The Armory 2017.42

There were only 6 at the Armory this day.  I suppose some were intimidated by the forecast of rain, but mother nature for some reason waits for 6am for these kinds of things.

Warmup
SSH, Windmill, Mountain Climbers, Peter Parkers, Merkins

The Thang
Mosey to the playground patio for some not so good ideas…

Drop sets:
Snatch x10 EA, Monkey Row x15 EA, Front Row x20
Sitting Leg Raises x20, Russian Twist, Freddy Mercury
Dead Hangs from chain 15 sec (not to self: this is much harder than a rope, don’t try this without gloves), from horizontal bar 30 sec, modified dead hang 60 seconds… hopefully no one has to hang on to anything to save their lives.
Mil Press x10 EA, Tricep Ext x15, Skull Crusher x20
Sitting Leg Raises x20, Russian Twist, Freddy Mercury

For legs was the slow lunge walk with bell pass through, then sprint for a total distance of 100 yards.   3 rounds: 20/80, 30/70, 40/60… FNG Tenure ran like he was storming Normandy.  He can carry his weight really fast when needed.

Mosey back to COT for some Protractor round robin.

Moleskin
A hope that all those affected by the untimely deaths of kids from the community may be met with some understanding and the trust that we love the One in control.

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The Hive 2017.41

There were 6 this day that decided to embrace the suck this AM.

Warmup
SSH, Windmill, IWs, Merkins

The Thang

Mosey to the patio for some Push Pull exercises
20 Wall Pushes (fall into the wall, and push yourself back up)
20 Twist Pushes (Face back to wall with right arm out at 45deg of wall, fall into wall and push off with left arm) each arm
10 Snatches EA
20count Freddy Mercury with bell
Repeat for 3 rounds

Partner up
Partner 1 lung walks with both bells 20 yds and back while Partner 2 wall sits
(round 2 and 3 was changed to squats with bells in racked position)
10 bent row EA
20 Russian Twist
Repeat for 3 rounds

Front Raises x10 and hold out till 6 is finished
20 Twist Pushes (see above)
Repeat 2 rounds

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The Hive 2017.39

I have a backlog of backblasts to write so here they go… backblast number 1 of 3!

This was a wonderful morning that appeared like it was going to be just me and Fire Marshall Bill, but Stones came in for this second post ever, and Vernon came in on two wheels at 5:17 cause he spaced and forgot where he was going or why he was a wake at 5:15 in the morning, apparently.

Warmup
SSH, Windmill, IWs, Merkins

The Thang
52 card pickup, Aces are a 200m~ish lap, face cards are 10 doublecount russian twists, number cards give you the reps of and suit give you the exercise: spades = snatches, hearts = swings, diamonds = squats, clubs = mil press

And that’s… pretty much… it.

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Pillars of Pain

Tuesday was hot and muggy, like everyday this week.  PAX sweating from just talking before the workout. It was oppressive and the workout didn’t help.

The Thang

Warm Up with a quick Mosey and a COP:

SSH, Merkins, Plank Jacks, Morrocan Night Club, Windmill, etc….

Mosey to the Pillars of Pain

Loop in front of Middle School is .2 miles, run that loop with pace and then do the Exercise at each Pillar – Decided not to accumulate, was a good decision.

Pillar 1 – 10 Burpees

Pillar 2 – 25 Merkins

Pillar 3 – 25 Carolina Dry Docks

Pillar 4 – 25 Monkey Humpers

Pillar 5 – 25 Curb Calf Raises (per leg)

Pillar 6 – 50 SSH

Pillar 7 – 25 Squats

PAX finished and we did 2 laps with sprint intervals from lamp post to lamp post.

Then some Mary – Freddy Mercury, American Hammers, Protractor, Ins and Outs.

COT

When it gets cooler out (or when the Q can do it) this will turn into an Accumulator.

Prayers for California fire victims, for F3 brother with missing son, and new moms and dads.

