Tag: Senator Tressel

Fast 5 friendly, except…

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Remember, the Fast 5 was kicking off 2 hours post-COT so we need to make this one leg friendly. I got the memo but apparently, Bonsai did not. While the complaining in the second half ramped up, we knew we’d all be better for it.
With Maximus up for the first 30mins, here’s what happened:

We moseyed around lap around the park with Toy Soldiers and Butt Kickers thrown in for good measure.
Back in the parking lot, we did some slow squatting, 3-way calf raises and wide-arm Merkins

At the playground:
Group 1: 15 Pull-Ups & 30 Merkins
Group 2: American Hammers until Group 1 is done
Due to some questionable form, we did that one again with 10 Pull Ups and 20 Merkins.

Group 1: 15 Pull-Ups & 30 Carolina Dry Docks
Group 2: Freddy Mercury’s until Group 1 is done

Back to the lot for 10 Burpees, Boats & Canoes, Grave Diggers and Super Mans

Hand off to Bonsai:

We moseyed to the area at Fire Dept wall:
Level 1 Drill – 10 each
Merkins / Mountain Climbers, Hip Thrusters (questionable call)
25 LBCs
30sec Wall Sit
Repeat then run to the basketball court and back

25 Dirty Myrtle
15 Mike Tysons
25 American Hammers
25 Squats
Repeat then run to the basketball court and back

30sec BTTW
20 Plank Jack
10 Lunges each leg
15 Leg raises
Repeat then run to the basketball court and back

Bear crawl some, mosey, 30sec 6″ Merkin hold, mosey

COT

Maximus & Bonsai

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Fabulous Four

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A small, but dedicated group of four hit the rock this morning for a workout with  sandbags and some old Alcatraz classics.  Here is what they did:

The Thang:

Skipper on Q:

Disclaimer and mosey on the path around the park.  We bypassed the pull up bars for now, but the Pax would  not escape them completely today.  Circle up on the lot for COP:

All in cadence:

SSH x 20, Merkin x 10 (hold plank), Peter parker x 10, Parker peter x 10, MC x 10).  Mosey to the other side of the lot and pick up two sand bags.  Partner up.

Dora 123:  Partner 1 does the exercise while partner 2 carries the sandbag to the basketball hoop, does 5 squats, and returns to the start.

Exercises:  100 diamond merkins, 200 big boy situps, 300 shoulder taps.  At about midway through the shoulder taps, Skpper made the call to modify and swapped squats for shoulder taps, and 10 sandbag throws out and back in place of carrying the sandbag and doing squats (GOOD CALL – I was getting smoked and I believe the others were too!)

Hand off to Senator Tressel

Line up in the field for 40 yd sprints out and back with short recovery.  I believe we did 5 sets, maybe 6.  Recover and walk to the concession stand wall for the Strong Square:

Starting at the wall, assume BTTW and walk on your hands the length of the wall, lunge walk to about the 2nd base line, backwards bearcrawl towards the fire station, and power skip back to the start.  Repeat this 2 more  times.

Mosey to the playground for pull ups (10), reverse step ups (10L/10R), and big boy sit ups (20).  We did 3 sets.

Mosey back to the field for 2 minutes of Mary:  Freddie Merc x 20, Pretzel crunch x 10.

End with 60s of Body Destroyer (my favorite)

COT

It was a pleasure to lead the group today with Skipper.  We had a good mix of newer exercises (seeing a lot of sandbags at workouts these days) and stuff we did years ago (40 yd sprints and walking on your hands).  With a smaller group, we moved from exercise to exercise quickly and didn’t waste a lot of time.  Everyone left it out there today and I felt we gave them their money’s worth.  Well done, men!

Announcements:  Fastest 5K next Saturday, Stuff the bus for Ft. Mill schools, read your newsletter

Prayers/praises:  raising teenagers, families traveling, new job in NY for a college grad, and famlies and friends with cancer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Lakeside Park

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Six of the Fort’s finest met at Runde park and answered the call for Alcatraz on the Lake.  Here is what they did.

The Thang:

Full disclaimer with the usual verbiage of ‘I am not a professional, it’s a voluntary workout, modify as needed, can’t sue the Q or F3,  etc..’.   Since we were going into Lake Wylie today, YHC added that if you drown or contract an illness from a waterborne parasite, you also cannot sue the Q or F3.  Off we went…..

