The Texas Two Step and GI Issues Says It All

MoseyCircle Up:15 IW, 15 Peter Parker’s, 15 Parker Peters, 10 Merkins, 15 Cherry Pickers.Mosey to front of shopping center:Bear Crawl, Crab Walk and Lunge Walk between light post then jog around building.At light posts: 40 Squats, 20 Merkins, 30 Hello Dollies, 20 CDD, 30 Apollo Ohno, 40 LBC and 5 Burpees.Rinse and Repeat x3Peoples Chair with each person doing a burpee, balls to the wall and peoples chair with each person doing a bomb jack.3 minutes of Mary: X/O, box cutters, LBC, etc

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Running with Burpees

WARMUP: PAX were disclaimed.  That is all.
THE THANG: 3.5 Mile route with 10 burpees every 1/4 mile. X marked the burpee spots. Speedy PAX got 4 miles and change. Us mere mortals did not.
MARY: 4 minutes of stretching with Stang
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Were announced
COT: Prayers and praises were offered

YHC is grateful for a tremendous group of HIM to help in acceleration and staying on the right path. The cooler temps and lower humidity was a blessing to start the week. Thanks to Badlands for the Q spot. It is always a privilege to lead.

Honored,
👁

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PGA Championship at Slowburn

WARMUP:
Moseyed over to the driving range where we performed a few exercises like SSH and the walker brothers. Then moved to the putter green where we did a few yoga moves to make sure we were limber so we could hit the long ball

THE THANG:
For those who are not golf fans, the PGA Championship is being played this weekend at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa OK. With that I decided to design a workout around golf. Using the scorecard for the tournament I used Par as the means of travel between tee to green and yds as reps. For instance, Par 4, 465 would mean we ran to the green, roughly 50 yds, then did 4 flying squirrels for the 100s and 65 American Hammers. The 100s was always Flying Squirrels. The other exercise changed each hole.

Par 3 and 5 you NUR between tee to green.

“Lightning”was seen so we had to stop after 17, but pax didn’t seem to mind to skip the last hole and head for COT
MARY: no time

ANNOUNCEMENTS: read newsletter

COT:prayers for Change Orders dad and family, prayers for Spark Plugs sister for successful surgery, prayers for Cable Guy’s family as they continue to mourn the loss of his son and grief they are working through.

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Beyond The Lighted Stage

Ten of Fort MIl’s finest met at the newly remodeled Walter Elisha Park for a combined boot camp (The Fort)  and IR/walk and ruck(Milkshake).  I heard that the milkmen did a tour of downtown Ft. Mill holiday lights.  Here is what the boot campers did:

The Thang:

Senator Tressel on Q

After the standard disclaimer, the group moseyed around the parking lot and headed into the park before doing a 180 and jogging back to the pavilion stage for COP.

All in Cadence:

SSH x 25, windmill x 15, merkin x 10, IW x 20, squat x 20, CDD x 15, Freddie Mercury x 20, jumping lunge x 20, wide arm merkin x 15

Mosey to the playground:

Round 1:  10 pullups, lunge walk from the playground to the side walk, 20 merkins, lunge walk back

Round 2:  10 pullups, run from the playground to the walking path, 10 burpees, run back, 10 bomb jacks

Round 3:  10 pullups, bear crawl from the playground to the walking path, 20 diamond merkins, karaoke back

Boat and canoe x 5.

Hand off to Grinder

Dora 1, 2, 3  (100 merkins, 200 calf raises, 300 LBC).  Partner runs around the playground.

Mosey to the small lot at the park entrance and circle up.  With the pax in a circle, one person in the center did a modified American Hammer (20 count with a brick) while everyone else performed an exercise.  Everyone took a turn selecting an exercise and sitting in the center.  Today, we did merkins, flutter kicks, burpees, and others I cannot remember

We finished off with the ACDC hit, ‘Thunderstruck’.  Every time the band sang the word ‘thunder’, the pax did a burpee.   It was a crowd-pleaser and now I don’t like that song as much as I used to.

COT

Naked Man Moleskin

What a pleasure to be back at the Fort on a Saturday!  Alcatraz is my usual Saturday stop, but Grinder asked me to Q this past Sunday and I gladly accepted.   It’s been close to a year since I’ve been back to Walter Elisha Park and well over three years since I’ve Q’d a workout here.  Wow – how different it looks now! The town did a great job with the upgrades to the park and it was pretty cool to do COP from the stage of the pavilion.  I see many more there on future Saturdays.

