The Murph workout has a long, strong history within F3, frequently appearing around Memorial Day, convergences, and whenever a good kick-in-the-teeth is desired.
This edition of The Murph is intended to be more of a training workout than a balls-to-the-wall set-a-PR edition (although you are free to do so – it’s your workout). The goal is to provide a “safe” setting for you to try The Murph for the 1st time, improve upon a previous performance, or attempt a new level. As such, there are several options available to modify up or down to meet your individual needs.
Here’s the plan:
Divide into two groups based on your 1-mile pace. (not your all-out best 1-mile time, but your typical pace for a 1-mile run (not a mosey))
Opening Run:
First Set:
Optional: 5 minutes Active Recovery with Mary (pax choice)
Second Set:
Closing Run:
Again, the goal of this training workout is for you to try The Murph, and/or push yourself to a new level, in a supportive environment.
Let’s get after it and have fun.
Aye!
10 pax (including at least one runner and a hate-hate) posted to test the moisture wicking ability of a sublime crumb-rubber prescription athletic turf field. But, enough about the lack of environmental concerns, let’s get to what she said.
The Thang
COP – well, there really wasn’t any warmup, per se, just a lap around the parking lot and a suitcase carry of our bells to the afore mentioned field. (have I mentioned how nice it is?)
(brief disclaimer – at least one new to KBs)
Turkish Snatches
Mosey to the playground
Playing on a Ladder
Mary
Done
COT
Announcements
Dry Naked Moleskine:
Fun group today, with ample mumble chatter and ISI going on. Good mix of familiar and new faces (to me), even a cross-training runner (Hairball).
About 8 months ago, YHC introduced the Foxhole pax to Turkish Snatches, so in the name of variety and efficiency, it seemed like a good idea for their return.
T-claps to Voodoo & Loogie for their help in providing guidance with form on the TGUs and throughout. Good form is more important than the weight we use or the reps we “complete”. #ISI
The Ladder circuit allowed us to work on several items: pullups and presses, primarily, as well as cleans and squats.
During Mary, it was noted how smooth the asphalt is at Foxhole. “Great for monthly hairburners” was the reply. “Let me know when that is, and I’ll be sure to miss ’em” was the counter-reply.
Other notable commentary included:
Also noted, after tromping around in the mud on the way to the completely dry field and in the playground mulch, the shoe wash in the parking lot was a nice touch. #itsthelittlethings (TWSS?)
(how’d that crumb-rubber get in my pockets?)
Thanks for the opportunity to lead today.
(I’ll start working now on something other than TGUs for my next Q at Foxhole.)
Aye.
An even dozen gathered this morning on the grounds of Olde Providence, not quite sure what to expect. It seems they’d missed YHC’s tweet, but no matter. Whether you were looking for a beatdown or a light workout, there were plenty of bells to go around.
The Thang:
COP:
Mosey with bells to the field, where 10 more bells awaited.
Simple & Sinister
Mosey with bells to playground
Circuit
Ladder
Mosey back to field for Mary
Mary:
Done
COT
Announcements:
Red, Light, & Blue GoRuck – benefiting Charlotte Bridge Home for veterans
Naked Moleskine:
Great group this morning, and it was awesome having two FNGs and one returning pax (#Kotters, Dr No) among our number.
YHC is often seen completing a pre-KB just before Ascent, so this morning you were all invited. Only it wasn’t “pre”; it was the main event. The Simple & Sinister routine is comprised of the two most foundational KB exercises – the swing and the Turkish getup – and provides a lot of bang for your buck. It only takes 16-20 minutes, so whenever I’m pressed for time, it’s my go-to set.
After that, we “enjoyed” pullups and presses, which are always needed but not often available, so we availed ourselves.
T-claps to Dora for not only bringing an FNG (Nanu-nanu) but providing some solid one-on-one instruction, as needed. #ISI
Well done, Billboard, in EH’ing his stepson, FNG Pong. At only 19 years, he’s been introduced to something many of us wish we’d found much earlier ourselves.
Just a thought, and we’ve discussed it several times – should we rename the newer Pele, so that he and the veteran Pele each have unique names? I vote, Yes.
Thanks for the opportunity to lead. It’s always an honor.
Aye.
15 pax posted in search of gainz this morning, including one who wandered the wilderness for the past 6 months. Once assembled, only a little wandering, not much counting, but a lot of grumbling and pain.
