We had a 8 Pax post at the Colosseum today for a high impact workout. There were 3 respectables among us (Rebel, Bassomatic and Asphalt). They posted strong, ran hard and made us hustle to keep up with them. Straight Up met us after his pre-run and he was ready to bring it. Shout out to Fogerty for blessing me with this opportunity Q.
Partner Wheel Barrels to each side of the parking lot (2x), Partner Big Boy Sit Ups (15x for 2 rounds), Partner Ski Jumps (15x), Partners Push Ups (15x for 2 rounds), Partner Leg Lifts (15x for 2 rounds)
Mosey to the bus loop for catch me if you can for 2 laps and 2 burpees at each exchange.
Mosey to the next parking lot.
Moleskin:
We are so blessed by God’s grace that sometimes we take it for granted. He sends angels before us to protect us on a daily. For example, do we stop and thank Him for daily traveling grace and a safe commute to and from our workplace? We should.
Shame is the opposite of His grace. Forgive yourself for your mistakes and flaws. Don’t strive for perfection. Instead, commit to making a perfect effort. That’s all anyone can ask of you.
Forgive others. Giving grace to others ensure your freedom. Freedom comes from not holding on to grudges. Be free.
It was an honor to travel across the River on this cool Spring gloom with Italian Job and Canseco to join up with 9 of our Fort and Rock Region brothers on the day before Easter. Thank you Bonsai and the rest of our brothers for the opportunity to lead this morning.
As Italian Job, Canseco and YHC discussed this workout the previous week, we decided that it would definitely be split into three equal time periods with each of us focusing on different body groups. Italian Job began with the F3 Disclaimer and welcome to all:
WARMUP
There was no Warm-Up
THETHANG
Italian Job moved right into working the upper body. This is what was done:
10 Burpees (OYO); 5 Plank Destroyers (Plank, Makhtar D’Diaye, Merkin, Alternating Shoulder Tap, Plank Jack); 20 MNCs (IC); 10 Merkins (IC); 20 Little Baby Arm Circles (IC); 10 Wide Arm Merkins (IC); 20 Overhead Claps (IC); 60 Seconds Arm Circles in Plank; Mosey to Springs or Playground; 20 Irkins; 20 Dips; 20 Derkins; Mosey; 10 Wide-Diamond-Wide (OYO); Mosey; Merkin Ring of Fire (10 rounds).
After he finished, the Q Stick was handed off to YHC for the lower body portion performing each of the following exercises for 50-seconds and resting for 10:
Squat + Calf Raises; Squat Jacks; Mosey; Alternating Hamstring Reaches; Broad Jump w/Back Pedal; Mosey; Left Lateral Lung; Right Lateral Lung; Squat Tap-Outs; Mosey; Left Leg Lunge; Right Leg Lunge; Mosey; Step Ups; Squat & Squat Jumps.
Then YHC passed off the lead to Canseco for some Core & Cardio and an awesome work below in the NMM. This is what he led us in:
YHC planned to use the steep portion of the running path for sets of core exercises with a jailbreak between. We did 2 to 3 exercises for each set and started at the bottom of the hill.
We did the following with a jailbreak between sets.
All In Cadence:
30 Imperial Walkers; 50 Flutters; Jailbreak
20 Mtn Climbers; 20 Freddy Mercurys; Jailbreak
20 American Hammers; 30 Pretzel Crunches (15 each Side); 10 Makhtar N’Diayes; Jailbreak back to top
20 LBC’s ; 10 Delayed LBC’s; Plank w/6 Inches and Up x2
Mosey to COT where IJ led us in another 10-Burpees for fun
Great work was put in by all PaX in attendance. Thank you again for allowing us to lead.
NMM
Canseco shared his heart this morning. Below is what he discussed:
The sun came through the clouds and shined directly on us during Reborn’s leg workout. We were at the top of the Walter Elisha Park looking out and for a few moments everyone was quiet. I had something to share with the PAX and in that moment this capped it off.
