20 PAX came to LacesIn for some Black Sake runs backwards DORA and more. Thanks to @talbaugh03 for the opportunity. And the rest for the support. You know who you are.
10 Pax posted to #THEBallroom for another chapter in Redwood Originals month. This was YHC’s first Q (or even post) to the not-so-new site now at Pleasant Knoll Middle School. Prior experience the past 18 months as Site Q at #BlockParty prevented earlier posting. Great AO# — @Ginsu should give this one consideration for future Convergences.
Site Q request was for me to cover a bit of “history” of The Fort as part of the workout and message. It’s a story that truly reflects God blessing men who step into the unknown with faith, which is what every FNG does the first time he posts. The history of The Fort is really the history of every member of the pax, from 2012 all the way to April 2018 and beyond.
The Thang
Mosey around to back of school
COP — usual IC warm up routine, particularly important on a 30 degree morning in mid-April!
Mosey across bridge to breezeway leading to athletic fields
It’s not too impressive in a BB to talk about the fact we did “a whole lot of sitting around” but that’s what transpired. Of course it was in the People’s Chair while each pax recounted the story of his initial post, which AO, who EHd him, who Qd, etc. Each rendition was interspersed with some form of merkins, CDDs, balls-to-the-wall, monkey humpers, squats, bombjacks and/or burpees. We covered stories of 9 pax and then moseyed to the football field.
Circle up for some Mary — a rundown of the familiar but effective Hello Dollies, Freddie Mercurys, Flutters, Superman and Penguin (including reference to Burgess Meredith for the #Respectables among the pax)
Line up for suicides across the football field
Plank sequence
Pause to recount YHC’s EH story and honor OBT for that gift.
Another suicide sequence
Another plank sequence, topped off (for Longshanks) with Mahktar N’Dyae
Run home
COT
Thanks to Short Sale for the invitation to Q at The Ballroom. It was a great morning with a lively and dedicated collection of the pax. Truly an honor to lead on this day.
Short Sale posted to S2S last week when I had the privilege of leading the discussion that day, and he heard me talk about the launch of The Fort as being one of many instances where God showed up in amazing ways during a period of life transition to bless those who move forward in faith. Too often I try to seize CONTROL when facing transition periods either out of PRIDE or in response to ANXIETY. Reflecting in prep for S2S on my experience amid life’s transition points proved to me that God has repeatedly come through every time (!) in ways I could never have imagined and on a scale I would never have asked for. And yet, I tremble each time I see a transition on the horizon. Oh ye of little faith!
Upon reflection, the story about the launch of The Fort is a powerful one for me and the pax who experienced those lean early days, but for the rest among us, it is just names, places and dates. Kind of like my history classes back in high school. I had a hard time connecting to them because they were foreign to my experience…I had no immediate way to connect so history classes became all about pure memorization for me.
But, in the recounting of the history of The Fort at The Ballroom, we heard it from the mouths of those who lived it. We heard about pax who’ve moved onto other pastures (Howitzer, Bing, Red Eye) who had EHd one of those present, leaving behind a legacy of their contribution to The Fort’s history. We heard about workouts where present-day pax swore to God they’d never return if he let them survive that first day (Anchorman). We heard about pax who did not return for YEARS, waiting until scores of pounds were shed and cigarettes were sworn off (Culture Club), only to be remembered upon later return by CSPAN who disallowed a name change. We heard about AOs that don’t even exist anymore (the sandbag workout — can’t recall the name). This was history that each man connected to, because it was HIS STORY.
And that is true for each day. God willing, we are given a new day each morning to make a choice, to lay another piece of our history in place. A piece of The Fort’s history. A piece of the history of God’s people. No, I don’t feel worthy to receive this daily gift. But God sees that I am worthy of it. And he sees you’re worthy of it, too. So, go ahead, take the DRP and go make some history.
7 men posted at Crow’s Nest to rumble with some lumber on a very breezy Monday morning. Disclaimer was disclaimed, and we were off moseying around to the back of the school. I had strategically parked my truck around the back and the tailgate was down, revealing a slew of logs who would become our friends for the next 45 mins. The size and weights varied, but most were in the 30 lb range. PAX were encouraged to select a log that would challenge them, but not cause injury.
Penalties for the day: (1) you hit a PAX with your log – 10 burpee penalty (2) you hit the Q with a log – 25 burpee penalty. Thankfully, no penalties were needed.
