Tag: Circus Maximus

A sold out show at the Circus, as 16 brave men embraced the spring-like morning and jumped at the opportunity for fitness, fellowship and faith while swinging some weighted bells around.  It went a little something like this:

COP –

• SSHs x25 IC
• LBCs x25 IC
• Helicopters x10 IC
• LBCs x25 IC
• Halos x10 clockwise then x10 counter-clockwise IC
• LBCs x25 IC
• Slow Goblet Squats x20 IC
• LBCs x25 IC

Mosey to the circle for Catch your Partner – Partner 1 takes both bells and lunges around the circle, Partner 2 performs 3 burpees and catches Partner 1 for the flapjack.  Lunges audibled to waiter carry for second half of the loop.

Mosey to covered columns for the main even, the Suck Relays.  Form two lines of 8 and spread out 2 men at each column down the line.  While one duo ran the loop, the PAX stationed at the columns performed various exercises, then bear-crawled to the next station when the rabbits completed their lap.  During the second relay, the rabbits performed 50 LBCs instead of running the loop and the transition between stations was lunges.  Exercises at the columns included: two-handed swings, clean and press, squat and press, snatch, WWII situps and press and something else that completely escapes YHC at the moment and wasn’t on the weinke because frankly YHC didn’t expect so many patrons at the Circus today.

Once the Suck Relays were completed, the PAX moseyed back to the parking lot for a ROF – PAX held six inches with bells held high and each PAX took turns completing 10 WWII situps and presses.

LBCs x 25 IC

2 minutes of swings to take us out.

COT – number-rama, name-a-rama and YHC took us out.

Announcements:

• Listen to the podcasts and for Godsake, someone get Saab a kettlebell!
• Ragnar – trail run and camping – see Toga
• Mountain Relays (Smoky and BRR) – see TYA
• The Shining every Thursday in DAVILLE – show up for some great 3rd F and Food (the other, more pleasant 4th F; not the one often produced by Wilson)

Moleskin:

What a morning at the Circus.  First, the gloom was hardly gloomy.  Second, the cars just kept rolling in.  Great turn out this morning fellas. And, thanks for indulging the Suck Relays.  Heavy on the swings and upper-body today, but all PAX members pushed through.  Kudos to Mud Face for sucking up the heavier bells at each station to keep Emoji from blowing out the other shoulder.  I thought it was odd that all the 30 and 35 lb KBs ended up on the same side of the columns — MEN TO THE RIGHT!

Strong work men.  A pleasure as always to step out front.

Make the most of Today.  No more Gumbo for you!

14 (no, that’s not a typo) posted for what was written up as the “Nine Minute Complex from Hell.”  The hard working PAX made it look easy.., for the most part.

Thang:

Warmup COP with failing bluetooth speaker: SSH, Good Mornings, Scapula Merkins, Scorpions, Don Quixote, Mtn Climbers, unweighted goblet squats

Ten towering redwoods posted to CircusMaxims this morning with kettlebells in hand, two of which are F3 veterans but newcomers to CircusMaximus. It was wet and warm out, but not raining. Johnsonville (YHC) took the Q, and this is how it went down, more or less.

speedy warmup: ssh, scissor lunges, arm circles

Deck of Death —

Aces — 50 mountain climbers or 50 LBCs (amended after 2 rounds to 100 LBCs since 50 mountain climbers is 300% harder than Lame-O LBCs)
Hearts (garden variety) — Merkin (kettlebell) Row
Hearts (face cards) — 10 plank walks with jump
Diamonds (garden variety) — Single Arm Swings (1 per arm per value on card)
Diamonds (face cards) — 10 burpees
Spades (garden variety) — Goblet Kettlebell Squat Press
Spades (face cards) — 10 jump lunges
Clubs (garden variety) — Sit up with Kettlebell Press
clubs (face cards) — 10 crab cakes

It is hard to get through a deck in 45 minutes. Thus, we had almost no downtime.

For some reason, we only did 10 crab cakes. I know there were 52 cards, so we must of doubled or tripled up on some other things. Q’s brain don’t function too good sometimes.

Rosie finished many sequences first even though he was swinging a big KB… show-off. Offshore had flashing lights on his shoes (psychedelic man) and a brand spanking new Christmas-gift-looking gray kettlebell. He and KevinBacon are the CircusMaximus newcomers. They rocked it, and it was great having them out (if for no other reason, so Offshore can optimize some processes and other shi** and so KevinBacon can keep you up to speed on the status of your past classmates and distant relatives).

HoneyDo quietly took care of business, and had to roll immediately after. Gumbo seemed to want more mericans than was on order. WhiteDeer appeared quiet to YHC (who was fairly busy trying to flip cards and translate them into exercises); others say he was his normal chatty self. Stay gold, Ponyboy.

FlipPhone arrived late, but that is ok since he came from ChurchHill. Earthworm was with us, but did an alternative exercise for nearly everything. That is better than an FS.

YHC faced a verbal assault when be tried to describe what cards signified what exercises. Apparently, this PAX does not accept any level of complexity. YHC stopped to allow the assault to subside, and DK hilariously asked if YHC was having a “Wilson moment.” Those who have seen Wilson react to unexpected events during a Q know what that means… Anyhoo, it was quite funny and delivered with DK’s lightning-fast wit. We do love you, Wilson.

It was hard to follow Toga’s Q from the prior week, where here brought out a mixture of jiu jitsu, acrobatics, and Michelangelo painting The Last Judgment. But, I did what I could. Thanks for permitting me to lead — it was a pleasure.

Jville

Nine, that’s right nine, posted for some kettlebell fun at the Circus.  Sunny and 70 with the regular clanking of kettlebells in the morning.

Thang:  Circle up for warmup COP.  Consult weinke for first pair of many exercises.

