Chalk up the Pain

29 Men descended on the Colosseum for a downpainment delivered via sidewalk chalk and a discussion on You vs. You.

There are enemies around all of the time and as men we are challenged to defeat those enemies one by one. Often overlooked is the enemy of one’s true self. This may be the most challenging enemy in our effort to become a better man.

In fighting with our enemies, we often look at overcoming the battles and winning the war. For example, to overcome alcohol addiction there is a 12 step process. This works because no one can overcome the war of addiction in one step. It takes winning individual battles…or steps.

To become a better man as we are called to do in Ephesians 5, it is much the same strategy. Get a little better as part of a journey to ultimately be the man that you want to be. It doesn’t happen overnight. There is no cold turkey quitting that offers long term benefit. It is baby steps, one at a time, with an understanding that the enemy is always out there. These enemies are called pride, selfishness and greed to name a few.

The Thang

Mosey to parking lot (Lots of mumble chatter here…love it!)

Stop along the way for 5 Burpees…quieted some of the chatter

COP

30 SSHs

5 Burpees

15 IWs

4 Burpees

10 Merkins

3 Burpees

10 Windmills

2 Burpees

15 Squats

1 Burpee

Mosey to back parking lot

9 Stations  each with a different exercise and sidewalk chalk

Do each exercise for 1 minute. Write down the number of times you completed

Station 1 – Burpees

Station 2 – Flutter kicks

Station 3 – Wide Arm Merkins

Station 4 – Bombjacks

Station 5 – American Hammers

Station 6 – Jumping Lunge

Station 7 – Donkey Kicks

Station 8 – Elbow Plank

Station 9 – Carolina Dry Docks

Rinse and repeat station asking that you do 1 additional rep per station

Mosey home

 

Moleskin

  • Convergence on July 4th at Pantheon
  • Upcoming Sweati on 7/14
  • CnW discussing your One Word on 6/29
  • Tclaps to Ginsu for living the mission of #218 with another FNG – Love Boat
  • Prayers for Bob the Builder, Father in Law, Deacon’s M

It was a pleasure to lead the Pax and all 3 Fs were accomplished with a visit to Crossroads led by Bonsai after. Thanks to Jekyll for the opportunity!

Pusher out!

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Find accountability in your life

YHC was called out of the bullpen to assist the originally scheduled Q – Crab Cakes since he was bi-coastal. Leading up to the morning WO, YHC struggled to figure out what to include in the weinke. The only thing that was a requirement was rugby sprints in honor of Crab Cakes. As I was pulling out the garage,  it dawned on me that each of the student parking rows at FMHS had numbers at the beginning identifying the row number. I couldn’t recall a WO utilizing those row numbers, so grabbed some chalk on the way out. However, as I was sitting in the car at the AO formulating the weinke, I found a deck of cards in the console and thought of Maximus’s infamous WOs. But I realized I should stick to the plan and be accountable for what I planned for. As we were all gathering around for the start, someone mentioned the pull up bars on site and Deacon said “there’s pulll up bars here?” Of course this peaked my interest (Shocker) and so I had to show the newbies the location. Even though the weinke was modified, accountability had a theme for today since it is the last day of the month and the monthly word (read end of backblast for more on this theme)

Mossy to the band field for some warm ups. Mossy towards location of pull ups, halfway there, stop for 20 squats. At pull ups, max out on pull ups, then do 25 LBCs; rinse and repeat 3xs.

Mossy back to band field for 4x4s. 1 burpee with 4 merkins. 10 OYO.

Line up at goal line, conduct 4 rounds of Rugby Sprints.

Mossy to parking lot:

Row 1: 1 Burpee – run to other end of parking lot and back to next odd number row

Row 3: 3 CCD – rinse repeat run through 13 rows

Row 5: 5 Squats

Row 7: 7 merkins

Row 9: SSH

Row 11: LBCs

Row 13: Flutters

Mossy to COT for 3 minutes of Abs: Big Boy Sit Ups, Big Boy Sit Ups with one leg extended out 6 inches from ground – switch legs, flutters, american hammers, dying cockroach.

