Category: Golden Corral

Something for Everyone

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12 hungry PAX showed up for the Early Bird Special at the Golden Corral. Decibel planted the flag and YHC gave the disclosure and we were off.

Lap Around the Buffet

Circle Up:

Dynamic Wamup

SSH X 20 – IW x 20 – Moroccan Night Club, (til’ it hurts) – Mountain Climbers x 20 – Plank 2-10 counts  – Peter Parker x 20 – Plank 2-10 counts – LBC’s x 20 – Parker Peter – Elbow Planks 2-10 counts – Mak Tar Jai x 10 – Squats x 20 – Merkins x 10 – Planks 2-10 Counts Right/Left Arm – LBC’s x 20 – CDD’s x 20 – Planks 2-10 counts.

Lap Around the Buffet

The Accumulator:  

Do the exercise and take a lap around the buffet.  Rinse and Repeat, accumulating each exercise.

10 Merkins – 20 Flutter Kicks – 20 Squats – 30 Plank Punches – 20 LBC’s – 20 Carolina Dry Docks – 10 Burpees

Moleskin:  Most everyday I’m reminded how fortunate I am to have the men of F3 to walk through life with.  Today was no different.  Please pray for each of our marriages and families.  Marriage is not easy, but we must fight for it.  Also keep Lego Land in your prayers as he and his family transition to the Sunshine state.

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Wandered from the Ruin

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One of the nice things about the Colosseum is that it provides decent cover in the event of inclement weather (if that’s your sort of thing). Well, with the help of a few friends, we decided to ditch the friendly confines of our favorite Tuesday Roman ruin in favor of a new AO. With celebrity status-worthy Dark Helmet on Q at Golden Corral, he brought his PAX of 16 to meet up with my PAX of 5 (low in numbers but we’re a scrappy bunch) in the WalMart parking lot.

I won’t take credit for this but I loved the idea and just might do it again. If we lengthen the time, add a few twists and turns and get the heart rate up, we might call it a Black Diamond. So after the last of the headlights made their way in the Colosseum, we took off. After a .5mi mosey to the intersection with 160, we did a brief warm up of:
SSH
Windmills
Moroccan Night Club
After another .5mi mosey to the WalMart parking lot, we had a few minutes to kill which let us do the following:
Windmills
Squats
Carolina Dry Docks

We then saw the headlights begin to trickle into the lot but little did I know at the time, Dark Helmet robbed the other AO’s of their PAX and he brought 15 other guys with him. With a big circle formed, we got the run-down from DH on the importance of 212 and what happens when you add that 1 degree, from 211 to 212. He’s much better with words and it’s his message, so you’ll have to read his BB to get the knowledge.

So with a partner, you’ll do 212 each of the following exercises. The key is however that you each do your respective exercise until one of you reaches failure. At that point, flapjack until you’ve collectively reached 212 of each:

Merkins & Flutter Kicks
followed by
Dips & LBC’s

The time passed too quickly so we all had to part ways back to our starting AO’s. Crash, thanks for the idea…this will surface again.
Announcements: P200 meeting tonight. Many opportunities in the weekly email.
Prayers/Praises: Successful surgeries, Pregnancies, Health of the PAX, Health at the office after discouraging news, our homes. Tap into WHETSTONE if you haven’t already.

As you were.
Maximus

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PAX, It’s Groundhog Day 625 SSH

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  • QIC: Cornhole
  • When: 02/02/16
  • Pax: Cake Boss, Howitizer, Lego Land, Short Sail, White Lightning, Gekko, Family Guy, Decible, Fish Sticks, Jeyyl, Aquaman, Stang, Bing
  • Posted In: Golden Corral

For the unsuspecting PAX it was Groundhog Day. So not to miss out on this opportunity to tie the beat down to it. Can you say repeats. Everyone was a little confused at the beginning with the sequence but pretty sure they can still recite it today. In all 625 SSH and 180 total Merkins.

