Tag: Senator Tressel

It was a Dark and Drizzly Morning…

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It was a dark and stormy morning in the gloom… well actually it was dark and rather drizzly more than anything, but apparently the forecast rain was enough to keep many a PAX in the fart sack.  Wegmans and Senator Tressel manned up and were ready to go at 5:15

 

Warm-up consisted of a lap in the car rider loop with some butt kickers, high knees and toy soldiers.  we then triangled up for 20 SSH, 20 Moroccan Nightclub, 12 Imperial Walker and 12 Hill Billy Walker

 

Warm-up completed we mosey over to the front of the middle school for some cover just in case it actually does rain.

 

Once there the action consisted of 4 sets of

40 double count toe taps on the curb

20 derkins from the bench

20 squats

40 LBC’s

Lap around the middle school car loop

 

Once this was completed we mosey back to the front of the elementary school to find some decent wall space and finished up the fun with

1 minute wall sit

20 Freddie Mercury (in cadence)

20 Flutter (in cadence)

Wall Plank Series (Flat, 45, BTW) – 10 count each

20 Dying Cockroach (in cadence)

20 Hello Dolly (in cadence)

Airborne’s Hip Destroyer

 

COT and Prayer

 

Thanks for the opportunity to lead, its always fun to Q and while large groups are great it is refreshing occasionally to have a small group.  We were able to chatter a bit and get to know each other much better which is always fun.

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So you did the Yeti, but we conquered Alcatraz!!!

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So you did the Yeti and you missed an awesome Alcatraz 60 degree morning! I am very proud of the men! We had an FNG! My youngest brother from Ballantyne joined us for the beatdown. Goes by the name Tapper now. We’ll see if that sticks in S.O.B.

Theme: WORRY:

1 Peter 5:7 – Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

Isaiah 41:10 – Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Warm-up:

Dynamic Stretching:

Jog – 1 min

High Knees – 70

Butt Kickers – 70

SSH – 14

Toy Soldiers – 35

Lateral Shuffles – 10

Squats – 12

Alternating Forward Lunges – 10 (5 each side)

Single Leg Diamond Merkins – 8-9 each side, single count merkins

Single Leg Toe touches with other leg going back – 5 each side

Piper Peters – 10

Rolling Crucifix – 5 each side

Table Twists – 5 each side

Worrying will not stop the bad stuff from happening. It just stops you from enjoying the good.

Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but it does not get you anywhere.

Breathe Today’s Challenge: Drive yourself to get better today.

Field Work: Cross Circuit Super Super Set: 50 seconds on, 10 seconds rest and transition to next exercise. Two rotations:

Jump rope

Single leg burpees- aim for 10 minimum

Frog Long jump

Jax merkins-aim for 20 minimum

Fingertip dips-aim for 20 minimum

Bear crawl

Dips to failure

Max Pullups with sprint back to starting place on field

Sprint b/w cones

Starfish crunch

We were tired at this point, but . . .

Decibel takes over!

3 sets of 20 pull-ups 

3 sets of 30 abs (Rosalina, X and O’s, Big Boy sit ups)

3 sets of 40 squats

3 Times running down an ugly hill and back

COT: Naming the FNG: Tapper. Having fun with that one. Announcements, praises, prayers, reminders that we don’t need to worry (see quotes above).

Thanks for the opportunity, Smuggler!

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GC BC

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Another beautiful, slightly cool morning as the PAX assembled at the buffet. 5:15 hit and we broke up into bootcampers and ruckers. Disclaimer was given and off we moseyed to behind Teeter. Circle up for normal warmups: SSH (20), HW (20), Low slow squats (15), Windmill (10), Peter Parker (10), Parker Peter (10), MNC (20).

Mosey over to water fountain behind apartments. Spread out around it and then bear crawl around entire fountain circle. Take a couple of steps over to bottom of hill. Time for deconstructed burpee ladder: squat thrusters (I’m sure they have some F3 name I’m missing), jump squats, & merkins. Do same number of these at bottom of hill, run to top of hill, do remainder of ladder, then run back to bottom and plank for the 6 before next round.

