Tag: The Birdcage

With all the hate, YHC decided we needed more love, love of DownPainMents.  So after a quick disclaimer, The Thang focused on several things apparently new to Uptowners.  Spread the love, and Pain.

After a shortish (and unsuccessful) mosey to see if any tomatoes were setting out their yoga mats, COP1 at the bandstand:

• SSH 30xIC
• Imperial Squats 25xIC
• Peter Parkers 30xIC
• Parker Peters 25xIC
• Monkey Humpers 30xIC

YHC has realized for some time that Uptowners have a limited repertoire.  Maybe you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but other than YHC there were no old dogs here.  So COP2, that is, some Route 66 along the Alley of Death.  11 burpees at the bollards (Tclaps to Roots for correcting YHC on the name; YHC couldn’t even remember his own backblast last week for the vocabularistically challenged), mosey to first lamp post for 10 burpees, etc. all the way to the tenth lamp post by the Kiddie Fountain (I thought it was one of the several Popp fountains around town, but Reluctant Yankee contends it a Hyams fountain, which Google identifies as the fountain at the entrance of the amusement park in City Park; are there two?  Until the PAX can investigate or the Official Historian Tool can confirm, YHC will just call it the Kiddie Fountain) across Magazine for 1 burpee for a total of 66 burpees.  Quizzical mumblechatter asking YHC whether the PAX had to cross the street.  Year, dear, but look both ways first.  So Route 66 was apparently a first for The Birdcage.

Since the Kiddie Fountain (see above) has so many good, square edges, some merk-o-rama was in order: a quick 20 merkins in cadence followed by a quick ten derkins in cadence.  Now for COP3, apparently another first for Uptowners: some Dora: pair up for 100 Imperial Walkers, 200 Squats and 300 LBCs with alternating moseys to second lamp post and back.

Mosey back down the Alley of Death for a closing Circle of Mary for COP4:

• American Hammer 25xIC
• Flutter Kicks 25xIC
• Dying Cockroach 25xIC
• Dr. W 10xIC (apparently another Uptowner first; remember it PAX, you’ll feel it again, I promise)
• Hello Dolly 25xIC
• V Ups 10xIC

Tclaps for Tito’s Kotter.  A true HIM: he didn’t let his ankle rule the day.

Peace, Jingle Vader

It’s hard to believe its so hot in December….Oh never mind this is New Orleans wait a day and it will be forty degrees.

We started out with a mosey to Oak Ally first running by the female boot camp for inspiration.

At Oak Ally we did suicides

-10 x V-ups at the start

-5 x burpees at each light pole

Indian run to the row bars.

Four stations at the row bars:

-Merkins x 20 for the count

-Side Lunges

-Mission Impossible

-Rows

Mosey to the tables under the pavilion

-Decline Merkins x 15 for the count

-Dips

-Alternating step ups

-Alternating super step ups

2 circuits of these exercises.

On your own Mary:

-LBC x20

-Russian Twists x 15

-Dying Cockroach x 10

Mosey back to Oak Alley for Suicides again

-Jumping Squats x 10 at start

-Bear Crawl to shoulder taps x 5 at each light

Indian run toward pull up bars then running back (jogging two markers sprinting one) to the flag

-plank-o-rama, count off, name-o-rama, prayer

I spared everyone from my inability to count so everything was stations, suicides or on your own.

 

Thanks,

86

 

 

 

With apologies to 86 for posting this backblast after his awesome V Q, YHC couldn’t wait any longer because that unrepentant, recalcitrant, inveterate fartsacker Shorty (and, no, that doesn’t mean you’re entrained to The Rebels) is talking way too much smack to stay silent.  I don’t have the patience of 86.

So after a terse but complete disclaimer, 86 was off for a long mosey without a word.  With the obvious reminder that My Deed Is My Word, 86 would lead by example.  We circled up at the Alley of Death for some suicides.  The instructions were recited once.  [Lesson One: you need to listen to others, it’s not about you.]  Mosey to first lamp post for 5 burpees and return for 10 V-Ups; mosey to 2d for 5 more burpees and return for 10 more V-Ups; same to third lamp post; and same to the fourth.

After a call for a 15 count from Roots, a single call for an Indian Run to the row station.  Again, the instructions were recited once.  [Lesson Two: see lesson one.]  Break into four groups: 20 Merkins for the count, Side Lunges AMRAP, Mission Impossible til the Merkers say recover, and Inverted Rows AMRAP.

