Tag: Circus Maximus

Godwin

  • The tale of the lost Weinke

    Eight hard chargers posted for a soupy day at the Circus.  Here’s how it went down:

    Circle up in lot for warmup COP: SSH, hillbillies, imperial walkers, russian soldiers, scorpion kicks, T stretch

    15 min AMRAP: 10 kb squats, 15 deadlifts, 20 WWII sit-ups

    10 min EMOM: 20 kb swings odd minutes and 10 burpees even minutes

    12 min AMRAP: 10 close grip merkins w hands on the bell (these are awful), 5 kb shoulder presses ea hand, 10 leg raises

    Mary: 10 skull crushers and 10 Alabama Honeymoons

    COT and Attila took us out

    NMM: Let’s start with the issue of who had the Q.  This workout can be a bit like Batteau with nobody signing up till the last minute.  YHC logged on to signup only to discover that HoneyDo had indeed stepped up.  As YHC’s weinke was already prepared, YHC politely consulted with HoneyDo to see if he was OK giving up the Q.  Without hesitation, HoneyDo cracked another brew and gave up the Q.  Enter Johnsonville who waited till YHC started the 0530 speech to claim that he was in fact the one with the Q.  There was a second where the two rams were about to go at it, but British style manners prevailed.

    Toga: “No really, you take the Q.”

    JVille: “Oh no, I couldn’t possibly, you should do it.”

    Sad!

    Once we got to work, everyone kept up a good pace with Chum Bucket and Offshore lapping everyone on the AMRAPs.  White Deer and Johnsonville even managed a call and response of the rear end horn section.  Chili Fest at Denny’s is hard on F3!

    Re the title, yes, there was a weinke.  It was lost somewhere in the middle of the workout, and YHC could not find it in his short pockets or in the small area we were using for the AO.  The document revealed itself towards the end of the workout.  Was it stuck to YHC in some inconvenient location, did White Deer hide it in hopes of avoiding some of the workout, did Conspiracy return it during the COT with nobody noticing?  The world may never know.

    Stay Classy,

    Toga

  • 3 of 4 Corners

    8 Men gathered in within Sight of the Circus ti take advantage of the weather and begin their journey along the Appian Way. It was YHC’s turn for the Da’Ville takeover and we did this:

    COP

    All IC

    SSH x 15

    DQ x 10

    Arm circles x 10 small, 5 big repeato

    4 Corners (we only got to 3)

    Indian/Native American/Indigenous Persons Burp to Corner 1

    Pax Lines up and performs kettle-bell burpees

    the six runs to the front

    repeat to the corner

    Corner 1 52 halos (26 each way)

    Merkin Death Crawl of Crawling Death x2

    Right hand side

    5 death crawls

    2 offset  merkins using kettle-bell

    5 crawl deaths

    Repeat  on left hand side

    Lunge the rest of the way to corner 2

    Corner 2 52 Sit-up Press

    Beast to Corner 3

    6 Reps of excersise every 10 steps/lunge steps

    • Merkin Rows
    • Lunge, curl, press combination
    • High Pulls
    • Honeymoon Suite x 52
    • Snatch
    • Kettle-bell burpee with row after the merkin
    • I think that there was more but i cant remember

    Corner 3 52 Clean Press (26 each arm)

    Mosey back to the flag

    Announcements

    • Charlottesville is up and running and still needs our support. Consider and commit to get out there and help the efforts to get Charlottesville up and running. This week is Roanoke’s turn.  See Lab Rat
    • Cornhole & Rock ‘N Roll, a ReeseStrong Childhood Cancer event, is this Saturday, June 10 at Marty’s Grill in Mechanicsville.  The first band starts at 11 am.  The cornhole tournament starts at 12:30 PM.  To register or for more information, click here or see Phonics.
    • Fudd soiree this Saturday! It will be at his house and M’s are invited. RSCP at his preblast.

    Numberama

    Namearama

    Attila took us out

    NMS

    YHC was informed last weekend that 52 needed to be worked into whatever beatdown was done during takeover week. Apperently there was a remark made by people that seldom come to Da’Ville badmouthing Da’Ville. YHC complied and added 2 reps to each of the corners. When YHC rolled into the parking lot this morning he realized 2 things:1) YHC cannot make it on time to AOs that are three miles away from his house, but can make it early to ones that are 15 miles away.2) the AO is larger than remembered when everything was being planned.

