Another great Zoom WOD turn out today at 8am and 5pm, thanks for everyone who came out to join us and welcome back Special, it’s been too long!  Today we confessed our culinary sins from the past week.  It was an emotional and trying week for all of us so of course, in a moment of weakness we turned to our favourite comfort food/beverage for some sweet indulgence.  But that’s behind us now, we’re getting it together, adjusting to our new reality and getting back into our fitness groove.

Today we played with the Bear Complex Ladder using whatever implements we had handy.  Innovation award goes to Gymkata who demonstrated text book Hang Power Cleans with the stack of text books she was using to complete her workout!  Most improved award goes to Sprite who tried the WOD at 8am with one dumbbell then came back at 5pm to better her score using two.  Outdoor props to DT, AV, Special & Shine who all completed the WOD with us from outside in the sunshine.  Fitness transmission props to DT and G-Money who each had a daughter join in with them for this one, way to spread the fitness bug!

Below are your marching orders for Thursday’s workout which I’ve dubbed The Eagle based on my experiences included at the end of this blog (video included):

Warm up 
10 perfect squats
5 inch worms
10 goblet squats
5 inch worms
5/5 single arm ohs (light)
Tech 
1) Pull up progression (see WOD Father’s current favourite below)
If bent over row  build to something heavy

2) Single arm OHS
3 rnds
3/3 single arm ohs tempo (adding weight each set) tempo in seconds
3 way down
3 in the bottom
3 on way up
0 at top
3) Push up progression
Wall, knees, full, full with transition
Points of performance to focus on:
For the OHS midline stability keep your trunk from rotating
For pull up/ push up progressions focus on maintaining active shoulders
WOD
12-9-6
Single arm ohs (L)
Single arm ohs (R)
Strict Mu (pull up/push up progressions)
Cool down 
Shoulder pull overs
Crazy ninja fingers
Forward and backward circles
Shrug and release

The Eagle
Saturday, between the 8am and 11am Tower WODs I spent 40 minutes combing the beach for the right sized log for my single arm OHS and the perfect tree for my muscle ups.  Once again, finding the right set up took 3 times as long as the WOD itself but with the fresh air and fantastic view, who can complain?

Ended up using a chunk of firewood for my OHS.  Not as heavy as the RX’d dumbbell but much more challenging to stabilize and balance.  For the strict muscle ups I found a tree trunk turned horizontal.  With little to grip I had to cheat by jumping to get myself over it enough to press out.  It was harder than it looks and left me bruised and bloody.  I suffered many failed attempts and discovered some new muscles in my upper back that ached the next day in a way never experienced with muscle ups.

While I worked below, a bald eagle snacked on a crab in the branches above me occasionally dropping pieces of crab shell down on my head as he enjoyed his breakfast and a show.  Is there anything so majestic as a workout outdoors?  Not me, of course, my pathetic attempts to haul myself up onto that tree trunk were a demonstration of how weak our sedentary indoor lives have made us, but the seashore, the mountain views, the sweeping skyline, the looming forest, the wildlife, the majesty of the surroundings is inspiring!  It calls to a primitive instinct within that reminds us that we were once majestic creatures.  A memory of that strength and mastery over the environment stirs within us still!