Amazon Box Full of Pain

IMG_0223‘Twas the morning after Christmas and all through the Fort most men were fartsacking but not these four HIMs… Training Wheels, Drop Thrill, Osgood and UHaul came together at The Hive’s shovel flag and then moseyed down the hill to the CoG parking lot where Amazon had left a deck of cards and a box of pain for the PAX…

Warmups were held with the normal sort of activities, SSH, Imperial Walkers, Hill Billy Walkers and some intentional Moroccan Night Clubs, foretelling the shoulder work that was yet to come.

The set up for the morning…
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Some may notice that there are upper and lower body choices, this was custom made for our IR recovering Boss Hogg who was apparently unavoidably detained…

Many of the above exercises were executed and then the PAX returned to COT for announcements, prayers and praises.

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What is your Mission?

Theme  – Do you accept your Mission?  17 HIM came to the Armory to accelerate!  After a short warm up and Mosey to the front of the church, we all took a moment to share our one word for 2019!  The question this morning ” What is your Mission?  Thank you to Bass-0-Matic for sharing  this Bible plan  – I am a Warrior – Part 1  –  A 3 day Plan by Dr. Kim Kimberling.  This was shared with all the Pax : Only a small portion of the “Devotional” but I think it resonated throughout the workout!

What is your mission? Where is God calling you to be a warrior? Are you ready for the battle?  Honestly, the missions are all around us. We live in a culture that fights against God and His purposes every day. Do you have children? Your mission is to instruct them, to lead them, and to protect them. As a husband, your mission is to fight for your marriage in a world that does not value marriage. Your mission as a Christian man is to stand firm for Jesus not wavering in the daily battle. Your mission is to be a man of integrity and honor that stands out from the crowd who is not afraid to stand out. In your workplace, your mission is to not cut corners or to cheat someone or to do whatever it takes to make a buck or two. Your mission is to show Jesus to a world that does not know Him very well, if at all.

Let the Games begin :

Round 1 :    

  10 BigBoys  : 20 Step Ups (10 each leg)   : 30 squats  

Mosey to Next Station – CinderBlocks!

10 Block Swings : 20 Chest Presses : 10 Man Makers 

Round 2 : Mosey Back to Station 1

    10 Curls (each arm) : 20 Rows ( 10 each arm): 30 Dips w Kettlebell

Mosey back to Cinderblocks!

 10 Block Swings : 20 Chest Press : 10 Man Makers

Round 3 : Mosey Back to Station 1

10 Big Boys : 20 Step Ups ( 10 each leg)  : 30 Squats

Mosey back to Cinderblocks!

    10 Block Swings : 20 Chest Press:  10 Man Makers:

Round 4 Mosey Back to Station 1 

10 American Hammers :  20 Kettlebell Swings : 40 (Single Count)

Wrapped up with some Fun : Circled up for a modified Mary – where one Pax gave the group an exercise  – then grabbed 2 Cinderblocks for a quick 100 yd out and back (more like 50yds but 100 sounds better! )while the other Pax battled thru exercise until the Pax came back!  Rinse and repeat our way through the group  : Ran out of time about 1/4 thru this FUN – Headed Back fo COT:  Blessed and Humbled to lead this Morning – Fogerty!

Prayers & Praises were shared!  Each day is a mission and/or a blessing  – How are you going to accept your mission / modify your mission /  or share your mission?  SYITG!

 

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Shovel Flag Handoff at The Hive

Double 5 (10) PAX gathered at the hive for a Shovel Flag handoff!

After a quick disclaimer, YHC took the helm with a short mosey around the parking lot.

COP – Warmup:
Side Straddle Hop (SSH)
Imperial Walkers
Hillbilly Walkers
SSH
Mountain Climbers
Peter Parkers
SSH
Merkins
Down dog – Up dog

Knowing I had limited time, I moved to a thang that doesn’t have to be complex to be difficult and doesn’t need much instruction:

20 KB Swings
Run the length of the parking lot
We repeated that about 3xs
40 KB Swings (to get to 100)
Solo Tesh to a 10 count x3 on each arm

Plank up – NMM:
Ego….My ego gets in the way in many aspects of my life. I enjoy being a Site-Q; it feeds my ego. But part of leadership is training someone else to take over and being willing to step out of the way. It helps to give the shovel flag away to a real HIM. I’m excited Uhaul and for the future of #TheHive. It is an honor to have carried the flag!