COP:
Mosey to the playground with a bell you can press with good form 5-8 times
Ladders
Mosey back to the parking lot
7’s (cause 5’s just aren’t enough)
6:15 and straight outta time.
Done.
COT
Announcements:
Naked, Sweaty, Tired Moleskine:
Good group of pax today, with a mix of old familiar faces, some just old faces, regular newer faces, and one long lost older face – #Kotters, TR.
The plan today was for a solid upperbody beatdown to offset the lower body beatdowns we’ve “enjoyed” recently. So, YHC grabbed one of his #sadclown workouts, stripped out the TGUs (you’re welcome), moved the goblet squats to the end, and we’re left with Cleans & Presses (bi’s, tri’s, & upper pecs) and Pullups (bi’s & back). Perfect. The reps were kept low to allow focus on good form, and we ran through it 5 times to get the volume in (75 pullups + 75 clean & presses, each side), which may have been a little high for some but there was “modification as needed” by some. Back to the parking lot for a little leg work and cardio, and we hit 6:15 with another round of 7’s and Meathead Mary still on the #weinke…we’ll save it for next time.
Glad to have Tiger Rag back amongst the pax #kotters and same to Young Love, as he recovers from surgery. Brown arrived with the speed and efficiency of a package delivery company. ‘Naners beat back the #fartsack to join us for a beatdown. Horsehead was nearly renamed Pudding Pop Jr, for his shirt that seemed a size or two too small. Turkey Leg continued the fine (insane?) #Meatrunner tradition of a prerun, #sadclown style as Fletch caught a few extra winks before the main event. Busch and Bulldog considered the called exercises as mere suggestions, filling in with other moves more to their liking, as they discussed world peace and other weighty subjects. MAD is working to up his pullup numbers, as is YHC, since we don’t do them often enough (slow negatives & isometric holds are helpful, as is just doing pullups more often…). Arena quietly went about business and pullups, as usual. Lost track of Soul Glow on the playground, which must have meant he (or YHC or both) was hard at work in his pain cave. And, Strange Brew, our favorite resident Canadian, reminded us that this morning was equivalent to a blazing hot summer day on the frozen tundra by going #metro (shirtless), a first at Meathead! Well done! (I think)
Pleasure to lead today, gentlemen.
Thanks for the takeout, Busch.
Aye.
High Tide
9 pax overcame their fears of TGUs and other unsavories and posted for whatever YHC’s #weinke contained. Despite their bravery, just like your veggies, YHC isn’t going to force anyone to eat a diet of TGUs. (You gotta man up and do those, and eat your veggies, on your own.) Nonetheless, by the end of it all, some were wishing for TGUs or, #gasp, running instead. Here’s what prompted such reactions:
The Thang:
COP:
Mosey to the Playground
(TGUs were waiting for the early finishers – surprisingly, everyone focused on good form and no one finished early…)
Mosey back to the blacktop
(perfect timing)
Finish with:
Done
COT
Announcements – none
Moleskine:
Good group today. Everyone showed up ready to get after it, but for a moment, they wondered what they’d be getting after, as YHC rolled in with 30 seconds to spare and discussions were underway for a substiQ. #cobains. Got ready too early, then got distracted and lost track of time.
No repeat of the near mutiny from last week, perhaps because it was TGU-free. Only grumble was more of disbelief as the call was made for 50 more snatches. #bellsizematters #promove
2 site FNGs today – Ice 9 and Orange Whip. One declared he definitely won’t return. One seemed just crazy enough that he might.
Near the end, Voodoo declared he wished he’d gone running. (at this point, we knew he was delusional, and…we kept going) He may have swung his new, big bell way more than this workout should’ve allowed. Or, maybe he just likes running…
Horsehead modified, as needed, between belches of Moosetracks (hoof prints?) that’d make Spackler blush.
Witch Doctor, quietly pounded it out all morning, declaring “I’m good” while stretching it out.
Blazing Saddles has become a wily KB veteran with frequent Meathead and Skunkworks posts. Ditto Destiny.
Turkey Leg was knocking it out, per usual, despite his Ultra P200 performance over the weekend. Strong!
That’s all I got. Working is calling…
Aye.
