The 150 lb Cheese Roll
The hill was angry at 13 Pax this day, my friends. Like an old man returning soup at a deli.
WARM UP
- SSH x 35
- I-Walker x 30
- Prison Squat x 30
- Merkins x 20
- Grab (2) tires, std; (1) tire, tractor, (2) 50 lb. buckets, run to lower lot.
- Pax not transporting coupons: 10 burpees, then run to lot.
THE THANG – HILL STATIONS (2 min ea.)
- Tractor Tire – Roll up hill, flip down hill.
- Farmer Walk – (2) 50 lb. buckets up and down hill.
- Plank Tire Pull – Side Elbow Plank (L then R), pull tire up hill.
- Tire Hill Sprint – Sprint to top of hill dragging tire.
- Pancake Plates – Hold 45 lb or 35 lb plates between palms, 6″ off chest, walk up and down hill.
- DB Lunge Press – 25lb or 15 lb dumbbell lunge walk to overhead press. Up hill and down.
- Sumo Walk – 50 lb military duffel filled with weights, sumo walk up and down hill.
- Mountain Climbers – Pax not at station perform mountain climbers x 2 min.
Transport tires and buckets back to original spot. Couponless Pax: 3 hill sprints.
COT
MOLESKIN
- After last week’s ego-deflating 30-30 tabata with the Ms’ hand weights, it was time to feel like a man again and move heavy things up and down the hill. Workman-like effort by all. T-Claps.
- Pretty Boy Quarterback started training this morning for his annual trip to the Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling Race by rolling the 150 lb-plus tractor tire down the hill. Toward the buses. Toward an unidentified Pax, head down, pounding out the mountain climbers. Thankfully, all personnel and property emerged unblemished.
- Incidentally, despite the glamorous handle, Pretty Boy Quarterback prefers to chase his Cheese Roll incognito. YHC has it on good authority that the gentleman in the green shirt at 2:04 in the clip from the 2009 race is none other than our very own. Link HERE.
- With 13 Pax distributed among only 7 stations, each Pax got 5 to 7 cracks at the mountain climbers. At 2 minutes per, that’s ten to fourteen minutes of scratching pavement. Strong work.
Training Camp
24 men gathered in the Area 51 Gloom.
The Thang
Run Stopper QIC
Warm up: all military count
Side straddle Hop – 60x
Merkens – 30x
Little Baby Crunch – 25x
Good Mornings – 25×3 (hold legs up for 10 sec)
Scissor Kick – 25×3 (hold legs up for 1 sec)
“200’s workout” – two full cycles through each station
Station #1 Mountain Climbers x20 (first cycle) x20 (second cycle)
Station #2 Push Ups Wide = x20 Diamond = x20
Station #3 – Burpee’s With Jump = x20 (first cycle) Without Jump = x20 (second cycle)
Station #4 – Crunches Little Baby Crunch = x20 (first cycle) One Leg Up (alternating) 10 each leg total x20 (second cycle)
Station #5 – Squats Regular = x20 (first cycle) Jumping = x20 (second cycle)
The Shore QIC
Spontaneous Q #1 – Callaway brought the pax around the school in 2 lines, Indian Run, 1 rock coupon per team Spontaneous
Q #2 – Pretty Boy QB lead the pax for 5 minutes of Mary Spontaneous
Q #3 – Ochocinco brought the pax back to the rock pile. 2 lines, Indian Run, rock coupons. Casualty Carry – 14 pax carried the other 10 through the woods (fireman’s, piggy back, whatever worked)
Shore’s Shoulders – In a squat: Out-and-back, Up-and-down, forward and backward circles
Moleskin:
– Run Stopper delivered pain and creativity on his first saturday QIC experience. 60 merkins as part of a “warm-up”… hardcore… just sayin.
-The Shore’s lead was meant to give the pax a taste of the GoRuck Challenge. Hopefully 2 lessons were learned. #1 – we are all leaders, and may be called on to lead at any time. #2 – life isn’t always fair. Sometimes, some of us need to carry more of the load. The most important thing is that the team finishes together.
