What State Is This Tomahawk?

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A few weeks back, I agreed to Q at the old Tomahawk and somehow I agreed to Q at Mint Hill on the same day, but as I never got confirmation from my brothers in Mint Hill, Tomahawk won the day.

I’ve learned to keep things simple but simple doesn’t mean the workout will be easy.  We took a stab at the old ladder methodology with kettlebells and it went something like this:

COP – Typical warmup thang.

The ladder goes like this:

20 – Swings
20 – Goblet Squats
20 – Merkins
20 – Tricep Extensions
20 – LBC’s
20 – Curls
20 – Skull Crushers
20 – Calf Raises
20 – American Hammer
* Run a lap after each round.

Once round one is complete, step up to 25 reps and then 30 with each repeat.

Mutiny was in the Pax eyes, so we didn’t get to try out round four and after a bit of broga and stretching we called it a day.

Thanks for the opportunity 3D and Polaroid to lead.

Great job 3D stepping up to be sight Q at Tomahawk.

Make today a great day and make the world a better place because you’re in it.

DT out.

 

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Honoring the fallen @honeybadger

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The count was 14 on this day…

On this day it was truly an honor to be able to remember my friend, Staff Sgt. Thomas J. Dudley. He Passed on July 7, 2011 near Helmand Province, Afghanistan. TJ was flying in a mission to deliver supplies, including three 150-pound Pelican cases containing communications equipment. Everything was going well until the crew thought they were in immediate danger. Scrambling to leave the area quickly which unfortunately was something they did not have to do, things quickly went wrong. In the haste to get back into the Osprey, the crew neglected to tie down the Pelican cases and also did not tether into their gunners’ belts so when TJ ran back to man the M240G machine gun the cases began to move about in the aircraft. A lance corporal was unable to contain the heavy Pelican cases when the aircraft began accelerate and two of the cases flew to the back of the aircraft, striking TJ and that caused him to flip over the gun and fall to his ultimate demise.

TJ was a great man, he was a firefighter, a soldier, and paramedic, and most importantly, a father. He is survived by his wife and three kids who were 13, 5, and 23 months old at his death. TJ loved listening to Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen and was always a joy to be around. Gone but never forgotten! My ability to go out and enjoy fellowship with other men at F3 is in part because of people like TJ and we should never forget what these men and women sacrifice for us! Thanks so much for your service!

Mozy down to 50 yard line on the field for a small warm-up in cadence

Side straddle hop, squats, merkins- 10 each

The Thang…

Partner up

My way of paying homage to TJ was to keep with the numbers associated with his death.

Dora-ish workout

150 per exercise in rotating fashion

1st round is squats

2nd round is Merkins

3rd round is LBC’s

4th round is Calf Raises

5th round is jump squats

6th round is fluter kicks-double count

7th round is mountain climbers-double count

P1 runs 50 yards to end zone and back while P2 does the exercise and then you switch until done.

We also had a kettle bell that we passed up and down the line so that each PAX member could carry it periodically.

rinse and repeat…

We listened to Bon Jovi and The Boss, of course!

Mozy back to COT for name-o-rama, announcements and prayers

 

Thanks to Dirty Harry for the opportunity to lead and thanks to all PAX who made it out!

-Slash

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Start of May at the Coop…the Murph, partner style

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15 men joined YHC to make 16 total at the Coop this morning. Simple weinkie…important concept.

Mosey to football field.

Warmup

  • 20 side straddle hops
  • 5 burpees OYO
  • 10 windmills
  • 5 burpees OYO
  • 15 big arm circles
  • 5 burpees OYO

Kept it short…we would need the time.

The Thang

Simple…partner Murph. Straightforward exercise, but the key was to stick with your partner and encourage/push him along the way.

  • 1 mile run
  • 100 pull ups
  • 200 push up
  • 300 air squats
  • 1 mile run

COT

Announcements – Memorial Day CSAUP, Ruck Heavy this weekend.

Prayers for travelers, UNCC school shooting, teachers in general.

Thanks for the opportunity to lead Punch List.

MOLESKIN

The partner theme was appropriate this morning. During the course of the morning with the PAX, I learned about a member of The Fort that has had marital troubles and subsequently split from his wife and another whose marriage is in a difficult patch as well.

It may or may not have been the case with these men in particular, but as sinners, we are incapable of living up to the standard that Christ set for us and as a result, we make poor decisions that often lead to terrible consequences. The funny thing is that often times, these decisions are made at times in our lives where we think we are at our best (pride comes before the fall). Our pride and self-righteousness blinds us to the efforts of the enemy that is constantly looking for ANY opportunity to tear down, separate, and destroy.

