Author: Rudy

  • Summer Sunrise

    7 seasoned PAX arrived in the gloom to welcome the day at the best AO in town.  The humidity remains brutal – but YHC continues to hold out hope for the elusive Cold Front which is always allegedly right around the corner.

    But not today.  Today is humidity and sweat.  So lets get started…

    Mosey to the swamplands in front of the fountain for warmup.

    • SSH x25
    • IW x25
    • PP x25
    • MC x25
    • PP x25

    Head to the benches in front of the fountain for The Conveyor.  7 PAX, so 6 stations:

    • LBCs
    • Box Jumps
    • Dips
    • Merkins
    • Step Ups
    • More Dips

    1 PAX at each station.  The 7th PAX runs the circuit around the fountain and takes the place of the LBC PAX.  LBC moves on to take over Box Jump.  And so on….  Keep  exercising at your station until your replacement gets there!

    The last Dip PAX gets tapped out and runs around to take on the LBC spot.  Repeat until everyone has hit all of the stations.

    Mosey over to the leveee for Stairway to Seven (modified from the Lexicon to fit our purposes)

    • 1 Burpee
    • Up to the top for 1 Squat Jump
    • Down to the other side bottom for 1 Squat Jump
    • Back up for 1 more Squat Jump
    • Back down to where you started and plank for the 6.  YHC notices that “plank for the 6” too often gets interpreted as “rest when you finish and wait”.  So he started pushing the PAX to PLANK.  No rest until everyone finishes.

    Repeat with 2x, then 3x, 4x, 5x (take a break, we’re halfway there…), then 6x and 7x.

    Mosey to the House of Pain.  Partner up

    • Bear Crawl up the Levee, 5 burpees, run down (the timer)
    • Pull Ups – goal of 10x per partner (spot as needed)
    • LBCs
    • Dips

    6:09 – time to head back for 6MOM at the flag.  25x of LBC, FK, Cockroach, HD.

    Circle up for Name-o-Rama, Announcements (Convergence!) and Intentions.  YHC in particular asks for PAX to offer a prayer for his Father, Father-in-Law and Sister who are all facing health challenges right now.  Its been a tough month helping each of them get situated and prepared to face whatever comes next.  But with Sky Q’s guidance and grace, we will all be given the strength to face what He has in store for us.  Thanks to all of the PAX for the prayers, kind words, and support.

  • Lets go Running

    Typical summer morning welcomed 5 PAX at City Park for a morning run.  YHC, always in search of a bit more mileage, decides to lead a regular out-and-back on the Bayou road.  Be back at 6:10 for some Mary.  Disclaimer, and lets get started.

    WAIT FOR ME!  Who is that running to catch up?  Welcome Abacus!  Never too late.  So 6 PAX took off in the morning gloom.

    Not surprisingly, El Guapo and Recall set the pace.  Recall announces that he’s bypassing the piddly Marathon distance, and skipping straight to an Ultra next spring.  Go get ’em Recall!  I suspect El Guapo may take the bait and sign up for something crazy like that too.  Meanwhile, Amnesia working up to the Ragnarok around ATL with the Northshore PAX (on top of plans to ride 100 miles this weekend on a blue bike.  Yikes…)

    #Tclaps to Abacus: longest run of his career!  Nice work, way to push it, brother.  Push all of us by pushing yourself to go farther, and faster.

    Finished up at the Shovel Flags for Mary: 30x each for LBC, Flutter, LBT, Dolly.

    Circle up for count-off, name-o-rama, announcements.  Intentions and Prayers to finish up and get our day started right.

  • A Brief History of Notre Dame

    YHC finished up his birthday Q week with Q at the Mothership.  Thanks to everyone who has shown up for my Qs this week….

    YHC dropped 2 kids at his University last week, hoping and praying that they will have experiences similar to his – the types of experiences that make one a Domer-for-life.  During the welcome weekend talks for the parents, much conversations  about the history of Notre Dame and the Holy Cross congregation.  YHC thought that would make a good topic for a Q.  So here we go…..

    First a (very flawed and poor) disclaimer.  I should be better at these by now.  Especially when we have an FNG in the fold (way to go, Calliope – rapidly taking over Top EH title from Triple Shift…).  Mosey off to the lawn in front of the museum.

