Ladder Work

Ladder Work

7 pax decided to join me for a cool crisp fall workout.  I knew today’s numbers would be low with some of the usual Saturdayer’s participating in Need for Speed and Bone Frog (thank god we won’t have to hear anymore announcements).

The general theme of today’s workout was ladders – both count and actual ladders.  I had the speaker on and ready to go.  6:30 – lets get it.

Warm Up

Mosey around the parking lot down towards the cul de sac.  Circle up.

• 20 Big Ten’s (SSH)
• Deconstructed Burpees (Complements of Moneyball) in ladder count down.  I started with 7 squats, 7 merkins, 7 in/outs, and 7 bobby hurley’s.  Went to my left with the next pax counting 6, then 5, all the way to 1.  I enjoyed passing off the count to help me catch my breath to allow some of the newer guys a short opportunity to lead.  (Knish is slatted for a VQ at Chiseled in January – but I challenge the other site Q’s to get him leading before then.  Chainsaw is another one I’d love to see a VQ from in the coming weeks).
• Jimmy Duggans – center, right, then left.

The Thang

Partner up for Partner Pulls up the hill to the parking lot entrance switching out as you are tired.  Since there were 7 I played odd man out and lunge walked.

Partner Push from the parking lot entrance to the Elementary School Entrance.  I jumped in with Popeye and Jingles to do a 3 person round robin.  Legs were burning pretty hard by the time we reached the school entrance.  Recalculating and Knish killed it and beat us there so I had them Mary with SSH’s to keep the heart rate up.

Rock Work

• One Partner curls while other partner runs up the hill to the main road and back.  2 times (no curl count).  After running to the top of the street I decided it was a little far and asked the pax to modify to the second neighborhood road to cut off a 100 yards from the first run.  Mary waiting on the 6
• One Partner does overhead tricep extension while the other partner runs up hill towards the school.  2 rounds.  Put rocks up.

Grab curb for tricep dip ladders.  I started count with 7 and passed the counting down to each pax  until we reached one.  I challenged to pax once we started not to go down and try to hold.  I made it to 2 before my arms gave out.  Good work from those that lasted until the end.

Mosey to the bus parking lot where I had weights and ladders waiting on us.

Circle up for LBC’s and Pull Ups.  Two pax perform a minimum of 10 pull ups (more if you can) while the rest of the pax start LBC’s.  Challenged those that couldn’t do a pull up to do a modified jump pull up.  Goal was to do 100 LBC’s in the time it took all pax to complete 10 pull ups.  Timing was just right.

Weights and Ladder Work.  One Partner does weights while the other runs to the other end of the parking lot for a ladder exercise then returns to switches out with weights partner.  Asked pax to try and stay together at the ladder and run back together so that the two groups don’t get separated.

• Weights (Dumbbells):
  • Chest Press with 30 lbs
  • Hammer Curl with 20 or 25 lbs
  • Tricep extension with 40, 25, or 20 lbs
  • Front raise & side raise with 15 or 10 lbs
  • Upright Row to chin with two 15 lb keddle bells
  • Military press with one 40 lb dumbbell
  • Goblet squat with 50 lb
  • Good morning with 50 lb
• Ladder – two rope ladders put together.  If you ever played football, these exercises should be simple to follow.  Unfortunately I learned several pax today didn’t play football.
  • SSH’s with feet going outside ladder and then inside ladder
  • High knees – Chop each foot inside each square with high knees
  • Heisman – hard to explain, easier to show.  Start with left foot outside left ladder, chop both feet inside ladder, then end with right foot on right side of ladder.  Key is to keep your arms moving.
  • Bunny Hop – Outside left, inside, outside right, inside…….
  • Up Up Down Down – Facing side of ladder, chop feet in each square and back below each square the length of the ladder
  • Plank Jack hand walk – Plank Jack feet outside ladder and then inside each square.  (Found it easier if I did it mixed with a bear crawl?
  • Plank hands right – plank position and move hands to the right.  No Merkins
  • Plank hands left

