Category: The Fort

Gettin’ SWOLE! – Too many Ruck Merkins to Count

Leave a comment

Was reminded the day before of my Golden Corral ruck Q, so did the only thing I could think of – tabata.  Sort of.

Deacon, Mainframe, Rad and I rucked over behind the Teeter and did the world’s fastest warm-up that consisted of some windmills, moraccans, imperial walkers and curls.  Threw the rucks back on and hit the first tabata:

  1.  For 5 minutes, each minute do 30 side straddle hops and 10 merkins (w/ the ruck on) (150 ruck side straddle hops, 50 merkins).  Thankful for the Rocky theme music and Dropkick Murphy’s to get us through it!
  2. For 5 minutes, each minute do 15 squats and 10 merkins (w/ ruck) (75 ruck squats and 50 merkins)

Next up – Partner pushes down the HT parking lot w/ exercises.  Partner 1 pushes partner 2 (both have rucks on) about 50 yards, then drops and does 35 flutters and 20 ruck merkins.  Partner 2 pushes partner 1 back to the starting line and does the same thing together.  Do that two more times.  (140 flutters, 80 ruck merkins).

Last, but not least, 3 sand bags were waiting.  4 stations – 1) no sand bag, just ruck, 2) 40 lb sandbag and ruck, 3) 60 lb sandbag and ruck, 4) 90 lb sandbag and ruck

  1.  each of the 4 pax gets one station and we do 10 squats per station in order moving to the next after each w/ no break.
  2. do it again, this time w/ chest press.  Press each of the sand bags (or your ruck if you’re at that station) x10, 4 stations in a row, no break.

Did a full lap (running of course) around the Harris Teeter complex w/ rucks on.  The pax did great.  Think we can all say we got our chest work in for the week.  I haven’t been that sore in some time.  Final count – 180 ruck merkins, 150 ruck side straddle hops, 140 flutters, 115 weighted squats, 40 weighted presses.  Gettin’ SWOLE!

Until next time –

Cha Ching

TClap |
1

ChaChing Impromptu Black Diamond in Lake Wylie

Leave a comment

So I had been reading the “Living With a Seal” book about a wealthy business man ultra-athlete who hired a Seal he met at a 100 mile relay race (the business man was on a 4 guy relay team; the Seal was on a 1 man team lol) and was so amazed at his mental and physical toughness, he hired him to live w/ him and his family for 31 days.  Pretty easy fast read – super entertaining, w/ plenty of good training ideas, but even better, perspective.

I told the Pax this wouldn’t be easy – in fact it was going to suck.  There was a Beyond Black Diamond in Tega Cay the same day, so I figured we’d do a little Lake Wylie Black Diamond at Palisades.  I gave the Pax two quotes to get it started from Seal:  “To truly get better, you have to be willing to get uncomfortable.  You have to push your limits”.  Check.  “I don’t stop when I’m tired.  I stop when I’m done”.  I love that.  Let’s go.

Ran behind the school in the middle of the outdoor track and started the warm-up:

  1.  Quickest ever – windmill, moroccan night club, squats and mountain climbers.  That’s it.

Next up – Tabata w/ music (if you want an awesome tabata app that you can add your own music to and adjust times, etc – get “Seconds”).  Great playlist was in store for the following:

  1.  Every Minute,  we had to do 40 side straddle hops + 10 merkins.  5 minutes.  I was surprised – we finished each of the 40 and 10 with about 10 seconds to spare each minute.  10 seconds of break, and then do it again.  Fun stuff.  (total 200 side straddle hops, 50 merkins in 5 min)
  2. Nickels & Dimes – ran to the playground and did something similar – each minute do 5 pull-ups and 15 merkins for 5 minutes.  (total 25 pull-ups, 75 merkins in 5 min)

