Bleachers of Pain

Going to start off saying this is Punch List’s fault. I talked to him earlier and asked him 2 muscle groups he wanted to hit during todays workout. His choices were quads and back.

We had 2 FNG’s at The Coop ready to hit it. I started promptly with opening credits and a disclaimer, and ran to the football field bleachers for a quick warm up and examples of exercises.

The THANG:

I had the PAX partner up and I explained the WO. There where 8 exercises. 1 partner did the exercise while the other would do a lap up one side of the bleachers and down another then back to swap out with their partner. The rep count for each exercise was 100 reps.

The Exercises:

1: Dolphin Kick/Reverse Crunch (100 reps). They had a choice. The Dolphin Kick is done while lying belly down on the bleachers. Keeping belly and chest down you lift feet up together as high as you can to get a nice burn in the lower back area.

2: 1 foot on bench Lunge (50 reps each leg). With one foot stationed on the bleacher the other extended out and basically do a Lunge/squat using just that one leg.

3: Superman (100 reps). While lying face down on the bleacher putting arms straight out over your head. You lift feet/legs and arms up leaving belly on bleachers.

4: Sit Down Feet up Squat (100 reps). This is just performing a squat but lowering yourself onto the bleacher. You then while seated lift your feet off the ground for a brief second then raise yourself up into the standing position.

5: Wide Merican (100 reps). Self explanatory.

6: Step Up Knee Up (50 reps each leg). Step up on the bleacher with one leg. While up on the bleacher use other leg and lift it up 90 degree.

7: W Superman (100 reps). While lying face down on the bleacher you take your arms and bend them forming a W with your arms and head. While keeping your waist and legs on the bleacher you lift chest and arms up. Bring your arm back to try and touch your elbows keeping the W form. Working both lower back and between the shoulder blades.

8: Kneel Down to Stand Up (100 reps). From a standing position go down to your knees one at a time into a kneeling position. Then stand up one leg at a time. Alternating which leg goes first.

The results: This was a beast of a work out. While doing the exercises and going up and down stairs the movement kept everything loose and moving. Fatigued yes but mobile. Once leaving the site and making it home to go back to those stairs is when you felt the pain. To those having to go up flights of stairs or siting at a desk and getting up several times (me today) just remember this is Punch List’s fault. Thank you guys for coming out and supporting and pushing each other. This is what I look forward to and why I keep coming back.

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WEP- down and dirty with the VQ

Sometimes simple is the best course of action. Had a VQ that was ready to get his line wet and see if anybody might bite. Backdraft took what he said would be a warmup. It was for a few but others had a different perspective on what warmup really meant. Start off with simple disclaimer. Not sure what that is. If you get hurt don’t blame me.
Lap around the park with some dynamic stretching from time to time.
Circle up- 30 SSHs, 30 Mtn. Climbers, 15 slow merkins, 15 shoulder taps. Lets go.
Mosey to sidewalk that loops around field. Drill bits at each one add an exercise.
1. 5 burpees
2. 5 burpees, 10 merkins
3. 5 burpees, 10 merkins, 15 squats
4. 5 burpees, 10 merkins, 15 squats, 20 mtn. climbers
5. 5 burpees, 10 merkins, 15 squats, 20 mtn. climbers, 25 SSHs
sprint back to starting line hand off to Bobber.

pair up and pick up a coupon for the pair.(cinderblock)
Mosey across the park.
100squats, 200 overhead presses, 300 calf raises between the pair. while 1 guy exercising the other runs to the top of the hill and back.
once all completed we mosey back towards cot. stay with partner once back we have 4 exercises and 4 cones going up the side hill.
Partner 1 completes exercise while partner 2 carries block to complete suicides on the cones.
Once completed we circle up for around the world or something that sounded like that. 3, 2, 1 we done.
COT.
Prayers and praises. announcements.
Great job Bobber on your VQ. keep up the great work.

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Rejecting Passivity at the Block Party

Seven men rejected passivity by showing up and making themselves better during the humid 45 minutes.  My favorite group size to work out with is 5-8 guys and we were right in that sweet spot!

