Category: Ring of Fire

Last chance to order a FORT Region shirt (new colors)

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We will be doing a redesign of the FORT logo later this year, so this is your last chance to order the current FORT design before then. Think of it as a way to say you are a FORT region original before all the newbies arrive. For all of you wondering if we would ever have another option other than gray, you are in luck. MudGear just released red and royal blue!

The MudGear obstacle race jersey fits close to the skin without compression (tapered cut). Its highly breathable, wicks sweat, and has excellent drainage capability. This is the style all regions wear across this great nation of ours. Don’t you want to be a great American? Aren’t you proud of the hours of pain and gallons of sweat you lose with your F3 brothers? Why wouldn’t you get this shirt? Also available in badass black (standard F3 Nation uniform color for our workout ninjas). Is it visible to oncoming traffic at 0515? Nah. Does it need to be? Meh. Will you blend in with your surroundings? Probably. Will you look good wearing it? Heck yes!

Price: $33 (MudGear red, blue, black)

Also available is the black Sport-Tek Adult Competitor Tee. This one is lightweight, moisture-wicking, and breathable. It has a looser fit. This is the more cost-effective version. Not as durable, but just as sweet. Ladies cannot resist a man in black. Heck, there was even a movie (or 3) about men in black. Don’t you want to impress the ladies? Why wouldn’t you want to rock out a bad mama jama black F3 shirt? Show the CrossFitters what a real shirt looks like on a real #HIM! I hear it actually makes you do better merkins.

Price: $24 (Sport-Tek black)

The grey on black looks pretty sweet. Last day to order is 4/3/16. To save you shipping charges, I’ll deliver them to you when they arrive in late April. Get them before they are gone! Don’t look back on this and say, “I wish I would have gotten the shirt.” Just click below and order it now. Operators are standing by. Do it!

F3 The Fort Shirts Pre-Order

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No Leadership Without Followers

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  • QIC: Double D
  • When: 03/09/16
  • Pax: Assassin, MacGyver, What Did, Skate or Die, Sasquatch, Huckleberry, Geronimo
  • Posted In: Ring of Fire

A cozy group of 8 Pax posted to The Coop on a Spring-like morning and stretched their legs, their lungs and their understanding.

The Thang

Warm up run w/butt karaokes, backward running, butt kicks and high knees to the grass on the front side of NaFo.

COP – Mtn climbers, IWs, Merkins, Monkey humpers, Peter Parker, Windmills, SSH

Mosey to parking lot on far side of NaFo near lacrosse field

Suicides all the way to end of lot (rinse & repeat)

Mosey to lacrosse field and split into two groups of 4

Two pax in each group go to far side of field, two pax stay on near side.
Round 1: 1 pax on near side does Merkins, 2 pax on far side do CDDs, 4th pax sprints across field and switches to CDDs while 2 pax sprint back to near side to swap w/pax doing merkins. Continue for 6 sprints total per pax.
Round 2: same pattern with Bombjacks & squats
Round 3: same pattern with Makhtar N’dyae & plank jacks

Circle up in center of lacrosse field
OYO Burpees x10, bombjacks x10, monkey humpers x10
OYO Burpees x10, bombjacks x10
OYO Burpees x10

Run home

Plank sequence

COT

Naked man moleskin

Nice to have an intimate group — it worked great for the sprints and the message.  Plenty of push among all of the pax.  Nice job persevering through a high heart rate session!

Message on leadership was about the other half — the follower(s).  And, not the Facebook, Twitter variety.  For me, the simplest and truest definition of a leader has always been someone who has followers.  And that is not always the person at  the top.  Putting aside the books and philosophies as well as the bluster and grandstanding, a leader is someone who others actively choose to follow on a journey to take them somewhere.  Leadership success is dependent on a relationship of trust between leader and follower.  It is a two-way street.  So, who are you following?  Are you giving the leader the support, the respect and the effort that he/she deserves?  If you are leading, are you respecting and listening to the followers?

Thanks to Geronimo for the invite to Q — always an honor.  He promises a remodeled Shovel Flag next week — don’t miss it.

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WhatDid a VQ do at The Coop?

