Pre-Blast for Memorial Day MURPH “FunHouse FunRun”

If you don’t know by now, The Fort will be conducting the Annual Memorial Day Murph at NAFO high school (The Coop and Varsity AO).  This is a great opportunity to work out with The PAX to honor our service men and women. Post to your regular AO, then head over to NAFO for the double-down.  In addition to the workout, there will be awards handed out to those who perform at the top of the group.

However, there is one award that perked my ears, the Funhouse Pull Up award.  I assumed this award was for the PAX who increased their pull up count exponentially from the last go around (go search the last Fitness Test).  This was not the case.  ‘Casa de diversion’ (modified pull-up version aka the FUNHOUSE award)…..  “Don’t fall short, if you cannot or do not have a vest at least strive to perform your pull-ups without variation or as we stated above – try not to perform a #Funhouse so start working on those pull-ups today – you have time!”  So yes, YHC likes to modify.  Especially a freaking pull up. So why not “modify” the MURPH with a typical “FunHouse FunRun”?  Call it a triple-down.

So if you’re not afraid of modifying (CSPAN I see your “burpees” so I KNOW you love to modify) join me for this THANG:

Memorial Day – Monday, May 30th 0430

Start (Leg #1): 0430 at Trailhead Park in Tega Cay for a run to Flight Plan (Baxter Startbucks) ~ 4.2 miles

Leg #2: Flight Plan 0515 (YHC the Q) – I will find a suitable 4.5 mile loop that will get everyone ready to go do the MURPH- Total so far ~ 8.7 miles

Leg #3: Run to NAFO 0600 – There will be little time for COT at Flight Plan for those on the #FunRun, so I may hand this off to someone staying behind.  We must get on our horses and head out to make the 5.5 miles to NAFO in 50 minutes before the MURPH starts. The route is down 160 and take a left on 21 and then a right on 460 to NAFO. – Total so far ~ 14.2 miles

Leg #4: The MURPH – 1 mile run, 100 pull ups, 200 push ups, 300 squats and a final 1 mile run. Ugh. So final total mileage ~ 16.2 miles

So join YHC to “modify” your typical day.

 

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Jack Webb’s Partner Harry Morgan joins in for some Lunges.

  • QIC: LugNut
  • When: 05/23/16
  • Pax: Bassomatic, Trucker, Twister, Barry Manolow, Spitz, After Market, Back Draft, Peabody, Bear Grylls, Pimp, Airborne, Bullwinkle, Assassin, Dawg pound, Howitzer, Geronimo, Clifford, Hot Sauce, Handy Mannie, Change Order, LugNut
  • Posted In: Alcatraz

20 HIM joined YHC for an all body weight workout but with a little extra for the legs. No FNG’s were present and YHC gave the Disclaimer and off we were with a quick lap around the campus.
Warmup:
20SHH IC
20 IW IC
The Thang:
Mosey the Lunge Zone and count off in by 2. The 1 and 2 would face each other about 25 yards apart.
Cycle 1 at Weighted Lunge Zone
10 curls OYO, round trip (to where the opposite number pax were and back) weights alternating between the legs lunge walks; then 20 Curls weights lunge walk, then 30 weighted lunge walk.
Same pattern for Squat Shoulder Presses 10/20/30 and Overhead Tricep Extension 10/20/30 with variation of weighted lunge walks to the opposite side.
Recover with a run around the campus.
HARRY MORGAN
Now time for the #HARRYMORGAN. Most people know Harry Morgan as Colonial Potter on M*A*S*H. But before that he was Sergeant Joe Friday’s (Jack Webb) partner of Dragnet.
The Harry Morgan is done in a 1:4 ratio. 1 skull crusher on your SIX to 4 bench press up to 10:40. They said that a complete Harry Morgan could never be done but we did it!
Next, 20 MC IC
Cycle 2 Weighted Lunge Zone
10/20/30 Halo’s with Lunges in between sets
10/20/30 Around the Worlds with Lunges in between Sets
I have always admired Geronimo’s form on long slow squats and since he had done so many lunges I requested that he lead us in 30 IC and he did not disappoint.
Small Dealer’s Choice for 4 minutes of Mary and we were done!
Announcements:
Normal AO next Monday to be followed by The Murph at NAFO.
Read your newsletter.

