Tag: Maximus

Snowman suicide at Sweep The Leg

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YHC was late to the party placing cones for the beatdown so my man Gears lead the charge from StartEx. YHC was rolling up as the PAX were rolling out so I quickly parked and jail broke it towards the elementary school parking lot untied shoes and all.

Disclaimer was quickly disclaimed, thank you Maximus for providing cues as YHC struggled to be able to talk and tie shoes at the same time.
The Snowman Suicide was on tap for the unsuspecting PAX and boy was it going to be a doozy.

During this trying time, everyone is dealing with something and I wanted to remind everyone that Life is a team sport. And developed a beatdown that allows every single guy an opportunity to jockey for the top spot. This allows for the man out front to be continually pushed so that no one gets to take a break, no matter their individual fitness level.

Just as with anything in life, we are going to have setbacks, and we must remember that during these setbacks we must focus on the path forward and learn from the experience. It is also during these times that we must share that experience with our fellow PAX and those close to us; To allow them to learn without having to make the same mistakes for themselves.
“CLEAR THE PATH”
“LIGHT THE WAY”
The details:
Ten cones are placed along the route from the Elementary school teacher parking lot through the carpool dropoff lane over to the bus lot all the way around to Dam road.
Each cone has an exercise written on it. Every exercise will be performed 10 times.
This is a suicide workout but not just any suicide. It’s a slinky suicide of life so you go up 3 cones then back 2. Meaning that everyone will start by performing the exercise listed at cone#1 then the PAX will sprint past three cones to cone#4 to perform the exercise before coming back two cones to cone#2 to complete the exercise.
Then run to cone#5 to do the exercise, then back to perform the exercise listed on cone#3 and so on and so forth all the way up to cone#10.
So each time the guy in the lead is making progress by one cone but it’s taking him a lot of effort and having to backtrack a ton.

Here comes the kicker:
The kicker is that when the man in first-place finishes the exercise after coming back to cone #2 he then yells “Charge or Onward” and starts to run towards cone#5. Every person that he passes that are still on their way back to cone#2 skips the exercise at cone#2 and joins the leaders heading to cone#5. The leader has already cleared the path and is now lighting the way towards the next cone/challenge of life. Everyone can learn from the leaders experience and head towards the next challenge together. COVID SIDE NOTE: When I say together let me clarify that the distance between cones was large enough that social distancing was easy to maintain along the route (a full-sized road with no traffic) and ample hills to naturally separate the PAX. It is an extremely difficult process that allows every PAX to pick each other up and challenge themself to get better.

Here is the list of exercises
#1: Mack Tar Jighs
#2: Suicide Squats
#3: SSH
#4: Bomb Jacks
#5: ChaCha Merkins
#6: Bobby Hurleys
#7: Hand Release Merkins
#8: Jump Squats
#9: CDD
#10: Burpees

I try to hit all of the 3S2T in all of my Q’s and I feel this one delivered. The speed, strength, and stamina were definitely worked on and the constant switchbacks and hills really focused on the mental and physical toughness aspects. The look on guy’s faces during the beatdown showed the struggle but the encouragement was strong.

I think we made it through the burpees then back down to the Cone # 4 before having to jail brake all the way back to COT.
Great work was put in by all and I think the leaders got in over 4.6 miles and who knows how many exercises.
Count-A-Rama, Name-A-Rama, Announcements and Prayers and Praises before a circle of man.

It was a pleasure to witness the longest shooting star I have ever seen with you gents.

Thank you to Gears for the opportunity to lead these great HIM.
Stay Frosty My Friends!
Olaf

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5

APFT volume 2 of 7

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APFT vol 2 of 7 results:

2 mins AMRAP merkins for count, 2 mins AMRAP big boy sit ups for count, and timed 2 mile run.

Points are awarded for count/time bracketed by age group. Personal Record (PR) is for GC’s APFT’s from June thru December 2020, not necessarily PAX PR of all time. 1st attempt pax are PR

