03/18/2021 - Dark Tower - Swinging Iron at the Dark Tower
AO: Dark Tower
When: 03/18/2021
PAX:
Number of Pax: 6
Pax Names: atat, Augustus Gloop, Bean Counter, Cupcake, Twinning,
DR Names:
Number of FNGS: 0
FNG Names:
QIC: Ozark
Introduction
YHC continues the kettlebell tour (because you can’t facilitate the purchase of 1.5 tons of iron and not get the pax out there using it). Maybe I should have known better than to go head to head with the Black Diamond, but 5 brave pax chose the iron way and joined me. Arrived in time to see the BD boys run off into the gloom, coupons on their backs, and to see that the rain was going to let us alone and dry–probably good when you’ve got to keep a grip on things. 05:15 quickly snuck up on us and we were off.
Warm-O-Rama
We go things started with 25x Side Straddle Hop, followed by some Tappy taps, and we iced the cake and warmed up the shoulders and core with 20 KB/coupon Halos, and then some Overhead carry from the flags to base of tower where Thang 1 awaited.
The Thang
On the drive over I was thinking about kettlebell cleans–specifically how I used to bang the hell out of my wrist doing them, and decided to start us out with an instructive escalator of 10 swings, to 10 each hand high pulls, 10 each hand full cleans, 5 each hand snatch–part warm-o-rama part form clinic, with just a bit of thang. With our heart rates up and some cleans under our belt we moved into the main thang
Four Corners
“Corner” One – at tower 10 clean and press each arm (total 20 reps) then run to
“Corner” Two – bridge 5 pull ups
“Corner” three – at tower 10 one handed swings each arm (total 20 reps) then run to
“Corner” Four – at circle drive 20 merkins
This kept the pax busy to just about 10 minutes to 6, at which point we planked up for the six and repeated the overhead carry back to the flags for some….
Mary
Shoulder taps IC x20
LBC IC x20? … I think we made it to 20… I hate LBC’s after awhile….
Finished with some Makhtar N’diayes and a little plank hold to 6
Circle of Trust
A quote I’ve come back to often in the last year from the Bhagavad Gita often paraphrased this way “You are only entitled to the work, but not to its fruits.” It’s a sentiment that I’ve seen repeated in stoic philosophy and Christian theology as well.
Getting up and getting out with you men in the gloom helps me to remember this. It helps me start the day by claiming the one thing I am entitled to, my actions, my choices. Not knowing what the Q has in store keeps me from getting too attached to any particular outcome, but I know that by choosing to get up and get out there I am also choosing my response to the world, I am acting, not waiting to be acted upon.
Get out there and act. Do good things. Stay focused on that. The rewards and results are out of our control and are not ours to claim anyway.
Here’s an actual full quote/translation:
You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, nor be attached to inaction.
Bhagavad Gita: (2:47)
Naked Man Moleskin
Glad we did some form work. I think… unless that’s what took Twinning out in which case oops. PSA, swing that kettlebell with your butt, not your back. Maybe we should have done some deep squat holds to open up those hips…. next time Duck Walks!
I’m always grateful when folks turn out to my Q, but doubly so when it involves working with hunks of iron that are a new experience for many. Way to brave the unfamiliar Augustus Gloop, Bean Counter, Cupcake and Twinning! You too AtAt, though you looked like you’ve done this before.
I’ve found it hard to gauge how long the Thangs will take with the KB thrown in, and I’ve saved something nasty for the end each time in case I’ve lowballed the Pax’s ability. Generally haven’t gotten to those so far, maybe time to start with one of those… So whose coming to the Complex tomorrow?