It was a pleasure to be back at WEP and to lead the group on a beautiful morning.  Good to see my brother Cable Guy back in action after an extended absence, and yes, I just put another reference to my favorite band Rush into an F3 backblast (RIP Neil Peart).

Announcements/Prayers/Praises

  1.  Adopt a Highway starting today (way to go Fogerty and F3 for continuing to give back to the community).  #HIM
  2. Prayers for ST’s friend Joe with cancer, and for those suffering from Covid 19.
  3. Praise for DD’s friend (a single parent) who raised a son graduating from HS.
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Prayers Against Our Ego

Mosey behind school > Warm Up

Line Up on BBall Court baseline > Suicide sprints and plank/mountain climbers, 25 in cadence; total of 3 sets

God, make me strong to overcome the desire to be wise and to be thought of as wise by others that are as ignorant as myself. I turn from my wisdom as well as from my folly and follow You, the wisdom of God and the power of God.

Mosey to Parking Lot in front of school > Burpees up downs (football practice style…chop them feet, drop when I say to), plank jacks & seal jacks; 20 in cadence; total of 3 sets

Divine Father, I pray that You protect me from the subtle traps of the ego,
Guard me against temptations of self importance,
Cultivate humility within me,
Give me the strength to battle my ego,
Bless me with the ability to love,
Give me the courage to live in constant surrender to your will
Love me, guard me, guide me and protect me always.

Mosey to BBall Court behind school > Bomb jacks x 20, and Merkins, Diamonds & Wides 5 to 10 in cadence; total of 3 sets

LUKE 18 – The Pharisee and the Tax Collector 9 [Jesus] also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but l beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, [the tax collector] went down to his house justified, rather than the [Pharisee]. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

5. Mary

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Crowded Colosseum

As I caught my breath after a two mile pre-run with Straight-Up and Shady, I noticed the line of headlights from the cars arriving.  I wasn’t expecting to have as many Pax this morning, but this was a good problem.  In addition, we had an FNG, Jorge, dressed with cut-off sleeves and ready to roll.

After the disclaimer, We moseyed to the elementary school parking lot for the standard warm-up exercises (SSH, Windmills, Imperial Walkers, Moroccan Night Clubs, and Planks Stretches).  Lots of chatter so it was time to step it up a notch.  We ran down to the bottom of the hill on Dave Gibson Blvd.  The next exercise I borrowed from Spiderman’s Q at Alcatraz.  We partnered up and wheel barrowed up to Patricia Lane.  Each time the partners switched up, they had to perform five burpees.  Extra credit Ab work for those who completed early.  We were not done yet, we finished up the wheel barrow exercise at the end of Patricia Lane.

Next, we jogged over to the office building for a round of Dora 1-2-3.  Same partners, one partner would run around the parking lot while the other started on the list of exercises ( 100 Hand-Released Merkins, 200 Dips, 300 Squats).  Mumble chatter died down, men were focused.  Once complete, we had enough time to jog back to COT.  I mentioned to stay with your partner and find out something new about him.  I think it is good for us to make those personal connection to reinforce F3 is more than a workout group.

Great job by all!

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11s on Four Corners

Did some stuff with Warmup and then did the main event.  11s and 4 Corners. PAX spread out across corners.  There was good mumble chatter.

Setup 4 Corners in the Parking Lot.

Corner 1 – 10 Merkins.  Next lap will be 9.

Lunge walk to Corner 2

Corner 2 – 1 LBC. Next lap will be 2.

Bear Crawl to Corner 3.

Corner 3 – 10 Squats.  Next lap will be 9.

NUR to Corner 4.

Corner 4 – 1 Flutter. Next lap will be 2.

Run to Corner 1 and start with next 11 pairings.

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Shield Lock 2020.1

Bobber and YHC were tossing around an idea of doing a Shield Lock focused month at his AO over the Summer – and we were finally able to land on the month of November. Today was part one of YHC’s shield lock taking over Block Party for the month to discuss the SL and inflict pain.

So, what is a Shield Lock (SL)? 

If you click the link above, you’ll read about it in a manner much better articulated than YHC could. A Shield Lock is a metaphor of men who “lock shields” together to form a stronger barrier against those powers actively trying to bring us back to sad clown status. If you’ve seen the movie 300, you’ve seen a Shield Lock (Phalanx) in action and how effective it can be against an attacking force.