  • R1 -> Bottom = 20/20/20, Top = 0/0/0
  • R2 -> Bottom = 15/15/15, Top = 5/5/5
  • R3 -> Bottom = 10/10/10, Top = 10/10/10
  • R4 -> Bottom = 5/5/5, Top = 15/15/15
  • R5 -> Bottom = 0/0/0, Top = 20/20/20

Mosey back to small traffic circle in front of apartments. Circle up, all PAX doing lunges. One by one each PAX did 4 burpees. After we made it around the circle, 20 CDDs & 20 Flutters.

Mosey to side lot and break into 2 lines for sprints. Line 1 sprint to end of building, line 2 take off once line 1 gets 3/4 down. 4 sets of sprints. Time for some ab work. 10 small circles clockwise, 10 small circles counter-clockwise, 10 box-cutters. 4 more sets of sprints and some more abs: 10 toe-touch LBCs, 10 hello-dollies, & 10 rosalitas.  Times almost up, one final sprint, all you got back to COT.

Great work by all the PAX today. It’s always encouraging to see some new faces, several old faces, and some guys coming back from IR. Always an honor lead this group! Thanks Decibel for the opportunity.

-Mainframe

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A Primer on The Mission and Principles of F3 served with a side of pain.

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Another day at The Ballroom dawned clear, cold and windy. Kept the Shovel Flag in the trunk for fear it would be blown away. Excellent mixture of veteran and new pax were ready to get warmed up and take on the Weinke. Think that we got some Pax scared away from Jedi’s Q at Golden Corral.

Mosey around the school for  COP:

  • Windmill* 10
  • IW * 15
  • SSH * 20
  • Merkin * 10
  • Squats * 15
  • Plank-O-rama
  • DIAMOND MERKINS *10

Mosey to hill between PKES and PKMS. Word on the Misssion of F3: For our NEWER PAX: WHAT IS THE MISSION OF F3? PLANT, GROW AND SERVE MEN’S SMALL WORKOUT GROUPS FOR THE INVIGORATION OF MALE COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP.  The Nation is here to serve the Pax not the other way around.

Partner up FOR MODIFIED DORA 1,2,3

P1 RUNS TO TOP OF HILL, P2 DOES EXERCISE

54 Donkey Kicks TOGETHER with your Paartner, 108 MERKINS, 216 LBCs, 324 SQUATS. PLANK ON THE 6

Mosey to wall- Word on the  Core Principles of F3:

  1. Free
  2. Open to Men of all ages, fitness levels
  3. Outdoors, rain or shine
  4. Peer Led
  5. Ends with a COT

Peoples Chair while each Pax does 5 Bombjacks. Mosey to field-partners do 20 leg throws, 20 cherry pickers, 20 Big Boy sit ups (ouch)

Circle up for some scorpion dry docks & Jack Webb.  Back to COT and a word on one of my favorite F3 themes- PROVERBS 27:17-AS IRON SHARPENS IRON, SO DOES ONE MAN SHARPEN ANOTHER.

The camaraderie and banter among the Pax today was great to experience. Never hurts to remind the group how this crazy thing called F3 came to be and, more importantly, what it stands for. Always a pleasure to lead even when the Q-drenaline means a night of fitful sleep.

This is Short Sale bidding you a pleasant adieu.

 

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Creative Misery at the Rock

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When Smuggler organized this Q combo, he must’ve known a lot of PAX were looking for that Saturday morning push. After some banter back and forth between the WEP Q’s and us Alcatraz Q’s, we were pleasantly surprised to see car after car after car roll into Runde Park this Saturday morning. The weather was warm and the PAX were primed with the early mumble chatter. With the typical “don’t hurt yourself and don’t sue if you do hurt yourself” disclaimer, we took a very abbreviated (10yd) mosey to the right side of the parking lot (a slight teaser for what was coming).

Jog to the other end of the lot and back then repeat.

Walking lunges 1/2 way down then high knees to the end. Same thing on the way back to the start.

Windmills & deadlifts to warm up the legs a little more then mosey to the top of “THE HILL”

PAX squat for 20sec then jog to the base of the hill followed by an all-out sprint back to the top of the hill and squat for the six.

Repeat for a 40sec squat hold then the jog down/sprint up and squat for the six.

