The 2 Wisemen Visited The Fort

3D led off with some running and warmup then to the Pike Engineering brick wall for wallsits with arms up, alternating legs and the 5 burpees each HIM starting from the end.  Run to Massey Hill. Jacobs Ladder to 7 with squats at bottom and Merkins at the top.  Several PAX were losing clothing.  3D led mosey back to WEP playground for Q handoff to LTrain.

LTrain
Partner work

5 sets
10 merkins, partner holds plank
250 yard run

5 sets
15 squats, partner holds Al Gore
250 yard run

5 sets
20 big boy situps, partner holds plank
250 yard run

Indian run around WEP (~.5 mile)

End with Mary

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Pantheon Randomness

5 of us hung out in the gloom last Wednesday without a substiQ – so we made the best of it and split the Q.  Fish sticks made us run around the school (not a running AO!) and COP warm-o-rama.  38 made us run a circuit and cornhole finished with a leap frog laddering of the pillars where the first one there got to pick the 10 reps at each pillar.  Too bad Lutefisk can’t count right. It was supposed to be arms/abs/legs but after so long, who cares right?

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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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Preparation at the Armory

19 PAX at The Armory

Workout is pretty clear from the outline I think.

We ran a bit in between the reps for the Thang…..at an allegedly fast pace….pretty sure it was slow on the Fish Sticks scale. Also we did 60 SSH….a real crowd pleaser. Alternating between Mtn Climbers and a Yoga sequence over and over and over was also “well” received.

I did use my handy cheat codes on my forearms to keep myself on task. It’s cheaper than buying one of those quarterback play-caller wrist bands like OldBay has, but decidedly less cool. Forgot what DD (Downdog) stood….But on a Mosey Shady reminded me; at which point, I was glad for his assistance and that we’d already done that sequence in the warmup.

Mary to close out:
– Windshield Wipers
– Flutters
– restarted the Thang from 5 reps and built up (crowd pleaser) got to 10
– Pigeon Lunge

COT

NMM:
Advent is about Preparation. How are we preparing ourselves daily to handle our Jester(s) beyond just fitness?

Thanks to JWOWW for the invitation to Q. Great to have such a group of HIM present.

Band Camp Dismissed

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A cool, Shady, 38 degree Special morning

11 PAX woke up on a cool Saturday morning in November of 2019. Little did any of them know that immediately after the disclaimer they would be headed for the much maligned Tega Cay Drive hill of pain.

The mosey immediately headed that way as YHC (38 Special) led the PAX down the hill. Everyone circled up for 25 SSH, 15 Low Slow Squats, and 15 mountain climbers.  Some good Saturday morning mumblechatter including some compliments about the length of certain PAX’s shorts and the decade in which they might have been procured.  That was plenty “warm up”.

The Thang: Part 1

PAX counted off by 2’s. 2’s were instructed to run the 150M hill backwards. Team 1 to lag behind so eyes were going forward and backward. YHC was pleased to hear Team 1 offer quality mumblechatter on the way up in the way of encouragement.

At the top of the hill, everyone ran back down and Team 1 took their turn to run backwards while Team 2 pulled mumblechatter duty.  Now that every quad was suitably inflamed it was time for phase two of part one.

Until YHC’s time was out, we would run 11’s.  Starting behind the western baseball diamond, double count stepups. Run the roughly 100m to to the benches just before the pullup bars and do burpees.  If, somehow, anyone were to finish, it would have added 2k to their bragging rights. Some got to 4 step ups left, others 6.

YHC used the last minute of his time to speak briefly about pushing oneself in order for the group. The above was selected not because I could kill it, but because I knew I could do it with commitment, and without killing myself, and sorta, maybe tried to encourage others to do the same.

The Thang: Part 2

Shady took over and wasted no time running the PAX over the baseball field and into the parking lot, stopping near the playground.  Everyone paired up for what Shady said would be your ‘basic’ Dora. There was a brief lament about the lack of bricks when one of the PAX brought to everyone’s attention that there were some large rocks at the bottom of the trail.

