Category: The Ranch

PRE-BLAST: The Brotherhood of the Traveling Pants (AKA: #BTP)

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Willpower is only the trigger to get a person started on a positive habit (#Brick). In order to maintain and continue #Bricklaying, a person needs to change the mental and physical environment in which they live, so that the habit can develop the “muscle memory” needed to go the distance. My #DRP list is lengthening, as is my ability to have #IMPACT in the men around me, and the following is intended to continue to put me on the right trajectory.

For the year of 2020, my word is “GO”.  In an effort to continue to #Accelerate my 1stF, and beginning on 1/6/20, I am instituting (for myself and anyone who wants to join me) an EC (Extra Credit) 15 minutes (of Boot Camp or running, or maybe even Broga) prior to every 45 minute workout. I will tweet and Slack the location with the hashtag #BTP the day before for those who wish to join me. (It’s a way to “trap” myself into an accelerating habit…)

For example, Monday I usually hit Honey Badger which is an hour workout. There would not necessarily be an EC prior to this (though there could be). Tuesday, I will be at Golden Corral. At 0500, I will begin an EC portion of the workout for those that want to join. It will launch from the same AO, and will be back at the AO in time for the 0515 normal start of the Post.

Clear as mud? Good. Ask me your questions. Otherwise, check your Twitter/Slack and #Accelerate with me.

Helmet, out.

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Reindeer Games 2019

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Six men came out on the day after Christmas to participate in the 2019 Reindeer Games.  Weather was cool but dry.

Started with a mosey run
Continued with the Warm up
SSH (IC 12x)
Windmill (IC 12x)
Imperial Walker (IC 12x)
Low Slow Squats (IC12x)
Peter Parker (IC 12x)
Plank stretches
Downward dog
Honeymooner

Game 1: 7 of diamonds…
Location was a large parking lot as the baseball diamond was inconveniently located.
Stayed together as a gropup and did the below at each of the four points of the diamond, ran in between each point.
Rnd 1= 7 supermans
Rnd 2=14 gas pumpers
Rnd 3=21 squats
Rnd 4=28 flutters, each leg
Rnd 5=21 Amer Hammers
Rnd 6=14 LBC’s
Rnd 7=7 mak tar jie’s <<skipped due to time constraint…had to get to our bowling time slot.

Game 2: Elf Bowling
In a parking lot: Split into two teams, one team bowls (ball is a 15lb slam ball) the exercise (which are written in chalk in the p-spot), other team bowls the count (varies 5 through 20, also written in p-spots) .
Exercises: burpees, bobby hurleys, Hand release merkins, Bomb jacks, Dips
Everyone got a turn bowling, and all exercises were done.

Game 3: Bear vs. Crab Soccer
Used a small parking lot
Split pax in two teams
Soccer ball in the middle
Team 1 bear crawls only, Team 2 crab walks only
Get the ball and try to score
After score, switch animals. Repeat.

Fini, COT

Prayers: Travelling Pax.  Praises: Cash home from medical treatment; succesful Clave Boss convergence on 12/24.

Reason for the season: Born that man no more may die.  Born to give them second birth.

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A Little Of Dis And A Little Of Dat

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Despite the cold temps, thirteen HIM decided to get out of the old fart sack and accelerate their Thursday morning. It was a good opportunity to remind everyone that it was cold out and not to stick your tongue to a flag pole. Disclaimer was given and we were off.
Quick Mosey and we circled up. Exercises were done in reps of 20.
  • 20 Side Straddle Hops
  • 20 Windmills
  • 20 Low Slow Squats
Right off the bat, we bear crawled around the covered semi circle. Once the six were in another mosey over to the far parking lot.
  • 20 Plank Jacks
  • 20 Flutters
  • 20 Bib Boy Sit Ups
Moseyed over to the back of the school for some wall work.
  • 20 Wall Mountain Cimbers
  • 20 Peoples Chair Overhead Claps
  • 20 Wall Mountain Cimbers
  • 20 Peoples Chair Overhead Claps
A challenged the group to take some time out and focus on what is really import over the upcoming weeks. The birth of our savior.
Moseyed towards the side of the school.
  • 20 Donkey Kicks
  • 20 Dying Cockroaches
  • 20 American Hammers
Moseyed/Toy Soldiers/Lunges over to the front of the school where two cones were setup for a little Jack Webb. The loop was about a quarter of a mile in total and we had a cone setup on each opposite end. We definitely got some miles in on this segment.
Cone 1: 10 Partner Slap Pushups
Con 2: 1 Big Boy Sit Up 
 
Cone 1: 9 Partner Slap Pushups
Con 2: 2 Big Boy Sit Up 
 
We got down to about 5 and 5 or 4 and six depending on how fast you were running.
 
