You feel like it’s going to rain

WARMUP: Ran to the covered awning at school entrance. as it was raining in sheets.
40 SSH IC
10 Windmills IC
15 LSS IC held the low and added 10 MCCs IC
15 Merkins IC

THE THANG: We honored Sgt. Zachary Tellier today with his Hero WOD:
10 Burpees

10 Burpees
25 Merkins

10 Burpees
25 Merkins
50 Lunges (each leg)

10 Burpees
25 Merkins
50 Lunges (each leg)
100 Big Boys

10 Burpees
25 Merkins
50 Lunges (each leg)
100 Big Boys
150 Squats

As all reps were completed, PAX picked up the 6 and finished all of the reps with the 6. Everyone got all of their reps in.

With time to spare, we did burpicides and then had PAX call exercises IC on the benches (included dips, BSS, derkins and Peter Parkers) until 0600hrs.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: AKA continues, Blood Drive coming up on 5/12, a few PAX have Q’s this week in The Fort.

COT: Brief message on practicing what we’re studying and cutting one bad habit. @Wegman’s passed the shovel flag off to @Sawdust and we wrapped up in prayer.

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Beach Bods

WARMUP: started off with a disclaimer and quick mosey to half wall on south side of N White St. SSH/PICKERS/MTN CLIMBERS/WINDMILLS, we then moved over to wall for a wall sit progression where one pax bear crawl across parking lot and back while rest of us sit, each round more difficult ending in toe raises and arms out during sit.
THE THANG: short run to playground for the THANG, AMRAP Cindy CRAWFORDS, goal was 10 rounds, we made it through 5 or 6, 5 Pull-ups, 10, Merkins, 15 Squats, 20 swing crunches, 25 calf raises. Next we did Indian run with a single burpee, got halfway around WEP then had to bee- line to veterans for MARY And COT
MARY: Flutters for 2 minutes
ANNOUNCEMENTS: lots going on, read newsletter
COT:

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Ring of Block-Fire

Seven pax posted at Ring of Fire.
Warm up
Began with a run around NaFo.
SSH
Windmills
Imperial Walkers
Moroccan N/C
Low slow squats
Big Arm Circles
Peter Parkers
Plank Stretches (honeymooners/down dogs)

Main Event
Alternated between pull-bars work and a ring of fire routine with cindys (pax hold cinder block, all side shuffle in a circle, Q calls out the exercise, back to side shuffle, then another exercise is called). Wears you down quickly.
Pull Up Bars: Pull ups (10x); Merkins (10x)
Run to bottom of hill and back
Cinder blocks: Curls and squats
Run to bottom of hill and back
Pull Up Bars: Chin ups (10x); Merkins (10x)
Run to bottom of hill and back
Cinder blocks: KB swings and OH presses
Run to bottom of hill and back
Pull Up Bars: switch-grip pull ups (10x); Merkins (10x)
Run to bottom of hill and back
Cinder blocks: Man-Makers and uneven merkins
Run to bottom of hill and back
Pull Up Bars: burpee pull ups (5x); knees-to-chest (10x)

Run to Benches and do:
Step ups (10 ea leg)
Butt touch squats (15x)
Dips (15x)
Derkins (15x)

Run to COT
Short round of Mary: LBC, Protractors

Fini
Announcements, prayers/praises.

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Full body workout

We had 6 at the Ring of Fire this morning for a full body beardown.

We started with a mosey around the NaFo parking lot and did several exercises to warm up.  WINDMILLS, MORROCAN NIGHTCLUBS, IMPERIAL WALKERS , HILLBILLY WALKERS AND SSH

The WOD consisted of

1.MERKINS, FLUTTERS, SQUATS

2. WIDE ARM MERKINS, LBC, MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS

3. DIAMOND MERKINS, BB SITUPS, CALF RAISES

4. CAROLINA DD, AMERICAN HAMMERS, BOX CUTTERS

We would do a card then run from the awning at NaFo to the stadium stop sign and back. We started at 20 reps per exercise then 15 then 10 . We were able to complete 2and 1/2 rounds before time ran out.

We ended with COT

Thank you Kaiser for the opportunity to lead

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9/11 Stair Climb

Today 10 Pax did the Harder thing and climbed the bleachers at NaFo. The goal was climb the height of the Twin Towers… if we went up and down  the bleachers and all its steps we would have to do it at least 29 times. That would equal the amount of steps the first responders had to climb to help the civilians in the building. We honored all first responders especially PO Mark Ellis TD04 , PO Ramon Suarez TD04 and PO Antonio Rodrigues PAPD.

We started with a warmup of: WINDMILLS, MORROCAN NIGHTCLUBS, SSH and some stretching.

The WOD was the Climb….with 30lb rucks and some sandbags if you felt froggy.

Up and Down the bleachers….. when you hit the bottom you had 9 Merkins and 11 squats waiting for you….. 29 times up amd down with a total of 270 merlins and 360 squats. There was some mumblechatter amongst the Pax  and every man left it out there on the bleachers.

