Everyone pushed through the varied sets with fairly small reps. We started off with some 2 min PT testing. This is a great way to burn a few minutes at home or at work or anywhere. And a great way to test yourself against your self and measure your fitness/progress. The weighted carries proved not too challenging, since the distance under cover was pretty short. Hopefully the various KB exercises gave the pax a good all around work out. I didn’t think it was too tough at first, but then realized it was hard to wash my hair and stand up from a chair, so maybe I’ll be sore in a day or 2. YHC has let fitness and diet slide lately, so this Q was a great way to jump start it again.
The team of Stone Cold and Rachael seemed to be killing the push-ups and the sit-ups. YHC had given up the dream of not quitting the push-ups prior to the 2 min mark, so was able to sit and watch everyone else knock them out once I failed to finish. Those 2 seemed as fresh at 2 min as at the start, with perfect form. Sanka and Blazing Saddles were the quiet assassins today, just killing the exercises with seemingly no fanfare. And Duluth pushed hard and finished strong too. Don’t think he modified/reduced the exercises.
Stone Cold (former GRT from ye ole’ days), tried on the 50 lb ruck just in time for YHC to announce goblet squats – burned! Someone else wore it briefly too, Sanka or Blazing Saddles maybe? Sorry I didn’t incorporate that tool better. Maybe next time…
Thanks to the following musicians, who took chances and kept grinding, until they were able to provide us long-lasting music, which we enjoyed today: Tom Petty (RIP 2017), Green Day, Chuck Berry (RIP 2017), CCR, Quiet Riot, Beastie Boys, Van Halen, R.E.M., Twisted Sister, Dire Straits, Weezer, The Cars, Flat Duo Jets.
COT: Thanks for the take-out Sanka.
Announcements: Charlotte Marathon, Half-Marathon, Half-Marathon Ruck, and Speed for Need
Thanks to the absent site Q’s – Voodoo and Witch Doctor – for the opportunity to lead. As always, I’m better for it. Aye!
SYITG
MAD
COP:
SSH – does the number actually matter? IC
IW – ditto IC
Burpees – 5 OYO
Main Event:
Mosey to lower parking lot with dynamic running: High knees, Butt kickers, Karaoke, Backwards, Regular
Count off into teams of 2 and each team grab a coupon (20 lbs – 45 lbs). Mosey to near end zone.
Field Work #1 – The Grind
P1 carries coupon to 50 yd line and back
P2 Burpees
Flap Jack
Repeat until all teams complete 100 Burpees (help fellow PAX when finished)
Field Work #2 – Team Movement
Line up abreast on near goal line
Lunge Walk 50 yards. Recover.
Bear Crawl 10 yards.
Crawl Bear 10 yards.
Crab Walk 10 yards.
Walk Crab 10 yards.
Broad Jump 10 yards. Recover.
Partner Work
Partner carries to 50 yard line 100 yards (or sprint) switching as needed. (Pax favorite)
Recover. Mosey to stairs.
Stair Work
Partner Wheel Barrel up the stairs and regroup
P1-called exercise
P2-Stairs
Flap Jack
Plank for six after each exercise
(Do not follow Q who stepped off the stairs in the dark and landed 4 steps down)
Field Work #3 – Herschel Walker
P1 WWII sit ups
P2 sprint across field and back
Flap Jack
100 50 sit ups per team
Field Work #4 – Home Stretch
Line up abreast mid field
Run 10 yards forwards, 5 yards backwards. Repeat until in end zone.
(math lessons needed for Q and /or many PAX).
Carry coupons back to lower lot
Mosey back to upper lot
(Impromtu) 6 Minutes of Mary
Merkin plank o rama merry go round thingy
Pax called out exercises:
Heels to Heaven
Freddie Mercury
Scissors (SLOW flutter kicks)
Mountain Climbers
Protractor
COT:
Namorama
Announcements
Circle of Gratitude
Take Out – Thanks Header!
Moleskin:
Everyone was pushing hard today! Lot’s of movement and very little recovery time. The teamwork concept is a favorite of YHC. It’s a great life skill that often takes practice – to be able to ask for help when needed and to give help when able – in all aspects of life. And it’s great to feel a part of something greater than ourselves. Appreciate the pax helping each other finishing the Burpees and encouraging each other throughout the work out.