Warmup
The Thang
Hill Runs with Log
Log jog to the hill. PAX ran up and down the hill with their log, carrying it whatever way they saw fit. Lots of front carries, with a few shoulder carries in the mix as well. Each time you arrive at the bottom of the hill, do 5 derkins on the log (logs were about 1.5 feet high). At the top of the hill, do the next exercise on the list until all 5 rounds are complete.
Plenty of pain here. PAX did LBCs until the 6. Peg was asked to select between option A or B. He chose A, so we rinsed and repeated the whole sequence. Another option was given after round 2, and Nemo selected Colorado over Arizona. So we moved on to the next event. False democracy at its best.
Peoples Chair with Logs
I poached this idea from Double D’s Black Friday workout, only we used logs instead of Cindy. All the logs were handed off down the line then, passed back to the side they stated from. Then PAX got a break … by doing 10 burpees.
Repeat x 5, for a total of 50 burpees, and plenty of time on the wall.
I gave a quick NMM before heading to the final event of the morning. See Below.
Lumberjack Webbs
Similar to the original, but with more wood and more pain. Each PAX retrieved 2 split pieces of firewood from the truck and circled up on the grass with their logs. Ratio of 1:3 was used because we were short on time, and due to the added weight. 1 derkin on the log, then 3 overhead claps while holding a piece of firewood in each hand. Then 2 derkins + 6 firewood claps, 3 derkins +9 firewood claps… ect. This was a real crowd pleaser. Much mumble chatter abounded. We only got through 8 rounds before time ran out, but that was plenty to get the shoulders burning, especially after the burpees and derkins from earlier.
Mosey back to COT, for announcements, prayers, and praises.
NMM
Sticking with the theme of the day we discussed the following passage from scripture:
Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. Matt 7:1-5
This is something I need to be reminded of frequently. In my marriage, at work, with my children- where am I keeping score? We can be very quick to extend ourselves grace while withholding it from others. We all have logs of selfishness and vice that we carry around every day, and maybe the reason we can’t see them is we have become used to them. So have a look in the mirror. What is your log? What can you remove from your life to make you a better man of God? The next part of Jesus’ challenge is to then extend grace to those that struggling with the specks in their eyes. Be ruthless with the sin in your own life, while overlooking the faults of others – do the harder thing.
Thank you Flux for the opportunity to lead!
Stay Classy,
Homebrew
20 posted for a Saturday afternoon game day at the Children’s attention home. The boys were already playing basketball before we got started, but they still had some energy to burn. So, we did a slow mosey/walk to the field up the street from CAH and got to it. Here is what we did:
The Thang:
Mini- COP
SSH x 20, merkin x 10, windmill x 10, squat x 10, mountain climber x 10
We split the group up and played a friendly, but competitive game of kickball. There were some good plays, some not-so-good plays, but we all had a lot of fun on a beautiful, late afternoon spring day. I think the score was 8-7, but it wasn’t important who won the game. The time we spent together, getting to know each other better and learning from each other, was what it was about.
Welcome FNG/Trek Star who is a friend of Man of Steel (my son), and also, who we found out today, a neighbor of NASA’s. He said that he enjoyed himself today and wants to come again. I was very happy to hear that and hope that he can join us any time we come to CAH.
I told the boys about a news story I saw this week about a high school boy named Gerald Hodges who swam for his high school swim team in Texas. It’s an amazing story about a young athlete, who could have easily played for just about any sport team at his school. But instead, chose to join the school swim team. Gerald could barely swim, but decided to join the swim team because he wanted to learn how to handle failure if it happened (it didn’t). Being able to handle failures and learn from them, Gerald thought, would make him successful. This to me, was an incredibly mature thing for an 18 year old to do, and was a powerful message for anyone. The link to this story is below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0tjVEncJyg
My thanks to NASA for the invitation to Q. I have been absent from the CAH for too long and plan on getting there more regularly this year.
9 men joined YHC for a cold beatdown.
Mosey around the parking lot.
WARMUP
The THANG
Line up at the first line of a series of 19 arrows the run down the back road at Gold Hill Middle
Mosey to the benches under the awning
Mosey to COT
Xs and Os
COT
Announcements for Convergence, Sweettooth Run, Strawberry Festival
Praise for good cancer diagnosis, safety through weather, other health progress. Prayers for Badger, back injury, and safe travel.
