In search of ISI
Three years ago my ShieldLock (the “LionKillers”[1]) decided to meet every Tuesday at 0515 for an Accountability run. The design was to go ten miles at Fellowship pace so we could kill two birds with one stone—Workout and ISI. Within a month (of course) the dang thing had morphed into a race with the LionKiller who was Accelerating the most in his King pinning his ears back and making the rest of us chase him until we Splashed Merlot.
Which was good for Speed and Stamina—in fact, that might have been the period that YHC was faster than I’ve ever been. But it wasn’t much good for the intended purpose of ISI because we were running too fast to talk and just chasing the guy who was the fastest that day. We always started together but we never finished together and nary a word was exchanged past the one-mile mark.
So we made a change
We abandoned the Accountability run and went down into the Hotbox in F3Metro for forty-five minutes of kettle-bell work. Instead of designating a single Q, we just split it up in rough fourths (11-12 minutes per man). What we found is that each men went balls-out for his eleven minutes of Q, which meant that all four of us got a tremendous BeatDown—more than we would have gotten if one many had the Q the whole time.[2]
We called this Q-switching system the “MuschampQ” as a dig both at Will Muschamp for jumping from team to team and at USC for hiring the guy in the first place. We called the Workout "Shorecard" after the Workouts Marines would do when stuck on a submarine and unable to run for their PT.
Eventually we got a little bored with just the kettle-bells and added sandbags, then cinder blocks and finally weighted rucks. Now, YHC is not as fast as I was when we were doing the ten-miler, but I’m a lot stronger. Personally, the idea appealed to me so much that when I ran into a bout of plantars, I got Snoop to start another weighted Workout on Thursdays in the same location. He called it "Hardcore" (for some reason) and used the same MuschampQ system we use at Shorecard.
Getting Swole
Even though my plantars finally abated, I kept at Shorecard and Hardcore every week because I liked it. The other day a Brother saw me at work and said “damn Dredd, you’re getting Swole”[3]. That surprised me because we weren’t lifting weights, just picking heavy stuff up, pushing it up over our heads and carrying it around in circles and up the stairs of the Choate Tower. But apparently, that works. Coupled with with the intensity of the MuschampQ, it gets a man good and Swole.
Now you’re not going to get a BatFlipper to Post to a Swole Workout right away, but you will get a MeatPuppets[4] to Post because it is a way to build Strength without having to subject oneself to the Fern and go OYO without the Fellowship.
Starting a Swole is easy
What do you need to start a Swole Workout? Nothing but a fixed location (ideally a parking garage where you can leave some gear) and the kind of heavy stuff that you can find at any Lowes. It helps for each man to have his own kettle-bell so the weight is right for him. Just find three other guys so you can split the MuschampQ into eleven minute segments. Launching it with your ShieldLock is a good way to start.
If you keep at it, eventually the other MeatPuppets near your AO will find you and you’ll build some numbers get some new blood in to keep the Workout Accelerating.
Someday (maybe), you may even entice in some BatFlippers. Hope springeth eternal.
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[1] “Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, performed great exploits. He struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.” (2 Samuel 23:20) [2] NOTE: the LionKillers get their ISI after the Workout at a location nearby. [3] Swole: beefed up with extra muscle. [4] MeatPuppet: A PAX focused on getting Swole.