The mosey to Pitcarin Park is about 0.6 miles and we had the usual chatter en route.  Cyclops carried the flag as we cruised along and he planted it on a  hill near the lake side.

Senator Tressel on Q

Everybody up on the floating dock for COP  (All in cadence)

IW x 20, merkin x 10, Squat x 20, MC x 20, Freddie Merc x 20, wide arm merkin x 10, Morrocan Nightclub x 40 and start walking toward the stairs at the lower parking lot.

Partner up and wheelbarrow up the stairs to the upper parking lot, across the lot, and up the cement stairs to the picnic benches.  Flapjack with your partner about 1/2 way through.  When you reach the picnic bench, do 20 bomb jacks, run back to the start.

Repeat the wheelbarrow, but with 20 burpees at the picnic benches, run back.

Repeat the wheelbarrow, but do 40 dips at the picnic benches.

Change Order on Q

Mosey down to the upper lot and do a series of ab exercises (Flutters, LBC’s, Protractor, other).

Mosey to the dock, remove your shoes and shirt and jump in the lake.  Tread water for about 5 minutes.

Back on the dock, do some merkins, squats, abs, and then jump back in the lake.  Tread water for about 3 minutes.

Naken Man Moleskin

Lake Day is always fun and it’s a good opportunity to do something a little different with the bootcamp.  I said at the beginning that this workout is more fun than intense, and that was mostly true today (there were some complaints, though about the 20 burpees following the long wheelbarrow sequence).

Cyclops, Bonsai, and Fishsticks all showed some great form today with cannon balls, can openers, and a flying frog dive off of the dock – well done men!   Treading water is not really hard, but doing it for just 5 minutes can tire you out, and I think we were all feeling it after the 2nd go round.

It was another great day at Alcatraz and it’s always a  blast to be with my F3 buddies on Saturday mornings.    I attached the picture we took after the workout.  It took me a few tries to get the pic, and I was called out for my less than deft ability at using an Iphone camera.      I’ll have to work on that for next time.    Oh, and the title of the backblast is a Rush reference (huge fan here, RIP Neal Peart).

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Lucky 7 at the Ballroom

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Seven strong hit the Ballroom this morning for some mid-summer fun.  Here is what they did:

The Thang:

Warm-up with arm circles, stretches, knee to chest pulls, toy soldiers, lunge twists, and downward/upward dog.  Mosey to the patio for COP:

COP (all in cadence):

SSH x 20, windmill x 15, merkin x 10, IW x 15, Squat x 20, MC x 15, LBC x 15, wide arm merkin x 15, Burpees OYO x 3

Mosey to the adjacent grassy patch

Bear crawl 15 yds, 15 merkins, mosey back to start

Crabwalk 15 yds, 15 dips, mosey back to start

Lunge walk 15 yds, 15 squats, mosey back to start

Rinse and Repeat.

Jack Webb (traditional) 1 – 7

Mosey to the front parking lot.  Side shuffle along the parking ling, run-up to next line, side shuffle back, run to up next line ……  4-5 lines.  Rinse/repeat back to the start.

Circle up for Mary (all in cadence)

Flutter x 15, pretzel crunch x 15,superman x 3 (25 sec hold), hello dolly x 15.  Finish up with the Body Destroyer.

COT

I am slowly getting back to Qing workouts after a long absence.  This was my second Q since March.  I really enjoyed today’s Q and it was great to see my old F3 friends who I’ve missed a lot this past year.  Also good to see  Dojo and Naked/Afraid again.  The three of us were together at Footloose not long ago.

I really took to F3 when I started about 9 years ago.  I loved the workouts from the get-go, and know I’m a better man through the various 2nd and 3rd F  activities I’ve been a part of since 2012.  I consider myself lucky that I can still do this,  and I don’t take it for granted.  My guess is that the 6 guys who joined me this morning also feel the same way.   We are truly a blessed and lucky bunch.

Prayers and praises:  Residents of the Miami, FL condo collapse, ST’s friend with cancer, mother with dementia, mother in law with illness.

