Monthly Archive February 2017

What can I say except “you’re welcome”?

13 of the finest kettlebell slinging gents in the south joined up for a complete body grinder.  Loss of grip strength, lean muscle building, complete fatigue and nearly 2 miles.  What’s not to love??

The Thang:

The Warm-Up:
SSH x 20 IC
Merkin x 20 IC
2 Handed Swing x 20 OYO
Prying Squat x 5 IC

Farmer Carry – go from first speed bump to the 3rd and return back.  Oh yeah, no running or speed walking!

  • P1 Farmer Carry, P2 Burpees
  • P1 Farmer Carry, P2 Squats
  • P1 Farmer Carry, P2 Merkins

 

The Main Event:
Mosey to the school for the Challenge

Presentation of Instructions: The Challenge is written in chalk on the pavement. You must do these exercises in order and must finish each exercise before moving on to the next. Alternate R/L hand as needed. Move as quickly as you can to complete The Challenge in the allotted time.

The Challenge:

Round 1: 50 KB Snatches, 5 Burpees, AYG around school (approx .33 miles)

Round 2: 100 2-Hand KB Swings, 5 Burpees, AYG around school

Round 3: 50 KB Squats, 5 Burpees, AYG around school

Round 4: 50 KB Cleans. 5 Burpees, AYG around school

Round 5: 100 High Pulls, 5 Burpees, AYG around school

Round 6: 100 Merkins, 5 Burpees, AYG around school

Extra Credit (when finished with The Challenge, perform as follows until time is called):

  • 20 Flutter (R/L = 1) w/KB press
  • 20 2-Hand KB Swing
  • 20 KB Push Press
  • 20 Good Mornings

 

The Moleskine:

Great group of guys out there this morning.  It’s been a while since I’ve made a return to SOB land, much less my favorite AO (Foxhole)!   When Argonaut asked me if I would Q again I was honored, and then realized I better get back in shape immediately so I could hang with you guys.  No where near where I was but it felt great to be back out there.  It is great to see this AO grow and the quality of men that were out there today.  Great to see some old faces as well and swing the bell with you again.

The “chalk challenge” started a couple of years ago by Young Love.  It put such a whoopin on me then I have brought it out a few times to make others suffer as I did.  This time I reduced the burpees from 10 to 5…mostly to account for the long lap around the school.  To date I don’t know if anyone has completed the challenge in time, but several of you got close today and everyone else was right on their tail.  It was great to see some new guys to the bells doing so well today.  Keep at it guys!  The KB is a great way to build lean muscle and raw strength.

Thanks for having me out to lead this morning gentlemen and for giving it your all!

Thanks Soft Pretzel for the great takeout!

 

Announcements:

A Workout Any F3 Man Would LOVE

I’ve have been telling any PAX who will listen that 5pm on Thursday at AG is the place to be and 7 men found out why this past week.

The THANG:

5 minutes discussing authority with the boys and why authority is sometimes hard to follow (peer pressure being a big one).   Sparrow hit it out of the park with his story about a kid he knew going to jail after not obeying his parents curfew command.   Barracuda described his unruly behavior as a teen (something about stealing mail) but I think he left out the good stuff (pretty sure he was on FBI’s most wanted list a few decades ago).

Main event – divide into two teams and commence to the best 30 minute workout for YHC in 5 years with F3.  We played floor ball (hockey using a stick with a soft end and a sponge like ball) with the boys.    Cuda tried the old pregnant player trick but could not pull if off – check it out 0:14 of the clip. Floor Ball with Pregnant Player Trick

We can always use more men to help build stronger relationships with these kids.   Contact me at pchepul@gmail.com if interested.

Monday Morning Delight

18 PAX posted on a chilly Monday morning to partake in today’s installment of Base Camp.

With the disclaimer duly given, we were off…

Warm up jog down Strawberry Ln and back to the school for COP

SSH (Side Straddle Hop) x 10

IW (Imperial Walker) x 10

Low Slow (or fast) Squats x 10

The Thang:

Suicides using the basketball goals as markers, then ran around the baseball fields to the bleachers.

10 step ups for each leg, then to up to the rocks.

20 Curls and 20 overhead triceps using the rock, then ran down to the track.

1 loop around the track with 10 LBC’s at each corner, then ran to the goal line.

50 yard sprint to mid field where we then lined up for some Plankers Delight. PAX planked shoulder to shoulder, while groups of 4 went down the line doing two hand slap merkins with each man. Always nice to have Thunder Road amongst us for PD.