One of the best ways to fight this lifelong battle is to find a partner to do battle with. Someone that will push you, lift you up, and most importantly, hold you accountable (just like you will do for them). Someone that will recognize your pride and the small poor decisions that always lead to big poor decisions and check you before they tear you down. Someone that will constantly encourage you to put yourself 3rd, serving Christ first and your wife and family second. This is what we are called to do for each other.

If you don’t have a partner that believes in the same set of values and has similar goals as you do, do yourself and your family a favor and find one. We are not designed to go through our lives alone and unchecked.

– Ginsu

 

 

 

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Just a Mere Tune-Up

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How in the world did I get the honor of Qing one of the most popular ruck workouts of the year? I don’t know but I didn’t want to disappoint. Usually, that last comment means it’s time to absolutely BRING IT. But the trick this AM was to find that balance of bringing it but not killing it since we’re dangerously close to being short on GRH/GRT/GRL PAX.

Alright, I’ve got my head right, Weinke written and little sleep. Yup, par for the course so let’s roll. 24 brothers joined me at the Fire Ant this morning which for those who’ve not attended, is building quite the strong brotherhood. Again, here’s my plug to try rucking for a month and see if you set the ruck down.

After we disclaimed and talked about the upcoming event this weekend, we made our way to the sidewalk to get in two lines with rucks opened on the ground for a mock inspection. Once complete, zip up, ruck up and fall into 2 lines for a ruck lap around the loop.

Once the lap was complete, stay in 2 lines and lay the rucks on the ground on the outside of the lines. In formation, Side-Straddle Hops, Imperial Walkers, Sumo Squats & Moroccan Night Clubs. Now for a little BEEP BEEP, I’M A JEEP!!

In formation, drop to a squat, hold the ruck out front and duck walk for a bit. Then some ruck curls. Then, drop to a squat, hold the ruck out front and reverse duck walk for a bit back to the starting point. Guess what? More ruck curls.

Now, rotate 90deg so you’re facing the outside, away from the other line for shoulder presses, upright rows and bent over rows. Then a nice set of flutters WITH the needed presses.

Line up on the left side of the 2 long straight-aways for an exercise with the ruck, leave your ruck and run to the far end, do an exercise then run back to your ruck. Here’s the set list:

10 Ruck Thrusters, leave the ruck and run to the other end

5 8ct Burpees then run back

20 Ruck Curls (great on paper), leave the ruck and run to the other end

10 8ct Burpees then run back

Back in our 2 lines of formation for:

12ct Merkins…sans Ruck

Flutters w/ the Press

LBC’s w/ the Rucks up

Box Cutters w/ the Rucks up

More Beep Beep, I’m a Jeep stuff

THAT’S IT!!!

See, not so bad. Just another Tuesday in The Fort.

HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE

SYITG

Maximus

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Old School at Alacatraz

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I got the call early on Saturdayy morning that  my Co -Q was having flu like symptoms and I decided that the Pax would be my Co-Q.  I was excited to see a classic group of old school and new regulars at F3.  After almost 8 years of doing this it is great to see old friends and meet new ones.

I had decided I was going to take a tour of some of the areas of Alcatraz I had not been to in a while.

The Thang:

Mosey to tennis/pickle ball courts:

Around the circle 2x with each member leading an exercise.  Exercises included but were not limited to side straddle hops, LBC, imperial walker, dynamic stretches, cherry pickers, merkins, windmills, peter parkers, parker peters.  The counts were between 11-21.

Mosey to short wall by the golf course:  30 step ups….at this point slum lord ran but and was sucked into our pax….. then 25 derkins, 20 monkey humpers and 25 irkins.

mosey to hill by golf course.  Partner up and grab one rock per group.

Run up hill while partner does curls, switch, bear crawl up hill and crawl bear down while partner does overhead press,  switch,  run up hill while partner does tricep extensions, switch and bear crawl up hill and crawl bear down while partner does chest press, switch.

Run to club house steps and wheelbarrow and up and down, switch.  Rinse and Repeat.

Stop on way back for LBC- 30 OYO.

Mosey back and per Zima suggestion do a 4 minute hill workout calf buster by running up the hill backwards for four minutes and forward down (crowd pleaser.

