The direction must be left based on your choice of music …

The direction must be left based on your choice of music …

9 men got their money’s worth on this week’s episode of Meathead.  YHC was tapped on Monday in the parking lot after Swole thanks to the expert planning of the site Q’s.  Good strategy on their part to EH pax for a Q spot immediately post workout and as they are getting into the car.  This expert strategy almost always guarantees success for two reasons: 1) the targeted pax is likely to agree to anything because they left their common sense somewhere on the asphalt and 2) EHing pax for a Q spot as you have one leg and arm in your car saves you from hearing if said pax has any objections or second thoughts about taking the Q.  These are veteran moves expertly utilized by Voodoo on most Saturday and/or Monday mornings.  Or at least this has been YHC’s experience with Qing.  Back to the matter at hand.

The day before YHC posted to Slack about the upcoming Meathead Q, and as most pax know by now the workout is driven by the holy scripture spreadsheet expertly engineered to keep pax on a kettlebell routine and keep things from going off the rails, which leaves the choice of music as the key to defining any good Swo-lympus-head workout.  This, of course, means that the trash talking mumble-chatter can get started early and get lively before the main event.  And based on the “Kettlebell Surprise” playlist from Frehleys Comet’s Swole Q on Monday, we had plenty of material.  For those of you trying to keep up with the weekly music drama, let’s recap quickly.

Using the Reader’s Digest version of “a dummy’s guide to selecting music for your workout” authored by Frehleys Comet:

• If it’s not 70’s rock, it sucks.  Disco is a notable exception.
• Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam suck, in fact he could create better noise in his garage by banging a bunch of stuff around at random
• Rage Against the Machine (RATM) makes him want to kick his dog (no dogs were kicked in the writing of this backblast)
• Milli Vanilli is perfectly acceptable workout music

Now that we’re all caught up, YHC announced on Slack the intention to Q Meathead.  Workout theme would be 5 sets with a heavy Monty Python reference thrown in for good measure.  (1, 2, 5) As a good Q should, YHC opened the line for music requests.  And boy did they come in.  RATM, millie vanillie (who the hell is that?), Monster Mash, and Gaslight Anthem were the responses.  YHC suggested some Smashing Pumpkins, mostly feeling nostalgic as a gen X’er.  Ickey Shuffle pointed out the contradictory efforts of Tom Morello to both fight the capitalist imperial system while selling guitar lessons on the side.  10 minutes for YHC to slap the weinke together and about 45 minutes to curate a playlist.  Onto the main event.

0528 – pull into the parking lot

0529 – realize Mighty Mite isn’t there to hear his requested music choice

0530 – give a disclaimer explanation about what to expect and kick it off

The Thang:

25 swings, IW, 25 swings, windmill, 25 swings, prying squat, 25 swings

5 Supersets of 5 reps: Double cleans,  Double freaking front squats (FFS), Double swings and give ample rest time between each set (time for lots of bitching feedback about the music choices)

Merkins/Lawnmowers 5sets of 5 reps
Standard merkins, Wide-arm merkins, Diamond merkins, off-set L side merkins and off-set R side merkins with 5 lawnmowers per side after each set of merkins

High Pulls/OH Press 5 x 5

Waiter carries, Rack Carries: 2 light posts, switch sides and come back

Murray:  Heels to Heaven, Plank, Flutter Press, Hollow Body hold

Blame it on the rain-skine:

The first part of the workout was tough.  Those supersets took the wind out of a few sails.  But that was by design, FFS are not easy or fun exercises and sandwiched between double cleans and double swings left many a pax glad to put down the bells after.  The rest of the workout was lower intensity, but kept the pax moving.

Then there was the bitching feedback about the music selection.  30 seconds into a live version of Pearl Jam’s Porch was where it all started.  Honestly, I was surprised it took that long, must have been the vigorous supersets holding everyone back.  But not surprisingly, Frehleys just doesn’t relent.  This is why I secretly look forward to Qing a workout with him in attendance.  Nothing like a triggered old man to get your day started right.  To which I share this nugget of wisdom from the morning conversation mid-rack carry.  A DJ once shared with me that most people peak defining their musical tastes between approximately 18 and 27.  That would have put YHC at the bottom of that bell curve at approx. 2006.  But did YHC rest on the laurels of a life well listened to?  No.  Absolutely not, in fact one could argue that at 27, YHC was just getting warmed up.  Think about all the angst still to come in 15 years plus the constant retro unearthing of eclectic one-hit wonders made popular by current day movies and TV series.  The resurging popularity of vinyl collections and cassette tapes is like the second coming of Christ to some music lovers out there.  There’s plenty of great music still to be discovered and YHC can’t wait to force old man Frehleys and the unwilling pax of Meathead to listen to those choice nuggets.

The title for the backblast was a quote from Ickey shuffle, muttered as we walked with our bells in the various carry positions.  YHC was either the only one to hear it or the only one to appreciate it.  That rapier-like wit is always welcome and seldom to be trifled with.  I imagine it makes for some interesting conversations at home.  But it did take us down the path of how most (not all) music/cinema/art is generated by liberal or left-leaning individuals.  Which really says something about why there is a perceived (and yes, inherent) liberal bias in the media.  Apparently the right has country, western, Kid Rock, Clint Eastwood, Mel Gibson, and Fox News.  That’s it.

One final note before signing off, great to see MAD back in the gloom.  A retired rucker, pretty sure he still wants to throw on a ruck but his doctor (and his M) would have some strong disagreements.  Take a lesson from this man, do what you can where you can.  Do let something hold you back, even if that something is common sense and your annual deductible.

I leave you all with this quote from a band called The Hold Steady, “Everyone’s a critic and most people are DJs”  That about sums up the morning shenanigans in a church parking lot before sunrise.

Announcements:

• HDHH – Today at Zee’s Tavern.  They’re giving away free tetanus shots, or so I’ve been told.
• F3 10 year.  It will be epic but only if you sign up and go.
• Blood drive.  10/29, Mighty Mite posted something on Slack.  Signup through the Red Cross website.
• MAD’s 50th birthday is next week.
• Iron Pax Challenge is coming, get signed up

Thanks to Unplugged for taking us out.

The Playlist causing so much angst:

Monster Mash – The Misfits

Geek U.S.A. – Smashing Pumpkins

Porch (Live) – Pearl Jam

Paperback Bible – Screaming Trees

Down – Stone Temple Pilots

Tire Me – RATM

A War Inside – Bigwig

Whatcha Got? – Red City Radio

Arms Aloft (Live) – Pearl Jam

Drive – Gaslight Anthem

I Don’t Wanna be an Asshole Anymore – The Menzingers

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life – Monty Python

Love a Liar – Red City Radio