COT: Today is the last day for May’s word of the month theme of accountability, with June’s word of the month being Impact. As Chickenhawk wrapped up discussing accountability with a Whetstone partner, I wanted to piggy back on that. Yesterday was a hard and sad day for my M. 1 year ago she lost her mom. As I come home from work she was sitting on the couch with teary eyes and a sad look. Before I could ask whats wrong she said “do you know what today is?” Of course I’m thinking “Crap, its not her birthday, its not our anniversary, what am I missing??” She then responds that her mom passed away 1 year ago that day. I of course being a selfish husband said “I’m sorry” and didnt even go over and give her a hug and kiss, nor comfort her. My response was “I need to get my 2.0 to baseball practice” When we got home, I failed again as we sat quietly on the couches watching meaningless TV. As we went to bed, all I did was give her a hug and said stay strong. As I write this, I sure look like a loser! So be accountable to your M each and every day. Show her love and be impactful to her. Support her without being asked to, love her, comfort her, don’t be ignorant and selfish, be accountable in her life by being her rock. We don’t have many days on this life, we need to make the best of every single day as a husband, father, leader…this has been a tough month, one that has shown the importance of being accountable to your family and friends, to be impactful to them as well. Let’s not forget this each and every day.

Trucker

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A Threefold Cord

I was at The Fort a couple of months ago and mentioned to Bonsai that I would like to be put on the Q Schedule, as I had never had a Q at this great AO. Soon after, he contacted me to request that I give him a date. Well, that date has arrived.

I had originally had Ponytail as a CoQ, but do to his schedule change he couldn’t make it. I quickly asked Bonsai to find someone who could lead a short warmup as a VQ. Bonsai put it on Twitter about a week and advance and the HIM to step up was . . . well nobody. His only choice then was to tell everyone that Longshanks would be the CoQ if nobody stepped up. Well, again nobody stepped up, so YHC’s CoQ was Longshanks as determined by the PAX.

WARMUP

Well, this really wasn’t a warmup as it was Longshanks leading. It was more of a beginning to the madness that was about to continue. Longshanks led us in 15 SSH;  1 Burpee; 10 Windmills; 2 Burpees; 10 Imperial Walkers; 3 Burpees; 10 Hillbilly Walkers; 4 Burpees; 15 Low Slow Squats; 10 Burpees. We then took a mosey over to parking in front of US Synergetic for the following: High Knees; Butt Kickers; Toy Soldiers; & Soccer Moms.

We then moseyed over to Millstone Park for some Lucky 7’s. At the bottom of the stairs, 7 dips; at the  top of the stairs, 7 squats;  and at the short wall, 7 box jumps . . . X 7. As the PAX waited for the 6 they performed LBC’s. We then all performed 7 chin-ups on the bar, 7 pull ups on the bar, and 7 Bombjacks.

Then Longshanks passed it off to YHC.

THE THANG

Prior to moseying back to the following locations, we turned and faced the flag at Veteran’s Park for the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag led by Geronimo.

A few days  earlier in the week, I had done an afternoon ReCon of the area to know exactly where I wanted to go to be prepared for this workout I have been long awaiting for. Well after we did the Warmup, we took a mosey over to the small parking lot in front of US Synergetic for the following: BOMBS-Burpees; Overhead Claps; Merkins; Big Boy SitUps; and Squats.

I’m not a big fan of exercises where the PAX have to do a lot of counting because I believe it takes away from the fellowship of our time in the gloom. So I did these BOMBS a little different. I asked the PAX to pair up with someone they know fairly well. Then we began the BOMBS. Partner 1 performed the exercise as the bottom of the hill (Massey St. Hill) while Partner 2 ran to the top and back. Then they flip flopped. We did this for 1 round of BOMBS at a pace that each PAX could maintain.