I have been reading through the gospels the last couple weeks and wanted to share something that has been stirring in me. So, as we know its Saturday before Easter and Jesus has been crucified and placed in a tomb. On this day thousands of years ago there were all kinds of emotions for those who were near to Jesus.
Those near to him who followed and loved him were doubtful, confused, and didn’t know what would happen next. The Pharisees and scribes still saw Jesus as a threat to their own Kingdom and world and placed guards at the tomb. I find this interesting as he is dead yet they didn’t believe?
I shared Matthew chapter 21 with the PAX when Jesus curses the fig tree that didn’t have any fruit. Jesus disciples said how can it wither instantly? Jesus answered, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, Be taken up and thrown into the sea, it will happen.” 22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” Jesus was preparing them to believe and have faith during the darkest and most doubtful times to come.
We know what happened next. We have record and an account of the resurrection. But we still have to figure out what we are going to do with Jesus?
Is Jesus threatening your Kingdom, life, and world. Are you keeping him at distance and putting HIM away somewhere so as to hide?
Or, are you believing on His life, death, and resurrection as sufficient for your sins and eternity with HIM. You can’t hide from the light!!!
My prayer for the PAX was that just as the sun rose before our eyes this morning that the Son of Man would rise in each of our hearts this day, tomorrow, and forever.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
April 3rd F Theme-Be Still.
Summer Lawn Service at the Care Center-Sign up now.
Manion WOD-April 27-See Cobra Kai.
Date Night-April 27-Contact Wegmans.
PRAYERS/PRAISES
Prayers and praises were mentioned and Italian Job
10 at the hive for a Go Ruck inspired Kettle Bell workout
Warm-up began with:
Short mosey
SSH
Moroccan Nightclubs
Hillbilly Walkers
Imperial Walkers
Windmills.
We then moved to the side of the parking lot to complete the body of the workout
10 sets of:
Suitcase carry of bell to far end of parking lot and back AFAP (switch hands at far end) *Tesh estimated this to be 80 yards each way.. Far more than the 50 that I had intended…
Once back 10 Goblet Squats and 10 Swings then repeat
Final 5 sets had 10 Lunges, 10 Plank Pass Through, and 10 Overhead Press added to reps due to mumble about how easy the back-blast would be to write
Finished at exactly 6:00… Just like I had planned…
4 warriors met in the gloom at the Pantheon. No FNGs present, so the disclaimer was short and we started with some stretching.
Warmup
2 sets Single leg stretch – one foot planted with knee bent and six near the earth, the other straight out to the side with toes up for a mental count of 30, hold and keep the six down when transferring to the opposite foot
Side split for mental count of 30
10x split fingertip pushups – Fingertips on the ground, sway back as you sink, sway forward to put weight on the fingers as you push up
Mosey to the back parking lot
20x SSH
10x “Werewolf” merkins
The Thang
Mosey to the swings for some fun.
Here we did an exercise using the swings with feet on the swings and palms on the ground in plank position. (The surface of the playground is this rubbery stuff, so it makes what we were going to do easier on the wrists.) Then a run across the playground (the short way) to the sidewalk by the fence for another exercise. Always running between each.
SET 1
10x Mantis strike pushups – Do half a merkin and explode up with enough force to get some air. Flip those hands over and land on the back of the wrist with the hand folded in (fingertips up for the mantis strike were demonstrated, but definitely not required). Alternate every pushup.
10x squats
SET 2
10x knees to chest – Pull the knees into the chest while on the swing, it feels easy the first few times
10x Pretzel crunch (each leg)
SET 3
10x mantis strike pushup
30 second hold – No name for this one. Left elbow and knee on the ground. Right palm on the ground. Right leg straight and as high as it can go with toes pulled in towards the knee. Keep it high for the entire time. Both sides
SET 4
10x knees to chest
10x squats – Asked for an audible from Slapshot and got squats
The next thang
Mosey to the amphitheater
Here the plan was to follow the sidewalk. PAX ran up the left side and down to the end of the sidewalk and performed a number of reps before running back to the main path, up a branch and down again. There are four ends, so each time there are four exercises.
