Tag: Circus Maximus

After the workout, coffee included a discussion on home electric generators. When the power fails in Goochland, Blue Moon lives ‘off-the-grid’ using a propane powered electric generator. Offshore (and likely the rest of us) just lives “off-the-grid” when the power fails. We have discovered that an advanced civilization has developed in Goochland.

It was a thoroughly wet day, so we went to the far end of the covered walkway.

Beginning with the standard disclaimer: “I’m not a professional, while you are here, try not to add any injuries to what is already afflicting you, etc.”

Warm-up: All in cadence

• 20 SSHs
• 20 IWs
• 20 Copperhead squats
• Right over left, left over right hamstring stretch

We stayed in a circle and I passed out 5 sheets of paper inside of plastic sleeves with 2 ‘pictures’ of a KB exercise. If you didn’t like that exercise, you could turn the sheet over as most of the sheets had another KB exercise on the back. We had 5 stations plus a timer. The timer did a Farmer’s carry; carried his own KB in one hand, another 25-pound KB in the other hand and walked part way to the end of the walkway and back. Then we rotated counterclockwise. In that manner, everyone did each exercise, including the farmer’s carry once in the rotation. After finishing with one rotation, we did a farmer’s carry to the end of the walkway and back with our own kettlebell, swapped out some of the exercises and made a 2^nd round.

In total, we did 3 rounds of this except after the last round, we took a mosey around the bus loop.

Below are the exercises we chose from.

Single Leg Deadlift	Standing on one leg and holding the kettlebell in one hand lean forwards keeping your back flat. The same leg that goes back is the same arm that you are holding the kettlebell with. Go down as far as your hamstrings will allow and then return to the top position. Your standing leg can have a slight bend during the movement.
Clean	Start with the bell between your legs and knees bent, Lift KB to your shoulder. Thumb should point backwards at the bottom of the movement. To prevent banging of the forearms, try to take the arm around the KB rather than the KB around the arm. Aim to keep the KB as close to the body as possible.
Clean and Press	After the clean, press the KB overhead. As you link the 2 exercises together it is important to take a short pause between each movement.
Side Lunge	Holding the kettlebell in both hands close to the chest take a sideways step, push the hips back and drop into a side lunge position. Keep your chest up and weight on your heels. One leg should bend while the other remains straight.
Curls	There were several versions of these. ·       using a towel to lift the kettle bell, ·       squat and do the curl, ·       curl with the heavy part of the kettlebell out, ·       curl with the heavy part of the kettlebell in, ·       curl with both hands grabbing the bell instead of the horns.
Thruster	Combines 2 exercises the Squat and the Press for maximum energy expenditure. Start from the racked position and drop down into the Squat, next drive up from the floor and use your momentum to drive the kettlebell overhead. Next control the kettlebell back down into the racked position and repeat.
Windmill	Start with the KB overhead and the arm locked straight. Spread your feet to double shoulder width apart and angle your feet at 45 degrees. Push your hips out to the side with looking at the KB take the opposite hand down and touch the floor between your legs. Try to keep both legs straight.
Skull Crusher	Lay on your back, take KB with both hands from the ground/top of your head to overhead straightening your arms.
Bob and Weave	Hold the kettlebell high up the chest with both hands and step out to the side, duck down as if trying to get underneath a low doorway and then bring your other foot across to meet the foot that stepped out.   Make sure that all the movement comes from a hinging at the hips rather than bending forwards at the lower back.   The back should remain flat throughout the movement.
snatch	Start with a single hand swing, KB between legs, swing the KB up at around head height, pull the KB towards you and then push up. Next throw the KB out and absorb the mass at the bottom of the swing.
Overhead squat	Hold the KB overhead with a locked out arm. Next drop into the squat position by pushing your hips backwards, all your weight should be on your heels. At the bottom of the squat push up from the floor back to the starting position. The KB should remain overhead throughout the exercise.
Overhead press	Standing position with KB at Shoulder, press up and fully extend arm.

We finished up with

• 20 KB Swings OYO
• 20 Triceps OYO
• 20 Heels to heaven
• 20 APDs
• 15 KB Hammers in cadence
• 20 KB flutters in cadence
• 60 count 60-inch leg lift

Announcements.

TOMORROW IS VALENTINE’S DAY!!!

COT

“If someone succeeds in provoking you, realize that your mind is complicit in the provocation.” Epictetus

Epictetus was a Greek Stoic philosopher. He was born into slavery at Hierapolis, Phrygia and lived in Rome until his banishment, when he went to Nicopolis in northwestern Greece, where he spent the rest of his life. He died in 135 AD.