Before starting I had asked the PAX to get to know the other PAX while either running the hill or performing the exercises. The objective of this whole series of exercises was to allow for good fellowship in between breaths.

During the workout we stopped at a statue located just across from Veteran’s Park of three people assisting each other up a wall. I then discussed what is below in the NMM.

We then moseyed back to the COT where Zildjian led us in some MoM.

NMM

When I am unable to post due to work or other commitments, it seems as if my day just aren’t the same. Even if I have to do a #fern Workout or Run at the house or Y it is not the same. I can get fit by myself. I cannot keep a relationship with that #fern for a long period of time. I just get tired of talking and never getting anything back. It is a one way street.

F3 is just the opposite. It is a two way street with a purpose. The PAX of F3 push me to get better physically, emotionally, spiritually with a purpose to live a better life. F3 allows me to humble myself to authority and be led and it allows me to lead, all to make me a better man.

During our workout I stopped at a statue the three people helping each other up a wall. I mentioned the person at the top. This was someone who had already made it to the top: but one thing to notice is that this person was not still looking up or over the wall finding a way to get to the other side. They were looking down at the others with his hand held to assist them get over as well. Then there was the one in the middle being pushed and pulled. Almost to the top, but not quiet there. Needing assistance from both of the other two men. Then there was the person at the bottom. This person did not appear to be down in spirit because he hadn’t started. This person was pushing the other person up to make them better.

The important thing in all of this is they were all working to make each other better. This is what F3 is about. We are all in this as a team, and if we see another struggling we need not look the other way. We as F3 brothers, as men, should help in whatever way possible to help or assist.

This is a call out to all of our brothers. Keep you ears open and your eyes wide. There is always another brother struggling and you, yes YOU might be the HIM God has called to help.

Eccl. 4:9-12 ‘Tow are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up. Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him-a threefold cord is not quickly broken.’

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Read Your Newsletter.

Start Time Change at The Fort starting June 2: 6:30-

Cannoli Run-May 19.

Memorial Day Convergence & SFN 5K-May 28.

Hog & Coyote. June 16. Read PreBlast.

PRAYERS/PRAISES

School Teachers & Students.

Zildjian: Daughter foot & ankle.

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Laces Out Happened

It happens every week. I usually go when I Q because it’s like 15 minutes earlier than other workouts. But I’m glad that Nomad in his effort to help those that struggle with the fartsack, keeps me in rotation.

So we ran 5.5-6.5 (see me for the 5.5, MacGuyver for the 6.5). It was a great route with some challenging hills (check Strava). Sam Smith. Harvest Pointe. Nuff said. YHC was the 6.

Oh, Cyclops had his first post at LO. The yearlong EH from STH paid off. He was there too. Thanks for the opportunity and the push guys.  Great to meet MOAB!

Zima Out

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Colosseum Classic (yes, wall and light poles)

Beautiful 50F AM at the Colusseum
Mosey through Pickup Lanes x2
Mosey Hill with the light poles
Worked our way up the hill stopping at each light pole:
  • 30x SSH
  • 10x Slow Windmill
  • 25x Moroccan Nightclub
  • 20x 4-count mountain climbers
  • Plank – Reg, L, Reg, R, 6”, Reg
  • 10x Merkins
  • 15x Al Gore calf raises
  • 10x Burpees
YHC had just read “What Radical Husband’s Do” a couple of points were shared.
Give Acceptance to your Wife… Criticism comes from a place of Judgement… which means you are suggesting you are the judge (you aren’t)
Over the wall 11’s + 2
  • Big Boy Sit-ups (1, 2… 10)
    • Over the wall
  • Donkey Kicks (10, 9… 1)
    • Over the Wall
  • +2 Burpees (+2 each round)
Encouragement of the PAX was strong finishing this one
Drop the Rope… most small fights are like tug of war. Everything is small. Drop the rope more often.
Box jumps on Benches x20 until 6min to go…
Mary
  • American Hammer’s
  • Flutter
  • Holly Dolly
  • Protractor
  • Straight up picks – some rendition Holly Dolly + Dying Cockroach
  • Jekyll picks – Rosalita
Twister showed us all out to count (loud under that GHMS awning!)
COT
Ephesians 5:25
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ has loved the church (people) and gave Himself up for her.
Prayers
  • T-Squares wife Michelle Angeldorf – surgery colon (laproscopic) 4/11
  • Jekyll – Mrs. Ann Griffin passed away
Praises
  • Straight up – that Longshanks crushed 2 Spartan Races this weekend
  • Longshanks – that Mom got to be around for Spring Break

