11 met on this misty/chilly morning at The Varsity. Band Camp led off with disclaimer that covered both he and I (fortunately). Then 3 PAX went on their own for a long run. The rest of us followed Band Camp the get started.
From Band Camp:
This morning I kept the yoga simple under the awning as rain was approaching:
We built up in segments to flow through Surya Namaskar A. Then had time for one sequence of Surya Namaskar B.
YHC passed the reins over to Kermit at exactly 0530. Always an honor to lead any workout, but leading Broga is an enjoyble chance to maintain focus through some excellent mumblechatter and groaning from the PAX.
From Kermit:
I thought we should wrap up the work week with some fun. And with the dry conditions and good lighting under the awning, I gave my “message” to the PAX: “Everything will eventually come to an end, So try to savor the moment, cuz time flies don’t it. The beauty of life, you gotta make it last for the better, cuz nothing lasts forever.” – Nas
Let’s get to work.
We left the dry comfort of the awning and moseyed through the rain to the stop sign at the bottom of the hill.
The Thang
ELEVENS – burpees at bottom of the hill and pull ups at the top of the hill.
We may have referenced the lyric “savor the moment” a couple of times.
Band Camp and Poppins led the way, and finished with a few minutes left in the gloom. A DORA of merkins, squats and more hill running was waiting for them.
Back to CoT, and joined back up with the runners.
NMM, Announcements, Prayers & Praises.
Thanks to Bodywash for the opportunity to lead.
Tag: Badlands
Rain and Malachi
The heavens burst forth this morning.
5 PAX gathered in truly gloom 41 degree weather. At about 0520, the rain really poured for about 10 minutes and then let off to only a solid shower.
YHC modified my plan with the rain. I really just tried to warm us up (literally and figuratively) under some cover. Then we braved out into the rain. We stopped occasionally for exercises. I was flying a bit of the cuff among the exercises I called in cadence in various locations:
- SSH
- Merkins
- Bulgarian Split Squats
- Mountain Climbers
- Imperial Walkers and Hillbilly Walkers
- Squats
- Inverted Merkins (from BTTW position)
- Derkins
- More Derkins in a different spot
- More Bulgarian Split Squats
- Pull-ups – called up and down
- Toes to bar – called up and down
- Burpee Pull-ups (8 count)
- that was “fun”
- Pistol Squat with a poll for support
- we only did 3 each leg, relax
- A few wall sits in different places
- Tibialis Raises (thanks River Rat)
- these don’t look hard, but DANG
OYO we did deconstructed burpees towards the end. I think we hit about 15-20 before 0600
Kaiser asks for the Q to bring a scripture. Since I’ve been working on a Bible-In-One-Year plan, I recently read the beginning of Malachi. Chapter 2, Verse 3 really hit me. “Because of you I will rebuke your descendants; I will smear on your faces the dung from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it.”
How do we setup our children for failure with God?
How were we set up by our forefathers for failure?
How is the $!.^ from our celebrations rubbed back into our faces? Or are the very things we try to offer up to God as a showcase of our faithfulness sent back to us as markers of our inadequacies?
I was also really glad for the rain this morning. To think that even though we may have dung smeared on our face, God send a rain like we had this morning to wash it away. We just have to be brave enough to go outside and tolerate it.
An honor to lead. And an honor to have 4 other PAX there in the inclement gloom to share the morning with. I know for a FACT, I would not have done very much without the other men around me this morning. Instead my heart rate monitor said we torched about 700 calories.
Also wanted to share that on the pull-up bars my phone randomly began playing Juliet’s Death from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. It’s a trombone choir arrangement. Here it is for your listening pleasure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkDK2L9mpBY Listen especially to the chord circa 30 seconds in and then the resolution around 57 seconds in. Try hanging from a pull-up bar at that moment and contemplating Malachi…..maybe it wasn’t random that my phone started playing that.
—
Band Camp dismissed
Changing of the Guard
- QIC: Kermit
- When: 12/07/2021
- Pax: Badlands, Band Camp, Barrel Aged, Bobber, Bonsai, Cohiba, Cyclops, Double D, Esso, Fogerty, Jekyll, JWOW, Kermit, Kielbasa, Maximus, Peabody, Poppins, Pusher, Rebel, Repeat, Seamstress, Shady, Slap Shot, Slash, Spider Man, Tesh, Trucker, Vuvuzela
- Posted In: Block Party
28 PAX joined in the gloom for a brisk morning at Block Party. Though the temps were in the high-40s, the wind cut and made it feel much colder. Most were ready to get started and warmed up.
Bobber led off with the disclaimer, then we moseyed to the bank parking lot and circled up for 25 SSH IC. Moseyed to the Hobo’s parking lot for:
15 IW IC
10 Windmills IC
10 Cherry Pickers IC
10 Merkins IC
10 LSS IC
Held low squat for 10 MNC IC
Bobber, fighting back tears, then let go of his beloved BlockParty and passed the shovel flag to YHC. It was quiet as a mouse, absolutely no chatter was mumbled. So we did 5 burpees OYO to get back into it.
The Thang
I explained to the PAX that I started F3 on a Monday at STL, where Pusher (in attendance) led a great workout, and I was encouraged enough to return the next day. The next day happened to be BlockParty, with CakeBoss on Q. It was a brutal morning, full of pain, so I thought we would do it again.
3 lanes of bear crawls
5 burpees to exit the low side of the parking lot onto Main Street
Run up Main Street, back to the parking lot entrance on Clebourne Street.
5 burpees to enter the parking lot.
Plank for the 6.
This circuit continued, but the lanes changed to:
3 lanes Burpee Broad Jumps (a whole lot of mumblechatter and requests for a suggestion box)
3 lanes Duck Walk
3 lanes Toy Soldiers
Jogged back to Cot for 3 minutes of Mary.