    Warm Up

    Grass was long.  Very long.  Some questions about whether we should stop and look for Cowbell in the grass….

    • SSH x51 (PAX appropriately noted the relevance of this number for YHC)
    • Peter Parker x20
    • Plank Jack x20
    • Parker Peter x20

    Lets get to work…

    Presidential Pyramid

    Line up at Tree #1 (or Tree #0 as Woz and I refer to it).  We are doing a pyramid.  Each set recalls one president of the University.  Each set adds to what we’ve done before (i.e., do all of the exercises from previous sets then add the exercise for this set).

    • 5 Burpees for Blessed Father Basil Moreau, founder of the Holy Cross Congregation.  Run to first tree and back.
    • Add 10 Squats for Fr. Edward Sorin, founder of the University.  Run to second tree and back.
    • Add 15 Merkins for Fr. Andrew Morrisey.  Run to third tree and back.
    • Add 20 Crunchy Frogs for Fr. William Corby, chaplain of Irish Brigade in Civil War (and 2 time president of the University.  Run to fourth tree and back.
    • Add 25 Imperial Walkers for Fr. Thomas Walsh, president who oversaw rebuilding the University after the great Fire.  Run to fifth tree and back.
    • Add 30 Hello Dolly for Fr. John Dillon, entered the priesthood at age of 12, and served as president for one year during Civil War before dying prematurely of illness.  Run to sixth tree and back.

    Mosey to the Water Fountain to hydrate, then off to Lightpole #1.

    National Championship

    YHC takes a lot of flak for how long its been since the last ND National Championship.  The last one was 1988 (coincidentally, YHC’s senior year.)  30 years ago.  Sigh…

    Lets do a Route 88 with Bobby Hurleys  What’s that you ask?  A Route 66 but add 2 at each stop.

    • First Lightpole: BH x3
    • Second: BH x4
    • Eleventh: BH x13

    At completion, we’ve done 88 Bobby Hurleys.

    Top game of that year?  Notre Dame vs Miami.  Catholics vs Convicts.  What better way to remember the Catholics than with the Genuflect.  1:2 ratio of kneeldown/standup : lunge step.

    • 1 (4 count) kneel down/standup.  2 Lunge steps
    • 2 KD, 4 Lunge
    • 3 KD, 6 Lunge
    • …..

    In interest of time, YHC called it when clubhouse leader (#Tclaps for Outbreak) completed 10:20.  Most PAX were somewhere around iteration 7 or 8.

    Mosey to the Refinery.

    5 Pillars of Holy Cross Education

    Split PAX into 5 groups:

    • Box Jumps
    • Dips
    • Body Builders
    • Pull Ups
    • Merkins

    Rotate for 5 Iterations – one Iteration for each Pillar of a Holy Cross education.  Each iteration is a 60 second AMRAP.  30 second break between iterations to rotate and recover.

    • Iteration 1: Mind – Seeking understanding through the integration of faith and reason.
    • Iteration 2: Heart – Discerning our personal vocation in service to the Church and world.
    • Iteration 3: Zeal – Fueling the desire to offer our gifts for the good of all people.
    • Iteration 4: Family – Embracing Christian community as the context for lifelong formation.
    • Iteration 5: Hope – Trusting in the cross and God’s promise of the kingdom

    Mosey back to the Great Lawn.

    Mary

    Running low on time, but no Notre Dame workout will be complete without some Mary.  As PAX arrive at the lawn, join the circle and start LBC.  Once all PAX arrive, cadence starts and we finish with all LBC x25 together.

    COT

    Back at the flags, circle up for count-off, Name-o-Rama.  Welcome aboard Satchmo (he’s a musician, and an arborist).  Upcoming CSAUPs – talk to Da Parish if interested in Pelican Man duathalon.

    Intentions shared around the circle.  Sky Q – hear and answer them as you deem best for each of us.  Sweaty-ball-o-man to close with prayers.

    Thanks for the opportunity to Q, gentlemen!

