As many rounds as possible…
1. 12 Sit-Up Pistols (6 each leg)
2. 12 Burpees
3. 250ft Bear Crawl
4. 12 Big Boy Mountain Climbers on half wall
11 pax posted to WEP to celebrate north winds, fall temps, a Santini sighting, an Anchorman celebrity drop-in and 7 yrs + 1 week since the 9.29.12 launch of The Fort. This, the 365th edition of Saturday at The Fort, was more than just another Saturday of brotherhood and pain. It was also a reminder of why these gatherings matter. After a thorough Disclaimer, Crab Cakes led the pax off into the gloom.
The Thang
Mosey up the hill out the parking lot with a right turn toward the Church of the Nazarene. A few stops along the way for some warm-up moves.
Partner up for a series of exercises paired with running to the church steps, 3x up and down, and return to partner at the far end of the parking lot. Exercises included, Merkins, Squats and Flutters.
Rugby sprints (it wouldn’t be a Crab Cakes Q without this signature session) with LBCs, Freddys, Flutters, Heel Touches.
Hand off to DD
Mosey back toward WEP
Stop at pecan tree grove near Springs building for some work — Planks, Merkins, CDDs, Peter Parkers, Parker Peters, & Makhtar N’Dyaes (Santini request for the last one)
Mosey to Springs parking lot entrance (in the grass)
Knee-tar-jais
Mosey to brick wall at Springs
People’s chair & Balls to the wall (rinse and repeat)
Mosey to WEP playground (rotating partners) — Pull ups, burpees, monkee, humpers, dips, derkins, lap around playground
Bear crawl to path, crawl bear back
Series of sprints and backward sprints to path and back to playground
Jailbreak home
COT
Naked man moleskin
Crab Cakes and I had a great time at the helm today. It’s always an honor to lead the pax, and especially at the launching grounds for The Fort. Sorry to miss Slash. Thanks for the opportunity to Q and thanks for keeping the mission going at WEP on Saturdays!
Anchorman with 2.0 in tow made a brief showing as we approached 0720. Apologies for the PG-13 language during the final prod to the pax to finish strong. You can throw me in the creek with your M if you hear that one at the dinner table.
Santini, Rebel and Dark Helmet were rockin’ the perfect sweaty head coifs by the finish. Checkout the video for proof. If Funhouse had posted we might’ve been able to establish the pose for The Fort’s Mount Rushmore.
Good to have Sippy Cup among the pax and donning The Fort jersey no less. Don’t be stranger! Hope to see you again soon!
The theme for the morning was a focus on 1st F #Fitness. Thanks to many pax, including my co-Q Crab Cakes, 2nd F is making huge strides. Thanks to Gekko, Cake Boss, Chicken Hawk, Pusher and others, 3rd F also continues to blossom. No debate on my part that these two elements are critical to our pax and speak to the core of who we are as men and leaders. Yet, now that The Fort has entered it’s 8th year, I feel the need to highlight the importance of 1st F. While it’s not the core of WHO we are as men, it is the core of WHAT we undertake each week as a group. It’s the magnet that draws us out into the gloom. And after 4, 5, 6, 7 years, it might begin to taste a little bland from familiarity. The temptation may be there to coast during workouts or even to scale back your weekly posts. I’m imploring you — DO NOT GIVE UP! Yes, F3 is about way more than the workout. And at the same time, it is also rooted in the workout.
Several conversations over the past week highlighted for me the importance of regular, passionate 1st F engagement. I heard examples of veteran pax who are pushing hard and veteran pax who are dialing back. Those posting regularly and pushing in 1st F are seeing growth in all 3 Fs. Those who’ve scaled back are experiencing some regression in other areas. It’s all connected, gentlemen. “You get out of it what you put into it” a veteran pax shared with me this week.