• Sumo squat and press + kb swings: alternating 3×10 ea.
• Deadlift to jump squat + curb pullovers: alternating 3×10 ea.
• Swing switch + curls: alternating 3×10 ea.
• Plank pass + single arm row (5 ea. arm): alternating 3×10 ea.
• Reverse lunge (5 ea. leg) + kb drivers: alternating 3×10 ea.
• Single leg deadlift (5 ea. leg) + hip-up/sit-up: alternating 3×10 ea.

Circle up for lots of conveyor belt kb passes, and Attila took us out in the COT.

NMM: It was good to be back at the Circus, and it was great to see such a solid PAX.  Per the list above, we tackled several new exercises, and YHC often leveraged a weinke to make sure the pairings were correct.  In the middle of the first set Rosie observed, “you need a weinke for this?”  At my advanced age, yes, but it should be noted that the mumble chatter was pretty nonexistent.  The PAX may have decided to conserve their breath as we progressed through the list.  It’s also worth noting that Santa  delivered Rosie a nice new 35 lb kb for Xmas.  It’s all about the gains!  YHC was also truly impressed to look up from my swings to see perfect form from Gumbo.  YHC started to draw the PAX’s attention to Gumbo as a Maximus icon when it became apparent that Gumbo was using some kind of lightweight, FitnessLady brand kettlebell.  Maybe Gumbo was on the naughty list and didn’t get a nice new 35.

Strong work today by all!

Stay Classy,

Toga

3 regulars & 1 visitor braved a soaking rain to post to a Kettlebell beat down @ Godwin High School that went something like this:

THANG

Mosey to bus loop shelter

COP: SSH, DQs, Tempo Merkins, Crunchy Frog, Crab Cakes, KB Press with PAX backs to one another

Quadruple Check/KB Stations

1) KB Wall sit (millennium falcon), KB Swing, KB Press/Bridge & Over, Forward lunge 3 columns & back

2) KB Halo, KB Goblet Squat, KB clean-rack-press, Backward lunge 3 columns & back

3) KB Standing Row, KB Merkin Row, KB Lawnmower, Bearcrawl 3 columns + Crawlbear back

4) KB Around the World, KB tricep press, KB Bob & Weave, run to end of bus loop + 5 burpees + run back

5) Wall Plank, KB Figure-8, KB Swing – pause with KB overhead, KB Death Crawl (Bear Crawl w/ KB) 2 columns & back

6) Left hand KB swing, right hand KB swing, Alternating single hand KB Swing, Crab walk 2 columns & back

Plank-o-rama into COP: plank dips, flutter kicks, LBCs (fast-slow-fast)

COT – Atilla took us out

NM:

Nice to meet Dr. Evil after seeing his name in RVA backblasts in the past. Dr. Evil visited the Circus for the first time and arrived without a KB. No problem. This gave us the perfect opportunity mix in some none KB activities so that nobody maxed out throwing weight around.

YHC had nothing planned and thought a hot-potato workout was in order. However, Johnsonville was operating on very little sleep and didn’t appear capable of calling a cadence. So, he & Atilla helped YHC incorporate many KB exercises we use at Circus Maximus. It was a good intro to anyone new to KBs. Thanks for everyone’s help!

The bus loop shelter provided sufficient cover from a constant rain, though some exercises were still performed in the rain.

We’re all thinking of Earthworm and hope that he gets better soon!

4 regulars posted for a Kettlebell beatdown after the longest night of the year. It went something like this:

COP: SSH, Mountain Climbers, DQ, LBC, Merkin

KB Waiter’s Carry around the bus loop

Long Tabattas for the longest night: 8 rounds of 30 seconds on, 15 seconds off then 10 count then KB Waiter’s Carry

4 Long Tabattas achieved: Standing KB Row, KB Goblet Squat, Rosie’s KB Bridge Press & Over, KB Clean + Rack + Press

Some Mary: Flutter Kicks & Hello Dolly

COT – Gumbo took us out

NMS

Lots of Redskins & FF mumbling this morning. Chum & YHC took Monday night’s loss the hardest. Why do we even care?

Discussion around Flashdance & Flipper’s Man-o-rama calendar…or is it a car wash? Either way anonymity ensued as fellow RVA PAX members were named as potential owners of banana-hammocks for the car wash. Lab Rat & Abacus were mentioned. Any questions, see Flashdance.

Gumbo is preparing to embark on 3 days of birthday xmas polooza. Enjoy the merriment!

Johnsonville is Qing a 2.0 friendly workout at GridIron on Christmas Eve. See you there.

Happy Holidays to all!

Three of the Faithful rolled into the Godwin parking lot early and eager for the Drum Beat of the CM. The Gloom was a forced imagination; the sky was brilliantly illuminated with the Luna Plena and the air comfortably crisp.

After a jaunt around the school via the Appian Way the Pax engaged in a quick warmup of DQs, IWs, and SSHs followed by a Kettle Bell version of:

COT: Windmills, Squat and High Pulls, Goblet Squats, Goblet Alternating Leg Lunges, 2-hand Swings, R Rack and Presses, L Rack and Presses, Goblet alternating side Presses, R Snatches, L Snatches, Halos, Pull-overs and Presses, Alternating Single Leg V Ups, and APDs, all IC with a few exceptions. Rinse and repeat in reverse order. Four Minutes of Atlas consisting of Tricep Presses Tibata style.

Counterama and Namerama

Announcements: 2.0 Friendly GridIron on December 24 – J’Ville has the Q; Attila has the Q for this Saturday’s edition of GridIron.

Take out prayer by YHC – the Great Gift.

Moleskin: Blocking and Tackling day at CM this morning – most moves performed at a deliberate pace to strengthen form. Surprising amount of fatigue, especially following the Atlas.

And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.