Category: The Fort

Welcome back, Old Man Winter

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  • QIC: Italian Job
  • When: 1/5/16
  • Pax: Schrute, The Riddler, Water Boy (FNG), Destiny, Boots, Catfish, River Rat, Burgundy, Sgt. York, Apache
  • Posted In: The Fort

11 PAX rolled out of their warm cars to work out in the cold this glorious Tuesday morning at Eagles Nest.

The Thang

Mosey to the Fountain for the Warm Up

  • 25 SSHs in cadence
  • 25 Imperial Walkers in cadence
  • 40 MNCs in cadence
  • 15 Windmills in cadence
  • 15 Bombjacks OYO

Mosey to the steps

  • 15 Dips OYO
  • 15 Derkins OYO
  • 15 Irkins OYO
  • 15 Calf Raises OYO

Mosey to Student Center

  • People’s Chair (4 rounds)
  • BTTW (long 10 count)
  • 4 Count People’s Chair (25 in cadence)
  • 10 Kickboxing Burpees (burpee with a punch, punch, knee, knee in the up position)
  • Walking Lunges to end of the walkway
  • 15 Dips OYO
  • 15 Derkins OYO
  • 15 Irkins OYO

Mosey to Alumni Walk

  • Aggregate partner work (one partner exercises while other runs then flapjack)
    • 100 Merkins
    • 200 Squats
    • 300 LBCs

Mosey to COT

  • Stopped periodically for Merkins and Squats

Cool Down Stretches

  • Left over right
  • Right over left
  • Wide leg left, right, center

NMM

I really wasn’t sure how many we would have this morning as my car thermometer hit 19 on the drive in. I was thrilled to see 10 PAX, including 1 FNG, roll out of the fart sack and join YHC for some early morning fun. Props to Water Boy for posting his first time in the cold. We look forward to you coming back out. It was good to see The Riddler return after a week off for a birthday vacation. Destiny, thanks for joining us south of the river. You’re welcome any time. Boots and Schrute just keep getting faster. Catfish, thanks for letting me Q and for keeping us accountable on our form. Good to see River Rat back after a week off with his family. Glad Apache is feeling better and could join us after smart sacking yesterday. Burgundy and Sgt. York, thanks for setting a fast pace for us to follow.

As I said earlier, we need to keep each other accountable. So many of us will fall off the wagon if our brothers don’t push us, pull us, and question us from time to time. Continue being the #HIM your family, workplace, and community needs. We are making a difference in the lives of others. Keep doing what you do and we can make a big change in our communities.

Announcements

Joe Davis Memorial Run – Saturday at 0800. There is still time to sign up. The Patriot will be open if you do not plan to run.

Fuel Challenge Starting January 18th, Gears will be leading a “Fuel Challenge” to motivate Pax to think about what we eat through a progressive, multi-week program.  Check out the pre-blast to learn about the challenge and how you need to start prepping today!

3rd F Convergence Jan 22 (Friday) @0600 – Eternal Church (map)- Start the new year off right. Post to this 3rdF Convergence to hear from High Impact Men on Accountability.  Check out the pre-blast for more info.

Rock Hill / Easley Convergence Jan 23 (Saturday) @0700 – Star Command – Post to this “Padre Convergence” at the Upward Star Center in Spartanburg, with CSPAN, Padre, and Iceman on Q.  Coffeteria to follow. Clown cars details are coming soon.  Mark the date, and keep an eye out for the pre-blast.

Yeti #CSAUP Feb 20 (Saturday) @0600 – Sign up for the Yeti, Iceman, and other combinations of this 17 mile #CSAUP event.  Follow this link to the online form.  Check the pre-blast here for details.

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A celebration of the (F3) life of Jekyll…

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  • QIC: Dark Helmet
  • When: 01/02/16
  • Pax: Trucker, Gecko, Maximus, Gears, Hauschka, Omaha (2.0), Mighty Mite (2.0), Spider-Man, Senator Tressel (Respect), Mr Clean, Spitz, Short Sale (Respect), Howitzer, Royale, Sweeper, Fish Sticks, WWL, Backdraft, The Speaker, Dark Helmet (YHC)
  • Posted In: Alcatraz, The Fort

No, he’s not dead. He was, however, supposed to be my co-Q for Alcatraz that day, but had to change those plans due to: life. Not a problem, very appropriately a guy that Jekyll EH’ed stepped up. T-claps to Fish Sticks.