F3 isn’t the only way to stay fit. I’m the first to acknowledge this fact. I’ve been fit in the past without F3 and I see many men who are fit today without F3. But, 1st F isn’t just about Fitness. It’s about relationships. Friendships are built in the midst of struggle in the Gloom. Removing that element will impact a relationship. 1st F is also about preparation. When you post in the Gloom, you surrender to the elements and the Q. You give up control — willingly. You don’t know what you’re going to be put through, but you show up anyway. And you push to the finish because you believe it will make you “better.” It’s preparation for life. Each day we wake up and we surrender to what the world and Sky Q have in store for us. We don’t have nearly the control we’d like. But we carry on to the finish of each day, seeking to get better (or at least get through it to the next day we won’t control).
So, if you’re feeling the tug of the Fartsack or the gym or the coffee pot, speak up. We’re all susceptible to those temptations. And we all need a dose of #Accountability now and then to keep us on the #Right track. The same is true for those out front. If you’re in an acceleration mode, look around to see who’s missing. Accelerating pax don’t let pax fall back. They pick up the Six. They don’t leave a man where they found him.
Thanks for listening. Thanks for pushing. SYITG!
What did it take to purchase an engagement ring?
Average Wedding costs $27k
1 Corinthians 13:13: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
CHOOSE LOVE
1 Peter 4:8: “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
No matter what happens, CHOOSE LOVE as it covers the mess
John 15:12: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”
Back to Ephesians 5:25
Formula:
You before Me – not sometimes, not weekends, ALL THE TIME
We before I – even with the kids, job, hobbies
God’s plan = more we give, the better we become
Real love is not self-seeking, and it will always cost you
It will cost your heart, your time and your money
It will cost your comfort, your rights and your pride
It will cost you to “lay down your life” for the life of another
And only those who learn to die to themselves are the ones who get to experience the resurrection power that comes with it—resurrection into real love, into real life, and into meaningful relationships.
Romans 12:10: “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”
No no no. It was a Y run loop at Clydesdale’s. Run to the YMCA take the trail, turn left at road, turn right at the fountain and up the hill to Sutton and run down the hill. Right at QT and back to Starbucks. Rinse and repeat until you are tired. We had 12 in total with a sighting of Dungaree doing 13mi. for a training run. Why I ask?
COT and outta there.
17 PAX gathered on a hot muggy August morning.
Rundown:
Band Camp on Q
– Mosey
– Carioca
– Butt Kickers
– Carioca
– Toy Soldiers
– Mosey to where the dogs bark constantly
COP
– SSH
– Windmill
– Merkins
– Shoulder Tap
– Mountain Climbers
– Parker Peters
Mosey over to the Nazarene church to get away from the Dogs. Miraculously cones were also set up here. (Bear crawled to the cones)
Flash on Q
– Partner up
– 3 cones
– Partner 1
– cone 1: burpee broad jump, sprint back
– cone 2: duck walk, sprint back
– cone 3: lunge walk, sprint back
– Partner 2
– keep doing squats until Partner 1 is finished
– 3 sets of this
– Indian Run to Springs Corporate center
– DORA: 100 Merkins, 200 (more) squats, 300 flutters
Band Camp on Q
– Mosey back to COT
– A Gross (12 reps of 12 exercises)
-Upper Body: Merkins-single count, Overhead claps, Moroccan Night Clubs, Merkins-in cadence
-Lower Body: Squats, Lunge, Cossack Lunge, Jump Squat
-Core: Flutter, Dying Cockroach, LBC, Freddie Mercuries
– Mosey up the hill
– Mosey back down
NMM:
Flash shared about one of his leadership role models, Captain Picard, and making earl grey tea. In order to make tea, the leaves have to be immersed into the hot water. As a leader, we have to immerse ourselves with those we’re leading. And beyond immersion, we need to “steep” or remain in contact long enough to have the desired effect.
YHC shared up on the hill at the very end, that it is possible to over steep tea. We need to recognize in our households when mom has been immersed too long with the 2.0s and it’s our turn to step up. Or a similar scenario in our jobs.
An honor to lead such a strong group.