If YHC were a geologist, he’d have called these rocks “boulders” (any rock with a diameter of > 25.6cm)…

Run back up the trail and into the playground.  Round one of the Dora was
100 – Hand Release Merkins
200 – Shoulder (boulder) Press
300 – Flutter

YHC wants to point out that the first two parts of that set were brutal.

When the set was over, Shady spoke to the PAX about his word of the year and encouraged everyone to think about theirs again. Some of the PAX talked briefly about their words as well. After this 10 count was concluded it was time to move onto round two.
100 – Incline rows
200 – Boulder curls
300 – LBC

YHC would also like to point out that the incline rows, while being sufficiently difficult, made some of the PAX look utterly ridiculous, and as most of us know, PAX would allow any of their brothers to look that ridiculous without drawing a great deal of attention to the fact.  It’s just good manners.

Time ran out during the LBCs and there was one more run down into the woods to return their boulders to their homes.  Joined up at COT.

Announcements: Thanksgiving convergence on 11/28 @The Ranch, HTL convergence on 11/23 @WEP and the Christmas Party 12/6 ~Baxter area. Everyone who knows Kenyan is invited to join the celebration of Life for his departed wife that morning.

There were also some prayers and praises lifted up to Sky Q’s consideration.

The PAX dispersed…

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Shoulder Work at Quagmire

13 men arrived at Quagmire Monday morning.  After a quick disclaimer and some leg stretches, we ran over to Kohls.

COP

SSH x 25

Imperial Walker x 15

Windmill x 10

Plank Stretches

Next, we began the meat of the workout.  We partnered up for burpee broad jumps.  Partner 1 started with the burpees while Partner 2 ran to the end of the parking lot near Ulta and back to Partner 1 to switch out. The total distance was around 320 yards (20 less than the Bills had in total offense).

I took a few minutes to talk about my grandfather who served in the Navy. He was someone I greatly admired growing up.  He had a strong work ethic and never let his age define him.  When he was in his eighties, he asked my brother and I to come to his house to help him dig a trench.  When we arrived, he was already actively digging the hole himself.  He was a loving and caring husband, father and friend. He passed away at the age of 99, less than six month from the century mark.

Back to the workout, we began a shoulder shuffle from Ulta back to Kohls.  I issued a challenge to push go as far as the pain would allow.  Once exhausted, get up, run to the next store front, and return to the back of the shuffle line.  Cha Ching and Slapshot killed it, they shuffled the full distance 320 yards without a break!

Once complete, we ran back to COT.

 

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FBBD

8 Men for a Full Body Beat Down (FBBD).

The Thang

Short Mosey for COP

  • SSH
  • IW
  • Potato Pickers
  • Mountain Climbers
  • Windmills

Big Lap around the Soccer Field, enter on parking lot side

Leg Section:

  • No Surrender
  • Monkey Humpers
  • Dan Taylors
  • Gorilla Squats

Big Lap around the Soccer Field down to Amphitheater

Core Section:

  • LBC
  • Flutter
  • Peter Pointer
  • Dying Cockroach
  • American Hammer
  • Boat and Canoe

Big Lap around the Soccer Field to the Carpool Drop off

Upper Body Section:

  • Ascending Curb Crawls to 11
  • Makhtar N’Diayes
  • BTTW
  • Makhtar N’Diayes
  • BTTW
  • CDD

Big Lap around the Soccer Field to the end of Carpool Drop off

10 Burpees OYO

Mosey to COT for Body Destroyer and BOM

Announcements

HDHH at Amor Artis tonight

Nessy this weekend in LKW

Watch D.O.G.S at TCES

Read your Newsletter

 

Honor to Serve.

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Can I borrow a KB?