The Message:

In life we can tend to see weakness and fallacy in others better than we can in ourselves.  When I look for passivity in my own life it his hard to cast stones at others about passivity in their lives.   The bible says that we should count it all joy when we meet trials and it test our faith because it produces steadfastness and we should let steadfastness have it’s full effect on us making us perfect and complete.  When it comes to rejecting passivity try these two things…

  • Surrounding yourself with people that will make you better
  • Limit passive activities like video games, TV, social media… and replace with activities that engage those around you.

The Thang

Mosey up the way with a variety of butt kickers, high knees, karaoke and side shuffles.

Rugby Sprints warm up with dealers choice

Jacobs latter (1-7)

  • Wall pull ups (7)
  • Bear crawl to the curb at other end of parking lot
  • Burpees (1)

Mosey to court yard with wall and partner up. 2 rounds each while partner runs loop around parking lot

  • Step ups/ box jumps
  • Dips

Mosey back for about a minute and a half of Mary

Thank you for the opportunity to lead!

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Q on Cue

A strong group of 17 PAX appeared in the midst of a cool late-august gloom.

– Mosey to Springs parking lot
– Carioca one direction
– Carioca the other
– Mosey to the lot blocked off by the chain
Warm Up:
– SSH (until I heard grumbling)
– Windmill (slowly, until I felt better about life)
– Cherry Picker (stopped corrected some form)
– Cherry Picker with better form
– Merkin x12 (cause you were expecting 10)
– Shoulder Taps
– Mountain Climbers
– Downdog –> Honeymooner, repeat
– added a little runners lunge with some twisting (because yoga)
– sprinkled in a burpee

Thang:
– Mosey to Pike Electric front lot
– two burpees
– Circled up – Howling Monkeys
– Dirty Hookups on the wall
– Howling Monkeys
– Dirty Hookups
– Threw in 10 burpees because no PAX could quickly identify where in the bible the store of David and Goliath is located (1st Samuel)
– Threw in 20 bomb jacks for a “That’s what she said” about David being small……..not that kind of group.
– Mosey to MillStone
– Wall sit for the 6
– Mosey to Millstone playground
– Happy Jacks x4
– Divided up in to 4 groups at each little hill:
– Start at the top of the hill
– Standing forward bend (aka: touch your toes)
– Inch-worm down into merkin position
– 10 Derkins
– Inch-wormed back
– Bear Crawl to the next hill
– (total of just 40 derkins)
– COP on the little neglected concrete slab there
– Tammy Wynettes for a while (most groups hit 3 reps)
– Mosey back to COT with some stops to let everyone catch up
– Wallsit at Millstone
– Sprint up Massey Hill
– BTTW at Springs Corporate

NMM:

David and Goliath is a story about faith, but may also be a story about a smaller more agile advisory taking on a big, lumbering giant. This begins to sound like a “lizard” vs a “bullfrog” from the Q-source. Just like David, we sometimes need the faith to trust a lizard or believe that as a lizard we can succeed.

Announcements:
– 9/6 Invergence
– 9/7 Convergence

A privileged to lead.

-Band Camp Dismissed

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Housekeeping Incoporated

17 PAX gathered on a hot muggy August morning.

Rundown:

Band Camp on Q
– Mosey
– Carioca
– Butt Kickers
– Carioca
– Toy Soldiers
– Mosey to where the dogs bark constantly
COP
– SSH
– Windmill
– Merkins
– Shoulder Tap
– Mountain Climbers
– Parker Peters

Mosey over to the Nazarene church to get away from the Dogs. Miraculously cones were also set up here. (Bear crawled to the cones)

Flash on Q
– Partner up
– 3 cones
– Partner 1
– cone 1: burpee broad jump, sprint back
– cone 2: duck walk, sprint back
– cone 3: lunge walk, sprint back
– Partner 2
– keep doing squats until Partner 1 is finished
– 3 sets of this
– Indian Run to Springs Corporate center
– DORA: 100 Merkins, 200 (more) squats, 300 flutters