With no time to waste, and in an effort to get more mileage in, we finished up with an Indian Run down Strawberry Ln to Rosecliff and back.

We had time to run around the parking lot about 3-4 times.

The official mileage came in at 2.6. Unless you were Goonie. I’m pretty sure he got in pretty stinkin’ close to 3. He was like the energizer bunny at the end… extra credit. He put in a few more laps around the lot during COT.

The Moleskin:

Solid crew this morning. Everybody brought their A game. It was nice to see some newer guys along with the regulars. Especially good to have Simba back. Thank you for the excellent take out… So eloquently put together. I get the feeling Simba has had a lot of practice.

There really wasn’t a whole lot of mumble chatter this morning. In large part because there was really no time. Today seemed like one of those workouts that just flew by. Nobody seemed particularly enthusiastic about doing Plankers Delight but if we had done nothing else, it would have been worth the price of admission. It is sooo bad, yet it is soooo good.

Amongst many others, Jello and Costanzo are two guys that are living proof that F3 can be such a blessing to a guy’s health and stamina. I happen to be at both of their first workouts. These guys figure out how to get to a few workouts a week and the progress they have made is awesome. You put in the effort and every week get stronger and stronger. You should be proud of yourselves. If you haven’t had a chance to meet these two guys, you should make the effort.

Have a great week everybody! I hope to see you at The Maul on Wednesday (unless I change my mind and do the donut run for the first time), Mountain Goat on Friday (Slim Fast makes MG amongst one of the best hidden gem workouts in town), and either Ascent or Rock Zero on Saturday.

IATHB, IATHB, AWIDIATHD… GH!!!

Announcements:

Saturday, April 29, 2017: Richard Sheltra Memorial Run – Pineville, NC. Preblast: http://f3nation.com/2017/02/05/a51sobfort-help-to-honor-a-fallen-firefighter-richard-sheltra-memorial-10k5k1mi-run-sat-april-29-2017/. Bring a shovel flag and let the PAX know your pace. Looking for groups who want to run with shovel flags. One Rule: each member runs with the flag for a section of the 10k or 5k.

Colon Cancer 5k this weekend at Independence Park

Savage Run May 13

Swamp Thing

17 men endured the cold temps and inspiring music for a leg day that should make walking a joy.  This may be the 1st post where the music was unanimously applauded (at least when the speaker died…).

 

Warmup

  • Short mosey around parking lot
  • 30 SSH IC
  • 20 Imperial Walkers IC
  • 20 Mountain Climbers IC
  • Downward Dog / Calf Stretching

 

The Swamp Thang

  • Mosey around both schools to High School Entrance
    • 3 stops to wait for the 6 along the way – Planks, Cotton Pickers, Bomb Jacks while waiting
  • Station 1
    • 50 Box Jumps
    • Planks while waiting for 6
    • 50 Squats
    • Planks while waiting for 6
    • 50 Jump Lunges
    • Planks while waiting for 6
    • 50 Step Ups (each leg)
    • Planks while waiting for 6
    • 50 Calf Raises on Curb
    • Planks while waiting for 6
  • Mosey to Middle School Entrance
  • Station 2
    • 50 Heels to Heaven IC (civilian count – kind of)
    • 50 LBC IC (civilian count)
    • 50 Flutters IC (civilian count)
    • 50 Supermans IC (civilian count)
  • Mosey toward parking lot
  • ~50 yard lunges
  • ~50 yard reverse lunges
  • 1 lap around parking lot

 

Announcements

  • Sanctuary tonight – 7:30 at Brooklyn Pizza
  • Debbie’s house complete (round 1) – Still looking for funding for HVAC
  • Father / Daughter dance – Friday, 3/3 at Ballantyne CC (www.markthismoment.com)
  • OCR Training – Friday, 3/3 at Kinetic Heights (5:30am) – Talk to @F3Argonaut

Good Fella led pray

Out

Pre-blast: March Pull-up & Merkin Challenge

If you clicked on this link then you’re exactly the type of sick and twisted individual that we’re looking for.  The type that does things just to see if he can.  The type that doesn’t mind pain.  Or maybe you just want to end the month stronger than you started it.  Whatever your motivation, this challenge WILL make you better, and just in time for race season and t-shirt weather.

The Thang

A daily (yes, every single day) challenge that accelerates in reps throughout the month, incrementally building strength, endurance and confidence.

