Author Archive Voodoo

Offseason with bells

Not a pillar of fire but guidance nonetheless

As we complete our current program and before we start our next one in January, site and workout Qs may be feeling some anxiety. “Wait, I have to make a playlist AND plan the workout??” No, no, mon frere; we wouldn’t leave you wandering on your own. This isn’t a bootcamp workout. While not quite a pillar of fire, we do have some guidance to get you out of the wilderness, if not fully out of the tall grass.

For the interim weeks between the spreadsheeted programs, we’ll utilize the below themes. Each workout for that week will meet or exceed the prescribed minimum. The workout Q will have latitude to structure the workout however he desires to achieve these minimums and may include any other (reasonable) exercises he deems appropriate.

Workout minimums:

  • Weeks 1 & 2 (Nov 5-18): 200 swings (single arm, two hand, alternating, start/stop – Q’s choice, except “American”)
  • Weeks 3 & 4 (Nov 19-Dec 2): 60 presses (each arm, both arms, single, double – Q’s choice) and 60 lunges (reverse, forward, with presses, etc.)
  • Weeks 5 & 6 (Dec 3-16): 80 squats (goblet, front squats, whatever – Q’s choice)
  • Weeks 7 & 8 (Dec 17-30): 100 snatches (please, no doubles nor the 5:00 snatch test – otherwise, Q’s choice)
  • Any remaining workouts until the new spreadsheet program begins: any of the above

Ideas to consider, beyond the minimums:

  • On lower body-focused days (i.e., swings and squats), throw in some lighter upper body or whole body work.
  • On upper body-focused days (i.e., presses), throw in some lighter lower body or whole body work.
  • Snatches are the “tzar” of KB exercises, so don’t be afraid to sprinkle in a handful in any workout.
  • Loaded carries are always a good idea.
  • Merkins, explosive merkins, deep KB merkins are all good. As are reasonable (volume, distance, intensity) sprints.
  • Ab wheel (Let’s all get one. They’re about $10 most anywhere.)
  • Mobility is something we could all use more of – Turkish Getups <insert groans> always work well here.
  • “Little and often for the long haul” is a good mantra to keep in mind. Try not to destroy the pax today; let’s all come back ready for the next workout.

Under Pressure

DATE: 2023-01-11 AO: Meathead Q: voodoo PAX: mighty_mite, ickey_shuffle, MARTA, Uncle Leo, The Worm, teddyf3, high_tide, voodoo FNGs: None COUNT: 8 WARMUP:’ SSH x 20 IC 10 alternating swings IW x 10 IC 5 high pulls per side Mountain Climbers x 15 IC 5 snatches per side
THE THANG: Double see saw press – 3 x 12 reps Double clean and push press – 4 x 5 reps Double clean and jerk – 3 x 5 reps
Inverse Ladder Combo (11s): 1 double racked squat + 10 push press 2 double racked squats + 9 push press . . . 9 double racked squats + 2 push press 10 double racked squats + 1 push press
Circuit: 5 double cleans 6 reverse renegade rows (basically floor press with extension) [TGU x 2 per side] – skipped due to time 30 seconds of double overhead squat “pulses” Repeat for 3 rounds, although we missed the squat pulses in the last round
ANNOUNCEMENTS: 1) Backblasts are making a comeback thanks to Wingman’s Slackblast feature! If you’re Qing, check the pinned message in the Area 51 channel with instructions on how to launch it. Please use it so we can memorialize the beatdowns, but also so that we can track workout attendance using the Paxminer app that Wingman has also installed. 2) Keep Unplugged in your thoughts as he gets to the bottom of his shortness of breath issues tomorrow during his stress test. 3) Keep an eye on Slack for convergences and late starts for next Monday, which is MLK Day. Swole will be normal time (0530) since Mighty Mite has to work that day.
COT: YHC with the takeout. With a new year, lots of men have new fitness goals. Start EHing them and reach out to pax that you haven’t seen in a while. We all know the difference F3 can make in a man’s life, so let’s keep giving it away!

Who doesn’t like double half snatches?