    YHC got his 2.0s involved in this one so he cannot take credit for the names and some of the variations. This is one of YHC’s favorite formats and it works really well for kettel-bell. There was no White Deer this morning, fortunately Attila does a very good White Deer impersonation so mumble-chatter was not affected. There were only supposed to be 6 of the Honeymoon Suites, but the PAX wanted 52 so the PAX got 52. One day we will do this workout and make it to Corner 4

    Lady runners admired us, cars tried to hit us, and we saw Speed Lunging and we will be actively working to make that a new event in the next Olympics.

    Thanks again, it was an honor to lead

     

     

  • A Suboptimal KB Workout

    Seven (or was it eight?) PAX posted to the Circus for YHC’s virgin KB Q.  After a quick disclaimer that the workout may include dance-inspired exercises, the beatdown went something like this:

    The THANG:

    COP: Hammer Dance x20 IC, Don Quixote x10 IC, Windmill x20 IC, Men at Work x20 IC, Pickle Pounders x10 IC.  After each exercise, walkout Merkins OYO increasing from 1 to 5.

    Lindsay: Lunges and Merkins down the side of the school.

    Dora: Goblet squat, KB swings, Lawnmowers.  One partner exercises while the other jogs 20 ft to the ramp, crawl bear up the ramp, and jog back.

    Conveyor Belt: curls 5x each side, shoulder press 5x each side, upright rows 10x, KB bear crawl to next station.

    Merkin Ring of Fire.

    COT

    NMM:

    Welcome to the  June Merkin challenge!  By YHC’s count (not to be trusted), PAX completed 125 Merkins.

    Earthworm complained that there was too much running, despite walking all the 20 ft lengths in the Dora.  Johnsonville asked if this workout was optimized.  It was, but the objective function was to minimize WWII situps, with a constraint on a minimum number of Merkins.  YHC will need to incorporate multi-criteria optimization next time.

    Attila and YHC competed to see who could smell their gloves the furthest from their faces.  YHC’s gloves are soaking in Woolite in an effort to lose the next round.

    Krü continues to insist on finishing all reps during recovery periods, inspiring the other PAX to push themselves harder.  Tclaps!

    White Deer, Mudface, and Jville crushed the crawl bear.  The COP warmup must have gotten their juices flowing.  Their reward was more of the exercises during the Dora.

    Announcements:

    BRR runners and drivers needed – see TYA

    ReeseStrong (M Phonics) and Fudd party 6/10

    Crossover Clinic Moo & Brew 5k (Malpractice) 6/3

  • Ludus West End

    Six Gladiators broke the bondage of sound sleep, drove through driving rain, and posted to seek the rewards of Circus Maximus. YHC served as this week’s lanista and we trained as follows:

    Thang:

    X10 SSHs; X5 Forward Arm Circles; X5 Backward Arm Circles; X5 R Curtsy Lunges; and X5 L Curtsy Lunges

    1st Quarter – 10 Minute EMOM
    Odd Minutes: X8 R KB Lunge Curl & Press
    Even Minutes: X20 L KB Swings

    2nd Quarter – 10 Minute EMOM
    Odd Minutes: X8 L KB Lunge Curl & Press
    Even Minutes: X20 R KB Swings

    3rd Quarter – 10 Minute EMOM
    Odd Minutes: X12 R KB Snatch
    Even Minutes: X12 KB High Pull

    4th Quarter – 10 Minute EMOM*
    Odd Minutes: X12 L KB Snatch
    Even Minutes: X20 KB Pull Overs

    COT (inadvertently undertaken in reverse order):

    YHC closed us with prayer

    Announcements: Convergence at 0630 on Monday at Belle Island (Park at Tredegar)

    Counterama and Namearama

    Moleskin:

    Proper execution of the LCPs was elusive – with some more reps we’ll master this compound movement that promises to pair nicely with TGUs.

    *We fell short on 24 L KB Snatches today – homework for the amusement of your neighbors.

    Unspoken were the thoughts that EMOMs are the stock and trade of the unimaginative Q – mea culpa.

    Great to have Kru out for his sophomore showing at the CM – even brought two KBs. Those Gloucester boys are strong.