     

  • Wolf-Brick Mountain

    It had been 365 days since YHC’s last Q at WPM.  I rang in my 50th with a Q at WPM, and today I would end my 50th with a bookend Q at WPM.  In between, I’ve been a stranger to the Friday morning beatdowns.  So YHC was greeted by lots of puzzled looks from the gathering PAX in the morning Gloom.  Who is this stranger?  He’s from The World? And he’s Q’ing?  What’s going on here???

    YHC started the disclaimer a minute early in order to get the party started.  He had a surprise waiting for the PAX, and needed to get everyone organized.  So stroll over to the car, pop open the trunk to reveal….  Bricks. Everyone grab 2.  What a stroke of luck: Trunk had 40 bricks, and there were 20 PAX.

    Mosey across the Avenue and circle up on the Tulane Lawn.

    But wait – 2 more PAX!!  YHC had spare bricks in the backseat – so he yelled across the Avenue “THE KEY IS ON THE BACK LEFT WHEEL.”  Yankee managed to find the key and the bricks for the latecomers – while the rest of the PAX politely reminded the YHC that we aren’t in Metry no more, and maybe yelling the location of the car key isn’t the best idea….

    But I digress.

    Warm Up

    Brickpees OYO x10.  Sigh.  YHC needed to explain to the Uptowners that a “Brickpee” was a Burpee with Bricks.

    Arm Circles, Both ways X10:  Not normally a fan of the Sun Gods, YHC definitely included them with the Bricks.

    SSH x40: Meant to go to x50 but accidentally ended at 40.  Oh well.

    Plank Position:

    • Peter Parker x20
    • Floyd Mayweather x20
    • Parker Peter x20
    • Newtons Cradle x10

    Mosey to the Mountain

    Indian Run to the top.  With your bricks.  Go.

    The Thang

    At the top of WPM, partner up for Dora 1-2-3

    • 100 Brick X-Fit Merkins.  Thanks Mariah for showing us that it was, in fact, plausible
    • 200 Dying Cockroaches (tough your toe with your bricks)
    • 300 Goblet Squats (with your bricks)

    PAX 1 exercises, PAX 2 runs down the ramp then back up.  Flapjack.

    In the interest of time, YHC modified the counts to 100-150-200

    Rest Time

    Find some wall space to take a seat for People’s Chair

    • Wonderbra (with bricks) x20 (Up/Down/Out/In)

    Shake out the legs.  Rinse and Repeat.  Throw in some Brick Curls just because.

    Mosey down the stairwell to the Loyola Lawn (nicest turf in town, according to El Wire)

    PAX Choice

    Running short of time, YHC decided to let the PAX choose the finishing exercise.  By a slight majority, Option A won: Jack Webbs.  (Option B was Bear Crawl/Tunnel of Love, with Bricks).

    • 1:2 Merkin/Brick Press
    • 2:4 …
    • 3:6 …
    • ….

    Go as far as you can.  YHC called it at 6:13, leaving PAX time to return bricks to the trunk and circle up at the Flag

    COT

    Count-off (22 PAX), Name-o-Rama.

    Announcements: “Read Your Email” says Yankee.  God Bless to Pony Boy as he’s off to Atlanta.  Thanks for working out with us, take your enthusiasm to the Atlanta PAX!  Come back and join us again soon!

    Prayers: YHC grateful for the ongoing treatment for his sister.  All early signs are positive.  Prayers for Flaming Lips nephew, having finished rounds of Chemo prepping for Radiation next.  May caregivers be blessed with wisdom and compassion.  Finishe with prayer to use the gift of today wisely, and close with St. Ignatius Loyola Prayer for Generosity.

    Thank you all for letting a foreigner Q your beloved AO!

  • AT40 – August, 1978

    At last!!!  Cooler weather!  It may not last long, but Thursday AM offered a glorious respite from the usual August heat and humidity.  What more could one ask for – the chance to start the day with the Okwata levee, watching the sunrise over the lake, with an actually refreshing breeze in our faces.

    YHC was running dangerously late.  Apparently, the new, louder (this one goes to 11) bluetooth speaker recently acquired for mornings like this was re-purposed and sent with 2.0 to Notre Dame.  That left me scrambling to find the backup – the teeny tiny not-quite-loud-enough fallback speaker.  Sorry guys.  That’s gonna make it harder for you to appreciate today’s theme.