DATE: 2023-01-07 AO: Olympus Q: voodoo PAX: MARTA, mighty_mite, Emoji, The Worm, flipper, Pelosi, Krzyzewski, voodoo FNGs: None COUNT: 8 WARMUP: IW x 15 IC 10 alternating swings Windmill x 10 High pulls x 5 each side Runner’s stretch each side Snatch x 5 each side
THE THANG: Day 3 of the Double KB Precision program: High/Low Windmill x 3 each side for 3 rounds Double high pulls x 5 for 4 rounds Double half snatch x 5 for 3 rounds
Combo 1: 30’ Farmer’s carry with 4 renegade rows per side for 4 rounds (2 out, 2 back)
Combo 2: 1 merkin, 2 double half snatches 2 merkins, 2 double half snatches 3 merkins, 2 double half snatches 4 merkins, 2 double half snatches 5 merkins, 2 double half snatches Repeato for 4 rounds
Combo 3: Double Farmer’s hold x 1:00 with a shrug every 6 seconds for 3 rounds
Double clean to push press every 5 seconds without putting the bells down. Most pax made it through about 12 rounds (1:00)
MARY: none due to AO vehicular traffic
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pelosi brought the tunes for us today, which led to some memories and some trivia. He also talked the pastor out of booting us as the parking lot filled up. He was wearing some new GoRuck kicks and asking about rucks, so I guess Cheese Curd is going to start stalking him soon.
Kryzewski stepped up to Q next week while I’m DR and was slinging iron like a pro.
The Worm made sure to get all of his reps in, even if it meant less rest.
MARTA was back in action after an alarm fail on Wednesday.
Mighty Mite wouldn’t join the circle no matter how many times we asked, so he just stood behind me the whole time. #creepy
Flipper pre-ran with me and then worked on his snatch form. Now he needs to work on that grip strength though.
Emoji joined us this morning because he didn’t want to go to a Gummy Q at The Rock. I can’t say I blame him. #joking He borrowed a bell and dove right into doubles. He’s also been enjoying the sandbags at SACS, which I’m sure CC will be glad to hear.
Thanks to the pax for coming out this morning. It was great to have so many pax so early in the year. Keep it up!
COT: We circled up with the Rock pax for COT, where Flipper took us out.

Getting Swole for the New Year

DATE: 2023-01-02 AO: Swole Q: voodoo PAX: mighty_mite, Unplugged, BobbyFischer, The Worm, flipper, voodoo, MARTA FNGs: None COUNT: 7 WARMUP: SSH, IW, Windmills, Swings THE THANG: Double swings – 3 sets of 8 Double cleans from floor – 4 sets of 5 Double front squat – 5 sets of 3
Complex (put it all together): Double swing, clean, rack squat – 6 sets of 3
Circuit: Double KB somersault squats (think: weighted monkey humpers) – 8 reps Alternating double KB floor presses – 6 per side, 12 total Planked mountain climbers for :30
Repeato for 4 rounds
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Strong work by the pax Monday morning. We rolled out a new spreadsheet with a goal of focusing on lower reps and weight to dial in their form. Everyone was getting after it. Please volunteer to Q. With the spreadsheet, it couldn’t be any easier.
COT: thanks to Flipper for taking us out.

2023 – A New Program for a New Year

On Monday at Swole, we will launch a new program from Joe Daniels called Double Kettlebell Precision. Joe describes this program as follows: “This four-week course teaches all of the practical DOUBLE KETTLEBELL exercises you will need when adding a pair of kettlebells to your training. It is informative, but it is also a challenging, progressive four-week kettlebell training program.” The idea is to spend a month at the beginning of the year at Swole/Meathead/Olympus focusing on quality over quantity and dialing in our form. Don’t go crazy with the weight at this stage – there will be plenty of time for that later in 2023. We’ll then take what we’ve learned and use it for additional programs throughout the year.

The program can be seen here. There are a number of hyperlinks throughout each tab with videos walking through exercises and/or complexes. If you plan to attend the workout, it would be a good idea to take a look beforehand. If you’re Qing, it is highly recommended to click the links.