YHC led with a quick message about the SL being a group of 3-5 men with a common goal of getting better. YHC highlighted the three P’s (3P) of the SL being Proximate, Purposeful, and Periodic. Two of YHC’s SL were in attendance this morning, World Wide Leader (WWL) and Wegmans.

With that, we moseyed to the spot of our first iteration. Today’s Weinke was designed to focus on the ups/downs and how the men to your left and right can motivate you through the differing paces of life.

 

Proximate

“Proximity requires physical nearness. The Shield Lock will not function if its Members are geographically disparate. While men no longer literally interlock their shields to fight, the metaphorical battle still requires physical contact. Teams are founded upon Trust , and Trust waxes and wanes in direct proportion to physical distance. Trust is hard to build and maintain, and the farther away another man is the harder it is to Trust him.”

 

Slow/Pulse Circuit

Low Slow Squats x 20

Hold 60 Seconds at end of last squat

Pulse 20 times

Recover

Forward Lunges x 15 (one side at a time)

Hold 60 Seconds at end of last lunge 

Pulse 20 times

Flap Jack

Recover

PAX get into Forward Leaning Rest Position – 

Merkins x 10 IC

Plank Hold – 30 Seconds

Lift one leg at a time, pulse 20 times up and down

Recover

Mosey to Upper Pike Lot

 

Purposeful

“By locking shields with other men, the HIM hedges his brother’s peak against his own valley, and vice-versa. He knows that his valleys will tempt him to the Flux, and that he will need the strength of his brother’s peak to maintain Acceleration. Likewise, he knows that it will be his peak that provides his brother the bulwark he will need when a valley draws him toward the Flux. This, not companionship, is the ultimate Purpose of the Shield Lock and its primary distinction from a Club.”

WWL is a man of discipline. So much so that every evening at promptly 8:34 a text comes through from him highlighting four items, as a daily AAR.

  1. Daily Weight
  2. Daily Red Pill (DRP)
  3. Completion of our SL Bible Plan
  4. One extracurricular activity to better one’s self (reading a book, spending time with M/2.0, community service, etc).

This purposeful communication allows YHC to better fight the Flux and stay out of the valleys that are inevitable, and to return the favor to WWL and other members of the SL when they are down in valleys.

 

Build Up/Bearpee Circuit 

1:4-10:40

8 CT Body Builders:Bear Crawls

Many breaks were taken during this iteration, as it sucked terribly. During one of said breaks, YHC took time to talk about a hero (or anti hero, if you so perceive it) in the Bible – Samson. He was a man of great strength but he had many weaknesses. Instead of surrounding himself with strong, like minded men, he decided to take the solo path and “do it himself.” On many occasions, he made decisions that were unbecoming of his path as a Nazarite, and it led to his ultimate destruction. Ultimately Samson came back to God and was given strength to perform one more time for God’s glory – but YHC regularly wonders how Samson would have ended up if he had solid counsel and strong men to his left and right.

 

Now, my man Wegmans has it all going on in the SL. He uses a perfect combination of sass and positive language to really drive home a point of when YHC is veering off the Path. A true linguistic HIM that doesn’t let you give a BS answer when push comes to shove. He is not bashful in his correction of YHC and others in the SL. Every man needs someone to speak to them like this from time to time – especially in a horizontal relationship such as the SL.

 

Periodic

“Periodic is the final element of the 3P. The Shield Lock must come together periodically to be Effective. For the HIM, this is a form of preventive maintenance. The Amateur waits until the needle is on empty before he stops for gas, but the Pro fills his tank periodically–regardless of where his needle is pointing at any given moment. By meeting periodically, the Members of the Shield Lock recognize each other’s incipient valleys and proactively initiate the fight against the Flux as a Team. In this way, the Shield Lock parcels out the pain felt by the man in the valley and bears it together as a team.”

Every Tuesday at 0445, YHC’s SL comes together for an hour ruck followed by an additional DRP to strengthen one another. We takes turns switching out who Q’s.

 

Fast/Hill DORA Circuit

Because what good is a message about the Shield Lock without some DORA?

Partner up, P1 runs down Massey St Hill and back while P2 works on reps of:

100/200/300

CDD’s/Curb Dips/Seal Jacks

Head back to COT.

 

What has my SL done for me?

It has kept me away from bad habits, kept my head up in challenging times, it has allowed me to tap into wisdom that I would have otherwise been blind to if I were doing this thing alone. It has stretched and challenged me to be a better man. It has given me life long friends. 

