The recipe for today’s Vortex was simple: mix cardio and strength (i.e., cinderblocks) and deny recovery time. Add 80-degree heat, and you get something special.
After a quick lap and the customary warm-up, we began our half hour of glory. PAX sorted themselves into five groups in the midfield circle of the first soccer field. Following (mostly) the rule of “bear crawl out to a station, crab walk back into the circle after each station,” PAX rotated through five exercises: soccer-ball merkins (x20), cinderblock military press (x20), pull-ups (x20), cinderblock “shoulder lifts” (ground to shoulder, then ground to opposite shoulder (x20), and quarter-mile run. In order to keep with the principle of NO REST, those who crab walked back into the circle first did SSHs until all had arrived. After each rotation (except for the first, when YHC forgot), we gave our legs some attention by doing frog jumps (x10), burpees (x10), and jump-lunges (cadence count x10). Then we bear crawled to the next.
Individually, no exercise was that hard. Without rest and in the heat, most of us started tasting something acidic in our mouths by about the third station…
After PAX had each completed all five stations, we bear crawled out to the perimeter for a group quarter-mile run (followed by crab walk, frog jumps, burpees, jump lunges). YHC is still second-guessing the decision to go to Mary at 6:24; there was probably time for a long wheelbarrow race that would surely have put a few of us over the top in terms of vomit or fainting. For better or worse, however, we did Mary well. Walt’s wide-grip plank special and Bushwood’s now signature high-count, low, fast flutters were highlights.
Let me be clear: this madness is only fun because of the amazing group of guys who carve the time out of full schedules to post. We are all trying to balance jobs, family obligations, sleep deprivation, ailing limbs, broken AC units, etc., but it’s not part of F3 culture to bring excuses. I love that and learn something each time.