Moseyed back to COT for prayers and praises.
 
– JWOW

 

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Colosseum- KISS (you know what it stands for)

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Always one of my favorite AOS in the Fort. A great place that makes you want to work. I like to KISS (keep it simple st&#%d)
We had a little disclaimer and intro and were off.
couple laps around the parking lot and circle up for a quick warmup.
22 SSHs
10 windmills
22 Mtn Climbers
6 inches with slow 10 count x 2
head down road for dynamic stretching and let the games begin.
light poles
1. 5 burpees.
2. 5 burpees, 10 plank jacks.
3. 5 burpees, 10 plank jacks, 15 merkins
4. 5 burpees, 10 plank jacks, 15merkins, 20 squats
5. 5 burpees, 10 plank jacks, 15merkins, 20 squats, 25 LBCs
Mosey down road. Pick up piece of rip rap
10 chest presses, 10 curls, 10 shoulder presses x 3 sets
Hill repeats mosey to top 10 merkins, 15 squats mosey to bottom 5 burpees. flutter kicks until 6 finishes 3 sets.
Indian run back to light poles.
1. 5 burpees.
2. 5 burpees, 10 plank jacks.
3. 5 burpees, 10 plank jacks, 15 merkins
4. 5 burpees, 10 plank jacks, 15merkins, 20 squats
5. 5 burpees, 10 plank jacks, 15merkins, 20 squats, 25 LBCs
COT- like I said KISS.
announcements- thanksgiving convergence
Christmas Party sign up by Sat. Dec. 30th
Prayers and Praises

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12 Days of Christmas

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Today at the Ranch I had the pleasure of leading nine men in a 12 days of Christmas Beatdown. I know its a week before Thanksgiving but like everyone else we will skip to Christmas.

We started with a warm up of Windmills, Tappy Taps, SSH and Moroccan NC and then we moseyed to the back playground for some real fun.

Our 12 Days of Christmas :

1 BURPEE

2 MERKINS

3 SQUATS

4 MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS

5 BIG BOY’S

6 FLUTTERS

7 DIAMOND MERKINS

8 LBC’S

9 BOX CUTTERS

10 CDD

11 AMERICAN HAMMERS

12 WIDE ARM MERKINS

OH!!  I forgot there was a lap around the loop after every day. There was some singing and some complaining as well.

We ended with some Mary and Two Ruckers joined us for  COT!!

Thanks Jiffy for letting me lead these fine men.

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Halloween Rain- The Ranch

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It was a warm dark morning, rain heavy as I drove to The Ranch. One of my personal favorite AOs in The Fort. Maybe becouse it is where I was the site Q for awhile or maybe just becouse there are lots of areas to torture people when I am on the Q.
I was first to arrive and wondered how many would join me in the rainy gloom. Couple cars roll in just before zero dark start time.
Disclaimer. Mosey around parking lot and get a quick warmup. SSHs, LBACs, windmills, IWs.
Mosey to front of middle school- partner up by benches- 20 derkins, 20 alternating stepups, 20 dips.
Partner wheel barrow to end of side walk and back. repeat x’s 3.
Mosey to back of school- chair sits in cadence- Balls to wall incadence- bearcrawl out to edge of parking lot and back- 3 sets.
Mosey to play ground- 3 sets 5 pullups, 10 merkins, 15 squats.
Mosey to bus loop- duck walks 10 diamond merkins, bunny hops 10 wide arm merkins, 1 leg jumps 5 pistol squats, switch to other leg repeat.
Mosey to COT.
announcements, prayers and praises.
Backdraft out.

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Taint Kicks and Vulnerability

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‘Twas a beautiful morn to get our sweat on in the gloom. A crisp 42 degrees with no moisture in site, and the clearest sky I’ve seen for a few weeks now. I pulled up to see that Smokey and Sugar Bug were keeping Pennywise alive and kicking for a long ruck. Makes me proud.

As we all arrived and settled in, I was looking forward to leading the PAX in a text book Exicon taint kick. The clock struck 5:15, the disclaimer was disclaimed, and we moseyed.

Mosey .10 miles

COP
Lil’ Baby Arm Circles x 10 each direction
SSH x 20
Tappy Tap x 10
Imperial Squat Walker x 10
Merkins x 10
Yoga Flow to warm up and stretch the back: Child’s Pose, Cat/Cow, etc.

Mosey To Middle School Benches – Round 1

Aiken Legs x 2
20 Squats
20 Box Jumps
20 Lunges (10 each leg)
20 Split Jacks
First round OYO, Second Round as a group.

