Meathead Neophytes

10 pax (including 2 FNGs) posted to the expansive AO of Ascent for a moderate kettlebell clinic and to get their weekends started off right.

The Thang

COP

Side Straddle Hop (SSH) – 15 in Cadence (IC)
Imperial Walker (IW) – 15 IC
Prying Squats – 3
Merkins – 10 IC
Hill Billy – 10 IC (crowd pleaser, for both the pax and passersby)
Low Slow Squats – 10 IC

Main Event – Kettlebells

Select a moderate sized bell to enable strict focus on form

Swings
- Hike & Park – 10
- Swing & Park – 10
- 2-hand Swings – 10 * 2
- 1-hand Swings – 10 * 2
High Pull – 10 * 2

Mosey to flat, dry-looking grass at front of school

Demo of Turkish Getups (TGU)
TGUs – 3 per side (6 total) (crowd pleaser #2)

Sufficiently wet, mosey back to parking lot

Demo Cleans
Clean – 5 per side * 2
Clean & Press – 5 per side * 2
Demo Snatch
Snatches – 5 per side

Mosey to Playground, with kettlebell

Playground Circuit

Pullups – 5
- (modify with 10 Lawnmowers per side, or with supine rows)
Merkins on KB – 5 per side
Goblet Squats with KB – 5
- (modify with 10 teabag squats)
Rinse & repeat circuit for 10 minutes

Mary

Elbow Plank – good form for some amount of time
Old School Situps – 10 IC
Flutter with KB press – 5 IC
Dolly with KB press – 5 IC
Slow Freddie Mercury – 5 IC
Louganis – 10 OYO (on your own)
Russian Twist with KB – 10 IC (by special request)
Cool down stretches by Scissorhands

Done

COT

Announcements:

Red, Light, & Blue ruck event – see weekly email for details

Naked Moleskin:

The goal of today’s workout was to introduce kettlebells to the pax, in the moderate workout fashion that is Ascent, to provide them with one more option to get their daily downPAINment each week. With bootcamps, running, and kettlebell options, you really can find something that suits your need each day/week and mix it up for effective cross-training. Hopefully, you’ll consider adding Meathead (KBs & 0.0 running), Skunkworks (KBs, gear, & some running), and/or Olympus (KB & gear) into your mix of workouts.

So, YHC came into the parking lot on two wheels this morning, after trouble-shooting a toilet problem at home (broken flapper), and therefore missed out on any pre-game mumblechatter, but was pleased to see the small crowd that had assembled. We had plenty of KBs to go around (thanks to all who loaned extra KBs for YHC to bring and to those who brought extras), and it seemed everyone had a good size to experiment with.

Great job by all today. Great to see some veterans, Ascent regulars, and FNGs all pushing it and working on form. Keep after it!

Cobains (apologies) for the wet ground on the TGUs. Or, should I apologize for the TGUs? They seem to be a love/hate exercise for most folks, much like burpies, but they are an exercise I’ve come to enjoy and appreciate (unlike burpies). They really target a lot of areas and seem quite valuable. With practice, they do become easier, unlike burpies, as they are technique dependent, in my opinion. The wet ground? Well, it was softer than pavement.

The playground circuit was a modification of our quarterly benchmark “Cindy” routine (for which we’re overdue, by the way), which is 5 pullups, 10 pushups, & 15 squats for 20 minutes. So, you have that to look forward to, while you enjoyed today’s modification.

Thanks, as always, for the opportunity to lead. It’s an honor.

(sound off in the comments for anything I missed)