Prayers and Praises:
Students and Teaches as school ends.
Prayers to Assassin’s friend who’s wife has left him.
Always an honor to lead HIM and thank you Assassin for the opportunity.
Nut Cracked

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22 makes you go hmmm.

  • QIC: Backdraft
  • When: 05/17/2016
  • Pax: Weezer, Package, Man-o-War, Ginsu, Mission impossible, Trucker, Atticus, Rooney, Gatsby, Crosscheck, Tesh, Backdraft
  • Posted In: Alcatraz, The Colosseum, The Fort

After reading posts on F%^&book over the past couple of weeks by old Marine Corps buddy’s and friends from other branches I noticed a lot were posting about a 22 pushup challenge. People are taking this month long challenge to do 22 pushups everyday for a month to make others aware of the number of Vets that take their own lives everyday. So I felt that if I could bring awareness to the handful of guys that came out to my Q this morning maybe 1 of them at some moment during their interaction with others might make a difference to a Vet that might be having a bad day. It could be as simple as a handshake and a thanks to them or hooking them up with a coffee.

The beat down went like this

Circle up for disclaimer. (Not as well spoken as many are able to do)

Mosey to sidewalk and bear crawl about 50 yards hop up mosey about 50 yards and crab walk another 50. We than moseyed to the flagpole and played Old Glory respect with the Pledge of Allegiance fitting we came across the flag with what the Q had on his mind this morning.

Circled up for warm ups ( the bear crawls were not enough).

22 SSH’s, 22 Mtn. Climbers, 22 Low Squats, 22 grave diggers

mosey about 1/4 mile to rock pile. Pick rock of your choice and do the following sequence curls, military press, flutter kicks, skull crushers, chest press. You guessed it 22 reps on each.

Mosey to basketball court and partner up.

Partner 1- bear crawl to light run backwards to partner who on first set did Mtn. Climbers and on second round did CDD. Once partner finished we planked for 6 than moseyed to playground

here we did 3 sets of 10 pull ups followed by 22 swing crunches.

Mosey back to BB court and find a place on a bench.

Their was no time to sit even though I think the pax wanted to. We knocked out 22 dips and 22 derkins.

After Q said go to COT. While in COT Q  talked to PAX about the significance of the number 22. We also had to knock out 55 Burpees during the workout for the difference between 100 and the amount of snacks brought for the CAH.

It is always an honor to lead such a great group of HIM.

Prayers: Package dad and getting his knee better, marriages, WWLs M lost her grandfather, work situations, upcoming birth of another 2.3

 

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Our Favorite Things: Burpees and Hills

  • QIC: Old Bay and Cerrano
  • When: 05/14/16
  • Pax: Horse Shack, Jiffy, Smuggler, Fish Sticks, Bing, Bojangles, Cerrano, OB
  • Posted In: Alcatraz

Eight of Tega Cay’s finest came out help each other get better and stronger at Alcatraz on a mild, dewey morning. YHC and Cerrano had the Q, and agreed that I’d take the first half, focusing on upper body, while he took the second to carry the spirit of BRR training. Just before starting, we saw almost as many #F3RunClub pax buzz by, posting for their double-digit mileage. No FNGs were present, so a light disclaimer was given and we were off.