SET 1
5x Squats, 5x single leg touch the ground (think single leg deadlift, but straight leg down and up), 5x burpees, Bear crawl the length of the last path and back
SET 2
After a 10 count… YHC still needed some air and spoke a bit about how he spent a lot of time ‘being still’ when trying to understand things he can change and should, can change and shouldn’t, and can’t change at all.
Then… Rinse and repeat from SET 1
SET 3
YHC needed some more air, so we assumed “bow and arrow” stance. Right knee bent (90 degrees), left leg straight. Right hand at right temple, palm out, left arm extended over left leg in a fist with thumb down. 30 seconds and shift to bending the left.
Called out to each PAX for new exercises and got:
Tesh -> 10x 4-count Russian Twists
Slapshot -> 10x Merkins
JWOWW -> 10x donkey kicks
YHC -> 10x Monkey squats
When set 3 was completed there was six minutes left. Time for one more mental position. Again, no name that I recall, but…
Stand on the right leg, slightly bent. Left knee high with toe pointed down. Back slightly arched, looking over the right shoulder and behind, right arm extended with palm up, left hand palm up by the right armpit. Hold for 30 seconds (there was a lot of hopping on YHC’s part) and then switch to the other side.
A quick Mosey to COT and enough time for 10 4-count flutters and 20 4-count Russian twists.
COT
At the request of the PAX, YHC expounded a bit on ‘being still’ when dealing with situations where one can, can and shouldn’t, and cannot at all take actions.
YHC practiced with things like job interviews and personal relationships praying and setting defined action dates. Often starring at the phone, desperately desiring to make an ill-advised phone call… the wait until the date and time was crucial. It was never about lengthening the wait to condition the mind, so much as making wise decisions about not stirring a pot that doesn’t need stirring.
Announcements were announced. Lots of stuff happening. Stuff your faces with a cannoli and mow lawns with Assassin!
Prayers and praises were offered and the PAX went home with a little more peaceful warrior in their blood.
Pulling into the HIVE early to set-up shop YHC was surprised to see 2 cars already there! Rebel was enjoying a few ‘Be Still’ minutes and Geronimo was getting after it in the parking lot with what appeared to be his Ruck. The rainy weather was holding off & it was a perfect 65 degrees-A great morning to be in the Gloom!
The cars kept rolling & rolling in….17 PAX in total
5:15am- No FNG’s so hit the disclaimer and off we went
COP: Mosey to band parking lot and return back. Exercises in cadence-
SealJacks x 20
IW x 15
HW x 15
Windmill x 10
Cherry Picker x 10
Plank, Honey Mooner-Downward Dog, Plank
Merkins
Mountain Climbers x 15
The Thang:
Today’s workout was built around the History of the Hive. All repetition #s, exercises & stories shared were specific to this AO.
4 stations here we go:
Station 1- History Lesson- What is the most famous saying @ The Hive? “5 @ The Hive”. The PAX passed the test with flying colors. In honor of “5 @ The Hive” we hit a 5 cone drill Jacobs ladder style:
Cone 1) Inch Worm Merkins & Goblet Squats
Cone 2) Triceps Ext & Reverse Lunges
Cone 3) Bicep curl w/ Shoulder press & Burpees
Cone 4) BackRows & Swings
Cone 5) Upright Rows & Fwd Lunges
Kudos to the PAX as they just got after this station. Little time for mumble chatter with the exception of those as they finished Cone 3 with Burpees.
Station 2- History Lesson- How many years has the Hive been an AO? How many site Q’s have there been & who are they? The PAX again pulled together and we went with 3 years (almost 4 years) and 3 sites Q’s- Longshanks, Tesh & BandCamp!
In honor of this we went 3 rounds of the Site Q’s assigned exercises:
Longshanks-Thrusters, Tesh-The Standing Tesh or Bi/Tri, Bandcamp-Swings
Station 3- History Lesson- Geronimo’s Gauntlet (This needs to be in The Exicon)
We did our best rendition of the 2018 Hive version of Geronimo’s Gauntlet. A Pax favorite it was started by no other than Geronimo himself and it goes something like this- *Line up all the Kettlebells lightest to heaviest. One by one, Pax go down the line and perform bent over rows at each KBell. (3 rows each side for time today). The waiting Pax can plank up, Al Gore, etc… With 17 KBells lined up our lats got some serious work. The heavy 40-50lb KBells at the end of the line gave us all an example of how JWOWW, Geronimo & Tesh get after it. Strong work Men!
