Never Forget

9/11 Tribute WOD – Focus on the Passenger

Imagine you’ve woken up on a seemingly normal day, getting ready for a work trip, and then heading to the airport. The traffic isn’t as heavy as you would think, in fact you think maybe today will be a good day based on that. You arrive at the airport, get your ticket, and go to the security line. Security wasn’t so bad, it only took 5 minutes. This could be a pretty nice business trip. You arrive at your gate and then the plane starts to board. You board, sit down in your seat and pull out a book you’ve just started and are excited to read it on this forced 5 hour break. The plane takes off and everything seems fine.

Then it isn’t.

A group of men some how gain control of the plane and it changes course. The next thing you know, you have no clue where you’re heading and there is an air of fear growing in the cabin. You look out of your window and you see a city that you should be very far from at that point in the flight and wonder what comes next.

That’s it. That’s how 246 passengers/crew on four planes lost their lives on 9/11/01. They weren’t warned, told, or able to make the last decisions about their lives. Some weren’t able to tell their loved ones that they loved them for the last time. Life ended for them on that fateful day.

Today we honored them.

Mosey around the entire church and then circled up for a warm up stretch.

COP

30 SSH

10 Tappy Taps

30 Moroccan Night Clubs

10 Little Baby Arm Circles – both directions

Al Gores w/4 count pulse

High Plank, Side Plank, Side Plank

Yoga Flow and Stretch

Mosey to the concrete bench area.

Four Flights – 246 Victims in the air.

Flight 11
87 Total
76 Passengers
11 Crew

Flight 77
59 Total
53 Passengers
6 Crew

Flight 93
40 Total
33 Passengers
7 Crew

Flight 175
60 Total
51 Passengers
9 Crew

Weinke

Flight 11 – North Tower
76 – Step Ups (Count Each Leg)
11 – Turkish Get Ups (11 Each Arm)
Run Lap

Flight 175 – South Tower
51 – KB Swings
9 – Curls (9 each arm)
Run Lap

Flight 77 – Pentagon
53 – Straight Leg Deadlifts (1 Leg at a time)
6 – Clean & Press (6 each arm)
Run Lap

Flight 93 – Field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania
33 – Goblet Squats
7 – Halo’s (7 each way)
Run Lap

Mary – Total Per Flight
87 – LBC’s (2 Count)
60 – Pickle Pointers @ Bench Area (KB on Hips)
59 – Flutters w/Press (2 Count)
40 – American Hammers w/KB (count each side)

We ran short and had three minutes to spare. We took time to pass the Dutchie left and right one revolution.

JWOWW made a great point while we were running our fourth lap – you don’t come to realize how many people actually lost their lives until you start counting them out one by one, rep by rep, and the pain grows with each rep. Just remember this when you’re thinking about giving up when honoring those who lost their lives.

We had 12 PAX, each of which struggled through this unique weinke.

We headed back to COT and I gave one last word with regard to those who lost their lives:

NMM

In total, 2,996 people lost their lives on that fateful day of 9/11/2001. At this time 18 years ago, none of them knew their time would come to leave this earth. They had plans, families, loved ones, futures, goals, dreams. Don’t take what you have for granted. Live the life you have with those you’re surrounded in the best way possible. Give all of yourself to God and let Him use you. Don’t hold back. You never know when something might happen and put an end to all of it.

Prayers/Praises

Flat Tire’s son is going to take his on the road drivers test – prayer and praise!

Pray for marriages – and don’t take for granted the fact that you have an amazing M.

Pray for Winnie – my 2.3 – who is the last of our family to catch our little illness going around.

Praise for our newest Region, Lake Wylie! And for our new leadership in The Fort.

Announcements 

Christmas party coming up! Get your sweaters!

Punch List out.

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17

What Lacks in Creativity…

Call it “coincidental”, impeccable luck, dumb luck, divine appointment, proper Site-Q planning or option “F”, None of the Above but I was fortunate to have the Q at the Swamp today; the morning of our region’s Invergence. If the PAX were grumpy this evening due to not having a decent workout to start their day, that would be on my shoulders. I was really hoping to not let that happen.

