Tag: Cornerstone

FieldDay at Paintheon

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My shorty was really excited about having a field day at school so I thought I would bring back some elementary school memories and lead the PAX in some old school field day activities.
I don’t usually put this much effort into a Q because there is a lot of stuff to figure out and prep beforehand. Luckily I have been riding the good vibes of June FNG Jamboree so I was willing to put in the extra effort in hopes the PAX have fun while still getting a workout in.

Started the PAX off with some standard exercises then moved right into the games.

The following games were played. If you want to know more then you need to show up next time. Thank you to Lutefisk for joining us while on IR and for capturing some incredible footage of the games.

Sharks and minnows and bears. The bear crawl is the only mode of transportation. then around with only being able to NUR which turned out to be way more dangerous than expected.

The next field day game was the egg toss.
Wanting to continue to have access to the facilities of the elementary school the eggs were swapped out for golfballs. Eggs smashed baking in the sun while the kids stand in the car rider pickup line would not be great for fulfilling the mission of F3.
Golf ball egg toss rules. If you drop the golf ball you and your partner must perform 3 burpees before moving back to the next cone. Note that golf balls were also dangerous. Especially with the limited photons present in the gloom.

On to the second to final field day game. The famous water relay. Everyone is split into two teams. Each team member will perform exercises while the first person in line will fill the holy cup,(it’s a cup with holes in it to let the water leak out thereby encouraging running) and run down around the farthest cone then back to a second cup that is to be filled. Exercises are merkins, squats, plank for the guys not running with the leaking water jug.
This was one of my favorite parts to watch as PAX had different theories and strategy was definitely a factor in the outcome. There were some cheaters so the rules had to be adjusted to only carrying the jug with one hand. Great job fellas pushing yourselves to win for your team. (IT especially was running fast)

Last but not least was the “nobody is watching my six” dodgeball.
Pax around the circle perform seal jacks while trying to hit the person in the middle. If you hit the person you then go into the middle and take a turn dodging while they take your spot around the circle. At first, it was only one person and one dodgeball which was pretty elementary so we had to add more excitement by adding a second person in the middle and a second dodgeball. So now there are two people in the middle and two dodgeballs in play. It became much more chaotic which I enjoyed and many more guys were getting into the dodging action. The game also added some chaos because with only two out of 4 dodgeballs in play at a single time everyone had to be aware of the sequence at which the dodgeballs were allowed to enter the game. To make it as easy to remember as possible we established that the order of balls that could be in play was green, yellow, red, and finally blue. So the game starts with the green and yellow balls in play and if one of the green or yellow balls ends up outside the circle then the next ball which is red becomes active.

Kudos to Uber for his world-class dodgeball skills.

Hope you guys enjoyed it and it was great to see Tinsel back out in the gloom after his rabdo scare.

Thanks for the opportunity 38 to lead. Stay frosty my friends,
Olaf

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Run, do this. Run, do this…

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It’s Sweep The Leg, the start to a new week, it’s supposed to be a challenge and the headlights kept on coming. Man, what a great day in The Fort. As my Q slots continued over this past week, I’ve been reminded of several things, mostly encouraging. One of those is that if you’re willing to make the workout/route/plan more challenging, guys will show up.
Let’s be honest, it’s humbling yet exciting to see guys show up to your Q so why not make it worth it. That was the aim this morning.

Simple? Yes
Effective? I hope so
Worth it? For sure

We had 29 total.
Redwoods and guys who just hit the 2wk mark.
7min/mile guys and 12min/mile guys.
14yo – 50+yo

The Thang:
Disclaimer and just a few warm up things
Run to the teacher lot at the entrance to GHES
5 Burpees – 10 Tuck Jumps – 15 Merkins

Run to Velux on the corner of 160
5 Burpees – 10 Tuck Jumps – 15 Merkins

Run to Horizon Bank
5 Burpees – 10 Tuck Jumps – 15 Merkins

Run to Model A
5 Burpees – 10 Tuck Jumps – 15 Merkins

Run back up to Famous Toastery
5 Burpees – 10 Tuck Jumps – 15 Merkins

Run to South State Bank
5 Burpees – 10 Tuck Jumps – 15 Merkins

Run back to the Earth Fare lot for 4 Corners:
Corners 1 & 3: 10 Alternating V-Ups
Corners 2 & $: 20 X’s & O’s

All in all, everyone got 3.2mi+ and some got closer to 4mi.

How will you follow that up this week? After all, you’re up 1-0 now go live life as a servant leader.

