3 minute Rounds, Pianos and Dreams were the talk at Block Party

Interesting start for Block Party as the PAX rolled up I mentioned to Bobber I was a little tired from a dream I had moving a piano.  Weird thing was that Tesh and Dark Helmet were helping.  It got a little awkward when Tesh showed up. You had to be there to experience it.

Quick disclaimer and intro and off we went into the gloom for our first parking lot stop and the warmup.  Usual stuff nothing outta the ordinary except for the continued piano discussion.  Off we went to the next stop to the Pike lot where we started 3 minute intervals.  First round was 10 merkins, 16 Mtn. Climbers and 20 shoulder taps and a burpee stack at the end.  Rinse and repeat for 3 minutes.  Brief 10 count at the end and mosey to the next stop right in front of main street. There we did 3 minutes of wall sits.  Not a good idea but we did it anyway.  Next 3 minute round was 10 big boys, 16 American Hammers and 20 flutters.  Another burpee stack after the exercises.  Mosey up the stairs to parking lot near the playground for next round of legs 10 squats, 15 monkey humpers and 20 calf raises.  Mosey back down to the wall for more sits.

Head back to COT for wrap up.  Thanks Bobber for the opportunity.

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9/11 NaFo Tower Climb

Today on the 19th Anniversary of September 11th I had the privilege and honor to lead the men of The Fort in my version of the Tower Climb.

We honored my friends who gave it all to make sure the citizens of NY would be safe.

POLICE OFFICER RAMON SUAREZ TD-04 NYPD

POLICE OFFICER MARK ELLIS TD-04 NYPD

POLICE OFFICER ANTONIO RODRIGUES PAPD

We started with a two lap ruck walk around the track and then jumped right into the climb.

The goal was at least 30 times up and down with 9 inclined merkins and 11 squats at the bottom. There was some mumblechatter, it was hot and humid but the men of the Fort did not disappoint….if you completed 27.5 times you climbed the equivalent of the Towers.

I was proud to lead and share my experiences from that fateful morning that changed the world as we knew it.

It was also great seeing DIRTY HARRY return to the gloom

We end with COT and prayers for all the people lost and the people affected still.

FIDELIS AD MORTEM…..ALWAYS FAITHFUL

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Shakin it up at Footloose

I had to follow Rebel’s lead from Block Party this week to keep it interesting.  The 11 PAX definitely accelerated today.  A quick disclaimer and a little mosey down to the COG lot.  There was lots of mumble chatter during the warm-up by Twister & Destiny.  I guess they had a lot to catch up on.

We did some stretching to kick things off.  Then a few exercises to get the blood flowing: SSH, imperial walkers, windmills, Mtn. Climbers and a few burpees to try to quiet things down.  That didn’t work.

The bulk of the workout entailed 3 minute intervals with 4 exercises and a run up the stairs in between intervals.  First interval was merkins-10, mtn. climbers – 16, shoulder taps -20.  Then finish with a burpee stack (ask Rebel).  Continue round for 3 min.  Second round was abs: big boy situps – 10, american hammers – 16, flutters – 20. Third round was legs: squats – 10, monkey humpers – 15, and calve raises – 20.  We were able to get 6 rounds in total.  Nice work by all pushing forward.

Thanks for the opportunity Boss Hogg.

 

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Back to back Respectables at Colosseum

I had some big shoes to fill coming off last weeks Q by Rebel.  He brought the pain with some solid 3 minute interval exercises.  The 16 PAX this morning gave it their best as we started out after the brief disclaimer and broga stretching.  Mosey to the back parking lot for the warm up.

We started out with  Mtn. Climbers, Peter Parkers, Parker Peters, SSH, Moroccan night clubs, overhead claps, and imperial walkers.  Mosey to the end of the parking lot for the meat and potatoes.

4 sheets with 3 exercises on each sheet.  2 at each end of the lot.  Do first page Merkins 10, LBC’s 15 and Monkey humpers 20.  Run to the other end of lot do first sheet wide arm merkins 10, hello dolly 15 and squats 20.  Run back to other end of lot do first sheet and then the 2nd sheet Dips 10, bombjax 15 and flutters 20.  Run back to the other end of lot do first sheet then 2nd sheet Side straddle hops 10, american hammers 15 and 20 calf raises.  Back to start point for a brief story on disruption and shieldlocks.

Next round was sheet 1 run a lap around the lot.  Do 5 burpees then do sheet 1 and 2. Run the lot and do 5 burpees then do sheet 1,2 and 3.  Run the lot and you guessed it 5 burpees and do sheets 1-4.

We finished with a few minutes of broga before some of the PAX ran off to the bubble.

Thanks Hardwood for the opportunity.