-Band Camp

Since Band Camp was already handing over the keys to The Hive party bus he figured he might as well split the bill on the workout as well…
The PAX began by strolling over to the dance floor while your’s truly queued up today’s play list… a veritable smorgasbord of both kinds of workout music, Country and Western, with a serious Oklahoma flavor…
1. Against the Grain – Garth Brooks
2. Standing Outside the Fire – Garth Brooks
3. Mr. Right – Garth Brooks (anyone sensing a pattern? Fish Sticks did…)
4. Much Too Young (To Feel this Damn Old) – Garth Brooks
5. Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House – Garth Brooks
6. Ain’t Goin’ Down (‘Til the Sun Comes Up) – Garth Brooks
7. It’s Midnight Cinderella – Garth Brooks
8. Everybody Hurts – R.E.M. (hey, a tradition is a tradition)These amazing tunes were the backdrop for some serious UHaul lamination potpourri from previous Q’s… As always, we partnered up, even in the absence of Partner Work, and one HIM accelerated and worked the count while the other just accelerated…
1. Hammer Curls x25 while the partner did Shoulder Taps
2. Standing Shoulder Press x20 while the partner said Hello to Dolly or Cut Boxes
3. Upright Rows x20 while the partner burned through some Low Slow Squats
4. Laying Chest Press x25 while the parter worked through Sumo Deadlifts (finishing with an upright row always makes it feel better)
5. Skull Crushers x25 while the partner felt déjà vu-ish while doing more Low Slow Squats
6. Kettle Bell Swings x20 while the partner felt déjà vu all over again while doing Air Dramas, which are really just Low Slow Squats with a Calf Raise at the end
7. Laying Press (amazingly similar to the Laying Chest Press) x20 while the partner got a fresh start with no Squats but American Hammers instead Upon finishing the substantive part of the workout PAX returned to COT for 3 minutes of ab work while listening to the dulcet tones of Michael Stipe and his colleagues from REM.

-Uhaul (4th Site-Q at the Hive)
 

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Snake Bite At Snake Pit

Five years ago my mom passed away after six months of hell, dealing with kidney failure and all that entails.  She had mental health issues, that meant she had to take some strong medicines that basically eventually killed her kidneys.  Ironically my mom retired as a kidney dialysis nurse.

So with today’s anniversary coming up, I thought it was a good opportunity to remember mom, and talk about mental health.  I shared some facts, and the facts decided our numbers for each exercises after COP.

Mom was a huge fan of Elvis and Ricky Nelson. Facts about the two artists:

Elvis – Born 1935
Elvis – Death at age 42
Elvis – 33 #1 singles
Ricky Nelson – Born 1940
Ricky Nelson – Death at age 45
Ricky Nelson – 14 top 10 singles

35 – KB swings
42 – goblet squats
33 – curls
40 – skull (Helmet) crushers (face for radio)
45 – flutters
14 – Turkish getups (pax favorite)

A few facts about my Mom’s life:

Mom – Born 1945  Death – 2014
Mom – Married 49 years to my father
Mom – 69 years old at death

49 – American hammers
14 – cleans

49 – merkins
69 – flutters  

Then we went on to some facts about suicide and mental health among men:

20 US veterans commit suicide daily.
77% of deaths in the US by suicide are male.
10% of men experience depression and anxiety.
Only 36% of psychological referrals are for men.

20 – Lawnmowers
77 – Rosa Litas
10 – Burpees
36 – LBCs

Finally some lighter facts, about Christmas and New Year’s Eve:

14 days till Christmas
The Twelve Days of Christmas starts on Christmas, not before.
The Twelve Days of Christmas ends 1/5/2020.
12/31 – In the Catholic faith, NYE is the Feast of Pope Sylvester.

I had the pax pick an exercise for the above numbers.  There was much rejoicing.

And we were done!

Thanks 3D for rearranging some schedules to allow me to Q today. Thanks to Bird Cage for all the whining.  Love you brother! Just payback for the Coors Light board of pain!

Brothers your presence today is testimony of what F3 can do.  Five years ago I found out about Mom’s passing about 2:00 am and didn’t make it back to bed that night.  So I posted at Peak 51 in Area 51 (South Charlotte) and was glad I did.  I needed the pax to be around me and pray for me and our family.

Your continued prayers for my father who is 78 and plugging right along are appreciated.  He definitely misses Mom.

Remember: Leave no man behind, but leave no man where you find him.

DT out!

 

 

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Moving to keep warm on a windy day

Cyclops and YHC(Bass-o-Matic)  were blessed with the opportunity to have the Q at the Fort.  As we discussed that we had nothing really planned, nobody would have believed it as it came together nicely.

