FORTeen Years

WARMUP: 14 Burpees
THE THANG: Mosey to center of WEP

Pax rotated into center based on year of 1st post (ie Class of 2026, 2025, 2024, etc). Varied exercises were performed by all including Burpees, Partner Derkins, Squats, Sumo Squats, SSH, Mtn Climbers, Mahktar N'Dyiae, Flutters, Freddys, Monkey Humpers, etc

Pax sprinted home for the finish.

MARY: She participated during the Thang

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Bethel Shelters service

COT: Yes, of course, 5th Core Principle

The pax came early and stayed late to celebrate this Community of Brothers we call The Fort. For 14 years, men have posted in the Gloom of WEP and other wonderful sites throughout FM/TC (and in Rock Hill, Clover/LKW and now Chester) to sharpen each other, to hone leadership skills, and to prepare themselves and each other to tackle the ups and downs Life will regularly throw their way.

The number of men who've stood at COT in The Fort over these years exceeds 2,000. And roughly 200 pax keep the flame burning in 2026. Their continued participation is an individual choice, one they can't not keep making because, as they shared, they've found brotherhood, community, belonging and accountability in The Fort.

Who will be standing in COT in 2036 or 2046? Anybody? Nobody? You? Your son or son-in-law or grandson?

As Band Camp shared, we Get To make this choice. Each man stands apart from the general crowd in our culture in making this choice. And yet, each man of The Fort is no better than any other man who lives among us. All men are made of the same fiber in the same image of our Creator. As Dark Helmet said, every man is needed in the leadership mission required to bring to fruition the world our Creator intended. So stay in the game. Find the next man and bring him into the fold. Because 14 years of history only matters if we continue to bring Impact to men and our broader community today, tomorrow, next week and next year. #KeepPosting

TClap |
0

Coupons rock

WARMUP: side-straddle hops, imperial walker, hill billy walker,Parker Peter,Peter Parker
THE THANG: mosie to steps side
MARY: coupons

  1. Over head -100
  2. Sqad -100
  3. Bent over -100
  4. Around the world -100
  5. Skull crush -100
  6. Crawl to side and other partners burpees – 100

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Bethel Oct -1
COT: Pray for family, marriage, sick and parenting wisdom

TClap |
0

Bear Crawls and Jack Webbs

The last of the hot days this week although we got a bit of a breeze which was nice. DD ran, the rest of us boot camped.
WARMUP:
run the circuit. At every bench: 10 SSH, 5 Bombjacks. At completion, we did the standard warm up routine.
THE THANG: Thang 1: bearcrawl the old lightpole hill which doesn’t have light poles anymore. Every 20 steps, do 5 Carolina dry docks. Rinse/repeat but do the 5 dry docks at every 10 steps. Thang 2: Jack Webb: 1:4 ratio of push-ups to overhead claps. Go to 10:40. Crowd pleaser. Thang 3: Mary and finish with 3 burpees.
MARY: yep.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Bethel Men’s shelter
COT: Cash Prayer
Search me Lord. Lead me to you. Help me to be a good man, a good father, a good husband and a good employee. Help me to forgive and release from resentment those that I feel have offended me. Let me see the good in others and draw that goodness out of them.

TClap |
0

No buckets just work

WARMUP: Large circle of warmup, while a pax runs twice around the circle
THE THANG: The Thang went from warmup to partner sprint/chase, to the dreaded hill for Indian Bear Crawls uphill a few time (ask someone) – then to playground for more activity that all enjoyed.
MARY: Yes, a few
ANNOUNCEMENTS: CRI Training, T and Hare, Bourbon Tasting
COT: We had a debrief on: CRI local workday and BRR

TClap |
0

Blue Oyster Cult & Volleyball

Music: Amazon Playlist (curated by Jim Cooke) “Blue Oyster Cult” The playlist is long. We just listened to the beginning.

Warmup:

  • Mountain Climbers
  • Big Boy Sit-ups
  • Imperial Walkers
  • Hillbilly Walkers
  • Windmills
  • LBC
  • Mosey a lap

Dora: 80-160-240

  • 80 Merkin
  • 160 Squat
  • 240 LBC

As each partner returns from their run, the partners pause. They take a volleyball and try to bump, set or hit back and forth until there is a fault. They may then add their number of successful touches in order to take away from their numbers.

Mosey a little bit.

Elevens.

  1. Merkins & Calf Raises
TClap |
0

No title

WARMUP: Jogged from the Amphitheater to the big parking lot behind Panera for a warm up consisting of

1 Burpee
15 Side straddle hops
1 Burpee
15 Cherry pickers
1 Burpee
15 Windmills
1 Burpee
15 Tiny Arm Circles (10 forward and 10, as us southerners say, "backerd.")

THE THANG: Indian Run from the parking lot down to the drainage ditch. Grab the perfect rock for a Dora consisting of

100 shoulder presses
100 Squats
100 bent over rows
100 Stiff Leg Deadlifts

Run to the roundabout and back. Repeat until 6:50. Indian Run around the long way back to COT.