    Speculation was rampant concerning WhiteDeer’s impressive punch at the top of each snatch: was he one of those kids constantly raising his hand in class to the annoyance of his less eager classmates? Johnsonville’s conversion to a heavier KB is a success based on his strong efforts today. FlipPhone ripped through the EMOMs begging the question: does he need a heavier KB? ChumBucket stepped out from the protection of the bus lane cover and commanded the rain to stop – and it did, with the rain yielding to a dry and pleasant morning.

    Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14

  • No sad clowns at this circus

    A magnificent VII (yes, seven) posted for this week’s version of Circus Maximus and we took a shot at the following:

    Startup COP with 20 x Side Straddle Hops, Imperial Walkers, Russian Soldiers, and Helicopters followed by Arm Circles x 15 (including small and big and both ways) and 15 x WWII Situps.  Jog a lap around the parking lot.

    Resume circle for 10 x Two Handed KB Swings, 10 x Goblet Shoulder Presses, 10 x Bent Over Rows, 10 x Overhead Triceps Presses, 20 x Merkins, and 10 x Two Handed Handle Curls.  Complete three rounds then walk the bus circle while weighted and alternating Suitcase and Waiter carries.

    Circle up again for 10 x Goblet Squats, 10 x Crab Pots (Lawnmowers, and per arm), 10 x Upright Rows, 10 x Backhand Triceps Presses (per arm), 20 x Wide Grip Merkins, and 10 x Two Handed Cup Curls.  Complete three rounds then walk the bus circle weighted and alternating Waiter and Rack carries.

    Circle on the grass for 10 x Overhead Lunges (per leg), 10 x Figure 8s, 10 x Kneeling Cleans, 10 x KB Merkins, and 10 x Standing Box Cutters.  Move to the curb for 20 x Pullovers, 20 x Skullsplitters, and 3 x Fast/Slow Curls (per arm).

    COT with Earthworm taking us out.

    Announcements – Charlottesville launch upcoming.

    Moleskin – It seemed important to YHC to start Helicopters going 5 starting left first then 5 starting right.  As White Deer points out, there really is no difference.  It did not seem important to start Figure 8s around each leg.

    YHC had a long list for his virgin Circus Maximus Q – did not get to some things. Next time.  Enjoyed it.

     

  • You were in the Army? Get him a heavier Kettlebell

    Eight strong came out to Circus Maximus before the rains came. 53 degrees and cloudy, perfect weather to toss around some kettlebells.

    Cop – SSH, Merkins, DQs,  LBCs, Helicopters, Mtn Climbers

    5 Sets of 10-20-30. 10 Halos, 20 Overhead Presses, 30 KB Swings. Run half a lap between sets.

    Lunge across parking lot, up hill, 5 Burpees, then Lunge back down.

    Head to Grass – 2 min of Boat-Canoe. 3 sets of 10 Merkin rows & 20 Mtn Climbers.  American Hammers, with & without Kettlebell. 3 sets of 5 Curls. 3 sets of 10 Lawnmowers. Finish with more Boat-Canoe.

    Earthworm took us out.

    NMS – Gomer Pyle came out for his 2nd Honeydo Q this week. He enjoyed the first one so much he came to CM without a Kettlebell. Luckily White Deer had one to spare.

    Mumblechatter focused on Jville and his Teapot form but with him not in attendance White Deer soon turned to his Mumblechatter muse Atilla.

    The PAX took on the Lunge across the lot for the 2nd time YHC has tried it. Time will tell if they will be met with the same posterior pain as the first time last year.

    The PAX discovered that Gomer was in the Army so White Deer insisted on upgrading his loaner kettlebell from his 20 lb one. He even got to test out the Chum Bucket 35 lb.

    Speaking of Chum Bucket, he was in the lead the whole beatdown. YHC should have asked Gomer if that 35 lb KB is legit.

    Hoops posted again, while Gumbo missed, adding further fuel they are the same person.  Good to see Earthworm back out- YHC reminded him that Heartbreak Ridge is awaiting his post there.

    A lot of these exercises were specifically targeted to help the PAX with their tennis game. Even with rain tonight Tennis Thursdays are coming to a court near you.

    Silent Assassin signing off.