So when 19 other men rolled in for an even 20, I had to take note of who might need the extra push. Once the mental note was made (and it shall remain mental), I recognized we’d have to get some distance in before jumping right in and even try to gas people a little here and there.

Disclaimer was uttered and again, my request was made: “All of you are carrying something with you this morning. My request is that you be present for the next 45mins, engage, push and be present with us, here.”

We then…moseyed. Made our way the long way (as if there’s a short way) over to the Kohl’s parking lot mixing in Butt Kickers, High Knees, Toy Soldiers and a few rounds of Sprints (yes, on a warm up mosey).

Circle Up for 7 reps in cadence of each of the following:

Wide-Arm Merkins

Regular Merkins

Diamond Merkins

Mountain Climbers

Peter Parkers

Parker Peters

Then 5 Burpees

2 Lines for an Indian Run around the entire Kohl’s/Kirklands/Ulta, etc building coming back to the Ulta parking lot (can’t believe a beauty supply store just made its way into the BB…TWICE).

Then our typical warm up: Slow Wind Mills, Slow Squats

Catch Me If You Can with a partner and incorporating 10 Carolina Dry Docks and 10 Monkey Humpers when your partner catches you. Make the parking lot lap 3 times. Word to the wise, if you’re partnered with B.O.T., mandate that he jogs or shoot, walks…#speedy.

Circle Up for 7 more reps in cadence of each of the following:

Wide-Arm Merkins

Regular Merkins

Diamond Merkins

Mountain Climbers

Peter Parkers

Parker Peters

Then, mosey to the Old Navy parking lot and line up on a white line

Crab Walk 20 yards, 20 dips, crab walk back, 20 Dips

Repeat

Mosey to the Best Buy parking lot

3 reps each:

Wide-Arm Merkins

Regular Merkins

Diamond Merkins

Burpees

COT

See you at the Invergence tonight and the 1st Convergence tomorrow (Sat) followed by Q-Source.

Honored.

Maximus

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6

Burpee Broad Jumps for EVERYONE!!!

7 was the number at Pantheon, sans the SiteQ (whom YHC still needs to give some P200 hardware).  Seems everyone posting for a good beatdown got their money’s worth. And even if not, the standard fare of FunHouse mumble chatter was worth its weight in hot air.

The Thang

Started with a warm-up lap around the “big loop”, with some shuffles, toy-soldiers, and a few COP warm-ups, consisting of (in no particular order):

  • SSH x25
  • Cherry Pickers
  • Imperial Squat Walkers x20
  • Windmills (of acceptable quality, according to FunHouse) x10
  • Mountain Climbers x20
  • Peter Parkers x20
  • Superman >> Paratrooper – with some Moroccan Nightclubs added in x10
  • perhaps a few others exercises, lost in the annals of this 47 year old mind

The Main Event

Pax moseyed to a cone in front of the main entrance.  They observed a second cone about 100 yards away.  We then split into 2 groups.

Group 2 ran down to cone 2 and did the first stationary exercises on the list
Group 1 started at cone 1 and performed the moving exercises for 100 yards to reach cone 2
When group 1 reached group 2
  • group 1 ran a “little loop” lap back to cone 1 and began the first stationary exercise on the list
  • group 2 began the moving exercise for 100 yards to cone 1
When group 2 reached group 1
  • group 2 ran little loop lap back to cone 2 and began the second stationary exercise
  • group 1 began the moving exercise for 100 yards to cone 2
The moving exercises:
  • 1 pair of lunges, 1 broad jump, 1 burpee, then 2, then 3,, 4, and 5 until opposite cone (100 yards away) was reached

Stationary exercise:
1) Plank punches
2) Monkey Humpers
3) Box cutters
4) Dry Docks
======  Ran out of time ======
5) Deep Squats
6) Plank Jacks
7) Apolo Ohno
8) Chop Sticks

For a few minutes, we a couple ab exercises, then about 30 seconds of total body destroyers.

