Author Archive Voodoo

This workout never happened

YHC rolled up early to WAMRAP. I didn’t sleep well for some reason. I wasn’t nervous about my Q since WAMRAP is a fire and forget workout. The only site easier to Q is Donut Run, which Bushwood does remotely via Slack messages, and only after someone asks for a route. However, after the second early morning wake-up, I started worrying I’d miss my alarm. That and the ensuing heckling might have been better than what actually happened.

The Thang: Mosey to the parking deck and plank at the base of the first ramp for instructions.

Round 1:

  • At the top of the first ramp, 10 HR merkins
  • At the top of the second ramp, 10 HR merkins + 10 monkey humpers
  • At the top of the third ramp, 10 HR merkins + 10 monkey humpers + 10 WWII sit-ups
  • Bear crawl across the top of the deck to the stairs, run down to the bottom and do 5 burpee pull-ups.

Round 2:

  • At the top of the first ramp, 10 Carolina Dry Docks (CDDs)
  • At the top of the second ramp, 10 CDDs + 10 jump squats
  • At the top of the third ramp, 10 CDDs + 10 jump squats + 10 boxcutters
  • Lunge walk across the top of the deck to the stairs, run down to the bottom and do 5 burpee pull-ups.

Repeat rounds 1 & 2 AMRAP-style. Backward run on the ramps and forward run on the flats.

At 6:11, run back to the launch. Complete 10 of each Round 2 exercise (we stopped after the third time through Round 1) and then some planking to kill time.

COT – Thanks to Flipper for the prayer.

Moleskine:

  • 5 men posted this morning for my 3rd post at WAMRAP and first Q. This welcoming site allows all newcomers to get their feet wet by Qing almost immediately. I’m pretty sure our site FNG (High Tide) will Q next week. Unless Nemo decides to post, then he’ll have to wait until his 3rd post to Q. I think Bucky and O’Tannenbaum are also on the list somewhere.
  • Thanks to Flipper and Alf (and McGee? I have no idea who the site Qs are at this workout) for the opportunity to be told to Q. Thanks also to the pax that posted and put up with this terrible workout.
  • I was a little worried when drafting the workout that there weren’t enough exercises and it might not be enough for the pax. We soon found out that backward running every ramp hurts. So does all that bear crawling and lunge walking. However, it seemed to keep the group together pretty well, especially when the frontrunner (Flipper) blew an O ring on the second round of lunge walks. Heal up, brother.
  • Everyone got through the whole circuit 2.5 times. After doing the burpee pull-ups on the ground floor for 1 round, we moved them to the 2nd floor thereafter to accommodate some of our vertically-challenged (or vertical leap-challenged) pax. I wish Alf had been there so I could hear his mumblechatter… There was also some modification of the bear crawls and lunge walks because that deck is really wide.
  • Here’s High Tide’s text description of the workout, which I thought was a good summary: “Flipper pulled a hernia; Squid inked himself; OT shed some needles; Voodoo hexed himself; and I crashed upon the rocks.” If you were there, you can vouch for the accuracy of this statement.
  • I wasn’t feeling 100% this morning, but knowing others were depending on me made it a simple decision to post. As always, I’m glad to have the accountability and fellowship of my brothers in the gloom.
  • I’m Qing Meathead tomorrow if anyone is looking for a kettlebell, 0.0 running workout. I promise no bear crawls.
  • Please sound off in the comments with anything I missed.

Old School

13 pax (excluding YHC) showed up at RockZero to see what the Q had planned for the next 60 minutes.

Warm up:

Lap around the church, ending at the parking lot across the street from where we started (which Gummy helpfully pointed out).

Circle up for COP:

  • SSH x 20 IC
  • Merkins x 10 IC
  • Mountain climbers x 20 IC
  • IW x 15 IC
  • Low slow squat x 16 IC

The Thang:

Mosey to the baseball diamond (to make the pax think we were headed for the rocks):

Bear crawl to first base, lunge walk to second base, crab walk to third base, sprint home (sliding optional)

This was when Alf reminded the Q that we had an FNG and should try to impress him with our fitness level instead of doing a moderate workout. Thanks for the support! As we moseyed toward the front of the church, Alf started wondering out loud whether the Q had a plan.

Arrive at the big rock pile. Assign the mouthy Seminole fan (Nemo) the 75# sandbag that YHC had hidden in the bushes. All other pax grab a LIFTING rock and mosey over to the lot parallel to 51 (so many lots).