At the end of the work out, YHC asked by show of hands who was in a Shield Lock. About 75% of the PAX raised their hands. Good.

If you’re not in a SL, look to your left and your right. Who do you post with regularly? Who’s in a similar stage of life? It doesn’t have to be some magical connection reminiscent of a Hallmark movie. We are men who (for the most part) all have the same struggles. This is important. Take the step!

 

Dirty Harry and Repeat are the other two in YHC’s shield lock. They could not be in attendance due to illness today, but they have impacted YHC in many ways.

DH is the kind of friend who will do dumb things with you because you want to do them. By dumb, YHC means ridiculous GORUCK training and marathon rucks – for fun. He has impacted YHC in many ways beyond taking a DRP, as he has served our country and he proudly serves his M and 2.0’s above all others.

Repeat is the quiet one in the group, but he has stepped up when hitting the peaks to pull YHC out of the valleys. He is a solid member of the group and has walked alongside YHC recently in life challenges that we both are facing. YHC is happy to have him in the group.

 

Announcements

FiA LKW Marathon this weekend – hit up Slow Jamz for more info!

Fort Mill Golf Tournament Dec 12 – hit up Stang for more info.

Christmas Party up and coming. 

Read your newsletter.

Prayers/Praise

Rebel’s 2.0 is 23 today! 

Praise for YHC’s Shield Lock

Prayers for our country.

Prayers for One Niner looking for a job. 

 

Bobber – thank you for tapping our SL to lead on such an important topic. We men cannot do this alone.

Punch List out.

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Sweep the Leg runs into Pantheon

I got the call to come off the bench and Q Pantheon and figured it was time to step up my game as Q. It was time to do something I hate (but know it’s needed) and that is to run run and run. So taking a chapter out of the new STL WO, I figured why not…plus add a little coupon into the mix.

After 3 (I think) took off for Tempo, we did a quick COP of 15 low slow squats and 15 IW. Thankful for Jekyll to cal me out for not starting with SSH…but little did he know.

Walked to the drop off zone where the weinke was written in chalk next to 2 sandbags and 2 rucks (Thanks Change Order for your ruck). So here we go!

Run a full lap around the long road (about 0.35miles)

5 Burpees

Run the loop again

10 Squat Thrusts with coupon – PAX picks the poison (each coupon was different weight)

Run the loop again

15 Merkins

Run the loop again

20 Squats

Run the loop again

25 LBCs

Run the loop again

30 SSH (your welcome Jeykll)

Run the loop again

35 V-ups

If you finish the 7 laps, rinse and repeat.

All PAX finished 7 laps plus 1 additional round. Some PAX accelerated – cough cough – Fishsticks – who I think got in 2 full rounds. He knows when to turn on the burners. As the PAX were running the laps, we noticed a FNG joined in with Fishsticks on the laps and exercises.  He was headlocked during the Tempo portion and stuck around! Nice work Gecko and others!

Appreciate the opportunity to lead and make everyone push themselves past their comfort zone. YHC logged in over 3 miles and couldn’t have done it without each of the PAX encouragement.

Prayers for CASH! Prayers for those fighting anxiety, for the teachers and students, and marriages.

Trucker

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Big Words & Others’ Plans

15 PAX in the gloom at Pantheon for a workout featuring some big words and other people’s plans. A Backdraft WOD from the stricter quarantine period and 38 Special’s from All the Yogging

Warm-Up
– SSH x21
– Moroccan Night Club x15
– Yoga sequence
– Merkins x10
– Shoulder Taps x10
-Did the first round of the Thang as PAX still considering it the warmup.

The Thang

See above. Modified the the reps so we hit the full numbers after 10 stations and right at 0600. On the second loop, we had to reverse course to station 3 and then finished at station 1 for time.

NMM:

The school exterior has new modifications for entrance and exits to keep kids physically distanced as the start of school is right around the corner. YHC has been thinking a lot about failure and how to encourage better failure and better growth. If the Chapel HIll experiment is any indication, the best laid plans of mice and men for returning to school during COVID-19 will fail. How will the PAX of The Fort respond for our families, our schools, and our community?

We’ve all failed in our lives and I pray we can use failure to make things better.

COT

Lots of praises for good things: children’s athletic success, marriage length, parental birthdays, grant awards. Prayers to remember the good during our moments of tribulation.

Band Camp Dismissed

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