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13 Pax at The Coop today anointed another New Q as Geronimo asked WhatDid, YHC, to take a shot a leading the faithful. I had weeks to plan, prep and basically steal any and all moves I’ve learned over the past two years from many other Q’s.  While the excitement built up, my weinke continued to take many turns but I finally locked it down.

After giving an abbreviated and unrehearsed warning and disclaimer as no FNG’s were present, I got us underway with an immediate set of 10 burpees.  I just needed to get that first move out of the way and launch the Pax.  Then:

Mosey to basketball court on lower campus to, all IC:

 

Squat – 20

Bear crawl (Reverse Bear Crawl on set 3)

Left leg speed skater -20

Bear crawl (Reverse Bear Crawl on set 3)

Right leg speed skater – 20

Bear crawl

Squat – 20

Solid warm up followed by a long Mosey, up a few hills, around the back of the school to the opposite side of the same parking lot. Then the fun began.

Splitting the parking lot into quarters designated by cones (used as weinke), the Pax performed the following 3X

Squat – 20

Bear crawl (Reverse Bear Crawl on set 3)

Left leg speed skater -20

Bear crawl (Reverse Bear Crawl on set 3)

Right leg speed skater – 20

Bear crawl

Squat – 20

After 240 iterations of some form of a squat, we planked it up and waited for the sixth.

As our legs were not yet warmed up, the pax formed two lines and we did an Indian run up to the painted football field in the top parking lot. (Run went a bit sideways towards the end)

We centered up at the 50 Yard lined for what I call the PAIN-X. YHC got out early and setup station cones in the 4 corners of the field.  The setup made for a nice split out of the Pax, in an X like formation, to each corner.  So WhatDid he put on tap?

Split the pax into 4 at the 50 on the X and each group did 10 burpees, then the pax sprint 50 yards to your 1st of 4 cones. Perform the exercise on the cone then sprint 50 yards back to the X. 10 more burpees, and repeat 4 more times. Here’s what the cones had waiting for the pax.

Corner one.

1) merkins – 20

2) bomb jacks – 20

 

Corner 2

1) Carolina dry docks -20

2) shoulder taps – 20

 

Corner 3

1) wide arm merkins –  20

2) right arm dry docks – 10

Corner 4

1) diamond push ups – 20

2) left arm dry docks

Total of 500 Yards of sprints (you can imagine it turned into a mosey for some) 50 burpees (felt like 500).

Mosey back to COT for nameroma, praises and announcements.

Moleskin

  • First, where would you find a Sasquatch? Oh, that’s right, out in the distant rising out of the woods and already 3 miles under his belt as he chose to run to the AO. And, of course, run home afterwards.
  • Lots of chatter about the poor lighting behind the school and the countless pot holes and trenches on the access road behind it. With the Q having the only headlamp, you might want to think about sticking with him or getting one yourself
  • Nice work by Peabody and few others that got out there and are recovering from a some injuries.
  • Which, sticking with the Q, reminds me how lonely it can get to lead if no one is following you. While today it was likely due to unbalanced Adrenalin in the VQ’s step, it could mean a bigger problem if you find yourself leading and no one follows.
  • This months is all about Leadership (last month was love), which is a staple in our F3 diet. But, make sure you’re thinking about your leadership at home, with your family, with your employers/employees and in your community.  As a leader we empower people to use their gifts and live to their potential.

Prayers/Praises/Announcements

  • Vanilla Ice’s 14 YO nieces, Ashland, is facing challenges as she adapts to new schools and the environment it puts her in. Keep him, his family and her in your prayers as they work to right her direction.
  • SkateorDie’s wife’s grandmother isn’t doing well. She’s 90 but we need to keep her in our thoughts and prayers.
  • This Saturday Sasquatch will be offering a stretching/PT discussion at the Fort (WEP) at 0630 pre-work out.
  • Upcoming Charlotte Leadership Forum. March 15th at 6:30 AM at Christ Church on Providence Road (1412 Providence Rd). Topic is Fatherhood.
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Simple Men- Keeping it Simple

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  • QIC: Geronimo
  • When: 2/24/16
  • Pax: Backdraft, Cheddah, Geronimo, MacGyver, Sasquatch, Skate or Die, Stang
  • Posted In: Ring of Fire

Chances of rain at the Coop: 40%. Actual rain at the Coop: 0%. Be that as it may, 7 men with a desire to be better, or at least keep me company in the “rain”, were ready for a challenge at 5:15am. No FNG’s so onto the super abbreviated Disclaimer.