PAX, # of reps/time (scores), total points/ave points, +/- previous ave (PR?)
Maximus, 83 merkins (100), 70 bbsu (94), 13:08 (100) = 294/98.0 +2.3 PR
Gekko, 80 merkins (100), 56 bbsu (89), 14:34 (99) = 288/96 PR
Cha Ching, 92 merkins (100), 70 bbsu (93), 13:59 (95) = 288/96 PR
Dark Helmet, 79 merkins (100), 57 bbsu (85), 16:06 (83) = 268/89.3 -4
Nature Boy, 54 merkins (77), 85 bbsu (100), 13:45 (90) = 267/89 PR
Olaf, 70 merkins (95), 48 bbsu (67), 13:52 (95) = 257/85.7 +3 PR
BOT, 90 merkins (100), 50 bbsu (69), 14:53 (86) = 255/85 0
Change Order, 62 merkins (96), 57 bbsu (85), 17:28 (71) = 252/84.0 -1.7
Body Wash, 72 merkins (99), 39 bbsu (61), 14:50 (84) = 244/81.3 +4 PR
Lutefisk, 57 merkins (82), 53 bbsu (73), 16:29 (72) = 227/75.7 +6.4 PR
Falcon Crest, 52 merkins (76), 51 bbsu (71), 16:21 (73) = 220/73.3 PR
Tardy, 69 merkins (94), 52 bbsu (72), 20:12 (37) = 203/67.7 PR
Lox, 45 merkins (77), 36 bbsu (64), 19:13 (56) = 197/65.7 PR
Hacksaw, 68 merkins (96), 63 bbsu (76), 18:03 (31) = 175/58.3 PR
Shop Vac, 36 merkins (78), 12 bbsu (44), DNF (53) = 175/58.3 PR

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8

Punch List hand off to Maximus at The Coop

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2 guys showed at The Coop for a little pre-Ruck and life chat then the phone rang. With his Concentrica in order, Punch List had to head home. Thankfully, I attended most of elementary school so I knew how to read and really, that’s all I had to do. With the already-scripted Weinke on the Steve, I proceeded to Q the 9 other PAX through a rather nice tour of our mill town’s eastern most high school. Some would call this AO the best we have. I’m not sure on that one but it is definitely the most used.

Once the PAX were made aware of the unintentional Q bait ‘n switch, they were then disclaimed and led off into some dynamic stretching movements through the parking lot. I’m still not too sure what that means but hey, so it is written, so it’ll be done.

The message from Punch List to the PAX today was about community and truly loving your neighbor as we have the perfect example to follow .

The first stop was for some Hops & Burpees:
5 SSH (all in cadence)
1 Burpee (eventually all Burpees would be in cadence)
10 SSH
2 Burpees
15 SSH
3 Burpees
20 SSH
4 Burpees
25 SSH
5 Burpees
20 SSH
4 Burpees
15 SSH
3 Burpees
10 SSH
2 Burpees
5 SSH
1 Burpee

John 13:34-35: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Go ahead and think about that for a few moments.

We tend to judge others by their actions yet we judge ourselves by our intentions. What if we gave others the same measure of grace that we give to ourselves?
REPEATED

Mosey to the top of the hill by the pull-up bars for a set of 11’s:
10 pull-ups, run down the hill for 1 Bobby Hurley at the stop sign. Run back to the top.
9 pull-ups, run down the hill for 2 Bobby Hurley at the stop sign. Run back to the top.
Repeat all the way until you complete the last set which consisted of 1 pull-up & 10 Bobby Hurley’s.

Mosey to the goal line on the nearside of the field:
Bear crawl to the 50 with 2 Merkins every 10 yards.
Crawl bear back to the goal line with 2 Merkins (was CDD but that’s not in the cards for me right now)  every 10 yards.

COT

Punch List had more planned for the PAX but I got a little long-winded so it’ll have to wait for next time.

Pray for Cash!!

Punch List (by way of Maximus)…out
SYITG

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5

DIY DORA + Hill Repeats

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This was YHC’s second Q at MP – and what a joy it was. I scanned through all *cough* ten *cough* of the back blasts to ensure the weinke was worth the price of admission.

As the HIM rolled in, the clock struck 0513 and we headed to the flag to say the pledge of allegiance. 

0514: Disclaimer, quick run down of the warm up lap and a hint at the plan for the day. 

And we’re off.

.55 mile loop at a 6:45 pace up Main St, left on Clebourne, left on 160, back to the gravel lot for a quick few movements.

 

Dynamic Warm Up

Karaoke in Gravel Lot, facing 160 out and back

Side Shuffle in Gravel Lot, facing 160 out and back

Butt Kickers

Circled up for Wind Mills in the paved lot.

It was at this moment that the bat flippers thought I wouldn’t get the required mileage due to the stop for the wind mills. I enjoyed their words and snickered on the inside as we prepped to head out.

 

Weinke

The weinke was to be simple, but effective; a DIY DORA, if you will.

