Remember the Simple Joys in Life and Smile

Today was my first Q since my dad passed away two weeks ago.  I wanted to plan the workout to celebrate his life and accomplishments, but I had a hard time putting it on paper.  We had some late arrivals so the disclaimer was brief.  We moseyed to the elementary school parking lot for warm-ups (SSHs, Windmills, Imperial Walkers, Plank Stretches, Mountain Climbers, Peter Parkers, and Parker Peter).

After warm-ups, I spoke about my dad’s adventure climbing the pyramids in Egypt.  I remember reading about the pyramids as a kid and my dad telling me, “I’ve been there.”  Since there are no pyramids in the area (although there is a building that looks like one in Regent Park), we ran up Dave Gibson Blvd to the bank parking lot to simulate the climbing of the pyramid.  Next, we ran over to the Cycle Bar.  I mentioned that my dad was a builder.  He started at a very young age, became a foreman for the building of several skyscrapers in Boston.  He wanted his family to grow up outside the city so we moved to Martha’s Vineyard.  He started his construction business during a tough economic cycle. He pushed through and built many houses on the island.  Back to the workout, I called this segment, “The Builder”.  Starting at the Cycle Bar, we started with 5 merkins, ran to the other end, and 5 squats.  We continued to weave back and forth through the parking lot adding 5 reps at each pass.  At the last row, we work finished with 30 reps.

My dad enjoyed exercising, especially running.  He did not start actively running until his mid 40s.  He coordinated several road races to raise money for different causes.  He also enjoyed the competition of running with his friends and racing to the finish line..Sound familiar?  As a group, we ran around the parking lot, it was good to see the Pax racing each other to the finish line.  Next, we moseyed back to the bank parking lot for some Ab exercises.  Later in life, my dad attended Jujutsu classes and use to talk to me about how important it is to exercise your core.

Finishing up the workout, we ran back down to the school and did a burpee builder at each light pole (28 in Total). My dad was a tough guy.  Forearms like Popeye and swung a hammer like John Henry.  In January, my sister and I came across a Christmas card from one of my dad’s running buddies.  Inside the card it said “You’re my best friend.”  We both laughed at it thinking it was funny for a grown man to write this, but they had developed a bond over the years to be best friends.  I can speak from experience that it is easy to not to talk about your “feelings” and “problems” and chalk it up to being tough and your ability to handle things yourself.   Having a group of men you can count on, to be there when you need them just as important as physical exercise.

 

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Trifecta of Q’s

So, I got asked to Q last minute for Wednesday at Ring of Fire (8/18) and was already scheduled to Q at Footloose for Thursday (8/19) and then NASA had to try and find a sub for Varsity on Friday (8/20), so I just said I’d do it all. I mean @HarryCarey just did it, so why couldn’t I? I’ve been chasing him for years and still have a long way to go to try and keep up/catch that HIM.

So, I planned it out. Arms Day at Ring of Fire, Legs Day at Footloose, and IronPax prep at Varsity. Here we go!

Arms day was an AMRAP with the pull-up bars, Cindy, and some core to break it up. 1 minute on 30 seconds off.
Pull-Ups
Squats with Block
Curls
Overhead Press
LBC’s
Merkins
Flutters
Burpees
Low plank
Side Straddle Hops
Repeat.

Music kept us going with mostly hard rock from the ’90s and 2000s. @Sheild thinks I’m the next Tony Robbins as I was trying to motivate and keep everyone going on our rest periods.

Thursday at Footloose we did 7’s. Launching from the AO, we went over to Minnow Pond to see if we can pick a fight, to which they just ignored us. So, we ran the hill. Monkey Humpers at the bottom near the main road, because you know, Monkey Humpers ;). Up the hill and then squats.

We then ran over to Fort Mill Chruch of God for a round of 7’s using the stairs and the parking lot. I didn’t exactly think this one all the way through before giving instructions. Run up and down the stairs, then do 6 calf raises, run back over the stairs and run a lap around the parking lot and back up over the stairs to do 1 Bobby Hurley. Complete the circuit until 7’s is completed. That ended up being 14 laps around the parking lot. We ended up with 3 miles on this day. Lots of good mumble chatter and fellowship on those laps.