So a couple things you should know: 1. Jekyll named me. It was after his co-Q with Pusher at WEP where I was pretty sure I was going to die afterward. 2. After the first time I posted on a Friday at Slow Burn, it was Jekyll who came up to me after and said, “what are you doing now?” I answered, “I dunno, what happens now?” And he came in to Chicken and Wisdom with me. I was a new guy, I was little confused by this new cult group I was a part of, and he helped me feel welcome. It was appreciated. Since then, he and I have posted at a two-man Black Diamond workout where he Q-ed and I’m pretty sure I’m still sore from (it was like 6 months ago), have posted dozens of other times together, served alongside one another, etc. At this point, this whole thing is starting to sound a little too… I dunno… So, enough of all that.

The reason I mention those things, though, is that I thought it would be appropriate to lead the Pax in some horrible things that I learned from Jekyll over the last year. So, as is the usual case, we disclaimed and were off.

The Thang:
First there was some talking (yes, I can help myself, I just choose not to):
In my first workout with F3, Jekyll made us do a bunch of partner work. Between that and a couple of weeks later doing a terrible number of partner pull-ups with Spiderman, I really caught what I feel is the magic of F3 for me. That bond formed by the misery of a shared, terrible experience is what won me over. It’s why I love posting in the rain, or in the 7 degree weather… But I digress…
Next, there was some moving:
Warm up lap around the park then circle up:
Squats x 20
Windmill x 15
Mountain Climbers x 20
IW x 20
SSH x 20

Partner Ring of Fire:
8 stations in a ring about 50 ft from center, as follows:

  1. 25 Partner Derkins (each)
  2. 15 Partner Squats (each)
  3. 30 Plank Jacks
  4. 25 Partner Dips (each)
  5. 10 Partner Rows (each)
  6. 15 Partner Press (each)
  7. 10 Booyah Merkins
  8. 20 Big boy situps

Partner Carry out to cone, Bear crawl back to center. In center do Cinderblock burpees x 5, then move to next station.

Repeato as many rounds as possible until the 30 minutes is up.

Then… More talking. I’ll explain more of this at the end…

Hand off to Fish Sticks:
Mosey over to what may be the worst hill in Tega Cay (and that’s saying something).
Then it was 12s for the rest of the time (as opposed to Elevens… it was his daughter’s birthday this week, and she turned 12, so there you have it)
At the bottom of the hill do 1 squat. At the top of the hill, do 11 CDDs.
Next round = 2 squats, 10 CDDs… you get the idea.
When time was up, we moseyed back to COT.
Yes, in case you were wondering, it was terrible…

NMM:
A couple things I think were worthy of note:
1. I found it helped to keep going up and down that horrible hill all those times if I closed my eyes and swore under my breath a lot. Feel free to use this technique whenever you deem appropriate.
2. Hauschka brought his 2.0s to the workout. It was cold. And a Saturday during a long school break. And I had cinderblocks to workout with. And those brats lapped us… It was awesome.
3. At one point, about 5 or 6 rounds in, Mr. Clean started running up the hill backwards. “I need to work a different part of my body for a bit, this sucks.” or something like that was the explanation. Good stuff.