Mosey around the parking lot. This set completed in 4 count.
20 IW – 25 SSH – 10 Merkins
20 Windmills – 25 SSH – 10 Wide Arm
20 Mtn Climbers- 25 SSH – 10 Diamond
20 Parker Peters – 25 SSH – 10 CDD
Mosey to back lot. Remaining sets completed OYO single counts.
Bear Crawl – 25 SSH – 10 Merkins
Crab Walk – 25 SSH – 10 Wide Arm
Lunge Walk – 25 SSH – 10 Diamond
Duck Walk – 25 SSH – 10 CDD
Mosey to Wall
20 step ups – 25 SSH – 10 Decline Merkins
20 squats – 25 SSH -25 – 10 Decline Wide Arm
20 jumping lunges – 25 SSH – 10 Decline Diamond
20 monkey humpers – 25 SSH – 20 Dips
Mosey to “The Hill” Slight Change
Lunge Walk – 25 SSH – 10 Decline Merkins
Duck Walk – 25 SSH – 10 Wide Arm
Bear Crawl – 25 SSH – 10 Decline Diamonds
Crab Walk – 25 SSH – 10 CDD
Mosey to Side of HT.
Bear Crawl – 25 SSH – 10 Merkins
Crab Walk – 25 SSH – 10 Wide Arm
Lunge Walk – 25 SSH – 10 Diamond
Duck Walk – 25 SSH – 10 CDD
Mosey to COT
20 Lounger – 25 SSH

Waited too long to post this and forgot all the announcements but a couple I remember.
Oral Cancer 5K – Bing
Cupid 5K – Boeheim
Yeti

Thanks for the opportunity and willingness to put up with my themed workouts.
Always a honor to lead and rewarding when there are comments about the beat down on twitter the following day.

Corn Hole Out

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PRE-BLAST: Uptown Lunch Gonna Funk You Up…

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Oh me, oh my…
The revival begins on Feb. 5 at 1130, and will continue on the First Friday of EVERY month going forward. PUT IT IN YOUR CALENDAR.
Location: Jason’s Deli in the Epicenter Uptown.

The 2nd F Uptown lunch had sputtered and maybe even stalled, but just like two good F3 men who don’t know when to quit (yes sir, may I have another?) Italian Job and YHC decided it was time to get serious and make it a thing again. (Because somewhere in my brain-damaged mind, seeing you fools in the Gloom isn’t enough…)

BUT! You say, can’t we go somewhere else? Jason’s Deli isn’t my favorite… Answer: It’s a free country. Do what you want. But WE will be here. Trust me, we wracked our brains to figure out the best spot based on seating capacity, price range, proximity, etc. This is the spot. The VSF is planted and this is the plan until further notice.
I mean, I get it. Jason’s isn’t exactly gourmet. Might not even be all that #FuelChallenge friendly, but kind of like First F stuff, if you came for the food only, you may be missing the point. So, spread the word to all your favorite Uptown-working PAX, tell it in the COTs, tweet it, etc., and get over there for some high-quality 2nd F.

Again, the details are above. To reiterate, Jason’s Deli in the Epicenter. The First Friday of every month. At 1130.

Questions? Concerns? Please feel free to bug Italian Job with that crap.

Otherwise, see you there. It’s Friday morning and we’re in the spot… Don’t believe me? Just watch…

Helmet, out.

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100 Burpees The Hard Way

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  • QIC: Decibel
  • When: 01/19/2016
  • Pax: Lego Land and Gecko
  • Posted In: Golden Corral

Three men resisted the urge of the sack and got after in at the Golden Corral.

The Thang:

We did not waste any time getting the warm up going.  It was much needed.

Mosey 50 yards-5 SSH; Mosey 50 Yards-5 SSH and 10 IW; Mosey 50 yards-5 SSH, 10 IW and 15 Mountain Climbers; Mosey 50 yards -5 SSH, 10 IW, 15 Mountain Climbers and 20 Squats; Mosey 50 yards-5 SSH, 10 Windmills, 10 IW, 15 Mountain Climbers and 20 Squats.

Time for some 30-60-90-2

30 burpees, 60 CDD, 90 Squats and two laps around the lot (LBC until 6 is in)

30 burpees, 60 dips, 90 lunges and two laps around the lot (LBC until 6 is in)

30 burpees, 60 merkins, 90 Hello Dollies and 2 laps (LBC until 6 is in)

Finish with 10 burpees, dying cockroach x10

Great fellowship and great work men!

 

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Jacob’s Ladderin

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  • QIC: Jekyll
  • When: 1/12/16
  • Pax: Willy, Gecko, Fishsticks, Family Guy, Short Sale
  • Posted In: Golden Corral

Chilly morning where 7 men answered the call, post Clemson national title game.

The Thang:

True Jacobs Ladder (7 reps) at the hill until the bell. add 1/4 mile lap between rounds

  • Merkins, squats
  • CDD, Bombjacks
  • Burpees, donkey kicks

First off- sorry for the 6 day delay.  We had 7 post and I was only able to remember 6.  #Cobains to who ever I missed.  Sound off and I’ll edit.  Second- Funhouse asked me to pick up his Q.  Something about a stubbed toe…errrr complete and utter back/herniated disc failure.  Wishing him true Godspeed in healthy rehab and strength.  Give my man a tweet or two as well as all of our brothers on IR.