    But first: a disclaimer (for the veteran crew).  Then off to the levee.  Quick warmup of SSH x20 (with a brief pause waiting for JV to decide to start).

    The Thang: 40

    Today’s theme for the 40: American Top 40 list from August 26th, 1978 (40 years ago).  Lots of good treasures on that list!  https://top40weekly.com/1978/08/26/us-top-40-singles-week-ending-26th-august-1978

    For those not familiar with the 40 (see “Smooth”):

    • 10 Exercises
    • Each exercise done in 4 sets (hence 40 sets)
    • Each set is 10 reps (hence 40 reps per exercise)
    • Each set on opposite side of the levee (hence 40 trips over the levee)

    Exercise 1: Burpees!  Lets get this started.  Done to the music of the biggest drop of the week (a whopping 50 places – from 33 to 83): Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty

    Exercise 2: Boxcutters.  Biggest riser of the week: Paradise by the Dashboard Light (up to #42, won’t make its debut till next week though)

    Exercise 3: Lunges (make sure your knee touches the grass).  At spot #36: Dont Look Back by Boston (also – very fond memories for YHC: the very first album I ever bought.  Still remember the trip with my Dad to K-Mart to buy it.)

    Exercise 4: Crossfit Merks.  At spot #27: Hollywood Nights by Bob Seger

    Exercise 5: 8 Count Body Builders (these took a lot longer than anticipated).  At spot #24: Two Tickets to Paradise by Eddie Money.  There are some classics in the 20-30 range of this particular AT40!

    Break while Frac gave us 20 count.

    Exercise 6: Dying Cockroaches.  At spot #14: Copacabana from Barry Manilow.  Now we are entering “This is definitely the 70s” territory of the countdown.

    Exercise 7: Copperhead Squats.  At #11, a classic one-hit wonder: I Want to Kiss You All Over by Exile.

    Exercise 8: Plank Walks.  Now we are into the top 10.  At #5 – Hot Blooded by Foreigner.

    Exercise 9: Squat Jumps.  Nothing like throwing these in after 32 trips over the levee….  At #3 – Miss You by the Stones

    Exercise 10: LBC.  Running short on time.  Push through gang…  At #1: Grease by Franky Valli!

    Finish up with Count-off, Name-o-Rama.  Announcements and Intentions.  Prayers to use the gift of today wisely, and bless those suffering with cancer.

    Thanks for the chance to lead, and see you all at WPM tomorrow!

  • 19 for 11

    Back from Canada after a weeklong hiatus, YHC was ready to get back in the saddle.  7 days is enough to enable one to forget just how oppressive August humidity can be in the south.  Feeling like a weakened northerner, unable to face the Southern Summer, YHC decided to dress the part – so for today (and today only), Union General Ambrose Burnside made an appearance at Rock City.

    As the gloom lifted – PAX appeared, crawling out of every nook and cranny at Pontiff playground.  First there were 5.  Then 8.  Then 11.  Uptowners made the long Trek.  The clock steadily ticked towards 5:29 and the PAX just kept appearing.  5:30 – and BAM, 19 PAX set off down the path.

    Warm Up

    Assume the position.  Plank position.

    • Peter Parker x25
    • Parker Peter x25
    • Mountain Climber x25
    • Plank Jack x25

    Recover.  Just kidding.  Back to Plank.

    • Shoulder Taps x25
    • Floyd Mayweather x25

    Recover.  For real.  Now go get a Rock.

    At this point, YHC owes Bogey an apology.  I heard grumbling about lack of guidance on rock size selection.  Who else would grumble, I thought?  So I blamed Bogey.  But alas, it wasn’t him.  The grumbler still remains anonymous.  Probably an uptowner.

    The Thang.  11s

    Mosey to the tree-lined field.  Line up in the middle, facing West.  We’ll do 11s.

    • Burpees on the West side (starting at 1, heading up to 10).
    • West to East run: stop at your Rock for 11 Shoulder Presses
    • Squat Jumps on the East side (starting at 10, heading down to 1).
    • East to West run: stop at your Rock for 11 Curls

    When finished, PAX joined the circle for LBC waiting on the 6.

