The “RPG” provides Options

9 Strong at “the” RPG for a perfect weather acceleration into the weekend.  Sasquatch always delivers an impressive BROGA session, followed by a fellowship run with Rebel on Q.  CakeBoss took the Ruck Q and did not disappoint.  Wegmans looked like the Ruck was meaningful, either that or fatherhood has set in very nicely.  Good to see Harry Carey, Body Wash, and Skate or Die.

Sasquatch closed us out.

SYITG!

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

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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BEYOND – Empathy in a Culture of Hurry

The more hurried you are the less compassionate you’ll be. – John Mark

Slow down. We need to slow. down.

COP
SSH + Quick yoga flow + tappy taps + Merkins

Hold High Plank:

In today’s culture, we spend too much time focusing on self. It makes sense. In western culture, the individualized self is the highest goal in our society. We spend so much time focusing on what we desire. We follow those who have the same ideologies. In short, we hate each other and we want more of ourselves. We believe that we are God and only want to be surrounded by others created in our image. What does that say about us as a society?

Aiken Arms
10 Merkins
10 Plank Jacks
10 CDD’s
10 Donkey Kicks

Ass Webbs
Squats + Al Gore Pulses 1:4 – 10:40

Hold High Plank:

We only like things we want to like and curate things we want to see-further creating and hardening our ability to never have to see things we don’t want to see or disagree with. It’s not only desensitizing, it’s dehumanizing. Politics, sports teams, religion, name it. We are able to find what we desire to find and shut out anything we don’t want to hear/see. If we don’t like the news we see we can seek out and find the “news” we want. Using the mediums we currently use (social media specifically), when we see an opposing view that doesn’t align with ours, we aren’t obligated to disagree in a thoughtful and relationship keeping way. Instead the relationship doesn’t matter therefore the disagreement can be toxic, mean, and harsh. Trying to understand each other should be normal, unfortunately it has become a superpower in today’s culture.

Bear Crawl Circuit
Bear Crawl across parking lot
Low Plank in wait for six + 30 seconds
Bear Crawl back across lot
Low Plank in wait for the six + 30 seconds
Repeat w/Al Gores

Hold Al Gore:

You know what really is the driver behind all of this? Fear. A professor at Chapman University started a “Survey of American Fears” in 2014. You know what has been seen as a trend since the beginning of it all? People are beginning to fear what they see in the media. The top 10 fears from 2019 can be directly correlated to the top media stories of the past year. Basically the stories we see are whipping us up into a frenzy and fanning the flames of fear. How big will the fire get before it consumes us all? It really comes down to one question: What do we fear?

Punch Webbs 1:4 – 10:40
Dive bomber Pushups
Plank Jacks

A few Moseys in between rounds due to the difficulty of the Webb.

Hold High Plank:

I asked the question of what do we fear? We fear the other. Whatever the other is for you. white. black. republican. democrat. sunni. shiite. jew. german. christian. atheist. We have to dive head first into that dark and muddy part of our heart. Not put it away. Not shy away from it. Not run from it. What’s down in those depths? If we consider how Jesus actually walked and look at his ethos as he went about his life, we find someone who was afraid of no one and no thing. And this prevented knee jerk reactions. Prevented him from picking up a sword and taking down Rome. And if He wanted to do that, nothing could have stopped him. This made it possible for empathy to radiate from his very being. Because there was actually room for it as opposed to being filled with fear.
He chose to die willingly for others – namely his enemies. If you’re a follower of Jesus, ask yourself: Why are you afraid?

Aiken Legs
20 Squats
20 Box Jumps
20 Bonnie Blair’s (Jump Lunges)
20 Bomb Jacks

Hold High Plank:

What would it look like if we laid down our fears, our weapons, our hate, and picked up enemy love instead? This empathy is not easy. It is a hard won, practiced enemy love.

The difference between fear and enemy love is a difference of franticness and peace.
Fear is frantic.
Fear goes at a speed love does not.
Fear is fast. Fear is frantic. Fear is distracted.
But love?
Goes about three miles per hour.
Three miles per hour it the average pace of someone who is walking purposefully yet gracefully.
Most of Jesus’ miracles happened on his way somewhere else.
We have to go at a pace that can be interrupted. That can be responsive to the moment in front of us.
If you walk at a pace that is in step with our Lord, don’t be surprised if empathy and enemy love show up.
You can’t love someone when you are hustling (for me – I think bedtime with small children).
But when you say no to the hustle? You can be stopped. You can step into the holy moment of grace.
Jesus did it.
He felt other people’s pain. He leaned into their space. He understood their hurt. He waited and didn’t hustle past.
He loved.

