A nice balmy morning at this AO was the perfect setting for this upper body beat down. 11 shivering Pax showed their dedication by coming out to test their mettle.
Warm Up:
Mosey for one lap around the parking lot then circle up.
SSH IC x 25
3 count merkins x 10
Windmill x 10
Thang: Man-makers were on the menu this morning. But because not everybody knows what a man-maker is, YHC felt it was neceassary to go step by step, one move at a time to make sure all the Pax had a thorough grasp of this complex move. For the benefit of the reader, allow me to explain. A man-maker consists of a merkin, renegade row, clean, squat, and overhead press in sequential order, usually with a dumbbell or two.
The instructional break down of this move was divided into 5 segments with 5 pull-ups and one lap around the lot in between segments.
After it was evident that all Pax felt comfortable with the move, we completed only 10 man-makers then finished up with 5 pull-ups and a lap.
Mary included LBC’s, Freddy Mercury, Flutters, Box cutters, Reverse box cutters, Hanging knee raise, and Rosalita.
Moleskin:
Every once in a while you hear a Pax say he passed on a workout because it was his “strength day”. Clearly he has never been to Foxhole. The strength component of this gear workout kills me everytime. Today was no different.
YHC wanted to target Chest and Back today but not exclusively. A nice mix of shoulders, core, and some cardio work made for a well rounded routine.
The crowd consisted of many of the usuals. It was a nice treat to see Bratwurst roll in (albeit late). The warm up was short and sweet and ample preparation for what was coming. Even at sub-freezing temperatures, it didn’t take long for us to heat up.
YHC finished up the first round ahead of the other Pax and was disallusioned enough to think that I could maintain my pace. But as usual, the guys at Foxhole brought their A-game and smoked me by the end. Although, much to my bewilderment, I did see Brat bringing up the rear on a lap or two. I didn’t think he was ever at the back of a run. Maybe just did it to make me feel better.
We did, however, all stick together throughout the workout. The Pax who finished the run first went back for the 6 and the next segment didn’t begin until we were all there. That’s the way George W. Bush would have wanted it.
Transitioning into Mary was a nice relief, even with Kirby’s multi-lingual 10-count as a segway. I ran out of exercises with 30 seconds left so Voodoo stepped up and finished us off. Ended with a COT and welcomed feedback from the Pax, which was mostly good. I’ll have to bring this one back again someday.
Filling a last minute request for a Q left me a little unprepared so I reverted back to an oldie but goodie. 4 Pax showed up to participate in the misery.
Warm Up:
Thang:
15 min EMOM (Every Minute On the Minute) rotating exercices each minute.
Exercises:
A total of 5 rounds.
Mosey to the field with bells in tow to work through the Deck of Death, as it was affectionately named by Wild Turkey.
An exercise was assigned to each suit in a deck of playing cards. Pax took turns drawing cards and announcing the exercise and reps, as determined by the value of the card. (Ex: 9 of Diamonds = 9 KB swings)
Exercises:
Slow stroll back up for COT
Moley:
Small crowd today but huge effort put in. Everybody pushed hard. EMOMs always seem like a good idea before you start so it’s easy to be a little ambitious in choosing reps. A last minute audible was called to reduce the Merkins from 21 to 15. But once we got in it seemed like 21 was doable. By the end, though, the reps came in a little slower. This part of the workout was pretty brief at only 15 min and the rest of the time was spent at the field.
Quick explainer was given and Mighty Mite started us off with the first draw. As we worked our way through the deck it seemed like every card was replaced with an Ace, Joker, or high value heart. A lot of burpees and sprinting right up front. Mighty Mite happens to have a knack for drawing the most hated cards in the deck. Who shuffled these things anyway?
Suprisingly, we were able to make it through the entire deck performing a total of 84 of each exercise and sprinting across the field and back 6 times. We did, however, notice that the deck must have been missing a card due to how the rotation ended. YHC could feel the stinging glare of exhausted Pax when suggesting 10 more burpees just in case we missed some.
We finished right on time and wrapped up with a solid COT. Good work men.
8 Pax braved the cold this morning to take part in the fun that a gear workout brings. Given that I was sick as a dog this morning I probably should have stayed in bed but I couldn’t pass up the chance to get out and do some work.
