Tag: Cakeboss

Man in the Arena

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Perfect gloom conditions.  15 studs out for a beatdown.  Opened with Teddy Roosevelt’s Man in the Arena.

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

Warm up:

  • warm up 70%  sprints between each exercise
    • SSH, Squat, SSH, Merkin

The Thang:

  • 4 corners- run in between- (abt 30 yards) Rinse/Repeat x 5
    • 3 burpee
    • 4 bombjacks
    • 5 merkin
    • 6 squat
  • Ark Loader Series- 30 yards, Rinse/Repeat x 3
    • Bear Crawl down, 10 merkins
    • Lunge walk back, 10 squat
    • crab walk down, 10 LBC
    • Backward Bear Crawl back, 10 CDD
  • 6 minutes of Mary
    • flutter
    • rosalita
    • protractor
  • Sprint Series
    • 2 x 70%
    • 1 X 85%
    • 5  X 100%

COT

Naked Man Moleskin

Jedi and Straight Up were out front today, all morning.  No surpise here.  Lots of great mumblechatter as the men answered the call for a beatdown and were all in.

 

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Laces In/Out 2018.11

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This is the 3rd of 3 Qs where I’m catching up on backblasts…  I’m pretty sure I owe someone a thousand burpees by now.  I apologize.

Mosey to band practice lot for some leg work.

I did an extended warmup that us much out of my typical, because I planned sprints, and everyone pulls something during sprints so lack of warmup was not going to be anyones excuse.
SSHs, Windmill, Jimmy Carters, Wide leg stretch left/right, squat stretch groin, downdogs and honeymooners… Next toy soldiers 30 yards, mosey 70.  Buttkickers 30 mosey 70, did this 3 times…

Now for sprints, split into two teams of 6.  Split into groups of 3, 40 yards apart.  Relay race, 1 man per team running at a time per team.  (This took until the 3rd round to get right…  I’m pretty sure some would be clinically prescribed Aderol if sent to take a standardized test.)  When the last man comes in I yell out a random exercise and then we do it all over again.  We did this 7 times.

Mosey back to the parking lot for 6MOM from the Fort’s own JWoww.

 

I don’t know what the runners did… ask them.

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The Big Event – Shovel Flag Handoff

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So the hype has been great, and the STRONG showing this morning proved it has value!  26 HIM’s all came out on what was a pretty cold 48 degree March morning (that WIND).

This was not an ordinary workout.  Barry Manilow was handing over the shovel flag to YHC, as I was stepping into the role of Site Q for Slow Burn.  Barry started the workout for the first half, and then we handed off the Q to me for the last half.

I’ll do my best to get Barry’s portion right:

Mosey all the way down to the far side of Lowes and circle up for the following:

  • OH Hand Claps 10x
  • Moroccan Nightclubs 10x
  • LBC 10x
  • Imperial Walker 10x
  • Travolta 10x
  • Dying Cockroach 10x
  • Hillbilly Walker 10x
  • HR Merkins 15x

Mosey to the Triangle Lot

  • Moroccan Nightclubs 10x
  • OH Hand Claps 10x
  • Grave Digger 7×2
  • Squat 10x
  • Mak Tai Jai 10x
  • Knee Tai Jai 10x
  • Calf Raise Regular 10x
  • Calf Raise Toes Out 10x
  • Calf Raise Toes In 10x

Mosey back to the side of Lowes

  • Wall Sit with Pop Out Burpees
  • Bear Crawl/Toy Soldier to the second island and back
  • Wall Sit with Pop Out Burpees

The official Q Handoff….Barry Manilow Done, Smithers is up…

Mosey back to the Triangle Lot for 4 corners, circle up and count off in 4’s

Three different rounds at each corner station.  Finish one round and rotate to the next corner.  Once returning to where you started, perform the next round’s exercises.  The Rounds looked like this:

Round 1:

  • Corner 1 (CORE) – 30 LBC’s in Cadence
  • Corner 2 (UPPER) – 20 Carolina Dry Docks in Cadence
  • Corner 3 (CARDIO) – 30 SSH’s in Cadence
  • Corner 4 (LOWER) – 20 Low Slow Squats in Cadence

Round 2:

  • Corner 1 (CORE) – 15 Flutters in Cadence
  • Corner 2 (UPPER) – 15 Shoulder Taps in Cadence
  • Corner 3 (CARDIO) – 15 Peter Parker’s in Cadence
  • Corner 4 (LOWER) – 15 Calf Raises in Cadence

Round 3:

  • Corner 1 (CORE) – 15 Wheezy Jefferson’s in Cadence
  • Corner 2 (UPPER) – 30 OH Hand Claps in Cadence
  • Corner 3 (CARDIO) – 15 Imperial Walker’s in Cadence
  • Corner 4 (LOWER) – 15 Jump Squats OYO

Mosey back to COT

Countoff (26), Name-O-Rama, Announcements, Prayers, and the Shovel Flag Handoff!

I’m really looking forward to this opportunity as Site Q for Slow Burn.  I will do my best to keep the Q schedule full and diverse, remember it’s a moderate site, but challenge us to push it just a bit more than comfortable (and beyond).

Smithers…Out

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Pantheon Tribute to Mr. Clean and His Bride

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Warmup:  Indian Run with High Knees, Lunges, Karaoke, Side Shuffle

The Thang:

Split Soccer Field – one side = plyometric exercises and other side weight exercises for 9 reps each side to celebrate 2018:

Station 1:  Side Straddle hops to summersault to Station 2:  Pullups on Fence,

Station 3:  Bombjacks to Lunge to Station 4:  30lb kettlebell swing,

Station 5:  Burpees to Crabwalk to Station 6:  50lb Ruck Press,

Station 7:  High Knees to Bear Crawl to Station 8:  20 lb Sandbag American Hammer,

Station 9:  Squat Jumps to 1/2 Suicide to Station 10:  40lb Sandbag Slam,

Station 11:  Goofballs to Bear Crawl to Station 12:  20lb Ruck Upright Rows,

Station 13:  Roll Merkin to Gorilla Walkers to Station 14:  10lb KettleBell Mace

Men rotated to parking lot run when done to circle of power for superman pumps to merkins in Jack Webb Fashion.

Rinse and repeat.

Prayers:  For Mr. Cleans Family and his Bride Cindy for strenght and wisdom as they celebrate her life.  For Lutefisks mother to be cured of cancer.

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2018 Kick-off 1st F Convergence – #218in18 Sad Clown EH-a-thon

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A brand new year is upon us! As we all know, it is a time for new beginnings, new goals, new habits, and renewed interest to break vices. For us, it is a time to celebrate another year focused on becoming better men through this organization called F3. To do that, we are going to CONVERGE on Friday, January 12th @ 0515 @ the Harris Teeter (Baxter) parking lot (1750 Highway 160 W, West Town Market, Fort Mill, SC 29708).

With the new year and our #218in18 campaign, its a perfect time to headlock the sad clowns around us, many of whom are setting goals to become better men themselves. We know these sad clowns are excuse ninjas (here are the top 5), but we were once them and have all the tools we need to break them down over the next 2 weeks. So, let’s each focus on getting at least ONE FNG out there with us that morning. You know who they are, work to get them there.

The format of the workout will be SIMPLE. One option (regular bootcamp) split amongst 3 Qs. Look for an announcement soon with the Qs.

Last, but not least, we will be having a 3rd F Convergence right after at Eternal Church (right behind Zaxby’s) from 6:15 – 7:00 led by Gekko. We’ll be reflecting on our #OneWord for 2017 and sharing our #OneWord for 2018. Look for the PreBlast soon!

Let’s get on this guys. NOW is the time to start EH’ing! Get ‘er done!