We ended with COT and prayer.

 

 

 

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Trifecta of Q’s

So, I got asked to Q last minute for Wednesday at Ring of Fire (8/18) and was already scheduled to Q at Footloose for Thursday (8/19) and then NASA had to try and find a sub for Varsity on Friday (8/20), so I just said I’d do it all. I mean @HarryCarey just did it, so why couldn’t I? I’ve been chasing him for years and still have a long way to go to try and keep up/catch that HIM.

So, I planned it out. Arms Day at Ring of Fire, Legs Day at Footloose, and IronPax prep at Varsity. Here we go!

Arms day was an AMRAP with the pull-up bars, Cindy, and some core to break it up. 1 minute on 30 seconds off.
Pull-Ups
Squats with Block
Curls
Overhead Press
LBC’s
Merkins
Flutters
Burpees
Low plank
Side Straddle Hops
Repeat.

Music kept us going with mostly hard rock from the ’90s and 2000s. @Sheild thinks I’m the next Tony Robbins as I was trying to motivate and keep everyone going on our rest periods.

Thursday at Footloose we did 7’s. Launching from the AO, we went over to Minnow Pond to see if we can pick a fight, to which they just ignored us. So, we ran the hill. Monkey Humpers at the bottom near the main road, because you know, Monkey Humpers ;). Up the hill and then squats.

We then ran over to Fort Mill Chruch of God for a round of 7’s using the stairs and the parking lot. I didn’t exactly think this one all the way through before giving instructions. Run up and down the stairs, then do 6 calf raises, run back over the stairs and run a lap around the parking lot and back up over the stairs to do 1 Bobby Hurley. Complete the circuit until 7’s is completed. That ended up being 14 laps around the parking lot. We ended up with 3 miles on this day. Lots of good mumble chatter and fellowship on those laps.

Finally, @ Varsity, we did IronPax prep with the Week 0 2018 workout. 50 squats, 40 big boys, 30 merkins, 20 lunges (modified down from Bonnie Blairs as we’re old and our knees can’t take it), 10 burpees run a lap. Do this 4x for time.

@Slapshot killed it and completed the circuit in 24:39, while @HarryCarey finished in 28:10 and YHC in 30:30. The rest modified and got their own solid workout/ruck in.

Q-ing the trifecta was a great test as it made me get creative and stay engaged with the group. We’re called to be leaders and this was a good test of my abilities over a longer period, not just every once in a while. Thanks to all for the opportunity to lead. I enjoyed it!

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eating our way through the air

19 PAX Gathered and it was so humid we had to “eat our way through the air.” (-Slash)

We started with a quick warmup
SSH – 19 to the number of PAX

Mosey towards the old Church of God parking lot
IW
HW
Moroccan Night Clubs
Merkins – slow count (everybody’s favorite)

Brief mosey to the other Church of God parking lot
Burpee Square (thanks Naperville)
Start in one corner
10 Burpees – bear crawl to next corner
9 Burpees – lunge walk to next corner
8 Burpees – crawl bear to the next corner
7 Burpees – reverse lunge walk back to the first corner
6 Burpees – bear crawl to next corner
5 Burpees – lunge walk to next corner
4 Burpees – crawl bear to the next corner
3 Burpees – reverse lunge walk back to the first corner
2 Burpees – bear crawl to next corner
1 Burpee

View the retaining wall and consider how it works…not by specific acceleration, but by staying put at the ground falls around it revealing all the bricks supporting the top layer

Mosey to the old middle school (banks st. community gym)
Some Yoga for the 6
10 Squats
10 lunge steps
10 Jump Squats
10 lunge steps back
Repeat

Mosey Back – I got gassed on the mosey back. Once your belly is full, eating your way back through the air is really difficult.

Flutters to 0600

NMM:

Sometimes, as the flux hits us all, we lack the motivation to accelerate of our own accord. But if we can call on discipline to continue moving, we can see ourselves rising even though we feel like we’re staying put–just like the top level of that retaining wall. I’ve been feeling that flux for a little while leading up to the big 4-0. And honestly didn’t know how to convey that message until I looked up at the end of too many burpees and too many bear crawls and saw that wall.

Grateful for the opportunity to lead and the support of all the PAX. Y’all help hold me up whether you know it or not. Thank you.


Band Camp Dismissed

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Running Deck of Cards

Grassy Knoll has been posting within the Fort for quite a while and hitting Laces In and Alcatraz often. When he asked if I would Q Abyss, I was like when and where is it? Wednesday’s are normal a rest day and it’s all the way over in NC near the bridge…..it’s like those PAX east of the Peach Stand complaining that they have to drive to AO’s west of the Peach Stand. But what do PAX have in common? They support their brothers and don’t complain. So I wasn’t sure what the AO had to offer but figured it would be good to get out of the bubble and experience something new and different. It sure didn’t disappoint me nor the PAX who posted.