Pax line up abreast. One pax runs to the third island (after a few rounds, switch to second island) with the sandbag while the rest off the pax perform called exercise with their rocks. Exercises include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Curls (for the girls)
  • Overhead squat
  • Goblet squat
  • Teabag squat
  • Ground press
  • Tricep extension
  • Deadlift
  • Overhead press
  • Reverse lunge
  • Flutter press
  • LBC with rock

Put the rocks/sandbag back and mosey over hill and dale to the hot box. 3 rounds of: 25 dips, 10 split squats per leg, 15 derkins with runs to trash cans at different distances. Last round, shave 5 reps off of the dips and derkins.

Mosey to the playground for 3 rounds of 10 donkey kicks and 5 pull-ups.

Mosey to another parking lot and line up abreast. Bear crawl 5 spaces, 5 CDDs, bear crawl 4 spaces, 5 CDDs, etc. all the way to 1 space, 5 CDDs. The idea was to continue the length of the parking lot, but it was massive and the Q was facing a mutinous horde. So, we audibled to lunge walks and jump squats for another round. Mercifully, we then ran to the bottom of North Face. This is where Nemo chimed in about how “old school” this beatdown is. I guess I need to get out more.

Plank at the base of North Face for instructions: sevens with merkins at the bottom and jump squats at the top. This was a near disaster, with pax flying down (or sliding in the case of Runstopper) and nearly crashing into each other. This is when the Q regretted the lack of a disclaimer this morning. #oops

Mosey back to the start for some Mary:

  • LBCs x 20 IC
  • Heels to Heaven x 20 IC
  • Dolly x 20 IC
  • Protractor, with pax input
  • Dying cockroach x 10 IC

Time

Announcements:

  • Christina Latini Memorial 8K in honor of Olive’s daughter will be held in Huntersville on March 30th. If you don’t have a conflict, he would love your support. You can sign up here.
  • If you’re not able to make the Latini 8K, a few of the pax (YHC included) or their Ms are running the Craft Beer Half Marathon on March 30th. There’s also a 5 mile option, if that’s more your distance. You can sign up here. If you don’t want to run, come drink beer instead.

Moleskine:

  • Thanks to the pax for coming out and supporting my Q. We had a good crew of veterans and even an FNG (Chris B. – Plasma). Some pax wanted to give him a meaner nickname like Mouth Fart or Captain Mouth Fart, but we ended up sticking with the relatively painless Plasma. A rename may be in the cards down the road…
  • I appreciate the invitation to Q from Hoover (and Geraldo and Nemo). Hoover was kind enough to keep an eye on the FNG for me as I tried to keep this crew of professional mumblechatterers under control (#Qfail). Geraldo chose to ruck 400 miles and do other ruck-related exercises rather than posting with us, but it’s cool.
  • As if I needed the reminder, Alf was there to let me know that UVA got bounded from the ACC tournament the night before by FSU. Nemo proceeded to do some Atlanta Braves cheer in response, but I ignored him because he’s young and doesn’t know any better. Now, if Marlin had been there, I might have paid attention.
  • Purell and I did a 3 mile pre-run, while Scabby and his P200 crew did a longer pre-run. However, Scabby is the only one that stuck around for the workout. Next time, I’m going to show up early and rope off the parking lot for those clowns, forcing them to go to Java run instead.
  • The title of the backblast is based on the comment from Nemo that I was leading an “old school” workout. I didn’t realize these were old school moves, so I’m going to have to get out to RZ a little more often to catch up on the latest workout technology.
  • Sorry for missing the 4 mile mark (or even the 3 mile mark), but this is supposed to be heavy day, so we did rocks and a sandbag instead.

Tried and True

9 pax joined YHC on a cool March morning for some kettlebell action. My legs were sore for about 5 days after Alf’s deadlift-fest last week, so I decided to go a little lighter on the legs. 3 for the pre-run (YHC, Chin Music, and Header) – they ran at their 2nd F pace for me.

After a thorough disclaimer, we began thusly:

  • SSH x 20 IC
  • Swings x 20 OYO
  • Merkins x 10 IC
  • Swings x 20 OYO
  • Prying squats x 3
  • Swings x 20 OYO
  • Halos x 5 (each way)
  • Swings x 20 OYO

On to the Main Event, beginning with 5 reps per side of each of the following exercises. Complete all exercises for the left side, then move to the right:

  • 1H swings
  • Cleans
  • Snatches
  • Racked reverse lunge
  • Lawnmower
  • Carry something (sandbag, 32kg bell, 28kg bell, 24kg bell, 2x 16kg bells, or your own bell) to the far curb and back.