Right before I handed things over to Fish Sticks, I shared one other thing. About 3 years ago, long before F3, in my not-quite-as-directed efforts to be a good dad, I would frequently take all 3 girls to breakfast on a Saturday. I thought I was checking off “Good-Dad” boxes and persisted in doing it, even though they secretly hated it. I wouldn’t find this out until later, but it stemmed from this one experience in particular (with others similar in nature). Youngest had gotten apple juice with breakfast. On the way home, I said, “let’s not take the apple juice in the car.” After the “please dad, I’ll be really careful” routine, I relented. Within two miles, the apple juice was, of course, spilled in its entirety in the backseat. I was livid. I jerked the car to the side of the road and started fuming and cleaning. It was ugly. There was crying, yelling… just a bad scene. With the apple juice more or less cleaned up, the rest of the car ride was silent. I knew I hadn’t done the right thing, but I didn’t know how to fix it either. I apologized later, and that’s fine, but that wasn’t fixing the problem, it was just cleaning up the aftermath of the problem.
Fast forward to today, and I can say with some degree of confidence that the problem is largely under control. Not perfect, but DRAMATICALLY improved. My girls like to go to breakfast with me now. I don’t lose my temper over much, and certainly not over apple juice. Oldest told me the other day that one of the main reasons she is glad that I do F3 is that I’m not “Mad Dad” anymore. That was powerful to me.
Now don’t misunderstand, I go to church. I am very active in it. I have faith in God. But all that wasn’t completely fixing the problem either. Certainly not because Christ CAN’T or won’t fix it. But I think it was like I was trying to finish making a cake but skipping some vital step. I would fill bowl after bowl with delicious batter, pour it in a pan, then stick it in the oven only to pull it out 30 minutes later as a pan full of batter. It was frustrating. I was doing nearly all the steps, but no results. The problem was, I think, that I just hadn’t turned the oven on. I think that for me, F3 has been the oven. I think it’s partly because I try to leave some amount of frustration, angst, anger, or any other negative emotion out in the gloom. Where it’s safe to leave it. I can work my body to clear my mind. I can talk it through with my brothers out there. And their shoulders are strong, not like my sweet daughters… So, thanks, men. The Helmet family appreciates you…

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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The Columns of the Pantheon

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  • QIC: Bing
  • When: 12/30/15
  • Pax: Gekko, Mainframe, White Lighting, FreeBird, Pick Six, Mr. Clean, Royale, Puddles, Flat Tire, QWERTY, Short Sale, Howitzer, El Diablo, Freon (FNG), Bart, Fish Sticks, Senator Tressell, Cornhole, Funhouse, HappyHour (FNG)
  • Posted In: Pantheon, The Fort

21 PAX arrived in the wet gloom to celebrate a VQ with YHC.  Pantheon Columns (well, cones) were set around the drive and we were ready to start the pain.

Weather: Balmy and humid 60’s with intermittent rain.

COP 30 SSH

15 Imperial Walkers

20 Slow Squats

20 Mountain Climbers

20 more SSH (can’t get enough of these eh?)

The Thang: Mosey on over to the start of the Pantheon Drive to our first Pantheon column.  In order to mirror the 16 columns of the Pantheon, 8 columns (cones) were set on the drive with 2 (ish) exercises under each column.

30 Mountain Climbers/20 Merkins

20 Burpees

Bear Crawl to next cone/Crawl Bear back (major improvising took place here – LONG crawl)

25 LBC/80% effort run around entire loop

20 Merkins/30 Hello Dolly

20 Freddie Mercury/20 Carolina Dry Docks

20 Monkey Humpers/40 Rocky Balboas

3x Suicides (3 cones set up for distance ran)

With a bit of extra time allowed, each group did an extra 3-4 columns with some improvising along the way.  To no ones surprise, there was a lot of running included in the workout (2.6 miles to be exact).

COT

Announcements:

Charlotte Convergence on 1/1. Clown Car meeting place at Baxter Starbucks at 6am (to be confirmed)

Joe Davis Run on 1/9 – Nearing 150 participants of a goal of 200 (F3 and FIA)

Rock Hill Striders 10.5 run at the Greenway on 1/16

Prayer Requests:

El Diablo’s Dad who recently had an 8 hour long surgery and is recovering.

Prayers for Tater and his family with the loss of his Father-in-law.

Thank you all for allowing me to VQ today, I truly enjoyed it and look forward to the next Q!

Aye!

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OldTown Beatdown

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  • QIC: Sgt. York
  • When: 12/28/15
  • Pax: Senator Tressel, Walker, Burgundy, Tinker Toy, Popeye, Schrute, Italian Job
  • Posted In: The Fort

8 of York County’s finest took on a Sgt. York painful prison cell pelting this morning at OldTown.