YHC was pleased to be asked by J-Wow (there’s a guy who is accelerating) to come back to the Armory and Q. While not a true Redwood, I was there when the idea of a KB workout was launched at the Baxter pool with Package and Orange Crush (never posted). I immediately went out an purchased a 25lb’er via the internet (shipping costs!) and away we went.

Since that start, I have gravitated to running partly due to CSAUPs and given my bell to Anchorman. But there’s no question that YHC needed a beatdown after a long golf weekend. I started the Hype Train on Sunday with a request to borrow a bell and was met with some witty replies. The Fort represents!

Weather: Its F3 time! 63 with a light breeze

The Thang

Partner KB Workout

Round 1

Partner 1 – KB Swings x 12

Partner 2 – Rests until Partner 1 is finished

Partner 2 – 1 arm military press x 12

Partner 1 – rests until Partner 2 is finished – you get the idea

Partner 1 – Goblet Squats x 10

Partner 2 – Bob and Weave x 10

Partner 1 – Merkins x 12

Partner 2 – Bench Press x 12

Partner 1 – SSH x 20

Partner 2 – SSH x 20

Rinse and Repeat for 7 minutes

Take a lap around the parking lot

Round 2 – Flip the exercises for 7 minutes then take a lap

Round 3

Partner 1 – Curls x12

Partner 2 – Triceps x 12

Partner 1 – Bent Over Rows x 10

Partner 2 – CDD x 12

Partner 1 – Reverse Lunge w/ Hammer x 8

Partner 2 – Jump Squats x 10

Partner 1 – Bombjacks x 12

Partner 2 – Man Climbers x 16

Rinse and repeat for 7 minutes then a lap

Round 4 – Flip the exercises and head home

Mosey to COT

 

Moleskin:

  • 10/19 – Opportunity to serve at Childrens Attention Home – See Culture Club
  • October – opportunity to impact Young Lives – See newsletter
  • Prayers for marriages and kids

Pusher out!

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A wee bit of everything at Pantheon

Unbelievable. Amazing. Has it REALLY been almost 4 years since YHC first posted to that fear-inducing AO known as Pantheon? What little I remember from that first WO was cursing the Q’s name (the evil Double D) and, more importantly, CSPAN coming alongside me and taking my mind off the merlot that was oh soo close to coming up. #The Full FNG Experience.  This is such an awesome AO that I wanted to include a little bit of everything.

The Pax seemed game for the plan. Mumblechatter was minimal but there was some grumbling and groaning. Mission accomplished.

WARM-UP: Mosey with Toy Soldiers, High Knees, Butt Kickers, Power Skips

COP around the flag (starting with The Pledge of Allegiance):

  • SSH * 25
  • HILLBILLY WALKER * 15
  • Merkins * 15
  • Squats * 15
  • Diamond Merkins * 15
  • Windmills * 15
  • Wide Arm Merkins * 15 (Initial grumbling & groaning ensued)
  • Mountain climbers * 20

MOSEY to AMPHITHEATER

JACOB’S LADDER- (7s) BEAR CRAWL UP, RUN DOWN-BURPEES  & SQUATS

Thoughts on FAITH: 3 f’S in F3 – 1st F is the Magnet, 2nd is the Glue, 3rd is the DYNAMITE. IT’S A BELIEF IN SOMETHING LARGER THAN YOURSELF. WHEN MEN OF FAITH COME TOGETHER FOR A COMMON CAUSE, THE RESULTS ARE AMAZING. DON’T GO IT ALONE

MOSEY to Basketball Court

Partner up:  opposite side of court, suicides on foul lines and meet in the middle for partner hand slap merkins.  15 reps, 3 rounds. Suicides, meet middle for partner Giddy Ups (crowd pleaser) . 5 reps per partner, 3 rounds, Suicides, meet middle for partner-assisted Sit-ups. 10 reps per partner

MOSEY to playground for a modified DORA – Partner Up- 50 Swing Lunges, 200 Bombjacks, 300 -LBCs Partner runs to end of the b-ball court & back

Mosey To wall- BTTW, then 5 Seal Jacks each Pax while the group does Peoples Chair.