Mosey to the shelter by the band stand for another split into four groups.  Again, one recitation of instructions.  [Lesson Three: if you didn’t get Lesson One or Two, you’re hopeless.]  15 Derkins for the count, Dips AMRAP (which for YHC ended up being about 12), Steps Ups AMRAP, and Single Left High Lifts (switching legs every 5) AMRAP (which for YHC ended up being about 6-7).  After a single call for a 20 count from C-Man(?), a single call to Rinse and Repeat.

“Let’s Mosey.”  Ended up being way shorter than YHC was fearing: only to the bollards just outside the shelter.  [For those who’ve skipped The Birdcage too many times or have been there but never listened to the engineers in the PAX, the bollards are those thick posts jammed into the ground.]  The tease was all the more cruel because the next round was two or three levels below Dante’s Ninth Level of Hell: more suicides with the five lamp posts up the Alley of Death.  The instructions were terse and simple: at each lamp post, five sets of a single pair of shoulder taps in plank, bring hands back to feet and hop up; at the bollards, ten jump squats.  Again, a single recitation of the instructions.  [Lesson Four: Listen well, and don’t assume that it will be easy, because this was probably the toughest DownPAINment in months: sorry, Hawg and Bubba; don’t even think you’ve been close, Rudy.]

YHC assumes there was another call to Mosey, but perhaps not.  Anyway, another Indian Run mosey around the track to some location that YHC couldn’t discern as being any different from anywhere else.  The instructions from there were as short and clear as all the rest: slow mosey past two stencils in the road (the outline of the guy running with arrows in both directions), and then haul ass (YHC’s words; I think 86 simply said run) to the third stencil; and repeat a second time to end up back at the Flag (which in fact was not virtual, but in fact real this time, courtesy of YHC because he knew that the uptowners can’t be relied on in this regard; their flag producing abilities resemble Shorty’s posting abilities).

End with some planks.  It went like this.  “Regular Plank.”  Silence for an indeterminately long period.  “Put your right hand behind your back.”  Again, silence for an indeterminately long period.  “Regular Plank, again.”  The third word took YHC by surprise: it seemed so surprisingly effusive, but 86 is after all a chef in New Orleans: he certainly is well versed in the sparing use of lagniappe to make the surprise an integral part of The Experience.  Anyway, silence again for another indeterminately long period.  “Put your left hand behind your back.”  Yep, more indeterminately long silence.  “Recover.”  That was it.

Thank God we were done.  This was more Pain Per Syllable than I thought humanly possible.  Mumble Chatter is easy, but the required use of listening ears throughout the Pain is a challenge.  Today was another good reminder that we gain wisdom, insight and strength by listening, not by idle chatter.  [I did overhear 86 comment at the end that we didn’t do any COPs because he doesn’t like to count: yeah, that’s what all yogis say.]  After a Count-Off and Name-O-Rama, a prayer of thanksgiving for the holidays and new year.  Thanks, 86, for a great Q.

Jingle Vader

Wednesday 11/09/2016 at the Birdcage. 0530 on the Rolex. There was a brief disclaimer and something about being nervous by the VQ. There was mumble chatter concerning the watch. Some more mumble chatter regarding election results, late night, be tired etc.

There was a brief mosey to the soccer field in front of the zoo for a warm up.

SSH X 20 IC
IW X 20 IC
Markings X20 IC
20 Squats IC

The breathless Q led the mosey to the pull up bars. We divided into three groups, 3, 3, and 4

Three stations
Group 1 20 pull UPS, they called the count
Group 2 Lunges
Group 3 Plank walk

Each group made each station twice.

The supportive PAX then moseyed to the light posts for LIMPS (OYO)
Mosey to the first light and back 20 Lunges L
second light and back 20 IW I
third light and back 20 Merkins M
fourth light and back Plank walk to squat X 20 P
wooden posts and back 20 Squats S

There was a 20 count and then a mosey to the birdcage for Mary. The memory of YHC is unclear on the order of the Mary due to exhaustion, but it went something like this.

OYO 20 low plank hip ups, right side
Fat Boy yoga- plank/child’s pose/downward dog
OYO 20 low plank hip ups, left side
OYO 20 Hello Dolly
and the finish, 10 Terkins!

Terkin- a horrible Merkin variation discovered by Watching Shaun T videos. It is a Merkin where you alternate bringing a knee to the same side elbow as you go down. Yankee said they would be seen again.

Mosey to the flag for counterama and namorama. Ball of man, the Sky Q was asked to give Mr Trump wisdom and mercy. Thanks were given for having a group of men who wish to be better, better fathers, better husbands, and better brothers.