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Field work at The Coop

15 HIM showed up to The Coop ready to put in work on this muggy October morning.  YHC hadn’t been to this AO in quite some time and I was excited to be back.  Off we went to the practice field.  Circle up at the 50.

COP:

WM x 10

SSH x 30

Merkins x 10

Peter Parkers x 15

Parker Peters x 15

Mosey to the goal line…

The Thang:

Round 1:

Lunge walk to the 50 stopping at every 10 for 10 squats.

Reverse lunge the last 50 and stop at every 10 for 10 monkey humpers

Suicides 20, 40, 40, 20

Round 2:

Bear crawl to the 50 and stop at every 10 for 10 merkins.

Crab walk the last 50 and stop at every 10 for 10 dips

Round 3:

Reverse bear crawl to the 50 and stop at every 10 for 5 merkins.

Reverse crab walk to the 50 and stop at every 10 for 10 dips.

Round 4:

Partner up…size matters

Partner 1 carry partner 2 to the 50 with 5 squats at every 10.  Switch and finish to the goal line.

Suicides 20,40,40,20,Goal

Mosey back to COT for 5 min of mary.

COT:

Prayers for baby’s on the way, world peace and those recovering from natural disasters.

Great to be back at a great AO with a great group of HIM.

Thanks for the opportunity Sugar Bug.

Until next time…

Seacrest, OUT!

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Children’s Attention Home / Guidance New F3 Exercise Station – Thank You

All Area PAX:

On Saturday Sept 30 a small group of F3 PAX set out that morning, a short time after the Convergence celebrating The Fort’s 5th Anniversary, to permanently change the landscape at the Children’s Attention Home / Guidance. The fruition of all the burpees and subsequent pledges from the 2017 CAH Burpee Challenge spearheaded by Chicken Wing would culminate in the installation of some permanent outdoor exercise equipment that day. This small group of men would be representing many from F3 Nation’s local regions – The Fort, Rock Hill, York, and Indian Land, among others – who participated in the challenge. Those who participated believed that there was a meaning, a purpose, a goal that is greater than themselves. The exercise equipment will be a permanent physical example to those at CAH Guidance, and others as well, of what F3 is all about. Not only of the importance of the 1st F, but power behind the 2nd and 3rd F’s as well – when you invigorate the leader within, and you have Faith, the possibilities are limitless.

After several hours of hard work, with help from the young leader residents at CAH Guidance, as well as a lot of GREAT 2nd F, the work was finally complete! It was not easy work at all, but by now we all know to choose to do the harder thing and get after it, which the team did with no complaints. We all pushed, pulled, and motivated each other to completion, a true Shield Lock effort. By no means was it a ‘professional’ installation, but the heart put into the work cannot be denied. It was obviously a labor of Love.

The equipment is quite rugged, well designed, well built, and installed in a manner to where it will last quite some time. T-Claps to Chicken Wing on the design, Iron Horse for his incredibly well done job fabricating the bars, and to all of those who participated in the installation efforts led by Chicken Wing and Iron Horse. It was a GREAT team effort.

Before we even left, it was making an impact:
* Richard, who is the Supervisor of Grounds / Equipment Maintenance there at CAH, was nearly in tears and overwhelming in thanks at the effort put forth and how the equipment will help the kids there
* Many of the staff where quite speechless and thankful when they came out to see the finished work
* The youth were already hanging all over the equipment (who needs the concrete to set??), laughing and having a good time

And the impact will be a lasting one. Attached is a letter sent by the Volunteer Programs Coordinator at CAH, Sharada Abraham:

“”Good Morning Gentlemen,

I hope you all are well! I wanted to thank you all for the phenomenal job that was done on last weekend with the installation of the Pull Up & Dip Station. It looks great (pics are attached) and everyone is asking about it from the children, staff, and even our volunteers. I had the pleasure of giving a tour yesterday to one of our community partners and they were in awe.
Thank you all so much for your continued support of the Home. The pull up and dip station is a great addition to our Campus and I do believe our teens will spend more time getting FIT!
Thanks for all you do and I hope you all have a great weekend!