L&R

Jekyll

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The Premier of Golden Corral 2016

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  • QIC: Senator Tressel
  • When: 01/05/2016
  • Pax: Howizter, El Diablo, DD, Chicken Hawk, Bing, Fish sticks, Legoland, Willey, Jekyll, Pusher, Boheim, Short Sale, Gecko
  • Posted In: Golden Corral

Fourteen men said, ’25 degrees is warm enough’, and posted at your neighborhood Harris Teeter for the first Golden Corral of 2016.  Here is what they did:

The Thang

Easy jog around the parking lot  and past the new bootcamp place in Tega Place.  We spotted a  sad clown alone inside holding a large rope as a small fern withered in the corner.  (dude – who are you kidding? Come join us.  It’s free and sooooo much better).  We made our way back to the front of HT for COP:

All in Cadence:  SSH x 50, Merkin x 10, Windmill x 15, IW x 25, Squat x 25, Morrocan Nightclub x 50, LBC x 25, Monkey Humper x 25.

Form a straight line about 20 yards from the retaining wall.  While the group holds a plank position, one member of the group runs to the wall, does a box jump or step up, and runs back.  When the first person returns to the line, a second person runs to the wall while the rest of the group drops to a 6″ plank.  Rinse and repeat until the whole group runs and jumps. (Respectfully stolen from F3 Rock Hill)

Mosey to the botom of the hill behind the shopping center for Jacob’s ladder.  Start with 5 burpees at the top, and count to10.  Finish at the bottom, lunge walk back to the top of the hill, then mosey to the side wall of Harris Teeter.

Wall mountain climbers x 20 (respectfully stolen from F3 Metro), extended wall sit, and then another round of 20 wall mountain climbers.  Mosey back to the front parking lot and circle up for ablab:  Hello Dolly x 20, Freddie Mercury x 20, Pretzel Crunch x 10L/10R

COT

NMM

Whoo Hoo – what a great morning!  It felt so nice to be out in the cold temps and dry air after several workouts in the December rain forest.  The Pax were chatty and full of energy too.  Fish sticks, true to his namesake cold blood, wore just a t-shirt and shorts.  Good to see the new guys as well as DD, Pusher, Jekyll (where you been, man?) and Chicken Hawk, at the Corral again  Felt like 2014!.  It was a privilege to lead the first Golden Corral of 2016 and I look forward to many more this year.

Announcements/Prayers/Praises

Joe Davis Run Jan 9

3rd F Convergence January 22 to discuss Whetstone.  Think about the theme for January (Accountability)

Yeti on Feb 20,

Check the F3 site and Twiter – it’s all there.

Prayers for a father recovering from surgery.

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The Fort Fuel Challenge 2016

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Listen… We work out… Some of us work out most days a week.  So with all this working out, the question is: Why aren’t we shedding the love handles and the spare tire?  With the amount of physical torture we endure, we should be chiseled like a Marble Statue.

Alas, working out is only a portion of the plan… you have to stop eating garbage.

With that, I bring you The Fort Fuel Challenge 2016.  This is the new incarnation of what we did a little over a year ago (found here), but this time around you have experience on your side… I am not a professional, but we’ve done this before and have seen results.  YHC lost 7.5% of my mass (presumably fat), with the overall lead by Cash coming in at just shy of 10%.

The key to this isn’t calorie reduction (although that may be something you have to look into) and it isn’t about eating the same food every day for lunch.  You don’t need to starve yourself to see results, you just need to feed the machine the right fuel.  To feed yourself the right fuel, you need discipline and accountability.  That’s really what the Fuel challenge is all about…

So here’s the deal.  We are going to kick off on January 18th through February 29th.  This gives you two weeks to do two very important things… in fact, these are so important that I would propose that you cannot succeed in this program with out completing them:

  1. Clear out all the junk in your pantry/fridge.
  2. Get the M on board

Number 1 is easy.  Get rid of the junk now before you start.  Less junk means less temptation.  Eat it in the next two weeks if you have a problem with throwing it away, but get it out of your food storage before January 18th.

Number 2 is not as easy for some of us, but it is crucial.  You cannot do this in your house on your own, especially if your wife is eating a bowl of Ice Cream after dinner every night.  You will either come off as a self righteous prick or you will cave.  Neither of these is a recipe for success.  Get the M on board, she really wants to eat better too.

Base Program

The Fuel Challenge will give you a chance to test yourself with the support of your fellow men of F3.  And maybe after 6 weeks, you will stick to the plan (or much of it) in order to live a healthier lifestyle. The program will have a base list of items that are prohibited during the six weeks as follows.  This is mandatory and is really what will make the biggest difference in your quality of food intake.