 

Great work by all men!  Thanks to Bear Grylls for the opportunity to lead!

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1

Minnow Pond Strikes Again

17 Pax descended upon the Minnow Pond this AM. Many were new to the Pond and all were better for having posted.

In the 5 weeks since launch, Shady along with the other Qs have set the bar high for MP. The workouts have been difficult with more 1st F than 2nd or  3rd F. I have been reminded of a few trips to F3 Metro where YHC was gassed after each post. I loved it!

YHC was honored to be asked to Q early in the existence. Honestly, I was both excited and nervous much like the old days of F3 the Fort. I was excited to lead the group of HIMs and nervous to create a beatdown that matched the intensity from the first 4 weeks. Minnow Pond stretches you as a Q. Whether you are a thoroughbred or a clydesdale, all Pax must get equal pain. After reviewing some backblasts from the Shark Tank (the OG), YHC created a plan that included a few holes at Fort Mill Golf Club.

Weather: 64 and not humid (Football season is here!)

The Thang:

Warm up and disclaimer prior to 5:15

AYG to Fort Mill Church of God parking lot (burpees until the 6 arrives)

10 Merkins, 20 Squats, 30 LBCs

Run to end of lot and back

Repeat 4 times

AYG to FM Golf Course (burpees until the 6 arrives)

Holes 7, 8 and 9

Hole 7 – 50 paces followed by 7 burpees from tee to green

Hole 8 – 50 paces followed by 8 sit ups from tee to green

Hole 9 – 50 paces followed by 9 bombjacks

Burpees until the 6 arrives

AYG to Fort Mill Church of God parking lot (burpees until the 6 arrives)

10 merkins, 20 squats, 30 LBCs

AYG to Veterans Park

Based on loose calculations, we covered the following in 45 minutes:

3+ miles

60 merkins

120 squats

180 LBCs

35+ burpees

40+ sit ups

50+ bombjacks

 

Moleskin:

  • Invergence/Convergence coming up 9/6 – 9/7
  • Mainframe on Q for Q Source on 9/7 at Kingsley amphitheater
  • Minnow Pond t-shirt order
  • Prayers for child at Children’s Attention Home that Nasa is mentoring
  • Praise for successful start to school year
  • Marriages

Thanks to Shady for the opportunity!

Pusher

 

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Q on Cue

A strong group of 17 PAX appeared in the midst of a cool late-august gloom.

– Mosey to Springs parking lot
– Carioca one direction
– Carioca the other
– Mosey to the lot blocked off by the chain
Warm Up:
– SSH (until I heard grumbling)
– Windmill (slowly, until I felt better about life)
– Cherry Picker (stopped corrected some form)
– Cherry Picker with better form
– Merkin x12 (cause you were expecting 10)
– Shoulder Taps
– Mountain Climbers
– Downdog –> Honeymooner, repeat
– added a little runners lunge with some twisting (because yoga)
– sprinkled in a burpee

Thang:
– Mosey to Pike Electric front lot
– two burpees
– Circled up – Howling Monkeys
– Dirty Hookups on the wall
– Howling Monkeys
– Dirty Hookups
– Threw in 10 burpees because no PAX could quickly identify where in the bible the store of David and Goliath is located (1st Samuel)
– Threw in 20 bomb jacks for a “That’s what she said” about David being small……..not that kind of group.
– Mosey to MillStone
– Wall sit for the 6
– Mosey to Millstone playground
– Happy Jacks x4
– Divided up in to 4 groups at each little hill:
– Start at the top of the hill
– Standing forward bend (aka: touch your toes)
– Inch-worm down into merkin position
– 10 Derkins
– Inch-wormed back
– Bear Crawl to the next hill
– (total of just 40 derkins)
– COP on the little neglected concrete slab there
– Tammy Wynettes for a while (most groups hit 3 reps)
– Mosey back to COT with some stops to let everyone catch up
– Wallsit at Millstone
– Sprint up Massey Hill
– BTTW at Springs Corporate

NMM:

David and Goliath is a story about faith, but may also be a story about a smaller more agile advisory taking on a big, lumbering giant. This begins to sound like a “lizard” vs a “bullfrog” from the Q-source. Just like David, we sometimes need the faith to trust a lizard or believe that as a lizard we can succeed.