Station 4- 5:58am and we escaped the planned AMRAP station due to time. Better to be over prepared than not enough. YHC took a moment to read from the theme of the month and take just a moment to “Be Still”.
COT- Announcements from Newsletter, upcoming events
Prayers/Praises: Rebels 28th Wedding Anniversary. Prayers for all families traveling for the upcoming Spring Break week.
It was an honor to be with the Pax this morning- Thanks BandCamp for the opportunity!
First off- Cobains to Bonsai for this trady BB. The beatdown was on point.
A hearty crew began strolling in around 6:20 with headlamps both running and car with much excitement and anticipation. Plenty of jokes going around as I brought my 2.0 that now towers over me by about 5 inches. Par for the course. Dont know if this was Milehigh’s first Q at the Fort but he easily stepped up to the plate. There were a handful of pre rucks and pre runs from PAX accelerating their #King. Fishsticks ran all the way from Tom Brady’s back yard which was about 7 miles.
Milehigh took the reigns first and led the PAX on a mosey run around the park and then off campus for a circle of pain with standard issue but equally difficult warm ups. DORA was the name of his game and MH extended to 4 rounds of 100 merkins, 200 Carolina Dry Docks, 300 Squats, 400 LBC aggregate between your partner. P1 runs up the grassy cliff, bangs out 5 more merkins and tries not to be a rolling wheel of cheese on the way down. Festifun (from Rock Hill) came in guns blazing and was big on the #pickupthesix encouragement that #teamHYDE had fallen to #DFL.
Handoff to YHC and with no words really planned have been struck and moved by the acceleration of Mile High in fitness, fellowship and his faith. 7 months in and he’s running the yeti, leading workouts, understanding accountability and seeing the virtues of shield lock. AYE!
AYG up the hill for a partner series of wheelbarrow, carries then toe lunges and burpee broadjumps #crowdpleaser.
Finished out with 2 teams of tunnel of love and finally seal team situps. Indian run back to home.
Geronimo is F3. King is locked in, always welcoming and a magnet for anybody
No one knows exactly why DOAH wore his reflector vest during the workout. but he stayed safe, so goal attained.
Kernel(14 yo 2.0) took it on the chin well and kept up with his old man despite YHC being able to fit in his pocket
Lutifisk is looking lean and mean- aye brother keep up the King/Queen
When did we start naming ppl after the bad roads in Fort Mill- Pothole and Asphalt?
Tesh kept his shirt on but he was conflicted
Finally- those who played in the grass the second half, truly get the original Fort. Skin fungi be damned.
Day 9 of AKAY2 did not disappoint. 13 PAX came out to run the hills of the River District. Beautiful morning, no sweat shirts and lots of yellow running gear!
4 mile loop: down Market straight to River District cul-de-sac and come on back.
5 mile loop: 160 to Sutton, right on Market intersection, straight to River District cul-de-sac and come on back.
Everyone got back safely and finished with COT.
Prayers for Jessica, Rebel’s co-worker, battling 2 forms of cancer.
0505 show up to the hive for prep. Layout cones and other various gear needed.
0510 see cars and trucks and more cars and trucks pulling into parking lot.
0514 Disclaimer and see another truck pull in (its Stang, we start to mosey for warm ups.)
0515 Warmups of various types.
0522 Start a Tabata that has to called out by Q due to speaker not working. ended up being great. I love mumble chatter and it was rolling good this moist morning.
8 stations- 2-3 PAX per station they went as follows.
Goblet Squats
Figure 8s
Shoulder presses with rucksack
Jump Rope
Alternating bicep curls
American Hammers
1 arm KB swings
Alternating hand on KB merkins
0600- Mosey with gear back to COT. The rain really started to pour down.