A brief intro, disclaimer and welcome Slim Jim from the New Bern PAX we started right into the warmup as we waited for stragglers to roll in.  We did the typical SSH, Windmills, merkins, imperial walkers, peter parkers and plank jacks.  A brief challenge to the group on how do you plan for the unexpected and how do you respond to those situations?  Now that everyone was ready we split off with Milkshake and moseyed to one of my favorite walls across from the memorial park.

Since the PAX looked a little tired we started of with some wall sits.  This is where it started getting a little saucy.  Round 1 each PAX did a 10 count with an arm variation until we go to the end.  Short 20 second break.  Round 2 Each PAX did 10 bombjacks till we made it down the line.  Saw some great form from the pax.

Changed it up and went to the plan position.  Each PAX held the plan until we went down the line with plank jacks.  20 second recovery and then repeated with mtn. climbers.

Rinse and repeat.  Went back to wall sits with squats for round 1 and SSH for round two.  Funny how quick 30 minutes went and then it was time to hand it over to Cyclops.

We moseyed from the Springs lot to Footloose – a good sojourn.  Once all PAX came in, we circled up for a 10-20-30 pyramid:

10 burpees OYO, 20 squats in cadence (because Bass-o-Matic did no leg work in his half of the Q ; – ) and 15 double count merkins in cadence.  After merkin completion, PAX stretched out from the plank with salutations to the left and right then holding 6 inches off the ground while Tesh gave an efficient 10 count.

We moseyed from Footloose to the front of the Fort Mill Police Department, held a belated veterans day Pledge of Allegiance to honor all who serve, and then moseyed on to Main street for more “fun”.

On the main street benches, PAX did 20 dips and 20 derkins OYO and then we moseyed to the Founders Bank lot for the “main act”

7’s –  6 Kracken Burpees on the horizontal parking space line, lunge walk to the opposite side (because we needed more leg work), 1 Carolina Dry Dock, mosey back to the line, 5 kracken burpees, lunge walk, 2 CDD’s, mosey back……etc. etc. etc. all the way down too 1 KB and 6 CDD’s to finish. PAX finished at this lot before moseying by holding a squat position and did 10 Moroccan night clubs in cadence.  A quick recovery via a 10-count and we moseyed back to the East side of WEP.

At the .1 mile drill bit – Pax bunched up for some more work:  15 double count flutters in cadence, 10 burpees OYO (just because) and 10 double count diamond merkins.  A little mumble chatter came about…but just a little – likely due to the love of burpees and diamond merkins.

A quick mosey back to COT brought us to a few minutes of Mary – which included 15 box cutters in cadence and 45 (ish) seconds worth of protractor work – PAX seemed to enjoy holding legs 6 inches off the ground after completing box cutters making the transition to the protractor more “fun”.  For some reason, pre-mature a count off started at this point – I don’t know why.

We wrapped up at 0730 per custom and moved to name-o-rama, announcements. praises and prayers.

Praise for the health care providers who are caring for many sick friends and family, who are in our thoughts, including Tesla’s Mom and Cyclops’ Dad who are battling forms of cancer.  And for Assassin who is working through an infection and awaiting biopsy results. Slim Jims grandson who is recovering from illness. Kenyan’s loss of his M; prayers for comfort and peace.

Read your newsletter.

 

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Two Shared A Milkshake

Today at Milkshake,  we only had to show up.

So I decided just to make it pretty simple and what we did was a tour of Fort Mill.

Crab Cakes and I  walked down toward the churches and the gun shop and stopped alongthe way to do a few exercises here and there.

We talked about where we grew up and talked about the crazy wind this morning.

We met up with The Fort main group at one point and hung out for a bit and then headed back to COT.

Thankfully the rain held off until we were almost finished.

Thanks  Shady  for the chance to lead.

Remember Kenyan in your prayers.

DT out.

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Venom

Observations:  7 #HIM put up a strong Q at the Snake Pit today.  It was a beautiful brisk morning. The Pax tried to keep up with Scrum the whole time.  He was flying! Uhual brought tunes to keep our minds off of the pain. 

The Thang:

WMs (15x), SSHs (20x), IWs (20x), Mountain Climbers (15x), Slow Sumo Squats (15x), LBCs (15x)

The Kettlebell Board of Pain:

  1. 100 Yard Dash
  2. Lunges (Double Count) 
  3. Big Boy Sit Ups
  4. Goblet Squats
  5. Man Makers
  6. Merkins (Split Count)
  7. American Hammers (Double Count)
  8. Kettlebell  Swings
  9. Flutter Kicks (Double Count)
  10. Curls (Double Count)
  11. Tricept Extensions
  12. Upright Rows 

Moleskin:

God has invested power in each of us. An example of God’s investment of power in man is when Peter healed the lame beggar in Acts 3. To make this miracle happen, Peter had to build a relationship with God, hear God’s calling and practice an act of obedience.

