181223 - Barbell Club and Challenge Sunday

Special Warfare Operator Senior Chief Petty Officer Chad Wilkinson courtesy of @sarawilkinson7

Hey y’all, you’re going to notice that I (Michael) have taken over programming, the blog and social media for the week whilst Lauren is taking a well-deserved Birthmas Vacation.

In addition to the quality programming you’re familiar with, I’m a big fan of challenges that people can choose to do instead of or on top of the training that they’re doing.

That being said, my challenges do not take the place of a smartly programmed WOD, nor are they things that should be attempted over and over. They’re exactly what I say they are: challenges.

The first challenge of the week is the new Hero WOD Chad. Dave Castro did it, I’ve done it and you’ve seen a ton of folks do it, and well, I’m challenging you to do it.

Chad
1000 steps ups wearing 45lb pack on a 20" box

Now, there are a number caveats.
One, if you are unable to do box step-ups safely, due to balance problems or injury, well, this challenge isn’t for you.
Two, if you are planning on doing the challenge then sitting on your butt on a plane or in a car for hours, this isn’t for you (look up deep vein thrombosis 
(DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) on WebMD).
Three, if you haven’t done weighted step ups or done anything with a vest, don’t throw on a 45lb pack and do this, it will probably hurt you. Do it scaled, IE just 1000 unweighted step-ups, maybe a light, weighted vest etc.

Here’s why it’s the challenge and not a WOD.
It takes anywhere from 50 minutes to 2 hours. And it sucks. So if you want to do it and can come in during the time you’re sign up for, by all means, do it.
Here’s why the workout is important not only to The Dave Castro but to me and lots of other military folks. He lost his friend to suicide. I have lost a few military friends to suicide as well.

If you want to do the challenge at the gym, comment below with a time you want to come in. The options are: 6am, 8am or 4:30pm Monday, Wednesday or Thursday. Bring a pack that can hold a bumper plate or you can use mine (I only have one big enough, so first commented, first served) or one of the gym’s weight vests for a scaled option.

I won’t be cranking the tunes up for you, bring headphones because you’ll be in a corner somewhere. I won’t let you stop without finishing (safety notwithstanding.) Convince a gym buddy to come so you don’t have to suffer alone, or not.

Do it for the challenge. Do it for Chad and all the military folks that struggle with the deeds they have done for their brothers and sisters. Do it for yourself.

Barbell Club
3-5 mins cardio
1-2 mins each of:
Couch stretch
Frog stretch
Side hip
Hamstring ball
PVC pass-thru
Lacrosse ball hell
4 position banded shoulders
Prayer stretch
then
Coach-led Clean and Jerk Prep
then
2, 2, 2, 2, 2 deficit clean deadlift on 25# plates
2, 2, 2, 2, 2 heavy hang squat clean
2, 2, 2, 2, 2 heavy squat clean
2, 2, 2, 2, 2 split jerks from the blocks