Category: Richmond, VA

  • CHAD1000x

    5 HIM came out in the cold, brought some weight and did some work. We each got through 400 steps ups plus 3 rounds of FIRE. Today though, is for our veterans.

    October 29, 2018 Navy SEAL Chad Wilkinson took his life. While approaching his 21st year of active duty and experiencing multiple combat deployments, his body and his mind had taken too much.

    “This is a silent disease where symptoms, triggers, and warnings are often recognized too late. Chad is not alone, this is a silent epidemic with the enemy sneaking quietly into our homes and it has to stop. We want to use Chad’s life and legacy to raise awareness for suicide prevention. Our hope is to remove mental health stigmas, and encourage people to reach out, one step at a time, no matter who you are.

    Our goal is to honor Chad and all Veterans currently struggling this and every Veterans Day moving forward. I hope you’ll join me and our community in doing the Hero WOD named after my husband Chad, supporting Veteran Mental Health Initiatives.

    There are a lot of people who are struggling, too many lives are lost. Many more we can prevent. We believe that physical health leads to mental health and everybody needs somebody. So use “CHAD” as inspiration. Say his name, honor his story, and live big by sharing your time with friends and those you love. Tomorrow is never promised.”

    As men, we carry the weight of the world on our shoulders some days. If there is anyone who is struggling please know its OK to ask for help, from your family, friends, professionals, your brothers – lean on others and you can make it through whatever struggle you face, know that. There is also the national suicide and crisis prevention hotline, simply dial 988.

    www.stepupfoundation.org

    Thank a veteran today

  • Give them the finger

    The usual suspects came out of the Gloom for a breezy but relatively warm run around what is known as the lower fingers. Out of the BWES parking lot across the street up and down each cul-de-sac and down to the park for 4 miles

    Numbers / Names Bullseye took us out

    NMS: Run a mile with a friend and learn how different and yet how the same your lives really are

  • Squad Bay Beatdown

    Today being the 250th birthday for the Marine Corps, YHC had an USMC themed workout.

    YHC decided to show the PAX what a Parris Island boot camp style squad bay beat down looks like.

    COP – various warmup exercises.

    Squad Bay – The PAX lines up as they would in a squad bay, facing each other about 10-15 ft apart. We decided to use the parking lot numbers as our starting position.
    11s – The PAX facing each other does monkey humpers at the starting position, bear crawl to middle to meet for some buoya merkins.
    Triple check – YHC introduced the PAX to the quarterdeck, where Marine Corps recruits receive additional motivation by a drill instructor. For our scenario, we used the sidewalk as our quarterdeck. Same starting positions, P1 does SSH, P2 squats, P3 is the timer, runs to quarterdeck and does 5x burpees. Rinse and repeat.

    During the triple check recruit Yardsale decided to mess up the rotation, so true to Parris Island style, the entire PAX goes to the sand pit for further character development. We mosey to front of school, P1 wall sit, P2 run to sidewalk 10x 2 count imperial walkers. Rinse and repeat 3x.

    Circle up for ring of fire merkins. Mosey back to flag for ring of fire core. Recover.

    Numbers, names, Corned Beef took us out.

  • Beaver High Tails It

    It was just the pines and Beaver this morning. YHC covered something like 5.2 mi and gets a max speed of 12.2 mph. YHC took a page from Commando’s book and used this time to talk with God in the overcast gloom. Even though I missed the guys, it was nice to have this alone time.

  • Huge Bells #2 – Conquering Mt. Chaplain

    Six men of Gondor brought their finest forged steel from the mines of Moria to do battle on this gloomy Monday morn.

    Warmarama – Mosey around the parking lot, observing all traffic cones, then circle up in the parking lot for various stretches. YHC kept the calisthenics light today given our pump-focused workout. It honestly felt a little weird given all of the running that takes place at Huguenot High on a later day of the week.

    COP #1 – Kettle Bell Bear Crawl
    To launch into our workout the PAX bear crawled down the parking lot from L Woods’ bumper to Chaplain’s and then back, advancing our kettlebells underneath us as we went.