COT: Olaf came running out of the gloom to join us at the very end. Must have been doing a brisk pace since he seemed to be on the verge of splashing last night’s dinner. But good of him to join.

NMM: Triple Claps are not sufficient to express my gratitude to Bing, Howitzer and Fish Sticks for staying on me to try out this thing we call F3. More like triple triple claps. I’ve tried to #give it away since that day and have told anyone who will listen what a game-changing moment that has been for me.

Thank the Good Lord that we ended up in this corner of the world known as The Fort. Home of many Highly Impactful Men. One awesome consequence – my 2.1 Pigeon is wanting to post more often. As a father, being exposed to this brotherhood is a great thing for my son. As we walked to the car to leave for the workout, he asked “Is this workout going to be hard”?   Well, yes, son, that’s part of what makes this F3 engine run. Sure seemed hard enough to me. What a great morning. Thanks to Bear Grylls for the opportunity to lead.

Short Sale out.

 

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Let’s Make a Deal at The Armory

10 PAX decided to take the challenge and show up on a balmy morning. NO FNG’s, disclaimer disclosed and off we went. Mosey went probably further than some PAX would have wished but wanted to switch up a little bit. Heading off FH campus and down across the street. Let the PAX know that once Trucker stopped complaining, we would head back.

Circle up

  • SSH x30
  • LS Squats x10
  • Windmill x10
  • Cherry Picker x10
  • MNC x25
  • Arm Circles x10 forward/back
  • Peter Parker- x10
  • Parker Peter- x10
  • Down Dog
  • Honey Mooner

Grab your bell and head to the far right parking lot of the Church. I had set it up for a game of Let’s Make a Deal after experiencing it the previous week at a Knoxville workout at the Abyss with Cinderblocks.

Each corner of the parking lot (under light posts) had 3 cards. One has a number of reps on each side. One has an exercise on each side. One has a traveling exercise on each side.
Only one side of the card is visible… Content of the other side is unknown.
PAX take turns choosing for each card to take what’s face up, or make a deal and switch to the unknown side…

Station 1:
single arm Tricep Extensions/(Goblet squats), 30/(50), Crawl Bear/(over-head mosey)

Station 2:
KB flutters/(KB Merkins), 30/(50), Lunge walk/(KB-icide)

Station 3:
KB Swings/(one-hand OHP), 30/(20), backwards overhead/(KB Broad Jump)

Station 4:
Single arm curls/single arm rows, 30/(50), KB-icide/(Bunny Hop)

The PAX decided on Round 1 they liked everything facing up, except the MOT for some. The Bunny Hop with the KB was a crowd pleaser. I added in the KB-icide, having had the privilege of these in Knoxville.

We completed all stations twice and did all the counts/exercises listed. Great work!

 

Mosey to the next parking lot closer to COT and partner up. With about 10 min to go, a mini DORA was the perfect way to close it out.

 

50- snatches

75- LBC

100- two-handed triceps extensions

 

Partner 1 runs to the bottom of the parking lot and back, while Partner 2 does the exercise. Switch and repeat until completed.

 

Everyone got it done. Always pick up the 6. It was great to see PAX stepping up to make sure our fellow brothers finished strong and with support.

 

Back to COT

 

Announcements: Read your newsletter

 

Prayers:

 

Cyclops Dad facing Pancreatic Cancer fight. Our prayers are with you and your family Brother.

 

Prayers for families, kids (teenagers), and Mental Health

 

I shared a quick topic from the sermon Sunday at Church on storytelling. Too often our kids are getting their information from social media, instead of the stories in the Bible. By no means am I an expert on this, but I challenged the PAX who are walking their Faith, or trying to get better, to share some of the great teachings in the Bible with their 2.0’s.

 

Thanks for the opportunity to lead.

Frat Boy

 

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