Author Archive ChinMusic

Ultimate Cup

In honor of the World Cup, YHC thought of no better way to capitalize on the excitement than to go Fun Friday at Joust!  Not much planning went into this Q – aside from ordering a glow-in-the-dark Frisbee earlier in the week (and I’m know skeptical of the glow-in-the-dark aspect).

At 0530, the PAX of 11 moseyed to the football field for a quick COP: SSH, IW, LSS, Merkins, Burpees.  A quick lap around the corners of the field to set our end line cones (thank you, Header) and then gather at midfield to choose teams. 5 vs. 6 made it a little tough, but nonetheless we went Shirts vs. Skins:

Shirts – Header, Slumdog, Schmedium, Sloppy Seconds, Puddin Pop

Skins – Stone Cold, Yeti, Tulip, Smokey, Funky Cold, Chin Music

The Rules: 2 steps allowed after the catch, offsides enforced (no cherry picking!), opponent’s goals resulted in 10 merkins.  If consecutive goals were scored by one team, add 10 merkins to the previous count.

The Game Recap: It was a fast start by the Shirts, jumping out to a 2-0 lead even though visibility was a bit of an issue.  YHC had two key drops for the Skins – with one being in the end zone and the other on the 5-yard line. Hey, I was a pitcher and not a catcher!! However,  I did find myself feeling like the streaking WR Feathersone in Unnecessary Roughness— speeding past folks only to clank the disk off my hands!  More stick ‘em, please!

As daylight inched closer, the Skins mounted a furious comeback and pulled ahead 3-2 with some nifty passing from Yeti and Stone Cold.

At the halfway point, YHC switched teams to try to even up the time disparity of being a man down in numbers. Unfortunately, I couldn’t provide the spark that was needed as everyone was starting to slow!  Those fast bursts were becoming more irregular and forced some extended recovery periods!

With a final score of 5-3 in favor of the Skins, the PAX headed back to launch for some Mary before calling it quits.

The takeaway: Ultimate Frisbee is really good exercise!  Full of quick bursts and sprints that are much easier to do when having fun chasing after a flying disk.  There were some skilled guys out there and some sure-handed ones too (YHC not included).  Schmedium was DE-like, long & rangy and tough to maneuver around his wingspan.  Puddin Pop, Smokey and Stone Cold were the sure-handed veterans controlling their teams around midfield, Header showed flashes of our memories of 89 on the football field, and Tulip was the energetic fly pattern guy who actually could catch!

Lots of fun out there today.  Thank you to Yeti for the opportunity to lead with a creative workout!!  Hope this event returns…

Joust Midsummer Classic Pre-Blast

For those inspired by the World Cup but lack the hand-foot coordination, come to Joust on Friday for an Ultimate Frisbee match, which YHC is aptly referring to as the Midsummer Classic (in honor of baseball’s All-Star Game next week).

The game will feature a glow-in-the-dark Frisbee and teams will be divided the old school way – Shirts vs. Skins. This will definitely be a Fun Friday, but points given up will result in punishment!

That Funky Feeling

(Posted on behalf of Funky Cold)
It was a beautiful fall feeling summer AM.
Warmed up to a lap around the old gravel track, followed by side-straddle hops and Imperior Walkers.
Workout:
Partnered up for farmer carriers over the side entrance of church, which included 5 burpies.
2 rounds of 4 exercises (clean into squat into shoulder press at top/ curls / lounges/ tricep extensions) per partner. Partner 1 does exercise while partner 2 runs lap around church then flap jack.
Farmer carries to track next to launch with partner, which included 10 merkins.
Played 100s game with partner. 3 exercises included merkins, flutters with presses, and teabags.
Back to launch ending with protractor around the circle.

No June Swoon

Being the only pre-runner today, YHC was the one guy that was in full sweat prior to the 530 launch time.  Not gonna lie, solo pre-runs can be a little lonely.  Many wandering thoughts flowed through my head, like “what am I doing?,” “Is this where I thought I’d be at 40?”, “why in the world did I accept the challenge to run a sub-5:00 mile?,” and lastly, “Wow! This new Black Diamond headlamp is incredible. What design modifications could be done to make it better?”

