Speed, Strength, and Stability – a little something for all

Speed, Strength, and Stability – a little something for all

As YHC drove into the parking lot, I found a lone KB’er in Busch and a couple of unsure pax waiting for something to happen.  Even though I forgot the shovel flag this morning, we still departed at 5:30 to give everyone what they were looking for.

Jog to baseball field and do a lap around entire field. Circle up in the infield for COP.

COP

• SSH x20
• IW x20
• Groiners x20

Mosey to home plate for some interval training.

Interval Training “Infield sprints” for Speed

Group jogs around infield. Lead pax sprints around infield until catching the pax. Shouts “go” for next pax to do same. Repeat until all have gone twice.

1 lap of Indian Run around entire baseball field.

Mosey to rock pile, choose a suitable rock, and carry to the outfield for some Tabata strength training.

Tabata for Strength (with rocks) – alternate b/w exercises within Tabata

• Tabata 1 – Tea Bag Squats / Merkins
• Tabata 2 – Bicep Curl / Wide-arm Merkins
• Tabata 3 – Overhead Press / Diamond Merkins
• Tabata 4 – Tricep Extension / Carolina Dry Docks

Drop rocks for some core stability work.

Core Workout for Stability

• LBC x13 IC
• 1-legged Flutter…I mean Dolly x13 IC (R/L)
• CCV x13 IC
• Makthar Ndjiaye x13 IC
• Flutter x13 IC
• Protractor

Return rocks and sprint back to shovel flag.

Naked Moleskin:

• Kudos to Busch (solo KB’er), Champagne, Turkey Leg, and Purple Haze getting a little extra credit with the pre-run this morning!
• Welcome to Anvil FNG Spead-eagle and F3 FNG Hardhat (a solid name).  Glad you guys came out to give us a try and hope you’ll come back.
• PAX was a little confused by the “Infield Sprints”…kind of like an Indian Run, but not an Indian Run. Heard a few calls to reverse direction, but YHC was definitely feeling NASCAR this morning.  #turnleft
• When we got to the tabata portion of the workout I heard at least one call-out for lack of creativity.  Granted, but I think what it lacked in creativity it made up for in difficulty.  #spaghettiarms
• Had a little trouble calling out the MOM exercises this morning.  Is it a flutter, is it the dolly…what is it?
• Overall a great effort by all out there this morning and always an honor to lead!
• Thank you Busch for taking us out of COT this morning with a solid

Announcements:

• F3 Dads – Saturdays at 9am, Beatty Park – children of all ages welcome with their dads.
• June 27th – Kevlar site will converge at Joust (Charlotte Christian)
• Watch weekly email for July4th convergence announcements.
• Champagne will lead pax in doing the Murph at Anvil on 7/2.
• 3rd F – “Aftermath” meets at Piper Glen Starbucks every Wednesday following the workout.  Reading “Blue Like Jazz” by Donald Miller

The First Anvilversary

One year after the inaugural weekday workout we labeled Anvil, 20 men descended on the campus of Calvary Church to make our daily downpainment and receive our anticipated beatdown. Not one to disappoint, I gave my version of the disclaimer and marched us off into the gloom in order to experience some of Anvil’s greatest hits from the past year:

The THANG

COP:

– SSH x100

– merkins x25

– squats x25

– wide-warm merkins x25

– 20 jump squats OYO

Mosey to the sandpit, grab a partner, get sandy animal style:

– partner 1: burpees, partner 2: bear crawl across volleyball courts and return. Flapjack.

– partner 1: burpees, partner 2: gorilla walk across volleyball courts and return. Flapjack.

– partner 1: burpees, partner 2: dragon walk across volleyball courts and stay there. Flapjack.

– partner 1 and 2, wheelbarrow back across the sand, flapjack as necessary.

Pat your sandy partner on the back (helps get the sand off), mosey to pavilion for a little fun in the sweatbox.

– 11s: dips/derkins

– 20 jump-ups, 10 single-leg squats per leg (right/left). Repeato.

Exit the box so we can breathe. Plankorama courtesy of Lobster Roll.

Mosey to field for some Mary.

– Flutter x25

– Flip to belly — race 100yds. to fence. Mosey back.

– Dolly x25

– Flip to belly – superman :30 seconds – race 100 yds to fence. Mosey back.

– LBCs x 25

– Mosey home for COT

Moleskine:

– When we created Anvil, Baracus and YHC wanted to create a challenging mid-week workout that utilized the campus as our “Anvil” as we pushed and beat one another into physical shape. Looking back at the last year, I think we’ve been successful. The features of the campus provide for some nice variety, a fair amount of hills to play on, room to roam “string of pearls” style, a sandbox to wallow through and a pavilion to sweat under. Without a doubt, the best feature of the location has been that which developed over time: the PAX who routinely make Anvil their workout week in and week out.

– Kotters for the delinquent backblast. To be fair, I was a bit tied up last Wednesday with the memorial service and burial for my grandfather. A couple hours after leading this workout, I spoke at his memorial service and I want to share something about my grandfather that I think is applicable to each of us men.

“As I reflect on this man, my memory of him and the role he played in my life, the first attribute that comes to mind is that he was there. He was a constant. Grandpa was a rock, when all else waivered about. He was steady. In my mind’s eye I can still see it as I follow him again through the garden in his backyard in Pennsylvania. Me, about 5 years old, as I following him through the rows of corn, tomatoes and squash. He towered up above me, blocking out the sun at times, moving with surety and purpose as he examined each plant and vegetable. He put me to work, with a hoe and rake, carrying vegetables in a basket up to grandma who would turn them into something yummy to eat. It was in that backyard that he let me drive his lawn mower (I was probably a little older than 5 then). It was on the deck overlooking the yard that we would share a snack and a birch beer or 7up when the heat of the afternoon was too much for my tired little body. It was there that we watched the deer come into the twilit meadow in the distance.

Grandpa was there for just about anybody I can think of. He was there for friends and neighbors who needed a helping hand. He was always more than willing to look under the hood of a broken down car or repair a pipe that had burst. He was there for the neighbor lady who wanted a bible lesson. He was there for my family when my Mom and Dad needed a helping hand around the house, even though we lived 3000 miles away. He was there for my grandma. For 66 years he was there for her. Think about that. 66 years. Let that number just seep in for a second. I joked with him that he better set that bar high because I was going to catch him. He told me I better, since I had married so much younger than he did.

There was a moment a couple weeks ago when Grandpa was having a waking dream and I happened to just then walk in to see him. He was confused about some facts, but there was one sole purpose in his conversation with me. He wanted to make sure that Grandma was ok. Once he realized that she was ok, and that she would be ok, he relaxed and was able to go back to sleep. Even in his last moments his heart was there for his wife.

In our world, it is a common tragedy that men aren’t there. I have been blessed to have 2 grandfathers and a father who have always been there. Being steady isn’t glamorous in the short term, but it means all the world to a 5 year old, a 36 year old boy, a wife of 66 years and all the neighbors and friends in between.”

On this Anvilversary, I want to encourage each of us to continue on. The workouts each week may or may not be epic (although they are always solid), however the true work occurs in getting up out of the fartsack and actually showing up. The achievement is doing it consistently. Once you’re here, following the leader of the day, you’re going to get in decent shape no matter what we do (especially with the way we’ve come to push and encourage each other). The same was true in my grandfather’s life — so much of his success and the accomplishments he achieved were built upon the same rock: he consistently showed up. Our workouts are important, but they are just the spark and in some ways an example for the rest of life. Showing up here hopefully should lead to showing up in all those other places in life that occur outside the gloom.