Pretty Boy QB shook off the “HS AP History, Oh crap I’ve been called on” look and survived just fine, leading the pax through a gut-wrenching 5 minutes.
-Cowboy mysteriously departed the gloom at 0740… what gives brother?
-The PAX was actually 24 men and 1 K-9… as Sparky’s dog served as a spectator/watchdog… maybe the Area 51 mascot?
-In the spirit of an old school workout, Joker, Tiger Rag and others arrived for the workout wearing outfits from the 1970s / 1980s. TR’s outfit was… well… let’s just say he might have been the seventh, less well known, member of the Village People. Strong brother… very strong, I think.
Devil’s Turn/Off To A Fast Start
15 Pax showed up for the first time at McAlpine Greenway to laydown some miles and build up a good sweat.
The Thang:
6 were there at 5:15 to burn up 6 miles, while the 4 mile option at 5:30 proved more popular.
Moleskin:
Great work by all who showed. It was a solid first turnout. Perhaps some of the Area 51 crew are building up some endurance for the upcoming Spartan and GoRuck events?
Swamp Fox set the bar, finishing at a blistering pace to lead the 6 milers in. Though his record will stand for just one week as he wasn’t timing himself. Just running fast because he can.
49er, Joker, and Joker’s FNG meanwhile lead the 4 milers in. At Joker’s suggestion the 4 milers added 10 burpees at the halfway mark. Just to let the rest of us catch up I guess.
An extra shout out to Jamboree who tried to relive the glory days all at once, dusted off the running shoes and tackled the full 6 miles. Way to get back at it!
Joker brought a ringer. His FNG looked like he could run circles around the rest of us. Can’t wait to get him out there for a full body workout.
The gravelly dirt of the greenway is an especially nice surface to run on. Hopefully, it will allow for many more miles to come.
At the 5 mile mark I heard in the woods what can only be described as a cross between an Owl and a Coyote making a ferocious racket. Rumors of both abound in these woods, so who knows. What happens in Area 51 stays in Area 51.
Headlamps may be a good idea next time, not just to help avoid any dips and divots, but also to ward off the Coyotes, Jersey Devils, and any other mismatched specie mutants that may be lurking out there.
The new and improved shouvel flag made its appearance this morning. You’ll have to join us to admire its sleak styling.
It Pays to Be a Winner
Twelve big, hairy, American winning-machines posted around the VSF and started the day with some mental math.
THE THANG
Number-ama: Count off into three teams or 4.
- TEAM 1: Joker, Callaway, Jamboree, Tiger Rag
- TEAM 2: Harley, Big Bear, Donkey Kong, 49er
- TEAM 3: Mall Cop, Cowboy, Smash, Countertop.
Warmup
- Each team disperse and self-organize 5 minute warm up.
- Regroup to COP
- Mental Math Merkins: multiply two, two-digit numbers in your head while performing Merkins. Winner gets first pick of coupon (35 lbs plates or 45 lb plates). Five additional merkins for each wrong answer.
- Jog to track with coupons.
Reindeer Games
HAIRBURNER TEAM RELAY x 400 METERS
- RULES: Each Pax pushes plate at least once. Each Pax must also run at least one lap. Winner is first team back with plate and all 4 PAx.
- PRIZES: Winner=Planks; 1st Loser=5 burpees; 2nd Loser=10 burpees
- RULES: None, Thunderdome.
- PRIZES: Winner=Planks; 1st Loser=5 Squat to Jump Knee Tucks; 2nd Loser=10 Squat Jump Knee Tucks
- RULES: Run Backwards.
- PRIZES: Winner=Planks; 1st Loser=5 Wide Arm; 2nd Loser=10 Wide Arm
- RULES: Run Backwards.
- PRIZES: Winner=Decline Planks; 1st Loser=5 Decline Merkins; 2nd Loser=10 Decline Merkins
- RULES: Tug of war from a 3-point plank position.
- PRIZES: None. Stalemate.