Maximus

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Swimming Laps on a Frigid Morning

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17 posted to STL on a crisp morning, perhaps one of the last ones of winter 2020-21 with temps in the 20s.  70+ in the days ahead — sunshine and pollen, Spring is here.

The Thang

Pretty simple weinke this morning

Quick mosey to Baxter and the Mushroom Pool parking lot

From the parking lot run out Richard’s crossing back across Front St, past the homes of Sugar Daddy, Tesh and other pax around the loop and back to the MP parking lot

OYO exercises at the parking lot:
10 Burpees
20 Parker Peters
30 Squats

Rinse and repeat

Return run home

COT

Moleskin

Great to see the pax out pushing hard on a cold morning.  The pace was brisk too, so the bodies warmed up quickly.  Those who made 5 laps ended up with 3.9 miles and those with 4 laps finished with 3.4 miles.  A few OCD pax had to get that 4 mile click so they added a loop in the parking lot on return.  Great effort by all!

It was great to meet Juan Valdez for the first time — keep posting, amigo!

My word for 2021 is NOW.  It’s surfaced a lot in the first two months — a constant reminder to live in the real world with the people immediately around me in the place that I’m in at that moment.  Get out of my head and be aware of what’s happening NOW and how I’m called to live NOW.  Hopefully the challenge for each pax to live my word for this day bore fruit.

A big thank you to Vuvu for the Site Q exemption from the Top 3 rule at STL.  Always an honor to lead the pax.

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Hangin with Stang: Expectations

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So, to set the Expectations upfront, this won’t be as good as my last post 😉

Stang asked for someone to Q Hangin w/ Stang who had not yet done it.  So, seeing as I’ve never even been, I volunteered.  I don’t know if that’s a function of how much I miss you guys and want to get back out there or how much of a glutton for punishment I am to throw myself into the center of something I’ve never been a part of.  Those in attendance can decide which it was.

Fittingly, expectations were the topic that came to mind when Stang confirmed my appointment.  I’ve had a lot of those to work through recently.  I feel like expectations can be a blessing and a curse.  We have to first understand what we’re asking of others and what others are asking of us.  But more importantly, how was it communicated?  Was it fair?  Could it even be met?

I think expectations break into 3 real parts:

Expectations we have for ourselves.

Expectations we have thrust upon us.

Expectations we have of others.

Each one of these can have a dramatic effect on our relationships.  What happens to that relationship when expectations are not met?  This is true of the expectations we have of ourselves and how it affects our attitude.  How does the view of an employee or a direct report change when they don’t meet expectations?  What are you willing to do to make amends if you don’t meet someone’s expectations?

Many of us are driven men.  You’d have to be to get up before 5 am to do the things we do.  But how do we let our expectations affect those around us, especially our M’s and 2.0’s?

We had some great conversations about family, our own, and work expectations.  It’s so good to know that we are not alone.  We all have a story that we can learn from.  Make sure to share that story so others can benefit and learn.

I hope I met the PAX expectations today.  It was so good to be back out.  I miss the group so much not being able to come out and participate.  I look forward to getting back out in the gloom soon, even just to walk and say hi.

— Splinter

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Pyramid attempt at Fire Ant

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On Christmas Eve, Divac introduced us to the way he was going to run The Fire Ant AO now that he is in charge. And guess what, it’s not for the faint of heart. That said, I had to live up to the billing.
In recent months, I’ve noticed a great way to challenge the PAX is to post the Weinke on the socials ahead of time. It also holds me accountable to planning the proper beatdown. So here goes:

Ruck 1 mile at a sub 14min/mi pace to TCES. Full disclosure, Punch List led us at a 13:37 pace…giraffe.

10 Man Makers
20 Lunges (ea leg)
30 Merkins (single ct)
40 Real Squats (you know what this means)
50 Mountain Climbers (left/right = 1)
60 LBC’s (single ct)
70 Curls
80 Peter Parkers (40 I/C) – I believe this is where the leaders ran out of time.
90 Bent Over Rows (45 I/C) – I was really looking forward to these!
100 Flutters w/ Press (50 I/C) – Surprise, Surprise. I was really, really looking forward to these.

Ruck 1 mile back to the Start Ex at a sub 14min/mi pace. We made it about .25mi and I abruptly stopped everyone for a Switzer. The new instructions were to Jail Break back to the Start Ex to complete as many Flutters/Press as you can until 0600. The leaders arrived at a 10:05 pace and a heart rate that neared, “explosive.”

COT practices with the Golden Corral bootcampers.

SYITG,
Maximus

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Are You Committed?