Epictetus taught that people are responsible for their feelings and actions, and that living virtuously is the key to a good life. Epictetus’s teachings had a religious tone that appealed to early Christian thinkers.

Stoicism is a philosophy that emphasizes virtue and self-control as a way to achieve a good life. It originated in Ancient Greece and was influential for centuries.

Core beliefs

• Virtue: The practice of virtue is enough to achieve a good life.
• Cause and effect: The universe operates according to a rational structure of cause and effect.
• Self-control: We can control how we approach things, even if we can’t control the events that affect us.
• Simplicity: A simple, peaceful life is the most virtuous.

Stoicism values

• Wisdom,
• Justice,
• Courage,
• Moderation,
• Temperance

Stoic practices

• Focus on what you can control
• Make choices that are in your character
• Don’t let what you consider good or bad come at the expense of your values
• Prepare for unexpected blows, but don’t blame or criticize others
• Focus on the task at hand

Stoic thinkers

• Zeno of Citium,
• Epictetus,
• Marcus Aurelius,
• Seneca

Stoicism influenced Christian, Jewish, and Islamic thought, as well as natural law and political authority theorists. It also influenced existentialism and Neo-orthodox Protestant theology.

We finished with fresh percolated Coffee.

Ten noble warriors fought off the fart sack on a cold and wet morning to pound some KBs.  Here is how it went down:

• COP
  • SSH
  • IW
  • DQ
  • Helicopters
  • Arm circles
  • DMH
  • Merkins
  • LBC
  • APD
• KB escalator – 10, 15, 20, 25 reps; add reps and a new exercise with each iteration
  • 70 high pulls
  • 70 tricep press
  • 70 swings
  • 70 sumo squats
  • 70 curls
  • 70 lawnmower pulls, each arm
• Run the loop
• Lindsay with KB presses and WWII sit-ups
• Run the loop
• Rifle carry KB down the bus drop off; KB lunge ½ the bus drop off; around the world down the bus drop off
• Stretch and COT with YHC taking us out

There was a wet workout Q and a dry workout Q.  We went with the covered, wet plan.  Let’s focus on getting stronger, not sick.  Good to see all of the PAX today, a robust showing for a wet Thursday.  T-claps to Offshore for getting the coffee prepped on a wet morning.  Last I checked rain and electricity were a tricky combination.

Frozen Triangle on Saturday will be moist.  Lunch next week at Joey’s (Tuesday at 12 noon).

Continued prayers for our brothers Fudd, Mr. Rogers, and Fireman Ed, plus our injured comrads. 

God is good all of the time!

Attila

The COT continued the theme brought to us at Heartbreak by Salt Lick this past Tuesday; Resilience.

But first, Fudd showed up fashionably late wearing his fashionable Head Covering. Fudd: You’ll have to tell Atila where he can buy one. I think we’re all jealous. Maybe Mr. Roger’s Buffalo Bill’s hat might be in the competition for best head covering.

Offshore was also late. He remembered the coffee pot but didn’t remember his KB until he got halfway here. Details.

As Q, I appreciated someone other than myself counting in German. Danke, Blue Moon!

Disclaimer: Don’t leave here with more injuries than you came with.

Warmup:

• 20 SSH,
• 15 IWs,
• 10 Don Quixote,
• Plank stretch,

Countdown:

• 20 Upright rows, 20 Deep Mountain Climbers (single count), 18 Overhead Presses, 18 Deep Mountain Climbers, 16 Upright rows, 16 Deep Mountain Climbers, 14 Overhead Presses, 14 Deep Mountain Climbers etc. down to 2 Overhead Presses, 2 Deep Mountain Climbers.
• Run around the island

Triple Check:

• The Timer rifle carries their KB to the Propane Tank, does 5 burpees and returns
• Partner 2 Squats
• Partner 3 does Curls
• Run around the island
• Stretch

Triple Check:

• The Timer rifle carries their KB to the Propane Tank, does 5 burpees and returns
• Partner 2 Swings
• Partner 3 Flutters while holding the bell
• Run around the island

Back to the flag for Mary

• 20 Dollies in cadence
• 20 APDs in cadence
• 20 Hammers in cadence

Numberama, namerama

Announcements:

Frozen Triangle Feb 8.

Take by YHC:

Two quotes on Resilience:

“You are not defeated when you lose. You are defeated when you quit.” Paul Coelho

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” Winston Churchill

We also offered our prayers for Roger Roger and his spouse, Fudd’s sister Mary, Fireman Ed, and the victims and their families of the airplane-helicopter crash last night near Reagan airport in Washington.

