It all began at 6 PM last night when I sent a DM to Nitestick asking him which app he used for his tabata workout last Saturday and how long the exercise and break segments were. So it’s no surprise that he did not join us at Cauldron knowing what was likely to ensue. Instead, Frogger was stretching when I arrived at the AO along with a heavy duffel bag. When he saw me begin to pull out various toys and a piece of street chalk, he accused me of plagiarism. I kindly informed him that I was from the Huntersville ghetto and did not have the same level of professionalism that Nitestick (from Corenlius) had brought out. Besides, plagiarism is the finest form of flattery.
Jimmy O had correctly assumed there would be minimal running this morning and so he called on some of the #clydesdales to join him at 0500 for a slow mosey. Knowing I had some setup to do, I did not join him and when he returned from #thestandard with Auto and Turncoat, I knew I had made a wise decision.
For a warm-up, we went with SSH x25 IC (LawnDart prefers to stop around 20), Sumo Squats x10 IC, and Cotton Pickers x10 IC. I could feel the 1stF Q judging me and so I threw in 5 perfect form Burpees to appease him.
Next I started up Spotify and explained the circuit exercises. The pax inquired about how I had 10 spots and there were 10 pax in attendance. I shrugged and suggested that I counted on six and applied the “Blackbeard Effect” padding. The app I chose on Android for timing rounds was “Seconds” and I had it set to cycle through 20 rounds (2x per station) with a 1-minute round followed by a 30-second break. The pax cycled through each of the following stations:
- Jump Rope
- 12# Ball Slam
- KB Swing
- One Arm Snatch (alternating arms)
- Plank with KB Row (alternating arms)
- Seated Shoulder Press (alternating arms)
- Staggered Merkin on KB
- Turkish Getup
- Lateral Raise (forward and side using band)
- KB Windmill
I realized early on that the weighted ball I brought was not a medicine ball and audibled tossing ball in air and catching in a squat. Apparently the pax were too caught up in the Pretenders and did not hear the audible which resulted in LawnDart splitting the ball open after a particularly spirited slam.
The KB Windmill was new (to me) and found online. The intent was to hold the KB in outstretched arm above head with elbow locked. Turn toes (with legs shoulder-width apart) 45-degrees away from arm with KB, then bend at waist lowering to side as lower arm follows leg to ankle. Keep eyes on KB and elbow locked during the slow descent and return to standing with bell still overhead. Switch arms and repeato. I’m not sure how many guys audibled on their own — I can say that even with a light weight, it was much more difficult than it seemed on YouTube. Balance is certainly key.
After two rounds of stations, we moved to the MARY-Go-Round:
- WWII Situps – DieHard
- Mason Twist – Turncoat
- Low Flutter – Topgun
- Bent Knee Windshield Wipers – Frogger
- Jane Fonda – LawnDart
- Box Cutters – Frontier
- Merkins – Auto
I was going to let Jimmy O have a turn (since we started a minute late), but he was insistent that we stopped at 0530 sharp. I’m guessing it was that “slow mosey” he took with Auto and Turncoat. We prayed it out and then most of us reconvened at Starbucks.
There were complaints when Spotify served up Ambrosia, but looking back, the playlist could have been worse. I mentioned I was originally going to go with Taylor Swift, Carly Rae Jepson and Ke$ha. When Frogger corrected me on the pronunciation of the latter artist, I wondered if I should have stuck with the original plan?
- Jack & Diane – John Mellencamp
- Hotel California – Eagles
- Sweet Home Alabama – Lynrd Skynyrd
- Magic – The Cars
- The Spirit of Radio – Rush
- Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey
- Biggest Part of Me – Ambrosia
- Brass in Pocket – Pretenders
- Freeze Frame – J. Geils Band
Despite the broken ball, the audibles on the Windmill, and the questionable playlist, I think all started their day in better spirits; glad to have the Turkish Getups (and Pretenders) behind them. I know that I am always appreciative of the support from the pax (even when it sounds like jibes) when I take a turn as Q!