Repeato for a total of 3 rounds

Next up is a little set I found online called 9 Minutes of Hell (#soundseasy). I broke out the #Fembot and we got moving:

  • :30 per side of swings
  • :30 per side of cleans
  • :30 per side of snathces
  • :30 per side of presses
  • :30 per side of reverse lunges
  • :30 per side of single leg deadlifts
  • 1:00 of swing burpees (merkin + swing instead of jump)
  • 1:00 plank (:30 on hands, :30 on elbows)
  • :30 per side of thrusters from the racked position

Although there was no rest built into the timer, the pax made time to catch their breath.

Grab a medium size bell and head to the playground for 3 rounds of:

  • 5 goblet squats
  • 5 presses per side
  • 5 pull-ups

Back to the lot for some Mary:

  • Flutter press x 15 IC
  • Louganis x 10 OYO

COT: Thanks to Header for the takeout

Announcements: Meathead Q2 Q schedule release date coming soon. Keep an eye on your inbox and let me know if you need a switch or substi-Q.

Naked blister moleskine:

  • Thanks to the pax for posting and pushing through the workout. YHC is pretty smoked and could use a nap. Horsehead finally came to his sensese and came back to us after he left us for that other Thursday workout for a while #kotters. Cooter 2 also joined us, coming off of IR. We hope you keep coming back! Young Love is on a strong Meathead posting streak – keep it up!
  • Thanks to Header and Chin Music for the push on the pre-run. T-claps for the coaching and mentorship of the 2.0s that you do.
  • It had been a while since we listened to the Fembot. I might need to change up the accent a bit next time so that Horsehead doesn’t just think it’s Siri talking. The Fembot and Spotify didn’t get along too well, causing some volume issues, but we worked through it (and it allowed me to grab a rest during the 9MOH).
  • While I know Tiger Rag has returned to F3 and is one of the fathers of the kettlebell in Area 51, he hasn’t posted at Meathead yet. Let’s see what happens when I put him down to Q…

Steaming Stacks of Swole

17 pax met up in the parking lot of Covenant Day School for this week’s edition of Skunk Works. While YHC has posted to SW a few times over the years, I tend to run on Tuesdays and save my swinging (of bells, of course) for Thursdays at Meathead. Enough backstory, let’s get down to business.

YHC led the pax through a full body warm up:

  • SSH x 20 IC
  • IW x 15 IC
  • Merkins x 10 IC

With Young Love in attendance, YHC quickly realized his potential legal liability and provided a thorough disclaimer for the group of veteran pax.

The Main Event:

Partner up by bell size. P1 takes both bells and overhead carries them to the lot below the hill. P2 does 5 hand release merkins and gives chase. Flapjack, with P2 overhead carrying the bells. Next is suitcase carry, then racked carry. Upon arrival, line up in the parking lot facing the hill.

Stacks (>=35# do more reps, >35# do fewer reps)

Round 1:

  • 2-hand swings x 20/15
  • AYG up the hill, 5 burpees, AYG back

Round 2:

  • 2-hand swings x 20/15
  • Left arm snatch x 10/7, Right arm snatch x 10/7
  • AYG up the hill, 5 burpees, AYG back

Round 3:

  • 2-hand swings x 20/15
  • Left arm snatch x 10/7, Right arm snatch x 10/7
  • Goblet squats x 20/12
  • AYG up the hill, 5 burpees, AYG back

Round 4:

  • 2-hand swings x 20/15
  • Right arm snatch x 10/7, Left arm snatch x 10/7
  • Goblet squats x 15/12
  • Left arm Clean & Press x 10/7, Right arm Clean & Press x 10/7
  • AYG up the hill, 5 burpees, AYG back

Round 5:

  • 2-hand swings x 20/15
  • Right arm snatch x 10/7, Left arm snatch x 10/7
  • Goblet squats x 15/12
  • Left arm Clean & Press x 10/7, Right arm Clean & Press x 10/7
  • Sumo squat to upright row x 20/12
  • AYG up the hill, 5 burpees, AYG back

Circle the church, with 5 wide-arms at the first entrance, 10 wide-arms at the second entrance, 15 wide-arms at the third entrance, and 20 wide-arms at the fourth entrance.

 

Unstack the above circuit by starting with the 5 exercises and working your way back down to a single exercise. Burpees were replaced by merkins at some point and 20 LBCs IC was mixed in between sets at one point to allow the pax to get back together.