    Hydrate.  Can’t emphasize this enough over the summer.  Stay hydrated.  Quick water break at the Gazebo.

    Change of Plans.  Right, the Gazebo.  I’d forgotten about that.  Since we were all there (except the few left by the rocks because they didn’t want water), we grabbed some bench.  (the other 4 brave souls began running over)

    • Right Leg SU x25
    • Irkins x20
    • Left Leg SU x25
    • Derkins x15.  And those last 2 were killer for the Q.

    Grab a spot on the wall for a rest.  People Chair.

    • 90 seconds.  Up and shake it out.
    • 60 seconds, with Air Press x15

    Mosey back to your rock.  Bring the rock back to the pile (pressing, curling, overhead carrying while moseying).  Then back to the flag.

    Wrap Up: Count-off.  19 PAX, a new rock City record!  Great to see all of the new faces out and about.  Keep EH’ing – bring F3 with you wherever you go!  Announcements of upcoming races and events – Next Gen Gala on August 24th.  Keep up the great work, Babyface!  Finish up with prayers.  All: remember Rev Sox’s father in your prayers.  Losing a lifelong friend and partner cannot be easy, Sky Q: please grant Mr. Rev Sox the strength and comfort to persevere and grow.

    Also – thank you all for the prayers and support you have offered me over the last weeks.  My sister has a diagnosis, and its really the best possible outcome: stage 2a Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, nothing below the diaphragm.  That all means her condition is very treatable, with a great prognosis.  Still a long road, and several chemo treatments yet to come.  But this is the best outcome we have been hoping and praying for since the initial diagnosis.  Thank you all again!

  • Deck of Animal House

    July 28th, 1978.  A big date for all of us of a certain vintage.

    Yes, that’s right.  40 years ago today, Animal House made its debut.  YHC arrived at 6:20 to a moment of confusion.  “Dean Wormer” was there – and it took several minutes for the PAX to realize that this was not the same Dean Wormer named at Wolfpack Mountain yesterday, but was in fact a visitor from Up River in NC.  Welcome, Dean Wormer.  Little did he know that YHC had (quite unknowingly) prepared a personalized and appropriate workout for our visitor.

    As the clock ticked towards 6:30, the PAX continued emerging from the gloom – including one FNG, EH’d by our resident barber and newest F3 advocate – nice work, Calliope!  Then the clock struck the witching hour.  Time for a disclaimer, and then we were off towards the yard by the museum.

    The Thang – Pt 1

    First exercise is…..  Side Straddle Hop.  In Position.  In Cadence.  Begin.  x40.

    YHC then introduced the theme: 40 years since the release of Animal House.  The explanation of The Thang took a few minutes (sometimes the PAX seem “challenged” at following instructions).  Basically, its the Animal House Deck o’ Death:

    • Hearts are Burpees.  Same as always.
    • Diamonds are Neidermeyers.  (“Is that a Puh-ledge Puh-in on your Uniform?  Drop and Give me 20!”).  Yup, Neidermeyer == Merkin
    • Spades are usually squats.  So today, they were Otises (“Shout!  A little bit louder now!” etc…)  Otises == Squat Jumps
    • Clubs are usually Situps.  Follow along…  Situps == WWII Situps == D-Day.  So D-Days == Situps.  But we did Rower Situps

    Numbers represent Rep count.

    • Jacks = Pinto (“I lied a little bit; I’ve never done this before.  That’s ok, I lied too – I’m only 13.”)  11 reps
    • Queens = Mrs. Wormer (“What a coincidence.  I have a husband Dean Wormer also at Faber.  Do you still want to show me your cucumber?”)  12 reps
    • Kings = Otter (“Can we sit with you Mary?  I see you already have your lunch.  Can I just massage your thighs while you eat?”)  13 reps
    • Aces = Bluto (“Do you know what I am?  A zit!”)  15 reps
    • Joker = Flounder.  Double the previous exercise.
    • Deuce: YHC always finds the 2 cards to be a bit disappointing.  So to vary the workout, Deuce became another doubling card.  2 Hearts == Double the previous reps, in Burpees…

    Lots of mumble-chatter as instructions were given.  But YHC persevered through the mockery.  Then we were off to the races with the first card flip.  Mumble-chatter quickly halted.  Stopped for a 20 count after the Bluto of Hearts.  Stopped for a water break right around half-way.  Stopped for another 20 count somewhere around the Otter of Hearts.  Then powered through to completion.  Only one Q-dible: when the Deuce of Hearts appeared, we went with 2 Burpees (instead of 14 burpees, having followed the 7 of Clubs).