Finally, @ Varsity, we did IronPax prep with the Week 0 2018 workout. 50 squats, 40 big boys, 30 merkins, 20 lunges (modified down from Bonnie Blairs as we’re old and our knees can’t take it), 10 burpees run a lap. Do this 4x for time.

@Slapshot killed it and completed the circuit in 24:39, while @HarryCarey finished in 28:10 and YHC in 30:30. The rest modified and got their own solid workout/ruck in.

Q-ing the trifecta was a great test as it made me get creative and stay engaged with the group. We’re called to be leaders and this was a good test of my abilities over a longer period, not just every once in a while. Thanks to all for the opportunity to lead. I enjoyed it!

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Fecta-Traz

11 pax posted at Alcatraz on another warm humid day.
This co-Q was the third Q in my birthday Trifecta (Ranch #1, Varsity was #2).

First Q at bat was Ruby Slippers who gave the disclaimer and warmup:
Cherry pickers, windmills, Peter parkers, parker peters (10x IC).

Thang 1: HIIT
At the playground area of Runde park.  Pax split into three groups. Exercise for 1 minute the groups move to next station.
station 1: pull ups (dead hang if you can’t do anymore)
station 2: Step ups
station 3: LBC
Next iteration was:
station 1: pull up and toes to bar (dead hang if you can’t do anymore)
station 2: Lunges
station 3: flutters
Next iteration:
station 1: Do one pull up and hold at the top.  Goal is 1 min; do a slow negative pull up if needed but hang on to the bars.
station 2: Lunges
station 3: V-ups

Thang 2: Field Sprints (with Merkins)
Pax line up on the outfield
Run at 50% for first 30 feet, then sprint/100% to end of the outfield.
Pax do 20 merkins.
Do the same run routine described above. At end pax do 18 merkins.
Rinse and repeat downwards to two merkins.

Q transition to Harry Carry.

Started with a run as a group in the surrounding neighborhood.  Simple loop of approximately ½ mile. Returned to Runde Park’s lot.

Thang 3: Prison Yard Burpees
Pax split into two groups.  Each group has a basketball half-court as their prison yard.
Groups start in corner 1 does 10 burpees.  Then bear crawl (alternate method allowed was lunge walk) to next corner and do 9 burpees.  Proceed with the descending count of burpees and bear crawls until 1 burpee is reached.

Run again as a group, different route, hit the hill on Tara Tea Drive. Distance of about 1/3 mile. Return to Runde Park’s lot.

Thang 4: Bear vs Crab Soccer
Done on a basketball court.  Cones used at each end to mark a ‘goal’.
Split pax in two teams
15lb slam ball is mid court
Team 1 bear crawls only, Team 2 crab walks only
Get the ball and try to score
One team did score, don’t remember who.  We did switch animals at some point.

Game was called when a bear tried to eat a crab.

Non-Mary: Monkey Humpers, Imperial walkers (both 10xIC).

Fini. COT

It was quite a spectacle to see pax go after the slam ball and had some scrums too.  A few pax were even able to ‘throw’ the slam ball…may have to modify the rules for future games.  This was good clean fun.
Quite a great way to end my Trifecta of Q’s.  Great group of HIMs we have in our region.

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Fast 5 friendly, except…

Remember, the Fast 5 was kicking off 2 hours post-COT so we need to make this one leg friendly. I got the memo but apparently, Bonsai did not. While the complaining in the second half ramped up, we knew we’d all be better for it.
With Maximus up for the first 30mins, here’s what happened:

We moseyed around lap around the park with Toy Soldiers and Butt Kickers thrown in for good measure.
Back in the parking lot, we did some slow squatting, 3-way calf raises and wide-arm Merkins

At the playground:
Group 1: 15 Pull-Ups & 30 Merkins
Group 2: American Hammers until Group 1 is done
Due to some questionable form, we did that one again with 10 Pull Ups and 20 Merkins.