– Ginsu
CSPAN and I needed therapy, so we pre-rucked a few miles before I showed to Q… Some might use the fact that we pre-rucked as proof of our need for therapy, but it IS the therapy… it’s complicated… just forget it…
Once PAX started to arrive, we got on with the Thang:
Mosey to small lot on left side of the Middle School (if you are facing it) for the Warmup:
Windmills
Cherry Pickers/Weed Pullers/Jimmy Carters/Whatever…
Merkins
Squats
Moroccan Nightclubs
Side Straddle Hops…
…all came to visit to the count of 10…
Then we ran from that end of the school (stop 1), past the front doors to the small lot on the back right corner (just above the football field) of the school (stop 2)…
We did a bunch of exercises and discussed the mission and 5 core principles of F3…
Then we alternated running back and forth between stop 1 and stop 2 doing exercises each time we arrived… Burpees, squats, CDD, Merkins, Flutters, etc.
Once we got sick of that we did a couple of rounds of 4 corners with accountability partners to make sure our form wasn’t lacking:
Merkins, Big Boy Situps, CDD, Seal Jacks for the 6…
Then we did a “ring around the Mary” and called it a morning…
The fun never ends and the party never stops at The Yard…
Helmet, out.
18 Men showed up on a very chilly April morning. The pre-ruck was very well attended, and the ruck portion was being Q’ed by Olaf and there seemed to be several implements of torcher that were assembled for the rucking PAX to carry around. 5:15 came and the disclaimer was given(in spirit if not actually) and the entire group was challenged to begin thinking of prayers that needed to be shared at COT. No prayers for your neighbors sick cat, what do YOU need your brothers to know and pray for in your life? With that the Ruckers were dismissed and the rest of us circled up for some COP. SSH, IW, Squats, on your side for some hip flexing and strengthening – Jane Fonda – Leg Circles forward and reverse, back kicks. All on your side 5 count then flip sides. Strong loose hips are key to injury prevention. Mosey to lay out the cones for a 5 corner workout tour around the Golden Corral. 1st cone at the bottom of the hill(10 Bomb Jacks) Cone #2 at the top of the hill(20 LBC) Cone 3 around Auto Parts and Oil change(10 CDD) 4th cone at COT(15 Squats) Cone 5 at Dominos(15 Merkins) You vs You workout, you choose how fast you want to push it, how hard you want to work. The PAX did awesome, everyone finished at least 4 full laps and a few did 4 plus, Mileage count was over 3 miles, pretty strong for a 45 minute boot camp. Final mosey to COT
Announcements – Strawberry Fields, Guidance & CAH, Bonsai has Beyond next Tuesday at GC
Prayers & Praises – Continued prayers for Badger – Prayers for patience and wisdom with young kids(especially boys), Prayers for healing for the young kids in our community growing up in dysfunctional or non-existent homes, prayers for patience and energy to continue dealing with the racial injustices that many of us don’t want to admit exist. I appreciated the hearts of the men who shared this morning, and challenge the PAX to press into being vulnerable with our real struggles and needs so that we can properly car for each other.
Tesh asked YHC to Q after a last-minute cancellation by one with well-quaffed hair. Eager to Q a Kettlebell workout for the first time, I gladly accepted.
Disclaimer directly into the warmup
SSH x13
Moroccan Nightclubs x13
Toy Soldier x13
Moroccan Nightclubs x13
Windmill x13
Mosey around the parking lot
Thang:
13 Kettlebell Swings each time alternating with Merkins
Merkins in decreasing reps 13, 12, 11…3, 2, 13
Finish with a bonus of 13 Kettlebell Swings
Mosey around the parking lot
Decreasing Reps of 17, 13, 11 each of:
KB Squats
KB Side Lunges
KB Reverse Lunges
Round of stretching to balance the leg/hip work with pigeon lunge into swan pose – below is a stock pic to prove to Flash that YHC didn’t just make it up.
Back for some Mary (all with the kettlebell):
Flutters x13
American Hammers x13
LBC x13
American Hammers x11
COT
NMM:
Discussed how in my work as a music professor I strive to give students the ears to hear (Matthew 13:16), and how that is my prayer for myself in all aspects of life. The ears to hear those who need help, ears to hear my M, ears to hear my kids when they need me, ears to hear the Lord when God calls, etc.
Below is a quick shot of the wenkie. Due to the quick turn around I formulated this one while in rehearsal of the Britten War Requiem (I was tacet on the 5th movement.) Also this reminds me that I need to order more Revolution from Pet Meds . . .
Thanks to Tesh for asking. Although some PAX were lamenting that I didn’t go with my original plan of counting down the Kettlebell Swings instead we kept them at 13 each. It was Friday the 13th after all . . . . and that got me thinking about prime numbers.
Welcome FNG: Mouse Trap
18 PAX showed up strong on a beautiful spring morning. After the disclaimer, we shuffled out for a brief mosey replete with a Longshanks-style warmup: Butt kickers to Carioca around the Springs corporate center parking lot.
