Smash and Grab

17 men did the hard thing at a sweaty Armory this morning. Here’s what we did:

10 SSHs (IC)
10 Hillbilly Walkers (IC)
10 Low Slow Squats (IC)

Bell Work
10 Curls (IC)
10 Squats (IC)
10 Man-makers
Run 100 yards

10 Calf Raises (IC)
10 Bench (IC)
10 American Hammers (IC)
Run

10 Swings (IC)
10 Crossovers – each direction
10 Tricep Extensions (IC)
Run

10 Flutters w/ Press (IC)
10 Skull Crushers (IC)
10 Sit-ups to Press
Run

10 Around the Worlds – each direction (IC)
10 Lunges – each leg (IC)
10 John Deeres (IC)
Run

Repeat all with 5 reps at each pain station
Total mileage: 1.05

Mary
20 Boxcutters (IC)
10 LBCs (IC)
10 Freddies (IC)

Today we discussed our roles as leaders. We are to step up when others step back. It may be leading a group at work, leading a workout in F3, or volunteering to take the kids to practice. Leaders do what is needed, when it’s needed. TClaps to Battlebot for leading the Armory site for over a year. As counterculture as it is, he stepped out of his leadership role to allow for a new man to step up. TClaps to Naked and Afraid for being that HIM.
It is incumbent upon us to help with that transition – to support our new site Q by volunteering to lead a few workouts and to show up each week. In F3, we lead on a rotating fashion. We are a group of leaders, not a group with a leader. We lead where we can and find a man to replace us when he can do it 80% as well as we can. That’s what leaders do.
Well done, men. It was a pleasure to share the Gloom with you men.

Aye!
IJ

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All I heard was run and push-ups

WARMUP: go
THE THANG: start from COT and run to school, up the hill with light posts, turn around at stop sign, and run back to COT.

Start out at 10k pace for first 1/4 mile, 1k pace for next 1/4 mile, then 25 merkins (so 25 merkins every .5 miles.

Rinse and repeat.

Looking at 3-5 miles for 150-300 merkins.

You’re welcome.

MARY: quick 30 seconds at the end.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: newsletter worthy
COT: Luka, family health, Grassy’s wife for some quick recovery!

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Competitive Loops

Warmup:

63 SSH (IC)
21 Merkins (IC)

Thang

Corner of Railroad and Academy 5 Burpees
Run to Print Shop
20 HR Merkins
20 Squats

Run Watson Street to Williamson down to the corner of Williamson and Academy
20 Flutters
20 LBC’s

Run up Academy to the Corner again for 5 more burpees.

Split up into two teams going opposite directions.

First team to complete 4 loops “wins”
This was modified down to 3 loops due to time constraints.

Got back to COT in time for 4 minute EMOM. First three minutes were 10 Burpees on the minute every minute. Last Minute was just a cool down Plank.

Thanks to Kermit for the call!

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Simplistic Black Diamond

WARMUP: Wind Mills, Imperial Walkers, SSH – all fairly slow(ish)
THE THANG: Quick overview of the plan. Followed by execution of the plan.
Run an unknown distance.
5 Burpees
10-12 reps of a core exercise
Run
Repeat
In some cases, we were able to incorporate pull-ups.
MARY: Throughout
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Upcoming “K”onvergence
COT: Yes

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Black Diamond: Where are you screwing up?

Black Diamond Month

WARMUP:
101 SSH (went till someone quit)
20 burpees in cadence
20 Imperial Squat Walkers

Planked up to list some of the ways I’m currently failing. This would be a recurring theme for each PAX to share how they’re screwing up. My two are currently a lack of kindness in dealing with my sons, and relying on being good in the moment so I forego preparation. I haven’t fully prepared for something in quite a while.

We then ran a pretty fast mile, and finished with 20 Cossack Squats in cadence

THE THANG:
Grouped up facing a long string of 22 parking spaces. We bear crawled the length of the lot stopping for either merkins or squats (individual’s choice) at each space. The rep count added 1 each time. This was tough, so we crawl bear back to the start, only for me to call some yoga and then we simply mosey away. Sometimes the fear of having to do it all over again is worse than what actually happens next.

Went to the playground for partner Dick Webbs (1:4; pull-up:merkin). Only got one round for each partner while the other took a lap. I told the PAX to keep track of their numbers, because numbers matter! But what did we do with the rep counts? Nothing. Because the only numbers that should matter to you are the ones that you care about and that you find add an advantage to your life. Don’t believe what someone else tells you SHOULD matter.

On the way back to COT, we hit the picnic bench collection (where the elementary kids had left enough gear and water bottles some PAX questioned whether the rapture had happened and we just didn’t know it) for Bulgarian Split Squats

At 0600, PAX were reminded that every F3 workout should focus on 3S2T (Speed, Strength, Stamina, and Mental+Physical Toughness). You can’t work on your stamina until you’re already tired. So after 0600, we did some more fast SSH in cadence. (For the record, we still ended COT around 0607. We gotta get kids to school and ourselves to work.)

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Bethel Men’s Shelter tonight! Next date is 6/1

COT: Moment of candor, I struggle with how to make the workout harder, because I try to make it challenging every time I Q. I even read back over this backblast and considered repeating the whole workout: https://f3thefort.com/2019/02/21/black-diamond-3-at-the-ranch-get-some/ But no amount of working out hard will makeup for ignoring your wife when she needs you, constantly prioritizing work over your kids, or BSing your way though something you could have crushed with focused preparation. So, that was where the black diamond took us this morning.

An honor to lead the group that showed this morning. Thanks Poppins for asking me to lead. Keep up the great Site-Q work!

