#BLUF = show up on-time, wear a watch, have a plan (weinke), lead, use your outdoor voice, show some energy, and understand the importance of a well run #COT

Conditions were perfect, 68 degrees and clear

#disclaimer explained in detail with help from Legal Counsel “assumption of risk” and “modify as needed’ with several witnesses

Very short COP warm-up in cadence

Review and demonstrate: Pearls on a String, Arkloader, and Dora 1-2-3 = here is a link to better definitions: http://f3nation.com/exercises/

We really did all the exercises because that is what we do as F3 men, and Longshanks kept chirping me…

AYG to COT

COT/Prayer or Praise/BOM

Powerful testimony from Rock Thrill about his brother Joe Davis here is the link to his Memorial 1/7/17 Race: https://joedavisrun.racesonline.com/register

Here are my notes from this morning (all credit to Tiger Rag and his Team from South Charlotte-Area 51)

Q101 – Training for the Workout Leader
PURPOSE
The purpose of this document is two-fold:
1. To assist the new Q in preparing for and leading his first workout, and
2. To serve as a standard to evaluate experienced Q performance.

PHILOSOPHY
1. Q – Pax Relationship: The unspoken social contract between the Pax and a Q: “We will follow until you give us a reason not to.” Implicit trust for the inexperienced (as opposed to the unqualified) Trust based.
a. Breach of trust may include:
i. Doing stupid stuff: partner carries up/down wet hills, log relay races.
ii. Too hard: Trying to run the pax into the ground with needlessly difficult exercises, unreasonable reps, etc.
iii. Too easy: most guys want to be challenged and pushed
iv. Too complicated: lots of explanations, confusing sets, too much standing around.
The Pax are very forgiving toward a new Q. Most have been through it and understand the anxiety.

PREPARATION
Creating a safe, tough workout for the fittest Pax to the most out of shape is a challenge. Preparation and flexibility is key.
1. Types of Workouts –
a. A well-balanced workout would ideally consist of a quick warm up, strength, cardio and core.
b. Talk to your Site Q for specialty workouts such as gear, KB, running, rucking, etc.

2. Workout Promotion
a. PreBlast- write up for when you need to convey information about the upcoming workout. Information like site change, new site or new Q advertising, gear (bring KB), etc.
b. Twitter-essential to communicate and promote your site or workout.

3. Simplicity/Complexity and Originality
a. Keep the Weinke simple. The fewer moving parts the better.
b. Keep it familiar. New exercises or sets that require more than the briefest of explanations usually lead to confusion.
c. Don’t be shy about stealing a Weinke, or parts of a Weinke, from another more-experienced Q.

4. Form and Counts
a. While the Q needn’t be a direct Form Enforcer, he can indirectly enforce good form in three major ways:
i. Exemplify good form himself during exercise. Don’t short-arm a merkin, go full range of motion, etc.
ii. Slow down the exercise, either by slowing cadence count, or by using a 3 down/1 up variation (e.g., 3 count to bottom of squat, 1 count up). “Thrash counting” or counting too fast for the exercise being called leads to bad form or refusenik behavior from the Pax.
iii. NOTE: Almost all cadence counting in F3 is too fast. Counting too slow is almost never a bad thing.

5. Go with strengths
a. Don’t Q it if you can’t do it.
b. Corollary: Just because YOU can do it doesn’t necessarily mean you should Q it. Just because you are a pull up monster doesn’t mean you should subject the Pax to 100 pull ups. You might be a beast on diamond merkins, but calling 50 for the Pax may not be right call.
c. If you want to try a new exercise, make sure you demo it properly as well as the counting with it (cadence, civilian, OYO)

6. Cadence Counting
a. When the Q leads the Pax in an exercise (that requires counting) he should do it in a cadence count. The correct procedure is as follows:
i. Next exercise is [brief pause], the merkin.
• The Pax then repeats the exercise called.
• Speak loudly so all Pax can hear. You are in charge.
ii. Start(ing) position [brief pause], Move.
• Not “exercise” position. Start position.
• The “Move” is to get the Pax to the position required to begin exercise. The “Move” is not a command to begin exercising.
iii. In cadence [brief pause], Exercise.
• In cadence simply means the Q counts the movements (1-2-3) and the Pax calls out the repetitions in unison (“One!”).
• The Q counts should correspond to a distinct movement in the exercise. It is in rhythm. For example, for a merkin: “1” is the movement to the down position, “2” is the movement to the plank position, “3” is the movement back to the down position, the Pax call of “One!” is the move back to plank position.
• The Q indicates the completion of an exercise by a higher inflection on his last repetition.
See Dredd’s excellent tutorial on the how and why of cadence counting: http://f3nation.com/2012/02/22/f3-tv-how-to-count/
b. NOTE: When a Q does not lead an exercise in cadence that would normally be done that way, he is giving away his authority to lead the Pax. He is implicitly telling the Pax that he not able to count in cadence or is not willing to learn.