Warmup

  • SSH
  • Windmills
  • Burpees courtesy of our friendly neighborhood train conductor
  • Fast pace mosey to the hot box (parking deck)

The Thang

  • Run up one level and back. 10 Prison cell Push-ups.
  • Run up two levels and back. 20 Prison cell Push-ups.
  • Run up three levels and back. 10 Prison cell Push-ups.
  • Run up four levels and back. 20 Prison cell Push-ups.
  • Mosey to Fountain Park
    • Group dips and box jumps. Hold down position while one of the pax runs to opposite wall for a box jump. When he returns, switch to up position while next pax runs to opposite wall for a box jump. 8 pax, 2 rounds.
    • Group squats and suicides. 20 dips, run to opposite side of the park. Repeat until 100 squats completed.
  • Mosey to amphitheater
    • Run up the steps, nur the top, run down opposite side, lunge bottom. Repeat 3 times.
  • Mosey to alley downtown
    • People’s Chair (x2)
    • Balls to the Wall

NMM

Great Q by Sgt. York this morning. The mumble chatter was limited due to the pax trying to catch their  breath. It was nice to have a couple of celebrities join us as well (Walker and Senator Tressel). Don’t let the age fool you, these guys are fit. Great work as usual from Burgundy, Tinkertoy, and York setting the pace. Schrute continues to get faster and Popeye has emerged recently as a gazelle. The guy is a BEAST!

Always a pleasure to share the gloom with you men.

Announcements

F3 5 Year Anniversary Convergence
Jan 1 (Friday) @0700 – A.G. Middle School – This Friday will mark the 5th year of F3’s birth. And F3Nation is planning a convergence at the AO where it all began. All regularly scheduled Friday AOs for The Fort region will be close. So check out the pre-blast and start planning the #clowncars (be sure to check out Dark Helmet’s pre-blast on clown car logistics).

3rd F Convergence
Jan 22 (Friday) @0600 – Eternal Church (map)- Start the new year off right. Post to this 3rdF Convergence to hear from High Impact Men on Accountability. Check out the pre-blast for more info

Joe Davis Memorial Run
Jan 9 @0800 – WEP – This 5k, 10k, and Fun Run event is raising awareness and funds for Keystone, an organization providing substance abuse services to those who need it in York County, honoring our own Rock Thrill’s (Chris Davis) brother who passed away in 2009. Check out the pre-blast here.

Rock Hill / Easley Convergence
Jan 23 (Saturday) @0700 – Star Command – Post to this “Padre Convergence” at the Upward Star Center in Spartanburg, with CSPAN, Padre, and Iceman on Q. Coffeteria to follow. Clown cars details are coming soon. Mark the date, and keep an eye out for the pre-blast.

Yeti #CSAUP
Feb 20 (Saturday) @0600 – Sign up for the Yeti, Iceman, and other combinations of this 17 mile #CSAUP event. Follow this link to the online form. Check the pre-blast here for details.

Palmetto 200 Relay
Mar 18-19 – 6 man, 9 man, and 12 man teams available for this 1st and 2nd F event. Send HC/SC information to Matt Wallace (Rooney) and be sure to specify the size team you’d like to be on. Check out the pre-blast for details for more information.

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The Fort Post Christmas Convergence at The Yard

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  • QIC: Cake Boss
  • When: 12/26/15
  • Pax: Anchorman Apache Assassin Atlas Back draft Barry Manilow Bart Bass O Matic Beast Bing Bogey Boots Brick Cake Boss Cat Fish Chedda Corn Hole Corruption Cross Check CSPAN Dark Helmet Deacon Double D Duke Nukum El Diablo Fish Stix Funhouse Gears Gecko Geronimo Haushka Howitzer Italian Job Jekyll Jekyll Jr Kodiak Linus Long shanks Lug Nut Mainframe Maximus Menthol Mighty Mite (FNG) Minuteman Offspring Old Bay Omaha (FNG) Package Peabody Peach Popeye Posh Puddles Rebel Royale Santini Senator Tressel Shelby (FNG) Short Sale Snapper (FNG) Socrates Solid State Spitz Spud Stank Sunshine Sweeper Tesh Torpedo Turban Twister Walker What Did Wheelz White Lightning WWL Zima
  • Posted In: Alcatraz, Millllkshake, The Fort, The Reservation

The PAX from The Fort, Alcatraz, Indianland and Rock Hill arrived at The Yard for a Post Christmas Convergence.