Thanks Jekyll for the opportunity

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Man in the Arena

Perfect gloom conditions.  15 studs out for a beatdown.  Opened with Teddy Roosevelt’s Man in the Arena.

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

Warm up:

  • warm up 70%  sprints between each exercise
    • SSH, Squat, SSH, Merkin

The Thang:

  • 4 corners- run in between- (abt 30 yards) Rinse/Repeat x 5
    • 3 burpee
    • 4 bombjacks
    • 5 merkin
    • 6 squat
  • Ark Loader Series- 30 yards, Rinse/Repeat x 3
    • Bear Crawl down, 10 merkins
    • Lunge walk back, 10 squat
    • crab walk down, 10 LBC
    • Backward Bear Crawl back, 10 CDD
  • 6 minutes of Mary
    • flutter
    • rosalita
    • protractor
  • Sprint Series
    • 2 x 70%
    • 1 X 85%
    • 5  X 100%

COT

Naked Man Moleskin

Jedi and Straight Up were out front today, all morning.  No surpise here.  Lots of great mumblechatter as the men answered the call for a beatdown and were all in.

 

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Laces: Super 21 on Maundy Thursday

Laces In:

Slight Mosey to student parking lot

Warm Up – COP
SSH x20
Imperial Walker x10
Hillbilly Walker x10
Windmill x10
Cherry Picker x10

Mosey to Band Practice lot

Super 21s (variation) – Inspired by JWOWW’s VQ at the Hive which used a deck of cards and got me thinking about 21. Then I found Super 21s listed in the F3 Exercises………I wondered why I hadn’t done these before in a workout. Turns out doing Super 21s makes it difficult to raise your arms later…..like days later.

1 merkin to 1 low slow squat
repeat to 10 reps of each
Flutters x21
11-13 reps of merkin/LSS
Hello Dollys x21
14-15 reps of merkin/LSS
Freddie Mercuries x21
16-17 reps of merkin/LSS
Lap around the Painted Lot
18-19 reps of merkin/LSS
Box Cutters x21
20-21 reps of merkin/LSS
Rosalitas x21
(Total of 231 merkins and squats)

Slight mosey to side of Ceramics Studio

Found some curb – stretch calves
Calf raises x21
Wall Sits (slight discussion of the brass technique of multiple tonguing: generated a good deal of mumble chatter)

PAX mentioned (sarcastically?) that if we just did 19 more merkins, we would reach 250. With the challenge laid down, PAX completed 19 merkins and 19 low slow squats. (Total of 250 merkins and squats: except for Trucker who complete 280 and added that to the Name-o-rama so YHC wouldn’t forget.)

Plank up – Because Abiding (see note below) requires flexibility:
Honeymooner to Down dog variations
Stretch out the legs
Leg raises in down dog
One leg plank
Knee taps to elbow x5
Knee taps to opposite elbow x5
Repeat with opposite leg
Pigeon Lunges
Butterfly stretches
Seated forward bends (i.e., touch your toes sitting down)

Mosey back to COT
American Hammers x21

The word for the month is abide. Abiding in God is active alignment of our will to the Lord’s. This is opposed to “the dude” passively abiding in the Big Lebowski. I gave a brief message about how we can abide in what is happening around us or we can strive to abide in God. The word is not a passive acceptance our circumstances, at least not in a scriptural sense.