= Warm Up =
Lap around the big baseball field at Runde Park
SSH – x25
IW Squats – x20
Butt Kickers
Merkins – x15
Plank Jacks – x20
High Knees
Carolina Dry Docks – x15
Toy Soldiers
Moroccan Nightclubs – x20
Another lap around the field

= The Thang =

Suicide Circuit (x2)
Pax paired up, size doesn’t matter.
7 cones were arranged in a line on the outfield of Runde Park, each cone about 10m apart. The starting cone was the middle most code (#4). It was considered the “base line” for the suicide. This cone also had “5 burpees” written on it (more on that in a minute). Each pair of pax were to stay together and progress through the suicide, starting with cones 3 (and back to 4), then 2 (and back to 4), and then 1 (and back to 4). But here’s the “circuit” part:

= At each “turn” (cones 3, 2, and 1) there was an exercise and count. Each team of pax had to do these together (see below).
= When pax passed a cone they had been to already (like passing cone #3 to get to #2), they had to stop at cone 3 and do the exercise again. So, if you do the math right, the exercise at cone #3 was done 3 times.
= Pax could run/mosey/walk toward the turn cones. But heading back to the baseline cone, they had to perform the moving exercise until they hit the next cone, or reached the baseline code (#4). Stationary exercise on the cones did NOT have to be done during the return.
= At the start, and with each return to the “baseline” cone, 5 burpees were to be done

Round 1 was cones 4, 3, 2, and 1. Round 2 was cones 4, 5, 6, and 7. Here’s what was on the cones (by number).

Round 1
4 – 5 burpees
3 – 20 Russian Twists and return exercise of bear crawls
2 – 20 Mountain Climbers and return exercise of crab walk
1 – 20 Carolina Dry Docks and return exercise of Wheelbarrow (partner 1)

Round 2
4 – 5 burpees
5 – 20 Hello Dollies and return exercise of bear crawls
6 – 20 Merkins and return exercise of crab walk
7 – 20 Sumo Squats and return exercise of Wheelbarrow (partner 2)

We cooled down with some Moroccan Nightclubs

OldBay then handed the mic over to Serrano

Mosey over to long hill behind park for hill work using the downhill for recovery. Cerrano asked the PAX to push themselves up the hill, we ran this twice.

Slow mosey over to tee box #2 for short mountain goat training, completed 3 different exercises at the top. 20 squat jumps, 20 gorilla humpers, 20 bombjacks.

Short mosey over to dreaded hill on the way back to Runde for BLIMPS, 5 burpees then run the hill for 10 lunges each leg, down hill for 15 Imperial Walkers, up hill 20 merkins, down for 25 plank jacks, up for 30 squats.

Long mosey back to Runde Park for Bear Way to Heaven which is a bear crawl suicide with decreasing burpees at each line beginning with 8. Crowd pleaser.

Finish up for 1 minute of LBC’s

Total count of burpees for the workout: 86

Nake Moleskin
Sticking with the theme of marriage, I talked with pax about my marriage (though far from perfect) has been strong for about 18 years. Some of the durability of our manage has been due to neither of us being very confrontational (which some might say is *not* a good thing). But something else we each try to do when making independent decisions is ask ourselves: “would my spouse be ok with this?”. The “What would Jesus do?” question is a great one to live by. But it can sometimes be a lofty goal that feels out of reach. For those of us with God-fearing M’s, responding to the question of “would my M be ok with this?” can help you make marriage saving decisions. Of course, being the imperfect guys that we are, we don’t always make the right decisions. But that’s where having a person *other than* your M can help hold you accountable to make better decisions in the future. If you aren’t already in an accountability partnership with someone, I strongly encourage the Whetstone program being organized by Rebel for TheFort. It’s a great way to dig deep in your willingness to be held accountable, and help someone else do the same. The Whetstone program can truly help your marriage.

Thanks, Senator Tressel, for the privilege of Q’ing (with Cerrano) at Alcatraz!

-old bay

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Pre-Blast – 30 Day Marriage Challenge 5/16

With Mother’s Day solidly in the rear view mirror, may we use the momentum of that day as a catalyst for showing our love. For many, the day conjured up emotions within us, causing us to reflect and realize a love of someone that loved us, even at times when we were unlovable. Whether you spent the day celebrating your mom or your wife/mother of your children, it was a chance to show the “moms” in our lives how much we care and how much they are appreciated.