Group 1: 15 Pull-Ups & 30 Carolina Dry Docks
Group 2: Freddy Mercury’s until Group 1 is done

Back to the lot for 10 Burpees, Boats & Canoes, Grave Diggers and Super Mans

Hand off to Bonsai:

We moseyed to the area at Fire Dept wall:
Level 1 Drill – 10 each
Merkins / Mountain Climbers, Hip Thrusters (questionable call)
25 LBCs
30sec Wall Sit
Repeat then run to the basketball court and back

25 Dirty Myrtle
15 Mike Tysons
25 American Hammers
25 Squats
Repeat then run to the basketball court and back

30sec BTTW
20 Plank Jack
10 Lunges each leg
15 Leg raises
Repeat then run to the basketball court and back

Bear crawl some, mosey, 30sec 6″ Merkin hold, mosey

COT

Maximus & Bonsai

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Pantheon Burpee Lane Humid Fest

12 PAX + YHC chose to post at Pantheon. Why it was never named Painathon I don’t know……but here we go.

Mosey warm up with some running and some other stuff

  • Mosey the .4 route of pain to point out the 4 pain stations
    • Weezy Jeffersons
    • Big Boys
    • American Hammers
    • Squats
    • Box Jumps
    • Lunges or Lungs….whatever you like
    • Diamond Merkings
    • Derkins
    • Hand Release Merkins
    • Inch Worm Merkins
    • Parker Peters
    • Mak Tar Za’s
  • Hit Burpee Lane
    • 5 Burpees
    • Bear Crawl 25 yards
    • 5 burpees
    • Bear Crawl 50 yards
    • 5 Burpees

Great Mumble Chatter and lots of sweat!

Thx 38 speacial! Everyone get better!!

 

 

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Lakeside Park

Six of the Fort’s finest met at Runde park and answered the call for Alcatraz on the Lake.  Here is what they did.

The Thang:

Full disclaimer with the usual verbiage of ‘I am not a professional, it’s a voluntary workout, modify as needed, can’t sue the Q or F3,  etc..’.   Since we were going into Lake Wylie today, YHC added that if you drown or contract an illness from a waterborne parasite, you also cannot sue the Q or F3.  Off we went…..

The mosey to Pitcarin Park is about 0.6 miles and we had the usual chatter en route.  Cyclops carried the flag as we cruised along and he planted it on a  hill near the lake side.

Senator Tressel on Q

Everybody up on the floating dock for COP  (All in cadence)

IW x 20, merkin x 10, Squat x 20, MC x 20, Freddie Merc x 20, wide arm merkin x 10, Morrocan Nightclub x 40 and start walking toward the stairs at the lower parking lot.

Partner up and wheelbarrow up the stairs to the upper parking lot, across the lot, and up the cement stairs to the picnic benches.  Flapjack with your partner about 1/2 way through.  When you reach the picnic bench, do 20 bomb jacks, run back to the start.

Repeat the wheelbarrow, but with 20 burpees at the picnic benches, run back.

Repeat the wheelbarrow, but do 40 dips at the picnic benches.

Change Order on Q

Mosey down to the upper lot and do a series of ab exercises (Flutters, LBC’s, Protractor, other).

Mosey to the dock, remove your shoes and shirt and jump in the lake.  Tread water for about 5 minutes.

Back on the dock, do some merkins, squats, abs, and then jump back in the lake.  Tread water for about 3 minutes.

Naken Man Moleskin

Lake Day is always fun and it’s a good opportunity to do something a little different with the bootcamp.  I said at the beginning that this workout is more fun than intense, and that was mostly true today (there were some complaints, though about the 20 burpees following the long wheelbarrow sequence).

Cyclops, Bonsai, and Fishsticks all showed some great form today with cannon balls, can openers, and a flying frog dive off of the dock – well done men!   Treading water is not really hard, but doing it for just 5 minutes can tire you out, and I think we were all feeling it after the 2nd go round.

It was another great day at Alcatraz and it’s always a  blast to be with my F3 buddies on Saturday mornings.    I attached the picture we took after the workout.  It took me a few tries to get the pic, and I was called out for my less than deft ability at using an Iphone camera.      I’ll have to work on that for next time.    Oh, and the title of the backblast is a Rush reference (huge fan here, RIP Neal Peart).