We also discussed, while sitting against a wall, how I approach my (music) studio teaching at Winthrop. There’s practice dedicated to maintenance/growth at technical elements and the physical skills required to play the instrument (this is how triple tonguing came up), and then there’s practice learning assigned repertoire. Practicing only repertoire means the physical skills needed for new piece/work must be learned from scratch…..every time. Having a set routine for maintenance and growth means the fundamentals on the instrument are already in place, i.e., you’re in shape. At this point, learning repertoire is simply a matter of applying skills you already possess.

My short (5 months) time with F3 reminds me of this model. A routine to develop ourselves (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually) so that when we encounter challenges (repertoire) it is only a matter of applying skills we either already posses or are honing. One of the hardest parts of each workout for YHC is leaving the comfort of the bed for the gloom. Yet we are all on this planet (its own form of gloom) called to seek God’s purpose for us and abide in that. I’m grateful to have shared this morning with PAX doing just that . . . . even if that means YHC can barley raise his arms to type a backblast.

Not sure what happened at Laces Out. . . . I’m assuming they ran and can currently lift their arms.

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Laces In/Out 2018.11

This is the 3rd of 3 Qs where I’m catching up on backblasts…  I’m pretty sure I owe someone a thousand burpees by now.  I apologize.

Mosey to band practice lot for some leg work.

I did an extended warmup that us much out of my typical, because I planned sprints, and everyone pulls something during sprints so lack of warmup was not going to be anyones excuse.
SSHs, Windmill, Jimmy Carters, Wide leg stretch left/right, squat stretch groin, downdogs and honeymooners… Next toy soldiers 30 yards, mosey 70.  Buttkickers 30 mosey 70, did this 3 times…

Now for sprints, split into two teams of 6.  Split into groups of 3, 40 yards apart.  Relay race, 1 man per team running at a time per team.  (This took until the 3rd round to get right…  I’m pretty sure some would be clinically prescribed Aderol if sent to take a standardized test.)  When the last man comes in I yell out a random exercise and then we do it all over again.  We did this 7 times.

Mosey back to the parking lot for 6MOM from the Fort’s own JWoww.

 

I don’t know what the runners did… ask them.

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We got our 28+ at The Colosseum

We had a total of 28 guys in The Fort region post yesterday (Monday, Feb 26) amidst the rain so I threw out the challenge of getting 28 men out to the Colosseum this AM. With some help from Jeckyll, Pusher, Ginsu, Cha Ching and a few others, we got that done. The PAX made it even better when that was just the boot camp number as we totaled 31 with our 3 runners included.

I can not even begin to tell you how humbled I was to see headlight after headlight roll in and to have 27 other guys run around this AO at 0515 with me. As Assassin mentioned in COT, we do in fact know how special it is to be blessed with the opportunity to be out with the PAX on just another Tuesday morning. To see some faces out there that I haven’t seen in quite a while was great. With the chatter that ensued, I knew I had better bring it.

So after our disclaimer and the departure of the Pathfinder runners, us boot campers jogged to end of the back parking lot. We counted off to our number of 27  at the time and dropped down for a 2min plank followed by a 2min reverse plank. Well 90 seconds into that latter plank, we had a masked ninja run up to join us for our lucky number 28. That ninja also goes by the name STRAIGHT UP  and man, it was good to have him join us.

1/2 of 28 equals 14 Burpees so that is what we did followed by 28reps of the following:

Dying Cockroach, Boats & Canoes, Jumping Lunges, Jump Squats, X&O’s, American Hammers, Monkey Humpers and Squat Calf-Raises

We partnered up for:

Partner 1: Run to the 1st speed bump and back
Partner 2: Diamond Merkins then flap jack

Partner 1. Run to the 3rd speed bump and back

Partner 2: Merkins then flap jack

Partner 1: Run to the gate that was no longer in existence

Partner 2: Carolina Dry Docks or some ab work then flap jack

Bring it back to the GHMS side of the bus parking lot and circle up for some coupon work.