Name-O-Rama, Announcements, Prayers & Praises.
Thanks to Bobber for his leadership while Site Q, and providing the opportunity for YHC to continue the tradition at BlockParty.
Thankful for Block Party
- QIC: Punch List
- When: 11/30/2021
- Pax: Badlands, Band Camp, Bobber, Bounty Hunter, DeLorean, Dirty Harry, Kermit, Punch List, Seamstress, Tesh, Wegmans, WWL
- Posted In: Block Party
A nice brisk morning in the gloom to spend some time with the PAX of F3 The Fort. We are super blessed, gentlemen, to have such an amazing thing in our lives. YHC met with WWL and Wegmans to run hill repeats 30 minutes before the boot camp. It was good.
As we approached 0515, Band Camp came flying in out of nowhere. Love that guy. Always a good time when he shows up. Tesh was sitting in his truck surely contemplating his shirtless decisions before he stepped into the gloom. 0515 struck. Time to work.
In no specific order, YHC discussed at length the below items for which I am thankful.
- My life which has been blessed beyond belief (3B) by the Lord
- My M who loves and pursues the Lord
- My (many) 2.0’s who embody the best and worst within me.
- Good group of dudes to do life with (SL, Whetstone, etc).
- Health – a year ago YHC was in the hospital and unable to workout alongside the men.
- F3, of course. Life has changed in many ways for the better.
Then we got to the 1st F.
COP
SSH
Wind Mills
Tappy Taps
Merkins
LSS
Weinke
Iteration 1 – Thankful for SL
Mosey to Sisk Parking Lot, Partner Up – Do the DORA together.
10 Merkins
20 Squats
30 LBCs
Mosey down to Massey Stop sign and back
Rinse and Repeat for 15 minutes
Iteration 2 – Thankful for my 2.0’s
Mosey to Ampitheater
Balls to the Wall – 30 second hold
Bear Crawl to edge of stage
10 CDD’s
Crawl bear back to wall
Repeat four times (for my four 2.0’s)
Iteration 3 – Thankful for My M
Mary in the Amphitheater
Protractor
Hello Dollies IC
Protactor
Box Cutters
Protractor
Rosalitas
Protractor
Mosey back to COT.
YHC had a great time leading the PAX today. We discussed many topics for which to be thankful. It’s amazing how taking the time to think about gratitude really shifts the mood from the usual grey cloud of unquenchable desire… If only we did it more.
Think about what you have in life that is good. Think more about it.
Think less about what you think you need. You likely don’t need it.
Punch List out.
Do not be anxious
- QIC: Kermit
- When: 11/24/2021
- Pax: Badlands, Bobber, Harry Carry, Kaiser, Kermit, Splinter
- Posted In: Ring of Fire
I think we all can feel it. The holidays are upon us. The calendar is beginning to fill up. The “to-do” list is getting a little bit longer. And all the while, we’re supposed to enjoy this time of year.
Just typing that makes me feel anxious.
Personally, I will be hosting my first Thanksgiving this year. So the anxiety has been building over the last week. Over the same time period, I have felt a need to spend more time studying and praying. So when Kaiser asked me to Q, and to prepare a message if possible, I felt I should share the message I was experiencing, because often times, others are going through similar circumstances.
5 PAX plus YHC took the DRP and showed up on this frosty morning (25degrees in SC?!?). No new faces in the crowd, but disclaimed nonetheless, and added the disclaimer that I would try to delve into the topic of Prayer (Q1.10). Though I am a Christian, I reminded the PAX that F3 is open to ALL men, of ALL faiths.
We moseyed down to the Elementary school parking lot and circled up for a few warm ups:
• 10 Windmills IC
• 25 SSH IC
• 20 LSS IC
Philippians 4:6-7 “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Then we moseyed back up the driveway to behind the stadium scoreboard and continued to warm up with:
• 10 Cherry Pickers IC
• 10 MNC IC
• Followed by some mild stretching
PAX partnered up for Chase the Bear back to the pull ups bars. Partner 1 began Bear Crawling while Partner 2 completed 10 merkins, then caught the bear and flip flopped.
The Thang
PAX all grabbed Cindy’s, and completed the following:
• Carry Cindy to stop sign at bottom of hill
• Murder Bunny with Cindy back up the hill
• Sumo Squats w/ CIndy
• Shoulder Press w/ Cindy
• Curls w/ Cindy
• Tricep Extension w/ Cindy
• Pull ups
First circuit included 10 reps, second circuit 20 reps and attempted third circuit had 30 reps. We lost a few Cindy’s along the way (but I blame the bitter cold for that).
Moseyed back to COT for Mary, but ran out of time in the first set of flutters.
Completed my sermon (aimed directly at myself) that an often neglected aspect of the Get Right is our faith. I encouraged the PAX to spend time daily studying and praying, for we never know when the anxiety will arise.
Name-O-Rama, announcements and prayers for safe travels, good times with our families, those that are experiencing the holidays without a loved ones, and for injuries.
Thanks to Kaiser for the opportunity to lead, and I hope everyone got as much out of it as I did!
Happy Thanksgiving, brothers.
AMRAP at Walter Elisha
- QIC: ESSO
- When: 11/09/2021
- Pax: Badlands, Bobber, Cohiba, Esso, Fast and Furious, Kermit, Pusher, Slash, Tesh
- Posted In: Block Party
Mosey, warmup with the usual…
Partner Up
AMRAP while partner runs up hill and back: Merkins, Grave Digger Rt., Wide Grips, Grave Digger Lt., Diamonds, Mountain Climbers, Plank Jacks, Plank, American Hammers