Biochemistry made it feel like I’m in Purgatory

Biochemistry made it feel like I’m in Purgatory

QIC: Splash

Date: 3/9/2019

PAX: Splash, Touch-me-not, Cheese-steak, Offsides, D-Day, Singing Cowboy, Rust-bucket, Dr Toot-Canal (eleven!), Tweety-bird, TPS, Goofy, Parkay, Huckleberry (stud-muffin of catalysis), Bulldog, Drip, Undertow, Burlap

So when Spamalot asked for pax to step up and Q Purgatory, my usual Saturday beatdown, I knew I had to pay it back to all the HIMs who had beat me down before. I decided in addition to working the body I would also share my love of biochemistry to work the mind. Biochemistry is quite simply the chemistry of life and the sum of all the unseen reactions that are occurring every minute of every day that allow us to do all the amazing things we can do like merkins and pull ups. It is the literal symphony of chemistry occurring in every cell, in every organ of our bodies and the subject of much of my professional work. With this beauty dancing in my head I lead the following beat down.

Warm-o-rama

I started the pax with a brief mosey around the parking lot which lead to a few surprised exclamations (where were the side straddle hops one pax demanded to know?)

Biochemistry fact 1: Having completed the lap I then asked the pax to circle up and started with the first and most amazing fact of the day. You are not one thing. You are a community of ~130 trillion cells that thinks it is one thing. Take a moment dear reader and truly contemplate this fact. You are made up of 130 trillion, microscopic cells all working in harmony to create “you”. We think of ourselves singly using the pronouns I or me. What an inadequate description of the living community that makes each if us up. We are in fact, each of us, a unique ecosystem. I then demanded each unique ecosystem do the following:

SSH x20 IC

Imperial Walkers x20 IC

Abe Vagoda x10 IC

Whirly’s got the clap x15 IC

Mosey to the lido deck but stop along the way to do DB drills on the parking lot lines

The lido deck

Biochemistry fact 2: Much of biochemistry revolves around DNA which is composed of 4 different nucleotides (rust bucket really like the word nucleotide) and protein which is made up of 20 different amino acids. We there fore did the following exercises:

20 dips OYO

20 squats

20 derkins

10 step ups each leg

Run a lap around the parking lot and repeat-o

Bonus biochemistry fact: the burning the pax feels is from the buildup of lactic acid which occurs when oxygen is limited and the oxidation of pyruvate cannot be completed (you need oxygen for oxidation, get it?). Pyruvate is reduced to lactate which allows for the recycling of a co-factor called NAD which is needed for continued glycolysis (the main glucose burning pathway used in muscle to generate energy). Can you hear the symphony?

20 irkins

10 lunges each leg

20 dips

10 box jumps (which uses both legs)

run a lap around the paring lot and repeat-o

Mosey to the rock pile

Pax were instructed to get a rock that could be used for 20 reps

Biochemistry fact 3: DNA encodes for proteins using combinations of 3 nucleotides called a codon. Each codon specifies one of the 20 amino acids one after the other in a growing peptide chain until you have a complete protein. In honor of the 3 nucleotides that make a codon we did the following:

20 curls OYO

20 overhead press OYO

20 skull crushers OYO

move one rock to the right and repeat-o

then do 15 of each, move one rock to the right

then do 10 of each, move one rock to the right

then do 5 of each, return to your original rock

20 goblet squats

20 LBC with rock

20 chest press

move one rock to the left and repeat-o

move one rock to the left and do 15 of each

put rocks back

Mosey to playground

Biochemistry fact 4: Proteins are catalysts that speed up the chemical reactions needed for life that would not otherwise occur. The pinnacle of enzymes is a protein called acetylcholinesterase. This protein catalyzes the breakdown of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. It does this at the diffusion limit. Allow me to explain why this should blow your mind. The diffusion limit is a theoretical speed limit of all chemical reactions. It is the speed at which a chemical reaction would take place if every single time two molecules collided (as they diffuse through a solvent) they were able to undergo the reaction. Remember that this is occurring in 3 dimensions through the action of random Brownian motion (diffusion). What this means is every time acetylcholine collides with acetylcholinesterase they react. EVERY SINGLE TIME! This means there must be some sort of landing strip on acetylcholinesterase that guides acetylcholine into its active site (the part of the enzyme that does the reacting) for every single collision. This is an unbelievable feat of evolution (or engineering). Inspired by this the pax were instructed to emulate this perfection as best they could to do the following:

Dora wears pull ups

Partner up

Partner 1 does pull ups to exhaustion

Partner 2 does 100 merkins, 200 LBC and 300 squats

Flap jack when lactic acid becomes to much for person doing pull ups

Plank for the 6

Mosey back to the parking lot

Mary

My favorite Mary exercise: Guantanamo

As we had a minute left we held heels 6 inches off the floor until 8am

FIN!

Mumble chatter was somewhat muted this am, not sure why. Possibly everyone was as enthralled with biochemistry as I am. Alternatively it maybe that I was concentrating on not spilling my merlot and missed most of it. The comments will tell.

Announcements:

D-Day announced the 1000 pound ruck challenge. You need to carry 1000 pounds 1 mile in anyway you choose to break it up and have one month to complete it. The prize is the ability to pay $12 for a patch. Unclear to YHC how the purchase of said patch is restricted to those who actually completed the challenge but I guess there is some sort of honor system at work here.

Schmedfest is coming in August 2019 stay tuned

COT

I led the pax out with a prayer for those suffering from cancer, battling addiction. I asked that we remember our health is a gift and privilege not a right that we must work to protect. I asked that we remember those who would give anything to be able to be out there with us as well as those who could be but choose not to.

Thanks to Spam for the keys as always an honor to lead!