6 pax ignored the Twitter forecast for Meathead and posted for another KB beatdown. They left with skint knees (skinned, for you northerners; ie. north of Alabama) and pine mulch in their shorts but better for it. Here’s how that happened:
The Thang:
COP:
The Dirty Dozen meets Turkish Getups (TGUs)
Complete 25 reps of each of 12 exercises, followed by 2 Turkish Getups. Complete the list – bonus – rinse & repeat!
Done! Really!
COT
Announcements
F3 warms up the Isabella Santos Foundation Fun Run this Saturday.
1) The 5k/10k races will start at 8:00 am and the 1-mile fun run starts at 9:00 am. If you want to run in the 5k race, you can and then come help warmup everyone for the 1-mile race. The 10k might be cutting it a little close though. Up to you.
2) If you would like to run in the 5k/10k races, please register on the website as you would for any other race. Also, if you have kids that want to participate in the 1-mile run with you, register them on the website so that they can get a t-shirt and timing chip. http://www.isabellasantosfoundation.com/5k-race-fun-run/
Moleskin:
Some really strong work out there today! Everyone got through the list and started a second time through. Alf may have been the farthest along on the second set, through the situps.
The pullups were difficult, but the TGUs were the real soul crusher. Just brutal. YHC considered audibling out of them at one point but, after looking around and seeing the pax crushing it, was inspired to grind it out too. You’ll be saved the metaphors about how TGUs represent life, with a big heavy weight bearing down on you, trying to crush your spirit, and how it develops intestinal fortitude to stand up under the weight. Just know, they’re hard, they’re no fun, but they’re good for you! Eat your veggies!
Knowing the AO has questionable fields (muddy; fire ants), the playground was chosen for our workout location, with its cushioning pine mulch. Pro tip: this provides both an unstable base for your TGUs (extra core tightening required), a rough surface for your knees (mulch burns?), and mulch in your shorts for the M’s to find in the wash!
Also worth noting, the track is a lot longer than remembered. About mid-way around the track in the farmer carry, doubt crept in as to the judgement in beginning the workout this way. Nonetheless, we did, and no one’s arms were pulled from their sockets (that I know of).
Thanks, as always, for the opportunity to lead. Always an honor.
Aye!
12 pax gathered in the humidity for the 3rd installment of Meathead, giddy for what the next 45 minutes had in store, KB’s by their sides. With a brief disclosure, here’s what they did while not standing around:
The Thang:
COP
Mosey to playground area and drop your KB
Main Event
Tabatas
Mary
COT
Announcements:
Moleskin:
YHC was disappointed to miss the launch and 2nd installment of Meathead, and so couldn’t wait to join the group. Q’ing was an added bonus. We’ve got a strong group of Q’s in the lineup for the upcoming weeks, so there is a lot to look forward to.
YHC got the mumblechatter and threats of refusnik started early by opening the workout with a lap around the track. While not 0.0, it was a short lap and the only running we did, although later on, running might have been a welcome relief.
The main set of exercises were long sets of a minute each, and we all quickly learned to pace ourselves and watch the seconds slowly tick off the timer. The first round wasn’t too bad, even prompting a few pax to knockout a few merkins during the rest, but that didn’t last throughout. Still, there was something that felt odd about standing around so much, even with our hands on our hips trying to recover. YHC will see about tweaking the work/rest splits before next time…
The second set was traditional tabatas, and the timing there felt familiar. YHC’s only complaint was (1) the height of the pullup bars/area was a little awkward and (2) all the swings prior to the pullups left me with minimal grip strength. #reshuffle
There was a lot of mumblechatter throughout that YHC planned to remember, but alas, it is gone now. If you feel it should be memorialized, please sound off below.
Thanks, Bulldog, for the tunes!
Thanks for the opportunity and the support, meatheads! It was an honor!
Aye.
High Tide
Despite a near-fartsack (alarm clock fail), YHC arrived with 5 minutes to spare, sans watch. With a loaner watch secured from Header (thank you), 19 pax cast off for a moderate beatdown and minimal running.
The Thang
Mosey to parking lot behind the school
COP
Mosey to playground. Ask Geraldo for directions to nearest pullup-capable equipment. (can’t see out here)
“Marsha” – “Cindy’s” big sister
Rinse and repeat for 20 minutes. Periodically check to ensure the timer is working.