Between rounds 1 and 2 I spoke to the PAX about F3 Mental Battle and our inability to share our vulnerabilities with other men. We fear we will look weak, when really it involves great strength and self awareness to open up and share where we are struggling. Plus, once we open up to each other it typically is received with open arms and responses that the other guy is struggling with the same thing.

To be honest, I feel like a failure of a husband and father almost daily. I don’t feel like I am able to give everything to them that they deserve, and I feel I spend too much time focused on things other than my family.

Mosey to Rear of Middle School – Round 2

Inch Worms from first door to second door
Bear Crawl to next door

I spoke again about vulnerability here, how I am coming out on the other side of something with my M right now. How her sharing of her struggle caused another PAX to open up to me about his struggle. This is important – because it shows there’s a chain reaction of people opening up. We are in this together.

Back to work.

Inch Worm to next door
Bear Crawl back two doors to round it out

Mosey Around Corner to Brick Wall – Round 3

People’s Chair Hold – 75 seconds

Raise each leg and pulse 10 times while holding one legged people’s chair – rinse and repeat for a total of 3 times each leg.

BTTW Hold – 60 seconds

Repeat People’s Chair with 3×10 leg pulses each side after 75 second hold

Bataan Death March Back to COT – Round 4

Indian Run with 5xSquats/Merkins in a CMIYC style, Tap Rear Pax as you pass and they stop to do their 5 exercises.

We arrived back to COT with a few seconds to spare so we held 6 inches and transitioned to boat to keep the abs warm. The ruckers arrived just after we finished to join COT.

NMM

Life is full of ups and downs, with highs and lows. Why do we stress to look like we have everything under control? I know I don’t have control, and if I fake it, I’ll suffocate. We all face that fate if we hide our struggles. Open up. To a friend, a family member, your M, to yourself, in a journal, or to God. James 4:6.

#NoOYO.

Announcements

Nessie this weekend. Sign up!

QvQ Championship next week.

Prayers/Praises

Shield’s wife is having shoulder surgery tomorrow. Pray that the surgery goes well and her recovery is quick.

Jiffy is going to see some multigenerational football in Nebraska with both his father and his son this weekend! What a great memory. Pray they enjoy their time together.

Pray for my M and I. By the grace of God we have our 2.3 on the way and we want the baby and my M to be healthy through the delivery and beyond.

Thanks for the tap, Jiffy.

Punch List out.

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Ranch Style

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As our boys are on the same soccer team, Jiffy took the opportunity to request my Q the week before. Been a little while since I’ve been to the ranch and more than likely, it was a Q, too.

Two Run and Gun Musketeers pledged support the evening before, so I was guaranteed a couple familiar PAX. Ultimately, there was at least 5 PAX that were new to me. 10 total.

Early arrival, set out some cones and got the worm out to the football field side. Last minute writing of weinke and taping to arm in the van, and off to the PAX minutes before.

Little mosey around all the fields with a few stops to warmup, WM, SSH, LSS, Tappity Taps….the new name?, 1 leg flutters, MTN C, LeanBacks and the always fun, do it as you’d like…Goofballs.

Around the front school loop, jog with stops at speed bumps: 5 bombjacks, 4 squats, 3 burpees, then 432, 321….or something similar as my count plan veered off course.

Jog to football field next to soccer field. Met up with the “worm” 140# sandbag. Partners carried the worm full length of field and back while the rest did 10 Monkey Humpers, brief 10 yard jog to other side for 10 CDD’s, then 9 and 9, 8 and 8 and so on. Took turns with worm carry. Then switched to calf raises/jump lunges combo….or so I think…Did not make it to Donkey Kicks/wide arm merkin combo.

To soccer field. Partnered up again. One partner led out a couple secs early to sprint back of opposite goal, then partner left to reach soccer ball and kick to goal. P1 brought ball back and both sprinted back to together. Meanwhile…rest of PAX alternated 5 merkins/big boi situps, wide squats then bear crawled about 5 yards and repeated. Kept going to all PAX done.

Finished up with some good Mary, if I recall properly. I heard one PAX say “Well, we did some diffferent things today” which I hope is a good thing….  Good job out there, PAX.

Talked of the IronPax challenge as a you vs. you individual test as IronPax has 4 very hard workouts weekly in September. But even more importantly, for the PAX to support each other and make sure everyone gets through the challenge.  See backblast “Sometimes you are the six”: https://f3thefort.com/2019/09/13/sometimes-you-are-the-six-ironpax-wk2/

Get out to our G-Fit workout with the kids on Saturdays at 3:00 pm to serve our community efforts in the Paradise community. Q’s always needed!

The Paradise Reading Center is held every Mon and Wed at the Greater Bethlehem Baptist Church at 601 Joe Louis Street in Fort Mill during school. We need volunteers to assist in tutoring and helping the kids with school work!

