Back in the saddle
10 pax posted at Meathead this past Wednesday for the second installment of week 9 of our 11-week strength program.
Warm up: arm circles (big, small)
The Thang:
| Waiter carries: 5 x (1 carry ea side @ 32kg) |
| Double cleans: 5 x (5 cleans @ 24kg) |
| Double front squats: 5 x (5 squats @ 24kg) |
| 2H swings: 5 x (20 swings @ 40-48kg, rest :30) |
COT with the Anvil pax, where Point Break took us out. Happy birthday, PB!
Announcements (courtesy of the Anvil backblast):
- PLEASE READ: Two of our brothers have recently been laid off. Please check out their LinkedIn profiles below and socialize them across your networks. One of the great things about this group is the opportunity to support each other in these times of need. If you know of an opportunity make sure to reach out to them.
- Posse: Pre-Sales Engineer / Solution Consultant – http://www.linkedin.com/in/abrianstephenson
- GodSmack: Retail Sales – https://www.linkedin.com/in/hundleyjamesrj
- Beer Mile (Unofficial): April 24th – Check the Slack Channel (#beermile) for more info
Mumblechatter:
- Thanks to the pax for posting. We’ve got a strong core kettlebell crew that’s been powering through the current strength program. There’s a little turnover/shuffling depending on the day and week, but we’ve been experiencing great numbers. Your site Qs appreciate it.
- After weeks of travel that took me away from my regular posts, it was good to be back out there in the gloom. It’s not the same doing the workouts with dumbbells in a hotel gym (although it’s better than not doing them at all).
- There were a lot of strong performances out there: Mighty Mite swinging the 40kg bell, High Tide swinging the 44, Unplugged with the double 24s, Hoover with the double 28s, Ickey with the double 28s. The list goes on and on. It’s clear that the pax are experiencing mad gainz from the regular KB workouts. If you want some of this, you’d better start posting.
- On Saturday (tomorrow at the time of posting this BB), we will be doing the presses, snatches, and farmer carries. The snatches will be tough with only :10 rest between sets, which should be sufficient to get you to 100 reps in 5:00 if you keep the rest strict. If performed with a 24 kg bell, that is sufficient to complete the SFG Level I snatch test. Push hard!
Has it been an hour yet?
4 pax met up at 0630 (+/- a minute) and headed off for a pre-Olympus run along the Spamrunner route. When they returned, they were joined by another 4 pax. After some mumblechatter, we got down to business.
The Thang:
- 10 RDLs per leg with moderate weight (doubles or singles)
- 5 x waiter carries – out to the last island on the left with one arm, then switch and head back
- 5 sets of 5 double cleans
- 5 sets of 5 double squats
That was the prescribed weinke, but we still had about 20 minutes left, so we killed some time with pax suggestions:
- 5 sets of 5 snatches per side
- 5 sets of 10 merkins on the bells
- 5 sets of 5 thrusters + 10 swings
COT – thanks to Stone Cold for the takeout
Announcements:
- Please keep Madison and his family in your prayers as they await answers on his daughter’s MRI.
- Please keep Doc McStuffins in your thoughts as he recovers from heart surgery earlier this week.
- Please keep Noonan (from F3 Naperville) and his family in your prayers as he passed away suddenly on Friday.
- Swole will be starting at 0515 on Monday to allow sufficient time to complete the workout. If you join at 0530, be prepared to jump into the workout. Wild Turkey will be the Q.
Moleskine:
- 2 bell workouts in 1 week for Spackler and he even joined for the pre-run. Solid. Alas, Bananas did not show.
- Everyone put in some work this morning and enjoyed relatively warm weather once the sun came up.
