Could I build an hour-long workout without exceeding 10 unique exercises? This question was on my mind after my Virgin (Virtual) Q not long ago that featured a heavy rotation of unique exercises that made it hard to execute. I wanted to keep things simple, straightforward and maximize the sweat and sucky-ness. Fortunately I had a smaller crew to experiment on with the 5k/10k race launching around the same time we did.
The Thang
- Warmup: 5 burpees, 10 lunges (per leg), 15 Imperial Walkers, 20 Merkins, 25 Plankjacks, 30 Squats – see where I’m going with this?
- Mosey to Blakeney medical area parking lot
- BLIMP(S) Ladder/Suicide (I set up cones for the laps we would be running after each individual exercise). Basic format was start with 1 exercise, run 1 lap. Add another exercise to the next lap until we made it all the way to the top of the Ladder.
- 5 burpees, run 1 lap
- 5 burpees, 10 lunges, run 1 lap
- 5 burpees, 10 lunges, 15 IW’s, run 1 lap
- 5 burpees, 10 lunges, 15 IW’s, 20 merkins, run 1 lap
- 5 burpees, 10 lunges, 15 IW’s, 20 merkins, 25 plankjacks, run 1 lap
- 5 burpees, 10 lunges, 15 IW’s, 20 merkins, 25 plankjacks, 30 squats, run 1 lap
- Reverso! Work our way down the ladder. Maximum sucky-ness commences. Burpees were the worst, always waiting at the end, always watching. You know you’re doing something right when @Mic Check is complaining.
- Mosey back to launch point. No time for MARY
Moleskin
- Major props to each and every man for finishing today. This was a full-body smoker, but especially on the legs and upper body. The constant running never really provided rest and the constant burpees were painful.
- I was able to pull off this workout with a smaller group of guys. It would have been much harder to execute with the 15+ men due to the constant movement and higher intensity.
- I need to work on my cadence counting
- Shoutouts
- @C3PO, Jonny-5 and T-1000. It’s always comforting to see your Honda arriving shortly after launch. You have become a staple of my Da Vinci joy. Love seeing the intensity across the family and younger guys than me showing up and hitting it hard. I hope my kids will want to follow in my footsteps one day.
- @Mighty Mite: Thanks for keeping me honest on time and giving me much-needed feedback on my first in-person Q. I am stepping up today because you and others have been intentional to coach me and invite me to lend a hand.
- @Beeper: You’re crushing it for being so new to the squad. Keep up the intensity and consistency!
- @Mic Check: Leading the pack as usual. Inspired by your drive and focus.
- @1-Star: Way to show up and keep me going – always a few paces ahead and get in hard work while honoring other commitments. I would have just #fartsacked it. Good to see you out today.
About the author