Finished the 8 round weights/ladder work with only minutes to spare.  Lets mosey back to the start.  We arrived at the start right at 7:30.  I had planned to finish up with AC/DC Thunderstruck but ran out of time….or did I?  I left it up to the pax….do you want to end on time, or do you want to go 5 minutes over and fulfill my promise to get 100 Merkins in.  Vote was almost unanimous…Thunderstruck it is.   Pax do mountain climbers until you hear the word Thunder at which point you do a Merkin.  There are two points in the song that give opportunity for air presses.  We took advantage of that.  Appropriately 33 merkins performed.  I was gassed, and  by the look of it, so was everyone else.  Zinfandel got it on video.  I’m sure social media team will use it against me soon, be on the look out.

Moleskin

• Great work today.  Everyone worked hard.  There was very little complaining (even by the Q).
• Thanks to Southern Belle for allowing me to use his dumbbells and ladders.  He was a last minute scratch as a pestering cold has got him down.  Briarcrest currently has several on the IR list.  Beckham (knee), Dancing Bear (calf), Southern Belle (cold), and Schnieder (bar).  We hope to get our strong Briarcrest numbers back up to normal soon.
• It was great seeing Popeye out there today.  Guy is always a ball full of positive energy and love having him out at workouts.  Just a genuinely good dude.  Glad to hear his wife is recovering well from knee surgery.
• Jingles and Zinfandel passed me several times on the up hill runs.  I may have let out a cuss word in their direction.  My apologies boys.  Just my own frustration at myself coming out and being manifested towards you.  Great work today out of both of you.
  • Jingles has always had sneaky speed when it came to running.  At what point do I realize this and it is no longer sneaky speed?
  • Zinfandel’s hard work has been showing results.  When he first started he was the six….like the kind of six that stops running 1/4 way through the workout and modifies everything.  Dude is killing it and has passed me in cardio ability.  I believe I’m ready to hand over my form police badge and whistle to him as well.
• Knish worked hard today along with Recalculating.  Love seeing the new guys come out and stick with it.  Adds new elements – oh who am I kidding, it just gives me fresh meat to pick on.  Keep it up!
• Recalculating was his normal “get off my lawn” grumpy old guy self.  I’ve been accused of being a younger, much more out of shape version of Recalculating lately – scary.   Good work today and thanks for keeping the Q’s accountable.  You push us to work hard and work the pax harder.
• Chainsaw worked hard today.  Cut a couple jokes at his son-n-laws expense which of course I enjoyed.  Glad to have him a part of the group.  He’s jumped right in and become one of us.
• We burned 685 calories while only covering just over 2 miles.  I know I’m sounding like a broken record, but I will take this time again to remind the pax that there are other ways to burn calories than running.  Be creative with your Q’s.  Some of us (me) hate running and the reason we do bootcamps is to sneak our cardio in through other means.  We burned 685 calories in 2 miles while the 5+ mile Q only burned 650.  Ok, enough soap box.

Announcements

• Thoughts are with Mad Dog as he goes through additional tests this morning.  Apparently the overnight nurse saw something she liked last night according to his GroupMe post.
• Dancing Bear dropping off toiletry donations to the Charlotte Homeless Shelter on Monday.  Get your last minute donations in at Flash or Ignition.
• Christmas Party Nov 30th at Providence Downs South Clubhouse.  Look to GroupMe News Channel for more info.
• WUC Effie awards at Friday, Dec 7th at the Briarcrest Club House.  If you can make it, I highly recommend it.  Its a great opportunity to laugh with pax over a beer.  I got a fairly good ab workout in from laughter at last years 1st annual Effie Awards.
• Dunkin Doughnuts for Coffeteria.  Unfortunately the Wolfpack lost on Thursday night so no free coffee (Wah Wah).
• Thanks to Zinfandel for taking us out.