Announcements:
– 9/6 Invergence
– 9/7 Convergence

A privileged to lead.

-Band Camp Dismissed

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5

Quagmire – Cake Walk around Rivergate

COP
Mosey
Shuffles
Karaoke
High Knees
Butt kickers
Gasers

Mosey to Home Depot lot and search for my chalk hopefully before sprinklers wash it away

Bear Crawl 10 lines (parking spaces)
Broad jump back
Run Lap

Partner up
Wheel barrow 10 lines
Switch
Run Lap

Side Plank Step right 10 lines
10 Partner Leg raises (partner pushes legs down)
Side Planks step left back

Power skip 10 lines
10 Partner derkins (legs on partner back)
Power skip back

Crab walk 10 lines
10 Partner dips (Dip while partner planks)
Crab walk back

Mosey to Fountain

AMRAP-1min each
Step ups
Box jumps
Irkins

AMRAP-30sec each
Step ups
Box jumps
Irkins

Mosey to COT

15 Airbornes each leg

15 LBCs

15 burpees earlier in the COP/Workout

Talked to the men about Fear and how it keeps us form being our best self. It keeps us from our biggest victories. Fear keeps us from getting better. 

We should have nothing to fear since Sky Q has given us everything including eternal life through  his son. With that fear removed, our focus should be on honoring the one that paid it all in all we do and the victories and achievements will be endless……because we are fearless!!

  • Prayers for CMS schools back in today
  • Prayers for Ms and 2.0s
  • Prayers for Twister and Duck Dynasty IR
  • Thanks for the Q  Jedi/Mile High. Awesome group of PAX!!

Cake Boss out!

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2

Monotony is a Choice

16 energetic pax posted to the 4th installment of Minnow Pond.  All veterans, all had been warned in advance of need to warm up. So Disclaimed was super short and then it was game on.

The Thang

Run to playground at WEP.  First to arrive start doing Burpees until Six shows up.

Extended plank sequence while YHC delivers instructions.

Pax run one .6 mile lap around WEP on path at crisp pace. When pax arrive back to playground:
Pull ups x10
Derkins x20
Gorilla squats x30

Rinse & repeat lap/exercise sequence AMRAP for remainer of workout.

Short stint of Mary at playground while Six finishes final lap.

Run back home

COT

NMM

Great effort by the pax, pushing themselves and pushing each other.  Total laps ranged from 3 to 5, depending on pace.  Total of 3.5-ish miles plus 50 pull-ups, 100 Derkins & 150 Squats for those who maxed out at 5 laps.  No one left without needing to wring out his shirt.

Shady’s mission at MP is to push the pax, both in terms of pain and pace.  Objective with today’s Weinke was to make sure pax of any running pace could participate without the Six falling behind or leaders catching too much of a break.  Seems like it worked.

Running laps and doing the same three exercises can become stale…kinda like many parts of daily life.  Sometimes it might be the work routine, other times it might be family life or exercise or church or anything.  I don’t deal well in maintenance situations or situations that become routine.  When I’m stuck in those places without much ability to change, I can be tempted to make poor choices to escape the mundane or to “spice” things up.  Jester can draw a bead on me quite easily at these times.  BUT, there’s ALWAYS a #choice.  And the first choice is how you see the situation.  Seeing it as “monotony” is a choice.  Someone else might see the work routine with envy, because they want a job.  Someone may see the family routine as a dream, because they live alone or can’t have children.  Someone may see exercise doldrums as a joy, because they’re injured or disabled.  So, when routine starts to weigh on your spirits, remember that you have a choice to see the routine in ways other than drudgery. And maybe a different choice will help keep the Jester at bay.