Prayers and Praises.
AkA- if you don’t know you better ask somebody.
Q Source
prayers for marriages and kids.
The AKA Possie was in full effect at the Pantheon this morning. The cold weather did not deter them from posting on the third consecutive day this month. We began with a lap around the car pickup line and stopped on the side of the school for some warm-up exercises.
COP
SSH x 25
Imperial Walker x 15
Windmill x 15
Flutter x 15
Plank stretch (Honeymooner, Downward Dog)
Next, we moseyed to the front of the school near the crosswalk. This portion of the workout was called “Pillars of Pain”. Not a lot of running, just a lot of pain.
First exercise: Plank shuffle with 10 merkins at each pillar, jog back to the starting line
Second exercise: Plank shuffle with 10 dips at each pillar, jog back to the starting line
Big lap around soccer field
Third exercise: Lunge walk with 10 squats at every other pillar, jog back to the starting line
Fourth exercise: Burpee broad jump to the end of the building, jog back to starting line
Fifth exercise: Crab walk with 10 LBCs at each pillar, jog back to COT
15 PAX Strong posted to the Fort on Saturday. It seemed fitting that my return to the Gloom would be where it all started back in October of 2012. The Fort! I started that workout an FNG and finished it almost spilling merlot! Got a “cool” name. I also found a brotherhood of guys who aren’t that much different than me. Found something I never knew I needed too. I went all in, with a small hiatus of a hernia repair surgery, brought on by all this new activity. Fast Forward several years and several CSAUPs later. Life happens. New job. Life challenges. Deceleration. I went full #kotter there for quite some time. Sure I went to an occasional workout here and there but in my heart I knew I was decelerating.
So I recently moved to a neighborhood that is populated with quite a few F3 brothers. They really laid into me strong and got me back out to the gloom. I can’t even remember why or when the deceleration started, but this is what makes F3 great! Your proximity to other men. They’ll get in the weeds with you and stay on you and won’t leave you behind. All this to say, if you haven’t seen a guy around in a while, reach out to them. Call them out on twitter. Chances are it’s what they need!
Now onto the 1 hour CSAUP that I crammed down their throats:
Prior to the beatdown Dirty Harry and Punchlist did the 12 Mile Time Hack #weirdos #rucking #330starttime. A couple of us pre-rucked, which was nice.
0630 Time to Roll, this was referenced as a ruck “friendly” workout. So some had rucks, others did not, it was difficult either way.
THANG
-Mosey around the park, stop for some SSH, Merkins and Windmills
-Mosey some more and stop for some Mtn Climbers and a few others I forgot
-Mosey to the…wait for it…
RING OF FIRE
Large Circle comprised of 8 cones. Each cone has an exercise and count. There’s also a cone in the middle.
-Start in the middle and do 5 burpees
-Walk to first cone, do the exercise
-Bear Crawl to the center cone, do 5 burpees
-Walk to the next cone, Repeat
-After completing the ring, run around the playground, return and start over…see how many times you can complete the ring
Here were the exercises and counts (memory is fuzzy):
1. 15 Merkins
2. 20 Lunges (10 each leg)
3. 30 Flutter Kicks (2-count)
4. 15 GTOs (Ground to Overhead) w/ 40# sandbags
5. 20 Squats (either w/ Ruck or Block)
6. 30 Big Boy Situps
7. 20 CDD
8. 30 Mtn Climbers
Half the PAX did it with Rucks on. It was equally difficult for all though. If you had a ruck on you probably got 2 rounds in. No ruck probably got 3 or close to it.
Some notable take-aways:
-Pax get punch-drunk when the workout gets rough
-Apparently noon is not the time to go to a certain type of club
-Tesh kept his shirt on
-Geronimo took his shirt off 😐
-Each round represented 40 burpees and 2-3 rounds were completed…do the math #ouch
I think we were all glad when this one was over.
COT
Announcements
Prayers and Praise
BOM
Thanks to Bonsai for the opportunity. And thanks to my brothers for encouraging me to get back after it. Glad to be back in the Gloom!