- Next week will be week 5 of the workouts. Here’s what the weinke holds for each day:
| Session | Date | Exercise | Notes |
| 1 | 2/3/2020 | Single press ladders: 4 x (1, 2, 3 press ea side @ 28kg) | Moving up a weight in presses and moving to ladders: 1L, IR; short rest; 2L, 2R; short rest; 3L, 3R; longer rest; repeat 4 times. Mix in the lower weight as needed, if unable to complete with the heavier weight. |
| 1H swings: 30 x (10 swings OTM @ 28kg) | |||
| Farmer’s walks: 4 x (90 sec @ “heavy”) | |||
| 2 | 2/5/2020 | Single leg RDL: 3 x (5 lifts per leg – light) | Use a heavier weight for one or two of the waiter carries, if feeling up to it. |
| Waiter carries: 5 x (1 carry ea side @ 32kg) | |||
| Double cleans: 5 x (5 cleans @ 24kg) | |||
| Double front squats: 5 x (5 squats @ 24kg) | |||
| 3 | 2/8/2020 | Single press ladders: 5 x (1, 2, 3 press ea side @ 28kg) | Allow adequate recovery between press ladders. Recovery between sets of swings may be improving now. The farmer’s carries will give you a good cool-down. |
| 1H swings: 30 x (10 swings OTM @ 28kg) | |||
| Farmer’s walks: 4 x (90 sec @ “heavy”) |
Meathooks
11 pax met at Calvary this morning for another edition of Meathead. Everyone was advised to be ready to rumble promptly at 0530 because the weinke was long and distinguished.
Thang (including recommended weights, but modify as needed):
- 10 sets of 5 presses per side – 24kg
- 10 1-handed swings EMOTM for 24:00, switching hands each minute – 28kg
- 4 x :90 farmer carries – heavy – we ran out of time after 2 rounds
COT with the Anvil pax, where Wild Turkey provided the takeout
Announcements:
- Keep Doc McStuffins in your prayers as he undergoes heart surgery this morning. The last I heard, it went well, but I’m sure he’s got some tough weeks of recovery ahead of him.
- Keep Madison and his family in your prayers as his 14-year old daughter (Kennedy) has a brain scan scheduled for Friday. Pray for good news!
- More trivial announcement – Swole on Monday will feature the same menu offered above, but with 30 minutes of swings. As a result, we are asking the pax to arrive at 5:15. We will start with the farmer carries, then move on to the presses, then the swings. Wild Turkey will be your Q. Again, please arrive ready to work as we will not have spare time. You are welcome to arrive at 5:30, but be aware you will just have to jump in wherever we are or modify the workout accordingly.
Moleskine:
- Thanks to the pax for making it out and continuing to support the new strength sites and the SFG program we’re working through. This would have been a tough workout to get through alone.
- Soul Glo seems to have figured out where Calvary is and has been at the last two Meatheads that YHC has attended.
- Champagne joins us when he’s not driving a 2.0 to a 5am swim practice (#brutal). He was pressing the 28 easier than I was pressing the 24. As HT said, #oldmanstrong
- Hoover is really excited about the 5:15 start on Monday – just think how little traffic there will be 15 minutes earlier! He looked strong out there, especially considering he moves the bell farther than the rest of us, so he’s probably doing 20% more work.
- C3PO seem to have some emissions issues this morning or maybe he was just using it as propulsion to get his presses locked out.
- High Tide said he wasn’t pre-running, then said he was, then was late to the workout because of his pre-run. Strong work nonetheless!
- Gypsy is running again, but still joined us for some bells. #Madisonischeatingthough
- Retread is slowly transforming into a meathead – watch out, Slim Fast!
- Mighty Mite blew through the presses and did it with a larger bell than most – the dude’s a beast.
- Spackler joined us and provided his usual mumblechatter, including a cheerleading joke directed at the Q. #jealous? On the plus side of the ledger, he lured Bananas to the workout. Good to see you both!
- Olympus is Saturday at 7:00 at Elizabeth Lane. The workout is on the shorter side, so expect some additional work. Also bring a mat if you’d prefer to do TGUs instead of waiter carries.
Climbing Mount Olympus
4 pax eventually gathered at Elizabeth Lane Elementary at 0700 yesterday. Stone Cold and YHC met at 0630 for a 5k pre-run. High Tide texted around the start time to let me know he had driven to the wrong workout (sorry, RockZero pax!). Retread pulled in with his loaner Charger at about 10 after.