Repeat for a 60sec squat hold then the jog down/sprint up and squat for the six.

Find some curb and 50 calf raises each leg.

Mosey to the field for a circle up.

This was when I think they really lost my mind…Lt. Dan’s (1 squat and 4 jumping lunges (2ea side counts as 4)) and we went to 8:32 before handing it off Tesh!!

With Tesh on Q, you just had a feeling this was going to get bad.

With the PAX in a very long plank:

5 Merkins

10 Mountain Climbers

5 Merkins

10 Peter Parkers

5 Merkins

Various Tesh-approved CORE exercises

Mosey to the fence line:

Merkin-Turtle crawl (can’t explain…you had to be there)

10 Merkins

Bear Crawl 50yds

More Tesh-approved CORE exercises

10 Bombjacks x 3 rounds

Mosey to the playground and split into 4 groups

Rotate through 5 pull-ups & 10 dips. For those waiting, hold the Al Gore pose.

Yet more Tesh-approved CORE exercises

Repeat the above 2 lines

Closed it out with 6min of Mary which couldn’t end fast enough.

Announcements: Yeti (Newsletter), Reading in Paradise

Prayer Requests: Praise for Palmer family, Cornerstone’s family, continued prayers for the Family & Friends affected by the recent tragedy’s our community has experienced, our officers, job transitions, marriages.

I’m sure Smuggler will get a little verbal backlash on this but hey, it made us better and everyone crushed it.

Maximus & Tesh

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Let’s Get Physical!

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11 Strong for a Jane Fonda inspired warm-up with Gecko to start things off along with a short mosey up the road and back we did some leg movements that may or may not be PG13!! We even had some karaoke and music provided by the PAX.

After a nice warm-up Gecko took us to the “Hill” for some hill repeats

1st round was plank at the bottom while  partner one runs to the top and back

Round 2 was Carolina drydocks while the other ran

Can’t remember if we made it to round 3 but I do remember being handed over the Q

So we mosied over to the wall to do some dips and derkins

1st round was 30 dips and 20 derkins

2nd round was 25 dips and 15 derkins

3rd round 20 dips and 10 derkins

10 count between rounds

mosied over to the field and kept our partners for a 4 corner burpee fest!

1st partner stays back and does LBC’s while partner one runs to the next corner and does 5 burpees (Flapjack) comeback and pick your partner up to go to the next corner

Partner staying back does SSH while the other partner runs to the next corner and does 10 burpees (Flapjack)

1st partner stays back and does LBC’s while partner one runs to the next corner and does 15 burpees (Flapjack) comeback and pick your partner up to go to the next corner

1st partner stays back and does Squats while partner one runs to the next corner and does 20 burpees (Flapjack) comeback and pick your partner up to go to the next corner

After the last round we mosied to the parking lot to do some flutters while the other partner runs across the parking lot and back (flapjack) Repeat 6 times

Finished up with a little AB Lab

Fun times!

Thanks Italian Job for coming across the river and enjoying Alcatraz for the first time! Glad to have you!

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Pre-Joe Davis and 6 PAX words

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Dynamic warm up of lunge twists, toy soldiers, back extension/inch crawl, arm circles and shoulder pulls.  Mosey to  field 1, take a lap and circle up.
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 COP, all in cadence:
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  • SSH x 40, Merkin x 10, IW x 20, CDD x 20, Slow Squat x 20, Crunchy frog x 10, Makhtar Jai x 20, Windmill x 10, Diamond merkins x 15, LBC x 25
  • Mosey to playground and split into 2 groups:
  • Group 1 does 10 pull ups while group 2 does 20 dips (flapjack).  Repeat two more times.
  • Mosey to the concession stand wall:
     Peoples chair with overhead hand clamps, recover and shake ’em out
     Lunge walk to the end of the infield, and then jog back
     Peoples chair part 2 with overhead hand claps
     Crabwalk to the end of the infield
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Hand off to Bolt
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  • Figuring in the cold, this was the running part of the workout. 5 cones were evenly distributed across the entire parking lot. With many going to Joe Davis, we targeted 20 “movement” minutes.
  • The layout was to run to each cone and do a designated exercise x5 with a full length parking lot sprint back. The catch was each PAX took turns picking the exercise for each run. During each ‘rest’ after every sprint, PAX took turns giving their word of the year with a brief explanation and goals that applied to that word.
  • While I do not remember which 6 exercises were chosen, burpees were definitely in there. And I assure you, we did not get cold for those 20 minutes.
  • The words of the 6 PAX were as follows (thank you to CrabCakes for helping remember the words at our kids’ basketball game):
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  1. Open – Sugar Daddy
  2. Joy – Crab Cakes
  3. Enjoy – Tesh
  4. Shady – (Positive)
  5. Smuggler – Consistent 

