Alcatraz – Worth Swimming To The Island

I picked this Q up from Badlands just the other day due to a scheduling conflict on his end so I knew, at least I told myself, I should honor him with what would most likely have been a good workout. He probably would’ve called for a little more running but after all, I was the Q this time so while we did focus on Fitness, it was more strength-related.
I hope he was honored and Masterpiece was pleased with the outcome.

WARMUP: Sure, why not. I think we should run around the long side of the park and make our way to the bottom of Tega Cay Drive. There we’ll do Imperial Walkers & Merkins. What’s better than doing it once? Doing it twice. We stopped there.
THE THANG: Listen here fellas, we gonna NUR up a hill we usually RUN up. So here goes:
NUR 1/3 of the way up the hill, face down hill, perform 10 Derkins then run back to the start.
NUR 2/3 of the way up the hill, face down hill, perform 20 Derkins then run back to the start.
NUR to the top, put your feet on a curb and perform 30 Derkins then STAY PUT.

Next, follow me to the Pull-Up Bars…notice the “s.” That’s right, there are two, one bar allows you to gain an assist from the big ball and one allows you to perform the exercise the old fashioned way.
With two PAX doing pull ups, the other 7 will hold an elbow plank until it is there turn to grip the metal bars and fight gravity by pulling your body skyward.
We did 3 rounds of this then swapped out the elbow plank for squat holds and performed 2 additional rounds of pull ups.

Next up, mosey over to the top of Tara Tea Drive (3 people know where that is so look it up).
Lunge walk DOWN the hill. You’d think I was speaking Swahili by some of the looks I got. You heard me, lunge walk DOWN the hill but keep your voice down ’cause it’s 0657 and here under the dome in the venison village of Tega Cay, most residents still be snoozing…soft.
The PAX eventually did what they thought was a lunge walk down to the bottom and I was close to the “6”, which I love because, well, you know.
The weinke said jump squats which I know we didn’t do. 2 people MIGHT read this so what we did at this stopping point likely doesn’t matter. But for the 2 of you enthralled readers, we then sprinted up the hill (I wasn’t the 6, or the 12 for this one) and performed 5 Burpees for the passers by. Much to the surprise of absolutely nobody, Fish Sticks was the 12 on the uphill sprints. He sometimes makes me think he could fight Father Time and earn a belt for his efforts. Actually, Father Time just might be Senator Tressel and his knee brace that does nothing to slow him down, so I’m not sure if Fish Sticks would earn the belt. It’d be worth buying popcorn for that one, however.
Then jog down the hill back to the start. Here, I know we performed the Carolina Dry Docks then followed ‘Sticks to the top for 5 more burpees.
Two of these is enough.
Next up, mosey to the AO’s nice smooth parking lot. It’s way better now than the not-so-good old days of loose gravel and broken glass bottles of Miller Lite & Red Stripe left behind by the inmates reliving their All-State Softball days the night before.
Now, the Tramp Stamp initiator, AKA Captain Thor:
1 Big Boy Sit Up : 4 American Hammers I/C
We graduated up to 5:20 then kept the 20 ‘Hammers I/C while increasing the BBSU’s. So, 6:20, 7:20 up to 10:20…get it?

Take a lap around the baseball fields but stay on the grass; can’t get the kicks dirty.

Next up, Jack Webb the traditional way, with 1 Merkin : 4 Overhead Claps on up to 10:40.

Next up, 2 columns, Santini style.
Left foot forward and perform lunges. When we finished, we performed the “lunge pulse.”
Switch legs and do the same thing.
Drop to a plank for Hand-Release Merkins.
Drop to 6″ and now, Hand-Release Merkin pulses.

And, we’re done!

MARY: See above.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Yes, of course.
COT: Had to be there.

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Circuit

WARMUP: cherry pickers, windmills, Moroccan night clubs
THE THANG: 5 pain stations
1. Sandbag – 20 dead lift, squat, shoulder toss
2. Kettlebell – 20 curls, swings, overhead press
3. 25 merkins, dry docks, shoulder taps
4. 25 SSH, squats, imperial walkers
5. 25 LBC’s, flutter, American hammer

Rinse and repeat for 45 minutes
MARY:
ANNOUNCEMENTS: convergence, golf tournament, Christmas party
COT: travel, family, patience

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No One Escapes Alcatraz Without Doing Hard Labor

Pulled in with 5 minutes to spare, unloaded the whiteboard of pain, and got ready to honor someone who fought harder than we ever will in a 45-minute workout.
Today’s beatdown was in memory of Kathleen “Mrs. Burns,” the M of F3 Puget Sound’s Burns, who courageously battled pancreatic cancer for 571 days before passing on August 21, 2022. The workout was built as a tribute to her strength, endurance, and spirit.

THE WOD: “Mrs. Burns” Tribute
(Goal: 5 rounds – Completed: 3 rounds IC)
Buy-In: Run ~0.35 miles (approx. 500M)
Each Round (x3):
– 20 Overhead Coupon Presses
– 20 Burpees
– 20 Curls
– 20 V-Ups
– 20 Goblet Squats
– 13 Man-Makers
– Run ~0.35 miles again

Team Grinder – The Block Chain:
– Stack all Cindy’s at the front
– Line up the PAX
– First HIM passes a block down the line
– Last HIM restacks it, moves to the back
– Repeat until every man has cycled through
– (Yes, it was slow. Yes, it burned. Yes, we’ll probably do it again.)