COT – Thanks to Drop Thrill for the takeout.

Announcements:

  • Joe Davis Run – March 9th. A race that’s always been well-supported by F3 and FiA. 5k and 1 mile fun run options available. In honor of our brother, Rock Thrill’s brother Joe. Sign up here.
  • Christina Latini Memorial 8k and 2 mile walk – March 30th. In memory of our brother, Olive’s daughter. Sign up here.
  • Get Your Rear In Gear 5k – March 30th. YHC is friends with Joe Miller, who has been diagnosed with Colon Cancer. Feel free to join team Miller Time if you’d like to support. Sign up here.
  • Craft Beer Half Marathon and 5 miler – March 30th. A few pax plan to run this race (not win it, just run it). Feel free to sign up if you like running and/or craft beer or just want something to train for during the cold winter months. Sign up here.

Moleskine:

  • No reason to sit on your butt on March 30th. Pick a race and sign up. Even non-runners can run a 5k. Rucking is also a great option. And if you can’t make it for some reason (like you stupidly signed up for a half marathon the same day), feel free to donate to either or both causes. Same goes for the Joe Davis Run. You can always “Sleep in for the Cause” if you really can’t make it.
  • Thanks to Tulip and Funky Cold for the invitation to Q and for helping to keep the kettlebell tradition alive in Area 51. The bells are a great way to cross train with all of the running we do. If you’ve never gone to a gear workout, give it a try. Ascent usually has moderate gear the first Saturday of the month (or you can just look for certain Qs). And you can always modify any gear workout by using a smaller bell. Good form will keep you healthy and strong.
  • Thanks to the pax for getting out on a cold-feeling mid-40s morning and following me around for 45 minutes. I think it was the wind that made it feel colder than expected. The workout warmed everyone up quickly though.
  • Tulip kindly led Meathead last week while YHC was DR. He offered up this week’s Skunk Works Q to YHC, then skipped it. I guess that’s fair. #shrugemoji
  • There was some mumblechatter out there this morning, mostly cries of discrimination against the pax with bells 35#s or smaller. The Q was somewhat sympathetic and reduced the number of goblet squats for smaller bells after the first round, but that was it. If you don’t want to swing a big bell, you do more reps. #seemsfair
  • It was good to get back out to Skunk Works and see some faces I don’t see too often. Thanks for having me! Please sound off with any additional mumblechatter below.



12 Days of Meathead Christmas (2018 Edition)

Posted 14 days late by Voodoo on behalf of High Tide (with minor embellishments by Voodoo):

4 5 pax posted in the gloom for the last pre-Christmas edition of Meathead. Voodoo was scheduled to be the Q, but had a work Christmas party planned for the night before. Being the competent, intelligent, planning-ahead kind of HIM that he is, he asked YHC to be his back-up Q, even going so far as to provide the weinke for the workout (not very difficult since it was identical to last year’s version). YHC then lost said weinke and drafted a new one, only to find the original immediately prior to the workout. We ended up going with the new weinke since it was new (and laminated).

After a solid disclaimer and full body warm-up (most likely, HT didn’t make that clear in his text), here’s the Thang:

12 Days of Christmas:

  • Day 1: Waiter carry (alternating sides each round)
  • Day 2: 2 dozen swings (1 or 2 hand)
  • Day 3: 3 One-arm press per side
  • Day 4: 4 Louganis with pullover
  • Day 5: 5 goblet squats
  • Day 6: 6 teabag deadlifts
  • Day 7: 7 snatches per side
  • Day 8: 8 High pulls (or 1-handed swings) per side
  • Day 9: 9 flutter press
  • Day 10: 10 cleans per side
  • Day 11: 11 lawnmowers per side
  • Day 12: 12 pull-ups

Performed in the usual fashion, with each day being cumulative, so Day 2= Day 2 exercises + Day 1 exercises, Day 3 = Day 3 exercises + Day 2 exercises + Day 3 exercises, etc. Total reps were as follows:

  • 12 waiter carries
  • 264 swings
  • 60 one-arm press
  • 36 Louganis
  • 40 Goblet squats
  • 42 Teabag deadlifts
  • 84 snatches
  • 80 high pulls (or 1-handed swings)
  • 36 flutter presses
  • 60 cleans
  • 44 lawnmowers
  • 12 pull-ups

Naked Man Moleskine:

  • This was challenging, particularly around day 7. Purell posted a shot of the resulting meathands later in the day on Twitter. Scroll back through his timeline if you want an unsavory picture to check out.
  • The workout fit nicely into the 45 minute block. A dozen merkins were added when we thought there would be extra time, but that caused us to run over.
  • Hoover rocked double 16s on the way down from Day 12, which surprised no one present. Geraldo used his ruck for the swings in day 2, but used bells elsewhere. Purell and YHC swung the 20 kg bells throughout the workout. YHC for a solo 2.5 mile #Meatrunner.
  • Bloomers made it back out. #regular Apparently, some of the pax thought he was a florist or something and were surprised to learn that he was also a cheerleader at UVA with Voodoo. [Voodoo note: he also went to high school with YHC’s M, so we go way back.] Anyway, Bloomers posted around day 5, had his usual coughing fit, then went into full-blown merlot spillage later in the workout. He bounced right back and is on his way to becoming a beast, he just needs to build up his aerobic base.
  • From Voodoo: Thanks to High Tide for covering my Q (and then taking the first Q of 2019 as well). He’s been a kettlebell/Meathead/Area 51 stalwart over the last several years and is always willing to do whatever is necessary to help out. #tclaps

A dozen men and a homophobe

13 pax congregated at the largest, most expansive, and most luxurious AO in all of Area 51. That’s right, Calvary Church. Hoover was fresh off of a 4 mile ruck. Flipper and McGee pulled in on two wheels. It was all very dramatic. The clock struck 7 and a brief, yet thorough, disclaimer was given and we were off. Run all the way across the street/driveway to another massive parking lot.

Circle up for COP:

  • SSH x 41 IC
  • IW x 15 IC
  • Mountain Climbers x 20 IC
  • Low, slow merkins (down and hold for a 5-count, then up) – go around the circle with the pax counting – counting paces varied considerably
  • Low, slow squats (down and hold for a 5-count, then up) – repeat with pax counting [Note: the Q was a glutton for punishment]

The Thang:

Line up along the first parking line and bear crawl 10 spaces, then perform 10 CDDs. Lunge walk 10 spaces, then do 10 jump squats. Repeat each once before arriving at the median.

10 count for the Q to catch his breath, then mosey out to 51 and down to McAlpine Elementary. #DayZero

Partner up at the playground in back. Partner 1 performs 5 pull-ups and partner 2 runs suicides on the basketball court. Flapjack and repeato for 3 rounds.

Mosey over to the soccer field for deconstructed burpees. Partner 1 runs to the second trash can and back while partner 2 performs called exercise. Flapjack and repeato until the required number of reps has been attained:

  • Merkins x 94
  • Jump squats x 94
  • LBCs x 94

Mosey back to Calvary and circle up for some plank work, then mosey to the hot box and grab some wall for peoples’ chair. Everyone holds the chair and performs air presses until each pax has run to the tree and back. Halfway through, wall pax switch to BTTW. [Note: somewhere in here, Spackler asked YHC for the first time if the weinke was empty. Not really, but not enough time to do any of the additional work I had written up.]

Mosey back to the start for some Mary:

  • LBCs x 20 IC
  • Heels to Heaven x 20 IC
  • Rosalita x 20 IC
  • Boxcutters x 10 IC

Still some time left, so line up on your belly and run out and back sprints x 2, then a single out sprint. Time

COT: thanks to Flipper for the strong take out

Announcements:

  • Joe Davis Run has been moved back to March 2019. Sign up here.
  • RockZero is looking for Qs. Reach out to Flipper, Hoover, or Boerwors if you’d like a spot on the roster

Moleskine:

  • A strong, yet somewhat motley crew for RZ this morning. YHC has been bad about getting out on Saturday mornings, so it was good to get the call to Q (thanks, Hoover). It also allowed me to see some pax I don’t see very often, including Marge (Hydra site Q, which conflicts with the best workout in all of F3, Meathead) and Sprockets (named for a bike part, but the SNL reference is definitely better).
  • The title of the backblast comes from a random comment during the Mary or sprints or COT. It’s been a few days so I don’t really remember it, but Spackler was involved, so you know it wasn’t appropriate. #earmuffs
  • Other than Spackler (who was posting for the 3rd straight day and announced pre-workout that he was going to mail it in), the pax were pushing hard out there. We hit about 3.5 miles on the ole GPS, although your results may vary. It felt like a lot for YHC, who has been either doing strength work or running, but not both at the same time.
  • A few of the counts during the workout were in reference to/honor of our 41st President, who had passed away overnight. He was 94 years old. If you have a WSJ subscription, there’s a good editorial by Dan Quayle here and a good article from Gerald Seib here. President Bush (the older) served as a pilot in WWII, as head of the CIA under Ford, as Reagan’s VP, and as our President. After he retired, he continued serving by working in philanthropy, including partnering with Bill Clinton as an example of how service supersedes political differences. Although not everyone will agree with his policies or his decisions, I think we can all respect the sacrifices and contributions he made to our country. There was never any doubt that what he did was done in the best interests of our country. #RIPGHWB
  • Thanks to the three-headed site Q monster for the invitation to Q. I hope to see my brothers in the gloom again soon.