Wk 1 (Mar 1-7): 10 Pull-ups / 100 Merkins per day

Wk 2 (Mar 8-14): 20 Pull-ups / 150 Merkins per day

Wk 3 (Mar 15-21): 30 Pull-ups / 200 Merkins per day

Wk 4 (Mar 22-28): 40 Pull-ups / 250 Merkins per day

Wk 5 (Mar 29-31): 50 Pull-ups / 300 Merkins per day

We will be tracking our progress on this Google Sheet for shared accountability and motivation.  Sound off in the comments if you’re interested or shoot YHC an email (joesavarese4@gmail.com) and you’ll be granted write access to the doc.

Don’t think about it too much.

-TUCK

A shoulder workout masquerading as a running workout

Posted on behalf of Costanza

The PAX were ready to see what the VQ had created for all to enjoy this fine morning. After the disclaimer was given, what happened next went like this…..

The Warm Up…
Mosey over to the track for a few laps then circle up
Side Straddle Hop x18
Imperial Walker x15
Merkins x10
Low Slow Squats x10

The Thang…

Ran down Rea Rd. take a left into WindyRush stopping for a few LBCs. Continue down WindyRush and stop at Ascent Hill. Exercise was Mountain Climbers at the bottom, run to the top of the hill and pump out 10 Squats, rinse and repeat 3 times. Elrod and Drop Thrill were pushing it…. Good Work. It was time for a small rest so decided to Plank.

Time to continue the tour of Olde Providence by running onto the back trail into the woods. Drano asked what type of exploring will be done today, Professor Costanza. Mentioned that it was time for some leg and arm work that’s when Drano discovered sh..… on his shoes (there’s the exploratory piece). We continued with 3 rounds of Shoulder Presses, Merkins and Step Ups.

The adventure in the woods ended so was time to visit the football field. Partner up whereby first partner runs a 40 yard dash to the dummies..i.e. football while the other performs lunges and upon partner 1 return, drop and give me 5 hand slap Merkins. 4 rounds of that pleasure so naturally it was time to work the core with some Mary…Rosalita, Freddy Mercury and Elbow Plank.

Let’s mosey to the playground for 3 rounds of circuit work; Supine Pullup/Regular Pullups x15, Carolina Dry Docks x10 and Jump Squats x10. Why look at the time, need to make an adjustment since we are ahead of schedule. Let’s mosey to the field…drop on all fours and form a Manapede…yes Dumpster Fire came up with the clever name…and perform an Indian Run for the length of the field. Just when we forgot about the woods, decided to Bear Crawl for 30 yards, and then line up on the fence. Time to run with all you got till the other side of fence. I think that was enough but wait there’s more to finish the morning off. Let’s go the wall for the People’s chair mixing it with the arms to wall like a lizard and then a series of air presses.

Thank you all for allowing me to lead today, it’s been 7 months since starting F3 and definitely have got stronger and faster. Appreciate all of you coming out to support my first Q today.

Announcements:

§ Saturday, April 29, 2017: Richard Sheltra Memorial Run – Pineville, NC. Preblast: http://f3nation.com/2017/02/05/a51sobfort-help-to-honor-a-fallen-firefighter-richard-sheltra-memorial-10k5k1mi-run-sat-april-29-2017/. Being a shovel flag and let the PAX know your pace. We’re looking for groups who want to run with shovel flags. One Rule: each member runs with the flag for a section of the 10k or 5k

· Sign up for BRR…if your brave enough

· Sign up to Q..see Sony or via Sign Up Genius

· F3 brother from Grand Strand passed away while in an amateur boxing competition, please keep him in your thoughts as leaves a daughter and wife behind

Stonehenge

12 of Ballantyne’s finest arrived at the Vine for a workout and to hear MT’s impression of people from various foreign countries.  For the workout part, here is what we did.

Warm-up: Mosey from the launch down to pond with the big hill.  On the way, make three stops.  Stop 1 = 15 IW and 10 merkins.  Stop 2 = 15 squats and 10 diamond merkins.  Stop 3 = 10 seal jacks and 10 wide arm merkins.  All exercises IC.

Arrive at the pond for part 1 of the main event.  Partner up.  For each lap, go with a different partner and go all out.  P1 does called exercise until P2 finishes running the hill(s), then flapjack, then run the lap together. Seven laps total: 1x hill + burpees, 2x hill + jump squats, 3x hill + merkins, 4x hill + flutters, 3x hill + merkins, 2x hill + squats, 1x hill + burpees.

