Chutes and Ladders

Thursday's workout was a really great challenge that demonstrated the awesomeness that is kettlebell, coupled with the softness that is Magoo. However, the whole reason d'etre for doing this is the stamp out the soft and squishy, so it's kind of a rite of passage. Enough self flagellation.....let's go to the audiotape

We started off with the roller, which looks like a pool noodle and a rolling pin got it on after a hard night o'drinkin'. It works to stretch you our (and it WORKS!) by rolling your body over the noodle of doom and tenderizes you. If Die Hard made you imagine what a TV dinner felt like, the roller makes you understand how bad veal has it. Quads, hams and glutes....mmmm...bring the goodness!

From there we went to some more traditional stretches, such as the Spine Stretch and Leg Lifters. Nothing before has made me appreciate what being a dog is like other than the leg lifters. Just take my word for it.

The WOD was a Ladder (up to 5) of the follwing exercises in direct sequence: (double 36lb KB was used for that "extra minty" burn)

Renegade Row
Cleans
Presses
Death (contemplated, but not fully acheived)

Holy dog snot on a triscuit! Simple but nasty. I had some real trouble getting confident and balanced in the renegade, largely due to lackluster core strength and the sense of balance and athleticism that only the chess club can give you. Great exercise, I really need those kinds of core stabilizer-support your weight and balance kind of moves, and this one fit the bill. Did I suck at it, yes. Do I need to do more and improve? Also yes.

The cleans and presses were challenging, especially after the effort required for the renegade, but I got through them, albeit with a few breaks in between. I was really pushing towards the edge, and when I know the rep's gonna be ugly, I drop it and get back within 3 deep breaths.

Double 36lb Snatch was the follow-on (2 sets of 5 each hand) and worked well, once I figured out the mechanics. After the ladder, I was pretty baked, but got through these pretty well. I still need to remember to let my shoulder "settle" at the top, but otherwise, they felt pretty good.

Finished up with a double 36 clean and walk to the car. I was really done for at this point, and started to lean back and support the weight that way. Totally bogus, and I should just take a break next time, but there you go. Form is the function, and I need to keep that in mind.

Again, another awesome workout, and I'm totally psyched! Now, if only I can get into the gym, do my nutrition analysis and settle up for the next few weeks, I'll be ready to rock!