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Seek – Bolt – I expanded on my word and let the PAX know I want to seek to improve in all 3 F’s, but especially on the 3rd F. I need to seek to take advantage of the resources available through F3. I need to be more willing to reach out to seek assistance to improve physically, mentally and spiritually. Especially though on the 3rd F, as a ‘seeker’, I need to reach out and ask the PAX for assistance. If you have read this far and wish to extend your experience to me, please reach out and do so.
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Announcements, prayers and praises were fairly quick with a dash to Joe Davis!
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Noting here I got to spend time with Sparkplug at Joe Davis who I normally only see every so often at Alacatraz! Good talks, Sparkplug.
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Thanks for the opportunity to lead. Apologies to Senator Tressel who quickly turned around his end of the BB and the delay was all my own!
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 Bolt
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GC – RUCK – Teamwork – DFQ – Embrace the Suck

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Man I hope you guys read the whole way through this, because I left truly inspired by the PAX that Embraced the Suck with me today.

8 Ruckers joined up on a “warm” morning at GC.  It was 31 or something which felt like summer compared to the 9 we have been seeing.  We split into two groups as some guys are recovering and test driving their rucks.  So 4 went on their way rucking through Tega Cay and 4 stayed with me to continue with the workout.

The Thang:

Skip the pleasantries and do a quick double time run around the parking lot of Harris Teeter to get the blood flowing.

Get into Listening Position (LP) (for those of you that haven’t embraced it yet, its rucks overhead anytime we are getting directions or discussions are occurring).

In LP we talked about the plan for today and that the goal will be teamwork, that as Q my goal is to inspire leaders among everyone, not to micro manage every part of the workout.  I told them before we loaded up that we are a team and will compete as a team.

If you know me you also know I Ruck Heavy, so we loaded up.

120 lbs of Sandbags – Two 2×3’s running through the handles to make a makeshift litter

93lb Sandbag – (My personal Favorite)

Big Tire – 35″ tire off my truck

The directions stated to try and do a low carry of the litter but if it got to be too much discuss it and switch to shoulder carry.  I also told them I won’t be calling out switches so its up to the team.

We made our way to the YMCA field

Big issue! – We didn’t stay as a team and Mainframe and I made it there about a minute ahead of the other two.  So punishment was instituted – 10 Ruck Burpees

I set up a relay course of sorts

4 Stations

Station 1 – Drag that big tire to the fence and back, sprint to tag the next guy (He is the clock)

Station 2 – Deadlift the 90lb

Station 3  – Toss the 60lb

Station 4 – Users Choice – I saw fireman flips, rows, curls, squats it was cool

The first rotation took 3:02 so we got in LP and discussed why we Ruck – Looks Badass, Wanted to Push Ourselves – Variety – 2nd F – A challenge.  So with that I asked the TEAM how can we improve on the time.  Everyone through up some ideas and then Shakespeare threw down an ambitious goal of getting the time down to 2:15 we weren’t sure but we embraced it.  We decided on a punishment of 1 Burpee for every second over 2:15.  Well guess what we got it in 2:02!  We came back and got in LP and talked about the power of teamwork and coming together and what we were able to accomplish.

We took a lap around the Y field doing alternate carrys of our Rucks – Farmer Carry – Switch Hands – Bear Hug – Over Head – Again we came together as a TEAM where I started to get ahead of some people and Mainframe gave me a quick shout to slow it down a bit and we finished as a TEAM!!!!