Start at the base of Massey St and mosey up to the end of the Sisk Memorial Church Parking Lot

Upon arriving at the end of the lot each PAX was to do the following:

10 Merkins

20 Squats

30 LBCs

Mosey back down the hill, rinse and repeat ten times to total 100-200-300.

After that first lap, it got awfully quiet. As we passed each other, like ships in the night, each PAX put in the work necessary to conquer “Hill One.” Esso did give me a good laugh. At one point he and I passed and he whispered “I hate you right now.” 100% worth it.

Fish Sticks, Long Duck, Maximus, and Gears led the pack as the rest of us hobbled behind. I am sad to say that nobody completed the full 10 rounds, though a few hard hitters made it 9. 

As quickly as it started, it ended, and we ran back to COT across 160. 3.9 miles total.

 

Naked Man Moleskine

This weinke, again, was simple yet effective. YHC has been attending Sweep The Leg and the hills have been my downfall. My goal today was to target a weakness and attack it, in the hopes to become better. That is the life we as leaders must live, or else we will become stagnant and fail. 

We should have this perspective with our faith as well. I think of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 9:26-27.

26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

This is the way we must live out our faith. For if we run aimlessly and without plan, the enemy will overtake us. Take some time today to focus on your current path and what trajectory you are on – intentional or unintentional. 

 

Thanks, Shanks, for the fun times today.

Punch List out. 

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7

Burpee Prison

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Seven PAX in total on a warm humid morning.

started with: Mosey Run (Toy soldiers, Butt Kickers, High Knees)
Warm up:
SSH (IC 12x)
Windmill (IC 12x)
Imperial Walker (IC 12x)
Moroccan Nightclub (IC 12x)
Low Slow Squats (IC12x)
Peter Parker (IC 12x)
Plank stretches
Downward dogs
Honeymooners

Thang 1 Prison Yard Burpees
Divided pax into two groups to use two half-courts.
Setup on a half-basketball court (this is your prison yard). Ten burpees in corner 1, then bear crawl to corner 2. Nine burpees in corner 2, lunge walk to corner 3. Eight burpees in corner 3, bear crawl to corner 4. Seven burpees in corner 4, lunge walk to corner 1. Continue in similar manner 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, ending with 1 burpee. Sum is 55 burpees this round.
When done: flutter kicks for the six

Short mosey run

Thang 2 Bench work
At the school’s benches:
20 incline merkins
20 Dips
20 step ups, 10 ea leg
20 decline merkins
20 butt touch squats
20 calf raises

Short mosey run

Thang 3 Back to Prison
Start at the first cone again but begin with 6 burpees and transverse around like the above. Thus doing 6,5,4,3,2,1 burpees. Sum of 21 this round, and 76 burpees total.

Short mosey run

Thang 3 Global Warming
Did: bobby hurleys, squats, monkey humpers, LBC, Freddie mercuries, gas pumpers, amer hammers

Thang 4 Sally routine
Moby’s “Flower”, we did leg lifts: bring Sally up= legs up; bring Sally down= 6 inch leg hold.
Song is about 3:30, I think about 23 ups/downs.

Fini
COT

NMM: Praises for my 20th wedding anniversary coming on July 1st.

Addiction takes many forms.   Pornography is one of those addictions.  Don’t let it put your mind in a prison.  There is help out there: shield lock, pastors, counselors.  Seek and you shall find.

 

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3

Rust removal via building pyramids

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22 HIM descended upon Golden Corral, 6 of whom opted for the Fire Ant.  Prior to arrival YHC wrote out the exercises with sidewalk chalk around the grounds and was quickly reminded how rough the parking lot surfaces were around the grounds.  While it made for a few challenges to write things out, all was sketched legibly enough for the attending PAX to enjoy.   The fun was about to begin.

The boot campers ventured off with YHC around the A/O grounds.  Cabana Boy and Slow Jams were also present but YHC could not find them in the tags.  Cobains.   YHC was coming off a week of vacation and looked forward to getting back out with the PAX.  It was time to roll

Here’s what we did.

Mosey to Grace Presby parking lot for the warm up (just before the signs went up for voters).

Imperial and Hillbilly Walkers x 10 (D/C and I/C – Olaf  decided to make the exercise literal

5 burpees after each

Low slow squat x 10 holding into people’s chair after the 10th rep to do the following (all D/C and in cadence)  Morroccan night clubs x10, air press x 10 and shoulder tap x 10

Recover to standing position for 5 more burpees before 15 SSH D/C I/C and off to the Harris Teeter wall for:

Wall Sits while each PAX did 3 burpees.  Cha Ching had the best burpee form.  YHC did not.