-Band Camp dismissed
16 energetic pax posted to the 4th installment of Minnow Pond. All veterans, all had been warned in advance of need to warm up. So Disclaimed was super short and then it was game on.
The Thang
Run to playground at WEP. First to arrive start doing Burpees until Six shows up.
Extended plank sequence while YHC delivers instructions.
Pax run one .6 mile lap around WEP on path at crisp pace. When pax arrive back to playground:
Pull ups x10
Derkins x20
Gorilla squats x30
Rinse & repeat lap/exercise sequence AMRAP for remainer of workout.
Short stint of Mary at playground while Six finishes final lap.
Run back home
COT
NMM
Great effort by the pax, pushing themselves and pushing each other. Total laps ranged from 3 to 5, depending on pace. Total of 3.5-ish miles plus 50 pull-ups, 100 Derkins & 150 Squats for those who maxed out at 5 laps. No one left without needing to wring out his shirt.
Shady’s mission at MP is to push the pax, both in terms of pain and pace. Objective with today’s Weinke was to make sure pax of any running pace could participate without the Six falling behind or leaders catching too much of a break. Seems like it worked.
Running laps and doing the same three exercises can become stale…kinda like many parts of daily life. Sometimes it might be the work routine, other times it might be family life or exercise or church or anything. I don’t deal well in maintenance situations or situations that become routine. When I’m stuck in those places without much ability to change, I can be tempted to make poor choices to escape the mundane or to “spice” things up. Jester can draw a bead on me quite easily at these times. BUT, there’s ALWAYS a #choice. And the first choice is how you see the situation. Seeing it as “monotony” is a choice. Someone else might see the work routine with envy, because they want a job. Someone may see the family routine as a dream, because they live alone or can’t have children. Someone may see exercise doldrums as a joy, because they’re injured or disabled. So, when routine starts to weigh on your spirits, remember that you have a choice to see the routine in ways other than drudgery. And maybe a different choice will help keep the Jester at bay.
Thanks to Shady for opportunity to lead. Looking forward to many more mornings at MP!
So there was this Saturday in Ft. Mill, SC that 17 men joined 2 Q’s to have a little fun in the city park, talk about the impact F3 & others have had on us and the community, and do some crazy exercises that would make others shake their head. That Saturday was yesterday and I must say that Router and I thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity granted us by Slash.
3 years ago, Router began his journey with F3 and as he said, the life change has been great and there’s no looking back. As we all know, it’s much more about the 2nd & 3rd F’s but the magnet of the 1st F is what attracts us and propels us to that life change F3 is know for.
That said, Router lit the torch with a disclaimer and a brisk mosey around the WEP path stopping along the way for 20 SSH, 20 Moroccan Night Clubs, 10 Merkins and 10 Peter Parkers; a great opportunity to stretch the PAX out and bring them back together.
Router brought us to the middle of the grass field for the start of the Worlds Longest Lasting, Most Disputed, Loudly Criticized, Not At All Controversial, exercise in The Fort. Sorry, the Pullman got the best of me (which has nothing to do with what we did). This is where he introduced us to a modified Catch Me If You Can. However, there were no rucks, no running, no monkey humpers, just a lot of Tesh-chasing which, for me as Tesh’s partner, made for a quick rendition of this terrible idea. Partner 1 is doing inch-worm merkins while Partner 2 does 20 Flutters, 10 Merkins, 20 American Hammers and 10 Carolina Dry Docks then bear crawls to his inch-worming partner. We did this for what seemed like the entire Saturday morning but in all reality, it was about 100yds (go ahead and try it…I dare you).
Oh, that wasn’t bad enough? How about Router bringing us back to the starting point for a round of Jack friggin’ Webbs. Yup, you just read that. And yes, we went to the 10:40 mark with merkins & overhead claps.. Say hello to your Jell-O arms. Good thing none of our resident hair models were in attendance because hair-washing would’ve been a challenge later that morning.
Then Router topped it off with an explanation of his growth over the last 3yrs since joining F3. Thanks to the fellas like DD (in attendance), Santini, Senator Tressel, Assassin and others, there are hundreds of men who share a similar story to Router, each one unique and powerful in their own right.