YHC thought there would be refusniking or Q-jacking when the burpees were announced. Other than some mumblchatter prior to the lauch, I didn’t hear much, other than some mumbling about merkins instead. YHC was too busy trying to keep up with Smokey and keep count of our burpees to notice what others were doing. There was much more dissent with the partner carries. Eh, I get it. However, it’s a skill that may come in handy one day. Strong work guys! Lot’s of changing locations and lot’s of different movements today and everyone seemed to cooperate and push hard. There was no dry run of this weinke for time but YHC thought for sure we’d run late and I would have to eliminate 1 or 2 parts of it. Instead these Larry Birds/seasoned vets/young and old alike were killing it out there and we finished quite early. Never can go wrong with some Mary at the end – thanks for your willingness to partake.
The first birthday Q I remember posting at was Dora’s Q at Peak 51 last summer. It’s a great concept. What better way to celebrate one’s birthday than with service and with gratitude for others? What better way to start the day than taking the Q and posting with my F3 brothers? Thanks for indulging me. Now, if I can just stay healthy enough to post 4 years from now I’ll get some R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Grateful for another day and the start of another year.
While contemplating this BB, YHC began to contemplate how or why this AO got it’s name. Surely one of the old-timers can answer that. In the mean time, YHC reflected on the great arcade game – Joust. Some not so deep research reminded me that this game was released in 1982. ” While not the first game to feature two-player cooperative play, Joust was more successful than its predecessors and popularized the concept.” What set the game apart was the different set of skills. As opposed to the other early competing arcade games such as Defender and Asteroids, Joust required one to RUN, JUMP, FLY. Hence the name of this BB.
We didn’t exactly do those things today, but we pulled from the tool box to use a variety of skills. If you suspend your disbelief for a few moments, you could imagine being in the Joust game today. One could imaging jumping up the stairs and flying on another’s back, depending on the degree of O2 deprivation. Of course, YHC did fly down the stairs by accident at home point. I was running towards the field and thinking how glad I was that nobody got hurt on the stairs when I totally missed the 4 stairs in front of me. Good thing I was running as I landed on the landing. I was just uncoordinated enough to fall down the stairs but just coordinated enough to land on my feet and keep going. True humility – seeing me for who I am. Anyway… The partner work fit the “two-player cooperative play” concept.
And, this is supposed to be fun too. So, carrying the 1982 theme a little too far probably, YHC made a 1982 song list and had that playing from the rucksack for the duration of the workout. So whomever was stuck with that “coupon” either loved it or hated it I suppose… What? Which bands were chosen? Well, since you asked… Survivor, Steve Miller, Tommy Tutone, Rick Springfield, The Cars, Men at Work, Loverboy, Soft Cell, Dazz Band, The Go-Go’s, Asia, J. Geils Band, 38 Special, Flock of Seagulls, Jurney, Laura Branigan, John Cougar, Rod Stewart. Many of those names would be good F3 names. Enough of this line of thought…
T-Claps to Header and Chin Music for the pre-run. And T-Claps to those I EH’d who went out of their way to post here today. Much appreciated!
Thanks to site Q’s Yeti and Header for the opportunity to lead today. I’m better for it. Hope someone else is too.
SYITG
MAD
10 men grinded it out in the heat and humidity this morning. This is what they did to better themselves.
A thorough disclaimer was given as our FNG and our site FNG rolled up right at 5:30.
COP:
SSH x 10 IC
IW x 10 IC
Civilian count Merkins x 15 IC
Hip flexor stretch L and R
Pigeon stretch L and R
Back stretches
MAIN EVENT:
500 kettle bell swings with a few low volume strength exercises thrown it (see below).
Cluster One (100 swings)
10 swings + 1 shoulder press L/R
15 swings + 2 shoulder press L/R
25 swings + 3 shoulder press L/r
50 swings
Rest 30/30/60/120 seconds after each set
Cluster Two (100 swings)
10 swings + 1 Lawn Mower L/R
15 swings + 2 Lawn Mower L/R
25 swings + 3 Lawn Mower L/R
50 swings
Rest 30/30/60/120 seconds after each set
Cluster Three (100 swings)
10 swings + 1 Goblet Squat
15 swings + 2 Goblet Squat
25 swings + 3 Goblet Squat
50 swings
Rest 30/30/60/120 seconds after each set
Cluster Four (100 swings)
10 swings then move to your left and use your partner’s KB
Rinse and repeat X 10 sets = 100 swings
Tri Extensions after 1st 5 stations and Bi Curls after last 5 stations
Cluster Five (100 swings)
On your own
MERKIN MERRY-GO-ROUND PLANKERAMA:
Hold plank facing the circle
PAX 1 does 3 merkins while the remaining 9 hold the plank
Moving to the left, each pax does 3 merkins while the remaining 9 hold the plank
Rinse and repeat with 4 and then 5 merkins
Time
COT:
Thank you Bulldog for taking us out
MOLESKIN:
The hecking and refuseniking began with the first called stretch. Let’s just say there was less than 100% participation. Stretching the hip flexors and back were meant to prevent overuse injury as YHC knew what was about to happen. Despite the pre-blast warning of 500 swings, 10 meatheads showed up to test their mettle and forge greater strength and endurance. T-claps to all the pax for grinding through this boring, simple, difficult weinke.