It’s Boxing Day and YHC had some Rocky memories flowing from my days in Philly and I thought about having the PAX chase chickens or punch sides of beef in a freezer, however too expensive and way too involved. So we opted for some good old beatdown F3 style.

Apache got things started with the 1st annual Cake Boss Calves 5k. I have to admit, its pretty cool having a 5k named after my body parts, but I hoped it would have been my eyes….oh well! 26 posted for the run and Old Bay texted me this number as I was setting up The Yard and so it confirmed for me to expect a quality turn out from the PAX.

The PAX arrived car after car and the mumble chatter started. It was great to see many of the men we don’t get to see week in and week out. I called (whistled) the PAX in tight for some announcements and introduction of Stang. He got us started for the warm up and away we went.

Mosey around YHC’s truck to side of school and some high knees, butt kickers, and other stuff as we head back towards the school yard for COP. Stang took us through half dozen traditional moves to get the bodies in motion.

Hand off to YHC (Cake Boss), with some instructions on the “meat” of the workout. Count off in 9s to form 9 groups. Each group to go to 9 different stations perform the 2 exercises on each station for 3 mins. Once time is up, rotate to next station. It is a You vs You routine where the fit can challenge themselves and the new or building can pace themselves.

I shared a message around preparation in all areas of our lives. As a Boxer prepares for the match, we need to prepare if we intend to get better. Our hearts, minds, spirits need to be prepared for all the challenges and adventures life puts before us. Are you going to sit on the sidelines or read the playbook and prepare for the match ahead.

The 9 groups made their way each round to the sound of YHC and my whistle….haha. Hated using a whistle but was best way to get everyone moving together. It was a solid workout. We ended with COP and some men paying a debt of burpees for the Army/Navy game.

COT had 77 present and 4 FNG’s, Shelby, Omaha, Might Mite, & Snapper…..Welcome! Prayers for the many health concerns, sudden passing’s, and injured PAX. Prayers also for those PAX struggling in marriage, finances and parenting. Do what you need to in these areas to prepare and work through the tribulations.

Thanks to Old Bay and CSPAN for the honor to lead a Convergence at The Yard. Humbled and Honored.

We had 40 at the 2nd F at the Ft Mill Family Restaurant. They did a great job dealing with us and our stench. Was it ok for me to EH the owner while he was taking our food orders???

Merry Christmas PAX and I look forward to 2016 with all of you.

Cake Boss

 

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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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12 Days of Fitness

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  • QIC: Italian Job
  • When: 12/24/15
  • Pax: Punch Out, Turbine, Apache, Posh, Solid State, Walker, Stang, Limp Bizkit, Bogey, Birdie (FNG, 2.0), Hot Rod (2.0), Mayhem, Catfish, Pepperoni, Burgundy, Schrute
  • Posted In: The Fort

‘Twas the morning before Christmas, and all through ManU, all 17 PAX were sweating, including the Q.

Warm Up

  • Run around the lot from Moe’s to Panera to Dicks then the fountain
  • 20 SSH
  • 20 IW
  • 15 Windmill

The Thang

To the tune of “The 12 Days of Christmas”

  • On the first day of Christmas my Q gave to me…
    1. Turkish Get Up
    2. Dying Cockroaches
    3. Hello Dollies
    4. Boats and Canoes
    5. LBCs
    6. Rosalitas
    7. Heels to Heaven
    8. Flutters
    9. Freddie Mercuries
    10. Xs and Os
    11. Russian Twists
    12. WWI Situps