7. Dry Runs / Practice
a. Cadence Counting:
i. Memorize the three commands. Practice them in the car, say them to yourself in shower, etc. Get them down pat. We are striving for uniformity across all sites, not to mention across all regions in F3.
ii. Practice counting while exercising. A number of first time Qs say after their first workout that they were surprised how hard it was to count and exercise at the same time. Practice this sample COP (Circle of Pain) in cadence count:
• Side Straddle Hop
• Merkins
• Imperial Walkers (these trip up some people)
• Squats
• Mountain Climbers (these have a tendency to be a Q Self-Smoker)
iii. There may be times that a dry run of the Weinke, or at least parts of it, is a good idea. It helps you work out logistics such as timing and transitions.

8. Weinke review with Site Q or experienced Q
a. Work with the Site Q or one of his delegates to help troubleshoot your first Weinke or two. The Site Q is an invaluable source in helping spot potential kinks in the plan.

9. Scalability –A scalable workout is one that is tough for the strongest of Pax, while at the same time not over-smoking the back of the pack. All workouts are no drop; without exception. Under no circumstance should we ever leave a Pax alone.
a. Larry Birds: According to the F3 Lexicon, a Larry Bird is a Pax that finishes an exercise before the Q (in running, or on your own (OYO) exercises). There are multiple ways of handling Larry Birds:
i. Do Nothing: Larry Birds are usually veterans that will plank up while waiting for the rest of the Pax to come in. This is the default setting for F3 Vets.
ii. Extra work: Assign them extra exercises at the end of the set (do burpees until everyone gets in) or more exercises during the set (do 9 reps per station on The Beast instead of 6, or a Jacob’s Ladder from 4-10 instead of 1-7).
b. The Six: The guys in the back. The Pax in the Six are generally less adept at running and will usually benefit from “chunking”: a cluster of exercises in one place followed by a short mosey to another place. For many average to above-average Pax, the mosey from spot to spot is a recovery time. For the Six, it can be the most strenuous.
i. Limit the location changes, or keep them close together;
ii. If you know you are going to cover ground, appoint a sweeper(s) who will stay at the rear with the Six.
iii. Alternatively, circle back as a group and pick them up. This applies in particular to off campus runs (say from DV to Davie) or at any of the running workouts.

10. Too long, too short
a. It takes a few times go get a good feel for how long your Weinke will take to execute. If it appears that it’s going to take too long, cut it short.
b. If you’ve run out of Weinke after 20 minutes, always have a couple of stand by exercises ready in the wings, such as a Jacob’s Ladder, The Beast, Partner 100’s, etc. All these exercises are strenuous, time-eaters and don’t have to be lead by the Q.

11. Too many people, too few
a. If you’ve planned your Weinke for 15 people, will it still work for 25? For 7? Gear workouts are harder to scale.

12. Transitions, dead time, standing around
a. Transitions are often overlooked by new Qs. Getting from one place to another takes time, especially if you have some Clydesdales.
b. Dead Time – if you need to count off the Pax into groups of twos, it’s much quicker and easier to tell people a few minutes ahead of time to partner up. Counting off, especially in large groups, is dead time. Consider having everyone get into a 6″ plank and count off. Once they count, the go to a normal plank. The point it to avoid standing around.

13. Tap a vet – if you need time to get unsmoked or burned through Weinke in 30 minutes, there’s no shame in asking a vet to lead Mary or the next section of the workout.

EXECUTION
1. Arrive Early – Be the first on site; use time to set up if necessary.

2. Meet and Greet – welcome the Pax as they come in. Introduce yourself to Pax you don’t know. Get a buzz going early. Wake them up, get energy up. The workout Q sets the tone for the Pax—if the Q is flat, the workout will likely be flat. If the Q is amped up, the workout will benefit as a result. An amped Q with an average Weinke beats a Flat Q with a great Weinke.

3. Survey and assess the Pax prior to the start
a. Do you have any guys that are not runners, or who might otherwise be consigned to the Six? How does that fit with your Weinke? Can you still pull it off?
b. Tap Sweepers – talk to the Site Q and other vets who can act as Sweepers if needed.

4. T-Minus warning – 2 minute / 1 minute / 30 sec warnings are typical.

5. Starting on time – waiting for latecomers reinforces tardiness. Start exactly on time, every time. Use your discretion if you are going off campus, such that latecomers wouldn’t likely find the group.