Sharada Abraham
Volunteer Programs Coordinator

 

On behalf of F3 Nation and CAH, I am incredibly thankful for the efforts put forth by the area PAX to get this done. From the inception of the Burpeee Challenge fundraiser by Chicken Wing, to the PAX participating in the challenge (I still do not like burpees, but I’m better at them now), to the PAX designing, fabricating the equipment, procuring the materials, facilitating the approvals, leading the installation efforts, and finally participating in the installation. It was quite a project, and a good example of what happens when you step outside your comfort zone to lead and make things happen.

Keep up the great efforts F3 Nation! Remember that within each one of you there is a true leader waiting to be unleashed if it has not been already. Believe in yourself,  be the change you want to see in the world, and get out there and make a positive difference in the world. Be the vessel through which He works.

You are all HIMs, and I am honored and privileged to be part of this wonderful thing we all call F3.

Thank you and God Bless
– NASA

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Is This October?

When Assassin asked me to q a while back I thought October would be great.  Cooler temperatures and lower humidity.  That wasn’t the case!  Oh well, let’s work.

COP included the usual suspects and we warmed up and got ready for the main event.

Our KISS (keep it simple stupid) method or working out was very simple.  Perform called exercise and then run a lap.  Repeat until the list is complete.  The list went a little something like this:

25 swings
25 goblet squats
20 merkins
20 tricep extensions
25 LBC
30 curls (15 each arm)
20 skull crushers
20 calf raises
20 American hammers

We finished in time for two more exercises from the top of the list then we stretched a bit, Destiny prayed us out and we were out of there.  Barely a rain drop fell.  Thank you Sky Q!

Thanks Assassin for the privilege of leading one of the best gear workouts around.

I’ll leave you with this quote:

“If we take a step despite feeling uncomfortable, afraid, or inadequate, our comfort zones expand. We grow in strength and skill. What we consider normal for us changes, sometimes radically”.

Hopefully you moved your comfort zone a little this morning.

Thanks for the honor of leading.

DT out.

 

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Mary Go Round at the Colosseum

Warm up:

20 x -SSH

20 x MNC

15 x Windmill

10 x Merkins

Plank

Honeymooner

Downward Dog

15 x Mountain Climber

15 x Squats

The Thang:

So after some short sprints and side shuffles through the parking lot, we partnered off.  Then a word on leadership.

Leadership doesnt have to happen alone!  Just like your partner during the workout a partner in life can help you be the leader you are meant to be.

And the Mary-go-round begins…..

Each round consists of doing one exercise followed by a lap around the parking lot.  Since one round of each set of exercises wasnt enough, we decided to rinse and repeat each round.  Between rounds as we waited for the six (usually me) we did wall sits for round 1 followed by planks for round 2.

Round 1:

10 x Freddy Mercury

10 x Rosalita

10 x Protractors

Round 2:

10 x Crab Humpers

10 x Carolina Dry Docks

10 x Flutters

Meet back at COT for announcements, prayers and praises.

Thanks for all the support PAX for my VQ!

A great time was had by all!

Announcements:

-Invergence Friday

-Convergence Saturday

Prayers of PAX:

-Family who lost father due to fire ants

-Missionary family resolving paperwork stateside to return to Asia.

 

 

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JEEVE’S GROWN MAN GAME OF THREE SQUARE

Warm Up Mosey to the Warm-up circle, exercises in cadence

  • Side Straddle Hop (20, four count)
  • Imperial Walker (20, four count)
  • Low Slow Squat (20, four count)
  • Wind Mill (20, four count)
  • Hillbillie (20, four count)
  • Merkin (10, four count)
  • Peter Parker (20, four count)

Mosey around the parking lot

We counted off into three groups and split up to each off the three squares.

Square 1

  • Merkin – OYO 15
  • Hello Dolly – OYO 30
  • Carolina Dry Dock – OYO 25
  • Star Jack – OYO 20

Once each square was completed we went into 15 yards of frog jumps, then 15 yards of bear crawl and lunges back to the starting line.