COT:
– Announcements, praises, and prayer
– Challenge: Carry more than just weight today—carry each other
– Wrapped with Coffeeteria at Tega Cay Deli because fellowship matters

Strong men showed up. Stronger reasons kept us going.
#MrsBurns #PushThroughThePain #F3Strong

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Last minute DORAs

WARMUP: SSHs
THE THANG:
Dora #1 – Farmers Carry
– 50 burpees
– Squats w calf raises 100
– Mike Tyson’s 150
– Mountain climbers 200
Dora #2
– Man makers 50
– Goblet squats with calf raises 100
– Halos 100
– Plank pass throughs 100

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Music and Merkins

45 minutes of music.

A “base” exercise with another exercise when a key word or phrase is said.

1. Running up the hill mountain climbers until you hear the word running. Then you’d run up a hill.
2. Voodoo Child- calf raises until “mountain then 3 jump squats.
3. That Energy- BBS until “that energy “ then 8 flutter kicks
4. Eye of the Tiger- Squat Punch until “Tiger” then run a lap
5. Why do we fall- Burpees the entire song
6. Kingdom- Hammers until “Kingdom” 10 toe touches
7. Phenomenal- 1st verse plank then HR Merkins on None. 2nd verse wall sit then squats 3rd verse Superman/banana.
8. Like a prayer- squats until prayer.. then 5 knee-tar-jas
9. Diamond Eyes- shoulder taps them 25 LBCS on “boom”
10. Danger Zone- run until “danger zone” then 3 burpees
11. Everyday I’m hustling- lunge walk until hustlin then do high knees
12. Thinking about me- Imperal walkers until Thinking then Catalina wine mixers.

Ended right at 6:00

It was fast but fun.

Thanks to all who endulged my stupidity.

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80 tv commercial: “C’mon everybody, Skip It!!!”

Warmup:
SSH
Windmill
Cherry pickers
imperial walkers
Hillbillies
Peter Parker’s
Plank
Leg Swings

First exercise:
2 laps around Runde
– 20 merkins / 20 squats x 4
– At pull-up station – 5 pull-ups, while PAX Al Gore (1st), planks (2nd)

Second exercise:
11s – Bobby Hurleys / Calf Raises
MOTs change each time, focusing on techniques to help with sprinting
– Butt Kicks
– 2 x 2 butt kicks: butt kicks twice on right, twice on left
– Normal Skip
– Delay skips – push off with toe
– Fast skip – put foot down as fast as possible
– High Skip (Gump skips) – fist in the air, leg high
– Long skips – increase stride
– B skips – show to know. Extend leg out, mid skip (best to see a You Tube video)
– Normal Skip
– Sprint

Third exercise
– bear crawl to 3 stations
– 15 CDDs
– 15 low slow squats
– 15 big boys

Mary:
– leg lifts
– Flutters

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Over the hill and through the woods

WARMUP: Side straddle hop, cherry pickers, windmills.
THE THANG: Ruck to pain station 1, (20) Ruck Curls, Ruck up halfway to the big hill, (20) Ruck Curl and Upright Rows, Ruck Up the Big Hill, add Calf raises to the list, ruck through the woods out to the church, 20 squats and finish.
MARY: LBCs, more LBCs, flutters, dollys, mercury’s, and more.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: MURPH, second MURPH
COT: Prayers and Praises

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Almost too much

WARMUP: SSH out of sync optional, Cherry pickers, moroccan night clubs, slow merkins, Imperial walkers
THE THANG: 1 man tosses the 60# 30 yards, NURs back. Meanwhile, groups of 4 rotate between pull-ups, merkins, and thrusters. 11 rounds.
Bag carry hill walk
EMOM 10 burpees for 6 rounds
MARY: Core baby
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
COT:

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This Shirt Stinks

11 men toured the Ranch this morning to get a full body beatdown. The workout received the shirtless Change Order seal of approval, so pretty good start to the day. Here’s what we did.

Warm Up
– 10 Low Slow Squats (IC)
– 10 Imperial Walkers (IC)
– 10 SSHs (IC)

The Thang
Mosey to the front of SMS
– 20 Squats, Lap
– 20 Squats, 20 Merkins, Lap
– 20 Squats, 20 Merkins, 20 American Hammers

Mosey to the back of SMS
– 20 Forward Arm Circles (IC)
– 20 Backward Arm Circles (IC)
– 20 Seal Claps (IC)
– 20 Overhead Claps (IC)

Mosey to the back of SES
– 20 Flutter Kicks, Lap
– 20 Flutter Kicks, 20 Alternating Shoulder Taps, Lap
– 20 Flutter Kicks, 20 Alternating Shoulder Taps, 20 Burpees

Mosey to car loop
– 20 Wall Lunges
– 20 Wall LBCs (IC)
– 10 Australian Mountain Climbers (IC)

Mosey to picnic tables
– 20 Calf Raises (IC)
– 10 Derkins (IC)
– 20 Dips (IC)

Mosey to bus loop
– 20 Bombjacks, Lap
– 20 Bombjacks, 20 Wide Arm Merkins, Lap
– 20 Bombjacks, 20 Wide Arm Merkins, 20 Butterfly Sit-ups

Mosey to alley
– Wall Sits and 10 Merkins each
– 10 Dirty Hook-ups (hands) IC
– 10 Dirty Hook-ups (feet) IC

Mosey to COT
– 10 Boxcutters (IC)
– 10 Reverse Boxcutters (10)
– 10 Pretzel Crunches

NMM
How many of us have said something we wish we could take back? I know I’ve burned bridges and hurt feelings because I didn’t control my words. It happens, but we should strive to reduce the frequency by being slow to anger and biting our tongues. Words have the power to build or break. You can’t take back toxic talk and bitter babble. “Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity” – Proverbs 21:33.

Let’s keep that in mind when frustrated at work or when arguing with loved ones. What has been said cannot be unsaid. Sometimes silence is best.

Aye!
IJ

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