Warm up

Slow lap around the lot. Followed by MC, Merkins, CDD, Moroccan Nightclubs, Fast Peter Parkers
Mosey to the Pull-up bar. What morning at the Coop would be complete without it?

The Thang

KISS Part 1: Pull-up Bars of Paradise
10 Regular Pull-ups
20 Regular Push-ups
10 Wide arm Pull-ups
20 Wide arm Push-ups
10 Close hands Pull-ups
20 Diamond Push-ups
People’s chair for a break
5 Regular Pull-ups
20 Regular Push-ups

Intermission:
A wise man once said that we should “feast upon the word of Christ”. In our busy lives, we can get preoccupied with the nuts and bolts, the administering part of things. That wise man did not say to nibble on the word of Christ but to feast. When we have the opportunity to take part in services, or study the word out privately, we should “feast” on all there is available.

Now for the semi-sacrilegious part as I encouraged the PAX to “feast” on the book of Geronimo, this morning.

8 Wide arm Pull-ups because we had a nice intermission!
20 Wide arm Push-ups
5 Close hands Pull-ups
15 Diamond Push-ups

KISS Part 2: 8 Light Poles of Bliss
Round 1
10 Bomb Jacks
Run to the next pole
10 Jump Lunges (each leg)
Run to the Next Pole
Repeat until pole number 8
Round 2
10 Monkey Humpers
Run to the next pole
10 Sumo Squats
Run to the Next Pole
Repeat until pole number 8
Round 3
5 Burpees
Lunge walk half-way then Jog to the Next Pole :Crowd pleaser
Repeat Until Pole number 8

Run 100% of what’s left in the tank, Back to the other end of the lot, Slow Jog, then 100% Back for COT

NMM

I’ll be honest, it was tough this morning. Simply lots of activities moving large groups of muscles. The light poles of bliss was a simple concept, but not simple to execute. I think there’s a chance that many of the PAX were rethinking their decision to post at the Coop this morning, or ever again. The powerful thing was that everyone was pushing near their limit. That’s how we get stronger, or faster, or better. I think these highly-motivated men got a bit of each. TClaps for MacGyver and Backdraft who always push me to go faster and try harder. TClaps also for Cheddah. I haven’t seen him out here in a while, but he was looking strong.

Every time that I Q, I am surprised and honored by these men who roll out, and hold me accountable to be there as a leader and to do my best.

Geronimo! Out

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The Yeti 2016, No One Died…

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If there was one phrase that rang true for this epic CSAUP, it was this…”Don’t die!” There was a lot of excitement leading up to The Yeti and possibly a little training. There were whispers of “I’m a little nervous” and “17+ miles is a lot” and “I wonder what the pain stations will be like.” All that said, 60 #HIM from 5 Regions (Fort, Rock Hill, SOB/Indian Land, Gastonia and Area 51) wanted a taste of this beast of a track! Categories ranged from running the whole thing (Yeti), Running and Biking (Iceman), various relay options, as well as a couple of made-up categories.

Temperatures were perfect for this thing to happen. PAX started arriving at Pantheon at 0530 to kick this thing off. But before we get to The Thang, there is a cast of characters that needs to be recognized:

Your Qs: YHC (Yeti Warmup), Crash (Iceman Warmup), Package, Spitz and Cable Guy
Paxarazzi: Solid State, Bolt and Spud
Support: Hasselhoff, Cobra Kai & Professor (While they did the relay)

Thanks to all of the PAX that made this CSAUP a success. It’s your event and you made it happen! And now…

The Thang (0600 Yeti & 0700 Iceman):

BOM

Mosey around the carpool lane at Pantheon w/ dynamic stretches (Butt Kickers, High Knees, Karaoke both sides) and then circle up on the field:

COP
• SSH X25
• IW X25
• Low Slow Squats X25
• Windmills X 25
• Merkins X15
• Mountain Climbers X25
• Burpees X10 OYO

Mosey to the parking lot, mention “Don’t Die” one more time and then begin the Yeti route

Run: Pantheon to Ballroom (3.0 Miles)

Ballroom Painstation (Package)
1 Minute Each w/ 15 second Recovery
• Plank Jacks
• Shoulder Taps
• Merkins
• Parker Peter
• Wide Merkins
• Peter Parker
• SpiderMan Merkins
• Mountain Climbers
• Right Arm High
• Left Arm High
• Merkins
• 25 Burpees OYO (Crowd Pleaser)

Run: Ballroom to Coop (3.0 Miles)

Coop Painstation (Spitz)
100 Merkins
200 LBCs

Run or Bike: Coop to Run N Gun (6.5 Miles)

Run N Gun Painstation (Cable Guy)
10 Merkins
20 LBCs
30 SSH
Repeat 10 Times (Another Crowd Pleaser)

Run or Bike: Run N Gun to Pantheon (5.0 Miles)

Wait (or collapse into a pile) for the 6 and then mosey to Fort Mill BBQ for some Grub!

Total Mileage: Yeti – 17.5 Miles Run / Iceman – 6 Miles Run & 11.5 Miles Biked

Moleskin
The Yeti is just another great example of PAX coming together and supporting each other. This event would not have happened without a lot of energy from several people. I am humbled how it all came together. But let’s get to some facts and “special” moments as reported by the Pax.

• Fact: Several PAX reported that this was the furthest they’ve ever run at one time. Tclaps!
• Fact: Several PAX also reported that this was their first CSAUP
• Fact: This CSAUP counts as 1 workout towards your 250
• Fact: PAX ran over 650 miles and biked over 200 miles
• Fact: The Yeti Route does resemble our great state of South Carolina and was unintentional…but cool nonetheless
• #HIM Longshanks ran the entire Yeti supporting #HIM Dark Helmet (quoting Longshanks, “At one point Dark Helmet told me he was “excited” as he had been staring at my ass for the previous 12 miles”). According to DH, “No one told me I couldn’t do it (The Yeti), so I did it!” Awesome job brother!
• Geronimo’s Family met him at every AO. He thought it was so nice that some family came out in the gloom to support, then he realized it was his.
• Apparently Cake Boss picked up a cigarette rolling in to the Coop and told the PAX he picked a bad week to stop smoking
• Cobra Kai and Professor Handing out water on 160 while competing in the Yeti Relay
• One Word: Tatanka! This guy came all the way from Florida to spill Merlot (twice) with his closest friends. Several reports came in from separate sources that his form was suffering at the painstations. Alas, brothers CSPAN and Chaser were there to comfort!
• Run N Gun, Sir Topham Hat, Spandex!
• CSPAN stopping by his daughter’s bridal shower…awkward
• FNG Sloppy Joe
• Riddler not understanding Cable Guy’s Instructions and doing far too many Merkins, LBCs and SSH
• 2nd F at Fort Mill BBQ had over 75 PAX, Ms and 2.0s. Thanks to Sloppy Joe for opening early and supporting The Fort. Let’s do what we can to support him in the future.
• Maximus (with Walker) ran 2.5 more miles just to see if he could
• Tclaps to Gridlock on his mileage
• Tclaps to those who could not commit to the whole event but did what they could
• Tclaps to all the support PAX for water, gatorade, bananas, gels, gummies, and the list goes on

I apologize if I left anyone out or missed a “special moment.” All errors fall on my shoulders!