Hand off to Maximus.
Mosey to “The Hill” and line up at the base. Identify the tree at the top, about face and reverse lunge walk all the way up the hill to the tree. At the top, drop to your six and crab walk back down.
Mosey back to the field and in true Jack friggin’ Webb fashion, take that to the legs for Lieutenant Dan’s. Just like before, we went to the 10:40 mark with squats & jumping lunges.
Lined up the cones about 30yds apart, PAX line up at one end then the explanation. WWII situps into a burpee broad jump. Repeat until you get to the other cone.
2 lines facing each other for Knee Tar Jah’s or Prisoner Lunges or whatever we’ve decided to call these things.
SSH x 21
Back to the cones. Run from cone 1 to cone 2, 20 Plank Jacks, NUR back to cone 1, 15 WWII situps, back to cone 2, 10 Plank Jacks, then NUR back to cone 1, 5 WWII situps.
PAX back together for:
SLOW Peter Parkers x 21
Flutters x 21
Squats x 21
Jail break to COT for a short set of LBCs.
So that was it. Great time I hope for all. Didn’t get a lot of miles but my body 24hrs later tells me that wasn’t needed. Remember what’s been done for you as you have the opportunity to do something positive and impactful for others.
**ONE REMINDER**: September 6 is our Annual Invergence followed by our regional Convergence September 7 back at WEP.
Until Next Time,
Router & Maximus
8 dipped their toes in the unknown waters mostly unsure and anxious of where this ride was going to take them so hats off for the trust and willingness to try something “new”. As the PAX did some stretching while we waited for 0515 (good work on the stretching!), some mumblechatter started to arise, but was quickly snuffed out.
Headlamps and reflective gear were encouraged and these HIMs were prepared…as you’d expect when you read the royalty who’s who that was in attendance. While there was a brief disclaimer, we wasted no time and took off into uncharted waters aside from the weinke YHC had scribbled together previously and had it locked away in my head (no time to carry around paper and read in the dark).
From the veterans parking lot / COT, we mosey’d up to the park where there are stairs and stopped at the first set of benches for a “warm up” which consisted of 20 dips and 20 derkins; rinse and repeat (FYI, stretching and any real warm up can be done prior to 0515….#JustSayin). Once complete with the 2 rounds, we took off for the “Sweet Baby Jesus” church for some partner work.
Upon arrival at the church, we partnered up where partner 1 ran around the church, then up and down the 3 sections of the stairs while partner 2 did flutters. Once partner 1 completed their set, there were plank hand slaps for a count of 10 (and in some cases double counts, again, #JustSayin and probably unclear instructions from YHC #MyBad). Once hand slaps were done, partner 1 and 2 swapped and ran and fluttered. We did this for 3 complete rounds. And there may have been an Omaha in there for a quick Elvis trip….no names will be disclosed but luckily the nearest bathrooms were on the path of our next stop.
Off to Harris Street park we went, which was very well lit on the way down and a good amount of side street. We met at the basketball court for 2 quick rounds of 25 merkins and 50 LBCs. After the 2 rounds, we headed towards the path to get to WEP. This path was not well lit, actually about as pitch black as it gets, so the head lamps were a must have. This path went on and on…and on until we finally took the hard left towards the WEP parking lot. As we got to the first drill bit, we planked and fluttered while we waited for the six. Six arrived and we started clockwise around track to the first drillbit for 5 burpees. Second drillbit, 5 burpees….third drillbit, 5 burpees.
Left the park and headed towards the Founders bank where we did the clockwise loop down Clebourne Street towards Main Street and down the Main Street hill where we stopped just over the railroad tracks. With 5 minutes remaining, we had time to run up the hill and do 20 LBCs and 20 merkins. Then back down the hill to COT.
Numbered off, name-o-rama, announcements and prayers and praises were had. Dark Helmet on Q for next week, and please remember to bring headlamps and/or reflective gear for future reference.