Tired and hurting we came back to do one more rotation on my relay race.  We got in LP and discussed all those reasons we Ruck again and even though were tired we are here to better each other and if we got 2:02 the last time why would we ever go slower again.  So we set the same goal of beating 2:02.  I felt slower, I hurt worse, but as a TEAM we embraced the suck worked together and when we sprinted back to the tire we couldn’t believe we were faster and got 1:58!!!!

We were hurting but got back in LP and discussed that it took 8ish minutes to walk there and that we need to speed that up and how can we do it.  Deacon came through with some ideas and the team called out switches like clockwork.  We got back to my truck in 5 minutes!!!!

Joined up with Boot Campers and the other Ruckers to finish off the morning.

MY TAKEAWAYS!!!!

Man I left so inspired by this Ruck today.  When we started we were a group of guys doing a workout.  When we returned we were a team that came together and really pushed through the pain to embrace the suck and lift up our fellow man.  Shakespeare and Mainframe who are new to Rucking were rockstars and the leadership everyone offered was amazing.  I mean where else other than F3 can you walk away with all this.  Big props to all those guys that got out today and I truly enjoyed myself and had a uplifting and encouraging morning to help me carry those same themes to the rest of my day.

Thanks Guys,

Rad

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Alcatraz: Special Thx Uncle Sam VQ and Boss of Cake

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I can’t even tell you really how many PAX came to Alcatraz for their DRP, because I thought I was a greeter at Walmart with all the men coming and then leaving it was a constant revolving door. Regardless, a majority of men got after it and with Uncle Sam making his VQ, we were all in for a treat. So after an attempt at introductions, disclaimers and usual office work, YHC handed it off to Uncle Sam.

The Thang:

 

  • Uncle Sam on Q:
We started off jogging to circle up on center field and warmed up the hipsters by shaking some Finkle Swings (5 reps/leg). 14 Moroccan Night Clubs followed up in a weird sequence since the VQ was stumbling into the rhythm.  The 18 Side Straddle Hops helped the inmates @ Alcatraz get the sensation that it was going to be easy but then they had to scrub the floors with some Annies (10 per arm).  24 Imperial Walkers and 24 Hillbillies thrusted them into Q’s arms.
  • Cake Boss on Q:
5 Burpees OYO
Mosey to the Playground for Mini Murph
Each PAX…no partner
1Lap around Park
50 Pullups
100 Merkins
150 Squats
1Lap around Park
Mosey to the Bball Courts count off 1’s and 2’s
1’s suicides
2’s Freddy Murcurys
flap jack
1’s suicides
2’s flutters
flap jack
Mosey to Hill behind Baseball field
Roll the dice of Pain, do the exercise, run the hill
10 Burpees, 10 Lunges, 10 LBCs, 10 Mountain Climbers
Hand off to Uncle Sam 
  • Uncle Sam on Q:
20 Groiners inspired a lot of grumbling  and some started crying “Parking lot!”, but we still had to do 24 LBCs and 8 Starfish Crunches to get our backs wet with the morning dew.  Partnered up we sprinted from base to base in the Baseball field as if we had hit a home run but stopped;ing for some Mountain Climbers at each base.  Inning was over and prisoners got to go back to their POD cell for some announcements, a lot of Turkey talk and a sweaty thanksgiving for all things good that come from SkyQ.
  • YHC spoke to the men about the “Real” things we are thankful about. Yes we all can be thankful for the obvious, but what are the things that when you realize how grateful you are you get emotional and it makes you want to be a better man. We need to focus on those things when life gets tough. When things and expectations are not going our way….and realize….that thing that makes us realize Sky Q loves me and my brothers are standing with me and everything will be fine!
  • Thanksgiving convergence
  • Christmas Party
  • Joe Davis Run
  • The Rooster CSAUP in Rock Hill

 

Thank you Senator for the opportunity!

Cake Boss & Uncle Sam

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Q School at Abyss – 10-11-17

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Welcome to Q school from Senator Tressel and Ginsu! 19 PAX posted to sharpen their leadership skills.