Thanks to Shady for opportunity to lead.  Looking forward to many more mornings at MP!

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3

Q v Q 2019

 

It is with great pleasure that I am able to announce: the second annual installment of Q v Q is coming this October.

It will be modified slightly to increase the number of HIM in competition. Face kicks will abound as we have eight great Q’s lined up to make YOU better.

Scoring Criteria:

Creativity

Best Use of the AO

Level of Face Kick (AKA Difficulty of Beatdown)

Each PAX attending the workout will score each Q based out of maximum score of 5 points per category (15 points max). The winner will be determined based off of the higher total between the two Q’s.

On the last Wednesday of the month, the four Q’s to advance each week will face off in a ‘menage a quatre of pain’ with each taking on one 10 minute session

Schedule

October 2nd – Jiffy vs Sasquatch (this match up was too good not to repeat)

October 9th – Geronimo vs Shady

October 16th – Cha Ching vs Dirty Harry

October 23rd – Harry Caray vs. Youts

October 31st – The four advancing Q’s from each week will have one 10 minute session each to prove their worth as Best Q.

Format 

YHC will lead the PAX in a standard, warmup lasting 5 minutes. The rest of the time will be split into 10 minute blocks and one of the Qs takes the first 10, the second taking the next 10, the 1st Q has to opportunity to respond, and finally the 2nd Q has their opportunity to respond.

The Q that arrives earliest that morning will get to choose if they go first or second.

After the 40 minutes are up, the PAX will quickly vote, we will carry the 1, and determine a winner.

The winner of each week will also have the pleasure of providing a backblast for Funhouse’s appeasement.

Trophy

These Qs will be competing for a prize that will be on display each week during Q v Q at The Coop.

Q’s are subject to change. Any changes will be communicated by YHC.

May the odds be ever in your favor!

Punch List Out.

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15

Millstone jumps out of the blocks

Backblast disclaimer: Strap yourself in because this is going to be a bit more detailed than my normal backblasts so this can be used for future reference as this AO gets off the ground…

5 gathered for the kick-off of The Fort’s first IR friendly AO.

  1. YHC gave a short disclaimer of “don’t get hurt more and MODIFY as needed”.
  2. YHC then took a quick inventory of current injuries so special attention could be addressed and quick weinke adjustments could be made in my little squirrel brain.
  3. Partnering and picking up the 6 were enforced out of the gate, and throughout, as this AO is also heavy 2ndF focused.
  4. If max heart rate is 220, we’re aiming for 50-60% for those keeping track b/c we want to get heart rate up so you break a sweat, but given the injury you may have, don’t overdue it and pay attention to your body.

I would encourage all future Qs and future attendees to pay mind to the above.  I think this will also support those headlock guys you’ve been working on forever (old, young, big, small, etc.) because the IR workout will/could require heavy modification, “you do you” mentality, but definitely 2ndF friendly to wet the FNG whistle for what F3 is all about.

After the basics were covered, we took off in a #slowsey fashion (slow jog / fast paced walk / you do you but pick up 6) over to the Founders bank parking lot for warm-up.

Warm up included:

  • front and backwards big arm circles 10x / direction
  • 10x windmills
  • 10x cherry pickers
  • back stretching led by Drop Thrill given his back injuries (which I liked this b/c it gives an IR guy a chance to do a stretch or exercise that helps them)
  • 10x squats, merkins, lunges (Boss Hogg modified the merkins for superman hold due to his IR shoulder)
  • More arm and shoulder stretching, quad stretches, hamstring stretching
  • Core work: 20 LBCs, 20 flutter, 20 freddy

I would say encouragement and incorporating IR stretching and warm-up exercises that cater to IR PAX is key here.  I also think that extra stretching and Core work are key to a good warm up for the IR crowd but paying attention to what the IR PAX can do and ensuring you are attentive to their injury.

