Using a Sandbag Timer at The Ranch

IT was a warm windy morning (but dry) as we all gathered at The Ranch.  We began with a quick warm-up of SSH, Monkey Humpers (for Bobber as he drove in), Imperial Walkers, Hillbilly Walkers, Windmills and Moroccan Night Clubs.

We then moseyed over the the front of the school to be a bit protected from the wind and did 2 sets of wall sits with a 10 count down the line followed by plank-45 degree, BTW each for about 20 seconds.  It should be noted that during this portion Bobber seemed very confused that further movements would follow the pervious one and seemed to be trying to get a jump start heading back to the parking lot each time.  The look of confusion as he returned to the wall was priceless… each time…

The body of the work consisted of AMRAP of the following movements with the timer being a PAX shuffling with a 60lb sandbag (120 for Bobber) to the painted rock and back. Several PAX commented that this list seemed similar to Tuesday only without the set number of reps, to which I pretended not to have heard… I mean there are only so many options right? Plus I’m sure I added at least a few new things… I hope…

  • Squats
  • Merkins
  • Monkey Humpers
  • Donkey Kicks
  • Calf Raises
  • Mountain Climbers
  • Side Straddle Hops
  • Al Gore with Moroccan Night Clubs
  • Box Cutter
  • Plank Jack
  • Dry Docks
  • Seal Jacks
  • Flutters
  • Shoulder Taps

We completed about 3 rounds and then returned for COT

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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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Nas on a Nasty morning at Varsity?

11 met on this misty/chilly morning at The Varsity. Band Camp led off with disclaimer that covered both he and I (fortunately). Then 3 PAX went on their own for a long run. The rest of us followed Band Camp the get started.

From Band Camp:
This morning I kept the yoga simple under the awning as rain was approaching:
We built up in segments to flow through Surya Namaskar A. Then had time for one sequence of Surya Namaskar B.
YHC passed the reins over to Kermit at exactly 0530. Always an honor to lead any workout, but leading Broga is an enjoyble chance to maintain focus through some excellent mumblechatter and groaning from the PAX.

From Kermit:
I thought we should wrap up the work week with some fun. And with the dry conditions and good lighting under the awning, I gave my “message” to the PAX: “Everything will eventually come to an end, So try to savor the moment, cuz time flies don’t it. The beauty of life, you gotta make it last for the better, cuz nothing lasts forever.” – Nas

Let’s get to work.

We left the dry comfort of the awning and moseyed through the rain to the stop sign at the bottom of the hill.

The Thang
ELEVENS – burpees at bottom of the hill and pull ups at the top of the hill.
We may have referenced the lyric “savor the moment” a couple of times.
Band Camp and Poppins led the way, and finished with a few minutes left in the gloom. A DORA of merkins, squats and more hill running was waiting for them.

Back to CoT, and joined back up with the runners.

NMM, Announcements, Prayers & Praises.

Thanks to Bodywash for the opportunity to lead.

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Do not be anxious

I think we all can feel it. The holidays are upon us. The calendar is beginning to fill up. The “to-do” list is getting a little bit longer. And all the while, we’re supposed to enjoy this time of year.

Just typing that makes me feel anxious.

Personally, I will be hosting my first Thanksgiving this year. So the anxiety has been building over the last week. Over the same time period, I have felt a need to spend more time studying and praying. So when Kaiser asked me to Q, and to prepare a message if possible, I felt I should share the message I was experiencing, because often times, others are going through similar circumstances.

5 PAX plus YHC took the DRP and showed up on this frosty morning (25degrees in SC?!?). No new faces in the crowd, but disclaimed nonetheless, and added the disclaimer that I would try to delve into the topic of Prayer (Q1.10). Though I am a Christian, I reminded the PAX that F3 is open to ALL men, of ALL faiths.

We moseyed down to the Elementary school parking lot and circled up for a few warm ups:
• 10 Windmills IC
• 25 SSH IC
• 20 LSS IC

Philippians 4:6-7 “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Then we moseyed back up the driveway to behind the stadium scoreboard and continued to warm up with:
• 10 Cherry Pickers IC
• 10 MNC IC
• Followed by some mild stretching

PAX partnered up for Chase the Bear back to the pull ups bars. Partner 1 began Bear Crawling while Partner 2 completed 10 merkins, then caught the bear and flip flopped.

The Thang
PAX all grabbed Cindy’s, and completed the following:
• Carry Cindy to stop sign at bottom of hill
• Murder Bunny with Cindy back up the hill
• Sumo Squats w/ CIndy
• Shoulder Press w/ Cindy
• Curls w/ Cindy
• Tricep Extension w/ Cindy
• Pull ups
First circuit included 10 reps, second circuit 20 reps and attempted third circuit had 30 reps. We lost a few Cindy’s along the way (but I blame the bitter cold for that).

Moseyed back to COT for Mary, but ran out of time in the first set of flutters.