    COP #2 – Mt. Chaplain Circuit
    Six stations – 2min. max effort each station with a 20sec. rest in between
    1) Lateral Deadlift Passes – With feet wider than shoulders, place the KB/weight on the outside of one foot and then transfer it across the body using the opposite hand.
    2) Rows – Hinged at the waist, single arm. AKA lawn mower pulls.
    3) Squats – You know this one
    4) Swings – Russian style
    5) Shoulder to Overhead – Alternating single arm. Depending on the weight in use this could be ground-to-overhead, strict, or assisted with a kip.
    6) 50lb KB carry up and down Mt. Chaplain as many times as allowable in the time limit.

    COP #3 – Swing/Squat/Press Complex
    Cadence: Always perform a KB swing, front squat, and OH press in quick succession. Each round one of the movements goes up in reps.
    – Round 1: 1-5 Swings, 1 Squat, 1 Press
    – Round 2: 1 Swing, 1-5 Squats, 1 Press
    – Round 3: 1 Swing, 1 Squat, 1-5 Press
    – Total Reps: 75

    COP #4 – Ab Circuit
    – 2 Rounds of 20 Deadbugs, 20 Front Plank Pass-Throughs, and 20 American Hammers
    – 2 minutes of Turkish Get-Ups OYO until time called.

    Numbers/Names/Announcements/Prayer Requests
    – The Bridge – Saturday 11/15
    – SOJ Chili-Cookoff
    – Daddy/Daughter Dance
    – Prayers for NTB travelling with family out of the country this weekend.

    Awesome morning with the PAX! Looking forward to seeing this AO grow.

  • Tried and True at Hoedown

    At 0529, 8 men stood in the parking lot at Tuckahoe Elementary School wondering what YHC had in store. As Handshake came screeching into the parking lot at 0530, we did a short loop around the parking lot to give Handshake time to get out of his car. With Handshake in tow, we headed to Third Church’s Parking Lot A for warm up.

    Warm Up included the following:

    • SSH
    • DQ
    • Helicopter
    • Merkin
    • Scorpion Kick
    • Suzanne Summers

    Mosey behind the church to Parking Lot B for a triple check.

    • Partner 1 – Run to the end of the parking lot and bernie sanders back
    • Partner 2 – BTTW
    • Partner 3 – flutter kicks

    Mosey to Parking Lot C for 4 corners.

    • 10 HRMs
    • 20 WWIIs
    • 30 Flutter Kicks
    • 40 Squats

    Stay in place and retrieve coupons for triple check #2.

    • Partner 1 – Run around parking lot
    • Partner 2 – alternating merkins on block
    • Partner 3 – squats

    Mosey down Silverspring doing exercises for the different vehicles encountered. Crossovers are counted as cars. And, Honeydo asked whether a Honda Ridgeline counts as a truck. The pax debated but did their burpees.

    • SUVs – 5 merkins
    • Cars – 5 squats
    • Trucks – 2 burpees

    Return to the flag for a few minutes of Mary.

    Announcements

    1. Thanksgiving Day Convergence. 0700 at Mary Munford. See Slack for Details.
    2. EF Hutton leading the Bridge this Saturday. 0600 launch. See Hutton for details.

    Numbers, Names and YHC took us out. Thanks for letting me lead today!

  • Crabtastic Q

    Between work travel and football-fartsacking, YHC has missed a few Alamo’s and wanted to get back out there. No better motivation than to put your name on the Q sheet! I completed my pre-blast on a paper plate and sent it to the group the night before.

    Gathered the group, mosey to start things off. Fresh legs led to a tempest pace out the gates. Warmup to get the blood flowing on a chilly morning.

    First THANG – Pyramids
    These are becoming a favorite of mine. Start with one exercise, add one exercise each round. After completing 6 exercises in a round, we start dropping one.
    One the tennis court along the base line (some may call it other things but they are foolish)
    1 – Shuttle run
    2 – hand release merkins x10
    3 – mountain climbers for Swoop x20
    4 – Superman planks (Nancy named these, send all complaints his way) x10
    5 – J-LO pickle poppers x10
    6 – Burpees x5
    Editor’s Note: It would appear from the mumble-chatter that shoulders were burning amongst the group

    Second THANG – Triple Check
    Per plate instructions, head to the hill behind the hill and locate 5 sandbags in the dark.
    Runner – run up hill with sandbag, lunge down the hill.
    P2 – No surrenders
    P3 – Lt Dans
    Editor’s note: It would appear from mumble chatter that legs were still struggling after Friday’s SH workout. YHC intended this to be true.