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YHC had the honor to share the Q with Dark Helmet in celebration of his six years in F3. The disclaimer was disclaimed and the group split between The Fort and Milkshake. Here’s what we did:

  • 10 Imperial Walkers (IC)
  • 10 Low Slow Squats (IC)
  • 10 MNCs, Overhead Claps, Raise the Roofs, Little Baby Arm Circles (IC)

Mosey to the back parking lot

  • 20 Burpees
  • Lap
  • 40 Merkins
  • Lap
  • 60 Squats
  • Lap
  • 80 Little Baby Arm Circles
  • Lap
  • 100 Calf Raises
  • Lap
  • 80 LBCs
  • Lap
  • 60 American Hammers
  • Lap
  • 20 Burpees

Transition to Dark Helmet

For DOAH’s half, we ran around downtown to various parking lots for mumblechatter, Burpees, Bear Crawls, Flutters, and a myriad of other “fun” things. At each stop, he spoke to the 5 Core Principles, the Credo, and various other lessons on becoming a better man through F3. He’s an example of how a man can change if he commits.

So, are you committed? Without commitment, nothing happens. Commitment is required for any gains; gains in your fitness, faith, marriage, work, and life. Commitment is not a feeling. It’s a requirement to get through the hard times. We post in the heat, cold, rain, or shine. Why? Because doing the hard thing at the hard times prepares you for the the future. Commitment isn’t always easy, but it’s necessary to get you prepared for the next hard thing. You can’t get out of something that you don’t put into.

Six years ago, DOAH made the first commitment to daily investment into his fitness. Because of his efforts, he’s down over 50 pounds and up hundreds of new friends. He’s a better husband, father, and leader. What’s his secret? Commitment to betterment – the daily red pill. You have to commit if you want to see gains. Get after it, fellas. Today’s your day. Take it!

Aye!

Italian Job

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Fresh off GR021, we’re now at the Fire Ant

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If you were one of the 20 PAX that attended Fire Ant today, you heard me talk briefly about the impact of GR021 (GrowRuck 021) in Louisville this past weekend. Along with Olaf, Shady, Italian Job and Dark Helmet, I was blessed to participate in this extremely impactful weekend. Much like the rest of F3, the true benefits go way beyond the workout or in this case, the 14hr team ruck event spanning Saturday night into Sunday morning.

I tried to bring back just a taste of what we experienced and some of my learnings but unless you actually participate in these GrowRuck weekends, it’s hard to comprehend. However, I did want to bring a taste of the PT to our local PAX and so with 19 other Ruckers, we did the following.

Disclaimer

Warm Up
Jog, Knees to chest, Jog, Toy Soldiers, Butt Kickers, Jog back to our rucks

SSH x 5
Windmills x 5
SSH x 10
Windmills x 5

Ruck Up
Rucks overhead for a 30ct
Ruck Curls x 20 IC
Squat hold with rucks overhead for a 20ct
Ruck swings x 20
Tricep Extensions x 20 IC
Squat with ruck press x 10 IC

2 line ruck shuffle to back lot & ground the rucks
3-tier suicides then ruck up
Bear crawl to the far suicide line and plank
Bear crawl back to the half way point and circle up
Slick-dying cockroach x 30IC
BEAR ROACH for a while (I think we did a total of 20 to the left and 20 to the right). For this exercise, you get into a bear crawl position with your ruck on then upon command, roll over to the dying cockroach position. Upon command, get back to the bear crawl position.

2 line ruck shuffle back to the first starting spot and circle up
5 Merkins – 10 Carolina Dry Dock – 15 Bent Over Rows (all IC)
5 Squats – 5 lunges each leg
2 line ruck march back to COT

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SYITG
Maximus

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The Hypest Hype Train Workout Ever

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Welcome to the most advertised AO in all of The Fort region. Trucker has a good thing going here and i wanted a part of it as a Q sometime. So i thought long and hard about who i wanted as my co-Q for this beatdown. Well as an expert trash talking Pax there was but only one choice that I knew I wanted! Mr. site Q himself ,Trucker the one person who can almost talk as much trash as me! HaHa

Trucker had the first part of the morning and started us off with some dynamic stretching in parking lot. We then moseyed out the road to the path beside Tega Cay Drive to the first hole green where we did 10 Squats. More mosey to the tennis court steps where we did 15 Merkins. Still more mosey all the way up to Hole number 1 tee boxes. Do 5 burps OYO. we where then instructed to run down cart path to the green and do 10 merkins and 15 squats then run back to tee box  and do 5 Burpees. Along the way the sprinklers came on and soaked a few of us. The grounds crew didn’t like us on their course so they kicked us off. Plus Trucker was on the red tee and the rest of us where on the white tees.