Today was the final day of week 3 of the SFG prep program. I had been out of town the previous 3 workouts and was eager to get to work.
Here’s the weinke:
| 1/25/2020 | Single presses: 10 x (5 press ea side @ 24kg) |
| 1H swings: 26 x (10 swings OTM @ 28kg) | |
| Farmer’s walks: 4 x (90 sec @ “heavy”) |
100 presses (50 per side) is a lot of presses. I think everyone was feeling it after that. I can tell you the last few reps of the last 2 sets were really tough. The swings were grueling as well. 26:00 of 10 swings on the minute adds up. We were happy when the time was up and decided to ignore High Tide’s suggestion that we keep going until 30:00. Stone Cold had to bail after the swings to get his son to Scouting for Food. The three remaining pax experienced full grip meltdown as they completed the 6:00 (in aggregate) of farmer’s walks.
Moleskine:
- Thanks to the pax for coming out. With a lot of the regulars DR or conflicted with other responsibilities, it was great to have some company.
- Stone Cold was looking strong and completed all of the presses with the 24kg bell. High Tide was a little late, but managed to complete all of his presses by the end of the workout.
- Please join us at Swole on Monday morning at McAlpine Elementary at 0530 for the start of week 4 of the program, which looks like this:
| Week 4 | ||
| Session | Date | Exercise |
| 1 | 1/27/2020 | Single leg RDL: 3 x (5 lifts per leg – light) |
| Waiter carries: 5 x (1 carry ea side @ 32kg) | ||
| Double cleans: 5 x (5 cleans @ 24kg) | ||
| Double front squats: 5 x (5 squats @ 24kg) | ||
| 2 | 1/29/2020 | Single presses: 10 x (5 press ea side @ 24kg) |
| 1H swings: 24 x (10 swings OTM @ 28kg) | ||
| Farmer’s walks: 4 x (90 sec @ “heavy”) | ||
| 3 | 2/1/2020 | Single leg RDL: 10 x (1 lift per leg – moderate) |
| Waiter carries: 5 x (1 carry ea side @ 32kg) | ||
| Double cleans: 5 x (5 cleans @ 24kg) | ||
| Double front squats: 5 x (5 squats @ 24kg) |
Let’s rumble
10 pax (with 2 pre-runners) made it out to Meathead this morning for
Following an effective disclaimer, Champagne got straight to work and the rest of the pax followed, eschewing the usual SSH and arm circle warm up.
The Thang:
- 5 sets of 5 presses per side (try to take as step up in weight) = 50 presses
- 24 sets of 10 1H swings EMOTM (alternating hands each minute) = 240 1H swings
- 4 x :90 of farmer walks (ran out of time after 3, but a few pax wrapped them up)
COT: We went over the allotted time slightly, but the Anvil pax were kind enough to re-do the count and name-o-rama.
Announcements:
- If anyone is interested in the Run Ranger Run fundraiser, let me know. My cousin in F3 NOLA (Reluctant Yankee) has challenged me to beat his team.
- A number of pax wore green in support of a little girl in Louisville. Keep Ryleigh in your prayers.
Moleskine:
- This workout is grueling. The 2nd F helps with the boredom you might otherwise feel while doing the 24:00 of swings, but your grip gets no break as you move right into the carries. Everybody was working hard and getting stronger this morning.
- These workouts have plenty of rest built in, so try to focus on form. Try to squeeze your quads, glutes, abs, and lats on the presses and at the top of the swings. On the carries, roll your shoulders back and stick your chest out to stand up straight.
- Madison and Gypsy, both of whom are new to kettlebell workouts (to my knowledge), are both stalwarts of the new 3/week workouts. Gypsy has been at every one and Madison only missed once when he was scheduled to Q elsewhere. Both are buying bells and putting in solid work. I just hope we don’t lose them when run training starts picking up.
- C3PO (site FNG) showed up a bit late and missed most of the presses, but he got in there for the swings and carries. Nice work, young man.
- Chin Music got back from NOLA yesterday and got right back to work. Although he didn’t get the outcome he wanted in the national championship, his Clemson Tigers played well. He also got to eat beignets, which is always a win.