Get out to the Q-Source discussions held on various days during the week.

Thank you to Shield for his Q on 9/11.

Aye! Bolt

 

 

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Simon Says at the Ranch

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Four men posted on a fantastically cool morning.

Start with a Mosey run

Circle up for Warm up
SSH (IC 12x)
Windmill (IC 12x)
Moroccan Nightclub (IC 12x)
Low Slow Squats (IC12x)
Merkin (IC 12x)
Peter Parker (IC 12x)
Plank stretches
Downward dog
Honeymooner

Thang 1: Bermuda Triangle
Three cones spaced 20-30 yards apart.
Start at cone 1, do one burpee, bear crawl to next cone
Cone 2, do two burpees, bear crawl to next cone
Cone 3, do three burpees, bear crawl back to cone 1, and pick up a clothes pin from the bucket
Repeat the circuit, picking up a clothes pin for each completed circuit.
Alternated the transitions with crab walks ad crawl bears.

Thang 2.1: Simon says
do call outs only if Simon Says
Shuffle left, shuffle right, shuffle backwards,
SSH
merkins
Mountain Climbers
OH claps
Smurf jacks
Arm Circles
CDD
Al Gores
Lose a pin for not following Simon

Thang 2.2: Simon says penalty payments
15 minus pins left = burpees to do OYO

Mary
Abs: LBC, freddie mercury,
Protractor, shoulder taps

Fini, COT

I asked the men to think of one burden you carry, one thing you want to get better at, or start doing or stop doing and tied to this passage in Matthew 11:28-29:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Prayers: Triple Lindy’s Mother in law not doing well in health.

Playlist:
The Man (Killers)
Got Nuffin (Spoon)
Higher Ground (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
Sweet Home Alabama (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
These Boots were made for walking (Nancy Sinatra)
The Boys are back in town (Thin Lizzy)

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Burpee Ranch Dressing

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It was a not so humid, humid morning as 8 bootcampers and 2 ruckers decided to show up and accelerate their Thursday morning. I started off with a quick introduction and disclaimer, and then we were off. We did a Mosey around the side of the school followed by some warmups.

Warmup:

15 Side Straddle Hops
15 Squats
15 Windmills
10 Merkins
Down dog/Up dog

Not wasting any time, we ran over to the wall.

10 Peoples Chair with overhead claps
10 Wall Mountain Climbers
10 Peoples Chair with overhead claps
10 Wall Mountain Climbers

A quick discussion on our word of the year and where we are with our word.

Moseyed over to the soccer field for some cone work. I brought this workout out at The Colosseum a few months back. It was such a crowd please, I thought I would give the people more of that they want. Lots of burpees!

The Thang:

  • 10 Burpees. Run 110 yards. 10 Burpees. Run 110 yards back.
  • 10 Burpees. Run 10 yards. 10 Squats. Run 90 yards. 10 Squats. Run 10 yards. 10 Burpees. Run 110 yards back.
  • 10 Burpees. Run 10 yards. 10 Squats. Run 10 yards. 10 Flutters. Run 70 yards. 10 Flutters. Run 10 yards. 10 Squats. Run 10 yards. 10 Burpees. Run 110 yards back.
  • 10 Burpees. Run 10 yards. 10 Squats. Run 10 yards. 10 Flutters. Run 10 yards. 10 Carolina Dry Docs. Run 50 yards. 10 Carolina Dry Docs. Run 10 yards. 10 Flutters. Run 10 yards. 10 Squats. Run 10 yards. 10 Burpees. Run 110 yards back.
  • 10 Burpees. Run 10 yards. 10 Squats. Run 10 yards. 10 Flutters. Run 10 yards. 10 Carolina Dry Docs. Run 10 yards. 10 Plank Jacks. Run 30 yards. 10 Plank Jacks. Run 10 yards. 10 Carolina Dry Docs. Run 10 yards. 10 Flutters. Run 10 yards. 10 Squats. Run 10 yards. 10 Burpees. Run 110 yards back.
  • 10 Burpees. Run 10 yards. 10 Squats. Run 10 yards. 10 Flutters. Run 10 yards. 10 Carolina Dry Docs. Run 10 yards. 10 Plank Jacks. Run 10 yards. 20 Big Boy situps.  Run 10 yards. 10 Plank Jacks. Run 10 yards. 10 Carolina Dry Docs. Run 10 yards. 10 Flutters. Run 10 yards. 10 Squats. Run 10 yards. 10 Burpees. Run 110 yards back.

We line up for suicides.
10 yards
20 yards
30 yards
40 yards
50 yards

Headed back to COT for some ab work, and some prayers and praises.

JWow

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