So we moseyed down to Tega Cay Drive again and made a right to the retaining wall for 2 rounds of 10 Step-Ups per leg and 10 Derkins. Yet some more mosey back to tennis court steps for 5 Burpees and 10 CDD. Mosey from there to the Firehouse for 5 burpees. Mosey back to parking lot for you guessed it 5 more Burpees. Trucker managed somehow for not being a runner to get us at 1.75 miles.

Next I had the real part of the workout. I thought 30 minutes of Warmup was a bit excessive but thats how all of Truckers Q’s are!

Had Pax mosey to baseball field and had them get in 3 lines planked feet to feet.

While in plank position all Pax did Mak Tar Dyes while the six bear crawled up to the front of the line and yelled for next person to proceed to front. Total distance was 100 yards. This sucked!!!

Next up I had 4 cones lined up about 30 yards apart from each other. Pax did 10 reps of 4 exercises at each cone then after all exercises done they bear crawled to the next cone. Exercises where Hand Release Merkins, Scorpion Dry Docks, Big Boi Sit Ups, and Sumo Squats.

Next round was same as above except we did Lt. Dans in between cones and the exercises where  Flutter Kicks 20 total, Wide Arm merkins, Monkey Humpers,and V-ups.

Then all pax bear crawled back to gates of field about 100 yards and did 5 burpees.

I followed my Q like i do all of them with 5 minutes of stretching which i heard more moaning and groaning then both our Q’s together.

Trucker thanks for letting me Q with you! Love you like a brother!

To all my F3 brothers y’all are like family to me. Y’all make me a better man daily mentally spiritually and physically.

Cornerstone Happy 40th Birthday! Thank you for our friendship.

Hope to see y’all on the Trails soon love each of you men.

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The Hammer

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Seven strong Pax showed up for a little rain and a little pain. Stumbled across a ruck WOD that was simple (no weinke needed) and brought the right amount of pain.

Here is how it went……

Rucked over to the YMCA yard and partnered up to accomplish the following

300 Ruck Swings

300 Big Boy Sit Ups (with ruck)

300 Squats

300 Curls

Partner 1 got reps while partner two performed an overhead ruck carry the length of the field and ran back for flapjack.

 

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Honoring Schmalstieg at The Fire Ant

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Taking a page out of the Honey Badger book by using a page out of the Hero Workout book. This day at the Fire Ant, we’d honor Gunnery Sergeant Justin Schmalstieg (December 15, 2010).

First, disclaimer.
Second, minor warmup.
Third, drop to the plank and listen:

Justin grew up in the Stanton Heights neighborhood of Pittsburgh, and graduated high school in 2000. He spent a semester at Penn State before enlisting in the Marine Corps, where he initially trained as a bulk fuel specialist. After serving overseas in Kuwait, Justin was stationed in Okinawa, Japan and was accepted into the Explosive Ordnance Disposal program. He finished the demanding training required to become an EOD technician and completed two deployments in the Middle East.

In 2008, Justin received orders to Camp Pendleton in California to serve with the 1st Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company, 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group. He deployed twice more, first to Iraq in February 2009 and then to the Helmand province of Afghanistan in September 2010. During a night mission, Justin’s unit was in danger of being ambushed – it was his job to clear the way back to base. Staff Sergeant Justin Schmalstieg, 28, gave his life on December 15 while working to render safe an improvised explosive device. He is survived by his widow, Ann Schneider; his parents, John and Deborah Gilkey; and his brother, John Gilkey Jr. For his service and sacrifice, Justin was posthumously decorated with the Purple Heart and promoted to the rank of Gunnery Sergeant.

The EOD WArrior Foundation is dedicated to supporting EOD service members and their families through a number of assistance programs. Please consider making a donation in Justin’s name at www.EODWarriorFoundation.org/Memorial/Warrior/Justin-E-Schmalstieg.

So, the WOD would be slightly modified for our Ruck AO to the following:

For Time:
Run 800M Slick (without Ruck)

2 rounds of the following:
50 Burpees (slick)
40 Pull-Ups would be substituted with 80 Upright Rows
30 One-Legged Pistol Squats
20 Ruck Swings
10 Hand Stand Push Ups would be substituted with 10 Carolina Dry Docks & 10 Merkins

Run another 800M Slick (without Ruck)

Once we completed this, we did a few core exercises.

Until next time, SYITG.
Maximus

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