In keeping with the monthly theme of love, I am challenging all the PAX of The Fort, Alcatraz/Tega Cay, Indian Land, Rock Hill, York and anyone else that wants in to the 30 Day Marriage Challenge. This is not a magic pill or, in any way, professional marriage advice. Rather, it is an opportunity for us to demonstrate to our wives/girlfriends how much we love & appreciate them. The handy, easy to follow guide (link below) will help us with specific activities to follow. You can switch a task on a specific day if needed (for example, if you are out of town on the day it says “Hug your wife 3 times today”). The idea is to complete all 30 tasks in 30 days.

HC in the comments below and feel free (but not obligated) to share successes, surprises and results here and/or during COT. Please, keep it clean, though. We will use Monday, 5/16, as the first official day of the challenge. Nothing magic about that day, we just want to give the PAX enough time to hear about it. Spread the word!

Although there are plenty more, here are a couple of verses you may want to refer to prior to -and during –  the challenge. I plan to pray about it, as well. Aye!

Ephesians 5:22-33 ,  Hebrews 13:4-7

 

http://www.allprodad.com/download/30-day-marriage-challenge/

 

 

 

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Children’s Attention Home Clean Up PreBlast 5/14

  • QIC: Hasselhoff
  • When: 05/14/16
  • Pax: All that can come!
  • Posted In: Alcatraz, The Fort

The Children’s Attention Home In Rock Hill help abused and neglected children by providing them shelter, food, support. You know, all those things we take for granted. For more than a year, the men of F3 have stepped up to spend some time with the kids to play sports, do F3 workouts, and show them what true men are all about.

In order for the CAH to operate, they need many volunteers. That’s where the men of F3 have always stepped up. Right now, the home needs help cleaning a field behind the cottages as well as some other yard work. We need men with weed eaters – gas powered is the best, push mowers, and other yard equipment. The home has a couple of weed eaters and 3 pushmowers. Wear gloves, long pants and boots/shoes you don’t mind getting wet or dirty.

We will work from 10:30 – 12:00 and then get some lunch at Legal Remedy afterwards.

Thank you everyone for helping out and I look forward to seeing you there!

DM me for the address if you do not know where the home is.

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Speed Work Is Coming To The Fort

The time has come for an AO offering an interval running workout.  I am pleased to announce that starting in two weeks on Thursday 5/19, Laces Out will be moving from WEP to launching at the Fort Mill High School Track. This new location will rotate between a track workout one week, and will take to the streets the next week. The days on the track will be intervals, while the days on the road will be your standard runs.  To allow enough time for warm ups and cool downs we will be starting at 5:00am with COT at 6:00am.  This will also allow more time to get more miles in.

*Please note this is a permanent change to FMHS, 5:00am launch.  The schedule will look like:

  • 5/19 – Track
  • 5/26 – Road
  • 6/2 – Track
  • 6/9 – Road
  • etc

Interval training will make you faster.  It is the icing on the cake with running.  However, please exercise caution with intervals.  You have to have the cake (base miles) for the icing.  Jumping into intervals with little base mileage is a recipe for disaster.  A two week schedule should break up the intervals nicely.  Also, I am looking for more Qs to step up and help with this new location.  Please let me know if you are interested in either Qing Road, Track or both!

Aye

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If the Q gave a “Pre-Apology”, is a Post-Apology needed?

  • QIC: AquaMan and FunHouse
  • When: 04/30/2016
  • Pax: Maximus, Howitzer, PhotoBomb, Rooney, Aquaman, Santini, DoubleD, CCSPAN, Trucker, RockThrill, Senator Tressel, FishSticks, Beacon, FunHouse
  • Posted In: Alcatraz, The Fort

OK, it started out innocent enough. My co-Q posted a “pre-apology” for the immense amount of pain YHC and he were going to inflict at Alcatraz. It seemed that this was the honey needed to catch the 12 unsuspecting flies that came all the way to Tega Cay “proper” to see what all the fuss was about.  Then all we heard was, “This is stupid”, “This is too steep”, “This is too far to run”, “How many Burpees?”…… We told you what was going to happen – Immense Pain!