Mosey to bleachers
10’s
Rinse and repeato 3x total, dropping the burpees after the 1st set. (lunges + burpees made the legs too wobbly for the jump ups. #safetyfirst)
Mosey to the outfield & find some nice dry grass. Settle for soaking wet, but cool grass.
Mary
Mosey back to starting point, backpeddling across the big lot, circle once to keep the pax together. Stop briefly for 5 burpees.
Time remaining – 1:00
Done
COT
Announcements:
Moleskin:
YHC arrived a little rattled this morning, having awoken late, strickly by the grace of God, after an alarm clock fail. Literally, every Q, YHC dreams of oversleeping and missing his Q, and today was a close one. Thanks for your support as the game face was applied and the groove was found.
Thanks to Header for the loaner watch. Rushing out of the house, that was left behind and was critical for the first half of the workout. Other pax may have wished Header’s had been left at home too, judging by the mumblechatter; however, working for a set time, instead of counting sets, as it allows each pax to push themselves or moderate as needed.
“Cindy” is a favorite CrossFit workout that YHC uses quarterly at F3 Ascent to enable the pax to guage their progress. While easily modifiable to suit most any fitness level, it is a beast. And, it lacks ab work. So, to address both, YHC added some Freddie Mercury into the mix, and called it “Marsha”, Cindy’s big sister. Not sure whether the FM was the right addition, so stay tuned for future concoctions.
For many of the pax, today was their first experience with the Cumberland County Viaduct. Lots of mumblechatter on the origin of the movement. YHC will have to defer to our subject matter expert, Hops, for enlightenment. Hopefully you left with tighter love handles.
While on the subject of Mary, lying in the cool wet grass did feel nice; a pleasant change from the hot mugginess of earlier this week. Too bad we didn’t lie around much.
YHC had tweeted out another 0.25 prediction for today’s mileage. Being new to the AO, I’m not real sure, but I’m betting we were slightly over 0.25 (under promise, over deliver), maybe right at 0.50. Not too bad considering how we moved around campus.
Thanks for the opportunity to lead today. Always an honor.
18 pax posted to salute the shovel flag (yes, a real one was planted! Thanks, F3Ascent!) and endure a never ending clock. Here’s how they passed the time:
The Thang:
Mosey to the lower parking lot
COP
Sufficiently warm (and dripping)
Clock Work – Round 1
Slow mosey around the parking lot. #BRRtraining #F3Swift
Clock Work – Round 2
Walking mosey (No, really. Walking.) to the grassy field.
Clock Work – Round 3
Mary
Lap around the field – #moreBRRmileage
Done
COT
Announcements:
Moleskin:
Wow. The humidity was just brutal today. We were all sweating like we were being paid for it within minutes of the COP. And by round 2 of the clock work, non-gloved pax were struggling to hang on to their bells. (maybe being in the center of the circle was not the safest place to be…)
The mumble chatter was in full effect on the initial mosey to the lower lot. That dried up shortly after we completed the first of our High Pulls. The lack of mumble chatter was so stark, it actually became the topic of mumble chatter! Once that began, we devolved into all manner of chatter: the supremacy of KB’s as the ultimate workout tool, shake weights being a close second, weinkes being the ultimate tool, the various definitions of shake weights and weinkes, on to Fast Twitch, and now the combination of weinkes, shake weights, and fast twitch. PG-13, parental guidance is suggested for those 13 & under.
The beauty of clock work is that you’re not focused so much on how quickly you can complete a rep, and you can focus on form. Additionally, stronger pax (or those with undersized bells) can complete reps faster and continue on to additional rounds, while those new to the movements or with larger bells can grind out reps at a slower pace. Everyone gets all they want and can handle.
The first round, the timer was set for 10 minutes, and it seemed much longer. YHC checked it several times, to pace himself, while the pax called for YHC to check the timer to ensure it was working! It was! Round 2 was shortened to about 7.5-8 minutes, to save time for Turkish Getups – not sure whether that was a fair trade or not, as we were ready for round 2 to end but not looking forward to the Turkish Get Ups (TGUs).