Having reached none of the answers to those questions, YHC gave the disclaimer at 530.  Seeing no FNG’s, it was short and sweet.  One face that I did get excited to see was Simba – welcome back out!  Skunkworks has missed seeing you.

After COP (SSH x 15, IW x 15, LSS x 10, Merkins x 10, MCs x 10, Burpees x 5), the 12 PAX members moseyed across the street to the Lower School lot.  Instructions were given to get a partner and the workout began…

THE THANG:

P1 runs parking lot, up around the median and returns while P2 does called exercise.  Then flapjack for each exercise in each round.

Round 1: Overhead Press, Right arm clean & press, Left arm clean & press

Round 2: Upright Rows, Right arm Snatch, Left arm Snatch

Round 3: Triceps Press, Right arm lawn mower pulls, Left arm lawnmower pulls

Mosey to base of hill in the main parking lot area

P1 runs the hill while P2 does the called exercise.

Round 1: Squats (x2), Good Mornings (x2)

Round 2: Lunges – right (x2), Lunges – left (x2)

Round 3: P1 runs the hill with KBs while P2 does Freddie Mercury (x2)

Mosey back to launch.  10 Regular Merkins, 10 Wide-Arm Merkins, 10 Diamond Merkins.  Mary until the end, and DONE.

MOLESKIN:

Great break from the oppressive humidity that we’ve come to know as “home” for the summer months.  Guys really were strong performers today as the group pretty much stayed in sync throughout.  I always enjoy seeing Smokey fly by me while running!  He inspires me to be in that great of shape when I’m on the verge of “Respect”!! Good to catch up with Fireman Ed, even though our usual Clemson talk wasn’t so positive today. #baseballblowout  Tulip is showing no signs of wearing down following the birth of another child, and his KB form is pretty much impeccable.

Always great to lead the Skunk group.  If you’re out there looking for a little bit of weight training (Kettlebells) and running combined, we hope you’ll join us.  And for those that have been MIA, we’d love to see you out in the gloom again!

Dry Run

8 men set out to accomplish the goal set by YHC of keeping our feet dry during today’s workout. It is no secret that I thrive in dry terrain, and I respectfully disagree with the thought of toughness gained by going straight for mud and water during a workout.  That being said, I was hopeful that last night’s tweet would give a big clue as to the amount of asphalt we’d be exploring – and that we did!

Disclaimer was given at 5:31 after hearing the story of how a KB incident (merkins on vertical KBs)  has still left Harley with minimal feeling in the tips of fingers. Yikes! Quick COP in the SCMS parking lot before trekking down to Davie Park.  Once the PAX arrived to Davie Park and Header and I brought over 2 lifting rocks, instructions for the exercise were given:

Partner up. One partner group stays at the gated entrance by the long road to the back parking lot. (Thanks to Header and Harley for modifying this location in order to get us all on the same side of the gate). This group would do the called exercises with the lifting rock – 10 bicep curls, 10 tricep extensions, 10 overhead presses. The remaining PAX would run the road together as a group and wait for the lifting group to join via sprinting. Once all PAX were together, each man did 20 merkins OYO before switching to a different lifting group. We continued that process until all partner groups had done 1 round of the lifting exercises.

Mosey back to Strawberry Lane and finish with a set of AYG sprints for 10, 20, and 30 seconds.

Moleskin: I feel that I succeeded in my goal. I take no responsibility for anyone that might’ve ventured off the pavement or asphalt and caused water damage to their shoes.

This was a great group of men – really pushing each other on the self-serving sprints at the end.  Funky Cold was quickly onto my plans to incorporate them, as he’s aware of my current training to run a fast mile?. Hey, I needed those so, therefore, WE needed them!

QOTD from a heard exchange:

Puddin Pop: “It feels like Thailand out here.”

Header: “Have you been to Thailand?”

Funky Cold: “I’ve spent lots of time in South Africa.”