TUG OF WAR (Std.)
- RULES: Best 2 of 3 (Didn’t I say that aloud?)
- PRIZES: None, out of time.
TEAM SPRINT, COUPON OVERHEAD
- RULES: Coupon overhead, straight arms, uphill back to parking lot.
- PRIZES: Winners=Warm Fuzzies; 1st, 2nd Losers=You get nothing.
- Flutter x 20
- Dolly x 20
- Peter Parker x 20
- Plank x 1 min
- Took some lessons from the Go Ruck–problem solving, self-organizing, new leaders, team work–and applied an element of friendly competition. Good things all around.
- We started with problem solving: while doing merkins, do 18×17 in your head. Drop and try it. It’s almost impossible to do a slow thinking activity combined with something else. HERE is why (a review of the book, Thinking Fast and Slow). Other than Joker, it appeared that each Pax came to a plank to get it right. Some ignored obvious mistakes–it’s got to end in a 6, for instance. Since YHC was on Joker’s team, it would be interesting to hear how the other teams solved the problem.
- YHC’s love affair with the Hairburner continues, this time with a 400 meter lap around the track. Once the few rules were announced, the Pax were given abut 15 seconds to devise a strategy, then take off. The goals: think on the fly, work with what you got, adjust when necessary.
- More salutary effects derived from team competition: not wanting to let the Team down pushed many Pax to take it up a notch. T-Claps all around.
- T-Claps to Mall Cop for stepping up when tapped for a quick session of Mary. Area 51 Pax be prepared to step up a lead sections of workouts unannounced. ‘Tis good for the soul.
Pain on Ciabatta, Hold the Rest (or 30-30s)
Twelve Faithful posted around the VSF for an experimental tabatta.
THE THANG
Warm Up
Running with dumbbells x 1/2 mile (or so)
Uphill walking lunge, with twist
CIABATTA
- Merkins x 30 sec
- Mission Impossible Hold x 30 sec
- Repeato x 3, for 4 minutes total
- Squats x 30 sec
- People’s Chair x 30 sec
- Repeato x 3, for 4 minutes total
- Dumbbell curls x 30 sec
- Static Hold x 30 sec
- Repeato x 3, for 4 minutes total
- Low Flutter x 30 sec
- 6″ Hold ‘Em x 30 sec
- Repeato x 3, for 4 minutes total
- Dumbbell Skull Crushers (Tri’s) x 30 sec
- Static Hold x 30 sec
- Repeato x 3, for 4 minutes total
- One leg, bent over toe touches x 30 sec
- Static Hold (aka Warrior 3) x 30 sec CAUTION: May contain yoga-like substance.
- Repeato x 3, for 4 minutes total (2 min L, 2 min R)
- Dumbbell Overhead Press x 30 sec
- Overhead straight-arm lockout x 30 sec
- Repeato x 3, for 4 minutes total
- Peter Parker x 30 sec
- Plank x 30 sec
- Repeato x 3, for 4 minutes total
COT
MOLESKIN
- The Skunk Pax can thank Blue and the Cotswold Faithful for the seed idea for this workout and the associated TBQs. “Pain” it Forward, F3 Style. Aye!
- The Pax were advised in an email PreBlast to bring dumbbells in the 8-15 lb range. Water jugs or “something with handles” were suggested alternates. Jamboree posts with 10 lb dumbbell and a gallon of bleach. Not sure what to say about that. Note to Pax: This one will be back. Stock up appropriately.
- Mall Cop, meanwhile, borrowed Izzy Mandlebaum’s dumbbells from the fitness museum. Again, stock up.
- The ironically-named Thin Crust doubled down on oxymoron, rolling up (late, mind you) in a new Mini Cooper, a car better proportioned for Run Stopper.
- Sign up for Twitter and follow @F3Nation. If you, like Hops, are flummoxed by all this “tweetering” (his words), go HERE for the F3+Twitter Primer.