Next we moved on to The Thang!  #Slowsey over to the small park where the #Millstone monument is located, only to find out many of the PAX didn’t know this existed so they got a history lesson as part of their #DRP.  PAX were then instructed to:

  • At own pace, up and down set of stairs 3x (or AMRAP for the 6)
  • #Slowsey to benches by the park where you did one or all of 10x dips, 10x/leg step ups
  • #Slowsey to small parking lot for core work 25x double count LBC
  • More back stretching and hamstring stretches while on the ground
  • #Slowsey down the sidewalk all the way back to Millstone for 20 calf raises (3x in all different calf raise directions) and/or 40 plank jacks
  • Rinse and repeat
  • Changes in the small parking lot for core work included 25x flutters, flipped over for superman and release 4x rounds, 10x gas pumpers or crunchy frogs depending on what you could do

As the PAX circled down the hill and faced Main St., the lovely aroma of BBQ took YHC’s attention to take everyone up Main St. to Pucker Butt where we did 30x squats, 30x merkins, 30x LBC (merkins were replaced with more core or more legs for Boss Hogg #Lucky).  Back down the hill and over to COT for some Mary.

Mary consisted of 10x American Hammers, 20x LBCs, 20x Flutters, and Protractor for the remaining min or two.

PAX then numbered off and name-o-rama.  YHC asked for immediate feedback from the PAX and the biggest takeaway for me was: pay attention to who’s in attendance, adjust as needed, make sure someone is with the 6 for encouragement / 2ndF….and if all else fails, have fun and most of all, don’t get hurt!  Had a great time, can’t wait for next week, we all broke a good sweat thanks to the push and the humidity.  Let’s keep this rolling and send me ideas, FNGs, don’t wish for guys to be on IR but if they are, send them our way!!

AYE!  Shady

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19

Burning Down The Colosseum

Gladly accepted the Q request from Jekyll a month ago for an AO i had never posted to.  He told me the Qs really bring the pain. Visited the week prior to get the lay of the land and he was not joking. With that I couldn’t slack off. 26 PAX 3 FNG got after it in the Gloom this morning. Really dig these MONSTER number  Workouts.

Here’s how it went down.

Mosey up to second Left turn to Parking spaces.

Bone the Fish.

3 Shuffle Right 3 Shuffle Left 3 Karaoke 1-1-1–Really crazy to do this with these numbers.

Warmup

SSHx15 MNCx15  Hillbilly Walkers x 15

Imperial Walkersx15 Dips x 15

The Thang

9 exercise stations 20 reps per. Except #1. Thanks Pothole! Mode of travel listed at each station for return to middle. All returns to middle do 5 burpees- Mosey to next station

Station 1- Abs 30 American Hammers Ct 1 side- Sprint to light pole/cone 5 Low Slow Sprint to next station

Station 2- Legs 20 Block Squats – Bear Crawl to Center

Station 3- Arms 20 Wide Arm Merkins– Bear Crawl to Center

Station 4- Abs 20 10 Peter Parkers/ 10 Parker Peters- Bear Crawl to Center

Station 5-Combo Al Gore w/bricks  10 Lateral Raise 10 Lateral Row = 20 reps Sprint to cone – 5 merkins Sprint to next station

Station 6- Arms 20 GTOs Ground to Overhead- Crawl Bear to center—–Really how does a Pax break a cinderblock in half????

Station 7-Abs 20 War Hammers combo WWII sit-up 1x American hammer- Crawl Bear to Center

Station 8- Legs 20 Monkey Humpers  Wheel Barrow to center and switch after burpees to station 9

Station 9- Pass the Ruck- Stand Back to back and pass back and forth in circular motion 20x  Mosey to center.

Rinse and Repeat

All PAX completed roughly 1.5 rounds. From the mumble chatter throughout the #Beatdown it appeared to be successful.

Return to COT to name the FNGs and hand off the Shovel flag.

Thanks Again for the Opportunity to lead.

Good Luck Hardwood and Great work Jekyll. Will see me more regularly at the Colosseum.

Duck Out!

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