Header: “Is South Africa close to Thailand?”

Puddin Pop: “Closer than Charlotte.”

Great to lead you men this morning. Thank you to Smokey and Dollywood (we missed you) for the opportunity to lead!

The Tulip blossoms

(Posted on behalf of Tulip)
10 men showed up by 0530 for a cold morning. Disclaimer given and we began…
Warm-Up
  • Lap around the track
  • Side Straddle Hop (x25)
  • Imperial Walker (x25)
  • Lunges (10/leg)
  • Lap around the track
  • Burpees / Low Slow Squat w/ Bell / Swings (1st Rd: 5/5/10, 2nd Rd: 10/10/20, 3rd Rd: 15/15/30)
Workout
Line up inside the track facing away from the parking lot. Perform 40 seconds of each exercise below with bell focusing on form and quality. In between exercises, run to the opposite end of the track and back (we gradually increased our running speed throughout the workout).
  1. Squat
  2. R/L single-arm chest press
  3. R/L single-arm cleans
  4. Overhead press
  5. R/L single-leg dead lift
  6. Russian Twist
  7. R/L single-leg lunges
We got through a little over 2 rounds.
Moleskine
It was a smaller group this unseasonably morning, but the pack put in good work. Props to those who braved the unseasonably cold temps. Burpees don’t seem to be getting any more enjoyable…

A Taste of the Swimming World

19 men gathered at skunkworks for the first time in March. The weather was a little cold, with a hint of rain in the air. Thankfully the rain held off so that we could get some kettlebell work in. Here’s the back blast:
The warmup consisted of in cadence to a count of 15 side shuttle hops, 10 mountain climbers, 10 high knees, 10 butt kicks, 10 little baby arm circles forward, and 10 imperial walkers.
In swimming the next set is the warm up set. We did repetitions of 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 of two different exercises OYO with no break. The two exercises were side lateral hops and kettle bell swings. Then we recovered.
The next set was the pre-set, which can sometimes be scary. This one wasn’t too bad though. We partnered up and did 3 rounds of one partner doing an exercise and the other partner running a lap around the mini-track. Flapjack after one partner returns. The 3 exercises were kettlebell merkins, bicep curls, and tricep extensions. We then rinsed and repeated.
Now for the main set. For this we stuck with our partners and did catch me if you can with 10 Carolina Drydocks all the way down to the base of the hill. We then did 3 rds of the following:
1 partner ran up the hill did 10 lunges and ran back down while the other partner did a set of exercises. The partners then flapjacked. The exercise were right arm swings, right arm cleans, and right arm snatches. The next rd was the same exercise but with the left arm. The last round was double kettle bells with the last exercise being shoulder presses. For this last round we ran up the hill backwards and did backward lunges.
Lastly we ran sprints. Base of the hill to the first median and back. base of the hill to the second median and back, etc. All the way to the 4th median at the church. Then ran back to the base with our bells and we were done. Great work from all!

Stairway to Heaven

Another great group of men gathered this morning for an unusually warm February morning.  At exactly 5:30, the standard disclaimer was given to the group of 17 and we quickly moved into an extended COT.  With KBs in tow, we handled a variety of exercises: SSH, IW, LSS, Swings, Staggered merkins on bell, Cleans, Snatches, Good Mornings, Overhead Press, Clean and Press, Lap around the dirt track, Rows, and more swings!

Mosey to the lower parking lot, where the center circle area is surrounded by 3 different buildings.  We’d use that area as well as the two adjacent stairwells for the majority of the workout.  The PAX were encouraged to partner with like-size bells.  P1 did called exercise in the circle and P2 ran up and down the stairs before returning to flapjack.  The first set of 4 exercises were double KBs: Squats, Shrugs, Lunges, and Swings.  The second set of 3 exercises were single KBs: Clean and Press, Good Mornings, Snatches.

Mosey back to launch for five minutes of Mary before calling it a day.