SO as we huddled around awaiting GO Time, I had to ask if there was a bigger playground behind the school….of course Grassy Knoll said No (laughing of course). So we began to mossy behind the school and on the way I dropped off a cone along the school road. We ended up right in front of a large playground where I dropped the second cone off and we began to do COP.

After a few warm ups that included SSH’s and windmills, we did 3 rounds of max-out pull ups. What’s a Trucker Q without Pull-ups.

We then gathered around the second cone and a deck of cards were pulled out. The goal was to not stay still and continue to move. The first cone was placed about 400 yards away, and the second end point was about 200 yards away.

We started at the second cone next to the playground. A card was drawn and if it is was a red card you ran to the farthest cone and completed the exercise and ran back to the other cone. If it was a black card we ran to the end of the parking lot past the basketball nets and back.

Hearts = Wide Arm Merkins

Diamonds = regular merkins

Spades = LBCs

Clovers = Squats

If the same suit was drawn three times in a row we had to do 10 burpees (that was a late addition half way through the WO thanks to Cha Ching’s recommendation).

We ended up running 3 miles by the end of the WO. Who would have guessed a Trucker WO would include 3 miles of running??????

Prayers for Cha Ching’s stress test today, for Smithers, and other prayers said and un-said.

Appreciate the opportunity.

Trucker

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Intervals at the Swamp

I have been on a motivated 1stF acceleration tear recently and this continued with some relentless pain. Some might even say it was terrible. Introduced multiple uncomfortable exercises that targeted those obliques and hips. Penguins were a crowd-pleaser. Cookout Squats were also a fan favorite. Nut crushers took the cake. See the Workout summary if you are like me and get geeked out on the data. Stay Frosty my Friends! OLAF
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Spoon Feeding Instructions

Learning to give clear instructions and the power of commanders intent.

Gekko was supposed to have the Q this morning but life called and he had to answer. Prayers for him.
5:15 struck and SlowJams brought out an FNG so the disclaimer was disclaimed and an overview of F3 was made.
YHC called his own number and grabbed some cones and headed towards the Home Depot for the warm-up.
Luckily I have been fortunate to get to spend some time with Tesla during the few times I show up for a PreRun at Quagmire so I learned that he had not led his VQ workout yet. So I gave him a heads up that today was his chance to practice leading a few exercises in cadence during the workout so we could all give some feedback before his big day.

YHC started the warm-up off with some SSH and some windmills then passed it over to Tesla to lead some SSH and some merkins. He did pretty well after a few corrections and will be ringing that second bell in no time.
Passed the baton over to Console to lead a few other exercises since he is fairly fresh to the game and I have missed his first couple of Q’s because of scheduling conflicts. As expected he shined like the stud he is. Way to live up to the hype and not be frightened by the thought of being compared to Tesla.

On to the Thang.
Mosey over behind Home Depot on the way to Target and get in a few seconds of peoples chair while waiting on the 6 to join.

Continue over to the Kohls parking lot for the meat and potatoes portion.
This part was supposed to be a lesson in preparation and the chaos that is unavoidable when a leader fails to convey the message clearly.
So YHC started out with no clear instructions to the PAX rather giving them just a single instruction meer moments before they needed it. The PAX were stumbling over each other because my instructions were not delivered in a clear and confident manner and there seemed to be no method to the madness. We started at one end of the parking lot and were moseying to the first street light pole performing the exercise then coming back to the starting line to perform some burpees before going to another light pole but sometimes we would come back to the starting line and other times we would just move on to the next light pole and exercise. The objective was to show how failing to communicate a plan, even a bad plan, was ineffective in achieving the mission (the current mission that I always try to achieve when leading a beatdown is to push every member of the PAX outside of their physical comfort zone while keeping everyone together as well as possible and allowing each member to not feel like a burden to the group or that they should have stayed in the fartsack).
When there is poor leadership the entire group is at the mercy of the commands of the Q. The Q is forced to either abandon the guys at the 6 or handicap the guys at the 12 in order to keep everyone on the same page. Just as in life each one of us men is at different places along our journey and therefore has different needs.

Once we finally got down to the end of the parking lot I let the PAX know my intended message for the workout and apologized for the intentional poor leadership.
Gave the PAX new clear instructions on how to proceed on the way back across the parking lot and turned them loose to go at their own pace. We spent the remainder of the time working through the exercise and encouraging each other to push ourselves to get better.

Finally, it was time to jailbreak back to the COT for Count-A-Rama, Name-A-Rama, FNG naming (welcome GuyTai), announcements, and prayers& praises.

Thank you to the men that showed up and pushed yourselves to get better. Hopefully, I was able to challenge you to look at the people that you lead and reevaluate how well you are communicating instructions to your team. Are you spoon-feeding them one bite at a time or are you laying out the buffet and letting them get after it?

Remember that those you lead are faced with many decisions every day and you want them to have the knowledge and confidence that they can make the decision without having to go into a holding pattern while they run it up the chain of command and await a response.
Set clear expectations, communicate them often, and allow your people to react and overcome.

Garrett Purvis 36
Build your guardrails out of bricks!
Olaf

Stay frosty my friends

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