“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” -Kelly Clarkson
Lots of buzz going around lately about the semi-annual H8 coming up in October. It’s always a tough workout as well as a good test of progress for the PAX. It’s also a love-hate thing for YHC since it has put me through the wringer and almost killed me, each time getting closer to that 8 lap goal. The run is palatable, as well as the bear crawl, but the merkins and burpees seem to be slow many of us down. So, in order to fix this, YHC thought we’d knock out a scaled down version of the H8 as part of the Thursday workout at Okwata. Here’s what went down:
Conditions: Warm, dark, and zero breeze…just how we like it
The PAX: Some usual Okwata crew plus King Kong making his way to the AO for the first time…t-claps
The Disclaimer: Not a professional…push yourself, don’t hurt yourself…try to give it your all for the next 45 min…
The Warmup: Mosey over to the usual warmup area only to find some loud people still partying/fighting so a detour over to the seawall area for SSHx20, HBx20, ACx20, WMx10, ISWx10, Plank Rollx10, Peter Parkerx20. Then we lined up for a mosey along the seawall with a stop at each light pole for Squats x10 at each one, six poles total. Probably not the best thing to do before the H4/H8 route but YHC wanted to make sure we broke a sweat first and the workout wasn’t a cakewalk. Capped it off with LS Dips x25 at the planters.
The H4: Run the same lap/route as the H8 with bear crawls in the middle and merkins (instead of descending burp/merk) at the end…40 on 1st lap, 30 on 2nd, 20 on 3rd, 10 on 4th, 10 on 5th. Goal was at least 4 laps in 20 minutes. T-claps to Mahatma and Smooth for blasting off right out of the gate. The PAX pushed hard and several guys finished 4+ laps.
The Finale: Enough time left for a mosey along the levee towards the House of Pain. Group 1 stayed up top for LBC x40IC + Penguins x20IC (timer) while Group 2 ran down to the pull up bars for AMRAP Pullups followed by Hanging Knee-ups. This was a long timer, maybe too long, but the PAX hung in there. After a round for each group, time to head back to the flag.
COT: A few announcements and followed by a prayer.
Here’s a few things we kicked around post-workout in regards to maximizing our individual performance at the upcoming H8:
- Use the downhill runs to catch your breath and don’t try to race down.
- The top of the levee has a few sharp surprises during the bearcrawl. Appeared to be pieces of exposed plastic mesh.
- Try to crank out the Merkins/Burpees in a fast manner. YHC fell behind on this.
- The fall and spring temps are more conducive to this workout than August.
- Calling cadence and working in squats does not help boost your time.
Thanks for the opportunity to lead.
Tool