    Hydrate again, then recovery mosey to the Baby Foundry.

    The Thang, Pt 2

    Animal House.  Split into 6 groups of 4 for Animal stations

    • Pull Ups: The timer, each PAX in the group hits 10 Pull ups.  Spot if necessary.
    • Crunchy Frogs till timer.
    • Bear Crawl 10-20 yds, Crawl Bear back.  Repeat till timer.
    • Duck Walk 10-20 yds, Walk Duck back.  Repeat till timer.
    • Frog Jump 10-20 yds, Jump Frog back.  Repeat till timer.
    • Crab Walk 10-20 yds, Walk Crab back.  Repeat till timer.

    Stop by the Tool Wall for

    • Calf Raise x40
    • Monkey Humpers x40

    Mosey back to the flag.

    Back at the flag, we circled up for count-off and name-o-rama.  Some confusion by an unnamed-pax about which number followed 6.  Fortunately, other PAX jumped in to help.  I hope that Pax is able to bring better numerical skills to his day job at a hardware store.

    Naming of our FNG – a little too easy, given the theme of the day.  “Your Delta Tau name is Flounder.  Why?  Why not.”  Alas, we already have a Flounder, so we modifed – and he became Pinto.  Welcome aboard.  Then Frac corrected his train-wreck naming last week.  Welcome to the renamed Sac-a-lait (google it, if you need to.  Its totally SFW.)

    Close out with our prayers.  Intentions for recent passings and recovering friends and family.  Lord, be with your children who are suffering, and bless those who care for them.

    Thanks for letting me lead.

  • No Cowbell, No Problem

    The clock ticked steadily towards 5:30.  The growing herd of PAX started to get restless.  Mutterings of “Who’s the Q?” were heard.  YHC had checked the sheet the night before – Cowbell was on the list.  Surely Cowbell would have also checked the list, or his email.  Right?

    Wrong.

    5:30 arrives.  No Cowbell.  But the PAX wait on no man, and the Workout must go on.  So YHC grabs the Disclaimer, and leads the PAX off to the rock pile – with the warning that others better be planning their own part of the workout.

    Rudy – The Warmup

    Typical Rudy start. SSH, Smurf Jacks, Monkey Humpers, IW, then Plank-o-rama with Peter Parker, Mountain Climber, Parker Peter.

    Go grab a rock.

    Mahatma – The Ruck

    Line up in 2 lines for a Ruck.  Follow Mahatma’s lead.  Start with the rock held on one side (NO RESTING ON THE SHOULDER).  Then up above your head.  Then to the other side.  Ruck down to the tree line.

    Line Up and Partner Up.

    • PAX 1: Carry Rock #1 out about 30 yards.  Bear crawl back.
    • PAX 2: Simultaneously start bear crawling out to Retrieve said rock and return it.
    • PAX 1: On return, grab Rock #2 and carry out about 60 yards.  Sprint back.
    • PAX 2: On return with Rock #1, sprint out to retrieve Rock #2 and carry back.

    Rinse and repeat.

    Bogey – The Slllllllooooooowwwwww Count

    All exercises in slow count cadence.  Up in 4, Down in 4.  x20 (or so) each

    • Curls
    • Straight Out in front (ok, this one was “not easy”).
    • Rows
    • Squats

    Pai Gow – The DangerFEST

    Line up.  Be watchful – its time for rock throwing!

    • 5 Burpees
    • Throw rock, bear crawl to it.  Throw it again.  Try to avoid bear-crawling PAX in the vicinity.  Bear crawl some more.  Until Tree #1.
    • 10 Merkins.
    • Throw rock, lunge walk to it.  Repeat. Until Tree #2.
    • 20 Shoulder Press.
    • Return following roughly the same pattern.  Or we may have gone out to Tree #3 for another set of exercises before the return.  Sorry, YHC memory is faulty, caused by high humidity, high sweat, and high fear of falling rocks.