I’ll be the Q on Monday and Saturday, while Unplugged will Q Wednesday. After that, we’ll be asking the pax to take the helm.

See you in the gloom in 2023!

Voodoo

Schweddy Bells – One program ends and another begins

If you’re looking for a BOGO deal on a warm Sunday afternoon, you’ve come to the right place. This is a combo backblast/preblast for Saturday’s Olympus where we concluded Ickey Shuffle’s Fighting Shape plan and the next kettlebell program that will start tomorrow at Swole and continue for the next 6 weeks at Swole/Meathead/Olympus.

I pulled up to Calvary around 6:55 and found a few cars waiting for me. The Worm, Kryzezwski (I’m never going to spell that without some sort of autocorrect helping me), and Mighty Mite were there, but only BLC’s swagger wagon was in attendance. I began unloading the bells and Tupelo’s native son came jogging up. #strong

After a quick disclaimer (don’t hurt yourself), we started with the warm up:

  • SSH x 20 IC
  • Swings x 10
  • Imperial Walker x 10 IC
  • Swings x 10
  • LSS x 10 IC
  • Swings x 10
  • Sharon Towers x 10 IC
  • Swings x 10

Sufficiently warmed up, it was time for the main event:

  • Clean + press x 10 each side (performed as singles or doubles)
  • Merkins x 10
  • Reverse lunges x 5 each side
  • Halo x 10 each direction

Rest 2:00, then repeato for 5 total rounds.

  • 2H swings x 20
  • Lawnmower x 8 each side
  • Goblet squat x 10
  • Snatch x 5 each side

Rest 2:00, then repeato for 5 total rounds. Wild Turkey wrapped up his 8 mile ruck and jumped in for the last 2 rounds. #badtiming

A few minutes left, so we went right to the Mary portion of the morning’s activities:

  • Elbow plank x 1:00, :30 recovery
  • Hollow body hold x 1:00, :30 recovery
  • Glute bridge x ~1:30 (until time was up)

The End. Circle up with the Rock pax, led by Magoo. The Rock had an FNG (Percy, from Memphis) and BLC took us all out.

Announcements:

  • F3 Dad’s Camp will be August 19-21 at Camp Thunderbird on Lake Wylie. See the preblast for details and to sign up. Spots are going fast!
  • F3 Brolympics returns on September 24th. Details will be forthcoming, but Flipper, Horsehead, Hoover, and Joker are hard at work on events that will challenge all of the pax, regardless of their strength. The t-shirt has been professionally designed and looks great. Plenty of fellowship will be available as well as the usual mumblechatter (and trash talking).
  • Keep an eye on Slack as there will be pre-orders coming up soon for hats, the aforementioned Brolympics shirts, and Area 51 shirts. If you’re new to F3 or if you’ve been around for a while and have the smelly shirts to prove it, take this opportunity to freshen up your closet. We’ll need a minimum of 12 orders of each item to launch the order, so please support the effort! Contact High Tide with any questions.

Moleskine:

  • I think I speak for all of the pax when I say that the Fighting Shape plan was sneaky tough. You’re reading through it and thinking “that’s a lot of presses, but I get 2:00 rest between sets.”  That’s not enough rest. There were a lot of sweat angels out there yesterday.
  • Thanks to Ickey Shuffle for putting these last 8 weeks together and building a solid program. PS – I’m also going to kick him in the nuts for said program.

Teaser:

As promised, we’ll be starting a new program tomorrow at Swole. I’ll be the Q and Mighty Mite will Q at Meathead on Wednesday (now that it’s written here, he has no choice). The next program is another one from Joe Daniels, who came up with the Kettlebell Only Muscle Gain (KBOMG) program we did a few months ago. You know what that means: a multi-colored spreadsheet with lots of video links and some weird exercises. This program will have a mix of singles and doubles, so either bring doubles to the workouts or check out the program the night before. The Q could also post on Slack the day before if he was really on the ball…

Here’s the link to the Swing this Kettlebell Complex ProgramSwing this Kettlebell Complex Program. It is structured as a warm up (Q’s discretion), a main complex, and a finisher. The Q can add carries, Mary, or additional KB work if there’s extra time.