Moleskin:  Having enjoyed a pre-run with Baracus prior to launch, YHC was feeling like it was a late spring day prior to beginning.  It was good to sweat!  I had almost forgotten the feeling.  Those stairs aren’t made for big feet.  I found myself really having to concentrate a few times so as not to miss a step, though I still managed to almost mess up!

Great to see a bunch of regulars out this morning.  Guys really are committed and the leaders are doing a good job of bringing consistent KB workouts to Skunk.  If you’re a regular and are not on the Q schedule, I encourage you to see myself or Blazing Saddles about leading.  We’d love to have more guys step up and lead — Skunk is a great place to Q!!

Thanks to Frosty Paws for praying at the end.  Announcements: Brolympics this upcoming weekend.  Continue to pray for Benny and his recovery.

 

Great Grandma Wilby

8 men gathered to collectively visit Great Grandma Wilby’s house. Unfortunately, we didn’t actually see her house as the large hill spoiled our visit.  A great group of Joust veterans was the perfect sample to try out the off-campus location.  Smokey mentioned that he recently took a fellow church member home to a house in the neighborhood above the Wilby hill and remembers thinking “I’m sure glad we don’t come over here at Joust.” Well, those words ended up proving to be prophetic!  Dollywood and Lightfoot crushed  the ‘ol Triple Nickel (5 jump squats at the bottom, 5 regular squats at the top, and 5 times up the hill in between).  Stone Cold is just a machine and is so steady. It’s great to have Duct Work back in the fold.  Still hoping his foot injury continues to heal!  Header and Yeti never seem to tire, or at least they never show it!

Following Great Grandma Wilby, the PAX ventured to the small playground above the bleachers.  Partner work, two times through, consisted of P1 running to parking lot and back while P2 did the called exercises of pull-ups and dips.

Lastly, one competitive lap around the track against your partner while stopping for merkins in each corner.  Mary at launch and then done.

The Well-Oiled Machine

Skunkworks has really become an AO that puts up numbers week in and week out.  On a chilly morning, 4 of us jogged in from the pre-run at 5:28  to join our 20 brothers anxiously awaiting some kettlebell slinging.  A quick disclaimer was given and off we went for a warm up lap around the spirit rock.  Upon return, the COT went like this:

SSH x 15, KB swings x 10, IW x 15, KB swings x 20, LSS x 15, KB swings x 10, Merkins x 10, KB swings x 20, Staggered Merkins x 10, KB swings x 10.  From there, “catch me if you can” to the bottom left parking lot.  Instructions given to grab a partner preferably with like-sized bell.

The Thang:

3 sets of exercises with three different called exercises during each set.  P1 did called exercise while P2 ran around island at top of parking lot.

1st set – Clean & Press, Upright Rows, Alternating One Arm Rows.

2nd set – Squats, Good Mornings, KB Swings

3rd set – Flutter Press, Louganis, American Hammer

Mosey to the base of the traditional Skunkwork Hill.  Remain with partner and collectively complete 50 merkins, 30 burpees, 30 snatches.  P1 does called exercise while P2 walks up the hill carrying both KBs.  For the last exercise (snatches), P2 runs up the hill without a KB.

Mosey back to launch for 3 minutes of Mary. Done!

Moleskin:

Many of the PAX were expecting to see Header on Q this morning.  Our thoughts and prayers are with he and his family as his dad suffered a stroke last week.  It has been inspiring to see my good friend’s trust in the Lord through this very tough time.  His faith is strong and many of us get to see that lived out daily.

I was more than willing to step in and lead this morning.  Such a great, consistent group that Skunk does basically run itself!

As for the workout, I overheard Stone Cold make a mental note to adopt the burpees followed by double KB hill carry into a more regular routine.  Those were tough!  Somehow I missed hearing any of Horsehead’s wisdom this morning—it still amazes me how well his brain operates at 5:30.  Spackler may be headed toward Orange Theory stardom, as there’s talk that he may need to be an OT coach to take them to the next level.  Great to have Orange Whip join the pre-run group—he makes it all look easy!  And great to see Carburetor back out—keep showing up my friend…