Repeating Til We Get It Right- Groundhog Day Style

It was an awesome day for an F3 workout! Temperature in the 40’s. Had rained, but wasn’t currently raining. AO was Nation Ford HS- great location. It was Groundhog Day (not sure if that matters or not). It was Friday and pretty importantly, I woke up this morning on the right side of the grass (The top, that would be the top side).

There had been a little hype on the tweets prior to this workout. That may have been initiated by me, but with Beyond on the other side of the Fort, I was hoping to forestall any of the PAX who might have been tempted to make it a Fartsack Friday. If I wasn’t Q, I might have been tempted to make it a Fartsack Friday. Instead, I promised some hard work, some fellowship and maybe even a message to boot.

I’ve been noticeably absent from posting at Varsity for several months. This may be especially puzzling considering Varsity is about 3/4 mile from the house. Not that I haven’t been posting on Fridays, quite to the contrary. I’ve posted nearly every Friday since September, but at the other HS in town for slinging KBs. Gotta plug here for the Hive. Come on over for a month of Fridays and see if you don’t get stronger. I know I did. Just putting it out there.

I wasn’t sure what to expect for numbers what with so many other good options. That said I filled up the war wagon with a stack of gear and planned for a few or lots of PAX. When I arrived at the AO the second thing I noticed (first, that it wasn’t raining) was that the pile of cinder blocks that have resided at this site for, quite literally years, went MIA in the last 3 days. Oh, the disappointment. So, hairburners and block drags are off the menu for this morning. I hope all the cindys find their way home…

The Thang

Mosey to the bus loop. Then repeat, to start off our theme for Groundhog day.
Circle up by the HS for a bit of the COP.
20 X GoofBalls IC
10 X Merkins IC
30 X Morrocan Nightclubs IC
Front-Back-Go drills until the Q called stop
Mosey to the back of the JROTC building where the main event would be.

In the fashion of the Bill Murray classic Groundhog Day, we did everything AMRAP style. Hopefully until we get it right. The important thing is that you keep pushing at each station.

Timer = Carry the 60 lb sandback to the bottom of the hill, around the first parking lot island and back, then everyone switches stations
1. Pull-ups -Big rubber bands available for some help.
2. Battle rope
3. 30 lb upright row
4. 2 x 30 lb dumbell thrusters
5. 40 or 50 lb KB swings
6. Jump rope
7. 2 bucket farmer carry
8. 30 lb slam ball

500 watt work light
USB speaker for the tunes

I think everyone made about 3 rounds and it was an Awesome Day!

NMM

During the beginning mosey I asked the question Phil Connors (Bill Murray) asked in the movie. “What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?” While, I don’t think that any of the PAX feel exactly that way, sometimes we can feel like we aren’t having the impact that we’d like to have. I challenge all the PAX to initiate that change that will get them out of that comfort zone and give them the opportunities to have that influence that they need to have as leaders.

Geronimo! Out

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20-18s Word of the Year at The Tomahawk

Backblast is late, but the words needed to be shared. The PAX brought forth their words for 2018 throughout the workout and shared why they picked it, and we are all there for encouragement. Continue to ask your brothers what their word is and how they are progressing. Lend an ear, hand, and offer encouragement as we will all have set backs.

We did a mosey around the school for a warmup with a COP halfway through. Once back to the parking lot we got to work with 20 reps on the right side pillars focusing on upper body and 18 on the left pillars focusing on the lower. We started on the outside and worked our way towards the center. At the center few we closed out with abs.

Thanks for the opportunity to Q Polaroid.

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Pathfinder Comes to Springfield

Conditions were cold and windy and some may have thought that it would be worm, including YHC’s original plan to wear shorts, but that was quickly foiled by Mother Nature. 5 PAX met at the Springfield Pool and did a tour of the golf course and neighborhood. The hills were in full effect as was the 2nd F. Great morning and thanks for the push men.