  • Hot Kettle-tato

    No one volunteered for the Q at Circus Maximus, but that is never a problem with J-ville around.  Hot potato Q ensued, and here is how it went down:

    Johnsonville kicks us off:

    • Warm-up – 25 SSH, 10 merkins, 20 LBCs, 20 Mountain Climbers
    • 10 KB curls – each arm
    • 15 KB presses
    • 10 Lawnmower pulls – each arm
    • 20 KB swings
    • 10 merkin rows
    • 11s – wall planks & sit-up presses

    White Deer takes the reign

    • 20 APD
    • 10 one-leg APD – each leg
    • Boat, canoe, paddleboat
    • Triple Check – burpees, wall sit and double weighted farmers carry

    YHC finishes it up

    • 20 Alabama honeymoons on the curve
    • 15 standing rows
    • 15 tricep curls
    • 15 weighted squats
    • Group curb crawl
    • 15 weighted American hammers
    • 15 non-weighted American hammers

    COT with YHC taking us out with a prayer of thanksgiving

    Moleskin – Great to have Krü with us.  He is a welcomed addition to the west end PAX.  No one is head locking him to show.  He just keeps coming to different workouts, which is really encouraging.  Keep up the hard work Krü.  White Deer and I have no mumble chatter for you, just T claps and respect.

    Hoops is starting to come out of his shell, having some mumble chatter for his old man.  I have to show the 2.0 respect for keeping his cool even when his pops says awkward and embarrassing comments.  At 15, you are a bigger man than I.  I would have probably starting jogging home if my old man was speaking trash from so many orifices.

    Welcome to CM Upchuck.  It was great to have you.  I respect the fact that a purple KB did not deter you from joining our circus.  Walmart is awaiting you for the purchase of a new KB.  Come back next week.

    As always, grateful for the leadership of men like Johnsonville.  Did not skip a beat with this workout.

    See you in the gloom.  Attila

  • You vs You vs Us vs Them

    8 competitors arrived at the Circus Maximus stadium on this beautiful morning. The event was Turkish Get Ups and the athletes were focused. This is what happened

    COP all IC

    SSH x 20

    DQ x 10

    Helicopters x 10

    Arm circles 10 small 5 big and reverso

    TGU Championship

    2 minutes to complete the number of TGUs for the round. One added to count each round. Secondary exercise done until time is up. You are out if you cannot get the number for the round. Then secondary exercises for the 2 minute time. Secondaries were:

    Lawn mowers

    Lunges

    Clean and press

    Goblet squats

    Snatch

    Merkin rows

    Sit up press

    Swings

    Lawn mowers

    Sit up press

    Snatch

    Tree of Woe

    Partner up. One partner runs a short lap while the other static holds weight, switch. Holds were:

    Cross – arms out to the side at shoulder height with bell in each hand

    Al Gore – Normal, but holding on bell at arms length

    Back Fly – bend over, back parallel to the ground, lift and holds bells out to the side

    Merkin row ring of fire

    Pax gets into plank. One person does 3 merkin rows until all PAX has gone

    Numberama

    Namerama

    Announcements

    Ragnar this weekend

    Ash Creek 5K May 20th

    Charlottesville expansion May 20th

    New AO at Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville May 11th

    Earthworm took us out

    NMS

    This is a workout that YHC introduced at MANNdate about a month back and the most that we were able to get were 8 in the two minute time period. IN the spirit of friendly competition if was brought to the Circus.

    The PAX this morning got loud an excited as Rosie and Gumbo got to round 10 and 11 respectively. Well done gentlemen, you have set the bar high. YHC does not believe that many of the secondaries were done on Gumbo’s last round with all the encouragement being thrown his way.  This one of the things the YHC loves about this group that if someone is making themselves better everyone else is there to make some noise for them on the way.

    Tree of Woe is one that I really like, but the partnering of the two slowest runners together makes it that much harder. Kettlebell static hold back flys SUCK.

    As always, it was a privilege to lead

     

     

     

  • Sounds of Nature or Why Didn’t I Bring a Speaker

    A magnificent nine posted for another edition of Circus Maximus (yet another AO where YHC lost the naming discussion).  With cars pulling in at start time we got right to it.