After the first station, we did Moroccan Nightclub until the six was in.

After a 10 count, each group rotated to the next square

Square 2

  • Big Boy Sit-Ups – OYO 25
  • Shoulder Taps – OYO 40
  • Diamond Merkins – OYO 15
  • Squats – OYO 25

More frog jumps, bear crawls and lunges.

After the second station, we did overhead claps until the six was in

Discussed the October 3rd F theme of Control and its definition

Square 3

  • Flutter Kicks – OYO 50
  • American Hammer – OYO 50
  • Mountain Climber – OYO 50
  • Side Straddle Hop – OYO 50

More frog jumps, bear crawls and lunges.

After the third station, we did curb step-ups until the six was in

Discussed control and Jeremiah 29:11

Mosey over the a nice little hill and got into partners. We did 200 LBCs with rotating partners running the hill.

Mosey back to the squares. Due to one Pax being late he picked his favorite square and we all completed Square 2 together. More frog jumps, bear crawl and lunges.

Mosey back for COT

Discussed Control and Matthew 6:34

Jeeves’s full VQ is in the books! Glad to have that over!!!

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5 Year Anniversary Convergence BB

Saturday, September 30th 2017 was a special Convergence for the PAX of The Fort. On that day we celebrated 5 years of using these small workout groups to invigorate male leadership in Fort Mill. To honor the occasion, 88 PAX gathered at one of our favorite AOs (Nations Ford HS) to celebrate the day and the leaders that made it all happen.

We also celebrated 6 Friendly New Guys that joined us that morning. Welcome Tubs, Band Camp, Jughead, Atari, Hat Trick, and Saul.

It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, however. Here’s how we got better:

Warmup (led by Ginsu)

  • Mosey to the football field
  • 30 Side Straddle Hops
  • 10, 4-count windmills
  • 30 Moroccan night clubs
  • 10, 4-count merkins
  • 10, 4-count Peter Parkers
  • 10, 4-count Parker Peters
  • 10, 4-count LBCs
  • 20 low slow squats

Split into groups (Run, Regular Bootcamp, Black Diamond, Ruck, Moderate Bootcamp)

Run (led by Birdcage)

  • 800 meter indian run
  • 1000 meter 10k pace with 1 minute rest x2
  • 200 meter 1 mile race pace 200 meter cool down x4
  • 400 meter sprint corners recover straights
  • 1600 meter cool down
  • 5 miles total

Bootcamp (led by Royale)

  • Mosey over to the concrete football field
  • 10 merkins
  • Lunge walk 10 yards then do 3 burpees
  • Next ten yards bear crawl then 3 more burpees
  • Rise and repeat until we hit the other goal line
  • 10 count – going over the Five Core Principals of an F3 workout
  • Next phase we broke into 4 groups
  • At each corner of the end zones there were 5 exercises written on a board.  We would complete in your group and then run to the next corner. Everyone would hit al 4 corners.
    • Corner 1
      • 20 Merkins
      • 30 Lunges
      • 30 Dying Cockroaches
      • 30 Ski Abs
      • 3 Kraken Burpees
    • Corner 2
      • 20 Ranger Merkins
      • 30 Squats
      • 40 Freddy Mercurys
      • 40 Shoulder Taps
      • 10 burpees
    • Corner 3
      • 20 Durkins
      • 20 Jump Squats
      • 50 American Hammers
      • 30 Monkey Humpers
      • 10 Mountain Climber Burpees
    • Corner 4
      • 20 Wide Arm Merkins
      • 20 Sumo Squats
      • 20 V-Up Twists
      • 20 Bombjacks
      • 10 Squat Burpees
We talked about the word of the month – Leadership.  I shared we all have an opportunity to lead through F3, just like we all have the responsibility to lead in our homes.  I know I struggle with the balance of work and family time.  As the leader of our households we need to support our Ms and be the examples to our children.
  • Mosey over to the round about
  • Each man would take a lap around 1st doing Lt Dans
  • Finally we would bear crawl.
  • Mosey to the football field for the last 30 seconds and some LBCs