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Dark and Light

WARMUP: buy in: running the short parking lot with a burpee at every light (16ish)

THE THANG: carry coupons down through the dark path to Harris Street Park. Squats along the way for the 6. It was dark, but not as dark in our souls as the return trip….

Found the parking lot, but nobody saw the pre-set lights on the basketball court. 30 tricep extensions, 30 curls, finally some mumblechatter of “we could have just done this in the original parking lot”

Moved over to the basketball court. 2 Bells (one heavy, one light) set at half court. Bear crawl to half-court and switch bells (either with the one already there or another PAX), then keep bear crawling. Return trip was lunge walks with the same principle. Did squats at one end, merkins at the other, and swings the third time.

The trip to COT was illuminated up Harris street; trading bells as needed and carrying all the gear.

MARY: she weighed 200lbs and came out of Clickbait’s truck with her twin sister. We had to get them back in.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Cannoli Run – 5/20.
Bethel Men’s Shelter service tomorrow (5/4)

COT: Continued prayers for Luka

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Honey Badger – Q School 101

Following the Honey Badger First Monday of the Month 7 minutes of burpees we moved to a lighted area near the gate to the football field. There was a supposed to be a 601 group peel off, but Slap Shot likely needed a minute after taking the record for the most burpees in 7 minutes.

WARMUP:
Started with some explanation to the men of the components of a workout and the purpose/importance of each. Disclaimer, Warm-up, The Thang, Mary, COT. Given that we had AKA in attendance there were a number of PAX participating that taught YHC how to Q. This provided a unique opportunity to identify three PAX in attendance that either had never Q’d or had Q’d less than 5 times. I catered a lot of my message to them and some to all in attendance.
• SSH x25
• Windmill x10
• Imperial Walker x10
• Diamond Merkin x10 (at this point I mentioned the importance of good form in leading. If your form is poor, then your leadership is poor. A number of PAX tend to cheat the exercise, count fast, and get ahead of the PAX they are trying to lead.)

THE THANG:
Mosey past the pull-up bars to the bottom of the hill. The point of this part of the lesson was planning. When planning a Q, Google Maps is a great tool as you will you see things that you may not have seen in the gloom before. The hill behind me was a great example. Every PAX in attendance has run that hill at some point, but they may not have noticed the equally spaced trees moving up the hill. These can be used as a markers as part of a workout. YHC have Q’d this workout previously, but it offered a nice example of how to use an AO and that creativity does not need complexity to offer a solid challenge. It also highlighted that setting up a workout that allows PAX of different speeds and fitness levels to challenge themselves together is always a good idea.

Round 1:
• Bear crawl to the first tree 1 Spider-Man Merkin (Merkin while bringing right knee to the right elbow and then repeated on the other side)
• Run to the pull-up bars and complete 2 pull ups.
• Run back to the bottom of the hill
Round 2:
• Bear crawl to the first tree and complete 1 Spider-Man Merkin
• Bear crawl to the second tree and complete 2 Spider-Man Merkins
• Run to the pull-up bars and complete 4 pull ups
• Run back to the bottom of the hill
Rounds 3-5: Continue the series through 5 trees
Once all the PAX finished up the series, we circled up in the street near the pull-up bars. The 3 PAX that did not have experience Qing were invited to the center of the circle. I took a turn counting cadence and then the PAX each had an opportunity.
• Squats x25
• LBC x15
• Flutters x15
• Merkins x15

Each member of the PAX then grabbed a coupon from the stack of cinder blocks. We circled up and had another demonstration of counting cadence with the PAX involvement.
• Overhead Press x25
• Curls x25
• Bentover Rows x25
Put the cinderblocks back and moved to COT.

Reminder on how to write a backblast. Open slack and type /backblast and select the form that pops up.

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Apparently it was leg day

WARMUP:
15x SSH, Produce Pickers, Seal Jacks, Hillbilly Walkers, Imp Walkers
THE THANG: 11s –
station one: hand release merkens with shoulder taps at the top

Travel to station 2 via lieutenant dans

Station 2: American hammer / gas pumper combo

Travel back to station 1 via a run around the parking lot
MARY: we finished right on time
ANNOUNCEMENTS: several around upcoming events – I trust these are covered in the news letter
COT:

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Clemson in the parking lot?

WARMUP: Bandcamp took the warmup as YHC wrote in chalk in parking spaces. Shieldlocks do this for each other.
THE THANG: 5 min buy in. Carry a weight (ruck, kb, ruck plate) from the parking lot and up the hill over your head. Get to the top, 10 burpees, back down the hill with your toy over your head.

One we returned to parking lot, parking spaces were marked with 2 exercises and had weight in each space at varying sizes. Instructions were, do one exercise in the space and run to the top of the hill where you’d do another exercise written down starting at the top. Finish that 1 exercise and go back to the bottom spaces and grab a new space and perform exercise, then back up the hill for the 2nd exercise on the paper…and down and up, down and up.

Exercises in the spaces:
– 45 lbs (or 50+): 1. 30 shrugs 2. 100 calf raises
– 40 lb sandbag: 1. 20 man makers 2. 25 shoulder presses
– 35 lb: 1. 40 swings 2. 30 curls
– 30 lb: 1. 40 squats 2. 30 lunges
– 25 lb: 1. 25 tri extension 2. 30 rows
– 30 lb ruck: 1. 25 merkins 2. 30 chest press

Top of hill:
1. 10 burpees
2. 15 diamonds
3. 20 hand release
4. 25 wide arm
5. 30 merkins
6. 35 Rangers
7. 40 CDD
8. 45 plank jacks (this is as far as we got)

Some of us, BC, wore a weight vest because that’s what we do.

MARY: 1 min of American hammers
ANNOUNCEMENTS: cannoli
COT: luka and Vuvu, specter’s recent move

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