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Extra Heavy BEYOND – It’s more than a Workout

For those of you that know me and my workouts, there typically isn’t a whole lot of “messages” as I try to make it all about business.  However, this time around, I focused on delivering a message that meant a ton to me and my journey, but also hopefully sparking something in the hearts of the pax.  Let’s get w/ it:

Quick mosey over to the lit side of a building w/ plenty of heavy objects for the Pax to worry about while we did our warm-up.  It was short and sweet:

Wide Grip Merkins x10 (in cadence), followed by Diamond Merkins x10 (in cadence) followed by Merkins x10 (in cadence) – nothing like 60 push-ups to get us started.  From there it was all about sitting on our six and stretching so I could focus on the first part of the message.

I asked the Pax who had figured out their marriage and felt they are their spouses were 100% aligned – crickets.  Next question – Who has ever confused “being a provider” with being a good husband?  A few hands went up.  Well I can surely attest to that, and I’m a changed man because of it.  Without going into too many details, I let my priorities get so out of order that I lost my connection w/ my wife.  And it took an act of courage on her part and some serious gut checks to remind me of what matters.  In order, work took the most from me, got home, spent what little time I had w/ my kids (which was basically putting them down to bed), F3 probably got the next sliver (my mornings) and my wife got what was left.  That equated to nothing really, maybe some shallow conversations, tiredness from me, tiredness from her.  This went on for far too long until a late night conversation already past my bedtime lasted 3 hours.  It hit me like a ton of bricks  – our connection was nonexistent and it was time to get it back.

Next up – Heavy a$$ tabata stations.  6 stations, each had two different exercises, 2 pax per station.  40 seconds on, 20 seconds rest.

1a:  Coupon – 40 lb metal chain, Exercise – Jump Squats (wrap that chain around your shoulders / neck)
1b:  Coupon – 2 25 lb bags of metal pellets, Exercise – Curls

2a:  Coupon:  80 lb tree (I’m not kidding), Exercise – Man Makers (good luck)
2b:  Coupon:  30 lb tree or 40 lb stump, Exercise – Lunge Jumps (could swap any coupons for either exercise)

3a:  Coupon:  Cinderblock, Exercise – wood choppers
3b:  Coupon:  Cinderblock, Exercise – v sits (press cindy then touch toes pointed high w/ cindy)

4a:  Coupon:  50 lb bags of limestone, Exercise – shoulder press
4b:  Coupon:  50 lb bags of limestone, Exercise – flutters w/ push press

5a:  Coupon:  none, Exercise – vert wall w/ chalk (vertical jumps on brick wall – use chalk for first jump, mark your high mark and then spend the rest of the time trying to touch that line)
5b:  Coupon:  none, Exercise – bear crawl the perimeter

6a:  Balls to the Wall hold 40 seconds
6b:  Single Leg Wall Sit (20 sec each leg)

Mini break w/ continuation of the message – well the night of the “revelation” from my wife or what I call my re-awakening, I had a flashback so randomly of something CSPAN once said at a workout 2 years before.  It wasn’t random, because it was so fitting, but I honestly hadn’t thought about it in a long time.  It was the bullseye theory of prioritization that I clearly lost containment on.  My bud Witchhunt also helped me a few months back w/ some podcasts to listen to around time management.  Both pointed to the same tactical response – God gets your first.  That’s it.  So my wife and I got tactical – we committed to God and to each other to spend the first 45 minutes of every day together, reading God’s word.  Since that night, we have read together almost every morning (and the couple that we missed we text each other when we can catch up w/ reading and explain what we got out of it) independently the same reading plan, journal independently, but then share what God spoke to each of us.  When you share what spoke to you, you really hear what is going on with each other.  You hear each other’s real time emotions, real worries, real anxieties, what’s ahead, what’s behind us.  I can honestly say I feel closer and more aware of my wife’s true feelings that I ever did in the 13 years we’ve been dating / married.

RINSE AND REPEAT TABATA ABOVE.  NASTY.

We didn’t have a ton of time, so I ran the pax over to a wide open parking lot that had already been set up w/ cones.  An old fashioned football drill I remember doing from double session conditioning.  SNAKES.

One after the other –
Sprint 40 yards, side shuffle right 40 yards, back pedal your butt off 40 yards, side shuffle left 40 yards, sprint 40 yards, side shuffle left 40 yards, back pedal 40 yards, side shuffle right to starting point 40 yards.