9 answered the weekly call to prove their mettle with metal. The plan called for providing the men with a solid met-con beatdown while allowing them the opportunity to push the weights higher than usual.
The Thang:
COP:
Supersets:
Metal Mary:
Pax Choice: (10 or 11 exercises chosen by pax as we went around the circle)
Freakin’ Done!
COT
Announcements:
Metalic Moleskine:
YHC’s only hope is that the workout sucked as much for you and you’re as sore today as him. The challenge today was to encourage the pax to push a heavier bell, keeping the reps more moderate. For YHC, at least, it was a little too much – either too much bell or too many reps or not enough standing around (rest). I thought I went up one bell size (24-to-28kg) for most of the workout, but upon reflection, the last time I ran a workout like this it was with a 20kg. That’s too big a jump and explains why, with 15 minutes to go, YHC was smoked! Hopefully your bell choice was better.
The pax choice was an unplanned audible, as we blew through the weinke 10 minutes faster than expected, but it did give each pax the opportunity to fill in with any areas/exercises they wanted to hit harder.
Given YHC’s afore mentioned smokage, not much of the mumblechatter is recalled, other than:
Thanks for the honor, gents.
Aye.
4 hardy pax posted for a post-Carolina-Seattle beatdown, hoping to build up a solid lead and hang on for the win.
The Thang
COP:
Super-meaty Super Sets:
Waiter Carry to far speedbump and back
Suitcase Carry (like Farmer Carry but with only one bell) to far speedbump and back
Done
COT
Announcements: too cold & sleepy for any
Naked Moleskine:
Special welcome to FNG Marlin (Chuck) who fooled YHC into thinking he was just another Ballantyne-area veteran that YHC hadn’t met yet. When he first joined in, YHC thought he was Frehley’s Comet but realized he wasn’t after we got to the playground. Nonetheless, he never missed a beat, so YHC didn’t know he was an FNG until COT. Turns out, none of us realized he was new. #Cobains, Marlin! Regardless, glad to have you in the group and look forward to posting with you again and giving you a proper welcome.
As for the workout, it was pretty simple today but effective in targeting the full body.
Thanks for the opportunity to lead. Always an honor.
Aye.
8 posted (a 9th was lost somewhere in the A51 AO – watch Twitter for formation of a search party) for the inaugural Ascent/Olympus convergence (ongoing, until it’s not) and a kettlebell (KB) clinic to introduce this versatile implement to the uninitiated and prepare them for future KB workouts at the site.
The Thang:
COP/Warmup:
Swing Progression:
Recovery & TGUs:
Clean Progression:
Snatch Progression:
Grab Bag:
Metal Mary (all with KB):
Extra Credit:
Done
COT
Announcements:
Ascent/Olympus – will continue to converge weekly at Olde Providence Elementary School until further notice. Format will vary from week to week, depending on the Q, intending to split between gear/KB and bootcamp workouts (watch weekly newsletter). Despite the format, options to moderate will be offered and encouraged at each workout – You v You.
Naked Moleskine:
What an honor to Q the first workout in the convergence of two of my favorite sites and to host a KB clinic to boot. Really looking forward to introducing gear to a wider pax audience and mixing up my own Saturday workouts between boot camps & gear.
Hopefully everyone came away with something today, whether new familiarity with KB exercises or just a good workout. The goal today was to spend a lot of time on progressions and form to provide a solid foundation for future workouts, so no effort was made to really count reps. For more instruction, of course, a professional is your best bet. Short of that, there is tons of good information on the internet, such as Dragon Door/RKC, Strong First, Pat Flynn, Dan John, but some of the best free information I’ve found is at BreakingMuscle by Andrew Read. Try this link to his Swing instruction, and from there, you can find his links to instruction on other moves.
A couple of us were discussing afterward some of the versatility offered by KBs. You likely noticed how winded sets of swings or snatches could leave you, while presses & TGUs were more of a grind. You can really tailor the workout to your desired goal (if you’re Q’ing or working out #sadclown) – I’ve had full grind workouts and full cardio/conditioning workouts and everything in between. When you’re not Q’ing, just adjust your bell size.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t plug our other Area 51 KB/gear options:
Oh, and The Mouth clocked us at 0.69 miles, much of it with weight, so we had that going for us too.
Thanks for the opportunity and honor to lead.
Aye.