Into the darkness

11 pax assembled in the pitch darkness of the Elizabeth Lane Elementary parking lot for YHC’s 5-year anniversary Q. The cooler weather was a welcome relief after an extended period of summer temps. Here’s what went down:

Appetizer:

  • Swings x 20 OYO
  • Merkins x 10 IC
  • Swings x 15 OYO
  • Prying squats x 2 IC
  • Swings x 10 OYO
  • Halos x 3 each way

The Main Course:

Circuit 1 – grab the bells and head down to the pull-up bars:

  • 10 x 1H swings on weaker side
  • 10 x 1H swings on stronger side
  • 5 x C&P on weaker side
  • 5 x C&P on stronger side
  • 5 x pullups

Carry bells from playground to the bleachers by the track and back, switching hands at the turn. Repeato x 4 for 5 rounds.

Circuit 2 – take bells back to starting point:

  • 10 x high pulls on weaker side
  • 10 x high pulls on stronger side
  • 5 x snatch on weaker side
  • 5 x snatch on stronger side
  • 5 x goblet squats

Carry bells to first island and return. Suitcase, racked, waiter, waiter, suitcase carries were called after each round. Repeato x 4 for 5 rounds.

Dessert (Mary):

  • Flutter press x 20 IC
  • Louganis or Bulldogs x 10 OYO
  • American hammer x 10 per side (High Tide suggested the windshield wiper here, which was ignored)

Announcements:

There were a few, which YHC doesn’t completely remember at this point. Here’s the best I can do, check the site for more:

  1. Let them Soar 5k in Matthews – 11/10
  2. Santa ruck – 12/1
  3. Vagabond – 11/10

I feel like

After-dinner drink (moleskine):

  • As YHC pre-tweeted before the workout, this week (technically 10/16) signifies the 5 year anniversary of my first post at F3. It was (I think) a Radar-led beatdown at Anvil. I was partnered with Spackler and we did hairburners and sandbag carries. Young Love named me. I came out after talking to a co-worker (Goon), who mentioned that he went to The Rock on some Saturdays. The price was right and he said it was a good workout, so I came out on the next Wednesday. I then took a month off to recover.
  • There was some sort of lighting issue in the parking lot last Thursday, so YHC used the Tesla’s headlights to light the AO. This worked well until we immediately went down to the dark playground for about 15 minutes. They were also uncomfortable during Mary, when they hit the pax in the eyes. #cobains
  • Thanks to the pax for coming out for my Q. Thanks to High Tide for inviting me to serve as co-site Q at Meathead. If I can do it, anyone can. Don’t be afraid to step up and lead. If you see a void, offer to fill it.
  • Please sound off with any other observations, oddities, announcements, etc. that YHC forgot above. See you in the gloom!

Meatheads on parade

15 pax (including an FNG – Juicy Fruit (Owen W.)) posted at Elizabeth Lane Elementary for the last Meathead before we start sharing the parking lot with over-achieving and underappreciated teachers.

Warm-up:

  • 20 swings OYO
  • 3 halos each way OYO
  • 20 swings OYO
  • 3 prying squats
  • 20 swings OYO

The Thang:

For all sets below, rep recommendations vary by KB size: <=35 is 5 reps, 35-45 is 3 reps, >45 is 1 rep. Adjust intensity by adding reps or bell size as needed. There’s plenty of rest, so focus on quality reps.

Singles set:

  • 5 x 1 arm swings (L)
  • 1 clean, 1 squat, 1 press (L)
  • 5 x merkins

Repeato at the top of the next minute with the right arm. EMOTM for 10 minutes. After the first 2-3 rounds, High Tide reminded the Q that we did 3 reps on the clean/squat/press complex, so that suggestion was made to the pax.

Pull-up set at the playground:

  • 3-5 x pull-ups (good form)
  • 1-5 x snatch, 1-5 x overhead triceps extensions, 1-5 x biceps curls

EMOTM for 10 minutes.