– Ginsu

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BB – Tempo – 12/28

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See BB for runs do exist.

7 showed for a fun filled morning of running.

Originally had two routes planned a 7min group and an over 8 minute group.  As the cold hit us I think we all agreed lets just do the over 8 group.

So we knocked out 5 on a hilly cold windjammer, but hey as Nasa says, the view of the lake at the end was all worth it.

Came back and circled up and talked about all the great things coming, aka read your newsletter.

Prayers:

Traveling Families

Mr. Clean

Injured PAX

 

As always great time and thanks for the chance to lead!

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Pre-Blast: 218 in ’18

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In 2018, the 1st F for F3theFort will be focusing on Growth & Consistency. We want to focus on GROWING the number of PAX not simply to increase our numbers. Rather, so that other men can reap the same rewards that F3 affords us every day: opportunities to lead, be held accountable, experience brotherhood, and push ourselves physically. If we continue to do this one PAX at a time, we slowly change our community.

We want to focus on CONSISTENCY so that we can maintain the standards and values that we have all come to expect and appreciate every time we post in the gloom.

In an effort to challenge ourselves to focus on Growth this year, your Fort Leadership Team is proud to announce the 218 in ’18 initiative. Our goal for this coming year will be to add 218 more consistently attending PAX. This may seem like a big number, but when put in the proper context, it is completely reasonable & achievable. That is 1 FNG for every 2 active members for the entire year, or roughly 1 FNG every 1.5 months for each AO.

However, as I mentioned before, we do not want to grow just for growth’s sake. We want to make sure that the new guys that join us this year stick with us so that they can reap the reward. So, I encourage you to headlock your neighbors, coworkers, friends, pizza delivery guys, insurance agents, and pretty much anyone who will talk to you. HOWEVER, EH’ing does not end after their first post…it continues until that new PAX no longer needs the constant encouragement to get our of the fartsack and in the gloom.

With that said, I encourage all of you to start early this year. Let’s get a jump on our goal by inviting FNGs to join us at our 2018 Kickoff Convergence on Friday, January 12th. There’s a high likelihood these sad clowns will have made resolutions to 1) get in shape and 2) save money in the new year….2 birds/1 stone. Gears and Old Bay will keep us honest through the year with a weekly SadClown-ometer included in the newsletter.

Let’s do this!

– Ginsu

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Pushing through Puddles at Laces In

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17 men (6 for Laces Out at 0500 and 11 for Laces In at 0515) posted in the cold wet gloom this morning to get better. After a quick disclaimer with a repeated reminder to modify as necessary and not sue missionaries, YHC took 10 other PAX (10 + YHC makes 11, for those counting) for some mobility work mixed with a little bit of pain.

Warm up mosey zig-zagging through the big parking lot mixed with high knees, butt kickers, and toy soldiers before circling up for the following:

  • (Really) low (really) slow squats X 10 in cadence
  • Windmills X 10 in cadence
  • Hillbilly walkers X 10 in cadence
  • Peter Parkers X 10 in cadence

Holding plank after the Peter Parkers, we pushed back into Downward Dog to open up the calves, hamstrings, back, and shoulders, then proceeded with a little yoga series.

  • Right leg up for 1-leg downward dog
  • Keeping leg up, go to plank, drop to 6”, back to plank, back to downward dog (X 5)
  • Swing right leg forward into lunge, then come up into high lunge for thighmasters (X 10 in cadence, a real crowd pleaser)
  • Moving through plank then side plank (right arm up), flip over into back plank
  • 10 count with right leg up
  • 10 count with left leg up
  • Flipping to side plank (left arm up) then to plank, bring left leg forward into lunge for more thighmasters (X 10 in cadence)
  • Hands down, press back into downward dog with left leg up
  • Repeat downward dog/plank/6”/plank/downward dog cycle (X 5) with left leg up
  • One final downward dog

Recover and shake it out. Feeling warm and fuzzy, we took up a mosey to the band parking lot for the real fun.