 

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Ballroom: Talking about Feeling and running 2mi ish

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11 PAX at The Ballroom for a mini cannoli run …… moderate means modify as needed.

  • Couple of warm up exercises
  • Mosey for .94mi to Pleasant Knoll Elementary entrance
  • Along way do some exercises
  • 3 rounds of repeats to 5 light polls
    • 10 Merkins
    • 20 Squats
    • 10 America Hammers
  • Mosey back to COT with exercises on the way
  1. The Barry – July 1 7pm
  2. Fastest 5 – July 31
  3. Prayers for Sen Tressel friend Joe
  4. Praises for Yoshi and time with Grandpa

We are all managers….not just in the workplace but in everything. The better word is steward. From the air we breath to time to finances to the very words that come out of our mouths, we need to manage them and ask ourselves are we using this to the best of our ability or wasting it?? Steward all of your resources well!!

Thanks Drop Thrill from the opportunity to Q

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Tour de Golden Corral

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2020 was a bad year. COVID, death, etc. I am a creature of routine and nearly ALL of them were interrupted or flat out stopped. My cheese was moved big time. I was also in a big time headspace rut. Down on myself. Coming off an injury filled 2nd half of 2019. Body and mind tapped out. No motivation at all to get out and post. This was my 2020. Lutefisk, among others, knew that and kept at me to get out. Then he triple dog dared me with a Q request. A few of them. After turning a couple down I finally said enough is enough and I am going to get the heck out and try to put together a Q that is somewhat respectable. Thank you Lutefisk for keeping after me!! You are much appreciated!

Great morning. Great crowd gathered and the mumblechatter was wonderful. I admit I was nervous. I had not Q’d in a year or so. I made a few disclaimers and off we went. No warmups. Right into it.

The deal was pretty simple. We ran a loop of about 1.8miles, with stops for fun time at the following locations: frontside of Walgreens near Burn Boot Camp; across Gold Hill, down Lake Vista Rd to its end near the Y; back across Gold Hill to the side wall of Harris Teeters; behind the shopping center to our favorite dumpster behind Red Bowl; across Stockbridge and up the cell tower hill; to the far corner of the parking lot of Grace Presbyterian Church; then back to COT. At each of these stops, 8 total including starting at the COT and finishing at the COT, we did the following:

* 25 SSH
* 15-25 Merkin
* 25 Reverse LBC
* 25 LSS
* All were 4-count, in cadence (rather rapid)
* Plank ~2min for discussion time

Everyone did great. Shop Vac hung in there, he made it to every stop except one, and he did all the exercises!! Keep pushing it SV!! The mublechatter was great, and the group did real well watching their form. YHC had the enjoyment of nearly going face-first into some deer poop in the grass near the cell tower. Lovely. We all got a kick out of that!

COT, P&P:
* READ YOUR NEWSLETTER. Get involved. Invigorate the leader in you.
* A lot going on in everyone’s lives. I made it a point to stop by each of the PAX and have them offer a prayer and a praise, a la CSPAN.  We lifted up quite a lot to our Lord!

NMM – Foundations:
At each stop I pieced together the following. All around us in Fort Mill, Charlotte, etc. we see development, improvement, building, “progress” and such. You can’t go anywhere without seeing it.  The first thing builders do is prep the ground to handle the foundation, then build the foundation solid and strong. That takes some time to do, then they continue from there. They know that without a solid, strong foundation that is securely connected to the structure, whatever it is they’re building will NOT last long, nor will it be able to withstand stresses, etc, from storms or whatever it is exposed to.

When we are drawn to F3, as well as throughout our F3 journey, we are set out to improve ourselves in many ways – physically, mentally, socially, spiritually, etc. We strive to become better, stronger, faster. We start slow then progress as we become better and better. Each day we move ahead in our progress, we lay a brick in our structure of becoming a better person.

My challenge to the PAX was for them to gauge their foundation. What are we building on, and what is the basis on why we are trying to get better? Your foundation should be your relationship with the Lord, and it needs to be as strong, solid, and connected as you can possibly get it. Most people reach out to the Lord when they are in need. There is nothing wrong with that at all, better then than never. But that does not always yield a solid foundation that can endure even the most strongest of storms.  The best way to build a strong relationship with the Lord is to abide in Him every day. Become a son to Him, and let Him be your Father. Let His word marinate in your mind, heart, and soul to where it becomes a guiding force in your life, helping steer you to good decisions, words, and actions. Trust in him completely, with personal abandonment. When you do that with dedication, discipline, and consistency, your foundation will be one which can handle anything life throws at you, at any given time.