- Champagne was crushing the presses with the 28kg bell (~62lbs). Mighty Mite was also working with a big bell and I know Hoover is looking to upsize his bells though I don’t know what he was pressing. All 3 of them were doing the farmer carries with the 28kg or 32kg bells. I tried to keep up, but struggled to make it back to the finish on time.
- Soul Glo made his first Wednesday post and crushed it. Hopefully his schedule allows him to keep making it back out.
- Thanks to High Tide for the company on the pre-run. He was breaking in his sweet new wheels with about 400 lbs of bells. Half the workout was just putting away all the toys he brought out.
- YHC will be DR for the next 3 workouts, but you’ll be in good hands with the other site Qs. Don’t get too swole without me!
Olympus – Part Deux
6 pax posted at Elizabeth Lane Elementary at 7am on a warm Saturday morning in January for the return of Olympus.
The Thang:
- 10 sets of 5 presses per side
- 20 sets of 10 1H swings OTM (alternate sides)
- 4 rounds of :90 of farmer carries
Finish up with the total tension Mary sequence (hard style elbow plank for :30 x 2, hollow body hold for :30 x 2, glute bridge for :30 x 2)
COT: Thanks to Chin Music for the takeout
Announcements:
- Please keep Madison and his family in your prayers as they deal with his daughter’s (Kennedy’s) potential medical issue.
- See below for next week’s workouts:
| Week 2 | |
| Session | Exercise |
| 1 (Monday @ Swole) | Single leg RDLs: 10 x (1 lift per leg – light) |
| Waiter carries: 5 x (1 carry ea side @ 32kg) | |
| Double cleans: 5 x (5 cleans @ 24kg) | |
| Double front squats: 5 x (5 squats @ 24kg) | |
| 2 (Wednesday @ Meathead) | Single presses: 5 x (5 press ea side @ 24kg) |
| 1H swings: 24 x (10 swings OTM @ 28kg) | |
| Farmer’s walks: 4 x (90 sec @ “heavy”) | |
| 3 (Saturday @ Olympus) | Single leg RDLs: 3 x (5 lifts per leg – light) |
| Waiter carries: 5 x (1 carry ea side @ 32kg) | |
| Double cleans: 5 x (5 cleans @ 24kg) | |
| Double front squats: 5 x (5 squats @ 24kg) |
Moleskine:
- Thanks to the pax that came out and supported the relaunch of the former Saturday gear site, including our illustrious Nantan, Alf. Madison and Gypsy made it 3-for-3 by posting all week. War Eagle made his second post after Monday (he must really like this workout). It was Alf and Chin Music’s first time posting since the launch of the new program. Hopefully, we’ll see more of both of them and a few more of the gear regulars in the coming days/weeks.
- This was the same workout as Monday, but with more reps. I think most of the pax really enjoyed the feeling in their hands and forearms by the end of the farmer carries. Alf and Madison claimed that their arms had gotten a few inches longer.
- Mighty Mite on Q at Swole on Monday at McAlpine Elementary.
It’s like Meathead, but on a Wednesday
10 pax took the DRP yesterday and posted at Meathead instead of a lesser site, like WAMRAP. I was a little worried that some folks would get confused and post at Elizabeth Lane or show up on the wrong day or something, but I think it worked out. The Anvil pax and their fearless leader (Lorax) were very welcoming and only mildly heckled our vast selection of kettlebells. At about 5:31, they moseyed off and, after I disclaimed the pax, we got to warming up with some SSH and merkins.
The Thang:
Today was day 2 of week 1 of the SFG Level 1 strength program we’re working on. The workouts are pretty simple (not easy) and consist of 3-4 fundamental kettlebell exercises.
- 3 sets of 5 deadlifts
- 5 x waiter carries per arm
- 5 sets of 5 double cleans
- 5 sets of 5 double front squats
Finisher:
- 2 x :30 of hard style elbow plank
- 2 x :30 of hollow body hold
- 2 x :30 hip extension
Joint COT with the Anvil pax. Thanks to Hammer for the speedy takeout.