Completed my sermon (aimed directly at myself) that an often neglected aspect of the Get Right is our faith. I encouraged the PAX to spend time daily studying and praying, for we never know when the anxiety will arise.

Name-O-Rama, announcements and prayers for safe travels, good times with our families, those that are experiencing the holidays without a loved ones, and for injuries.

Thanks to Kaiser for the opportunity to lead, and I hope everyone got as much out of it as I did!

Happy Thanksgiving, brothers.

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Convergence – Shop Vac

65 PAX gathered to remember Shop Vac. Probably had closer to 70 at different points during the hour. Fishsticks took the Milkshakers

Lutefish warmup:
Sean Kelley, 56, Shop Vac

There are a couple of young men I was hoping would hear this this morning. While I’m talking to them, I’m also talking to myself and all of you.

We all know that or God, SkyQ, has written our books. He went before us, He knows us by name, and He alone knows when our earthly lives begin and end. God knew our brother Sean was to come home. And it doesn’t make sense to us.

But let me ask you this. What would it be like to know that when it is our time that we would also know that we accomplished the tasks that the Lord created us to do? God knows the great plans He has for each of you. You are here for a reason.

Wouldn’t it feel comforting to know that you full executed your purpose here on earth? Today we celebrate Sean, who I believe did just that. Sean loved his sons. It’s all he talked about when we worked out together. That, and his dream to have a home in Beaufort. He lived out and executed his purpose. We now have 2 of his sons as our brothers, and how great it is that the world is better because of him. Recover on your feet.

I read a quote recently:

“When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced; live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.”

Sean is rejoicing and would want us to do the same. And he would want us to do 56 side straddle hops in cadence.

Split out to:

  • Kettlebells
    • Uhaul
  • Bootcamp: split PAX into two groups for 20min sessions
    • Ruby Slippers
    • Band Camp

Uhaul’s KB workout:
56 Squats
56 Curls
56 Skull Crushers
56 Calf Raises
56 Uhauls
56 Flutters w/ press (4 count)
56 Dead lifts
56 Lawn Mower Pulls R
56 Lawn Mower Pulls L
56 American Hammers
56 LBCs (4 count)

Band Camp’s portion:
EMOM
minute 1 – 20 burpees
minute 2 – 30 jumping lunges
minute 3 – 40 Freddie Mercuries
minute 4 – 50 Carolina Dry Docks
minute 5 – 60 SSH

7s w/ Mike Tysons and Squats
Mode of transportation: bear crawl/crawl bear

Some in cadence jump squats, core work,

I found a backblast from Shop Vac…It reads with a lot more significance to me now. https://f3thefort.com/2021/04/14/403656/
I may have said something asinine while holding a squat and quoting his backblast.
Something like:
Have understanding when I say 5 more squat jumps
Show tolerance when I say 6 more squat jumps
Practice patience when I call 7 more squat jumps
Take direction as we’re now hitting 8 more squat jumps

Did a little sprinting as well with the second group. (Shop Vac would not have approved, and neither did most of the PAX)

NMM: Shop Vac’s love for and pride in his sons was palpable. He made me want to be a better dad. I’m glad to be around men that make me want to be better. Shop Vac was one of those dudes.

Ruby Slippers’s portion:
I had the pleasure of working out a lot with Shop Vac. His attitude, smile, and laughter infected you immediately every time you met him.

YHC remembers a time during COT after a workout where frustrations from my work life came bubbling to the surface. After I vented to the PAX about the situation ( usual selfish rant where everyone else has a problem but me ) and the Q finished prayer, Shop Vac pulled me to the side and gently explained that it was my attitude that needed to be adjusted, not everyone else’s. He did it in a manner where I gladly and thankfully accepted his advice.

The Thang:
At every Shop Vac Q you could count on stations, simple exercises and/or routines, and minimal running. The six was never left behind at a Shop Vac workout so we are using the buddy system to make sure that does not happen at this workout.

Set-up 4 stations in the shape of a square in the middle parking lot at The Armory. 4 stations represented each member of the Kelly family, there were 4 exercises at each station, partner work to complete a cumulative total of 56 reps of each exercise:

Sean’s station:
– Merkins, Diamond Merkins, Wide Arm Merkins, CDD’s
Stacey’s station:
– Crunches in cadence, Flutters in cadence, Big Boy Sit-ups, Straight Lower Leg Lifts
Jack’s station:
– Squats, Jump Squats, Lunges, Jumping Lunges
Brian’s station
– Side Straddle Hops in cadence, Seal Jacks in cadence, Mountain Climbers in cadence, Plank Jacks in cadence.

PAX partner up – complete all 4 exercises at a station and then mosey to the center. YHC stood in the center of the square to represent Francis, Shop Vac’s faithful four-legged companion, where PAX would come to complete 56 monkey humpers.

Continued around the stations until time was called.

Video Evidence: https://twitter.com/jisenhour/status/1456967297453727750

Welcome FNGs: Bow Wow Wow, Bam!, Triple H, Dictator, Wax Off, and Pool Boy

Prayers for Sean’s family.