“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” – Psalm 119:105

Stay connected and trust that the Lord will guide you.

Thanks for the opportunity to lead. SYITG
-NASA

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A Bo-Berry Good Time

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YHC was joined by 8 #HIM at the Ranch. After a brief disclaimer, here’s what we did:

The Thang

  • 10 SSHs (IC)
  • 10 Imperial Walkers (IC)
  • 10 Low Slow Squats (IC)

Mosey to picnic tables

  • 15 Irkins
  • 15 Derkins
  • 15 Dips

Mosey to back of the school

  • 4 Corner Elevators (add 5 reps at each corner – 10, 15, 20, 25)
    • Merkins (70 total)
    • Calf Raises (70 total)
    • LBCs (70 total)
    • Overhead Claps (70 total)

Mosey to the Middle School Track

  • Bo-Berry Biscuits (sprint the straights, jog the shorts add 10 Burpees each lap)
    • Total Burpees – 40

Long mosey back to COT

3 Minutes of Mary

  • 10 Boxcutters (IC)
  • 10 Hello Dollys (IC)
  • 10 Freddy Mercurys (IC)

NMM

Thank you for the opportunity to Q this morning. It was an honor to break a sweat with you men by doing the hard thing.

Sometimes we need a reminder that success is often on the other side of fear. What is the thing that has held you back from accelerating? Is it fear of the unknown? Fear of the “what if?” Is it lack of confidence? Lack of courage? What opportunities have we missed because we were afraid of trying something?

I’m reminded of the story where Jesus walked on water. His disciples and their boat were getting tossed around by a roaring sea. They were afraid. Through the wind and rain, they saw a figure coming towards the boat. After first assuming it was a ghost, they realized it was Jesus. He told them to take courage and not be afraid. In typical Peter fashion, he replied, “If its you, tell me to come to you on the water.” Jesus replied, “Come.”

He gave no further explanation of how to go about walking on the water. Was it left foot first? Jump in? He just said, “Come.”

Peter took that step of faith and then he grew afraid. The water was deep, the waves were high, what if he drowned? As he began sinking, Jesus reached out his hand to save him.

What will it take to have water-walking faith today 2,000+ years later? Maybe its realizing that what you assume is a failure is really just an opportunity for learning. Maybe its realizing you have a support system of people who will not let you fail. Perhaps its time to reevaluate your circumstances and consider trying that new business venture. Maybe its time to have a little faith that you’re in good hands.

“Take courage. Do not be afraid.”

Italian Job

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SHAKING OFF THE RUST

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Sixteen strong hit the Golden Corral this morning and worked together under a full moon and a perfect 54 degrees.  Here is what they did:

The Thang:

Mosey to the back of the Harris Teeter plaza for COP:

All in Cadence:  SSH x 40, Windmill x 15, Merkin x 10, Squat x 20, Mountain Climber x 25, LBC x 25, Wide Arm Merkin x 15, Jumping Lunge x 20

Mosey behind the Express Oil Building and head down hill entering the Evolve Apt complex.   Break into two groups for a modified Jacob’s Ladder – Up/Down the hill and build to 7 burpees at the top.

Mosey back to the drive between the HT building and O-Reilly Auto Parts.

Peoples chair against the HT building for 90 secs, lungewalk to auto parts building and do BTTW for 45 sec.    Rinse and repeat two more times.

Mosey back to COT for 2 minutes of Mary;  Freddie Mercury x 20, Flutter x 20.

Naked Man Moleskin:

This was my first Q in about 16 months after a self-imposed ‘exile’ from F3 due to Covid-19.  About 3 weeks ago, I started posting again and was happy to see the Q request pop up from Lutefisk last week (‘time to get back on the horse, ‘ I told him).  The last Q  in 2019 was , coincidentally,  at the Golden Corral.  My intention was to come up with workout from scratch, but my schedule didn’t allow that so I disclosed to the Pax that this workout was a repeat of one from 2014, (I think). To prepare for today, I went to the The Fort’s F3 website and there they were:  all my masterpieces from 8 plus years in F3. All my backblasts since 2013 were neatly stored and easily accessible.    There were over 100 total and about 15 from the Golden Corral which has always been one of my favorite AO’s.  I found one that looked good and bam – weinke complete.