    Warmup COP: SSH, Don Quixote, squats, scapula merkins, merkins

    Return to the 9 minute kb complex from hell (30 secs of ea. exercise with little or no stopping between sets)

    • Two handed swings
    • Cleans
    • Snatch
    • Clean and Press
    • Lunge, 30 sec ea. leg
    • Single leg dead lift, 30 sec ea. leg
    • Single hand swings, 30 sec ea. arm
    • Goblet squats
    • Push press, 30 sec ea. arm
    • Swing burpees

    ~1 minute rest while we did leg raises and flutter kicks then back through the complex above

    Move to grassy area for ciabattas (4 sets of ea. exercise with 20 secs on and 10 off)

    Group 1: Frog Burpees (think regular burpee but with a frog/donkey kick instead of the merkin) and alternating L/R Snatches

    Group 2: Swings and Balls to the Wall Walk (B2WW= regular B2W position but then you try to walk out to a plank and then back up= crowd pleaser)

    Circle up for American Hammers, Hip-up Sit-ups, V-up Tuck-ups

    COT

    NMM:  Halfway through the first complex Offshore asked if YHC had music for this previously.  He was correct, but the speaker kept going out, and it was abandoned halfway through the workout.  Before this is attempted again, a new speaker or some sort of effort to rectify the music situation will be undertaken.  It turns out that standing in a circle while swinging around weights does not always engender conversation and the grunting escalates as the workout progresses.  JVille eventually takes on a wheezing, ragged grunt.  Attila goes from grunt to whimper, and YHC realized that the person who sounded like they were giving themselves a hernia was in fact YHC.  All that said, the best had to be White Deer as his grunting took on an urgent and excited tone during B2WW.  We were all getting a look into his “O” face/vinegar strokes, and none of us needed to see/hear that.., least of all, his 2.0.

    As indicated by the noises, hard work was done by all.

    Stay Classy,

    Toga

     

  • Kettlebell variation of the Golden Horseshoe

    Seven redwoods bucked predictions of the sky falling and posted at CircusMaximus with kettlebells in hand. Johnsonville (YHC) took Q, and led a gloom-filled workout along these lines:

    Warmup with SSH, mericans, crabcakes, LBCs, and armcircles.

    Mosey between the columns by the bus loop for a sequence (somewhat) resembling the Golden Horseshoe along these lines:

    — 10x sit and press, bearcrawl 10 strides, karaoke to point down corridor and back
    — 10x kb swing, 10x sit and press, bearcrawl 10 strides, karaoke to point down corridor and back
    — 5x standing kb press & repeat other arm, 10x kb swing, 10x sit and press, bearcrawl 10 strides, karaoke to point down corridor and back
    ***** respite with 3 minute plank sequence *****
    — 10x rotating wall planks, 5x standing kb press & repeat other arm, 10x kb swing, 10x sit and press, bearcrawl 10 strides, run backwards to point down corridor and back
    — 10x lawnmower pulls & repeat other arm, 10x rotating wall planks, 5x standing kb press & repeat other arm, 10x kb swing, bearcrawl 10 strides, run backwards to point down corridor and back
    — 10x standing rows, 10x lawnmower pulls & repeat other arm, 10x rotating wall planks, 5x standing kb press & repeat other arm, 10x kb swing, bearcrawl 10 strides, run backwards to point down corridor and back
    ***** respite with 2 minute plank sequence *****
    — 5x merican rows & repeat other arm, 10x standing rows, 10x lawnmower pulls & repeat other arm, 10x rotating wall planks, 5x standing kb press & repeat other arm, bearcrawl 10 strides, bunny hop to point down corridor and back
    — 5x merican rows & repeat other arm, 10x standing rows, 10x lawnmower pulls & repeat other arm, 10x rotating wall planks, bearcrawl 10 strides, bunny hop to point down corridor and back
    ***** respite with 2 minute plank sequence *****
    — 5x merican rows & repeat other arm, 10x standing rows, 10x lawnmower pulls & repeat other arm, bearcrawl 10 strides, bunny hop to point down corridor and back

    Finish with AmericanHammers and AlabamaPrmDates.

    COT with Attila taking us out.

    This workout delivered a lot reps and sets. I may have distorted the ordering a bit up above, but I think it is pretty close.

    I was expecting to face horrible weather and, as a result, a very small PAX. The predictions turned out to be wrong on both fronts, and it was a nice surprise to have solid numbers this morning.

    I am not sure how I ended up on the Q roster for the 2nd week in a row — probably a clerical mistake by YHC. I did not mean to monopolize leadership of the AO, and I hope that did not bother anyone.

    We achieved 7 min of planks this morning. The door is open to pick up extra minutes today for those doing the challenge.

    Great job this morning on a hard sequence of KB exercises. Sincerely, Jville