    King Kong – Work them Abs

    Circle Up.  King Kong runs us through some Core, while holding the rock.

    • American Hammer.  Twist that rock.
    • Scissor Kicks.  Keep the rock in the air.
    • Flutter Kick.  Keep the rock in the air.
    • One other set.

    Then Mahatma led us on a Ruck back to the Rock Pile.  Then a final sprint back to the flag.

    Walleye then took us home with the Count-off, Name-o-rama, Announcements and a closing Prayer.

  • Stomp 151 – Sprinting in the gloom

    Morning Forecast: Typical July morning.  Hot.  Preposterous humidity.  Low growls of thunder in the distance.  Good times.  The brief time when we could welcome the stomp with the sunrise seems to already be in the past, so instead we welcome the PAX in the Tuesday morning Gloom.

    The Pax: Another week with a near-record crowed: 13 PAX in the gloom to go out for a run.  Rudy Q – means we’re running.  None of this “Hey, lets kick a baseball.” stuff.  Nice to see Shorty back in the fold, as well as a newly Respected Amnesty.

    The Route: 30 minutes.  15 out and 15 back.  At your pace, meet back at the track at 6:00.  YHC enjoyed getting pushed by Smooth, El Guapo and Shorty (WELCOME BACK!).  At least until Smooth turned on the after-burners at the entry back into City Park, leaving us in the dust.  Good addition to Team World!

    The Track: Gathering back at the track at 6:00, give everyone a minute to catch their breath.  Then we’re on to the Sprint Ladder:

    • 100 sprint, 100 recovery
    • 200 sprint, 100 recovery
    • 400 sprint, 100 recovery
    • 200 sprint, 100 recovery
    • 100 sprint, 100 recovery

    As PAX finish, settle in on your backside to get some Rower Situps in.  x10.  Then x10 more.  Then x10 More.  That brings the 6 home to roost.  Mosey back to the flags (thanks FracSac for tending the flags!).

    Count-off, Announcements.

    • Gnarly Nutria tomorrow night.  Hawg promises to bring a Leg beatdown to the Birdcage tomorrow, while Tool promises an arm-focused workout at The Foundry).
    • Picnic on Saturday

    Intentions (safe travels, blessing on kids – and blessings on Belloq travelling with his Youth Group).  Close out with a prayer.  Thank you for letting me lead.

  • More Crabwalks!

    Morning broke over the Uptowner, where YHC made a rare appearance for a Friday Q.  6 more PAX joined to start the day with a sweaty beatdown.

    Warm Up: YHC almost started with a Mosey, before remembering this is The Uptowner.  So instead, right here – circle up!

    • SSH x25
    • IW x25
    • Smurf Jacks x15
    • Peter Parker x25
    • Shoulder Taps x25
    • Parker Peter x25
    • Plank Jacks x25

    Burpees for Breakfast

    Every Minute On The Minute: 10 Burpees each minute for 10 minutes.  Whee!  That was fun!

    Grab a Rock.  Feel free to go bigger, we aren’t going very far.

    Crabwalking

    Line up for 11s OYO:

    • Shoulder Press with your rock (which stays here)
    • Bear Crawl about 40 yards
    • Merkins
    • Crab Walk back

    Very quickly, YHC realized that this combo was going to be a) slow and b) hard on the shoulders.  So – Modify, replacing Bear Crawl with Lunge Walk.  Didn’t make it go faster (this definitely turned into a timekiller), but it did mix in the legs.  No change to the Crabwalks – especially when YHC discovered that perhaps there is one way he can keep up with Mahatma!  So – everyone expect More Crabwalk at future YHC Qs!

    Take a break halfway through to rest the shoulders with some Mary (slow cadence)

    • Flutter Kick x20
    • Dolly x20
    • Penguin x20

    Then back to your rocks to finish the 11s.  Return the rocks to the pile and circle up for a final round of slow-cadence Mary

    • Dying Cockroach x20
    • LBC x20
    • Box Cutter x20

    Circle up, for Count Off, Name-o-Rama, Announcements, and Prayers.  Remember those who are sick.