Preamble

The Pathfinder challenge has been more enjoyable than I expected.  It has also taught me fun and beneficial new exercises.  So, with the Pathfinder Class 15 window in its final weeks, I figured it could be interesting to create a ruck-centric workout.  We set out to accomplish some hard work with rucks and sandbags in the gloom at The Jag.

Warm-Up

• Imperial Walkers
• Overhead/Seal Clap Combo
• Squats
• Stretches

The Thang  

Four Stations

PAX were split among the stations listed below.  We used the first station below as the timer; once the man completed Station 1, we rotated.  Completed two cycles.

• Bear Crawl Bag Pull with Rope Pull Return. Pax starts in Bear Crawl position with ruck/sandbag (with a length of rope D-Ring’d to it) between his feet.  Pulls bag across the ground to about even with his shoulders, and then bear crawls forward until bag is back by his feet.  Continue until reach the marker about 30 yards away from the starting point.  Sprint back to start position, plop down onto his six, and pull the bag back using the rope.

• Merkin Medley. Pax in push-up starting position, with bag under one hard.  Perform one merkin.  Then using free hand (i.e., the one not on the bag), pull the bag laterally across to and under the other hand and perform one merkin.

• Clean & Press Burpees. Pax start standing over bag.  Perform clean & press (squat down, grab bag, stand up while simultaneously lifting back to shoulder level.  Perform one overhead press).  Return bag to ground.  Perform one burpee.  Execute a 180 degree jump over bag.  Repeat the process.

• Mary Mother of Jesus. Pax on his back with bag held tightly to his chest.  Perform a bench press with the bag, then a sit-up with a twist to each side.  Back down & Repeat.

Casualty Medley.  The Rambler introduced this routine at The Thicket a few weeks back.  It sucked then, and it sucked today.

Partner up, with each partner grabbing a ruck/sandbag.  One man is the Carrier; the other is the Carried.  Move to edge of parking lot, and ground rucks.

• Buddy carry full length of parking lot. Leave carried buddy at far side; carried buddy holds in plank position.  Carrier sprints back to start.
• Carrier grabs both rucks. Runs/shuffles/sashays/etc. across parking lot.  Stops at mid-point and performs 10 burpees.
• Resumes double-ruck carry from mid-point to far side where partner was dropped off earlier.
• Carrier secures his ruck, then secures his partner and carries him back to starting point. Leaves partner ruck on far side.
• Carrier sprints back to far side to retrieve partner’s ruck.
• Sprints with rucks back to start point.
• Partner switch and repeat.

Mary

• Flutterkicks (Chum)
• LBC (RG3)
• Ski Abs (Bogey)
• Boat/Canoe (Rebar)

Announcements

• The Big House converges at The Earl tomorrow.  RG3 has the Birthday Q!

COT/BOM

Thank you for the opportunity to lead this morning, and thank you to the men for their support.

YHC butchered the message this morning, so I’ll try to articulate it a little better here in the Backblast.  Yesterday at The Thicket’s BOM, Yanni mentioned the responsibility of us to be problem-solvers.  As I reflected on that message last night, I found myself segueing into the concept of focus (to wit: to solve problems, one must focus on the task at hand).  Life is busy, chaotic, glorious, and many other things – the vast majority of which make it really difficult to focus on the truly critical tasks at hand sometimes.  Those tasks might be work-related, personal, familial, whatever – part of the challenge is identifying which ones are genuinely important and will lead to satisfaction and fulfillment.  Let us Identify & Focus on the genuinely important tasks in our lives; good things will result.