Backblasts are probably the last thing YHC thinks about when agreeing to Q. This is because it’s probably the least enjoyable part of the workout. Planning the workout can be fun–it’s a time to put your Q’ing knowledge to paper and see what kind of sadistic workout you can come up with. The actual act of Q’ing is a good time–we don’t get many chances to lead a group of men and Q’ing is a time when you get to be someone else for 45-60 minutes.
Backblasts though are another story. For YHC, they are usually done in the middle of the day when there’s nothing left to do to procrastinate actual work. The workout is done and the sweat has been washed away, but you have to put yourself back into the mindset of where you were in the morning. Why do we do we even do them? Can’t we just all agree to stop this time wasting tradition?
Backblasts are done in respect to the pax who showed up for your workout. The pax did their part of getting out of the #Fartsack in the morning to get a workout in. The Q needs to do their part of finishing their responsibilities with writing the backblast. The backblast gives pax who were in attendance there due by saying who was there and what they did. It also gives the next Q (who might be 2 days later) an idea of what kind of workout was done. If the Q smoked the legs on Tuesday, the Thursday Q will probably want to focus on something else.
The backblast is not for the Q, it’s for the pax. The Q owes them that much.
There were a lot of good WOW options this week, but Fountainheads Tuesday Swampfox Q stuck out in particular. Maybe it’s the quality of the backblast (https://www.f3midlands.com/columbia-sc/a-swampfox-summer-farewell) or maybe it’s the fact that the #F3midlands tour was there. There’s no doubt as the quality of this workout. The workout was as follows:
The Thang:
Optimistic (though proven overly so) that a few more pax would show up at Crayton if we lingered, YHC started with a mild COP to tick the toc:
- SSH X 25, 4CT IC
- Imperial Walkers X 20, 4CT IC
- Mercans X 10, 4CT IC
Exiting the parking lot at a fast mosey and headed northward on Clemson, the first 1/4 mile was covered before the first stop for a little real work:
Mercans X 25, OYO & Plank
LBCs X 25, OYO & Hold 6″
Squats X 20, 4CT IC
Continuing to and across Forest Drive, the pax arrived on Rutland for round two of the little circuit we were creating:
- Mercans X 25, OYO
- LBCs X 25, OYO
- Squats X 25, OYO
By this point, the #SwampFox regulars knew what was coming and had started filling in the visiting dignitaries why F’head would make quick work of crossing the Forest Drive ridge and turning onto the innocuous looking dead end street that is Rutland Court. Some of the uninitiated, in fact, had even heard war stories of Rutland. Nothing really prepares one for coming upon that stop sign and speed bump halfway along a residential street with nothing but the horizon beyond. We took the plunge.
The Rutland Ladder:
From the bottom, the pit of stagnant swelter between the trees, the call was made for a 10-1 descending Burpee Ladder on the hill. 10 Burpees at the top, 9 at the bottom, 8 at the top… Finish with 1 at the bottom and regroup back up top beneath the infamous stop sign. 6 times up, 6 times down with 55 Burpees mixed in, don’t stop. Winner leads Mary.
T-Claps to Stent who took the checkered flag and led a winded and weary group through Flutter Kicks, in cadence, some Boat/Canoe as called and about ten Russian Twists, in cadence, before YHC busted up his count and made the call to head back toward Crayton.
Back Across Forest Drive the pax stopped a second time in the Murphy & Grantland parking lot for another set of:
- Mercans X 25, OYO
- LBCs X 25, OYO
- Squats X 25, OYO
We then turned back down Clemson stopping off at the entrance to the school for another round of the same… except YHC shorted the routine thinking we were short on time taking the pax back to the shovel flag with five more minutes to use and abuse. What else was there to call but more of the same… but slowly:
- Plank Up/Downs (Mercans with a hold at the bottom) X 5 as called (about 90 seconds)
- Crunch Up/Downs (LBCs with a hold at the top) X 10 as called (about 90 seconds)
- Air Chair Up/Downs (Squats with a hold at the bottom) X 10 as called (another 90 seconds)
The goods: If you have not ran Rutland hill you’re missing out. Rutland doesn’t have the length of Whaley or Pickens, but it packs a punch not felt by many other hills in Columbia. This makes it one of the hardest places to have a ladder. Any workout with a Rutland Ladder (no matter what exercises are in there) is a #snotwoggler.
The fact that this workout has a Rutland ladder is not what made it the WOW. It’s how the Q worked up the the ladder. Notice how the workout starts with a relatively easy COP then gets into a “little real work”. The intensity keeps ramping up. By the time they are at Rutland, all the pax are primed to get at it.
Perfect timing by F’Head. #TClaps brother.
-Stache