Senator Tressel started off with guidelines on safety:

  • Always start with a disclaimer as a reminder, especially to new guys, that this is a voluntary workout led by non-professional fitness leaders. F3, nor the Q for the day assume any reliability if you get sick or hurt.   Be aware of your physical limitations and modify the workout if you need to.
  • Workouts are rain or shine, but should be cancelled if the conditions are unsafe. Usually this will be due to lightning or ice, but can be for other reasons.  The Q should use good judgement and make the call to cancel if he feels the conditions are not safe.  It’s OK to cancel a workout.  There will be another one tomorrow, the next day, and the day after that.  BE SMART.    Spring’s Maltz Challenge at NAFO was sighted as an example of what not to do.  The Q should also determine what exercises are safe to do (i.e. – no partner carries up a wet hill)
  • Always start with a warm up. ‘Surprising’ the Pax with 30 burpees to get things start might be fun, but is ill-advised.    Today, we did the Tressel  standard warm up which includes lunge walks, knee and ankle pulls, toy soldiers, arm circles and pulls.  Jogging and stretching are always good to start off a workout.

After the warm up, we moseyed to the back of the school for COP. ST led off with 25 side straddle hops and 10 merkins and then invited some of the newer Pax to lead exercises and practice counting. Things we stressed today:

  • The proper way, official, F3 way to start exercises in cadence is:  THE NEXT EXERCISE IS……, STARTING POSITION…MOVE….IN CADENCE… . EXERCISE!  (this is commonly done incorrectly)
  • COUNT MORE SLOWLY. ST is of the opinion that guys, in general, count too fast.  Slower counting is more effective for conditioning and leads to better form.  Your count should match your body movement when counting.
  • PROJECT YOUR VOICE so everyone can hear.
  • If your AO has pull up bars use them as much as possible.  The Abyss does have pull up bars so we split into three groups and did pull ups, step ups, and one lap around the track (3 reps were planned, but we only had time for one).

After each group got through a round of pull ups, we all assumed the plank position in a a tight circle for today’s message. Working the monthly theme or other message into the workout is not required, but can be an effective addition to the workout.    This is something unique to the Fort region.

Senator Tressel normally does not do a message, but felt compelled after reading an article about the reasons that people commit acts like the recent mass shooting in Las Vegas.  The writer opined that loneliness, frustration, unhappiness, and lack of purpose can lead people to commit heinous crimes.  The mission of F3 addresses these issues.  ST shared that the greatest thing that F3 has done for him is make him a much happier,  ‘at peace’ man.

ST handed off to Ginsu for the 2nd half.

Mosey to the front parking lot.

For the second half of the workout, we focused on the following:

  • Simplicity – Keep the workouts simple! Creativity is encouraged, but not at the expense of a solid, well organized workout. Keeping your workout simple makes organization easy and is less confusing for the PAX. Repetition (e.g. DORA, Jacob’s Ladder, etc.) is a good way to keep workouts simple.
  • Simple does not mean EASY! Burpees, pull-ups, merkins, bear crawls, etc. are all SIMPLE exercise options. But they are not EASY. Challenge the PAX with good workouts, keep it simple, but not EASY.
  • If you can’t do it, don’t Q it! – Challenge your PAX, but don’t turn a 45 minute workout into a CSAUP event. Use good judgment and don’t ask your PAX to do something that you can’t do yourself.
  • Pick up the SIX! – F3 is not like other workout groups. Here, it is you vs you and we pick each other up. We also EH new PAX weekly that are often as out of shape as the rest of us were when we began. Pick them up, encourage them. Appoint one of the PAX to hang back with them, if necessary.
  • Write your BackBlasts! This is part of the responsibility of being a Q. The simpler your workout, the easier the BBs are to write. It takes 5-10 minutes to do this. Just get it done.

With all this talk, you would think we didn’t actually do any work…we did. We kept it simple.

  • 4 cones in the shape of a square 50 yds apart. Do the following exercises at each cone, run to the next:
    • 5 burpees
    • 10 merkins
    • 10 big boy sit ups
    • Vinnie’s choice – 10 Freddie Mercury’s (4 count)

COT 

  • Announcements
    • Fast 5 – November 4th
    • CAH – Saturday, October 14th
    • BBQ Competition in Waxhaw
    • October 21st – run in Tega Cay to benefit Community Cafe
  • Prayer Requests
    • Marriages
    • Vegas
    • ST’s sister
    • CakeBoss’s sister

Thanks for the invitation Lake Dub!

 

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