Another fine early Friday morning found YHC driving the 2 minute commute over to Root Elementary (the perks of being the guy who sets up the new work-out sites). For those of you twenty something rabbits, moderate temperatures and lower humidity are always better conditions when you’re still pushing a BMI over 26 around F3 Nation. Usually it means Dice won’t get light headed or short of breath leading to a dry merlot or skipping out of cadence counts.
As the weather turns on days like we’ve had this week, YHC is reminded of his days back in college in good old Champaign Urbana – with Fall weather coming in and college football starting up I think back to having the 7:00am Saturday Morning workouts in the outdoor pool where the warmer water would hit the cooling air and a fog would lift up over the surface creating a surreal mist you couldn’t see through from the pool deck. After a three hour session, we’d hit the showers, throw on some orange and blue and set off towards the pregame parties.
Sometimes this nostalgia is a harsh reminder of how fit many of us were 15-20-25-30 years ago and what has happened since. Back in the day I could swim 15-18,000 yards a day (600-720 laps) over two workouts with some dry-land exercises and a weight workout thrown in between, then go out and play an hour or two of basketball or flag football followed by an evening that didn’t really kick off until 11:00 pm and usually didn’t quit until 2 or 3 on the weekends. At my peak, I was just over two hundred pounds and 4.5-5% body fat. Yeah. Ah, the good old days. And then came life, four years of graduate school, a full-time-plus job, a wife, two more years of graduate school, three kids, a mortgage and that never ending cycle of bills, bills, and taxes. Oh, and along the way 40+ pounds of something other than muscle.
A year ago, this look back almost always ended up in a deep sigh and an uncomfortable admission that the guy in the mirror was me. About 245 pounds of me, on a good day. Acceptance can be a bitch, it’s so much easier to keep practicing that self-deception that “it’s not that bad, I’m still in some kind of shape”…except that shape is more of a block.
So this morning, on the way to Lame Duck I thought, I was just on the scale at the practice yesterday and I’m under 215 for the first time since I got married 15 years ago. And even though I can’t run on my hip right now, I did a 5K in under 28 minutes two months ago. I’m stronger and more agile than I’ve been in a decade….and I’m improving on a weekly basis. Those 38-40 inch pants which were getting to be tight now hang off of me and my belt is an easy two notches down from that worn groove of old. – my wife says I can’t “get a new wardrobe” until I’ve kept it off for a year.
The thing is, I’m not alone. I know I’m not alone because I can see it in the faces, and the chests, and the abs and the legs of these crazy guys I’ve been seeing these last six months as they also get up at 5:15 in the morning two, three, four, five times a week to meet up with other crazy guys in the dark to follow some lunatic who wants them to bend and stretch and burn and churn and sweat for 45 minutes….and then go on out to start the rest of their day. Those others who don’t understand F3 think us crazy.
If this is crazy, then sign me up for the full blown psychosis.
Intro / Disclaimer:
No FNGs so disclaimer was summarized to – You know what this is about. New guy to the Recovery workout (Fungo) so additional advisement. If you know an exercise is going to hurt or it starts hurting, skip it and pick another optional exercise. Join back with the Pax cadence when we get to an exercise you can do.
The Thang;
Warm-up: Blacktop
25x SSH Slow Pace
20x Good Morning, Stretch
20x Imperial Walkers
10/10x SF Arm Circles
20x Prayer Squat, Stretch
20x Mountain Climbers
20x Windmill, Stretch
20x Prisoner Squat, Stretch
First Station: AstroTurf
25x SSH Fast Pace
10x Burpees, OYO
20x LBC, (2 per 4 count, 40 reps)
10 Burpees, OYO
20x A. Hammers (2 per 4 count, 40 reps)
10x Burpees, OYO
20x Freddie Mercury
10x Burpees, OYO
Second Station: Upstairs Picnic Tables
25x SSH Fast Pace
15x Irkins, Slow (1 per 4 count, 15 reps)
15x Dips, Slow (1 per 4 count, 15 reps)
15/15x Step Ups (15 starting on one leg, then 15 starting opposite)
15x Derkins, Slow (1 per 4 count, 15 reps)
30 Count by Q
Repeato
25x SSH Breakneck Pace
10x Irkins, fast (2 per 4 count, 20 reps)
10x Dips, Slow (1 per 4 count, 10 reps)
10/10x Steps up
10x Derkins, fast (2 per 4 count cycle, 20 reps)
Mary: AstroTurf
25x SSH Fast Pace
20x Ski Abs
20x Merkins (1 per 4 count, 20 reps)
20x LBC (2 per 4 count, 40 reps)
20x Carolina Dry Docks (1 per 4 count, 20 reps)
20x A. Hammers (2 per 4 count cycle, 40 reps)
Plank to Fail (Cornholio 1:47 / Fungo 1:46)
Chilcut to fail (Cornholio 1:01 / Fungo & Screech 55)
Name-O-Rama
Announcements:
2nd F Happy Hour – Standing event on Calendar every Friday Ridgewood Beer around 5PM
3rd F Convergence – N. Hills Country Club Tues 6:45P. F3 Howard to speak on his work with ministry and upcoming mission trip to Africa. I’m told other F3 topics regarding growth/expansion and plans for Foundation will also be discussed. Fazio needs a HeadCount sound off on the “Convergence” thread by noon TODAY.
Monday’s Recovery Work-out: Disabled List 5:45 is being moved temporarily to the N.Hills Mall Movie Theater AstroTurf (same location as Wed. Injured Reserve) while Dice checks the grass field at Chuy’s to see if sprinkle debacle is repeated there.
Prayer Requests:
Recovery for the Injured.
Cornholio says he’s improved in his mobility and feeling better part of the time but still feels an intense burning sensation in his knees with any level of weight loading or joint cycling. Don’t over do it my friend.
Q thought for the day:
Please take the time to tell those you care about how you feel. It’s never wasted -and you never know if/when you’ll get that chance again. Your whole world can change in the blink of an eye, or in my case in a single phone call.
BOM: Screech took us out – Thanks to God for our opportunities to get together. Help us to help ourselves be better husbands fathers and friends. Continue to heal.
– Dice