- The Shore and 49er kick off the A51 tempo run, The Devil’s Turn, this Thursday, July 26, at McAlpine Greenway – SARDIS entrance. The six milers go off at 0515 am, the 4 milers at 0530.
- HEADS UP FOR UPCOMING SPARTAN RACES: Look for instructions on sign ups for the upcoming races in October (Beast) and February (Sprint). Once the page is live, F3 will have an online registration available for a limited time only. More info to follow. Stay tuned.
Cottontail 2.9
Seventeen souls gathered at Area 51.
THE THANG
Side straddle hop x20
Imperial walker x20
Standing lunge x20
LBC x15
Flutter kick x15
Dolly x15
Merkins x20
“The Beast”
Set 1 – merkins x6
Set 2 – squats x6
Set 3 – lbc x6
Set 4- imperial walker x6
Set 5 – diamond merkins x6
Set 6 – burpees x6
Peoples Chair
3 sets with intervals of decline merkins until failure
trail run
jump-ups x25
trail run
dips x25
trail run
jump-ups x25
trail run
dips x25
trail run
2 sets
pull-ups x10
scissor crunch x20
peter parker
walking lunge
bear crawl
parker peter
jog to parking lot
Nakedman Moleskin:
- 89 recovered from the thrashing he received for missing last week. He gave us his usual dose of pain on the pavement and a strong round of the beast!
- Tiger Rag was correct in assuming I would provide the opportunity for us to stretch our legs, this time with multiple laps on the trail. There was talk of a last minutes star fish but we ran out of time.
- Triple claps to Cottontail (okay, to MCottontail) for the birth of their 10th child, Cottontail 2.9. It was suggested that The Tickler treat him to lunch and maybe have a few words about some, ahem, “things.”
- The Shore and 49er kick off the A51 tempo run, The Devil’s Turn, this Thursday, July 26, at McAlpine Greenway – SARDIS entrance. The six milers go off at 0515 am, the 4 milers at 0530.
- HEADS UP FOR UPCOMING SPARTAN RACES: Look for instructions on sign ups for the upcoming races in October (Beast) and February (Sprint). Once the page is live, F3 will have an online registration available for a limited time only. More info to follow. Stay tuned.
posted for Slapshot
Death Valley
17 hit it hard at Death Valley this am.
The Thang
Warm Up
– Side Straddle Hop x35, Merkins x16, Imperial Walkers x20, Stagger Arms Left & Right x8
Jog on Trail to Handrail
– Lunge walk
– Pullups under x11
– One arm pushups x10 each arm
Outfield of Dreams
– Start at outfield grass above second base, srint to right, center, left, finish at home plate
Trail Run to Playground
– Plank
– Dips x 20
– Scissor Crunch x10 each leg
– Repeat
Run Past Pay to Play Crowd on Road
– Plank
– Partner Up and Carry to Top
– Leg Throwdowns x21, switch
Run back to playground
– Squats x15
Run back to start
– Abbreviated Mary: LBC x25, Mason Twists x10
Moleskin
– Nice work out there this am, very high heart rate.
– We avoided the septic overflow on the field and went for the good “mud” on the trail.
– Hearing the Shore has been slowed with a knee injury, hoping you heal quickly…we all need someone to keep up with!
– Harley
I Was Told There Would Be No Running
“Buddy” Block
An elite Eight posted in the soggy gloom to explore off campus and play with blocks….
Run to Fields-3/4 mile
Grab a Cinder Block “Buddy”- overhead carry to COP
COP w/ block
Squat/Core x 20
Merkins- alternate on/off block x 15
Bicep Curls- sevens (21)
Tricep x 10- over head
Squat to press x 20
Decline merkins on block x 15
Bicep Curls x 10
Triceps x 10 on back
Abs w/ block
Sit-ups feet in block- x 25
On back holding block up- toes to block x 15
On back holding block up- knees to chest x 15
Block jumps- side to side 30 sec, then knee tuck over block 30 sec.
