Category: Laces In

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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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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Clown Cars from the Fort for 1/1

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Gentlemen (and the rest of you):

I can’t speak for everyone, but I can speak for me, so I will. On 1/1/16, all PAX of F3 Nation have been invited to celebrate the 5th anniversary of this crazy thing that has inspired so many of us to burn the ships (and our fat pants), to reach in out in service and love to our community (and to our F3 brothers), and to straighten our walk with the SkyQ (which for me = My Heavenly Father). For me, this experience has touched and helped to shape nearly every aspect of my character over the last year that I have been involved, and I look forward to the next 5 years to see what changes will come from my association with all of you.

That said, we are going to support this “ultra-convergence”, if you will, and clown car up to the celebratory workout on New Year’s.

Here are the details as I know them:
1. We will meet at 0600 with wheels up at 0610 at the Baxter Starbucks
2. The workout location is Alexander Graham (AG) Middle School in Charlotte.
3. The workout start time is 0700. End is 0800.
4. There won’t be a much better time to bring an FNG, than to this. SO EH SOMEBODY.
5. I am not personally aware of any formal coffeeteria plans immediately following the workout, but I am certain that there will be at least one or two happening, so I’d plan on spending that time there as well.
6. The link to the Pre-Blast is here: http://f3nation.com/2015/12/16/the-fifth-anniversary-convergence-1116/

Several of you have committed to driving a car of clowns up, but if there are more, please let me know @darkhelmetF3, or let me know if you’d like to go, but not drive (which is the camp I fall into… Ask Spiderman (@F3_Spiderman) or Whitesnake (@Raindawg), nobody wants me to drive).

AYE!

Helmet, out.

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Laces Out Preblast: Mind if I play through?

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As you finalize all the details for Christmas, here are few questions to consider:

  • Do you need a beatdown prior to the big day?
  • Are you training for the upcoming Palmetto 200 or Joe Davis Run?
  • Do you want to get faster?

If you answered “yes” to any of these or just simply want to join the Pax of the Fort, come on out to LILO. Cake Boss will be back with the Laces In portion and YHC will be leading the Laces Out group.

Laces Out – The Thang

Run to the Fort Mill Golf Course – 1 mile- Jogging pace

Dynamic stretches

Race pace from #6 green to # 6 tee box – Members tees -427 yards

Jog back

Sprint from #7 tee to #7 green – Members tees – 429 yards

Jog Back

Race Pace from #1 tee to #1 green – Members tees – 392 yards

Jog back

Rinse and Repeat as many times as possible for 20 minutes

Run back to WEP – Jogging pace

Headlights will be necessary

Look forward to seeing you then!

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Up and Down the Hill

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  • QIC: Senator Tressel
  • When: 11/19/15
  • Pax: Longshanks, Car bomb, McGuyver, Twister, Change Order, Hasselhoff, Wide Right, Old Bay, Deacon
  • Posted In: Laces In

10 strong ignored the threat of rain and converged at Walter Elisha Park.   Some went for a run while the others stayed near the park and followed the Q.  Here is what they did:

The Thang:

Light jog out of WEP, leave the running group,  and circle up in the small lot of UC Synergetic for COP:

All in Cadence:  SSH x 50, Merkin x 10,Windmill x 20, Squat x 25, Pretzel crunch x 15L/15R, Diamond merkin x 20, IW x 25/6″ hold/6″ hold, Gorilla humpers x 25, MC x 25

Mosey to hill at Massey St for Jacob’s ladder, burpees at the top, starting at 3 and working to 10

Reverse lunge walk to top of  hill, crabwalk to bottom of hill, bearcrawl to top of hill

Mosey to small lot next to Springs for Ab exercises:

LBC x 25, American Hammer x 25, Flutter x 15, Superman/Parachute hold x 2

Mosey back to WEP for COT:

NMM

It was plenty wet this morning, but thankfully, warm for November.  I avoided the grass in the park on purpose, but didn’t find the wet asphalt very forgiving today.  The hill on Massey Street was slick and I had to modify some of the planned exercises this morning.   But, as usual, no complaints from the Pax.  Everyone cranked out the reps, up and down the hill,  which is where we spent the majority of the morning.    We had another strong group today and it was a pleasure and a privilege to lead them.

Anouncements/Prayers/Praises

Monday AO convergence (Fort Mill High), Thursday convergence at the Ranch, Turkey Trot in Baxter is sold out on t-shirts, but can still run.  Nashville Giving Tree to benefit single moms, Longshanks/Dark Helmut are Qing a 2 hour workout on New Years Day. Don’t forget happy hours in RH with Twister (don’t let him drink alone).    It’s all in the newsletter.