  • No Fried Food
  • No Fast Food (inc. Pizza)
  • No processed snacks like Potato Chips, Candy Bars, Etc.
  • No Dessert
  • No Sodas or Sweet Tea
  • No Cheeses (including shredded, feta, or slices. Get it off your sandwiches and salads)(Cottage cheese will be allowed)
  • No Cream Based Sauces/Dressings (This Includes Fat Free Options for Ranch, Caesar, Alfredo, Etc.)

This seems like a significant challenge, especially for the road warrior, but you can do it.  You just need to be aware of what you are eating and plan.

You will receive ONE free pass per week – this could be a steak dinner, a pizza, etc. – no carryovers though, the pass can only be used that week – try to use your weekly pass in moderation.  Some call this a “cheat”, but use if you need to.

After week one, we introduce challenges, which are cumulative.   Some would argue the health benefits of a few of these, but I don’t think anyone can claim that limiting these items will have a detrimental effect on your well being.   Remember this is not about “dieting”, but about discipline.  Keep that in mind.

Here are the cumulative challenges:

Week 2 (and on) – No Red Meat
Week 3 (and on) – No Breads (Sprouted Grain is accepted)
Week 4 (and on) – No Pork
Week 5 (and on) – No White Starches (Potatoes, Pastas, White Rice. We’ll talk about substitutes)
Week 6 – No Dairy or Things Cooked in Butter

Just like last time, we’ve “modified as needed”.  Here are a few “Extra Credit” challenges for those so inclined.  These are not mandatory, so feel free to adopt whatever works for you.

  1. HC to F3 250.  For those that are at 2-3 posts a week, this could be a way to up your game.  Tracking F3 250 along with this attention to dietary details could be what takes your fitness (and physique) to the next level.  You can even track using this handy template.
  2. Implement Intermittent Fasting.  I’m planning on doing this and would encourage you to try the same if you can handle skipping breakfast.  There are numerous health benefits that are purported as side effects to Intermittent Fasting, but do your own research and try it if you think it makes sense.

Similar to last time, here’s how we’ll be tracking for accountability/encouragement from the participants:

  1. On January 18th, post your starting weight in the comments of this page. You have time to buy a home scale or find out where the one at your gym is. On the pending February 29th backblast post, you will post your weight using the same scale. This requires honesty and consistency. If you want to weigh yourself in the buff (don’t tell us) just do it both times. Same if it’s in underwear and t-shirt, swim trunks, etc. Having a scale also helps track progress along the way but is not the ultimate measure of health. You will need to post your weight on both posts. You will also track your weight on the My Fitness Pal page.
  2. Sign up for My Fitness Pal and download the app if you have not done so already (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ ).  Enter in all of your information including starting weight. This will factor into your suggested daily calorie consumption. Send me (Gears) your MFP id so I can invite you to the group. You can reach me via twitter (@vinsonizer) or simply put the id in the comments below.  If you didn’t have enough options, you can just go to the following URL and request group membership: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/100013-f3thefort
  3. Track your exercise and calories on My Fitness Pal. If you see really good results, guys may want to go back and see how you did it. The app allows you to scan bar codes, enter in recipes and ingredients to determine calories, and already has a robust library of foods from restaurants and grocery stores.  You can also enter in weight goals and it will help provide daily calorie count, protein, carb and fat limits. You gain higher limits to stay on track with your goals by entering in your workouts.

One last comment to reiterate the above: If you are moved to do so, please view this as an opportunity to exercise not only physical/mental discipline, but also spiritual discipline. Any type of fast can be leveraged as a catalyst for prayer and worship, allowing the limiting of the desires of the flesh to remind us of our dependence on SkyQ. My personal hope is that this will be fruitful in all the self-dimensions of our personal lives: Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind.

If you are ready to go, comment below

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The Ultra-vergence… Man, that’s a lot of vergence…

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(Poorly paraphrased from Dredd that AM): “Well, we [he and OBT] said, we’ll show up and if it’s just us two, then we’ll go do something else, but if they [the other invited Pax] show up, then we might have something and we’ll see where it goes…” (emphasis added)

That was 5 years ago. Now, we’re celebrating a new year, and we’re celebrating the 5 year anniversary (birthday?) of F3. Clearly, they had something…

As approximately one Pax for every day of the year crawled out of their clowncars and onto what may have been the wettest field I’ve ever been on, the energy was palpable. Friends from all over F3 Nation were reconnecting and new ones were being made, including an FNG from The Fort who apparently EH’ed himself (welcome Speaker)… There were smiling faces and shovel flags everywhere. The fun had started, but before long, it was time for the workout to begin…