Shady
15 #HIM met on this muggy morning at the Golden Corral for a good old fashioned beatdown. Lutefisk had to substiQ for me last Friday and by coincidence he didn’t have a Q lined up today so lucky me and lucky PAX I stepped up to bring the pain at one of my favorite A/O’s.
Started with the disclaimer and we were off.
Warm Up
Activity 1
Activity 2 (11’s)
Surprisingly enough I looked at my watch and it was 5:59. Time to mosey back to COT. As you can imagine there was a ton of moaning and groaning, that translates to #WINNING. The PAX got their money’s worth
At COT we had an #FNG Sam and his handle is Mach3. Went through the announcements, prayers and praises and Funhouse took us out with a prayer. Couldn’t have asked for a better start to the day!
Mile High Out
0515 on a crisp…wait! This is not the Yeti preview!
0515 on a gloom-filled morning, moisture in the air, 22 Pax rolled in to get a little preview of #TheSweati. A lot of familiar faces. Nantan, Lakeridge Clowncars, Dirty, WWL, Senator, Double D…even the Weginator was there. There were more. I’ll tag them in the BB. Several came to get a little peek of the Sweati. I gave some “details”. Some true. Some false. All will be revealed this Saturday. Get your head right. Hydrate! Be Safe! Don’t Die! We did some exercises that may or may not happen this Saturday. They probably will…over a 3 hour period, not 45 minutes. So here we go:
THANG
Mosey around the parking lot and circle up for an abbreviated COP
-SSH
-10 Burpees OYO
-Imperial Walkers
-10 Bombjacks
-Mountain Climbers
Head to the curb for a short circuit (Part 1)
-25 Dips / Run across parking lot and back
-50 Merkins / Run across parking lot and back
-75 Squats / Run across parking lot and back
Mosey to the freshly repaved and striped Hive Parking Lot (Part 2)
-Burpee Broad Jump the entire length of the parking lot*
-Run Back
-Lunge Walk the entire length of the parking lot
-Run Back
*This is starting to become a thing. It should be stopped!
Mosey Back to Laces In parking lot for Reverse Pyramid (Part 3)
(Run across the parking lot and back between sets)
-40 LBCs
-30 Mtn Climbers
-20 Peter Parkers
-10 Burpees
-20 Parker Peters
-30 4-Ct Flutter Kicks
-40 Side Straddle Hops**
**Tclaps to Maximus for leading the pax in some Mary while waiting for the 6
In the interest of time, we stayed put and completed the next series of exercises in the LI parking lot versus the Hive (about 1/2 the distance planned) #yourwelcome
Bear Time (Part 4)
-Bear Crawl Across the parking lot
-NUR back
-Crawl Bear across the parking lot
-RUN back
I blew off Part 5, which would have been a repeat of Part 1, for some Mary. Thanks to the PAX that lead the last few sets of core.
0600 Arrived and YHC was #smoked
Appreciate all the PAX that came out to one of my quarterly Qs. I hope you gained some insight on what is to come this Saturday morning at the #Sweati
No NMM means no more details for the PAX. See you Sat.
Announcements
-Sweati this Saturday at the Armory (Forest Hill Church): 0530 Ruckers/0600 Runners, Q-Source to follow at Forest Hill (Charis Room)
-Stuff the Bus at Tega Cay Walmart (Look for details from Wegmans)
-A couple of 2ndF options at Carolina Beer Temple and Amor Artis
-Read your Newsletter
Prayers & Praises
-Prayers for Rock Thrill’s Father-in-Law who is having several medical issues
-Prayers for a friend of the Pax who’s marriage is struggling
-Prayers for Nasa’s wife who is struggling with some severe headaches
-Prayers for Repeat’s mom who is fighting cancer
-Prayers for discipline in the 3 F’s and to continually make sure our Concentrica is in order (something I struggle with)
Gentlemen, it’s been a lot of fun and an honor to serve you. Hope to see you at the Sweati!
Aye!
Zima