    Third THANG – Bunker Kicks
    Mosey to bunker for a series of Donkey Kicks / I am not worthy / Wall Sits

    BTTF for ring of fire abs edition.

    Announcements – Bridge this weekend, Hutton leading. Bunch of people doing Richmond Half – send them some love! Chili cookoff 11/23 @ 3pm, signup sheet on Slack.

    Prayers – Wildcat scans, Hermey wife healing from ankle surgery

  • Traditional Deep Q

    A six-pack of faithful warriors assembled in the gloom for a traditional Deep beat-down.  Here is how it went down:

    • COP
      • SSH
      • Ukrainian soldiers
      • IW
      • Helicopters
      • Arm circles
      • DMH
      • Merkins
      • LBC
      • APD
    • 11s on the hill by the school with Mike Tysons and WWII sit-ups
    • Mosey to the back to the school for a Lindsay with dips and step-ups – 100 of each
    • 2x 20 PLTs
    • 5 Bernies up the small hill
    • Mosey to the pull-up bars for a de-escalator of pull-ups – 6, 5, 4, 3, 3
    • 5 Bernies up the small hill
    • Mosey back to the flag for COT with YHC taking us out

    Good work from the PAX today.  We were able to get a lot in, and the ground was not soggy.  Weather should get colder the rest of the week.  Be ready.

    The Bridge is the Saturday.  Reach out to EF Hutton.  Convergence at Mary on Thanksgiving at 7 am.

    God is good all of the time!


    Attila

  • Friday Triple Checks

    Three men got out of bed this morning to get a good workout in cool weather.

    COP:

    After running some parking lot tracers, we did the following: SSH’S, Don Quixotes, Imperial walkers, copperhead squats, forward and reverse arm circles, alternating shoulder taps, hand release merkins, WW2’S, and Alabama prom dates. All in cadence.

    THANG

    Triple check 1 at basketball court

    Jump squats, LBC’S, suicides as timer( backpedal out and forward back)

    Triple Check 2 at the playground

    Pull ups, dips and lunges to the building and mosey back as timer.

    Mosey to parking lot for some boat/canoes and a ring of fire of merkins (2X)

    Numberama, Namerama, Surf n Turf took us out.

  • Back to the norm

    Today was the first day since late March where met up front, a group of 9 gents graced Rockwood Park on a nice fall Saturday morning with the shadow of the recent beaver moon still in the sky. Let’s review….

    Started off a little run around the parking lot, them into the basketball court for the uncustomary WARMARAMMA(a moving warm up not being in the circle I want to change things up). Started with runner’s lunge to a twist, then at each point 5 SSH, walking lunges with arms riding to cactus position, side shuffles, mummy kicks(I am renaming to the chaps), plank walks then a light suicide run to finish. Mosey over to the main lot which was fairly empty. 4 corners next: 20 Carolina Dry Docks, 40 SSHs, 60 American Hammers, 80 mountain climbers. Then a little stroll to the concession area for a TC(wall sits, tricep dips, run down the steps back up near the end broad jump up the steps). I wanted to do plank wall ups but the ground was a little slick. A new one I came up with: hoe downs with a twist to each side at the top. A nice little change up from the usual.

    Then down to where I had some “toys” I brought out today: classic Dora(100 Merkins, 200 squats, 300 LBCs) you’re time carried a bucket, sandbag weighting 50-60 pounds, or my Thor kettlebell hammers. After that VA little fun tire tossing, same bag pull thrus, seal crawl walks, A final stretch corn to the pull up area for a quick round pull ups, scrunchies, left lift up and over the post. A final run to the flag, 10 HRMs to close things out. Numbers, names announcements and prayer led by YHC to close Saturday morning.

    Next week, Richmond Marathon and the Bridge(I am going to the bridge, been wanting to go for a while). So you have a chance to lead a workout, do so step up time. Grab a Q i know guys will not grab one is simple the key is make it your own. You control things if you want to do a 3 mile run with a Dora added why not. Second thing: Spartan Virginia 2026 last week of getting to race for free(I mean free). You have the Super Saturday morning, there’s a Sprint in the afternoon then Sunday the Sprint is the entire day. I am doing both in the morning each day. Will I be doing the trifecta next year most likely! Where I do the beast is the next question. If any questions reach out you have a little over 11 months to get ready I have reached out to a place that is a FARM with obstacles to train. Will fill in more details as I hear back. See you at the next gloom