Afterwards, Coffee! It included a discussion on investment advice from Lighthouse (A Random Walk Down Wall Street is my basis for investing) among other worthy topics.

The week of high reps/confined space made its way to Circus Maximus.  Bringing back a Toga favorite.  Here is how it went down:

• COP
  • SSH
  • IW
  • DQ
  • Helicopters
  • Arm circles
  • DMH
  • Merkins
  • LBC
• AMRAP – 5 exercises, 30 seconds, 4 intervals with decreasing rest (20 seconds down to 15 down to 10 down to 5)
  • Hi-pulls
  • Curls
  • Squats
  • Tricep press
  • Swings
• Run the loop
• Round 2 for AMRAPs, same set-up
  • Sit ‘n press
  • Overhead pulls
  • Skull crushers
  • KB hammers
  • Presses
• Mosey to the flag for brief round of Mary with one-legged cross crunches (each side)
• COT with YHC taking us out.

More great work by the PAX.  A lucky 7 braved the cold with high reps and a full body experience.

Prayers for Gomer before he leaves this weekend for his medical missions trip, and continued prayers for Fireman Ed as he has started treatments. 

Frozen Triangle on February 8^th. 

God is good all of the time!

Attila

In the spirit of breaking things, we took a break from Atilla’s Q-ing and had a Pigskin Q.

We began by moving under the covered walkway. Fortunately, no injuries occurred (at the workout) before the standard disclaimer was issued.

Warmup

• 20 SSHs
• 20 Imperial Walkers
• 20 Ukrainian Soldiers
• 10 Don Quixote

The workout is a cumulative Ring of Fire. Each person gets to add a KB exercise.

I started out with

• 15 Swings OYO
• Run to the end of the walkway, do 3 Burpees and return to the start

Next

• 15 Swings OYO
• 15 Curls OYO (Fudd)
• Run to the end of the walkway, do 3 Burpees and return to the start

Next

• 15 Swings OYO
• 15 Curls OYO (Fudd)
• 15 Upright Rows OYO (Lighthouse)

The other exercises added with each ‘round’ were

• 15 Hammers OYO (Offshore)
• 15 Sit and Press OYO (Atilla)
• 15 Bench Press OYO (Whitesnake)
• 15 Squats OYO (Blue Moon)

After everyone had a turn at calling an exercise, we ‘Deconstructed’ at each round, dropped an exercise.

• Swings were dropped first
• Then Curls were dropped
• Then Upright Rows. I think we ran out of time after dropping the Upright Rows.

Warm down

• 15 Heels to Heaven in Cadence
• Various Stretching exercises

Announcement:

• 2^nd Tuesday, 2^nd F, but this time at Joey’s Hot Dog in Innsbrook (near Firehouse Subs)

We finished up with coffee, fruitcake, discussions of the electric grid (one of my favorite topics), well water, your own power supply, the threat from the Chinese government to the grid and Jones breaks.

A strong turnout for the 1^st KB workout of the 2025 calendar year.  11 men of iron assembled in the gloom to greet 2025.  Here is how it went down:

• COP
  • SSH
  • IW
  • DQ
  • Helicopters
  • Arm circles
  • DMH
  • Jazzercise
  • Merkins
  • LBC
  • APD
• Mosey to the picnic tables
  • 10 step-ups each leg; 20 sit ‘n presses; 10 step-ups each leg
  • 10 step-ups each leg; 25 sit ‘n presses; 15 step-ups each leg
• Mosey to the bus loop
  • 20 overhead pulls
  • 20 presses
  • 20 lawnmower pulls, each arm
  • Run the bus loop
  • 25 overhead pulls
  • 25 presses
  • 25 lawnmower pulls, each arm
  • Run the bus loop
• Mosey back to the grass
  • 20 high pulls
  • 20 PLT
  • 20 curls
  • 20 2x FK
  • 20 tricep press
  • 20 2x LBC
  • 25 high pulls
  • 25 PLT
  • 25 curls
  • 25 2x FK
  • 25 tricep press
  • 25 2x LBC
• COT with YHC taking us out

Great work from the PAX today.  Happy 20-25, it only took 45 minutes for Byproduct to see the pattern.  Welcome back Gaudi after his M had boy #2!  Great time being with the PAX, which started with a lot of mumble-chatter, and eventually died down as the reps picked up.  2025 is off to a great start!

Fudd has the Q on the bridge this month.  Reach out if you want to join him.

God is good all of the time!