Next up was some awful partner work.  Size mattered.  We started on one side of the back parking lot.  Partner 1 would chase Partner 2, but here’s the wrinkle – Partner 2 gets a 20 yard head start and has to back pedal.  Partner 1 was to sprint and catch him.  When he catches him, they do an exercise together, then have to get back to the starting line by way of whatever I say.  So it matters how fast you catch your partner as it’ll make the trip back to the starting line shorter if you fly (or longer if you take your time).  Here it is, in order:

  1.  Partner 1 catches Partner 2 then…30 merkins.  Then…broad jump back to the starting line.  Yikes
  2. Partner 2 catches Partner 1 then…20 big boy sit-ups.  Then…bear crawl back to the starting line.
  3. Partner 1 catches Partner 2 then…20 jump knee tucks.  Then…crawl bear back to the starting line.
  4. Partner 2 catches Partner 1 then…50 seal jacks.  Then…partner carry back to the starting line.
  5. Partner 1 catches Partner 2 then…25 diamond merkins.  Then…other partner carries back to the starting line.
  6. Partner 2 catches Partner 1 then…10 burpees.  Then…just run back to the start.  There’s your break.

Don’t underestimate the suckiness of that many sprints, both forward and back pedals.  I was smoked.

Next up, track time – the way it works, you sprint the straight aways, you jog the curved ends of the tracks.  Starting on the side we were closer to, we sprinted the length, jogged the curve, sprinted the length then exercise of my choice when you hit the second curve.

  1.  50 crab cakes
  2. Jog curve, sprint, jog curve, sprint, 50 squats
  3. Jog curve, sprint, jog curve, sprint, 25 Robin Venturas (each side) (side plank w/ upper arm punching under your body, as if you were Nolan Ryan and had Ventura in a head lock)
  4. Job curve, sprint, jog curve, sprint, 50 speed skaters.

Ran back fast to COT just in time to close it out.  Almost had one splash of merlot, but he saved it.  Everyone crushed it that day – it was a bear but they all finished and fought through each step of the way.  Love how everyone handled the pain – I reminded them all whatever we have going on, someone else has more pain.  You have to learn to fight.

Closed out in prayer and went about our hump day.  Thanks to Bones for the chance to lead.

Cha Ching

TClap |
1

Party of 13 at Alcatraz (way past due…)

Leave a comment

P200 training dictates pre-runs whenever you can get them.  Well that was a mistake.  Jedi and myself met Fish Sticks & Bolt for a “fellowship” pace behind Alcatraz which consisted of 3 miles of hills at 8 min pace.  We got back right at 7am, just in time to greet the other 9 pax.  Wonderful.

Bolt took us around the outside of the field for a half mile warm up sprint prior to the stretching / / official warm-up.  I took it from there for a some fun w/ cones:

Cones set up 20 yds apart, 5 sets in total, for a 100 yds down the field.  I give one exercise w/ rep count, and the pax runs to each cone and does it at each cone, all the way down the field x5 no break:

  1.  3 burpees (15 in total)
  2. 10 jump lunges (each leg) (50 jump lunges each leg)
  3. 5 burpees (25 burpees)
  4. 10 jump squats (50 jump squats)
  5. 3 burpees (15 burpees)
  6. 10 big boy sit-ups (50 sit-ups)

55 burpees, 100 lunges, 50 jump squats and 50 sit-ups in 12 minutes isn’t too shabby to get things started.

Next up – the hill outside of Alcatraz:

  1.  Run down hill, back pedal up the hill and do 20 merkins.  Repeat run down, back pedal up, 16 merkins.  Hill, 12, Hill, 8, Hill, 4, done.  60 merkins and plenty of hills.  Shibby.