Announcements:
- Olympus rises again like a phoenix from the ashes on Saturday at Elizabeth Lane Elementary at 7:00 (by popular demand). It will be a 60 minute workout.
Moleskine:
- Thanks to the pax for their patience while we got through this workout the first time. We initially tried to have half the group deadlift while the other half did the carries. Unfortunately, the carries took a lot longer, so some people did extra deadlifts and there was general confusion. We eventually got it figured out and everyone got through all of the work.
- I think the consensus is that everyone needs bigger bells. This workout (which alternates with Monday’s workout) is relatively low reps, but heavy weights. People should take this as an opportunity to challenge themselves. Quality is also very important and is something the pax should keep in mind while performing the exercises. The core should be tight and the squats should be as low as you can go (knee health dependent).
- Going forward we’ll be doing single leg Romanian deadlifts instead of standard deadlifts because we don’t have enough weight to appropriately challenge the pax. We’ll also knock out the deadlifts first, then do the carries.
- I hope to see you out there on Saturday!
Welcome to the (Metal) Jungle
13 pax experienced the dawn of a new day in South Charlotte yesterday with the launch of the newest gear workout and the first workout of the new strength program. As you’ve undoubtedly heard if you’re reading this backblast, there will be 3 strength workouts a week going forward: Mondays at McAlpine Elementary (Swole), Wednesdays at Cavalry (Meathead), and Saturdays at Elizabeth Lane Elementary (Olympus).
The Thang (along with recommended weights):
| Single presses: 6 x (5 press ea side@ 20kg) | |
| 1H swings: 16 x (10 swings OTM @ 28kg) | |
| Farmer’s walks: 4 x (90 sec @ “heavy”) |
Thanks to Udder for the takeout in COT.
Announcements:
- Aside from the aforementioned other gear workouts, I don’t recall any other announcements. #cobains Post below in the comments.
Ye Olde Moleskine:
- First off, I’d like to thank several people. Thanks to Mighty Mite and Ickey Shuffle for agreeing to co-site Q the new Monday gear workout. Thanks to the pax for coming out to a gear workout on a relatively chilly day. It was good to see some old and new faces and to have such a strong crew. Hopefully you found the workout worthwhile and plan to stick with it. Thanks to the leadership (old and new) of F3 in South Charlotte for supporting a new site and helping think through the approach to strength workouts in the region.
- If you didn’t come to Swole because you don’t have a kettlebell, don’t worry, we’ve got enough to share. If you’re worried that you don’t know what you’re doing or that you’re going to hurt yourself, please come on out and we’ll get you started. While not professionals, we’ve got plenty of experienced pax out there that would be happy to give you some tips. While it is certainly possible to injure yourself with a kettlebell, that’s true of just about everything we do in F3. Be smart, learn the technique, and select an appropriate weight.
- Now for the workout: With only 3 exercises, how hard can it be? Speaking of my own experience, the presses weren’t too bad (I used a 20kg/45# bell). A rest interval wasn’t prescribed, but the expectation is that the pax won’t rush the strength work. The swings were tough due to the weight (28kg/62#) and the number of reps – you definitely feel it in the grip. I think all would agree that the Farmer’s walk finisher was the most grueling, particularly on the 3rd or 4th round. :90 is a long time to be carrying the bells. Sound off below with your thoughts.
- Most pax seemed to enjoy (or at least respect) this straightforward workout composed of basic exercises. It’s a staple of this program, so we’ll be seeing more of it. Hopefully the pax will continue to push themselves to use heavier weights as they get stronger.
- Wednesday will be tough with deadlifts and heavy double cleans and squats. Oh, and some overhead carries. Get your mind right!