I finished my message w/ something that was another a-ha moment w/ my wife about 6 months ago – a small group we did on a series called “Love & Respect”.  In a nut shell it taught us how God wired men and women differently.  Women need love; men need respect.  Not respect in a sexist, egotistical way, but our emotions are clearly influenced by when respect is given or clearly not.  Application – it’s all about how we talk to each other.  Always ask yourself if you’re the husband – did what I say come out in a loving way?  If not, you may want to apologize in advance and say exactly that (ie. I’m sorry honey – I clearly didn’t say that in the most loving way.  That’s not what I meant…).   Most times it’s not what we said, it’s how we said it.  Intent was harmless, the delivery was just not loving.  Same goes for the wife – instead of doing what most men do when they get angry and walk away, we should say, “I feel like what you said was not very respectful”.  More times than not, your wife will realize that was the case and apologize before anything gets out of hand.  Avoid the vicious cycles – husband gets mad, they walk away / internalize everything, they get distant, distance to the wife is clearly unloving, she gets more mad, results in her snapping at you and being disrespectful.  Repeat, repeat, repeat.  Avoid this and be loving men.  That’s all she wants.

RINSE AND REPEAT the SNAKES – only this time, double the distance for each direction.  Fun.

Made it back to COT 2 minutes late but the pax were cool w/ it.  Announcements, prayers for all the senseless violence the last couple days (peach stand, York county officers, kentucky school victims) and for vision / direction on those ideas / things that enter your life and you clearly know you need to do something w/ it.  Huge thanks to Maximus for asking me to lead this workout so early in it’s existence.  I really appreciate it man and I hope my experience can help some guys out there repriortiize and grow closer to their wives.

ChaChing

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Keeping it Simple; Repeats at the Varsity – 1/19/18

8 PAX gathered in the NaFo Parking lot, fresh off a lazy snow day, to get it back on track with a pre-dawn beatdown.

Mosey around the lot

Warmup

  • 35 Side Straddle Hops
  • 5 burpees OYO
  • 15 Windmills
  • 5 burpees OYO
  • 30 Low Slow Squats
  • 5 burpees OYO
  • 10 4 count Merkins
  • 20 4 count Mountain Climbers
  • 5 burpees OYO
  • 20 Moroccan Night Clubs
  • 5 burpees OYO

Mosey to the snow covered pull up bars

The WO

  • 10 pull ups
  • 10 jump squats
  • 10 pull ups
  • 10 jump squats
  • Run to bottom of the hill
  • 5 burpees
  • Run to top of the hill
  • 20 LBCs
  • Run to bottom of the hill
  • 5 burpees
  • Run to top of the hill
  • 20 LBCs
  • Rinse and repeat above 3x

Mosey to the parking lot

The Cool down

  • 10 4-count Mountain Merkins
  • Boats and Canoes
  • 10 4-count Mountain Merkins
  • Freddy Mercury
  • 10 4-count Mountain Merkins
  • Captain Thors to 5×20
  • 10 4-count Mary Catherine Gallaghers (jump lunges)
  • Flutter
  • 104-count Mary CGs
  • Protractor
  • 5 burpees OYO

COT

Announcements

  • Rooster
  • Yeti

Prayers

  • Listening, not just hearing
  • York County PD, especially Officer Doty & Family
  • Work Transitions
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Looking like roosters at The Coop

The night prior, the kids were giddy with school closure glee. The anticipation of snow, whether it would accumulate or not, had us PAX feeling like little kids the night before Christmas. Would I be able to make it? Who else will show? I do not want to let my brothers down, so I will set the alarm and brave what lies ahead. These are all thoughts that we have each and everyday. What is it that keeps us coming back? That may be different for each and everyone of us, but I do not it does involve the brotherhood and the bonds we form in the gloom. How do we form those bonds? Is it by all three F’s…yes, but I think it has to do with pushing yourself and getting the satisfaction of seeing you can still do “it”, but even more so, it is seeing your brothers go through the same challenges. You know what your brothers are going through, there is a shared understanding, which is what gives us all common ground no matter your background, upbringing, challenges that are currently in your path, we know that when we are they together, pushing one another, we all get better together.

16 of us were there mulling around, some taking the BEYOND pill, others thinking that they were making an “easy” choice maybe, were in for pushing themselves with either decision, to push themselves on this snow day.