Mosey to the parking lot

  • On the first day of Christmas my Q gave to me…
    1. Burpee
    2. Carolina Dry Docks
    3. Standard Merkins
    4. SSHs
    5. Diamond Merkins
    6. Monkey Humpers
    7. Moroccan Night Clubs
    8. Toy Soldiers
    9. Bomb Jacks
    10. Sumo Squats
    11. Mountain Climbers
    12. Bobby Hurleys
  • Dealer’s Choice
    • Birdie chose a long run around the parking lot. Once the adults were gassed, he tagged the wall, stopped, and started again. Then he handed it off to Hot Rod.
    • Hot Rod, another bundle of under 8 year old energy, chose 3 rounds of wind sprints. Hand off to Stang.
    • Bear crawl the length of the parking lot. Hand off to Solid State.
    • Bunny hop to the first line, lunge to the next. Shampoo. Run to the COT.
Moleskin
Today we took time to recognize the true meaning of Christmas – the birth of our Savior. Contrary to popular belief, Jesus” was actually born in March – which coincides with the Gospel descriptions of shepherds tending their flocks on the hillside. It wasn’t until the 4th century that the Romans changed the celebration to December 25, replacing the pagan holiday of Saturnia.
We all know the story of Christ’s birth. It has almost become second nature and we probably don’t give it much thought. But science now has evidence to support part of the story. In 1991, “The Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society” (volume 32, pages 389-407) noted that Chinese astronomers had observed a long-tailed slow-moving comet in their skies during March of 5 BC. This sui-hsing, or “star,” hung in the Capricorn region for more than 70 days. This same comet would have been visible in the skies over Persia, home of the Magi, in the hours just before dawn. Due to the earth’s orbital motion, the comet’s light would have been directly in front of the Magi during their journey – hence they would have truly followed the star.
Let’s not forget that this isn’t just a Hallmark holiday or an excuse to get off work, but it is the celebration of our perfect God, brought to life in flesh, born of the virgin Mary in a sinful world, to live a sinless life, and to be the ultimate sacrifice for the atonement of our sins. We are a blessed people. Please take the time this holiday season to remember the true reason of the season.
We each took turns thanking our God for the blessings in our lives. Many men mentioned thanks for their families, friends, and health. Some lifted up others that have been dealt bad health news. We recognize that we have been given so much. I encourage you to be a blessing out of your blessings. Take time to be His hands and feet in this world. Do something special for someone else. Do what you know is right.
Overall, it was an awesome morning of Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith. It was such an encouragement to see four 2.0s joining their daddies for a tough morning workout. Turbine, Catfish, and Bogey, you’re doing it right! Excellent mumble chatter and awesome fellowship at Panera following the workout.
Merry Christmas, men! Enjoy your off day tomorrow with family and friends.
Announcements
Dec 26 (Saturday) @0700 – The Yard – Bring your visiting uncle, father, or brother in law to TheYard this Saturday for a Cake Boss lead boot camp workout.  All other AOs will be closed. The Yard is located at Fort Mill Middle School (see map below). It’s recommend you park in the faculty parking lot. Be sure to check the pre-blast for more information. Coffeteria will follow at Fort Mill Family Restaurant.
Jan 1 (Friday) @0700 – A.G. Middle School – This new years day will mark the 5th year of F3’s birth.   And F3Nation is planning a convergence at the AO where it all began.  All regularly scheduled Friday AOs for The Fort region will be close.  So check out the pre-blast and start planning the #clowncars.
Jan 23 (Saturday) @0700 – Star Command – Post to this “Padre Convergence” at the Upward Star Center in Spartanburg, with CSPAN, Padre, and Iceman on Q.  Coffeteria to follow. Clown cars details are coming soon.  Mark the date, and keep an eye out for the pre-blast.
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3rd F Convergence, 1/22/2016, 0600 Pre-Blast

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  • QIC: Chicken Hawk
  • When: 01/22/16
  • Pax: All Pax
  • Posted In: The Fort

On Friday January 22, 2016 6:00-7:00AM, A 3rd F Convergence at Eternal Church on Pleasant Road, behind Zaxby’s. Parking is located in the Zaxby’s parking lot. We will launch  the first series of The Community Leadership Foundation: Accountability as well as launching the Whetstone program Qued by Rebel for the Fort. To learn more about the Whetstone program click here. All other 3rd F AOs will be closed.

Accountability is the first building block and the foundation for the rest of the series. Who in your life is holding you to a higher standard? Who is pushing you to do more for the kingdom? Come hear from a panel of High Impact men on accountability, each bringing a different perspective on this topic.

Date: January 22, 2016 6:00-7:00AM

Location: Eternal Church (1787 Pleasant Rd, Fort Mill, SC 29708)

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