Some fun w/ basketball.  Each pax gets a shot from the free throw line.  If he makes, I have an exercise.  If he misses, I have a different exercise (I wonder which one is worse…).  Well, needless to say the pax missed every shot.  In order of exercises after each missed shot:

  1.  Up and down every parking lot line (side shuffle, sprint, side shuffle, sprint…until you get to the end).
  2. 60 flutters (120 single)
  3. 5 kraken burpees
  4. 40 fast / slow freddie mercuries (80 single)
  5. 20 diamond merkins
  6. 20 American Hammers

Hand off to Bolt for the grand finale – partner obstacle course.  Partner 1 goes through the gauntlet while Partner 2 rips through merkins, squats and LBC’s (50 was the # I believe).  Bolt set up about 12 cones w/ rope weaving between and across each of them making the army crawl almost impossible to keep your butt that low to the ground (at least for a guy w/ a big ass like myself).  Obstacle course goes as follows:

  1.  Broad jump to cones
  2. Army crawl 10 yards under rope
  3. bear crawl to sand bags
  4. Curl sand bags
  5. Weave in and out of 6 more cones touching each as you pass
  6. Sprint back to finish

We closed it out w/ some good discussion around the recent events in Florida and engaging God on the little battles throughout a man’s day.  Thanks for the chance to lead Smuggler.  Always a pleasure w/ this group.

ChaChing

 

TClap |
3

Just a perfect Old School Saturday @F3TheFort

Leave a comment

6 for the preruck

2 for the prerun

conditions perfect overcast and 46 degrees

disclaimer

Longshanks on warm-up and he ran us to Double D Hill and we started working hard, more running around WEP with timely stops for a variety of PT, mosey to Springs Building for a peoples chair sequence followed by a mosey to Little Ceaser Park

Handoff to CSPAN

partner up with a man you don’t know

station workouts:

  1. 10 Burpees
  2. 45 Mountain Climbers
  3. 40 Squats
  4. 30 Tri-cep dips
  5. 55 LBC
  6. 20 Peter Parker and 20 Parker Peters
  7. 30 Flutters and 30 Hello Dolly
  8. 20 KB Curls and Hairburners
  9. Bear & Crab
  10. 25 Seal Jacks and 25 SSH
  11. 25 Imperial Walkers and 25 Hillbilly Walkers
  12. Tug-a-war and 10 Burpees

Finished up with a tug-a-war tournament

Mosey to COT

Prayer or Praise / BOM

Excellent Coffeerteria at Peach Stand

AYE!

CSPAN

 

TClap |
1

Headlamps needed out of darkness comes light

Leave a comment

 

Pulled up was amazed how many cars where already there and the pax kept rolling in. I guess my advertising worked. We had 2 kotters It was great to see MR. T and Baywatch back out

The Thing

I said the Disclaimer and we Mosey to warm
Followed by high knees to regular then to butt kickers, then regular. Last but not least toy soldiers then regular we  then circle up

Windmill 10 IC
Imperial walker 15 IC
Cherry picker 10 IC

Run the paved path at the bottom of the hill. We have never ventured into the woods in the 2 years we have been here, so what better time than now to explore this great path with a good sized hill would make a great work out for SeaLegs hmmmmmmm in the near future.

Circle up talk about how life is too short to not venture out and explore. Take control of your life be happy. YHC realized there is not enough room to do global warming as planed so I Omaha to the hill.

Mosey to the hill clock work merkins. YHC did short demo:
5 Merkins in 12 o’clock, 5 – in 3 o’clock 5 – in 6 o’clock 5 – in 9 o’clock and 5 – in 12 o’clock one more time. Run to the top of the hill for some –

– Global warming (10 merkins, 10 CCD, 10 burpees)

Mosey to the gaurd rail where I pulled out my board of  pain from behind the guard rail

Partner up

Partner 1 performs exercise till partner returns
Partner 2 runs around long median to the side walk and back.

Monkey humpers
Moroccan night clubs
Plank w/shoulder taps
Irkins
Dips
Donkey kicks
Plank jacks
Squats on your toes
Nur up the hill
American hammers
Burpees
Seal jacks

Some made it to donkey kicks a few made it to plank jacks. I felt we ran enough for the work out so we Lt Dan up hill toward COT .10 of a mile then we NUR the rest of the way COT ot .10 of a mile. I am a big fan of NURING but learned that Cha Ching can run backwards really fast.