The Thang:

YHC on Q – No warm up or Disclaimer (my bad)

Run .25 miles to the tennis courts, do 10 Burpees in 1 minute for 5 minutes (50 burpees), Mosey

Run .25 miles to bottom of THE golf cart path (the one we run up and down carrying rocks), do 10 Burpees in 1 minute for 5 minutes (+50 burpees), Mosey

Run .25 miles to the top of said THE golf cart path (no rocks, you’re welcome) to the parking lot, do 10 Burpees in 1 minute for 5 minutes (+50 burpees), Mosey

Run .25 miles in parking lot – ranm out of time = 1 mile and 150 burpees!

Hand off to Aquaman – Mosey to bottom of a different golf cart path (or Mountain Goat path)

Partner up – Partner1 run up that “Golf Cart/Mountain Goat Path”, do 5 Merkins at top, Partner2 Monkey humpers – don’t stop.  Each partner runs up THE MGP (Mountain Goat Path) twice. Not a crowd pleaser.

Run back down the first THE golf cart path, with partner, do 2 sets of 25 leg lifts with push downs.

Run back to COT.

Naked Moleskin:

I confess, I stole my half from the MOB (Men of Bluffton) after my brother in law, Judge Judy, texted me earlier in the week “I did 210 burpees today. It sucked.” He had me at 210. Since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I stole it and called it my own.  150 burpees was nothing to sneeze at, and hearing Santini complain just about every burpee made it all the more satisfying.

Seeing CSPAN give the coffee lady on the porch a once-in-a-lifetime Monkey Humper show is something that can’t be unseen.  I am sure she happy about that, the rest of us……

Great work by all!

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Prince goes Weinke-less while Sheila E opened at The Rock

  • QIC: Lug Nut and Crash
  • When: 04/23/16
  • Pax: LugNut, Crash, Jekyll, Decimal, Howitzer, ST, Spitz, Change Order Bojangels, Slumlord
  • Posted In: Alcatraz

8 HIM joined Crash and YHC in an old fashioned beatdown. YHC gave the disclaimer but with some additional info. In that YHC is 51, he actually saw Prince’s Purple rain tour in January 1985 (not a fan of him but does make for an awesome first date at the time, except for the $80 for 2 tickets. That is a lot of money in 1985!). I said today I would be Sheila E (opening act) and Crash would be Prince (headliner).

This is how it went:
Quick mosey to the Tennis Courts for a Burpie-fest warm-up. Everything would be done in cadence (including Burpees as it is not a Burpie if not in cadence #flying squirrel) Let’s go Crazy.!

10 Burpies
20 SSH
8 Burpies
20 IW
8 Burpies
20 WM
8 Burpies
20 long slow squats
8 Burpies
Now time for some EVIL 8 on the tennis courts:
The pax will rotate stations in a figure 8 motion, all exercises are completed with 8 reps (pax start out divided up at each station):
Station 1: Bomb Jacks
Station 2: Jumping lunges
Station 3: Mak Tai Jai
Station 4 Knee Tai Jai
At FIQURE 8 intersection: 8 Burpies with bearcrawls to and from the Intersection to the next station.
RINCE and REPEAT
A set of Jack Webbs up to 10 merkins, 40 air presses.
Hand off to Crash (Prince):
Run to Tega Cay Country Club where we divided up in halves. Three hill repeats alternating with rock (or pebble for some) with overhead press, squats and bicep curls.
Mosey to the 9th hole wall for 15x IC derkins, 15x step ups each leg followed 10x more IC derkins.
Mosey back to Alcatraz home for a nice set of Lt Dans.
Thankfully time was up and COT was upon the men.
NMM
Crash mentioned that this was his first weinke-less Q. This was appropriate as Prince had so much material that he would commonly but “make-up” his concerts. Actually must of YHC Q’s are weinke-less. Just like Prince we should have enough in our F1 arsenal that we are always prepared to when called upon. BETTER TO BE PREPARED FOR AN OPPORTUNITY THAT MAY NEVER COME; THAN HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY AND NOT BE PREPARED. This statement should be true in almost all aspects of lives (including sharing our 3rd F).