Begin with the 30lb Ruck and 35lb Kettle Bell on opposite sides of the circle. When the coupon came to you, 10 bicep curls of your choosing while the rest of the PAX cycled through Freddy Mercury, Rosalitas and Flutter Kicks.

COT

Announcements: Read that Sunday email containing your F3 Newsletter. New AO launching from Regent Park. Includes (br)yoga, run and coffeeteria  (contact Cake Boss or Sasquatch) every Friday. Don’t forget about the drive for 218 FNG’s. Reading center opportunity (service).

Prayers/Praises: Flat Tire’s new promotion, Straight Up’s wife is feeling better and S.U. is back with us. Cornerstone’s daughter Emma had her last chemo pill last night and will be ringing the bell soon. Ginsu’s daughter took her first steps yesterday. Jeckyll’s son is now a Boy Scout and Jeckyll has now handed over the leadership. Prayers for Mr. Clean and his desire to be out in the gloom. Prayers for Squeaky for what he is facing right now. Praises for reconnecting with my daughter.

Thank you again for coming out in the gloom.

Maximus

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Jacked-up Egyptian-Indian alligator walks?

Q, Nomad 1st 30 (Lower body) and Ginsu 2nd 30 (Upper Body)
Beautiful morning at The Fort. Conversations went from Dark Helmet’s Ruck to Dora’s backpack, to Diego’s survival pack, to WonderPets. At this point, YHC realized it was time to get started.
String of pearls Warmup around WEP
  • SSH 19
  • Windmill 11
  • LBC 15
  • Morracsan nightclub 25
  • Mountain climber 20
Stretch
  • leg/calf R/L, L/R, lean L/R, R/L, (Jiffy called hamstring stretches)

 

Airborne and Rebel mosey’d by on the path wearing lights and reflective gear
Jacked up 11’s
    (on the statue hill)
  • Bombjacks at the bottom
  • Plankjacks at the top
  • (LBCs til 6)
This was awful. Dark Helmet even had to take his Ruck off. But PAX were encouraging to each other.
Mosey to center of field
Walk-Like-An-Egyptian
  • (Single file line)  Lunge and hold 1 leg while PAX at back jailbrakes to front, then Switch legs (rotate core for extra credit). Walk distance from outer path to playground.
HappyJacks
  • (Circle up)  – 4x (5 SSH + 2 jump lunge)
— Switch to Ginsu —
(Ginsu claimed to have tweaked his back. Glad he didn’t have a healthy back – he brought the pain)
– 5 burpees OYO
– Egyption-Indian Alligator Walk (by with Alligator Crawl, switching L/R which each PAX jailbreak)
– 5 burpees OYO
– Egyption-Indian Alligator Walk
– 20 4-count Freddy Mercurys
– 5 burpees OYO
Mosey to playground
– 20 4-count dips on the wall
– Take a lap around playground
– 20 4-count dips on the wall
– Take a lap around playground
– 10 4-count derkins on the wall
– Take a lap around playground
– 10 4-count derkins on the wall
– Take a lap around playground
Partner up
– Partner 1 – 10 pull ups
– Partner 2 – 20 LBCs
– flip flop
– rinse and repeat x3
Mosey to COT for Mary
– 20 4-count heals to heaven
– 10 4-count hand release merkins
– 20 4-count LBCs
– 10 4-count hand release merkins
– Captain Thor 5×20
Ginsu choose for Mary to be on asphalt vs. grass, which reminded YHC not to get comfortable in my comfortable grassy life.
COT
Announcements
– Reading help at Bethlehem Church
– Yeti
– Pancake breakfast
– Convergence on Tuesday
Prayers & Praise
– FM High Band Leader, John Pruitt (recovering stroke)
– Dark Helmet’s 2.0 Baptism
– Corruption family member recovering from foot surgery
– Jiffy, wife recovering from surgery
– Our children and youth, and those that INFLUENCE them
Thanks Bonzai for the chance
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