COT
Talked more about life being to short live it to the fullest tomorrow is never promised. The reason behind this was bout 2 1/2 years ago Emma my daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. We have now come to a end with her treatment and she has surgery tomorrow to remove her port out of her chest. With that being said we found out last friday that my stepmother has stage IV lung cancer. So never take a day for granted.

Announcements:

Ruck brew, Hog & Coyote coming soon, P200
A group that has supported my family the last 2 years Hometown Heros has a Union county sheriff’s deputy running 40 miles to raise money for the kids battling cancer and other diseases this Saturday trying get some pax to join me with 5k 10k 15 mile 10 mile ect options to support him and his cause.

Prayers and praises:

Prayers for Luka, Vuvuzella son. Emma for finishing treatment up and for having port removed. For my stepmother journey with cancer. Praise for our 2 kotters that came back out.

Great work by the pax they did an awesome job and really pushed them selves. TCLAPS MEN.

https://youtu.be/ZhOkLxtOWYY

TClap |
4

#Seeitbeit – Paradise Reading Center

Leave a comment

I had the chance to listen live to David Chadwick (Senior Pastor, Forest Hill Church) talk about his recent interview with Charlotte Police Chief, Kerr Putney. In his final question, David asked the Police Chief: What can the church do to make Charlotte a better place to live? The Chief listed three items:

“We need three things,” the Chief said:

  1. Volunteers to hold babies
  2. Volunteers to read to kids
  3. Mentors for kids, Especially male mentors

In that moment, I wanted to say, “David, there is this group of guys that are already doing this!” #F3Nation. In that moment, I was especially proud to be one of the PAX! My mind went to the good work the PAX are doing with the Children’s Attention Home and The Paradise Reading Center (and more!).

My opportunity to be the change I want to see was with serving the underserved community of Paradise. My first time volunteering I was excited to see, how may kids showed up to this after school program for help with reading and homework. And also, how fun, energetic and smart they are (My first reading partner was Kelvin, a six year, who was easily a better reader than me when I was six. He didn’t laugh too hard when he had to correct me with the correct pronunciation of, “Galileo”)!

I also had the chance to watch CoPay give his story. What a story! And more importantly T-Claps for this HIM for showing our youth, if you can see it, you can be it! I simply followed Copay’s (and Deacon’s!) lead and made it known to them I wanted to share my story too.

Deacon sent me an outline with suggestions of what I should cover during my 10 minute talk (1. My personal background, 2. What I wanted to be when I was a kid, 3. My job, 4. School experience, 5. Advice I wanted to share with them) and I was ready.

I was pumped to share my story with the hope that if just one kid could #seeitbeit, then it was well worth the 60 minutes I spent with the kids that day.

 

NMM:

F3 has made me physically stronger, put more PAX in my life that have given me great community, and have helped me to have a better walk with Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior.  To give a little back to this community that has given me so much was a true pleasure.

Thank you to the PAX for all being HIMs in your own individual ways.

—————————————————————————————————————–

The Reading Center takes place every Monday and Wednesday from 4PM-5PM at Bethlehem Baptist Church 601 Joe Louis St. Fort Mill,SC 29715. The kids are doing homework and reading and we have the opportunity to assist or listen. This is  a great opportunity for us to mentor and encourage beyond the workout. Looking to get a schedule with 4-8 PAX each session starting 1/8/17 and going throughout the school year.

See link to sign up. https://docs.google.com/document/d/11ak80g7L12X6hCDN1_h5cSUemDlqWzBdgMyJII1RHy4

——————————————————————————————————————

#CoopStrong

TClap |
8

Rainy Monday at the Quagmire

Leave a comment

10 Brave soles ventured to the rainy gloom of Quagmire for an opportunity to better themselves.  After getting the late night SOS from Davinci for a “last minute Q”….I put my thinking cap on for how to make it a memorable Monday (meaning you felt it for a couple of days).