Block swings x 15
Block Bent rows x 15
Block curls from Hades
Run block back overhead to shed
Plankarama
Indian run back to Hwy 51; sprint to COT
Plank and stretches
COT
Naked man Moleskin:
1. Ok, what is up with Pretty Boy QB fartsacking after headlocking Ray Charles for Skunk Works….you’ll hear about this for some time to come Pretty boy!
2. T-claps for both Mall Cop (starting to find his groove) and Thin Crust for a strong post this am. Keep it up, Brothers!
3. Found a weakness in Run Stopper (finally); the Buddy Block swings proved to be tough to get between his spring loaded stumps.
4. Pax, check you fore arms for the “cinder block” rash. YHC is seeing it.
The Dirty Dozen
A dozen men gathered in the Area 51 gloom on Saturday morning.
The Thang:
Jog around field
SSH x25
Imperial Walker x25
Warm-up shoulders
Merkins x15
Prison Squats x25
Diamond Merkins x15
Squat Jumps x20
LBC x25
Military Merkins
Knee ups x25
Squat Jumps x20
Wide arm Merkins x15
Starfish run x20 each of:
Mountain climbers
Carolina dry docks
LBC
Jump lunges
Burpees (x10)
Plankarama
Field Work
Karaoke down and back
High knees
Back peddle
Three sets of:
SquatsX20
Pull UpsX10
6 minutes of Mary
Bear Crawl
Walking Lunge
Nakedman Moleskin:
– Good mix of veterans and new-ish guys on Saturday.
– Impressive work by Thin Crust and Big Bear. These big guys — our Area 51 Clydesdales — work hard every Saturday!
– Missed seeing 89 on Saturday… a level 3 unexcused absence to be sure. Word on the street is that he was up late on Friday night watching “Magic Mike.”
-Z4 is showing some rapid gains in recent weeks… veterans beware.
This IS mud, right?
Seventeen Pax issued forth for a mid-week shellacking.
THE THANG
Warm Up
- SSH x 30
- Shoulder Circles
- Diamond Merkins x 25
- I-Walkers x 30
- Dry Docks x 25
- Indian Run to Track
Track Work – Victory Mile
- Lap 1: 10 burpees at whistle
- Lap2: 8 burpees at whistle
- Lap 3: 6 burpees at whistle
- Lap 4: 4 burpees at whistle
- Plank when finished
6MOM
- Dolly x 30
- Bicycle x 30
- Mason Twist x 20
- LBC x 35
- 6″ Hold ’em x 1 min
Building Work
- Jog to Building
- People’s Chair x 90 sec
- Balls to Wall x 30 sec
- People’s Chair x 90 sec
- Jog to Field
Mud Work – 4 corners: 5 teams of 3 Pax, 1 team of 2 Pax
- 2 Pax Wheel Barrow / 1 Pax Karaoke to 1st Cone. 50 merkins (combined)
- Run to 2nd Cone, 50 sit ups (combined)
- 2 Pax Fireman Carry / 1 Pax Karaoke to 3rd cone, 50 burpees (combined)
- Run to 4th Cone, plank
- Indian Run
Plank-O-Rama
- Regular, Right Arm Up, Right Leg Up
- Flapjack Left
COT
MOLESKIN
- Virgin QIC, 49er, tumbled from the Providence Plantation Clown Car (with The Shore, Stone Cold and Monkey Joe) and punched the Pax in the mouth with a strong first workout. T-Claps.
- Q went traffic cop on the Pax and pulled out a whistle to signal burpees for the Victory Mile. #Low-Talker
- T-Claps to Mall Cop, regularly making the downPainments and reaping the benefits.
- Expect more mysterious skin rashes in the Pax after sit ups in what resembled an overfilled septic field. Likely source of USMC “mud.”
- The Shore and 49er are starting an Area 51 run workout on Thursday, JULY 26, at the Sardis entrance to McAlpine Greenway. The Shore leads the six-miler into the Coyote Park at 0515, 4-miler leaves at 0530. Note to Shore: either stop getting hopped on the Ritalin from the samples closet or share with the Pax. We won’t be able to keep up.