Mosey to the back lot, into the fresh country air with accompanying humidity and the main event: Partner Pyramid Work – DORA style.

PAX paired off – 16 made for 8 teams of 2.  While Partner 1 started the pyramid, partner 2 ran to the opposite end of the lot, through the clean smelling aforementioned air, did an assigned exercise for each trip and returned to switch off, picking up exercises where the partner left off on the pyramid.

Run #1 & 5 – 10 burpees

Run #2 & 6 – 10 squats

Run #3 & 7 – 10 diamond merkins

Run #4 & 8 – 10 wide arm merkins

The pyramid was 10 lines total – 5 lines down and 5 lines back up

10 burpees

10 burpees and 20 squats

10 burpees, 20 squats and 30 merkins

10 burpees, 20 squats, 30 merkins and 40 flutters

10 burpees, 20 squats, 30 merkins, 40 flutters & 50 jump squats

50 jump squats, 40 flutters, 30 merkins, 20 squats & 10 burpees

40 flutters, 30 merkins, 20 squats & 10 burpees

30 merkins, 20 squats & 10 burpees

20 squats & 10 burpees

10 burpees

Work was done around a little mumble chatter (but just a little), PAX got better and finished just in time to mosey briskly to COT for a 1-minute geometry class.  A protractor ab exercise was completed for 60 seconds at varying degrees.  For some reason, 0 degrees was the preferred choice but we never quite got there.  At 0600, we called time and circled up for name o rama, announcements, prayers and praises

Announcements:

Convergence at WEP on 7-11

Classroom ready notebook fundraiser is in full swing and runs through the end of June.    Questions – reach out to Bonsai.

Praises were offered up and prayers were offered up for those battling addictions and for families as well.

NMM – In a time of crisis, all of us benefit from routines, disciplines and accountability – staying true to the values and standards that make us the leaders we are called to be – at home with our families, at our places of work and in our community.  In any crisis, a person can only rise to the level of their training.  As we work our way through this pandemic it is YHC’s hope for all PAX that they look around and know that no matter what they are going through, we all can use the unforeseen events of the past months as opportunity to enhance our resolve, encourage one another and to help one another accelerate in our development of all dimensions – physical, mental, professional, spiritual, the list goes on.

My thanks to Lutefisk for the call out and opportunity to Q.  It was good to get out in the gloom and accelerate with a great group of #HIM.  I’m thankful for all of you.

Honored,

Cyclops

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Great Way to Start the Week

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It was a privilege to Q the newest AO “Sweep the Leg” this week.  The term in one of my favorite movies, “Karate Kid”.  Lots of life lessons, bad 80s music, and my Hollywood crush, Elisabeth Shue. What a beauty!

Ok, back to the workout.  Pretty simple and repetitive.  Run a lap around the parking lot.  In the main lot, there were exercises (Carolina Dry Docks, LBCs, Merkins, Jump Squats – 20 of each) at each one of the four light poles.  Sprint between the light poles.  Run a lap around the parking lot..Rinse and Repeat.

Great job by everyone.  Lots of men getting better and encouraging each other.

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2

Back to school

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Warm-up:
Mosey from parking lot down the the drop-off circle in front of the elementary school. There we did the following:
SSH
Hillbilly Walker
Moroccan Night club

Continued to mosey around the loop and around the middle school drop off and then over to the basketball court. There we did a few more warm-up exercises which I don’t remember at this time.

Once the Pax were good and warm we kicked off the starfish. YHC was expecting heavy rain and potential thunderstorms so the plan was to stay under the breezeways connecting the elementary school and middle. At each end point Pax would have 2 exercises to do. Pax completed one of the two exercises listed at each spot each time through. Every time pax came through the main intersection they did 5 burpees. All pax completed 4 rounds for a total of 60 burpees each.

Exercises:
Station 1 – Mike Tysons and Diamond Merkins (10)
Station 2 – Big Boy Sit-ups and Leg Raises (20)
Station 3 – Back Rows and Dead-lifts (15)
Station 4 – Squats and Dirty Myrtles (20)

Burpees between stations – 60 Total

After 4 rounds complete we have a few minutes left for the following:
LBCs with feet on wall
2 rounds of 10 Mike Tyson Merkins and 20 Dirty Myrtles

Then we headed back for COT after covering about 2 miles, a bunch of exercises and a little rain.