After normal disclaimer…and a reminder that “modification” should only be used if needed, we began our mosey.

Warm up:

  • About a mile run (To Gander Mountain)….despite the “I thought this wasn’t a running AO” comments
  • Windmills
  • Hillbilly Walkers
  • Imperial Walkers
  • Weed pickers
  • Slow Low Squats
  • Mountain Climbers
  • Downward Dog
  • Honeymooner
  • Side plank
  • Moroccan Night Club
  • Seal Jacks

The Fun Stuff

Moseyed to the Verizon parking lot

Lined up and performed exercises from one end to the other

  • 5 sets:  Bear Crawl…5 Merkins…Crawl Bear…5 Merkins
  • Set of 50 Merkins
  • 100 Dips
  • 5 Sets:  Lunge Walk…..Backward Run….10 Squats

Mosey back to Best Buy

  • 30 Burpees….10 every minute

COT

Thanks for the opportunity to lead and great work by all the PAX there.

 

~ Bones

TClap |
2

Coop- clock from H&^%…

Leave a comment

Valentines day 2018- To prep you for taking out your M this wonderful night we will take a trip around the clock.

Warm up with Mosey high knees, butt kickers, knee to chest, and ankle to chest.

circle up SShs, Imperial Walkers, windmills.

Mosey to pull up bars- 5-4-3-2-1

Mosey to band lot give disclaimer on the clock. start in center work  around the clock at each station always coming back to center in between. In middle 15 burpees stations consisted of squats, LBCs, Mtn. Climbers, CDDs, Apollo Onos, American Hammers, Merkins, Flutter Kicks. You do 50 of each.

great job by all who attended.

read your newsletter.

Prayers and Praises…

 

 

TClap |
0

Jacked-up Egyptian-Indian alligator walks?

Leave a comment
Q, Nomad 1st 30 (Lower body) and Ginsu 2nd 30 (Upper Body)
Beautiful morning at The Fort. Conversations went from Dark Helmet’s Ruck to Dora’s backpack, to Diego’s survival pack, to WonderPets. At this point, YHC realized it was time to get started.
String of pearls Warmup around WEP
  • SSH 19
  • Windmill 11
  • LBC 15
  • Morracsan nightclub 25
  • Mountain climber 20
Stretch
  • leg/calf R/L, L/R, lean L/R, R/L, (Jiffy called hamstring stretches)

 

Airborne and Rebel mosey’d by on the path wearing lights and reflective gear
Jacked up 11’s
    (on the statue hill)
  • Bombjacks at the bottom
  • Plankjacks at the top
  • (LBCs til 6)
This was awful. Dark Helmet even had to take his Ruck off. But PAX were encouraging to each other.
Mosey to center of field
Walk-Like-An-Egyptian
  • (Single file line)  Lunge and hold 1 leg while PAX at back jailbrakes to front, then Switch legs (rotate core for extra credit). Walk distance from outer path to playground.
HappyJacks
  • (Circle up)  – 4x (5 SSH + 2 jump lunge)
— Switch to Ginsu —
(Ginsu claimed to have tweaked his back. Glad he didn’t have a healthy back – he brought the pain)
– 5 burpees OYO
– Egyption-Indian Alligator Walk (by with Alligator Crawl, switching L/R which each PAX jailbreak)
– 5 burpees OYO
– Egyption-Indian Alligator Walk
– 20 4-count Freddy Mercurys
– 5 burpees OYO
Mosey to playground
– 20 4-count dips on the wall
– Take a lap around playground
– 20 4-count dips on the wall
– Take a lap around playground
– 10 4-count derkins on the wall
– Take a lap around playground
– 10 4-count derkins on the wall
– Take a lap around playground
Partner up
– Partner 1 – 10 pull ups
– Partner 2 – 20 LBCs
– flip flop
– rinse and repeat x3
Mosey to COT for Mary
– 20 4-count heals to heaven
– 10 4-count hand release merkins
– 20 4-count LBCs
– 10 4-count hand release merkins
– Captain Thor 5×20
Ginsu choose for Mary to be on asphalt vs. grass, which reminded YHC not to get comfortable in my comfortable grassy life.
COT
Announcements
– Reading help at Bethlehem Church
– Yeti
– Pancake breakfast
– Convergence on Tuesday
Prayers & Praise
– FM High Band Leader, John Pruitt (recovering stroke)
– Dark Helmet’s 2.0 Baptism
– Corruption family member recovering from foot surgery
– Jiffy, wife recovering from surgery
– Our children and youth, and those that INFLUENCE them
Thanks Bonzai for the chance
TClap |
1