10 guys, 500 swings each, 5000 swings before sunrise, not a bad way to start a Thursday.
The pre-planned recovery breaks were not uniformly used. The PAX certainly exceeded the weinke’s expectations with the number of reps for the low volume strength exercises at the end of each set. Lot’s of Goblet Squats a Lawn Mowers were done today. Cluster four had mixed success. We were running low on time so it was up to each of us to figure out the best way to pace those last 100. Those that tried to bust out 50 in a row thought it was a bad choice. Everyone finished with a few minutes to spare, but not enough for burpees or Turkish get-ups.
High Tide and Voodoo were swinging some heavy metal today. High Tide brought out a small assortment of bell options, which accounted for 30% of our total bell count and probably only about 30% of his total bell count too.
Blazing Saddles, Orange Whip, and Drive By were quietly cranking out the reps and making it look easy.
Bulldog and Swiss Miss were always finishing first. Bulldog went to his wheel house for an assortment of ab exercises and Swiss Miss just kept rushing the recovery periods, “What’s next, 25 and 2?” was heard on several occasions.
Witch Doctor, Orange Whip, and Voodoo provided kettle bell instructions and advice for our FNG – Thanks guys!
Meat runners today – High Tide and Orange Whip. YHC was pretty whipped after that beat down. Hard to imaging pulling off all those reps after running a few miles. T-Claps!
War Daddy was Blazing Saddles and our 2 War Babies were Orange Whip and Drive By.
Welcome to our FNG – Jeff. He’s a Charlottean who lives within running distance and was EH’d by Orange Whip. Great job hanging in there today brother. keep posting! He was named for his favorite vegetable – Cucumber. Welcome, Cucumber!
Welcome to our site-FNG – Drive by. Strong work today!
YHC promised 50 burpees for each FNG and 25 burpees for each site-FNG. So 75 burpees will be completed today (couldn’t finish them all this morning). Thanks High Tide for contributing some Burpees for the cause. We need to keep encouraging new pax to post here!
July 13, 1985 was LIVE AID, so today is the 32nd anniversary. At that time our pax ranged in age from 2 to 15. Ah, the mid-80’s. I was 13 then, and this concert brought my attention to the starvation in Ethiopia. Thought it’d be worth remembering this historical event today.
LIVE AID was a dual-venue benefit concert to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the “global jukebox”, the event was held simultaneously at Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom (attended by 72,000 people) and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States (attended by about 100,000 people).[1]
On the same day, concerts inspired by the initiative happened in other countries, such as the Soviet Union, Canada, Japan, Yugoslavia, Austria, Australia and West Germany. It was one of the largest-scale satellite link-ups and television broadcasts of all time; an estimated global audience of 1.9 billion, across 150 nations, watched the live broadcast.[2
Our tunes today were a sampling of the more upbeat tunes from that day. We heard from Led Zeppelin, The Cars, The Who, Black Sabbath, Bryan Adams, Tom Petty, Juda Preist, Dire Straits, Simple Minds. YHC omitted some of the iconic pop tunes from that concert such as Bang a Gong Get it On and The Reflex. Too afraid of heckling last night. Wish I would’ve just played them now for fun.
As always, thanks to the site-Q’s – High Tide and Brown – for the opportunity to lead today!
Announcements:
Continue to keep the family of Cheech in your prayers. The 1st annual memorial 10K will be in Lexington, SC on 11/11/17. Proceeds go to his family. His pax ask us to keep the young lady from the accident in our prayers too.
Check out the weekly F3 Nantan Calls – which are available live Friday mornings, and are available always on podcast.
Come out to Kevlar tomorrow where Bulldog has the Q. He promises a complete beat down, unless you are Voodoo. In that case it will be a moderate work-out.