Moleskin:

It is always great to lead.  It is amazing how time has flown and many a pax has seen time at Alcatraz.  Always great to catch up with new regulars and the ol faithful.

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Remembering Family

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Thought about this one at the last minute.  April was a great month for me as I celebrated Easter with my family, Spring Break, my mother’s birthday, my 8th wedding anniversary, accepting an offer on my house and so many other things that were wonderful yet forgotten.  But as I tried to create something new for this Q, it dawned on me those family members that are still a part of me emotionally/spiritually but not physically. I wanted to do something that brought back and help me to preserve those special moments that will hopefully stay with me even longer.  That being said, I established a Q that honored the memory of two loved ones that I have lost in the month of April: my maternal grandmother, Gaye Lindsay (April 4, 2001) and my uncle Jody Hudson (April 28, 2014).

Warm-O-Rama: I honestly don’t remember what we did.  But we warmed up.  Some dynamic stretching and the usual amount of SSH’s.

The Thang: as a way to honor my family members, I chose to do a partner BLIMPS type workout with one person completing reps while the other partner running a lap to each respective name.  Up first, my grandmother…

We each grabbed a rock near Papa Doc’s and partnered up to complete 61 reps of each exercise:

  • Goblet squat press (with rock)
  • American hammers (with rock)
  • Yurpee (had to dig in the exicon for this one… and we did this one cumulative with a partner instead of individually…. and without rock)
  • Extensions (triceps extensions with the rock)

Gaye is for the name of my grandmother.  61 reps for her age when she passed.  She died when I was a junior in high school.  She was married for 42 years to my grandfather. She was a great definition of the word Matriarch.

 

Next up… my uncle (no rocks for this one).  Partner style BLIMPS workout again with 40 reps.

  • Jump squats
  • One legged burpee (cumulative reps between partner)
  • Dips
  • Y-lifts

Jody is for the name of my uncle.  40 reps for the age when he died.  He died 5 years ago.  He also died at a young age, which still sticks with me to this day.

COT/Name-O-Rama

This was a workout that I needed.  As time passes, we tend to lose memories of those who are not with us anymore.  There are certain memories that were brought back from just thinking about this workout which brought smiles to my face.  Memories that were long gone but not forgotten.  I hope that more memories I shared with these special people will continue to stay with me and pop up from time to time; allowing me to reminisce on how lucky I was as a child and growing adult to have such wonderful people in my life.

 

As always, thanks for the opportunity to lead Peg!

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Co-Q with Two Ferns

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Last minute Co-Q with my boy Two Ferns stepping up to lead the first half.

Those brave enough to pre-run made an appearance 45 minutes prior. (For the record, those PAX were Two Ferns and Shakespeare).

Disclaimer given by YHC and Two Ferns took us on a mosey to the elementary school parking lot for Warm-O-Rama.  We welcomed Delay-Of-Game (Chop Block’s name after missing the starting gun), his 2.0s, and Respectable Olaf to the party as they arrived.  Mosey to the football field.

Lacrosse Drills w/ Two Ferns:

Two teams pitted against each other for glory.  With YHC keeping score, I just want the record to show that my team won.  First drill of partners going out to pick up a lacrosse ball with a stick, minimum 5 partner passes (each drop, other team members complete a punishment), first team to retrieve all balls gets the win.  Team members “on deck” held plank until the others returned, when a ball dropped, teammates completed a merkin.  Other times through, we held Al Gore and completed a squat on dropped balls.

After a few rounds, we did 1v1 sprint retrieval, 1v1 back to back fight for the ball, and 2v2 sprint retrieval with passes.

Little Tykes Basketball w/ YHC:

In what seemed to be easy (and was extremely hard) each PAX took 3 attempts (some more as we had to change the rules a few times for LOTS of misses) at shooting on a Little Tykes kid hoop.  For every miss, we completed a Burpee.  Let’s just say there were lots of burpees.

Ultimate Football:

In what has become a tradition at The Deep, we played some Ultimate Football. It was a short game, but again, my team won (I was keeping score).

COT & Prayers

Thanks for helping me Q this one Two Ferns!

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Running Palisades Neighborhoods

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We ran down Langston, turned left on Oleander, right on Steadman Branch (which circles left all the way back to Oleander), turned left on Palisades Parkway, right on Lake Ridge Road, left on Coves Ridge Ln, left on Vale Ridge Dr, left back onto Palisades Parkway, right onto Goldnrod into Langston, all the way back to the school.

 

Something like that.

 

Lots of hills.  What’s new?