Rain, pain and gain at the Fort

Leave a comment

At 5 minutes to 6am with no PAX in sight, CableGuy and Bolt wondered if it was going to be a dual beatdown. With seconds to spare, 4 more PAX arrived in the high moisture content morning.

We welcomed back Comeback posting for only his second post, first last fall EH’d by VuVu. Disclaimer was given and we moseyed around the WEP trail.

Taken by CableGuy to the upper parking lot for warmups.  As per his style, cadence proceeded at a pace about 50% faster than most Q’s. We kept up the best we could with SSH’s, ParkerPeters, PeterParker’s, mountain climbers, merkins, squats, seal jacks, …

*** Q’s, always take note of who’s in attendance and that a demonstration/reminder of an exercise may be necessary. ***

Staying in the same lot, we were treated to a beatdown ladder of burpees countdown starting with 10 at one end (to 1), cross lot sprint, and the other end 10 squats each time.

Marylou nicely informed us  it was a total of 55 burpees.

The blood was pumping and the arms were hurting as the rain started to trickle about halfway through.

Before Bolt took the PAX to the field for 5 pain stations, he gave the PAX a few words about our responsibility as men to watch out for and protect the women and girls in our lives. We have been going through a steady stream of news on sexual abuse, assault and domestic abuse.

An easy walk down the hill to catch our breaths before the 5 pain stations which each had their own ‘lanes’ of varying length. 5 starting cones had workout instructions on them and a corresponding turn-around point cone.   A little improvisation with only 6 PAX (expecting 10 or more), we lined up at the cones. Top instruction for one PAX, bottom for other PAX staying at cone.

cone1: top instruction: Run up hill carrying 40# to cone and back/bottom for PAX staying: squats

cone 2: top: Broad jump to corresponding cone and back;  bottom: calf raises

cone3: Sprint to cone and back/ American Hammers w/ 20# or 30#

cone4: BearCrawl to cone and back/ bomb jacks using 2-10# bags

cone5: Lunges carrying 2 sand bags to cone and back/ merkins

We did a final run through of the stations as a group.

Back to COT lot for a few minutes of Mary.

A good push by all PAX.

*** Q’s: Remember to never leave the 6 behind. Remember that we are all at different fitness levels. Be encouraging and positive and supportive.

Bolt finished with his thoughts about it being our responsibility to look out for all the women in our lives: our wives, our daughters, our nieces, our friends, our neighbors. We are seeing bad men do bad things and a lot of men who downplay the problems or don’t speak out against the perpetrators. It is our responsibility to not only protect, but to speak out against the behavior when it occurs. Talk with your women, but especially your daughters. Let them know what good behavior of men should be.

Yeti in 2 weeks.   Reminder about our community involvement in Paradise with our workouts and mentoring/reading sessions.   P200 coming.   Prayers for PAX with sick children and relatives with health issues.

Thanks to Uncle Sam for volunteering to tutor in Paradise

2 for post workout breakfast at The Peach Stand.

*** Final Q tip: After using cones and/or coupons on a rainy day, be sure to not stack cones and leave in car for a few days and dry coupons asap. Stinky!

 

TClap |
3