Band Camp on Q
– Mosey back to COT
– A Gross (12 reps of 12 exercises)
-Upper Body: Merkins-single count, Overhead claps, Moroccan Night Clubs, Merkins-in cadence
-Lower Body: Squats, Lunge, Cossack Lunge, Jump Squat
-Core: Flutter, Dying Cockroach, LBC, Freddie Mercuries
– Mosey up the hill
– Mosey back down

NMM:

Flash shared about one of his leadership role models, Captain Picard, and making earl grey tea. In order to make tea, the leaves have to be immersed into the hot water. As a leader, we have to immerse ourselves with those we’re leading. And beyond immersion, we need to “steep” or remain in contact long enough to have the desired effect.

YHC shared up on the hill at the very end, that it is possible to over steep tea. We need to recognize in our households when mom has been immersed too long with the 2.0s and it’s our turn to step up. Or a similar scenario in our jobs.

An honor to lead such a strong group.

-Band Camp dismissed

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Monotony is a Choice

16 energetic pax posted to the 4th installment of Minnow Pond.  All veterans, all had been warned in advance of need to warm up. So Disclaimed was super short and then it was game on.

The Thang

Run to playground at WEP.  First to arrive start doing Burpees until Six shows up.

Extended plank sequence while YHC delivers instructions.

Pax run one .6 mile lap around WEP on path at crisp pace. When pax arrive back to playground:
Pull ups x10
Derkins x20
Gorilla squats x30

Rinse & repeat lap/exercise sequence AMRAP for remainer of workout.

Short stint of Mary at playground while Six finishes final lap.

Run back home

COT

NMM

Great effort by the pax, pushing themselves and pushing each other.  Total laps ranged from 3 to 5, depending on pace.  Total of 3.5-ish miles plus 50 pull-ups, 100 Derkins & 150 Squats for those who maxed out at 5 laps.  No one left without needing to wring out his shirt.

Shady’s mission at MP is to push the pax, both in terms of pain and pace.  Objective with today’s Weinke was to make sure pax of any running pace could participate without the Six falling behind or leaders catching too much of a break.  Seems like it worked.

Running laps and doing the same three exercises can become stale…kinda like many parts of daily life.  Sometimes it might be the work routine, other times it might be family life or exercise or church or anything.  I don’t deal well in maintenance situations or situations that become routine.  When I’m stuck in those places without much ability to change, I can be tempted to make poor choices to escape the mundane or to “spice” things up.  Jester can draw a bead on me quite easily at these times.  BUT, there’s ALWAYS a #choice.  And the first choice is how you see the situation.  Seeing it as “monotony” is a choice.  Someone else might see the work routine with envy, because they want a job.  Someone may see the family routine as a dream, because they live alone or can’t have children.  Someone may see exercise doldrums as a joy, because they’re injured or disabled.  So, when routine starts to weigh on your spirits, remember that you have a choice to see the routine in ways other than drudgery. And maybe a different choice will help keep the Jester at bay.

Thanks to Shady for opportunity to lead.  Looking forward to many more mornings at MP!

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Running, Hills, Sand Bags…Complete

No glitz, just guts. (Similar to the writing of this BB.) That’s all we needed today to get some mileage, some drill bits, some hills and a couple of sand bag exercises. Now for the evidence it actually happened this morning at Block Party:

Long mosey to the Massey St hill and back to the upper corner of WEP.

Warm Up exercises consisting of things like Wind Mills, Squats, Merkins and Mountain Climbers

Explanation of the Drill Bit Tour: The path around WEP has these white posts. In our world, we call them Drill Bits and at each of of these Drill Bits, you’ll perform the following exercises:

20 American Hammers (20 ea side)

10 Lunges (10 ea side)

20 Dips

We then made our way to the base of the big grass hill for an explanation of the first sand bag exercise:

With your partner, you will suitcase carry either the 80lb or 60lb sand bag up to the top of the hill and back down. While the partner teams are waiting for their turn on the bag, the PAX did:

10 Burpees, 20 Jump Squats, 30 4-ct Flutters

The next sand bag exercise was for you and your partner to bear crawl-drag the bag out to a tree about 20yds away. Meanwhile, the PAX did the following:

10 Flying Squirrels, 10 Peter Parkers, 10 Parker Peters

Then, as a group, we NUR’d up the hill and Jogged down the hill for 4mins.