TGU’s are just hard, especially at the end of a rough workout, and because we don’t do them that much. They really push your entire body. Pax new to the TGU (or with a large bell) were encouraged to practice the move unweighted, if needed. YHC had forgone his usual bell for a medium one for just such an emergency. #goodcall
YHC had tweeted that this workout would be 0.25, as there was too much recovery moseying to get away with calling it 0.0. Nonetheless, by my estimate, we didn’t cover more than about 0.4 miles, including the walking mosey. Not bad.
T-claps to all for pushing it today. YHC was feeling it hours later, but it’s a good kinda hurt. (upon listening to the recording for the pax name-o-rama, YHC realized he was so tired that he didn’t even know his age! 45, not 44…)
Thanks for the opportunity to lead today. It’s always an honor.
Thanks, Busch, for taking us out and reminding us of the roles we’re called to play in our families and community.
Aye!
/HT
8 pax and two 2.0’s assembled on the Olde Providence Elem School campus to celebrate the 1 year anniversary of Ascent. Site Q’s Strange Brew and YHC (High Tide) played host, and here is what they served up:
The Thang
(High Tide on Q)
COP:
Mosey to the Playground
Mosey to Concession Stand
Mosey to Fieldhouse
Mosey to Outfield
(Strange Brew on Q)
Mosey to Concession Stand
Mosey to Small Football Field
Mary
2 laps around the track
Done
COT
Moleskin:
What an honor to lead today, celebrating a year of moderate workouts at Ascent. Anyone who has posted for any length of time has seen their fitness improve, as well as making new friends in the gloom. So many faces over the past year.
As YHC was planning the weinke for the 1st half of the workout (Strange Brew having the 2nd half), the theme was to total 365 reps of the various exercises. Exercises selected, YHC retired for the evening, only to lie in bed and realize that his plans would take about 22 minutes, at best! And, YHC also realized he was missing an opportunity for merkins, of which he’d just committed to 10,000 during August! #temporaryinsanity So, 3 audibles for merkins were called during the first half.
Speaking of audibles, knees-to-elbows were more challenging than YHC recalled, so after one set, an audible had to be called for the second set. Something to aspire to, nonetheless.
Once Strange Brew took over for the 2nd half, we were treated to some real variety and creativity. The partner presses and curls were new, coming to us from F3 in Winston Salem.
T-claps to Strange Brew for representing the pax well in the San Francisco Marathon last weekend! That’s an incredible achievement! And, one to build on!
Thanks, as always, for the opportunity to lead today. It’s an honor.
(sound off in the comments on anything missed)
6 brave pax fought off the allure of the fartsack and endured the enveloping fog for a recycled Weinke from a fill-in Q. Here is how we bonded for 60 minutes:
The Thang
Mosey to near field for COP:
Mosey to Playground for Declining Sets (10 -> 1):
After 10 -> 6, audible to catch our breath with Plank-o-rama:
Declining Sets (continued, 5 -> 1)
Mosey to Concession Stand, with lunge walk along the way
Declining Sets (21 – 15 – 9)
Mosey to Outfield
Mary (part 1)
Agility (foul line to center field and back)
Mary (part 2)
Time
COT
Announcements:
Moleskin:
Great work out there today! Welcome to FNG Lumberg (Will M), who found us on his own #noEHrequired. Fantastic work on your first post with us. T-claps to Whitesnake who has already lost 1 pound per post (8) since beginning F3. Keep it up, brother! And strong work by all.
Couple of appearances by Larry Bird, aka Blitzen and Bubbles, at times today – we need you guys in the Q rotation at Ascent! Let me know your availability, and we’ll get you on the schedule!
The fog today made it almost unbearable at times. During COP, we couldn’t even see our cars less than 100 yards away! YHC had to audible for Plank-o-rama during our Decling Sets on the Playground just to let us catch our breath in the 100% humidity. Brutal.
Thanks, Blitzen, for taking us out and reminding us of the roles we each play, beyond our 1st F workouts.
Sound off in the comments with any other tidbits missed.
It was an honor, as always, to lead today.
Aye.
9 PAX converged on the fields of Olde Providence to test themselves and push their limits. Here’s how they did it:
The Thang
Grab your kettlebell, mosey to the open field, drop ’em, and circle up!
COP
Sufficiently warmed and loosened, mosey to the playground
Cindy
Mosey back to open field to catch our breath with Mary
Mary
Breath caught, mosey to the small ball field opposite the playground, grabbing your kettlebell on the way.