Site Q’s High Tide and Brown will be rotating off in a few weeks. Thank you for your service, men!
If you want to read more about where this came from and consider your own kettle bell swing challenge, check out this article from Dan John:
https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/10000-swing-kettlebell-workout
Next time, YHC promises more variety. And it won’t be any easier! SYITG!
1 man answered the call this morning and posted at Meathead. Or 1 man missed the call/tweet overnight and posted at Meathead anyway. For those snug in their warm, dry fartsacks, this is what you missed:
THE THANG
5:28 YHC rolls in to an empty lot. 5:30 lot still empty but YHC is prepared to work. No Q. No site Q. No other Pax. 5:32 exercise commences. Grab the heaviest bell around and get moving. No disclaimer needed.
50 Swings
Merkins x 10
50 Swings
Lawnmower X 10 per side
50 Swings
Racked Squat x 10
50 Swings
Diamond Merkins X 10
50 Swings
Cleans X 10 per side
50 Swings
Goblet Squat x 10
50 Swings
Lawnmower x 10 per side
50 Swings
Deadlifts x 10
50 Swings
Flutter Press x 10
Chaser: Wide Arm Merkins x 10
Total: 450 swings + some other exercises
Time: 6:12. Good enough. Done.
No name-o-rama. Take out done quietly.
MOLESKINE:
Waking up at 0300 to thunder, lightening, and heavy rain, YHC thought, “Great! I can sleep 2 extra hours!” That thought was immediately followed by, “Man, this sucks for the Q. Nobody will show up. I will go and support him” and then 2 hours of restless sleep as YHC waited for 0500 to roll around. Memories of my VQ, which happened to be a Meathead, came to me. A similar thunderstorm rolled in overnight and the crowd was small. YHC still appreciates those who posted that day (Brown, HT, TR, Spack, Paper Jam). Sure enough, the rain stopped on the drive over this morning and the conditions were perfect, standing on a dry covered side walk.
YHC kept seeing headlights and taillights coming and going on Hwy 51, hoping that at least someone would pull in to join in the pain/fun. After 10 minutes, that hope was gone. However, YHC got lost in the work. At first, the music was good company: The Baseball Project – Vol 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails. You may have missed a little dancing during the recovery breaks between sets, but you’ll never know. Then the phone battery died so 95.7 fm, The Riiiiiiiiide, was utilized. YHC started thinking that the 1st F was clearly being met. In fact, solo kettle bell work outs at home are usually not met with as much determination as those with the other pax of F3. Funny thing happened though, YHC found himself working harder than usual today, as if not wanting to let him self down by modifying the impromptu weinke or taking long recovery breaks. Surely there was no 2nd F, right? Well, this 45 minutes gave YHC a great chance to focus inward and check-in with self and recognize feelings and re-balance priorities a little. Eh, kinda close. Fellowship with self. Anyway, 3rd F? You bet! This all led to reflection upon those things for which YHC is grateful – list of which is too numerous to list. Pertinent points for this BB include being thankful for F3 – for a group of guys willing to meet 7 days a week close to my house and put in the work and opportunities for 2nd and 3rd F which YHC often misses out on. Thankful that YHC has the freedom and safety to exercise alone at 0530 in public and not worry – thanks to our country’s founding fathers, our military, our police force. Thankful for this school where teachers come everyday to shape the lives of our next generation at meager pay. Thankful for a loving God that does provide all that I need and who desires an intimate relationship with me.
This workout had many chances to not happen. The weather was the most obvious reason. Then, scrambling to get out the door, YHC discovered the garage door was broken – busted spring – unable to open manually (maybe YHC needs more deadlifting experience). Fortunately, there was a car parked outside. This required Kettle bell and gloves and water and protein bar and keys and towel to all be carried from garage through house out front door and around to the car. Only grabbed one KB – my heaviest (45 lb.). Coulda easily stopped here. Then, empty lot at ELE. Coulda listened to music for 5 minutes then headed back to bed. Thankful for this hard work-out – grip strength is shot and typing is hard!
Considered posting a short BB with no details or not posting one at all. Felt right to do it as it was done, so here you go.
In full disclosure, giving credit where credit is due, while this weinke was spontaneous in many ways, it was influenced by a 3 year old article by Dan John suggesting 500 swings a day for a month.
https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/10000-swing-kettlebell-workout
Although they did not show, YHC greatly appreciates the site Q’s who keep this AO going week in and week out. YHC is much better for it!
See you in the gloom…AYE!