COT.

Maximus

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Don’t poke the Q

Cars pulling in right up to the starting time.
Disclaimer and intro.
Mosey with dynamic stretching along the way.
Circle up for some warmup and a small sample of Broga.
Back to kettle bells
Did the following exercises 3 sets of each 10-15 reps each set followed by an ab exercise.
Every three exercises we would mosey and do 10 burpees ( this quieted down most poking of the Q.)
Goblet squats, figure 8s, KB Swings, single arm rows, shoulder presses, single arm curls, clean and jerk, and reverse lunges.
COT
announcements- invergence and convergence
Prayers- Airborne son leaving for US Army boot camp. God Love the USA.
Trucker- learning everyday lessons on raising kids and being a good father.
All the kids going back to school today.

Also had a good reminder and to just love your kids and not worry about always if their the top or best at something. Just show them you love them.

Backdraft out.

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Field of muggy dreams

12 boot campers in total for a humid, gloomy morning.

Warm Up
Mosey run
SSH (IC 13x)
Windmill (IC 13x)
Imperial Walker (IC 13x)
Low Slow Squats (IC13x)
Merkins (IC 13X)
Peter Parker (IC 13x)
Plank stretches
Downward dog
Honeymooner

Thang 1: Field of Dreams (modified)
Count off by fours. 1’s to first base, 2’s to second base, 3’s to third base, 4’s to home plate.
Home plate: do 15 burpees then run to first base.
First base: do AMRAP of: Monkey humpers until relieved by home plate group
Second base: do AMRAP of: Incline Merkins until relieved
Third base: do AMRAP: LBC until relieved.
Repeat, and on subsequent “runs”do these:
First base: Imp walkers, Squats,
Second base: dips, step ups
Third base: Flutters, Mtn climbers,
We got two complete runs in.

Thang 2:
Merkins (IC 13X)
Sally routine, doing Leg lifts (two ruckers joined in for this)

Fini, COT

This was my 45th birthday and the first time I got to do a true birthday Q.  Truly a blessing to have another year in the books.  Looking forward to another year to try raise my family as God would have us to do.  AMDG!

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So…you want to do pyramids and running. We can do that

16 gathered for a quick disclaimer on the beautiful Friday morning, and even more beautiful new pavement.  We took off for a quick mosey and circled up for some warm-up which consisted of: SSH, slow windmill, superman Moroccan night clubs, imperial walkers, merkins and stretching.  Stretching with some downward dogs, honeymooners and then some laying on our backs with some pulling of the knees to chest, and knee over side to stretch our backs.

Once the crew was warmed up we made our way over to the pull up bars where the following unfolded…very quickly.

  • 10 chin ups
  • 20 diamonds
  • 30 1 legged squats (15/leg)
  • 40 carolina dry docks
  • 50 LBC
  • 40 CDD
  • 30 1 leggged
  • 20 diamonds
  • 10 chin ups

Sounds not so bad but we added running between each exercise from the pull up bars down to the cross walk by the football field entrance.

For a quick “10 count” of sorts, the team received the following message: what are you doing today that makes you better where you’re being intentional?  It doesn’t have to be something big, but it can be you physically, mentally, helping your 2.0 practice a sport, unload the dishwasher when you’re not asked to do it….

Off we went to the next area of fun what had been deemed for the run over, “the teacher’s smoking lounge / aka the outside eating area outside the cafeteria” where there are picnic tables to use!

  • 20 step ups, each leg
  • 20 derkins
  • 20 dips
  • 10 burpees
  • 10 bomb jacks
  • Repeat the 20s above (there was an extra set of bomb jacks in here too b/c someone had to say the un-sayable)
  • 5 burpees
  • 5 bomb jacks
  • 10 burpees
  • 10 bombjacks

90 seconds to spare and we headed back to COT for all COT things!  Appreciate the invite as always from Harry Caray and appreciated all the mumblechatter and push!

Shady

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