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The Herd at Sweep The Leg

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Week 3 of Sweep The Leg was not about to be a letdown. Apparently, 24 other PAX posted to hold me accountable in ensuring they got the return on their investment, too. Gears started this AO a few weeks ago to present the PAX with an opportunity to push themselves harder and faster than currently offered at another AO, at least on a Monday. It is so easy to come out of the gates hot but the hard work is in consistency. Hard work was what we did for 40 of the 45mins this morning which concluded with some up hills and a jail break to ensure we finished as strong as we started.

Lots and lots of headlights kept rolling into the lot and as we were about to start the disclaimer, 4 more cars rolled in. So…
Sweeper identified…check (Thank you Cake Boss)
Overview  of Sweep The Leg for the rookies…check
Count off…25, are you serious?
Disclaimer…check

Warm up mosey out of the lot, L/T Len Patterson, L/T 160, L/T Dave Gibson Blvd and circle up at intersection with Ben Casey Dr.

Warm Up
Wind Mills
Imperial Walkers
Moroccan Night Clubs
5 Burpees

Overview of the pace. When I say “Get It”, it’s your fast pace or All You Got to get to the next stop. If you’re in the first wave of runners to get to the destination, we’ll be starting the exercises and doing them until the 6 got in.

Get It: To parking lot in front of GHES
Box Cutters
Dying Cockroaches
10 Burpees

Get It: End of straight way in front of the schools to the lot for Colosseum
5 Merkins

Get it: Run the GHMS drop-off loop then 1/2 the GHES loop taking us to the benches near the basketball hoops
20 Derkins
20 Dips
10 Carolina Dry Docks

Get it: Run to the end of the bus parking lot, run back, run to the end of the lot again and stop

Get it: Run up the long, never-ending bus entrance hill to just before Dam Rd and back to the start.
Mountain Climbers (keep the merlot down)
Peter Parker
Parker Peter

Get it: Run the remaining loop in front of GHES to the bottom of the hill on Dave Gibson Blvd.
5 Burpees

Get it: Run to 160, back to Patricia Ln (almost all the way back to the bottom of the hill), then back up to Ben Casey and thanks to Vuvuzela, circle up in the bank parking lot.
Merkins
Diamonds
Wide-Arm
American Hammer

Now really get it: Run down the straightaway back to COT.

Gears, I appreciate what you’re doing here. Thank You.
If anyone is still reading this, please wear black on Wednesday but something reflective if you’re running.

SYITG,
Maximus

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5

Man In The Mirror…at the Minnow Pond

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Differences between this version of Minnow Pond and the last time I Q’d the MP:
1. Societal tension coming from years of oppression and ignorance.
2. The disgusting humidity
3. PAX age range: 14-57

One of these, we discussed & analyzed.
One of these, we suffered through.
One of these, we appreciate.

For the first time in I don’t know how long, there were 0 PAX for extra credit BUT (anything before the but doesn’t matter) we had 11 of us post for the Pledge of Allegiance to our great Nation at 0514. A brief disclaimer followed by a very brief warm-up mosey followed by a very, very brief round of Windmills  led us into the substantive portion of the post.
With the Nation (and world) now (and always, really), we need to address our own personal sins and shortcomings before looking elsewhere. We have to own it rather than saying it is due to someone or something else. Specific to our present tensions onset by centuries of racial injustice, what have I turned a blind eye to, or what have I tolerated? In other words, we need to have a Michael Jackson moment by taking a look at the Man In The Mirror.

As he sings in that song,
“I’m starting with the man in the mirror
I’m asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you want to make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change.”

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zqe5NP86OCc

A key component to addressing these ignorance’s and learning is to put yourself into challenging 1:1 conversations. In the spirit of the 1:1, we’d be doing 1.1mi loops with 3 stops along each loop.

The loop had us run up Massey to the gas station for stop 1. R/T onto Harris then R/T McCammon then into the Founders bank lot for stop 2. R/T Clebourne then R/T Main St then back to the AO parking lot for stop 3.

At each stop:
10 Mak Tar Jai’s
10 Inch Worms
10 Toe Touches
10 Mountain Merkins (4ct Moutain Climber + 1 Merkin)

After completing the first lap, I realized the rep count was a bit too aggressive. So, we cut it from 10 to 5 and I think everyone was able to complete at least 2 laps.  Had I talked a bit less in the beginning, we might’ve even gotten to a full 3 laps.

Back at COT, we talked about the topic a bit more, shared some announcements and offered prayers & praises. Great start to the day with brothers to my left & right.

Maximus

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