Attila

With Attila feeling under the weather, the Circus Maximus Q was picked up by YHC.  We quickly established that Lighthouse was having a birthday, we had lower numbers than usual and most seemed to be running a little behind. 

We kicked off COP with some arm circles, Cherry Pickers, then DQs, SSHs, Mt Climbers, WWIIs and CDDs. 

With plenty of regulars out today, we utilized the space that is usually occupied by cars for…

20 high pulls
20 curls
20 sit and press
20 lawnmower pulls – all OYO
Run the loop perpendicular to the usual loop
3Xs

Next, we placed our KB in front of the man to our left, then did 10 Goblet Squats with the bell now in front of us.  It can be very instructive to even just contemplate how it might be to walk a mile in another man’s shoes.  I thought we would leave this exercise (social experiment?) more enlightened about the load others have to carry and perhaps more grateful for our own burdens – but I think we just wanted our own bell back and to do the next exercise.  With bells down, we all rotated clockwise one spot.  Back to our own bells for 10 more Giblet Squats.  With nothing really learned, it was time to mosey. 

Stop: 20 CDDs, OYO. 

Continue: To the picnic tables for some Amandas.  While a Lindsey takes time and everything adds up to 40, an Amanda is like a Lindsey, but it’s a quickie (thx Whitesnake) where 20 is the magic number.  Step ups and Curls.  Then dips and jump squats. 

Mosey to the bus drop-off lane.  Plank work while Lighthouse unplugged the coffee pot.  Dora time: P1 runs to the end of the bus lane and back while P2 does 50 Curls, 100 American Hammers and 150 Flutter Presses. 

We abandoned our bells and all but Whitedeer ran to the same spot together.  Return back by Bear Crawling to the fire hydrant, then high 5ing Whitedeer, and lastly lunging back to ur bells for Mary (FMs, Heels to heaven, box cutters for Boxing Day, and a 6-inch-leg-lift-60-second hold).  Aaaaand time. 

No BTTF today.  COT in the bus lane.  Cuz why not.  Numbers.  Names.  Announcements: 1/1 convergence at W Dog at 7am.  With hormones raging and pimples emerging, F3 pushes deeper into its teen years on the first of the year by turning 14. Prayers for healing for Attila (feel better soon buddy), and for all of those in the F3 family and extended family battling various ailments.   Prayers for God’s guiding hand and blessings upon Gaudi’s recently-expanded family (his son Sully is a week old today – hope Sully got what he wanted for Xmas). 

Moleskin: KBs look really freakin’ cool with F3 stickers on them (I see you Pigskin & Lighthouse).  All present today play musical instruments, except for Lighthouse, who studied dance.  Who knew?!?  Shout out to CM-regular Fudd for his recent encouragement to Q.  I needed the push.  Also, Die Hard may be a Christmas movie but Heathers definitely is not. 

PSA: Circus Maximus has gone from my least-favorite AO to probably my favorite.  We’ve got 1st F followed by coffee on site for 2nd F, and everyone knows the math: 1st F + 2nd F = 3rd F.  Come check out this AO if you never have. 

“Love one another with brotherly affection.”   – Romans 12:10

10 HIM posted for a Fudd Q today. It’s a good thing YHC decided to show up (slightly late).

Pigskin started the PAX of in COP with various warm up exercises. YHC appeared at 5:35 and took over. After a few rounds of different exercises and stretches we moseyed to the front entrance while YHC brainstormed on what to do next…….

Various rounds of exercises with laps around the circle in between: lawnmower pulls, flutters holding bell overhead, pulse squats, bench presses, reverse curls with presses, various stretches, and maybe some other stuff. I think we did 3 rounds…..

Mosey to the bus loop for overhead pulls, sit and press, Freddie Mercuries, and maybe a few other things….run another lap

Mosey to the picnic tables for 5 x step ups with each leg followed by 5 reps of clean and press with each arm. Then 6 reps of each and run half a lap around the circle. Then 7 reps of each, then 8 reps of each.

Mosey back to the flag for swings and various Mary exercises until time was called.

Numberama, Namerama, YHC took us out.

NMS

YHC was surprised to hear that his name was on the Q sheet for today when he showed up slightly tardy. YHC cannot remember signing up to Q but forgetfulness comes with age, or so I’ve heard. Regardless, the PAX got a decent workout despite the lack of planning. Coffee afterwards is always a treat…..many thanks to Offshore, Byproduct, and Whitesnake for providing all of the necessary accoutrements.

Prayers for all in need of healing.

Thanks for letting me lead today fellas.

Never stop chasing the wabbitt!

Fudd