MARY: 15 LBC's, 15 Box Cutters, 15 Flutter Kicks, 15 Big Boys, 15 Freddy Mercury's

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Convergence Sept 29th WEP, 0515

COT: Close out with prayer. Remember 9/11/2001

TClap |
0

Blue’s Board of Pain

WARMUP: 15 counts of:

Side Straddle Hop, Cherry Pickers, Imperial Walkers, and Hillbilly Walkers

10 Merkins

THE THANG: Blues Board of Pain

SQUAT THRUSTS: 50

CALF RAISES: 150 (50 REG / 50 IN / 50 OUT)

TRI-AB: 99(33 LEG LIFTS/ 33 FLUTTER KICKS/33 TRUNK TWIST)

MERKINS: 100

DEEP SQUATS: 150(75 REG / 75 WIDE)

LBCs: 400

CAROLINA DRY DOCKS: 100

CHERRY PICKERS: 100

JUMP SQUATS: 100

MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS: 100

SUN GODS: 600(300 FORWARD / 300 BACKWARD)

IMPERIAL WALKERS: 150

WIDE ARM MERKINS: 100

HILLBILLY WALKERS: 15

FLUTTER KICKS: 100

BURPEES: 100

Run from restrooms to COT area and back between exercises.

MARY: On Going
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Convergence Tuesday September 29th WEP @ 0515

BRR This weekend

COT: Prayers for @UJ82H3HJ9

TClap |
0

Blame It On the Boogie!!


WARMUP:
Cherry Pickers, Pidgeon Stretch, SSH,
THE THANG: Indian Run 1/2 way through back of the school. Flying Squirrels, Mountain Climbers at the half way point. Turn back around to B'ball court. Each corner had a deck of F3 cards focused on Arms, Cardio, Core, Legs. The Boogie Down soundtrack played in the background: The Jackson 5's Blame it on the Boogie, Earth, Wind & Fire's Boogie Wonderland, Jerry Lee Lewis's Boogie Woogie Country Girl.
MARY: None
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Bethel Men's Shelter, 9/11 Stair climb.
COT: Families, Illnesses, Return to school.

TClap |
0

Yellow Brick Road at Kingsley

Arrived early to grab a parking spot near COT because I brought some “battle buddies” for the PAX, two brick pavers for each man to carry during the workout. At first, they felt pretty light. But as the workout progressed, those same bricks became harder to carry and lift. The weight hadn’t changed, but our strength to carry it was wearing down. Life’s burdens can feel the same way. They start small, and we tell ourselves, “I’ve got this. I can handle it OYO.” But as life piles on, what once felt manageable starts weighing us down. Before we know it, we’re struggling to stay afloat and the men beside us may have no idea. At the end of the workout, I asked the PAX: What if we went back to the beginning, gave just one man two bricks, and told him he could share that load with the brothers around him? How much easier would that burden have been to carry together? That’s the message that stuck with me from the EXCAVATION session at Forest Hill Church: We were never designed to carry our burdens OYO! Reach out. Cry out. Speak out. Whatever is weighing you down, you don’t have to carry it alone. You have brothers in the gloom who love you and want to help, but you have to let them know what you’re carrying. Don’t let fear, shame, or guilt keep you on the OYO path. Asking for help takes courage. And when you speak up, you may give another man the courage to do the same. Love ya, fellas and praying your day is filled with the blessing of being loved and loving others!

WARMUP: SSHICx15, HBWsICx10, LSSsICx7, LBACsx20, OHCsx10 with Burpees mixed in.

THE THANG: Moseyed from COT to the car so PAX could pick up their battle buddies – 2 brick pavers. The ask was not to let go of your battle buddy during the workout.

We moseyed over to the parking lot behind Panera and started an Indian Run around the parking lot to finish our warmup. Every guy made 3 trips up the line, onto the next thing.

1/2 DORA: 50 Burpees (bricks had to be raised OH), 100 SSH, 150 LBCs (bricks held in extended press position while performing the exercise)
Sweat was flowing, onto the next thing.

Jack Webb w/ Bricks: 1:4 -> 10:40, 1st exercise was Merkins, 2nd exercise was OH Claps
Arms were smoked, onto the next thing.

Superman Poses w/Bricks: 4 different poses held for approx. 10-15sec. each, so much fun the first go around we did it again.
Core work completed, moseyed back to the car to drop off our battle buddies, and then headed to COT.

MARY: Had enough time for a few PAX to call various core exercises.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Serve at Bethel tonight, Fort Mill Care Center, read your newsletter

COT: STK!

TClap |
0

Dawn Patrol

WARMUP: normal, all in cadence and 15 reps
THE THANG: mosey to wall 3 sets step up dips, Derkins. Mosey to park at each swinging bench we add an exercise start with burpees. Add squats, add merkins, add big boys, add alternating lunges, add cds, add flutters, add jump squats
MARY:
ANNOUNCEMENTS: bethel men’s shelter, Saturday service project
COT:

TClap |
0