7 of us took off for a dynamic warmup of mosey, high knees, butt kickers, lunges with a twist, and a COP. When the main dish was revealed, we knew it would be tough, we knew it may not be fun, but we did know we would need to push each other.

Main course. The Michigan.

10 x 100 yard dash – Then 10 reps each of Merkins, Squats, Dying Cockroach
9 x 90 yard dash – Then 9 reps each of Merkins, Squats, Dying Cockroach
8 x 80 yard dash – Then 8 reps each of Merkins, Squats, Dying Cockroach
***** progress to the end in the same sequence
1 x 10 yard dash – Then 1 rep each of Merkins, Squats, Dying Cockroach

That was a fun, hope you all enjoyed it!

Mosey to COT.

Close out with prayers.

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#218in18 Kick-off Convergence BackBlast

76 PAX (including 4 FNGs) met in the gloom at Harris Teeter this morning to kick the year off the right way.

Group 1 – Jedi

Start with 60 seconds of plank tutorial, then a fairly lame attempt to explain the exercise “routine” for the upper body station. The routine, to be done in increasing AMRAP style:
· Incline Merkins
· Low Country Crab Boil (One leg, one hand dips)
· 90° Turn clockwise
· Staggered/Uneven Break Dancer Merkins (Left hand on curb)
· Staggered/Uneven Carolina Dry Docks (Left hand on curb)
· 90° Turn clockwise
· Pseudo Planche Merkins
· Donkey Kicks
· 90° Turn clockwise
· Staggered/Uneven Break Dancer Merkins (Right hand on curb)
· Staggered/Uneven Carolina Dry Docks (Right hand on curb)
· 90° Turn to starting position

Start with 10 reps for each exercise, then add 2 reps each round after that (10, 12, 14, 16, …). Only the elite few made it past the round of 12.

Group 2 – Peabody

An absolute honor to lead a convergence and had so much fun working with all the guys. Here’s the fun of the cardio Q.

SPRINT Relays!!!  

3 team

60 Yard sprint

Team members are doing Seal Jacks, side straddle hops, or flutters while teammate runs.

Winning team selects penalty exercise for 2 losing teams. (Unknown is losing team has to do the penalty exercise too but only half the reps).

Rinse and repeat the sprint relay races once teams are mixed up.

Mary to follow:

  • 50 LBCs
  • 25 Flutters
  • 10 Freddie Mercury’s

Lists of fun to hear the encouragement of other Pax and see the competition bring out the most in guys.  Saw lots of guys really push hard to win for their team.

Group 3 – Jekyll

Motley Crue and 80’s hairband soundtrack

  • COP: SSH, IW, Squat
  • 5 Burpee OYO, 4 OYO, 3 OYO
  • Lt Dan: squat and jumping , 1:4 ration
    • 1 squat: 4 jumping lunge, 2 squat: 8 Jumping lunge…10 squat: 40 jumping lunge
  • 5 burpee OYO
  • Calf Raises 25 each: Straight, Toes Out, Toes In
  • Donkey Kicks

COT

Welcome FNGs Iron City, Humps, Hillary, and Juliet

Prayers by CakeBoss for leadership.

– Ginsu

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One Year Celebration at The Coop

On my second Q in as many days to celebrate my one year anniversary of F3 I had a much better turnout (Can’t blame Clemson for fartsacking today…)

12 men arrived in the slightly chilly morning air to make themselves better.

A short mosey led us back to where we started to begin warm-up

-25 SSH

-10 Windmill

-10 Imperial Walker

-10 Hillbilly Walker

-25 Moroccan Nightclub

-10 Peter Parker

-10 Parker Peter

-10 Mountain Climber

 

We then took a short mosey toward the large wall on the side of the school.  This mosey included high knees, some karaoke, and imperial walkers

 

Once at the wall we completed 3 sets of

-Peoples chair waterfall with each PAX giving a 10 count

-40 OYO dips on the curb

-25 OYO flutter

-Wall Plank-45 degrees-Balls to the Wall each for a 10 count

 

Once this fun was completed we mosey over the the base of the parking lot near the stadium and partnered up for DORA with one partner running to the top of the parking lot at the stop sign and back with the other completing the exercise.  Total of 100 merkins, 200 squats and 300 LBC

 

The PAX was much more efficient with the DORA than I had given them credit so we then mosey back to the smooth pavement just past COT for some Mary which included Freddie Mercury, Plank Jacks, LBC’s, X’s and O’s, Mountain Climbers, Dying Cockroach, and the ever popular Body Destroyers

 

COT with announcements and Prayer Requests.  Please pray for Squeaky’s daughter.