Black Diamond (led by Backdraft)

  • Mosey from warm up top pull up bars
  • Pull ups/ Burpee challenge – 9 pull ups 1 burpee., 8-2 , 7-3 until finished.
  • Mosey to stadium run the bleachers
  • 10 derkins
  • 10 dips
  • Mosey to track run 1/4 mile as fast as you can. U vs. U
  • Mosey to end zone. Count off by 2s. split into groups first person flips tire 10 times than run end zone to end zone while next person flips tire everyone else continuously do 10 merkins, 10 squats, 10 big boy sit ups. Keep going until all of group is finished.
  • 10 min 100 burpees. Do 10 burpees every minute on the minute. U vs. U
  • Mosey to 50 yard line 5 minute of Mary
  • Sideline sprints x 2 first set after you run 10 tuck jumps. 2nd set 5 hand release merkins

Ruck (led by Trucker)

2 20lb, 3 40lb, and 3 60lb sandbags were snagged from back of car as 8 PAX tucked down to the elementary school and dropped the sandbags next to the telephone poles. The 8 PAX carried the telephone pole around the parking lot. Left telephone pole where we found it and rucked backwards up the hill to the pull up bars. What’s a WO by Trucker without pull ups? YHC challenged the 8 PAX to do 2 sets of 5 pull ups with ruck on.

Rucked into stadium and lined up in 2 columns for sandbag throws from one end of football field to other and back. Then rucked up and down the football stand stairs from one end back. Rinse and repeat with sandbag throws and stadium stairs. Threw sandbags again down to other side of endzone and then formed 2 lines abs flipped tires from one end to other. Sandbag threw back to other endzone and climbed stadium stairs one more time. Finished with a 20 count flutters. Great work by seasoned and rookie ruckers.

Moderate (led by Short Sale)

  • MOSEY to Elementary School
  • Grab some Wall. Wall Sits while Pax at each end jumps out of line for 5 squats
  • Repeat with 5 Bombjacks.
  • Count off by 5’s and mosey to back of the parking lot
    • Number 1’s go to station #1
    • 2’s start at Station3, etc.
  • Stations: 3 minutes/station. Q calls stop & go
    • 1: 10 Merkins, 20 Calf raises
    • 2: 20 LBCs, 20 Monkey Humpers
    • 3: 10 SSHs, 20 Moroccan Night Clubs
    • 4: 10 Scorpion Dry Docks, 20 Squats
    • 5: 20 Imperial Walkers, 10 Apollo Ohnos
    • 6: 10 Broad Jumps, 20 Flutters
    • 7: 10 Bombjacks, 20 squat jabs
    • 8: 10 handclap merkins w/partner, 10 partner Derkins- Beloved by veteran Pax and FNGs alike
    • 9: 10 Jump Squats, 10 CDD’s
    • 10: 10 Dips, 5 jack Webbs
  • Mosey to Stop sign at bottom of hill for some Mary- Hello Dollies, Flutters, Protractor

MESSAGE ON LEADERSHIP- F3 gives us a great platform to grow our leadership skills and build confidence as a leader. The Pax will let you know if/when something has gone wrong but will also be there to lift you up. Also, the best leaders don’t focus on their ROLE, they focus on the GOAL. So, be the leader you were called to be.

Great group of men came to work. Veterans guided the FNGs and encouraged them at every step of the way. YHC kept reminding the group that it is UvsU out here. Some quality mumble chatter about what moderate means. Smiles all around when moved on from the stations.

Wrap Up

What we have at The Fort is special. It is a strong group of PAX led by men who live with intentionality. I am sure that each of us would agree that it has impacted our lives in ways that we will never be able to describe. At some point for each of us, we were gifted F3. We were headlocked by someone who recognized the impact that F3 had on them and how it could help us. With that in mind, let’s pay this gift forward. Be the leader you were called to be and use your influence to headlock the sad clowns around you, FNGs and Kotters, that are where you once were. Be a leader.

Ginsu

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