Here is a link to pictures from the event -> Yeti Pictures

So glad everyone enjoyed the beatdown and I’m glad that no one died. Don’t forget the Hog & Coyote later this year! Here are the times as reported:

F3 Name Type Time Notes
Sir Topham Hat Iceman 2:10:00
Defib Iceman 2:35:00
Dolph Iceman 2:35:00
Brownstreak Iceman 2:37:00
Whoopee Iceman 2:40:00
High Life Iceman 2:42:49
Atlas Iceman 2:45:00
One-Niner Iceman 2:45:00
World Wide Leader Iceman 2:47:00
Bounty hunter Iceman 2:47:00
Italian Job Iceman 2:47:00
Chaser Iceman 2:53:00
Ringer Iceman 2:53:00
ColdCuts Iceman 2:53:00
Royale Iceman 2:57:00
Cornhole Iceman 3:02:00
CSPAN Iceman 3:02:00
Tatanka Iceman 3:02:00
Atticus Iceman
Decibel Modified Run 6.50 Miles
White Lightning Modified Run 1:17:26 8.15 Miles
Free Bird Modified Run 1:21:30 8.15 Miles
Pusher Modified Run  8.15 Miles
Cake Boss Modified Run 1:28:17 8.15 Miles
Spiderman Modified Run 2:14:44 14.46 Miles
GridLock Modified Run 2:47:00 13.92 Miles
Photobomb Modified Run
Boeheim Yeti 3:23:00
Cerrano Yeti 3:24:00
Geronimo Yeti 3:24:00
Sasquatch Yeti 3:24:00
Tater Yeti 3:24:00
Gekko Yeti 3:25:00
Maximus Yeti 3:25:00
Corruption Yeti 3:27:00
Gears Yeti 3:36:00
Rooney Yeti 3:40:00
Senator Tressel Yeti 3:40:00
Zima Yeti 3:40:00
Fish Sticks Yeti 3:42:00
Minuteman Yeti 3:45:00
Ginsu Yeti 3:45:00
Copay Yeti 3:45:00
Axl Yeti 3:45:50
WhatDid Yeti 3:47:00
The Riddler Yeti 3:49:00
Javert Yeti 3:53:09
Seacrest Yeti 3:55:00
Dark Helmet Yeti 4:04:00
Longshanks Yeti 4:04:00
Belding Yeti
Catfish/Guage Yeti (Relay) 3:00:00
Burgundy/Walker Yeti (Relay) 3:04:00
Cobra Kai/Professor Yeti (Relay) 3:07:00
Smuggler/Bing Yeti (Relay) 3:27:00

Aye!
Zima

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Pre-Yeti (un)Limited Running… I promise!

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  • QIC: Chicken Hawk
  • When: 02/17/2016
  • Pax: Cash, Cake Boss, Socrates, What Did, Geronimo, Sasquatch, Double D, Gears, Carbomb, Destiny, Barry Manilo, Shelby, Skate or Die, Tater, Mission Impossible
  • Posted In: Ring of Fire

Sixteen men ventured to the COOP against better judgement on a damp morning to experience a little Chicken (Hawk) in the COOP.  We took a grand tour from one end of the coop to the other to experience all of the splendor called the coop (yes – pull up bars and all).  Apologies to the PAX because I swear I didn’t think we were going to run much but it turns out that was either a bad lie or a slight misinterpretation.  Oops!

The Message: Love

Encouraged the PAX to spend some time with John 3:16 in particular because it is really the gospel/ good news wrapped up into a single verse.  Pay special attention to the first part of the verse that “God loved the world”; not the perfect, Holy or righteous rather he loved the world and all the sinners in it (including you and I).  Also, pay attention to the part about “for those that believe”; take your belief beyond the head and into the heart and trust in God to provide and be your anchor in life.

Mosey to back of the bus lot and circle.

COP

  20 SSH

  20 Imperial Walkers

  15Windmills

   10 Merkins 

   25 Mountain Climbers

Mosey to bus parking lot for square dancing

Count off by 3, form 3 lines and Indian run to pull up bars

  Group 1 – run down hill and backwards up

  Group 2 – squats / bomb jacks

  Group 3 – goal stay on the bar, pull ups, leg lifts, dead hang

Mosey to play ground

 Group 1 – dips

  Group 2 – swing crunches

  Group 3- 4 rounds of wind sprints (half then full)

Mosey to other side of school to hill for Jacobs latter

  Start with 1 merkin at bottoms

  Bear crawl to the top of the hill

  7 mile kicks at the top of the hill

  Bear crawl back wards

Mosey back to other side of school

  Wall sit extensions in cadence

  Balls to the wall

COT

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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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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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