 

Thanks for the opportunity to lead Hauscka!

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10/20/30 at Cannonball (Back to the Basics)

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12 PAX appeared in the gloom. We got the Kettlebells out and No FNGs present, but a lot of new faces in the gloom. Gave a basic disclaimer as we moseyed around the parking lot and through the dark tunnel and into the old Church Parking lot were Whitesnake took control of the COP. He has a VQ coming up so I hit him up yesterday and asked him if he wanted to lead us in the COP and he said “heck yah” . He was prepared, he later told me that he watched a Video online of Dredd showing how to lead a COP. Whitesnake killed it with some Imperial Walkers, Produce Pickers, Sun Gods both ways, MNC’s and then some fast paced until we slowed him down Wind Mills (something we all get a little fast on when we do them for the first time). I remember Jedi stopping me and setting me straight. I then went into the middle of the COP and had everyone hold an Al Gore and I briefly talked about all the new faces and that when leading up to the VQ’s remember you are the one in charge and to take lead and men will follow you. Also keep in mind that it is only exercise and not surgery so it is ok if you mess up.

We then moseyed over toward the New Parking lot and on the way we did some Toy Solders. Picked up our Kettle Bells and did the Following

10/20/30 (3 reps)
Big Boys with a Kettlebell raise and push over the head to the knees
Tricep Ext.
Lawn mowers (15 each arm)
Then take a lap with the Bell

10/20/30 (3 reps)
Kettlebell squat thrusters
American Hammers counting the right side only
Skull Crushers
Then take a short bear crawl lap with the Bell to the first cone and back

10/20/30 (3 reps)
Turkish Get ups 5 each side (not a popular one just ask Whitesnake and the Pax with the Ruck on
KB Swings
Shoulder Presses 15 each arm
Then take a lunge lap around the second cone with the Bell

Ended right on time with cheers that the Turkish Getups were done.

Announcements as usual Canoli Run, Savage Race, Heavy Coming up, New River Men’s Breakfast, F# Dads May 25th, Memorial Day Convergence, Read your news letter.

Prayers and Praises, O’Reilly had a friend end his life recently, Roger (Riverboat) and his battle with cancer, Traveling Pax and sick Pax.

Thanks to all that came and got better. I am glad to be out there with each of you . You make me stronger. Kudos to Whitesnake for leading the COP.

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Swings at Block Party

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YHC had two plans in case the setup for the Strawberry Festival hindered the better workout, but a quick walkthrough of WEP revealed that everything was normal and the fun could begin as hoped.

12 PAX appeared in the gloom, 4 runners ran, 8 campers booted. No FNGs, issued the disclaimer anyways.

Starting with a mosey half way around WEP and stoping to warm up the no leg parts in the field the PAX enjoyed the following:
20x SSH
10x Low Slow Squat
10x Werewolf
10x Tea stance dips, each leg – Standing normal, step the right leg over the left and space about shoulder width.  It’s awkward. Now sink until the left foot comes up and the left knee hovers over the ground.  Now hold both arms out with palms out, dip down until the knee brushes the dirt.  Do this ten times and reverse.

Now mosey back to the trail and over to the playground.

PAX paired up (8 was the magic number, worked perfectly!). One partner has his legs hanging on a swing, hands in the wood chips, doing one of three painful exercises until their partner comes back. The other runs about 50m away to perform a set number of exercises. The groups worked together. No man was left behind.

YHC demonstrated palm to back of hand pushups for advanced mode. After a few on the swing, knuckles were preferred.  The flips caused a lot of wood chips in the face.

Swing exercise | Partner exercise 
Pushups | Squat Jumps x10
Knees to chest | Calf Raises x20
Pike (plank to down dog) | Squat Jumps x10

Pushups | Squat Jumps x10
Knees to chest | Calf Raises x20
Pike | Squat Jumps x10

Broga break
10x windmill
Down dog
Honeymooner
Justifier on the ground, pressing up with arms to stretch abs. Isolating left by looking over right shoulder and a slight right twist, reverse, then center. Good stretching all around

Back to the swings for another set

Pushups | Flutter x20
Knees to chest | Box Cutter x10
Pike | Bomb Jacks x10

With only six minutes left we moseyed the remaining trail back to COT with enough time for:
Squat Calf raises x 20
Bomb Jack’s x 3 (with a four count)

The runners rolled in and someone may have referred to Polaroid as “A shining unicorn in the gloom” as he ran through the fog.

Circle up for announcements and a prayer.

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