The Thang

Avoiding the cars, two lines of cones were set up 60 yards apart, making a 60 yard x 30 yard rectangle. PAX were to perform suggested (since they’re all suggested, right?) exercises, complete 5 plank circles (names suggested by PAX included “breakdancer” and “pommel horse”), then run at 80% to the other set of cones. Repeat the same exercises, plank circles, and run 60 yards back, completing the lap.

The exercises were:

  • Lap 1: broad jump with 5 yard side shuffle, back and forth for 30 yards
  • Lap 2: 2 Carolina dry docks, then flip over and do 2 double-count crab cakes, moving laterally 30 yards
  • Lap 3: lunge walk for 30 yards with 5 jump squats completed every 10 yards along the way
  • Lap 4: bear crawl for 30 yards with 10 LBCs completed every 10 yards along the way

Lacking time to complete lap 5, we ended with 20 burpees OYO and a mosey back to COT to meet up with Laces Out.

Announcements

  • Bonsai needs a sub Q for Saturday at Alcatraz, and encouraged the PAX to go to the Fort at WEP anyway because Olive will be there.
  • Thanksgiving convergence coming up on Thanksgiving.
  • Bring frozen turkeys when you post on the 18th.
  • Beacon is collecting plastic bags to make beds.
  • Christmas party December 1.
  • “We should really have something like a newsletter that contains all these announcements and goes out at the beginning of the week. That would be really nice.”

Praise and Prayer

  • CSPAN noted that 30% of posted PAX were missionaries, which is a praise and a good reminder to pray for missionaries, their ministries, and their families.
  • Prayers for Trucker’s family as they deal with two losses in the family.
  • Veteran’s Day is Saturday (following Marine Corps birthday on Friday). Praises and prayers for those who have or are serving (and good reminder to reach out to and thank veterans in your life).
  • Prayers for families and relationships

This may not have been the most difficult workout ever, but I had fun. I try to incorporate some different skills into all of my Qs to change up from the norm and improve flexibility and mobility and hopefully prevent chronic injury. We may look ridiculous, but you’ll thank me later.

And as always, it’s an honor to get to Q surrounded by a great group of men. Thanks to Lil E for the opportunity, and nice to see Chinito Grande making a cameo during a brief trip Stateside for meetings.

Until next time.

-Jedi

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PreBlast: Thanksgiving Day Convergence at The Ranch…The Tradition Continues

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It’s that time of year again! Time to give thanks for the blessings we have been given and show appreciation to those around us. Time to remember the progress that we’ve made in various areas of our lives and the intentionality with which we wake up each day that drives this progress. Time to be grateful for the fact that we are better today than yesterday, this month than last month, and this year than last year…all because we were given the ability and opportunity to improve ourselves.

Yes, we have a lot to be thankful for, and at F3TheFort, we’ll show our appreciation the only way we know how…commit ourselves to a ridiculously difficult workout at a time when everyone else is still snuggly tucked in their beds. But hey, at least we’ll all do it together. That’s right, it’s TIME FOR THE 5th ANNUAL THANKSGIVING DAY CONVERGENCE!

We’ll gather at The Ranch at 0600 on Thanksgiving Day morning (Nov the 23rd), where we’ll find 3 workout options led by 3 HIMs and 1st time convergence Qs:

  • Moderate Bootcamp – led by Wapner 
  • Regular Bootcamp – led by Lil E
  • Black Diamond – led by WitchHunt

The workouts will be bookended by special messages from a couple HIMs who always know exactly what sweet nothings to whisper in our ears to get us in the Thanksgiving Day mood, Pusher and Santini.

CakeBoss & McGruff will be providing the pot of golden fried fowl at the end of the rainbow of pain.

Make plans to join us on T-giving morning and bring Cousin Eddie and the random nephew sleeping on your couch.

Aye!

– Ginsu

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