VQ done

Quick Draw OUT

After the sub-Q on Monday I was back to my regularly scheduled birdcage Q today.  Word must have gotten out about the fun that was missed or perhaps some were thinking one post under my Q was enough for one week, but the result was 9 fresh faces today to add to 6 repeats from Monday.  Lucky for all the birdcage is not known for much running but the aim was to push ourselves none the less.

The Thang:

Disclaimer and mosey around the track to open golf course space for warmups:

• SSH IC X 30
• Imperial walker IC X 30
• Monkey humpers IC X 30
• Peter Parkers IC X 30
• Arm Circles IC X 20 and then revers X 20

Walk over to the pull up station.  We will get good at these one way or the other.  We split into three groups:

• First group: 30 pull ups as a team. Can be divided up anyway the team chooses though the count should be consecutive and not simultaneous.  Somethings are hard to explain in the gloom but we eventually got it right. This is the count
• Second group: plank walk
• Third group: plank jack
• Rinse and repeat.

Scenic route back to the shelter by the flag, grab some bench (a high bench at that) :

• Right leg knee ups IC X 30
• Incline merkin IC X10
• Left leg knee ups IC X 30
• Decline merkin IC X 10

Slow mosey to bandstand for some Mary:

• Putins IC X 20
• Pickle pounders IC X 10
• Dying cockroach IC X 15
• Rosalitas IC X 21
• A brief pause to ask the pax who had shat their pants. The stagnant air of the bandstand seemed to keep it around for a while.  A lot of finger pointing though no one fessed up.
• LBC IC X 25

Grab some fresh air in front of the bandstand for our last COP:

• Jack Webs up to ten merkins and 20 airups. Jack Web must have been sadist, albeit an effective one.

Clock running low but just enough time for a jog, bear crawl, crab walk, jog at alternating lights back to track.  Finished!

Count off, nameorama, and announcements.  Not announced but the pax needs to think about some 2nd F one evening soon.  We can decide to invite the World or keep it just uptown ;)! No intentions but a prayer of thanks and a plea for God to make us the best men possible!

 

Humidity was nasty again today after a few days of cooler air.

Today was going to be Quick Draw’s Vq BUT he asked for a few more weeks delay – eventhough he posted this AM.

We started with a mosey to the soccer field on the way to the levee. Here we did our first COP.
SSH x 20, Monkey Humps x 20, Imperial Walker Squats x 20, and Side Lunge Slides x 20 (this was new and a tricky cadence but I liked the exercise)

Then we mosey’d to the levee. At the levee we did 20 peter parkers on the river side then ran back to the bike path and did 19 peters, then 18 – down to 12.
At 12 we did a plank and wait.
From 12 down we did plank walk for 11,10,9,etc down to one.

After we finished that levee work we circled up for a COP.
LBCs x 25, LBTs x 25, Side Crunch x 20 both left and right, Russian Twist x 20, Iron Cross x 20, Crazy Legs x 20, and Wife Pleasers x 20

We made a big circle for a modified Ring of Fire. 6 rounds of merkins. We crawled to the middle, the left and the right. The whole time there was concern about doggie landmines. We all survived with no casualties.

After the Mary session and mini-ring of fire we started to run back to the flag. At the train tracks we straddled the tracks for 10 wiley coyotes ON YOUR OWN. On the way back to the SF we ran into a truck that had a decapitation friendly board hanging off the back of its bed. We all escaped with our heads.

At the COT we prayed for the lack of leadership on the national level. Thanks for getting me out in the gloom!
Peace-
RY

On a gloomy morning last week, I received word, while I sat on the can, that I would be Q’ing, so it would start rolling down from there.  I’m not sure what the V in VQ stood for.  In Naval Aviation it is a special mission squadron so I thought I had to be all secret squirrel with the glooms events.

Started with light mosey and warm up

20 – SSH

20- Windmills

20- Imperial Walkers

20- Shoulder Slaps.

We sashay, shanted over to Audubon for a little Dora 1-2-3

In the first wave we did Jack Webbs 1:2 while the second group ran around the island.  We did this x3

After Roots complained about his the bricks bothering his knees, we moved to the island grass where his 6 would enjoy three rounds of Thors (Full Crunch with Twists on the end) we did this x3

The final round of Dora was 1 leg lifts alternating legs every 10 while the running group lunged to the end of the island and jogged back.  We did this once as it hurt….a lot!

Oh and we had an FNG (Fiddler New Guy) whom we named Stradivarius with little deliberation.

Before we left Audubon we did 20 Declined Parker Peters and 20 Dips.  From there we sashay, shanted back to the flag.  With time remaining we did Burppees in honor of those who EH’d me into F3 (Roots, Newhart, Cavalier, Reddit, and Duey)