Act I – DaVinci Cones: Merkin Mile Edition

When 7 a.m. rolled around and the workout was properly disclaimed, we moseyed around the parking lot and across the street to the front of the school for a little Circle Of Pain:

• SSH x 20
• Moroccan Nightclubs x 20
• Windmills (NICE N SLOW for the Q)
• Low, Slow Squats x 20
• Merkins x 10 (DC)
• Hold, Downward Dog and Honeymooner to stretch (for the Q)
• Peter Parkers x 10 (DC) – repeat stretches
• Freddy Mercurys x 10

Then we moseyed to the incredible track for the Merkin-in-in Mile-ile-ile…

Pretty simple “set-it-and-forget-it” workout for which I am notorious:

I set out two lil cones on opposite sides of the ¼-mile track.

• First lap: 10 merkins at each cone
• Second lap: 7 merkins at each cone
• Third lap: 5 merkins at each cone
• Fourth lap: 3 merkins at each cone

Then it was time to hand it off to my friend Royale.

Act II – Royale’s Merkins and BLIMPS

“Merkin Mania” at the playground

• 20 Swing set Derkins / 20 Swing set Crunches
• 20 Hand-release Merkins / 20 Plank Jacks
• 20 Ranger Merkins / 20 shoulder Taps
• 20 Wide-arm Merkins / 1 minute Elbow Plank

Mosey back across the street to Oakridge for BLIMPS

• 5 Burpees
• 10 Lunges
• 15 Imperial Walkers
• Blanked on the “M” and the PAX graciously called Merkins, so we did 20
• 25 Plank Jacks
• 30 Squats

We finished this so a quick lap in the parking lot.  Rinse and repeated with M becoming Mountain Climbers.

Finished a hard hour of work with some stretching…

###

Moleskine

Royale spoke from the heart for a few moments about what it means to be a part of F3, framing his talk by highlighting each of the Three Fs. While I don’t remember his exact words, I hope I’ve captured the essence. And since we co-Q’d this one, I offer my take as well.

Of course we all know the First F: Fitness. It’s the Magnet. It’s what got us out at 0-Dark-15 to begin with. We all know the importance of moving our bodies and keeping ourselves strong physically as we get older. But as Royale reminded us, that’s just the beginning.

The Second F of Fellowship is the Glue that keeps us coming out in the cold, the rain — even the remains of a hurricane as it passed over the QC. It’s the Shield Lock with our Brothers in Arms. It’s a community of like-minded men who are there to pull us and push us and catch us and lift us. At the very least, it is a group of friendlies to sweat along side of; at its deepest, it is finding brothers from other mothers. It is what you bring with you and what you make of it.

But it’s the Third F that can be truly transformative. It’s what’s described as the Dynamite in Freed to Lead * by F3 founders OBT and Dredd. We all have heard or read the mission of F3: “…To plant, grow and serve small workout groups for the invigoration of male community leadership.” I’ll admit that when I first began posting nearly a year ago, I wasn’t quite sure what that meant, or how burpees and bearcrawls were connected to leadership.

And then I Q-ed my first workout. I was scared, but I wanted to push myself to do something that scared me.

And then I was talking to Vinny one morning about getting a group of us together for a beer. So we started a happy hour which I Q the second Tuesday of each month.

And then I found myself on a diversity and community outreach committee, which organized a turkey giveaway before Thanksgiving, and an Easter Party just last weekend.

And suddenly, I saw the connection: When you have your life priorities in the right order, and when you seek, find and acknowledge a power greater than yourself, you feel compelled to do something to affect change in your sphere of influence. I see it all around me in F3 with men donating time talent and treasure to a greater good. Children’s Attention Home. Operation: Sweet Tooth. Mission trips to Colombia. The list goes and grows with each passing month.

Thanks, Royale for the opportunity to Q with you, brother. The Deep is where I first posted, and that A.O. and the PAX who post there mean a lot to me.

Honored to serve. ~ DaVinci

* If anyone reading this has not already read this book, I strongly encourage you do so. It’s available for purchase on Amazon (Pro Tip: if you’re a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, you can download it as part of your membership). If you’re like me, it will resonate profoundly.