Armor Builders
Single KB Work
Agility Work
Mosey to parking lot
COT
Announcements:
Moleskin:
Great work, guys! As Strange Brew likes to say, “it’s moderate, but it ain’t easy.” He wasn’t out here today, but it’s a safe bet that he would have said that at least once today! While easily modifiable, up or down, the CrossFit Cindy benchmark workout is easily the hardest workout done regularly at Ascent, and the KB’s are always challenging too, especially after Cindy. T-claps to all for pushing yourselves today!
The mumble chatter started early, during YHC’s disclosure while SSH’ing (lost my count #amateur), and continuing throughout. Much more fun that #sadclowning in a #fern somewhere. YHC overheard one comment, something to the effect of, “after Cindy and now Mary, I’m not sure I want to meet anymore ladies of Ascent!” Well said!
Since Ascent launched last August, we’ve ran the Cindy workout quarterly to assess ourselves and see how we’re progressing. YHC can attest to improving each and every time, and it’s likely you all have as well. Special shout out to Crabcake, who set the new Ascent record of 20 rounds in 20 minutes! That’s equivalent to The Murph, less the running! (YHC had the former record of 18, surpassing that with 19 today, but behind Crabcake!) Keep it up, guys!
Thanks to the Olympus pax for converging with us at Ascent today. Hopefully you got your money’s worth today.
Aye.
Olympus and Ascent are converging this Saturday, July 5th, 0700 at Olde Providence Elementary.
The workout will accommodate all pax, from moderate to Mr Olympus, with a Weinke that is easily scalable to suit your needs.
The first 1/2 of the workout, we’ll run our quarterly baseline test, Cindy. 20 minutes are put on the clock, and the pax does as many rounds of 5 pullups, 10 pushups, and 15 squats as possible. (20 rounds, 1 per minute = The Murph, less the running) This is easily scalable down, by taking more breaks or altering the pullups for example, or scalable up by increasing the speed of rounds.
The second 1/2 of the workout, we’ll mix in some kettlebells, light running, and agility drills.
All of the above set to music.
Bring your KB’s.
Aye!
26 posted for the promise of heavy swinging and no running. Here is what they found:
The Thang:
COP:
Sufficiently warm and loosened, the pax partnered by KB size for
Armor Builders:
Recovery mosey across the field and back – all pax
Recovery Superset – no partner
Partner Superset
20-10 Superset
Bonus time:
Announcements:
COT
Mumble Chatter (aka Moleskin):
YHC preblasted out that there’d be no-to-minimal running, and aside from easy recovery runs, that goal was accomplished. YHC also challenged the pax to bring their heavy KB’s and promised a solid beatdown. It seemed that most took the challenge, so we’ll assume that promise was kept.
Mumble chatter began early, as the disclosure was given during SSH warmup (#efficiency), and continued with a little confusion on the first set of Armor Builders. The chatter subsided after about the second set, as the intensity picked up, only to resume later on when, one can only assume, exhaustion starts to kick in and the jowls get looser.
Great work out there today! YHC had timed the workout last week, and it was spot on 45 minutes. Today, we blew through it in about 40 minutes (!), so bonus work was in order. This is even more impressive considering the oppressive humidity this morning, making it that much harder to catch your breath between sets. Hopefully, the audible to combine Mary with the single bell exercises helped. Even so, YHC was nearing TBQ (Total Body Quiver) by the end.
Bananas – judging from the picture used above, you’ve been using KB’s for a while.
Thanks, Gullah, for being our official time keeper. YHC is so used to not wearing a watch to Skunk Works that he didn’t bother today either. Creature of habit.
Thanks, Tiger Rag, for leading us out.
YHC has surely forgotten to capture some of situation appropriate comments, so please feel free to sound off below.
It was an honor to lead today. Thanks for the opportunity.
Go Heavy or Go Home
Now is your chance to try that heavier bell you’ve always wanted but were afraid to debut for fear of choosing the wrong workout. This is that workout. 100 reps? Ain’t happenin’. Low & heavy.
If you go light, you will leave unchallenged and pencil-armed. If you go heavy, you will be satisfied and glad you did.
The pain will be brought – we may even need our Spearhead brethren to make us a Skunkworks Heavy patch – TBD.
Running will be minimal and recovery in nature, and you can modify out of that as needed.
Skunkworks Heavy – Double the fun