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Lucky 13s

Typical warm humid July morning in Ft Mill.  Thirteen men posted at Sweep the Leg and this was my first time as Q for this type of running workout.

Disclaimer
Count off

Thang:

Sweep the Leg 072020

The route is a one-mile distance using the out and back style: Run out to Gold Hill Elementary school, where the flag pole is ½ mile from the parking lot and run back (total is one mile).

At each ¼ mile along the route, there is a sheet with exercises to do.  See table below.  Count 15 for all exercises.

Loop 1/4 mi 1/2 mi 3/4 mi 1 mile
1 LBC Merkins Monkey Humpers Bobby hurleys
2 Big Boy S/u Dips Squats Mtn Climbers
3 Freddie Merc. Diamond M Calf Raises SSH
4 Amer. Hammers Carolina Dry Docks Lunges Plank Jacks

We had a few runners complete all four miles.

Fini, COT

Notes: The one hill on the return leg was not pleasant after the first mile.  Good practice for the upcoming SWEATI.

Keep Cash and his family in your prayers.

Top three: Bones, Speed Racer, Long Duck

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Snowman suicide at Sweep The Leg

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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Quality Questions

12 PAX gathered, brief disclaimer and we’re off at what was collectively determined as “not mosey” pace.

Each stop:
5 burpees
10 Carolina Dry Docks
15 Jump Squats
20 Hello Dollys (some in cadence, some not)

At the Harris Street Park basketball court, we bear crawled cupcakes (line touches). FYI, baseline to baseline is a long way.

6 stops total.

Visited the monument to state sovereignty and the “faithful” slave. Talked about the kinds of questions we ask. YHC grew up in this town and never thought to ask why these monuments were here. Minnow Pond meets at “Veteran’s Park,” but “Confederate Park” is just up the hill… a monument to separatists that fought against the armed services honored at Veteran’s Park. Longshanks typically leads the pledge of allegiance before a workout, yet there are monuments to those who flew a different flag designed to replace the “stars and stripes” just across the railroad tracks. Interesting…

YHC is reading, because that is how academics solve problems. Recommended for non-academics as well. #accelerate

Ta-Nehisi Coates:
“None of us were promised to end the fight on our feet, fists raised to the sky. We could not control our enemies’ number, strength, nor weaponry. Sometimes you just caught a bad one. But whether you fought or ran, you did it together, because that is the part that was in our control.”

How are the questions we ask reinforcing togetherness or keeping us divided? Can we ask better questions?

Welcome FNG from West Charlotte: “Chimay”
May have broken his back, good thing I was also the one who EHed him.


Band Camp dismissed

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The Herd at Sweep The Leg

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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Wall Buddies

Ten pax came out to Block Party, officially at WEP again, on a muggy warm morning.

Short Mosey run to…
Warmup
S S H (12X I/C)
Windmills (10X I/C)
Imperial Walkers (10X I/C)
Moroccan N/C (10X I/C)
Low Slow Squats (10X I/C)
Arm Circles (10x I/C)
Peter Parkers (12X I/C)
Downward Dogs/Upwards Dogs

Mosey run to Springs side parking lot
Thang 1: Fishy Tracks [forward doing transportation noted, do exercise at count when called]
Toy soldiers walk – Burpees (did 5 and 5)
Bear crawl – merkin (did 10 and 10)
Lunge walk – squats (did 15 and 15)
Crab walk – LBC (did 20 and 20)

Mosey run to Pike’s front lot
Thang 2: Wall Buddies
Need a partner; size does not matter but cognitive skills does. Get on a wall sit near your partner.
Go down the line and each pair does rock-scissors-paper and note the result. When the line of pax is done, Q calls what to do:
Result is same = both do 10 burpees
Result is different = both do 20 merkins
All back on the wall, Repeat: Go down the line: Do rock-scissors-paper
Result is same = both do 10 bomb jacks
Result is different = both do 20 LBC
All back on the wall, Repeat: Go down the line: Do rock-scissors-paper
Result is same = both do 10 wall tar jais
Result is different = both do 20 smurf jacks

10 burpees OYO.

Mosey down 160 up the hill to Pike’s large parking lot.
Thang 3: Global Warming
Circle up, low stance position, all pax side shuffle about the circle, stop and do exercise called out
Gas Pumpers
Bobby Hurleys
And some others.

Mosey run back to COT area
Some mary (flutters, protractors)
Thang final: Big Balls
Play AC/DC’s “Big Balls”. Pax do a monkey humper at each utterance of balls in the song and offend the entire community at the same time.
Song is about 2:30.

Fini

Prayers for Asphalt and Cash, may God guide their doctors and bring a swift recovery.

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