I am typically hard on myself when I plan a workout and either part of it doesn’t go well, or the whole thing comes off a ‘flat’ to me.  Today, was one of those days.   I love a good Jacob’s Ladder and today, I screwed mine up by not adjusting for the size of the group and modifying how we did it.  It took too long and we didn’t complete all the hill repeats continuously (that makes it such a good exercise).   We also had a lot of law enforcement traffic coming up that hill and had to keep clearing the way which was annoying.  (Back in 2014 that hill was dirt road lined with trees – no traffic).  But, I didn’t feel bad about that for too long.  I was back Qing a morning workout with a group that I love, and with friends who I appreciate so much.   It doesn’t get much better than that!

Announcements, Prayers and Praises:

Short Sale and his wife celebrating 19 years together  – yes!

Praise/prayers for my daughter Claire who is graduating from college in 2 weeks.  Happy to be done, but what is next?

Prayers for Trucker’s wife and  those struggling with anxiety and depression, and for one with cancer

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Covid Vaccine for the Soul Coming in September… Join In

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Has Covid frozen your faith Journey as Churches have closed their doors?  Or maybe Covid has you asking bigger question of God and you would like to be in a community of Men to discover the answers.  Are you interested in growing in your faith walk? Discovering a path toward an Intimate, Abiding relationship with Christ through a small group study.

Maybe you have been in the church for your entire life, the last 10 years or you are just now opening your mind to this idea of a higher power… a “Sky Q”.  Regardless of where you are in your faith walk we all have room to grow and mature in our relationship with Christ.

We are all on a faith journey and some of us are more or less equipped to take our faith deeper.  If you have a gap in any of these areas then I have a challenge for you.

  1. Do you feel that you have created a solid foundation of knowing who God is and his desire to be a part of your life?
  2. Are you in a group that is consistently seeking to grow in a relationship with God?
  3. Do you feel that you have an adequate tool kit to help you grow deeper in your faith?

In September, we will be launching into a Journey to build from the ground up a knowledge of who God is and to start to learn how to have an intimate, abiding relationship with him.  Please reach out to any of the Journey alumni to learn more and to get connected.

Aye!

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Boss Hogg Issued a Challenge at the Ballroom and the PAX did not Disappoint!!!

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Boss Hogg threw out a challenge to see how many PAX would show up at the Ballroom.  As usual, the PAX did not disappoint.  39 was the count.

Boss Hogg arrived in his all white Q outfit.  Disclaimer was given.  A quick message was given about the power of being an influencer.  PAX were reminded to always pick up the 6 and to encourage the guys around them.

The Thang:

Mosey to the center of the football field for a quick warmup:

  • 15 SSHs
  • 10 Windmills
  • 15 Imperial Walkers
  • 15 Cherry Pickers
  • 15 Hillbilly Walkers
  • 15 Gas Pumpers (THE Twisters favorite exercise)

Next was a Guillermo 1-2-3 (Dora’s little brother).  Similar to a Dora but PAX break up into two groups instead of pairing off in partners.  All exercises are done in cadence with a focus on form, not speed.

Exercises were:

  • 100 Overhead Claps
  • 200 LBCs
  • 300 Low Slow Squats

The other group started at the goal line, bear crawled to the 20, ran to the 50, did 1 burpee, and returned to the goal line.  Teams switched back and forth until all exercises were complete.

With the remaining time, the PAX moved to the track for some large dice fun.  One die contained the name of an exercise on each side.  The other 4 were used to determine the count.  Dice were rolled, exercises were done, and the PAX moved 1/4 of the way around the track.  This was repeated until the group had moved all the way around the track.

Time was up and the group headed back to COT.  Announcements were made.  Prayer requests focused on physical healing and marriages.  Due to the overwhelming support from the PAX in attendance, $1,000 was donated to Classroom Ready.

A great reminder to all PAX, don’t just be influenced but go out and be influencers!

 

 

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