- Check out Slack for some kettlebell deals posted by Madison. It seems like he might be hooked…
And so it begins
The new strength program is starting tomorrow at McAlpine Elementary (9100 Carswell Lane) at 0530. We’ll continue on Wednesday at Meathead (at Calvary) and then Saturday at Olympus (at Elizabeth Lane Elementary). Here’s the plan for the week:
| Session | Exercise | Notes |
|
1
|
Single presses: 6 x (5 press ea side@ 20kg) |
“OTM” means swing on the minute, so there will be just over 40 sec (:40) rest between sets of 1-hand swings, alternating sides. 90 sec farmer’s carries are hard; use as heavy a weight as you are able.
|
| 1H swings: 16 x (10 swings OTM @ 28kg) | ||
| Farmer’s walks: 4 x (90 sec @ “heavy”) | ||
|
2
|
Deadlifts: 3 x (5 lifts @ 155lbs) |
These deadlifts are a relatively light weight; about 70% of 1RM. Alternate sides with the waiter carries. Double clean and double front squats can be done as a complex, or in separate sets.
|
| Waiter carries: 5 x (1 carry ea side @ 32kg) | ||
| Double cleans: 5 x (5 cleans @ 24kg) | ||
| Double front squats: 5 x (5 squats @ 24kg) | ||
|
3
|
Single presses: 10 x (5 press ea side @ 20kg) |
Larger volume of presses, but the weight is still light. Swings also relatively light, but a long session.
|
| 1H swings: 20 x (10 swings OTM @ 28kg) | ||
| Farmer’s walks: 4 x (90 sec @ “heavy”) |
If you have multiple bells, please bring them. You’ll need one you can press for reps and another (heavier) for swings. The farmer’s walks will be with a bell in each hand, as heavy as you can handle for 90 seconds. We will likely partner up for the doubles on Wednesday.
While it would be great to make all of the workouts, please join when you can.
See you in the gloom,
Voodoo
Everybody gets a strength workout!
As a new year dawns in South Charlotte, it’s time to announce the establishment of a new series of strength workouts, including new days of the week and new locations. Pay attention so you know where to be starting on Monday, January 6th:
- Mondays at 0530:
Name: TBD
McAlpine Elementary (former site of Day Zero), 9100 Carswell Lane, Charlotte, NC 28277
Site Qs: Mighty Mite and Ickey Shuffle
Note: this will be a joint Area 51/SOB workout
- Wednesdays at 0530:
Name: Meathead
Calvary Church (site of Anvil), 5801 Pineville-Matthews Road, Charlotte, NC 28226
Site Q: Voodoo
Note: shared COT with Anvil (think Bagpipe/Swift or Hawks’ Nest/Fast Twitch)
- Saturdays at 0630:
Name: Olympus
Elizabeth Lane Elementary, 121 Elizabeth Lane, Matthews, NC 28105
Site Q: Open (Voodoo for now)
Note: this will be a 60-minute workout
Please note that Skunkworks will be unaffected by this change. Funky Cold and Tulip will continue to run that site at Covenant Day School in Matthews on Tuesdays at 0530.
The goal is for these three sites to work together on a coordinated strength program during certain parts of the year (similar to Bratwurst’s 1-month rotations at Swift). If you joined us for the Total Tension program earlier this year, it will be like that, but with a few different programs being run throughout the year. During a strength program, the site Qs or weekly Qs will lead the prescribed workout and post a backblast. When there’s not a strength program in effect, they will function like a traditional gear site with weekly Qs leading workouts of their own design (and also writing up backblasts).
The first strength workout is a modified version of a prep program for the StrongFirst Girevik Level I certification. I recommend reading the original post, which can be found here. I have modified this plan (see here) to reflect a few things:
- 3 weekly workouts instead of 4 and elimination of the last week of tapering for the certification
- Replacement of the TGU with the waiter carry (since none of you were going to do them anyway)
- Increase in weights to account for the 24kg “standard” bell size for men per StrongFirst – modify this as needed! If you modify, try to keep the various steps up/down during the program consistent (i.e., if the program says to use a 28 instead of a 24, you should use a 24 instead of a 20).
- The author of the article says these workouts last 60-90 minutes, so we will likely run out of time. Don’t focus on completing everything, just do what you can in the 45 minutes you have.
I am excited for this new chapter in strength workouts in South Charlotte. I’m hopeful that some new locations will make these options attractive to more men from both Area 51 and SOBland.
See you in the gloom,
Voodoo