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2017 Clave Boss 5k/10k & Christmas Convergence

Here we are as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more——Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas!!

The largest turn out by far for the Clave Boss 5k/10k was a success. We started on time and as far as I know nobody died. Thank you to all the PAX that ran and had a fun time and fellowship.

For the 5k, here were are winners of Bundt Cakes

  1. MacGyver
  2. Harry Carry

For the 10k, here were are winners of Bundt Cakes

  1. Sir Topham Hat
  2. mix of PAX coming from all directions—no idea

For the Ruck, here were are winners of Bundt Cakes

  1. Dark Helmet for 11min pace 5k ruck…..nice work!

Honorable Mention for Anchorman completing the 5k and Barry Manilow being his wingman!

The Convergence kicked off on time and we had Gecko open us up in prayer. We split the groups up and away we went with COT at 0750. Click on links to see the pain that was delivered…..Merry Christmas!

Black Diamond – Longshanks Q – https://t.co/odVJHWCBPS

Bootcamp – Cha Ching Q – https://f3thefort.com/2017/12/23/christmas-convergence-boot-camp-mixed-w-some-bd/

Noderate – Barry Manilow Q – https://f3thefort.com/2017/12/23/your-moderate-option-at-the-convergence/

COT came together and we had 83 men attend this year.

Welcome FNG – Lake Effect, who is 41 not the 50 that he just shouted out. Classic!

Many announcements:

  • Thank you Site Qs for all your work, dedication and leadership!
  • Serve Saturdays ….reach out to Deacon, Bolt, NASA for info…..HIMs!!
  • Joe Davis Run Jan 6
  • Friday Convergence with 3rdF post beat down Jan 12
  • Rooster CSAUP Jan 20
  • Yeti – February
  • P200 – March

More than a workout!!

Prayers/Praises

  • Dark Helmet shared his sister is in need of prayer. Please remember DH and his family each day in prayer
  • Family visiting is fun and sometimes no so fun. BE HIMs!!
  • Prayers for all the PAX traveling and for peace this week!

Challenge:

I spoke to the PAX about how 2000 years ago Sky Q sent his son into the world in the form of a baby. When looking for a place to come in from the cold there WAS NO ROOM AT THE INN. I believe we all fall into this trap and put so much busy into our lives that we don’t have ROOM AT THE INN for Sky Q in our lives. We fill our hearts and minds with so much and when it come to his word and being in relationship, we DON”T HAVE ROOM AT THE INN (in our hearts).

I challenge myself and the PAX to make room for SKY Q and see how it changes your life in 2018 and beyond.

Honored to lead this PAX. I am blessed and grateful for each of you!

Cake Boss

 

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Crazy 8’s at the Coop

Was a great cool morning at the coop.  19 showed up to take some punishment from YHC.  Hadnt been to The Coop in a while. Good to be back.

*there were more than the 9 guys tagged- my recording didn’t take.  Sorry men!

Disclaimer as we had an FNG- brought by Ginsu…soon to be named Caddy Shack.  He has two pet groundhogs or he likes golf.  not sure.

We ran around to circle up for COP.  Usual suspects were there and interspersed burpees to get the blood going.

The Thang

  • P1 does hanging crunches/leg twists while P2 does LBC.  Rinse Repeat x3

Down the hill to the flat parking lot

  • bearcrawl down, 10 merkins, backward bearcrawl 10 CDD
  • Lunge walk down, 10 squats, backward lunge walk, 10 squats
  • Bobby Hurley down and back

Its at this point someone suggested legs…

Go to the hill

  • Crazy 8s
    • Bottom Merkins, LBC 8 reps each
    • Top: Jump Knee Tucks, Dips 8 reps each
    • Rinse repeat 8x

Great morning and reminder to take inventory of your gifts and what you bring to the table.  Develop them and allow to flourish at home, community and work.

AYE!

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