Mary
Seal sit ups x 30
Straight Leg American Hammers x 15
Straight Leg LBC’s x 11
World War I sit ups x 5

Announcements
Yeti – Doty – Manion

Prayers/Praises
Band Camp’s travels to DC this weekend with the band.
Chicken Wing is having hip surgery next week.
Prayers for all traveling this weekend and the frenzied fear that is the current virus situation.

Thanks Dirty Harry for the tap to lead the inaugural BEYOND of 2020. Looking forward to what this will become.

Punch List out.

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Dora Beatdown

Seven years ago today I retired from the greatest police department in the world the NYCPD and  this morning I stand in the gloom with another great group of men that I had the privilege of leading in a Dora Beatdown and some added exercises that filled in our time at the end.

The brisk morning started with a mousey around the NAFO parking lot. We warmed up with some SSH, Tappy Taps, Windmills and Imperial Walkers.

The Dora consisted of:

100 Merkins

200 BBsitups

300 Squats

after that to fill in the time we did 25 knee ups, 25 flutters, 25 burpees, 25 LBC, 10 gaspumper and we held six inch plank several times to finish our beatdown.

COT followed…..we had 6 Bootcampers and 6 runners that split off after Broga

 

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Board of pain, faraway fences and bat flipper bear crawls

Nearly 3 miles were achieved by some, significantly less by others (Slash & UHaul always chose Bear Crawls…).  Some very solid mumblechatter…  A little flatulence…  Short chat on Lent and the presence of Catholics in Fort Mill…  Probable hair styles for the Son of God…  All in all it was a pretty eventful morning…

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Runnin’ Long Laps at The Pond

Minnow Pond on a brisk 35 degree morning? Sure, I’ll bite. This one’s gonna be short on content but heavy  on work. First I must say that it was good to see some of the not-so-regular guys at this edition.

We had 2 post for extra-extra credit, a few more post at 0500 for the extra credit. Finally at 0514, 10 of us made our way over to Ol’ Glory for The Pledge Of Allegiance. Have I said that I do love this tradition ‘Shanks has established.

Ok, it’s 0515 and here is your brief disclaimer to cover the bases. After that, we took off up the Massey hill just to pull a U-turn at the Church and run it back to the Minnow Pond parking lot for a little more warming up:

SSH & some 180 degree jump squats…THAT’S IT, after all, you just ran up and down that hill.

We then took off on our 1.1mi loop that we’d get more comfortable with. Again, go up the Massey hill but this time, go down to the gas station.
Post up at the gas station for our first set of exercises. Every time we stop, we’d be doing the same 3 exercises and the same number of reps.

(20) 2ct Flutters
(15) Jump Squats
(10) Hand-Release Merkins

Take off to make a R/T on Harris St
R/T on McCammon St
Straight through the light to the Founders Bank parking lot for

(20) 2ct Flutters
(15) Jump Squats
(10) Hand-Release Merkins

Take off to make a R/T on Clebourne St
R/T on Main St
Back to the Veterans Memorial flags for

(20) 2ct Flutters
(15) Jump Squats
(10) Hand-Release Merkins

So that is 1 lap and the goal is to do this repeatedly to ensure you cover the 3mi minimum but also including the exercises at each of the 3 stops on each lap.

Some of the PAX got close to 3mi. Some got over 3.5mi but all pushed and got pushed.

READ YOUR NEWSLETTER

Maximus

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Round 2 at Laces In

Lack of creativity? Potentially. Simple yet effective? Undoubtedly. That could be how I describe several stages of my life.

Yesterday at the JOC, we did round 1 of the Deck of Cards. Whenever you have a round 1, you have to have a round 2. Taking yesterday’s learnings on clock management, I modified the warm-up, flapped the gums a little less and up’d the tempo. That would ensure we get through the deck this time.

We had a total of 20 at Laces, with 2 of those being Road Runners. The other 17 joined me as we circled up.

River Rat got to hear this twice but I shared what Billy Bob said on the Roundtable podcast recently about modifications. You can always modify as needed BUT do not use that as an excuse to not push yourself. It’s appropriate in so many areas of life and it was appropriate for the PAX & I this morning.

So, we jogged over to the start line for our abbreviated warm up consisting of (2) 50yd runs at 50% pace and 75% pace. We followed that up with windmills in cadence and butt kickers in place, also in cadence. And that was it for our warm up.