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VQ with The “Maupin” at the Honey Badger

It was a chilly Monday morning and halfway through “The Murph” with Maximus.  My body was hurting,  muscles wanting to shut down, my mind asking “why?, really ? On a Monday morning “?
I hear Wegmans ask “ Hey DeLorean, you want to Q next Monday ?”   Again my mind saying “ no because we aren’t going to survive  this workout, you aren’t ready,  I don’t feel comfortable doing that”     My response “SURE!”
It’s at these moments the real work and change is done…..so I’m learning.
Anyway…..let’s get on with it.

No Disclaimer 🤦🏼‍♂️

Warm up with some SSH’s, Mtn Climbers, Wind Mill’s. In something that resembles a cadence and I’m not sure what the counts were for each exercise because they were all different.  PAX were halting when I didnt want them to and it was because my tone during the cadence was very very pitchy.   I was planning on more warm up exercises but wanted this failure to end and move onto the main event.

Mosey over to the track and the whiteboard with the “Maupin” written out in detail.  Short explanation of who Army Staff Sgt Keith Mathew Maupin  was and why we are honoring this hero.   PAX held a plank position during this explanation but not because I told them to but wishing it was because I told them to.

Background: Dedicated to U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Keith “Matt” Maupin, 24, of Batavia, Ohio, who disappeared on April 9, 2004, when insurgents south of Baghdad attacked his convoy with small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades. His remains were found on March 20, 2008. Prior to his disappearance, Maupin served as part of the 724th Transportation Company in Bartonville, Illinois.

He is survived by his mother, Carolyn; father, Keith; a brother and sister; and many other friends and family members.

4 Rounds of the following :

  • 800 meter Run
  • 49 Push-Ups
  • 49 Sit-Ups
  • 49 Air Squats

Mosey back to parking lot for COT

5 penalty burpees for Tootie being 1 minute late, which we all did together and burned up a couple minutes of time I had left because I was about to finish early.

Announcements:  Operation Love, Saturday convergence to honor Sean Kelly  “Shop Vac”

Prayers and Praises:  Wegmans- Prayers for his wife who is carrying their 2nd child.
Splinter- Prayers for him during this time of dealing with the loss of 2 of his friends and prayers for their families.

Thanks Wegmans for the invite and for good lessons learned.

#SYITG

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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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Varsity Peer Pressure

I thought I had it timed where I’d roll up at 5:02 and miss the pre-run that Splinter had slacked out the night before.  However, I must have been driving a little to fast and got there at 5:01.  So what did I do…Yup a pre-run.  Wasn’t much of a headlock though he asked and I didn’t have a good excuse lined up so there ya go.  Enjoyed it though having a little convo with Splinter solving world problems.  We were so into it we had to kick it up a knotch speed wise as we rolled up right at 5:15.  Wouldn’t ya know Backdraft was there waiting so I had to kick it in with a brief disclaimer and full out mosey to keep it on time.

Out into the gloom we went for our first stop and the warm up.  SSH, Mtn. Climbers, Windmills, Moroccan night clubs, Imperial walkers and hill billy walkers.  Now on to the meat & potatoes portion of the workout.

We did 5 rounds of HIIT 3 minute exercises (10,15,20) with a Rebel favorite Burpee stack.  Ask him about it.  Followed by lap round the playground in between rounds.  Started out with shoulders, merkins, mtn. climbers and shoulder taps for 3 minutes.  Lap around the playground.  Second round was abs with Big Boys, American hammers and flutters.  I tried to forego the burpee stack but gave into peer pressure again.  Next round was legs, squats, monkey humpers, and calf raises.  Round 4 was SSH,  overhead claps,  and Moroccan night clubs.  Pax choice was round 5 and we ended up with abs.  Mosey back to COT and 10 burpees to finish up the workout.

Thanks Splinter for the opportunity.

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Impromptu

10 PAX @ 0515, but no Q

Kaiser tapped me to run point until B.O.B. arrived

Warmup circle near parking area to make sure BOB wasnt’ searching for us when (if?) he arrived.
Did some warmup stuff
-SSH
-MC
-Shoulder Tap
-Yoga
-a few burpees
-Merkins
-more yoga
Trying to buy time for B.O.B.

Went to the track took a lap to thing about what we were going to do.

Goal Line
– bear crawl as a group, stopping every 10 yards for 5 merkins
– stop at the 50

50 yardline, partner up
– one partner goes one way the other goes toward the other goalline
– Lunge walk out
– 10 American Hammers (called by ‘el Spaniard)
– go to the 40
– sprint back to the 50
– go to the 30
– etc.

After finishing line up on the far goal line
– bear crawl as a group, stopping every 10 yards for 5 merkins
– stop at the 50

B.O.B. finally shows and we head to the pull-up bars for 7s with
– Squat Thrusters using a cinderblock
– Pull-ups

COT for some mary

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