Despite the warnings, 10 pax posted to burn off some New Year’s Eve calories, 0.0 style, with lots of swings and other things.
The Thang:
COP:
In Cadence:
Done – haha – We’re sooo done!
COT
Announcements:
Joe Davis Run – Jan 9th – sign up! (to run or volunteer)
Naked Moleskine:
YHC has been hung up on low reps (5-7) lately, so he decided to mix things up this week with higher reps and lower weights to really rev up the cardio and burn some calories in advance of the holiday festivities (i.e. sitting on the couch watching AL football and other bowl games). With the weinke set, a dry run was ran on Tuesday. It did not go well. After feeling like crap for 6-8 hours afterward, some modification was in order. (1) Originally, there were two set of everything (ex. swings, squat L, swings, squat R, repeat). Today, that was changed to running through the entire weinke once and then repeating. That seemed to help with recovery and timing, as Tuesday’s run-through took 50 minutes, while today we finished in 45. (2) On Tuesday, limited bell selection resulted in a mere 17% reduction in weight from the low rep size, which was heavier than desired. Today, a 25% reduction in bell size was spot on. It still sucked, but there was no all-day feeling like crap, which was nice. Hope your bell choice was equally satisfactory.
Some days you meet expectations, and some days you don’t. Before we began, Bulldog’s request of, “please tell me we’re not going to the playground for pullups” was cheerfully fulfilled. No mud on your new sneaks today. Our lats will have to be trained another time. And, while no pleas were heard, no TGU’s were given either. You’re OYO for those as well.
Welcome to our converging pax from RebelYell, Strawberry & Margo. Glad to have you out today and hope to see you again in the future.
Thanks to all for coming out to Meathead today and throughout 2015. You’re what makes this 0.0 Kettlebell thing a success, providing Area51 with another option each week to share iron with iron with iron.
Aye.
5 pax earned the right to over-indulge on the fruits of the season after counting down the 12 Days of Meathead and burning a Santa’s bag full of calories (~900 for 45 minutes, according to my handy dandy app, therefore, it must be so; and that doesn’t include our overtime work…).
The Thang:
COP: just a mini-warmup of Bulldog Twists (British version of IW’s?) followed by a few Prying Squats.
12 Days of Meathead – A Christmas Countdown:
Time. Overtime.
Done.
COT
Announcements:
Naked Moleskine:
After a lively Twitter conversation earlier in the week about the superiority of KB Swings to Monkey Humpers, a different, more informative backblast was planned to enlighten the unenlightened, but that’ll have to wait for another day (and they, poor runners, will have to remain in the darkness with their monkey humpers, while tomatoes look on aghast).
But, this backblast practically wrote itself, what with dodgy alternative rock Christmas tunes such as “Backdoor Santa” (whatever that is), then a quick station change which brought us to “Smokin’ In the Boys Room”, all followed by a Bulldog declaration of his love for a good teabag.
The workout was based on YHC’s reflection that it’s challenging to get through the 12 Days of Christmas, as typically done, in a 45 minute workout, leaving out a lot of “good stuff” in the Days 10-12. So, with ingenuity that would rival history’s greatest creative geniuses, or at least a mediocre engineer (or banker), YHC flipped the script to begin with Day 12 and countdown from there. The sharp pax of Meathead quickly caught on, and we were on our way…not without a couple of audibles to start us off right.
There was some pre-game discussion of moving to the covered sidewalk for shelter, but that was quickly dismissed because we’re Meatheads! (and, it didn’t look like the hard stuff would be coming down for some time…) However, TGU’s were first on the playlist, and YHC (nor anyone else) wasn’t feeling like lying on wet, rough pavement nor wet, muddy ground so those were audibled to 1-hand swings, which were gleefully embraced by the pax with nary a grumble or derogatory term. Next up were deck squats, again on the wet ground/pavement, so those were likewise audibled to squats. All the rest were performed as written, with the exception of skipping one set of waiter carries & pullups and later audibling teabag squats for regular squats and shortening the farmer carry distance, all for time. Speaking of time, upon pax request, 10-15 minutes of overtime was recorded to fully complete the list. #extracredit
Thanks for coming out on this Christmas Eve. The workout was exceeded only by the fellowship of the pax, and that’s what gets me up and out there in the early morning gloom.
Aye.
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” Matthew 1:23 NASB