COP in front of the Springs corporate center (more on location later)
SSH x30
Imperial Walkers x10
Hillbilly Walkers x10
Windmill x10
Plank up ATM Variation:
Shoulder Taps x15
Tempo Merkins x10
Single-count Merkins x10
Head over to 8ft(ish) wall for some Muscle Ups x10 (oyo)
Plank up ATM Variation:
Shoulder Taps x15
Hand release Merkins x5
Mosey to UC Synergetic upper parking lot
Brief Thang:
Line Drill w/ Partner (Dora-sides): After both partners complete the line drill running, switch to bear crawl until exercises are completed. Partners strive for 20 Burpees, 100 LBCs, 200 Squats collectively. Mercifully, few had to bear crawl more than two line segments.
No Block Party is truly complete if the police don’t make an appearance. One of Fort Mill’s finest made a round through our parking lot. It appears, in YHC’s zeal to move from Springs Global to UC Synergetic, a stealth mosey of 18 PAX ignited a fire in the hounds of the mill hills. Despite our best efforts a local resident was not pleased with their dogs barking and asked for an officer to investigate. Once we’d been deemed nonthreatening, we completed the modified Dora/Line Drill.
To honor the dogs:
Plank up
Honeymooner to Down Dog
Hold Down Dog
Raise right leg high – bend the knee (open the hip)
Swing right leg forward between hands (knee to nose) into one-legged plank
Tap right knee to right elbow x5
Tap right knee to left elbow x5
Return to Down Dog
Repeat with Left Leg
Mosey down Massey hill to lower UC parking lot
Wall sit (till PAX began grumbling)
Monkey Humpers x20
10-count
Monkey Humpers x20
10-count
Derkins w/ feet on wall x10
Monkey Humpers x20
Derkins w/ feet on wall x10
Rest facing wall – 10-count
Calf raises facing the wall x20
Jump the wall and mosey up the hill
Word of the month is “Worthy.” This word has been on my mind for quite some time. Matthew 22 and Luke 14 give a parable about a great banquet or wedding feast where the invited guest (those “worthy”) don’t show up or actively refuse to attend. As a Christian, Jesus’s death has made my unworthiness worthy. But do I respond when he calls? How can I live in a way that is worthy of the blessings I’ve received and the gifts God has bestowed upon me?
Mosey back to COT (not past the dogs)
Mary: Flutters x20, Seating forward bends (right leg, left leg, both)
One last thought on worthiness. In Jedi’s BackBlast from his Beyond Q (https://f3thefort.com/2018/03/12/identity-and-purpose-digging-deeper-and-going-beyond/), he mentions the idea of our motivation. Is my motivation for being worthy for my own benefit/vanity, or is it to glorify God. It may be that my current struggle with the concept stems from a selfish or myopic motivation. Can I be more worthy of God in order to glorify God rather than myself? This is my goal.
As an aside (if anyone has made it this far in the BackBlast reading), the actual act of writing his BackBlasts served to solidify the message I tried to deliver during our workout. I’ve been working out at F3 AOs for 6 months now, and I’m beginning to see what Old Bay, who EHed me to my first workout, mention about how much more than a workout F3 is.
Grateful for the opportunity to lead and appreciate of all the PAX that showed up to work and grow this morning!
Two Q’s and One PAX for an hour of fun.
Three of the Alcatraz faithful gathered in the gloom with Change Order and YHC at the helm.
A quick disclaimer was all that was needed before a quick mosey around the park.
Circle Up for Warm Up:
SSH, Merkins, Imperial Walkers, Windmills, etc.
Mosey to the wall for alternating exercises.
Wall Sit while partner(s) perform exercise, the flip-flop.
Exercise while partner(s) run(s) over the fence to the top of the hill.
Static Stretching (hamstrings, and IT band) I can’t really explain it!
Head to the back of the dugout for some step-ups and dips (20 each).
And to the bottom of the big hill for a Dora 1-2-3. 100 Merkins, 200 Bomb Jacks, 300 Squats, while alternating running to the crosswalk sign half-way up the hill. I will admit to an Audible on the running portion of this exercise after about 5 trips up the hill, with a shift to a similar distance and about 1/3 the vertical climb heading in the other direction.
Dora complete, we headed back to the ball field for 4 minutes of Mary.
COT
Prayers for those suffering from both chronic and acute illness.
Thankful for F3 and our many blessings.
As always, it is an honor to have the opportunity to lead.
Smuggler