YHC dreamed up today’s workout as part of the Secret Q month, based around the general theme of Mountain Climbing, then missed his Secret Q on a family trip. So today, I dusted off the plan and 26 PAX put it in action.
In expedition mountain climbing, they say you climb most of the mountain several times. In order to attack a large mountain, with days or weeks of gear, you ‘back-haul’ gear and supplies between a series of ever higher camps, often moving 2 or 3 loads over a period of climbing days, shuttling between.
Summit days are easy and depend almost entirely on weather. It’s the process of getting to that last camp that defeats most attempts.
Today’s workout, then, was an F3 Expedition, from our Base Camp to our Summit – the top was, of course, The Wall, while both our gear and base camp was played by the drainage rock pile (“riprap” I believe is the industry term).
Due to moving rocks, warm up was slightly extended and focused on back/core.
Warm Up
SSH IC x10
IW X10
WindmillX10
MerkinX10
Plank stetches– lazy prom to big finish, 15 seconds X 3
Back rack – each way x20 seconds
Air squats, slow X 10
Thang
Base Camp –
Partner 1 carries ‘Supplies’ (ie a to Camp 1 (up small hill, next to road)
Partner 2 burpees
Repeat X 3 each, so each partner carries 3 rocks to Camp 1, and, together, team performs 100 burpees
Camp 1-
Partner 1 carries to Camp 2 (across road, to base of hill)
Partner 2 Mountain Climbers
Repeat X2 each – 2 rocks each, 100 Mtn Climbers
Camp 2
Partner 1 carries to Camp 3 (Up hill, across plateau)
Partner 2 Merkins
Repeat X 1 – 1 rock, 100 Merkins
Camp 3
Summit Push! – Partners together run to the Wall, ‘celebrate’ summit with 10 second Balls to Wall, Sprint back to Camp 3 (yes, the actual uphill was on the ‘descent’ side. Don’t ask)
Backwards carry all gear to Base Camp.
Time ran out just as teams were hitting the summit. Congrats to those who made it. And as someone who has climbed 19,000 feet of the 20,000 it takes to climb Alaska’s Denali, congrats to those who didn’t quite get there: you climbed most of the way up a damn mountain!
COT
After all ‘gear’ returned, COT was repeat of climb exercises
10 Merkins
10 MTN Climbers
10 Burpees
Announcements
Boy R Dee is co-ordinating the CORA workday for 9/9 from 10-2.
The Thicket is open on Monday, expect a full house as Southern Village is closed.
Wednesday at the Big House: No ‘Q’ day – study up for Wednesday, the teacher WILL be randomly calling on PAX to provide the next exercise.
Final Note
How do you climb a mountain?
One step at a time.
I’ve fallen off on my F3 posts for most of August, but still kept thinking I was staying in shape, keeping the benefits. But that’s not how it works. You have to take that step. And then the next, and then the next. None are optional, and you may still not get where you want to be. But the good news is that the view from Most Of The Way Up a Mountain is a heck of a lot better than the view from the bottom.