Where is everyone?

YHC pulled into the lot at Calvary this morning with about 5 minutes to spare and found Big League Chew and The Worm waiting for me. Considering my late arrival, I was perplexed by the paucity of the pax. Where are my regulars? Where is my co-site Q? Will SACS have more pax, leading to a text from Cheese Curd, taunting me? These questions would have to wait since I had a workout to lead. I was unloading my bells and chatting with BLC and Worm when an unfamiliar vehicle arrived and out climbed Grimes, son of Philmont.

Warm-up:

  • SSH x 20 IC
  • 10 swings
  • Windmills x 10 IC
  • 10 swings
  • IW x 10 IC
  • 10 swings

Main Event:

  • Racked squats – 4 sets of 3 per side
  • Heavy swings – 5 sets of 15 reps
  • Lawnmower row ladder – 4 sets of 3 per side/2 per side/1 per side
  • Heavy deadlifts – 5 sets of 10 reps
  • Upright rows – 5 sets of 15 reps (YHC realized that 12 would probably have been better here, but once you start, you have to finish)
  • Reverse sit-ups with bell anchor – 4 sets of 10 reps
  • Static Holds – :20 with bell(s) overhead, :20 with bell(s) racked, :20 with bell(s) by your sides for 3 rounds (4 for Grimes)

The End. COT with the Meathead pax that joined us as we wrapped up.

Announcements:

  • Functional Strength Challenge this Saturday at Olde Providence Elementary at 7:00. Max snatches in 5:00, max pull-ups, max deadlifts. Join us and test yourself. We haven’t been training for this event, so it will be a good chance to establish a base line.

Moleskine:

  • Thanks to the pax that posted this morning. The Worm is a regular and was attending his third kettlebell workout in a row after hitting Swole and Skunkworks. BLC was making his first post at Meathead in over 4 years based on my records. Grimes was making his second post of the week after joining us for Swole on Monday.
  • Since we’re between programs, I pulled the weinke together with a mix of exercises pulled from the KBOMG program we just finished. I tried to mix it up and give the pax a full-body workout without overdoing anything.
  •  The plan is to have a new program ready for Monday. I’ve outsourced spreadsheet creation, so you really can’t blame me for the next program! I hope you’ll join us in the gloom.

Welcome, Bulgarian Goat Bag!

15 burly men (including 1 FNG!) showed up at Covenant Day School this morning to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Area 51’s inaugural gear workout. To celebrate the occasion, Stone Cold and Horsehead invited High Tide and YHC to lead a kettlebell clinic.  After a thorough disclaimer, here’s what went down in the gloom:

Warm-up:

  • Obligatory SSH x 15 IC
  • Prying squat (coach through it and do ~3 reps)
  • Halo (3 each way)

Clinic Time:

  • The first exercise we tackled was the Big Daddy, the Swing. Almost every workout includes the swing and it’s the foundation of the other ballistic movements. YHC walked through the setup: grip the bell with the fingers, just above the meat at the top of your palm; bell should be in front of the pax, not beneath them; hike the bell back and use your hips to power it up to chest/chin level (we don’t do any American swings in F3). We then walked through a few exercises, including the hinge vs. squat movement – pretend there’s a wall behind you and touch it with your six, don’t squat in front of it. High Tide walked the pax through the long jump exercise (try it with a squat and a hinge – the distance is pretty much the same). We did a few reps and then High Tide brought out Dan John’s famous “Bulgarian Goat Bag Swing” exercise in which the bell is held by the horns against your abdomen and the hips are hinged. This was a crowd favorite and led to a lot of mumblechatter. This removes the arms from the equation so the pax can focus on the hinge movement. We also did some dead stop swings (parking the bell between reps), some 1-handed swings, and some 2-handed swings. We talked about the fact that the top of a swing is like a standing plank with your body rigid. Remember: “Hips drive, arms guide!”
  • Next up was the Clean. The Clean will get the bell from the ground to a racked position safely and efficiently. From there, you can press it, carry it, squat it, etc. Cues for the lean include keeping it close to the body, don’t overpower it so it slams on you, and think about rotating the bell around waist level. The bell should ultimately end up resting on the V formed by the elbow, arm, and chest, not on your shoulder. Your fist should be under your chin. This is the “rack” position.
  • Next was the Press. From the rack, with the bell below your chin, press the bell up. Keep the forearms vertical and don’t allow the elbows to flare out. Keep your lower body tight so you don’t leak energy (or noxious fumes). If you’ve got too much weight or you’re smoked, you can use the push press or the jerk to get a few more reps. These exercises allow you to use your legs to get the bell moving.
  • Everyone’s favorite squat was next – the Goblet. High Tide had the pax do 3 vertical jumps. Where your feet land naturally should be your approximate stance for a squat. He then had the pax squat down with their hands sliding down the insides of their legs. This was a tip he’d learned from StrongFirst instructor Dan John that may allow you to go lower into the squat than you originally thought possible. Some of the cues for the squat were: stay tall, sit between the legs, and to make sure the shoulders and hips move at the same time (don’t allow yourself to bend at the waist or lean forward and compress your shoulders toward your knees).
  • After walking through the goblet squat, the pax were encouraged to partner up with someone with a like-sized bell for some doubles work using the Armor Builder complex – 2 double cleans, 1 double press, 3 double front squats. The idea was to give the pax some experience with the heavier weights of doubles and to give them ideas of how they can use multiple bells.
  • The next exercise up was the High Pull. This is a good transition exercise between the swing and the snatch as it teaches you to pull the bell toward you, which is something you will do subtly while snatching. Some cues to remember: keep the forearm parallel to the ground when pulling, elbow the guy behind/next to you, and don’t hit yourself in the face with the handle.
  • The last exercise was the Snatch, which is a great cardiovascular and strength exercise. We started with the bell at the top and threw it at our zippers, playing chicken by hinging our hips at the last minute. Cues to remember: keep your grip loose – if you overgrip the bell, you’ll tear your hands up (true of the clean and high pull as well), give a slight pull around face level and then punch your hand through the bell so you meet it at the top – don’t let it swing over the top and slam on your forearm, and the bell should be locked out overhead at the end of the swing, not in front of you.
  • Next we did the Cook Drill to show the various carries that can be done with a kettlebell – waiter, racked, and suitcase. Add a second bell in the same or a different position to make it even more fun! Just because we don’t run doesn’t mean we can’t move!
  • We ended with a few rounds of the Voodoo complex: swing, high pull, snatch, clean, squat, and press. 1 time through with each side is 1 rep. We did a ladder up to 3 reps per side before running out of time. We’ll have to do the TGUs next time!

Announcements:

  • The 2022 Functional Strength Challenge will be held at Olde Providence Elementary on Saturday, May 21 at 0700. Max snatches in 5:00, max pull-ups, and max deadlifts. All are welcome! Come out and test your limits.

Moleskine:

  • Thanks to Horsehead and Stone Cold for their leadership of Skunkworks. As I mentioned above, it’s Area 51’s original gear AO and where most of us were first introduced to kettlebells. The workouts typically consists of stationary kettlebell exercises mixed with sprints, so it’s a great combination of strength and cardio. If you enjoyed today, start posting and sign up to Q! That’s what keeps these workouts we all love alive!
  • Thanks to High Tide, who prepared the weinke and knows more about kettlebells than just about any other pax in all of F3.
  • Welcome to our FNG Kyle, a/k/a Bulgarian Goat Bag. Horsehead basically named him during the workout and there was no going back. He’ll probably be introducing himself as BGB at future workouts, so be sure to ask him what it stands for!
  • It was great to see so many pax at the clinic, including some faces I haven’t seen in a while (ahem, Header and Funky Cold). #kotters Don’t be strangers!
  • If you want more professional guidance, please check out the StrongFirst YouTube channel or Dan John’s YouTube channel.
  • Please feel free to sound off below with any additional comments.