For the 1st-timers, the deck goes like this, your rep count is the number on the card, 2-10 are obvious, Jacks=11, Queens=12, Kings=13, Aces=14. Suits represent the following exercises:

Hearts: 8ct Burpee (It’s a burpee with a plank jack & the push up)
Diamonds: 4ct Mountain Climbers
Clubs: Jump Squats
Spades: Diamond Merkins
Jokers: (25) 4ct Flutters

In total, we did:
(104) 8ct Burpees
(104) 4ct Mountain Climbers
(104) Jump Squats
(104) Diamond Merkins
We had 3 Jokers in the deck so that is (75) Flutters, of the 4ct variety

We finished the deck at 0551 so we had 9mins left on the clock which was filled with:
(30) Flutters
(12) Hand-Release Merkins
(15) American Hammers

4 more 50yd runs at 50%, 75%, 100%, 75%

Moseyed back to COT for:
Heels to Heavens
Freddy Mercury

COT today was pretty powerful for me. We had men that brought some real stuff today that they are walking through life with. As we say, you are not meant to carry this on your own; that would crumble any man. You have been called and designed to lead but the best leaders have a group they work with. In F3, we call that group a Shield Lock.
Remember, sometimes you need to modify the game plan. However, DO NOT use that modification as an excuse to not give it your all.

It’s been my honor.
Maximus

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9 Branded by the Ring of Fire – 3D’s 1st F3iversary

In honor of my FNG post on Jan 15, 2019, I led 9 PAX reenacting the Ring of Fire dealt by SkateOrDie during my first post.  Weather was warmer than last year.

Warmup – Mosey, Moroccan Nightclubs, Hillbilly and imperial Walkers, windmills, Cherry Pickers, Plank, honeymooner, Plank, Downdog with calf stretches

Workout – PAX in circle with their respective weights.  Skate or Die also brought a concrete brick.  10 exercises.  Started with 20 reps and then worked down by 2.  Rotated weights after each exercise.  After each round I randomly rotated us or mixed us up so we used the weights in different order.  Threw a mosey in after 2 rounds.  Were only able to get down to 12 when Polaroid reminded us it was 6!!

Overhead Press

Squats

KB Swing

LBCs

Tricep Ext

Lunge Pass thru

Curls

Calf Raises

V Ups

Rows

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A Little Of Dis And A Little Of Dat

Despite the cold temps, thirteen HIM decided to get out of the old fart sack and accelerate their Thursday morning. It was a good opportunity to remind everyone that it was cold out and not to stick your tongue to a flag pole. Disclaimer was given and we were off.
Quick Mosey and we circled up. Exercises were done in reps of 20.
  • 20 Side Straddle Hops
  • 20 Windmills
  • 20 Low Slow Squats
Right off the bat, we bear crawled around the covered semi circle. Once the six were in another mosey over to the far parking lot.
  • 20 Plank Jacks
  • 20 Flutters
  • 20 Bib Boy Sit Ups
Moseyed over to the back of the school for some wall work.
  • 20 Wall Mountain Cimbers
  • 20 Peoples Chair Overhead Claps
  • 20 Wall Mountain Cimbers
  • 20 Peoples Chair Overhead Claps
A challenged the group to take some time out and focus on what is really import over the upcoming weeks. The birth of our savior.
Moseyed towards the side of the school.
  • 20 Donkey Kicks
  • 20 Dying Cockroaches
  • 20 American Hammers
Moseyed/Toy Soldiers/Lunges over to the front of the school where two cones were setup for a little Jack Webb. The loop was about a quarter of a mile in total and we had a cone setup on each opposite end. We definitely got some miles in on this segment.
Cone 1: 10 Partner Slap Pushups
Con 2: 1 Big Boy Sit Up 
 
Cone 1: 9 Partner Slap Pushups
Con 2: 2 Big Boy Sit Up 
 
We got down to about 5 and 5 or 4 and six depending on how fast you were running.
 
Moseyed back to COT for prayers and praises.
 
– JWOW

 

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RPG-Broga-Varsity Combo

Last Friday of every month will have a travelling Broga-RPG.  Varsity (at Nation Ford HS) was the location for November.  Nine pax came out for the 0500 start time to burn off after-Thanksgiving calories.

Broga
YHC was the lead-off man started the group with a some simple yoga positions, then Sasquatch brought us home with warrior poses.

The group split off: three went running; six stayed for boot camp.

Boot camp details:
Warm up
Mosey Run
Toy soldiers, high knees
Circle up and do:
SSH (In Cadence 16x)
Windmill (IC 16x)
Imperial Walker (IC 12x)
Plank Jacks (IC 16x)

Thang 1: Elevens
Mosey to JrROTC building
Run to bottom of hill, do 1 burpee
Run up to pull up bars, do 10 pullups
Incremental changes for the 11’s routine.

Thang 2: Wall Sits

Thang 3: Global Warming
Circle up, low stance position, all pax side shuffle about the circle, stop and do exercise called out (each pax had opportunity to call out an exercise):
Smurf Jacks
Imperial Walkers
Big Boy sit ups
Merkins
Squats
Etc.

The runners returned after traversing around 4ish miles.

Fini, COT
Prayers for pax traveling this holiday weekend, and for those that have lost a loved one recently.

Look for the traveling RPG-Broga coming to an AO by you; take advantage of the opportunity to get better!

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