Do you know what power or spiritual gift God gave you? If so, what are you doing with your power?

We may not all be miracle makers. However, sometimes your obedience can help God’s victory. 

 

Peace,

Deacon

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Wheel of Man Makers

It was a misty morning at The Snake Pit as 10 Iron Slingers and 3 Runners decided to brave the elements and get better! Quick disclaimer and we were off.

Moseyed over to the next parking lot for some warmups:

  • 20 Side Straddle Hops
  • 20 Windmills
  • 20 Cherry Pickers
  • 20 Low Slow Squats
  • 20 Mountain Climbers
  • 20 Peter Parkers
  • Up/Down Dog

Moseyed over to the hill for some partner work. Partner 1 left their bell and the top of the hill and we all ran to the bottom of the hill together.

The Thang: Partner 1 was the timer and ran to the top of the hill to do a certain number of reps with the bell while partner two did a bell exercise at the bottom of the hill. When partner 1 made it back down the hill then flip flop with partner.

  • Round 1 – Top of Hill 20 snatches (10 Each Arm), Bottom of Hill KB Swings
  • Round 2 – Top of Hill 20 Figure 8’s, Bottom of Hill Goblet Squats
  • Round 3 – Top of Hill 20 Skull Crushers, Bottom of Hill Curls
  • Round 4 – Top of Hill 20 Shrugs, Bottom of Hill Rows
  • Round 5 – Top of Hill 20 American Hammers, Bottom of Hill Bell Flutters

Did a quick round of suicides up the hill. We did five burpees and the first light and 10 burpees at the second light, then ran back down the hill.

We grabbed our bells and Moseyed back to the parking lot near COT.

We had some time left so I introduced the “Wheel of Man Makers” (patent pending). This was a real crowd pleaser. The idea was to do 3 Man Makers at your bell and then rotate right to the bell next to you, and do 3 more. We went all the way around the wheel until we ended up back at our own bell. There were 10 PAX so do the math. .

Circled up for 6 minutes of Mary to end it off.

Back to COT for prayers and praises.

JWOW OUT!

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Millstone Maximized

Wow!  For the last Millstone appearance at Veteran’s Park, home of the Minnow Pond, eight (8) injured or supportive PAX showed up for leisurely stroll and discussion.

NOTE:  Millstone moves to WEP at 6:30 AM next week.  It will run concurrently with The Yard and The Fort.

Fortunately, YHC has stayed in a Holiday Inn Express within the past year and though not a medical professional,  was successfully able to ascertain the PAX injuries before moving out.

Disclaimer:  YHC shamelessly and completely stole Senator Tressel’s Q from the prior week.  100%.

After a brief stretch, punctuated with the correct yoga terms provided by CC, the PAX moved out for a walk up a hill and over to the church on Harris Street. Four PAX donned rucks for extra credit.

On the way there we discussed each PAX’s “thing” in high school – what did they do?   This being an effort to build on the Senator’s plan of getting to know each other better.  There is no way this Q was going to recall all of the details. However two standouts are easily recalled:

  1. Senator was a band geek who play the sax, first chair BTW.  And, for variety and extra coolness also played the tuba – go figure.
  2. Secondly, and perhaps most important, Harry Carry wrestled and weighed in at – wait for it – 215 lbs.    WHAT??  That is as much as the current Twister!

After 50 calf raises the PAX continued their journey to WEP and the playground contained therein.

Whist executing the following exercises:  20 pullups, 15 Squats, 10 pullups, 15 flutters and 15 LBCs, the PAX, in turn, addressed their favorite vacation, highlighted by Drop Thrills 5 amusement parks in 3 days, or maybe it was 2, but either way that’s hard and Boss Hogs’s journey to Belize with his father.

The PAX then turned their attention to the return trip to COT, pausing at the Springs Building to discuss the architecture of the windows (patterned after the Hindenburg), more calf raises and a brief history of rigid airships in the US Navy.

Upon return and in the Name 0 Rama, each pax also noted their favorite or most unusual concert experience.  To know what that was, you need to head to the Twitter Machine and check out the video post there.

Moleskin

There’s a lot more to know about each other than what we can get from a workout and COT.  Each of our histories is amazing and there is so much to learn about each of us.  Let’s take the time to ask and listen – you’ll be amazed.

If you are injured or just not feeling all there on a Saturday AM, come join the Millstone for a bit of a workout and a whole lot of the 2nd F.

SYITG

 

 

 

 

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