Partner up by bell size for a doubles set:

  • 1-5 clean
  • 1-5 press (per side)
  • 1-5 front squat
  • 1-5 renegade row (per side)
  • 1-5 deep merkin on the bells

Partners flapjack every :30 seconds for 10 12 minutes. If this is too easy, use a bigger bell or increase reps.

Time. Thanks to Stone Cold for the take out in COT.

Announcements:

  1. HOPE challenge – please read about it here. Please ask pax to share (if they’re so inclined) in COT at your workouts. YHC forgot to mention it until now. #cobains, PJ!
  2. Crane Relay – this is the last week to sign up for the first annual Crane Relay, being hosted by our brothers in Ballantyne. Read about it and sign up here.
  3. Come on out to Kevlar tomorrow for High Tide’s Q!
  4. Sign up to Q at Meathead. YHC has been bad about getting Qs lined up in advance, so let me know if you’ve got an urge to Q and I’ll put you on the list. If we don’t have a Q, we’ll just do 45 minutes of swings and Turkish get-ups, so sign up! We’re wide open starting on 9/6 (the day before BRR).

Moleskine:

  1. After traveling a bit last week and slacking on the site Q planning part of my job, High Tide was kind enough to bail me out on last week’s Q. No such luck this week, so the pax were stuck with a recycled/modified version of a workout from last month. Since only 3 of us posted to that workout, it was still new to most of the pax. Hopefully everyone got their money’s worth.
  2. Welcome to our FNG, Juicy Fruit. He’s recently returned to the South (from Tennessee, but has been in California for several years) and was referred by What Did. His name was derived from the Western Kentucky University mascot, Big Red. He borrowed a bell, but knew how to swing it, so he was good to go. We hope to see you back out there soon!
  3. Stone Cold, High Tide, and the Q decided that sleep is overrated and met for a 5am pre-run (Meat runner). MAD was there as well, circling the parking lot with his ruck. Geraldo had pre-tweeted a 4:50 pre-ruck, but missed it (although he made the beatdown), so MAD did his own pre-ruck.
  4. The Sparta crew did a fly-by as we wrapped up the first set and were relocating to the playground for the second set. If they’d stuck around a little longer, they could have grabbed some bells and joined us for some pull-ups and snatches. Next time, Gypsy! #0.0milesbutlotsofwork #werekeepinghorsehead
  5. It was good to see Wolf Man out there again. #kotters. Horsehead also made his triumphant return to Meathead and resisted the siren calls of his Sparta buddies during their raid on our position. It was good to have Bundle back out at Meathead as well. The young crew (Homer, Floatie, and Chuck Wagon) were back and getting after it as well. We hope you all keep coming back!
  6. Horsehead complained about the music and Geraldo liked the music. You can’t please everybody all the time.
  7. I’m not sure if it was the pre-run or the cold I’m almost done with, but I wasn’t too aware of what was going on out there this morning during the workoug. Everyone was putting in solid work and High Tide commented about some refusenicking (what else is new at an F3 workout?), but I don’t have any more juicy details. Feel free to chime in below if you’ve got something I missed or forgot.

Keep it simple, stupid

Posted by Voodoo on behalf of Brown:

Warm-up:

  • SSH X 20
  • IW X 15
  • Merkin X 10

 

The Thang:

10 x 10: 10 reps of each exercise, followed by 10 merkins before moving on to the next exercise

  • Swings
  • Merkins
  • Sumo squat
  • Merkins
  • Curls
  • Merkins
  • Sissy squat – goblet with feet together
  • Merkins
  • Upright rows
  • Merkins
  • Deadlift
  • Merkins
  • Clean
  • Merkins
  • Overhead tricep extension
  • Merkins
  • RDL R
  • Merkins
  • KB chest press
  • Merkins
  • RDL L
  • Merkins
  • Lying down overhead extension
  • Merkins
  • Clean R
  • Merkins
  • Clean L
  • Merkins
  • Snatch L
  • Merkins
  • Snatch R
  • Merkins
  • Overhead press
  • Merkins
  • Shoulder press R
  • Merkins
  • Shoulder press L
  • Merkins

All of that twice through and then some random exercises in 45-ish minutes.

Done. Thanks to Young Love for the takeout in COT.