COT
Read newsletter for all the announcements.
Prayers for the M’s who really are extraordinary people doing so much. Remember to tell them how truly thankful we all are for them. (Copying my M on this just to be sure!)
Thanks Senator for the invite. I love Alcatraz. It was also great to co-Q with Crash. Humbled and Honored.

Nut Cracked

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Push Yourself- Push Your Buddy, OCR Style

  • QIC: Bolt, Geronimo
  • When: 4/16/16
  • Pax: Bear Grylls, Bing, Bojangles, Bolt, Change Order, Decibel, Fishsticks, Funhouse, Geronimo, Howitzer, Smuggler, Trucker
  • Posted In: Alcatraz

April has become OCR training month at AO’s across F3 nation leading up to the Spring Mud Run. This past Saturday, Geronimo and Bolt invaded Alcatraz with an OCR-type setup.

12 Alcatrazians arrived in the brightness of the Gloom. Yes, brightness, as the baseball field lights were on for the entire hour. While only 3 were headed to the Mud Run, the rest were willing to take on the course we had laid out.

The Thang

While we could not duplicate mud, the goal was to get a similar feel of an OCR event which consist of shorter runs or sprints, followed by an obstacle/exercise, then a short run, and so on. Some refer to this as a brick workout…each run/exercise is a brick. Elite OCR’ers train in this fashion to get the body used to the many, quick transitions.

The lap around the baseball fields was used as the loop. 5 stations were implemented as below. The PAX broke into teams of 2 and were instructed to push themselves and push their partner on the run portion the best they could. Stations were alternated by adding 2 to a completed station (ie. 1 followed by 3, 2 by 4, etc)

Following an initial group stretch to loosen up:

Station 1 – playground area, max pullups followed by 20-40 merkins
Station 2 – lunges up the hill behind the fire station
<part of the course after the lunge station was a zig zag up and down the hill on the far side?
Station 3 – 15-20 box jumps behind the backstop on the far field
Station 4 – 20-30 burpees at the basketball courts
Station 5 – on the main open field: 5a – one partner pulls 35 lb sand bag about 20 yards, partner farmer carries 45 lb dumbells, then switch
5b – head across field. one partner throws/pushes the 20 lb weight ball about 30 yards; partner carries mulitple choices of weight bags and sand bags ranging from 20-50#

At the :30 mark, the PAX was called in for about 5 minutes of core exercise, then back to the loop. This time adding 3 stations to increase the run distance. (1 to 4, 3 to 1 etc.)

The last 20 or so minutes of extra running was pretty relentless.

NMM

This backblast was written about 3 times some of which were eaten by the website, some copied and sent back and forth via e-mail. With some cooperation between Bolt and I, this backblast, like the US mail, will get through to the PAX.

The bad news was I've been fighting some kind of insidious chest cold, and my mud run training has been suffering because of it (sorry Bolt, MaryLou and KidRock). The good news for everyone is that this workout was 60 minutes long. If everyone were to push as hard during a race like the USMC Ultimate Challenge as they did today, they'd only have about 15 minutes left and they'd be doing some kind of AWESOME for their teams.

It took a lot of work to get out there and get this course set up for the PAX, but in the end it was totally worth it. Thanks to Bolt, who did most of the planning, and especially to all those brave souls that came out to do burpees and drag or carry heavy stuff around a field in the early morning.

Bolt and Geronimo!

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