 

 

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F3 Dads 2nd F Star Wars

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Gents

Make it a full on 2nd F weekend: December 20th, the day after the great F3 Christmas Party- (Thanks Funhouse!), we have another opportunity for 2nd F.  This is an F3 DADS event.  Bring your 2.0(s) boys and girls for the 3:50pm showing of Star Wars, The Force Awakens.

Here’s the deal:

  • What: Star Wars Movie
  • Who: All Pax and 2.0(s) (boys and girls) are invited.
  • When: Sunday December 20th
  • Where: Manchester Cinemas, Rock Hill, SC
    • Time: 3:50 show time.
  • Why: F3 Dads.  Spend time with our 2.0s and give them the same experience we had as kids.  And transport back to when we were kids ourselves.  Wearing your Han Solo jacket or Yoda ears is purely optional.

This is opening weekend and the screen cannot be reserved.  The 3:50 time slot will sell out.  Call the theater or book on line for this show time.  Currently there are 230 seats open.  I anticipate our group to be atleast 100-150 ppl.  25-50 Pax each with kids.  Book ASAP…that is, after you finish booking your tickets for the Christmas Party.

Q’s- talk up in your COTs

Thanks

 

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Laces In/Out – Keep off the Grass

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  • QIC: Bass-O-Matic
  • When: 11/12/15
  • Pax: Anchorman, Deacon, Twister, Man-o-War, Chainsaw, Menthol, Bounty Hunter, Pusher, Rebel, DD, Mainframe, Wheels,
  • Posted In: Laces In

Headed out for a VQ at WEP.  Made a promise to Keep off the Grass.

10 PAX for Laces in and 3 for Laces Out

The Thang

Laces In

COP

  1. 15 X SSH
  2. 15 X IW
  3. 15 X Mtn. Climbers
  4. 15 X Merkins
  5. 15 X MNC
  6. 15 X Wind Mills

Lunge walk and Toy soldiers up the hill towards Springs Parking Lot.

Stop at the base of the hill where the the wall climbing sculpture is. #KEEPOFFTHEGRASS 10 Squats OYO. Sprint up the hill to the parking lot.

Run length of parking lot after each exercise.

  • Carolina Dry Docks – 25
  • Merkins – 25
  • Climbers – 25
  • Peter Parkers – 25
  • Apollo Ono – 25
  • Jump Squats – 25
  • Lunges – 25
  • Squats – 25
  • LBC’s – 25
  • Russian Twists – 25
  • Hello Dolly – 25
  • Rosalita – 25

3 minutes for wall sits

Head back to COT. Stop at hill for one last time. #KEEPOFFTHEGRASS 10 squats OYO

Back to COT

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2015 Children’s Attention Home Angle Tree

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THE THANG:

We are partnering with CAH to give the PAX an opportunity to give back to the community in a small way. We are participating in an Angel tree for the Children’s Attention Home.

This Angel tree works a little differently than other tree’s you may have participated in the past. You are taking an Angel to purchase a gift for a general need rather than a specific child. These needs may be satisfied specifically during the Christmas season or throughout the year as new Children arrive or leave CAH.

We have volunteered to provide for the needs in three areas for the kids:

  1. Scooters, Skateboards, Ripsticks, Rollerblades, Helmets, Knee Pads  – All Sizes
  2. Card Games –  Go Fish, Old Maid, Uno, Phase 10, Skip Bo, Flash Cards, Playing cards
  3. Art Kits & Acrylic Paint – Jewelry Making, Beading, Scrapbooking, Origami Kits, etc.

** Note: CAH houses children from ages 18 months to 18+ years so you don’t necessarily need to just buy for the younger children.

Please bring your unwrapped gifts to any AO site Q (see weekly e-mail for Site Q list) through December 19th or to the Christmas Party on December 19th and they will funnel them back to me, Chicken Hawk.

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Laces In Backblast 10-15-2015

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  • QIC: Hasselhoff
  • When: 10/15/15
  • Pax: Deacon, Chainsaw, Pick 6, Mr. Clean, Backdraft, Man o War, Rockytop, Santani, Twister, DD, Bubba Gump
  • Posted In: Laces In, Laces Out

7 Pax for Laces in and 5 for Laces Out

Laces In

COP

  1. 25 X SSH
  2. 20 X IW
  3. 20 X Mtn. Climbers
  4. 20 X MNC
  5. 20 X Wind Mills

Ran around the park with two stops for drill bit workouts – LBC’s and Merkins

Ran to the Springs Parking lot for wall sits

Partner runs around the parking lot while other partner performed squats

Then to front of Spring’s Building for Inclined Merkins 20 X 2 YoYo and 20 Step ups (each leg). After that was Freddy Mercurys

Ran back to WEP for 10 pullups at the playground and then three drill bits on the other half of the running path. Mountain climbers at first, Merkins at second, and Bomb Jacks at third.

Back to COT

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