Gristled Meat(heads)

Gristled Meat(heads)

15 pax saw the pre-tweet and posted for a strength-focused beatdown today at Meathead.  What, you say, aren’t all Meathead beatdowns strength-focused?  Well, yes.  And, so, if that’s the norm and this one is called out specifically as strength-focused, then you best gird-up your loins and prepare to grind.

Disclaimer

The Thang

• Chose a bell one-two sizes (5-20 lbs) heavier than your “usual” KB.  (If you use your usual bell, today’s reps will be too low for you.)  For example, a 24kg/53lb is my “usual” KB, so YHC will use a 28kg/62lb today.
• Modify as needed, know your physical limitations, etc, etc

COP (with more “P” than our typical warmup):

• Racked Carry (clean the bell, fist under your chin, bell resting in the triangle of your forearm, bicep, and chest) – down to the last tree median, switch sides, and return
• One-hand Swings – 10 Left, 10 Right
  • SSH – 20 IC
• One-hand Swings – 10 Left, 10 Right
  • IW – 20 IC
• One-hand Swings – 10 Left, 10 Right
  • Prying Squats – 3
• One-hand Swings – 10 Left, 10 Right
  • Merkins – 10 IC
• One-hand Swings – 10 Left, 10 Right

Mosey with your heavy bell to the playground

Turkish Getups (TGUs) – 3 per side

After the first 2, pretty much Voodoo and YHC were the only ones doing them (#SMH), so an audible was called to ditch them and replace them with another set of Ladder work.  (you can lead a horse to water…)(veggies are good for you, but kids still won’t eat them…)

Ladders Up

• Left side:
  • 1 pullup
  • 1 clean
  • 1 press
  • 1 reverse lunge
  • Repeat on Right
• Now, 2 of everything, first on the Left, then on the Right
• Then, 3 of everything, first Left, then Right
• Rest as needed*, and then Rinse & Repeato** starting again at 1
  • *note – if your bell size is too small and you don’t need a rest after the set of 3’s, then continue your ladder to 4 or 5 (or grab a larger bell)
  • **note – if you’re Bulldog or Fireman Ed, ladder up only once, then do your own thing as a partner audible.  #modifyasneeded?
• Continue repeating the whole ladder 1-3, for time (4 trips up the ladder for YHC, 1 more than planned due to the TGU audible)

Mosey back to the parking lot and collapse on the ground

Meathead Mary – still with your heavy bell

• Flutter Press – 15 IC
• Pullovers with Press – 7 OYO
• American Hammer – 10 IC

Done

COT

Announcements:

1. Joe Davis Resolution Run – this Saturday
2. RockZero convergence – this Saturday
3. Gumby – broga, yoga-ish, deep stretching “workout” on Wednesdays.  (Yoga tights optional but shorts over them are not.)

Metal Moleskinne:

For our first Meathead of 2017, YHC wanted a focus on the basics and strength.  That means heavier than normal bells, lower than normal reps, and less exercise variety than usual.  Maybe it was too hard, maybe it was too boring, maybe it was the veteran crew.  Whatever the reason, there were more refuseniks today than YHC has seen in a while.  (Some refuseniks were, in fact, modifications due to physical needs, which is strongly encouraged.) Regardless, hopefully, you got what you were looking for.  If you followed today’s program with an appropriate bell size, you’ll be stronger for it, guaranteed.  If not, your results may vary.

YHC used to bring out TGUs pretty regularly but understood they were not well tolerated by some, so they had been largely eliminated at Meathead.  However, due to their relative acceptance at other sites, and Meathead’s respected KB status, a moderate dose of TGUs was expected to be accepted.  Well, “figured” wrong on that one.

Anyway, the method to today’s madness was, during COP to get us warmed up, limbered up, and get the heart/metabolic rate up. The heavy racked carry was an “easy” low-impact warm-up, followed by 100 one-hand swings to ramp up the heart rate and begin taxing the grip, interspersed with traditional warmups to continue the limbering up and to break the 100 swings into manageable chunks.

The TGUs are a great overall body grind, developing the shoulder girdle, proprioception, abdominal tension, and lunge strength.

The ladders were chosen to allow an appropriate level of volume for strength work while keeping the reps low enough to allow a higher weight to be utilized.  Pullups for the back & biceps; press for the triceps, shoulders, & chest; reverse lunges for the quads, glutes, & hammies; and the cleans for the biceps and overall posterior chain development.  (T-claps to Brown for slingin’ the 32kg/70lb on these!)

Ab work to balance out our back development.  (funny comment during Fireman Ed & Bulldog’s audible – FE told BD they needed to do some lower back work to balance out their ab work.  BD replied that he didn’t need any back work because he doesn’t work his abs, so they are balanced.)

Anyway, whether you followed today’s program as Rx’d or modified as needed, YHC wanted you to know why we were doing what we were doing today and hopes you got something out of it.  Like soreness tomorrow.  Ha!

Always an honor to lead.  Thanks, guys.

Aye.