The Fall season is officially upon us and I’ve picked a workout fitting for the time of year! This week’s WAWA is a non-run focused, circuits workout. Take a look at the plan below:

Meeting location:

Same as before….Myers Park Presbyterian Church parking lot off Oxford Place at 5:25 am.

Prior to taking off, each participant will select a card which will reveal a number. That number will correspond to a pumpkin with the same number. Participants will grab their proper pumpkin and we’ll jog to the Clock Tower at Queens University. Don’t worry….the pumpkins will vary in size but nothing too big that you can’t run with it!

You must protect your assigned pumpkin at all times unless otherwise directed.  If you drop or smash it, you’ll have to scoop it up, bag it, and carry the trash bag around the rest of the workout!  Not fun!

Stretching:

• Circle up in front of the clock tower (facing Radcliffe Avenue) for stretching.
• One warm-up lap around Clock Tower Circle.

The Workout:

Six exercise stations will be set up around the clock tower. Participants will do each station for 50 seconds, then rotate counter-clockwise to the next station. You’ll have a quick 10 second breather in-between stations.

After completing one complete circuit of the six stations, all participants will place their pumpkins at the base of the clock tower. Participants will then select a second card for a “new” pumpkin, grab the new pumpkin, take one lap around Clock Tower Circle, then head to one of the six stations for our second circuit. We’ll repeat this process a total of four circuits.

Here’s the six stations:

• Pumpkin Squats
• Pumpkin Curls to Overhead Press
• Reverse Lunges with Pumpkin Rotation
• Lateral Jumps over Pumpkin
• Pumpkin Jacks
• V-sit to Pumpkin Press Up

After the final circuit, you’ll keep whatever pumpkins you have at that point and jog directly back to the MPPC parking lot for cool-down & devotional.

Oh, and you get to take your pumpkin home with you at the end of the WAWA!  How else will you brag to all your friends about what you did before the sun came up??

Bonus points if you post a picture to the WAWA Facebook page of you and your pumpkin!

Exercise Leader: Mike Lenhart

Devotion Leader: Mike Lenhart

Read more "SEPTEMBER 30, 2015 WAWA: Pumpkin Patch Pilates"

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) is on a break this Wednesday so “seize the day” with one of our favorite workouts:  Parking Deck Stairs!

Meet at the Oxford Place parking lot at Myers Park Presbyterian Church, just outside Oxford Hall.  Please gather by 5:25 am.  Quick stretch then light jog to Myers Park Traditional Elementary School.  Here’s the workout:

WARM-UP:

Focused stretching

1 lap around the soccer fields track

WORKOUT:

Jog over to parking deck stairwell

Run up 4 flights of stairs to the top

50 jumping jacks at the top….that’s your “parking payment”

Run back down 4 flights of stairs

1 lap around the fields

Return to base of stairwell for 45 second breather

“Rinse and repeat” five (5) more times.  Change the “parking payment” at the top as follows:

2nd set:  20 burpees

3rd set:  50 flutter-kicks

4th set:  50 jumping jacks

5th set: 20 burpees

Final set: 50 flutter-kicks

COOL DOWN
Light jog back to Oxford Place (MPPC) then stretching.

Exercise Leader: Mike Leader

Devotion Leader: Mike Lenhart

Sounds great, right?  Come join us this Wednesday morning!

Carpe Diem!

Read more "SEPTEMBER 23, 2015 WAWA: Paying for Parking!"

Our first-ever WAWA event was focused on a hill repeats workout that we did on Queens Road West.  We started at the bottom of the hill, and ran up to the top where QRW intersects into Queens Road……back down again….rinse and repeat!

This week, we’re focused on “running” so I’m taking us back to that dreaded hill for another visit….or, should I say, multiple visits!  This week is a relatively simple workout….just tough!

You can do this!

REMINDER #1:  We’re meeting on TUESDAY this week since I’m traveling on Wednesday.

REMINDER #2:  We’re moving up the workout time to 5:30 am!  No change to the duration of 1 hour.

The Workout:

Meet at parking lot outside Oxford Hall, Myers Park Presbyterian Church, just off Oxford Place.

Starting the Workout (approximately 1.5 miles):

Moderate jog from parking lot along the following route:

• Right onto Oxford Place
• Left onto Queens Road
• Continue onto Selwyn Road
• Right onto Wellesley Avenue
• Right onto Queens Road West
• Regroup at the intersection of QRW and Sherwood Ave (bottom of the hill)

Workout on the Hills (approximately 2.0 – 4.0 miles depending on ability group):

• “Brisk” run from the bottom of the hill to the top near the intersection of QRW and Queens; approximately 0.5 miles
• Easy jog back to the bottom of the hill to the start, intersection of QRW and Sherwood Avenue; approximately 0.5 miles
• Rest for 1 minute
• Repeat 3 more times for the seasoned runners; 1 more time for novice runners

Finishing the Workout (approximately 0.75 miles):

• Easy jog from the bottom of the hill up along Sherwood Avenue
• Left onto Queens Road
• Right onto Oxford Place and parking lot

Total Running Distance planned:  

-Advanced Runners: approximately 6.25 miles

-Novice Runners:  approximately 4.25 miles

Exercise Leader:  Mike Lenhart

Devotion Leader:  Mike Lenhart

Read more "SEPTEMBER 15, 2015 WAWA: Hill Repeats…..back to where it all began!"

Gather at the Myers Park Presbyterian Church parking lot off Oxford Place, just outside Oxford Hall, ready to start at 5:45 am.  We’ll do a light jog over at to Myers Park Traditional School, our location for the workout!  After our warm-up, WAWA participants will pair up by two’s for the workout.  We did this circuit workout a few weeks ago but this time I’m mixing in a football, a basketball and five tennis balls to make things interesting!

DYNAMIC WARM-UP
Do each drill for 10 yards then turn around and go back another 10 yards. Do warmup circuit 2-3 times through to really get muscles firing.

• Butt kicks
• High knees
• Side shuffle
• Carioca
• Backwards running
• Skipping
• Walking lunges

THE WORKOUT

CIRCUIT 1: STATIONS (3 times through the circuit: 45 sec each station w/ 15 sec rest)

• Station #1: Burpees
• Station#2: Bicycle Crunches 
• Station #3: Push-Ups
• Station #4: 25-yard Football Pass
• Station #5: Plank
• Station #6: Jump Lunges
• Station #7: Basketball Chest Pass
• Station #8: Jumping Jacks

CIRCUIT 2: SPRINT LADDERS with 5 TENNIS BALLS 

Two teams with individuals running each “circuit” once through all 5 cones before tagging next person to go.

• Sprint to Cone #1, place down first tennis ball and run back
• Sprint to Cone #2 place down second tennis ball and run back
• Sprint to Cone #3 place down third tennis ball and run back
• Sprint to Cone #4 place down fourth tennis ball and run back
• Sprint to Cone #5 place down fifth tennis ball and run back
• Sprint to Cone #5 pick up fifth tennis ball and run back
• Sprint to Cone #4 pick up fourth tennis ball and run back
• Sprint to Cone #3 pick up third tennis ball and run back
• Sprint to Cone #2 pick up second tennis ball and run back
• Sprint to Cone #1 pick up final tennis ball and run back

COOL DOWN
Static stretch and light jog back to Oxford Place.

Exercise Leader:  Mike Leader

Devotion Leader:  Mike Lenhart

Read more "SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 WAWA: Are You Ready for Some Football, Basketball and Tennis?"