Weights, Tabata, & Failure

by | Nov 15, 2019 | Backblasts | 0 comments

8 men arose from warm beds to face the cool reality of a mid-November early-bird post at Emmaus… and were rewarded with a jewel of a morning.  Red October and Blackberry decided to put on backpacks and disappear into the night together.  We’re fine with that kind of thing here at F3.  The remaining six men enjoyed the following workout:

 

Warm O'Rama

Quick run around the block, maybe a quarter mile, just to get the heart going and warm up.

 

The Show

Set up six pain stations, six men rotating through each.  Tabata set to 40 seconds on, 20 seconds off to rotate stations.

Rotation 1-3:

  • 40 lb medicine ball: overhead slam
  • 30 lb medicine ball: throw and catch
  • Kettle bell: lunge with tap
  • Weighted rope: two handed twin slam
  • 45 lb bench weight: weighted Apollo Ono
  • 20 lb medicine ball with handles: Russian twists

Rotation 4-6:

  • 40 lb medicine ball: plank off the ball
  • 30 lb medicine ball: overhead slam
  • Kettle bell: curls (alternating or two-handed)
  • Weighted rope: one-handed alternating wave
  • 45 lb bench weight: squat
  • 20 lb medicine ball with handles: weighted WW2 (aka WW3)

Moleskin

  • First off, I absolutely must give credit where credit is due – I ripped off most of this workout (and borrowed the equipment) from Nite Stick.  He’s been coming to Night Ranger regularly for the last 6-9 months and this is really his shtick.  Notice that play on words… Nite Stick, shtick?  Anyway, something about the weights and this routine just resonates with me and I really enjoy it, so I wanted to share.
  • Carpet Bagger rolled in wearing… well, I’m not sure.  I suppose they were clothes, so that’s a plus.  But there was neon yellow and electric blue, some other eclectic choices.  And somehow the clothes were giving off light, as if they were naturally lit from some mystical source.  I had to shield my eyes, kinda looked like a Smurf spent some time in a nuclear reactor and then came for a workout at 4:45am.
  • Jingle Bells is officially off the cotter list!  And bringing some strong game.  #cotterwho?  Great observation on the slam ball too; first three rotations we did it with the 40 lb, second three rotations we did it with the 30 lb.  Pretty sure we all felt ripped that first set with the lesser weight.
  • So apparently Jedi and Carpet Bagger and Red October are all neighbors, yet they come to Emmaus every week driving separately.  Now I know why Greta has that perma-scowl.  Supposedly this is so they don’t stank up eachother’s cars.
  • First set on the ropes Ramrod’s form looked a little off – I thought hey, maybe he’s never done this before.  So I called over that he should get lower, bend his knees.  I didn’t want to be “that guy” so I didn’t really look over again or think much of it, until his final set.  I glance over and he’s got the ropes dancing in perfect alternating rhythms, with perfect form.  And that’s the last time I’ll think Ramrod might need my opinion.
  • Great discussion of FAILURE today for Q-Source (Q4.5).  And I mean seriously, just top-notch.  I don’t come to Q-Source often, but I always find a little something in there that resonates… maybe it’s part of the blog installment, maybe it’s something one of the pax shares, or a side-topic we start exploring.  This morning it was just everything; really solid topic, good on-point story from the blog, and great discussion follow-ups and real-world stories from our group.
  • The quote I mentioned (since I butchered it) came from a scene in The Lion in Winter (movie about King Henry II) in which two men face execution.  One says to the other, “You fool!  As if it matters how a man falls down.”  To which his companion replies: “When the fall’s all that’s left, it matters a great deal.”  Nice little context for thinking about failure and why it's important that we handle it with grace. 

Some suggested reading (both are quick reads, I highly recommend):

Thank you Jedi for the opportunity to lead this fine group today!

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