 

New kettlebell program – March/April/May 2022

The program we’re going to do at Swole/Meathead/Olympus for the next 8 weeks is the single bell version of the Kettlebell Only Muscle Gain (or KB OMG) program from Joe Daniels of Swing this Kettlebell Club. I had spent my spare time over the last few days trying to take his somewhat colorful spreadsheet and convert it into our usual format. With time running out before Meathead tomorrow, I decided to throw in the towel and just go with his sheet. It’s a little all over the place, but hopefully you can get the hang of it. In addition, there are helpful links embedded in a couple of places to walk you through different exercises and mobility work. He’s got some original exercises, so it might be worth watching some of the videos if you are unfamiliar with them. If you’re Qing a workout, please make sure you know how to properly perform the exercises!

Here’s the program.

This is an 8-week program with 4 workouts per week. Since we have more time at Olympus on Saturdays, I would suggest performing the 3rd and 4th workouts combined or cherry picking from the two to come up with 60 minutes of exercises, but it’s up to the Q. If you have extra time, please feel free to use some of the complexes we’ve been doing. They can be found on the Complexes tab in this spreadsheet.

Sorry for the brief pre-blast, but I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have at a workout.

See you in the gloom,

Voodoo

Is this thing still on?

9 pax posted at Meathead this morning in the chilly gloom. Most knew the general plan (4 rounds of 8 reps of 3 supersets), but there’s always some extra time for some ad libbing by the Q.

As I got my bells out, I noticed a new face amongst the pax. I walked over to introduce myself to Countertop, a visitor head locked by Unplugged. Countertop has an injured back and didn’t want to run, so he was in the right place.

0530 rolled around, so we got started:

Warm-up:

  • SSH x 20 IC
  • 2H swings x 25
  • IW x 15 IC
  • High pulls x 10 per side
  • Prying squat x 2
  • Snatch x 5 per side
  • Windmill x 10 IC

Hypertrophy plan:

Perform 4 rounds of 8 reps of each of the following 3 supersets with a 2:00 timer. Perform the reps, then wait for the 2:00 to run out, then go again.

  • Superset 1: 8 cleans + 8 presses – doubles or singles
  • Superset 2: 8 squats + 8 merkins
  • Superset 3: 8 heavy swings + 8 lawnmowers per side

Complex:

4 deadlifts (doubles or singles), 3 snatches per side, 2 merkins, 1 push-press or jerk for 5 rounds on a 90 second timer

Carries:

Static holds: overhead, rack, and farmer. Singles or doubles. :20 in each position with 1:00 recovery.

Mary: 1:30 or so of hollow body hold to run out the clock.

Announcements:

  • Blood drive – check Slack for details, but there are back-to-back blood drives. 3/11 at Westminster Presbyterian Church and 3/12 at Doerre Construction. There are lots of slots available, so please pick a time that works for you.
  • QSource – Thursdays at noon online and Sundays at 0800 at the Panera at the Arboretum. Join the channel on Slack for more details and to get caught up on the reading (you don’t have to buy the book – it’s all online).

Moleskine:

  • I put together a new playlist last night instead of relying on one of Spotify’s canned ones. Of course, all the songs by particular artists were together, so I relied on Spotify’s shuffle feature. So far, so good until we got to our second Motley Crue song in the same workout. Hoover immediately called out the Q for a playlist fail. Back to the Spotify playlists…
  • Frehley’s was out of town, but he would have enjoyed the transition from Foo Fighters to Motley Crue. One of his least favorite bands followed by one of his favorites. Next time, I hope it’s Pearl Jam instead of Foo Fighters and I hope he’s there to complain.
  • Ickey has been quiet this week, possibly mourning the Bengals’ Super Bowl loss. I’m just glad he watched it since it’s so hard for a team to get there. I’m also happy he’s posted at Swole and Meathead this week. Soul Glo wasn’t there and must still be recovering from the game (and the officiating).
  • Site FNG Countertop did a great job today and said he’d be back for Swole on Monday. Apparently, he tried to post this Monday, but went to Cavalry instead of McAlpine Elementary. We got him straightened out and look forward to seeing him next week.
  • Time to watch some Olympics. Thanks for coming out and following my lead. See you on Saturday!

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