6. FNG inquiry and Disclaimer – every workout should start with an FNG Inquiry and Dislaimer
a. FNG Inquiry: “Are there any new guys here today?”
i. This alerts the Q to guys who may become smoked quickly and need a sweeper. The Sweeper for an FNG should ideally be the EHer.
ii. This alerts the Site Q and Pax to welcome the FNG, talk to them during the workout, start intel re nicknames, etc.
b. Disclaimer:
i. Why: We want to disclaimer in front of Pax because having witnesses adds a layer of protection above asking if they’ve read it on the website.
ii. What: Main points in your own words:
1. I am not a professional
2. This is self-policing: Stop or modify the exercises as required

7. Take control—be the leader. Be assertive, don’t mumble. If something doesn’t work and you have to audible, acknowledge it and move on to the next exercise. Don’t apologize, just move on.

8. Observation – Do your best to keep an eye on the pax during the workout to see if you are losing people, either from it being too easy, too confusing, or too hard. During your first few Qs, it is hard enough just to make it through the workout. Ask your Site Q or another experienced Q to keep an eye on things and whisper in your ear if needed.

9. Q Jackers – experienced Qs who attempt to hijack an exercise (or twelve). Some Q jackers are poking the Q. Others are offering you an out on a questionable call. Sometimes you can’t tell—use your discretion. Q Jacking can make for a good diversion from the Weinke, in addition to making for good backblast fodder. Not all Q Jacks are bad.

10. Modifications – Whether due to injury or personal preference, many veteran Pax will choose to modify exercises. Newer Pax are more likely to follow along more or less blindly. Therefore, occasionally remind the Pax about modifications, on strenuous cardio (Jacob’s Ladder) or strength exercises (partner carries), as required.

11. Ten Counts – Use sparingly, but often as needed.

12. Observations – keep an eye and ear out for anecdotes and fodder for the Backblast. New Qs may need assistance from the Site Q or others prior to posting.

13. Surroundings- Keep in mind your surroundings, we workout in the early hours and sometimes near sleeping neighborhoods. Some places you need to keep the mumble chatter down or cadence count at a lower volume.

14. Finish on time – make every effort to finish at the designated finish time. Finishing late is a sign of disrespect for the Pax’s time.
a. Finishing Late: It happens. Make a quick COT, limit announcements.
b. Finishing Early: Do some extra Mary, have pax call out exercises, do 3 minutes of burpees, etc. Finish it out.

15. Circle of Trust (COT).
a. Q stands in the middle.
b. Number-ama
c. Name-O-Rama – workout Q is responsible for getting names down. Having phone or pen and paper handy to avoid delay of running to car, etc.
d. Announcements – ask for announcements from Pax (they will be recorded in backblast)
e. Take out (prayer). 51 practice is to ball of man; varies by region. Ask for a volunteer to pray.

FOLLOW UP
1. Twitter counts – check with Site Q on whether he or the Q will tweet the count. Remember to use workout tag (i.e., #F3SkunkWorks) and the #TheFortCounts tag.

2. Backblast –
a. Part of the workout Qs responsibility to post the Backblast, not the Site Q. The Site Q may volunteer to post the Qs first workout on his behalf but that is at his discretion .
b. Get backblast credentials BEFORE first Q so that you are prepared to write up BB when it’s done. The website interface is not difficult and will take only a few minutes to learn. Here again, your Site Q will be an invaluable aid in assisting you to post your first BB.
c. Get login credentials from the A51 Comz Team at f3area51+login@gmail.com
d. Format – varies but generally takes the form of:
i. Intro – How many guys and a teaser of something to come
ii. Workout summary
iii. Moleskine – a review of noteworthy events or anecdotes.
iv. Announcements

The workout summary are the facts of what happened. The Moleskine is story and people read the backblasts for the story. Make it fun.

Three Tips for a Quality BB:
• Do something interesting at the workout;
• Be interesting (it’s too late now—you either are or aren’t);
• Make up something interesting. Oftentimes the best anectdotes are the ones that are only mostly true…don’t let facts get in the way of a good story.

e. Pax List – When an FNG posts, list first name and last initial, or just the FNG’s new F3 name. For the sake of privacy, do not use the FNGs first and last name on the internet.
i. Be sure to get any FNG’s contact information to add to the Area51 gmail contact list. Relay it to the site Q who can add them as well as send them a welcome email.
f. General –
i. Most Qs post the backblast the same day of the workout, almost always within 24 hours.
ii. People like to read their names on the website. Call out exemplary performances by name. Be wary of belittling people in the backblast unless you know the guy really well and he’s known to have thick skin (Chelms, TR, Radar, etc.)

3. After Action Report – follow up with your Site Q about what went right, what could be improved, what was a disaster, etc. Seek out honest feedback from other veteran Q and Pax. The best way to improve is to address your weaknesses head on.

4. Observe – when you are not leading a workout, notice how other Qs lead their workouts. Pick out the things you like and file them away for later. Talk to them about why they did it the way they did.