YHC’s main goal this summer is to add upper body strength. Today’s workout was aimed at doing just that by having all PAX complete a series of strength exercises to failure.

As it turned out, this was a perfect opportunity to finally get my buddy Aqua Net out. Steadily EHing this guy for a long time, and one stumbling block was a bum ankle. Today’s was a very ankle-friendly work out, and YHC let him know that ahead of time. Success! He seemed to enjoy the workout, if not his F3 name. More on that later.

Bellhop, Pikachu and YHC got warm with an EC ruck.

WARMUP

SSH X 20
Good morning X 10
Imperial Walker X 15
LBAC X 10 and Reverse
Five penalty burpees for Awesome Baby’s tardiness oyo
Mountain Climber X 15
Slow merkin X 10

Mosey to soccer field and circle up at midfield

Each PAX completed a max set of merkins, focusing on proper form, then super manned while all finished. Caught our breath with WWIIs in between.

Wide-grip merkin to failure
WWII AMRAP for one minute
Regular merkin to failure
WWII AMRAP for 90 seconds
Diamond merkin to failure
WWII AMRAP for two minutes
Recovery jog
Regular merkin to failure
WWII AMRAP for 90 seconds
Wide-grip merkin to failure
WWII AMRAP for one minute

Mosey to wall for max set of derkins followed by bows and toes plank

Mosey to rocks

PAX instructed to get two rocks, one very heavy (aka Cardiac rock) and one roughly 1/2-2/3 the size. Performed drop sets of a series of exercises, where we maxed out with heavy, then maxed out with smaller rock, squat hold while waiting for all to finish. Some were better at rock selection than others.

Max sets of Rows
Max sets of squat to overhead press
Max sets of curls

Recovery jog to wall for another round of max derkins

Back to rocks to repeato circuit

MARY

Rocks over chest for 40 flutters IC courtesy of Cardiac
American Hammer X 15IC – YHC et al were pretty much smoked by this point

COT

The Bull, Oct. 26.

The FNG initially was named Bullwinkle (as his last name is Rocco – get it? Another Floyd gem.) But we found out that name’s already taken so we went with what we believe was the second consensus choice. It’s kind of a long story, which we can let him explain the next time he comes out. But he doesn’t care for it, so obviously it’s the right name.

BOM

As we all know, today marks the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Here’s the NBC News segment on the trip for two D-Day vets that Harbaugh organized. Truly inspiring, and awesome to see young people seeming to grasp the sacrifice made by these aging veterans, and the significance of that sacrifice.

YHC shared that he had watched the Ken Burns WWII doc episode about D-Day the night before. Obviously you can have nothing but respect and admiration for the courage of all of those young men. But would argue it’s also important to remember, as Sherman said, that war is hell. It should be avoided whenever possible. Many of those men on Omaha Beach were killed before firing a shot. Others drowned under the weights of their packs. Not glorious. Just slaughter. In all, somewhere between 70 and 85 million people were killed in World War II. Of those, about 50 million were civilians. Some 10,000 Allied troops died on D-Day alone.

Don’t get me wrong: There is obviously no question the Axis had to be stopped. For now, thankfully/hopefully, we have been able to curb some of the dictatorial excesses that led to that necessary evil. But what a price to pay to get there.

Anyway, YHC took us out with a prayer of thanksgiving for brave soldiers, including Floyd’s grandfather, who stormed Utah Beach and survived. Prayers for their loved ones and the trials they endured. Above all, prayed for peace, in hopes that we won’t have to send our sons or grandsons or great-grandsons to go save the world from some megalomaniac’s folly – or for some less justifiable reason.

Will end here with a good quote from Ronald Reagan: “Most of them were boys when they died, and they gave up two lives — the one they were living and the one they would have lived. When they died, they gave up their chance to be husbands and fathers and grandfathers. They gave up their chance to be revered old men. They gave up everything for our country, for us. And all we can do is remember.”