Moleskin:

Great turnout today even with the threat of rain. Everybody looked pretty wet but I’m sure it was more from the sweat than it was from the few sprinkles we had to endure. Always good to come back after a long time away and see not only the core meatheads looking stacked and jacked, but also plenty of new faces who understand the importance of weight training to mix in with your overall fitness goals. So good to see Meathead going strong after four years. I want to thank High Tide for helping me get this off the ground and his dedication to the kettlebell. Also a big shout out to Voodoo, who stepped up to take over my Q responsibilities. It is easy to see he has made his mark on Meathead. Like I said to those pax that were in attendance, brotherhood is an unbreakable bond and one thing we all know the only constant in life is change and no matter where life may take you, F3 is one constant that will never change. Thank you for your camaraderie, dedication, friendship, and effort. I’m proud to say that I am Brown, brother of F3.

Brown

**********

Editorial comment from Voodoo: Thanks for a high energy, entertaining, fun Q this morning, Brown. You definitely brought out the pax (with accompanying mumblechatter), including a lot of veterans and even two site FNGs (Grave Dancer and Benny). It was great to have you back at Meathead and we hope to see more of you in the (near) future. Thanks to the pax for posting at Meathead over the years and making it the site that it is. Finally, thanks to High Tide for his continued dedication to the site since its inception, always willing to step up for a Q or provide instruction to his fellow pax.

Was it something I said?

YHC rolled into Elizabeth Lane Elementary at about 5:25 this morning to find only one other car. I checked my watch to confirm that I didn’t have the wrong day of the week or time, then got out to prepare for the workout. Tulip emerged from his vehicle to join me. At 5:30, we both confirmed that it was Thursday and prepared to begin the beatdown. As we were about to start, High Tide pulled up rocking some tunes in the blue Jeep to increase our numbers by 50%. After a proper disclaimer (not really, but just pretend like it was said), we proceeded thusly:

Warm-up:

  • 20 swings OYO
  • 3 halos each way OYO
  • 20 swings OYO
  • 3 prying squats
  • 20 swings OYO

The Thang:

Singles set – do not put the bell down:

  • 5x 1 arm swings (left arm)
  • 3x clean, 3x squat, 3x press (left arm)
  • 5x merkins
  • Repeato at the top of the next minute with the right arm. Alternate arms every minute on the minute (EMOTM) for 20 minutes.
  • The plan was for pax with bells >20kg do 1-3 reps, 16kg-20kg do 3-5 reps, and <16kg do 5-7 reps. All pax opted for the >20kg category, so we did 3 reps each round.

Partner up by bell size for a doubles set:

  • 1x clean
  • 1x press per side
  • 1x front squat
  • 1x renegade row per side
  • 1x deep merkin on the bells

Partners flapjack every :30 seconds for 20 minutes of EMOTM. After about 8 rounds, everyone had settled into their bell size of choice so there was no need to flapjack and we completed the remaining sets together. All pax agreed to go a bit over the time to get the last 8 or so rounds in. You can blame it on High Tide’s tardiness.

Thanks to High Tide for taking us out in COT. Prayers to High Tide and his family on the recent loss of his mother-in-law.

Announcements:

  • Check out the Crane Relay, from the mind of Frasier. As in Frasier Crane. Get it? Anyway, this is the first iteration of a running relay where teams are drafted by the captains. For those of the pax with nightmares of being picked last in dodgeball/gym, this is a chance to relive that, but in a fun way. Pre-blast is here.
  • BRR season is in full swing. Tulip claims he can’t run it because he doesn’t run long distance, then said he can run 6-7 miles. If someone needs a fast due, you should start working on Tulip.

Moley, moley:

  • YHC had a different title prepared for this workout, but changed it up based on the low turnout. You can tell it’s BRR/vacation season when you get 3 guys at a 0.0 workout. #discrimination As High Tide said on Twitter, what we lacked in quantity, we more than made up for in quality. With the slight breeze and lower temps, it was a great morning to be out swinging the bells. Lower reps and sufficient recovery time allowed for better form and more conversations than the usual grunting we get at Meathead. While the EMOTM starts out feeling pretty easy, they add up and you start feeling it after a few sets.
  • I found these workouts on Instagram. I highly suggest the pax check out @sokolstrong. He’s a StrongFirst instructor in the Pacific Northwest and he posts great workouts and very informative videos. Definitely worth your time if you’re into kettlebells and strength training. Sokol did the doubles bottoms up, which is way harder than it looks. I audibled out of that since it would have required much smaller bells and the chances of being able to front squat 2 bottoms up bells is about 0%. #ialsolikemyteethinmyface

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