Warm-Up
Thang
Started off with a Pull-up/Burpee Ladder starting at 10 and counting down ( 10,10, 9, 9, 8, 8,…….). First man finished leads Mary
Then down to the field for a 4-man relay race that went as follows:
Two teams of four made made their way through three exercise stations spaced out around the field. The event starts with one person at each station and one carrying the “baton” (100′ bundle of firehose). The first person completes 5 burpees and then carries the baton to the first station and relieves his teammate. That teammate carries the baton to the next station and so on. The stations were:
2.5 rounds were completed before having to call time.
Moleskin
The M tried to talk me out of working out in the cold when I’m sick but I showed her.The gear was already loaded up. What’s a Pax to do?
I heard some subtle groaning when I announced the pull-up/burpee ladder but it was pretty quiet once we started. Too much time spent gasping I suppose. The Mary afterwards was a nice filler and one of the Pax (not sure who) introduced us all to the Pickle Pounder (I think).
Some confused looks and expressions of deep concern were exchanged when I mentioned we wouldn’t need all the bells that were brought out. I think we were on the verge of a mutiny but the Pax followed along anyway.
Approaching center field, best guesses began to fly as to what the lump of matter on the ground was. Our firehose batons, possibly a first at Foxhole, were laying there ready to be shouldered and lugged around the field. Instructions were given for the relay and off we went.
All the Pax did awesome and really pushed. With a workout like this you get out what you put in. You could make it as easy or as difficult as you want. We made it through about 2.5 rounds before having to call time and it looked like both teams were neck-and-neck the whole time.
Finished up with COT and all hands on deck for loading the gear into my truck (much appreciated). Then headed home to rest ( I wish! I got 2.0’s!!!)
12 Pax showed up on what turned out to be a warmer than expected morning to show their love for YHC’s VQ. A respectable number at Foxhole, which would make for tight quarters when it came time to find your spot on a pull-up bar.
Thang
Quick Disclaimer
Short mosey around the parking lot loop then a little warm-up to get those quads and shoulders ready:
LSS x 10
Windmill x 10
Seal Jack x 15
Arm Circles x 20 (10 forward. 10 reverse)
Grabbed the bells and made our way to the playground. The bulk of the workout was spent here gettin’ swole. 2 rounds, 2 exercise each round, 3 sets of each exercise:
21-15-9 of KB Thrusters and Pull-ups. First one finished leads Mary.
21-15-9 22-16-10 of Clean and Press( 11-8-5 each hand) and 2H swings. First one finished leads Mary.
Mosey to the field for some sprints. Holding a 6 in plank on the sideline and jumping up into a sprint across the width of the field on YHC’s 3-count for a total of 5 times across.
Circle up for 6 MoM on the field. Made our way around the circle with each Pax calling a workout.
Mosey back to the playground with 90 sec to spare. One set of max-rep pull-ups.
Fix the divots and retreat to back to the parking lot for COT.
Moleskin
YHC first came to Foxhole because I was asking one of the Pax at Bagpipe if any of the workouts had less running and maybe did some pull-ups every once in a while. He suggested Foxhole. So, to be faithful to my quest for big lats, I had to throw in a few pull-ups. A KB version of Fran seemed like a good idea. Any Pax that could perform 10 or more strict, forward grip pull-ups were encouraged to maintain a forward grip the whole time. YHC tried, and failed.
Because KB thrusters didn’t quite kill the shoulders like I hoped, some Clean and Presses and 2H swings were thrown in. The mission was to bring some pain to the deltoids. Mission Accomplished!
All the Pax kept theirs noses to the grindstone and pushed through these two grueling rounds. Pretty sure Argonaut finished first on both rounds and led the Mary for us while we waited for the six. The guy is a beast.
All Pax inhaled their share of carcinogenic pellets at the soccer field while holding a 6 in plank during the sprint series. Everybody gave their all here which was impressive after the playground beat-down.
Finishing up with some Mary on the field rounded off what I hope was a total body assault that made everybody just a little bit stronger.
A max-rep set of pull-ups wasn’t exactly a cool-down but there was time to kill and it felt like the right thing to do.
YHC was proud to lead this group today. Although, tomorrow I may be regretting it.