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Converge with Colosseum

12 men showed up this morning at Golden Corral (with their man cards) including Geek Squad who was in town from Tennessee.  We began the workout with a trek down 160 to Brewsters.  Unfortunately, no ice cream, just a couple scoops of merkins, squats, and LBCs until the six arrived.

Next, we headed to the garden center at Walmart, a little over a mile from our starting point. We had time to complete another round of merkins, squats, and LBCs before Shady arrived with the Colosseum Pax.

Shady called out the instruction for a Dora, 100 wide arm merkins, 200 squats, 300 flutters.  Partner 1 did the exercises while Partner 2 ran across the parking lot to the front of the garden center and back.

We had just enough time to complete all of the exercises before running back to COT.

Great job by everyone this morning.  We covered 3 miles which is alot for some of the men who showed up this morning.  This is how we get better, do the hard things, push ourselves, and keep coming back.

 

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Ballroom: Talking about Feeling and running 2mi ish

11 PAX at The Ballroom for a mini cannoli run …… moderate means modify as needed.

  • Couple of warm up exercises
  • Mosey for .94mi to Pleasant Knoll Elementary entrance
  • Along way do some exercises
  • 3 rounds of repeats to 5 light polls
    • 10 Merkins
    • 20 Squats
    • 10 America Hammers
  • Mosey back to COT with exercises on the way
  1. The Barry – July 1 7pm
  2. Fastest 5 – July 31
  3. Prayers for Sen Tressel friend Joe
  4. Praises for Yoshi and time with Grandpa

We are all managers….not just in the workplace but in everything. The better word is steward. From the air we breath to time to finances to the very words that come out of our mouths, we need to manage them and ask ourselves are we using this to the best of our ability or wasting it?? Steward all of your resources well!!

Thanks Drop Thrill from the opportunity to Q

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Colosseum Mayhem

Fifteen Pax posted at Colosseum.

Mosey run to Warm up: SSH, Windmills, Imperial Walkers, Moroccan N/C, Low Slow Squats, big arm circles, Peter Parkers, Plank stretches.  All in cadence, count varied 10 to 20.

Another short mosey run.

Circle up and did:
Thang 1: Banana splits
Partner up
P1 runs north to a cone placed 500’ away and heads back (distance is 500’ out, then same back, total 1000’).  P2 runs south to a cone also placed 500’ away road and heads back (total distance is also 1000’).
When the pax meet, they do the prescribed exercise:
First meet: do Bobby Hurleys = 100 total for the two pax. Then pax run again. Etc. the remaining exercises are:
Overhead Claps = 150, pax run, then:
Third meet =  Merkins = 200, pax run, then:
Fourth meet = big boy sit ups = 150, pax
Fifth meet = SSH = 100
Join in with the six to finish out.

Run to benches
Thang 2: Bench work, with bear crawl push
At the school’s benches:
Pax grab a spot on the benches.  Pax exercise while one lucky pax does bear crawl a 100’ loop around cones with a 15lb slam ball.
A new pax switches in for the bear crawl and remaining pax do the next exercise called out.  We did: Incline merkins, shoulder taps, LBC, Monkey Humpers, Imperial Walkers, decline merkins, butt touch squats.

Run to COT area; nice work by all pax!

Fini, COT

To close us out, I read Proverbs 13:20 “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.”
I noted to the pax that this verse reminded me of F3 where we learn from each other and become better for it…although there was a few cracks about the fools part.

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Burpee Bizarre

We had 11 men show up on Wednesday at Pantheon.  After the disclaimer, we ran around the parking lot to get the blood flowing.  Next, we circled up for some warm-up exercises (SSH, Imperial Walkers, Windmills, Plank Stretches).

We began the difficult part of the workout.  For the next 10 minutes, we would do 10 burpees each minute with a five second rest in between each set.  After completion, we ran around the big loop to the front of the school.  We did a series of exercises in cadence (Squats, LBCs, Lunges, Flutters) running between the cross walks after each one.

Next, we returned to the top of the parking lot and repeated the 10 minute burpee exercise.  It was difficult, but most completed the burpees, a total of 200.

Great job by everyone.  Today we showed how much we can do when you are surrounded by others who want to improve themselves.

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