As you can imagine, attempting to lead a group of 365 Pax is… well… ridiculous. It’s a little amusing to me that part of the whole reason Dredd and OBT broke off from the other workout group to create F3 was because the size of the group had become problematic and unwieldy. So, how should we celebrate 5 years of F3? Well, let’s see if we can’t have the most problematically-sized group come together and let’s try and make them follow instructions. (*COUGH* *GASP* *COUGH* You’ll have to excuse me, I’m choking a little on the irony…) Regardless, though, we warmed up, Dredd split us up into groups, and off we went. The workout, the “thang”? It was in there… We rotated through stations… there was some running, some ladders, some dips, some derkins, hills, burpees (of course), some other stuff… Was it the best workout I ever had? Well, it wasn’t the worst one for sure. But if you came for the workout, you may have overlooked what was happening.
As always, there were a couple of guys who were definitely there to prove they were fitter than the rest of us. That’s cool, you’re welcome here. There were a couple of guys who were clearly struggling to keep up at all. That’s cool, you’re welcome here. There were guys who wear blue collars all week long. That’s cool, you’re welcome here. There were guys whose net worth is that of a small country in certain parts of the world. That’s cool, you’re welcome here, too. Black, white, fast, slow, tall, short, rich, poor, fat, thin… all irrelevant. Welcome is what you are when you are here. It is this way because for that one hour, we all look basically the same (you know the uniform…) so you don’t know who is rich or poor or otherwise. For that one hour, we all basically act the same (unless you are Apache), we’re here to workout and fellowship a little. No one is elected, there is no hierarchy, no one is grading your performance… You know what it is? It’s because for that one hour, I believe, we are about as free as we can be in our modern, over-technologized, overcommitted, over-everythinged lives. We’re free from roles that weigh us down, free from the constraints that life and the world put on us… We’re just free to BE. That’s why we plant a flag, hustle, then take a knee at the end to give thanks to the SkyQ. That’s why we are proud to call ourselves a part of the Brotherhood of Minivan Centurions.

So, we converged, because I think somewhere deep inside we wanted to show our gratitude for this thing that has meant so much to us. Partly to God for leading us to it (or it to us, whichever), partly to the Redwood Originals for starting and sticking with it until it got to us, and partly to each other for continuing to push us to make ourselves more of what we were put here to do. I think that we came because there is strength in knowing and then physically seeing the fact that we are clearly not alone in this battle we fight. That at every turn, there is a man in a black shirt and running shoes that will help if needed.

Again, paraphrased very poorly from Dredd (right before the Ball of Man): “So now our job is to give it away. To share what has meant something to us. Because there are guys out there right now that you know who are crappy fathers, guys who are crappy husbands about to lose their marriages. There are guys who are crappy employees, or are otherwise just dissatisfied with their lives… and YOU CAN SAVE THEM.” (again, emphasis added)

To quote the immortal Forrest Gump: That’s all I have to say about that…

Until the next one…
Helmet, out.

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Burnout

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  • QIC: White Lighting
  • When: 12/8/2015
  • Pax: Fish Sticks, Howitzer, Short Sale, Lego Land, and Free Bird
  • Posted In: Golden Corral, The Fort

Six strong men showed up for the Golden Corral buffet this morning.  Everyone cashed in their coupons and received a cinder block that was used to burnout our shoulders and arms.

The Thang:

 Light Jog behind Teeter

Side Straddle Hop, Imperial Walker, Cherry Pickers, Mountain Climbers, Peter Parker, Parker Peter, Windmill – all x 15

Grab a Cinder Block

Curls – 1 minute – Merkins x 10

Curls – 1 minute – Bear Crawl / Jog back

Curls – 1 minute – Squats x 20

Curls – 1 minute – Lap around light pole

Curls – 1 minute – LBC’s x 20

Rinse and Repeat with Overhead Press and Chest Press – Arms and shoulders were officially smoked.

With a couple of minutes remaining we worked out abs:  Protractor and Freddy Mercury.

Moleskin: YHC’s goal was to burnout our arms and shoulders this morning.  After watching Free Bird’s arms shake while pouring a cup of coffee at Cross Roads I believe the goal was accomplished. It’s always an honor to lead a group of men that are committed to making themselves and the others around them better.

Check the newsletter for announcements on:  F3 Christmas Party, F3 Dads Star Wars movie, Childrens Attention Home, Joe Davis 5K and 10K, New Years Day Baxter Trail Run, and other events that are not coming to my mind at this time.

 

 

 

 

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