This took about a half hour.  Words cannot express how much it sucked.  Time to move on so slow mosey to the little courtyard with the benches.  Stops along the way for planks.

Set 1: alternate dips and jump ups.  10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1.  On the wall for American Hammer and LBCs IC.  Set 2: alternate derkins and squats.  10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1.  On the wall for flutters and bicycles.

Mosey back and do a little Mary until time expires.

Moleskin: Great to have Run Stopper out this morning.  The guy can bring it.  Safe travels brother.  The workout experience also benefitted from some serious mumble chatter.  Some of the material was pure gold, others less so.  But the 2nd F was definitely there.  Enjoyed it men.

Announcements:  Fireman Ed advised us that there is a 5k next weekend.  If you type 5K into Google you can learn all about.  We love ya Ed.

Butterflies at Joust

We had a much appreciated 50 degree morning to greet us after to many weeks of bitter cold. We even had a few of the hibernating warm weather only guys show back up. 17 in total. Here is how the workout went down.

 

Field and warm up In Cadence 20 each

Side saddle hope

Imperial walkers

Low slow squat

 

We then Partnered up in 3s and moved onto the goal line for a series of workouts.  Each partner took turns doing each workout, rotating when the “pace setter” was done with the distance excersize.

 

Round 1 – 5 minutes

Gasers 50yd, Squats, Mercins

 

Round 2 – 5 minutes

Walking Lunges 20yd, Vups , Forearm Plank Rockers

 

We moseyed up the bleachers for our next set

 

Round 3 – 6 minutes

Stair run, 10 Pull ups 10 leg raises and LBCs until relieved, , Wall Sit Arm Raises

 

Moved back down the goal line

 

Round 4 – 5 minutes

Bear Crawl 20 and back, knee tucks, “Butterfly”

Round 5 – 5 minutes

Field Hops 20, mountain Climbers, Dry Docks

 

Moleskin:

As a few of you have mentioned leading your first Q can be a little unnerving.  I thought I was fine until my wife looked at me Thursday night and said “you’re nervous”.  Well I wasn’t until she said that!  All together things went pretty well though, my voice only cracked once and “butterfly” / “flutter” what’s the difference really?  Field Hops and Bear Crawls seemed to be the fan favorites and by that I mean they were the favorite to be done with.  We did run out of time and I had a few more things up my sleeve, but I guess I will just have to save them for next time!

 

Thanks for the encouragement from all of you fine gentlemen.

Have a great weekend all!

OCR Training Circus Makes a Pit-Stop at Rock-Zero

WORKOUT SUMMARY

Today marks the official start of Obstacle Course Racing Season with the Spartan Race Arizona Sprint underway (good luck Mario!… this just in…. he placed #12 in Competitive Heat and #2 in 25-29 age group. BOOM!!!!), and what better way to prepare for the upcoming OCR season here (Spartan Atlanta – March / Spartan Carolinas – April / Savage & SC Mud Run – May) than with some specific OCR Training.  Three Spartan circuit regulars (Flipper, Kid Rock, JRR Tolkien) showed up for a 3.2 mile “mosey” pre-workout run. They were joined by 12 more men looking to transform their soft touch hands, into calloused fists of rage, and polish their obstacle course attacking abilities, to make 15 in total.

THE THANG

Quick mosey across the parking lot over to the Calvary playground area.  Plank while waiting for the 6, circle up, quick instructions and disclaimer given to PAX by YHC while in plank position throwing in a few “up” / “down” merkins on my cadence. Partner up by size/ability and start at any one of 8 stations.  The WOD today ended up being a solid 50min HIIT workout (8 total stations: 2:30min work + :38min sprint & recovery… Repeat circuit 2X for 16 stations total).  Plan was to partner up and stick with your partner through all the stations to completion of all 8 stations, two times.  YHC changed it up today, and the 38 seconds between stations sometimes reserved for rest were used for AYG sprints from the gear to the second basketball hoop and back… resulted in turning a near 0.0 workout into 2.9 miles of running. Not too shabby for a gear workout.

Stations:

  1. ~240lb Rogue Dog Sled Push: The same sled used in the Crossfit games. Pushing the HIGH vertical bars is a little easier than pushing the LOW horizontal bars.  Flapjack.  Sled pushing is great for fixing running form. (legs/hips/total body really)
  2. ~85lb Heavy Bucket Carries: One of the many obstacles in Spartan Race. Walk around parking lot without putting the bucket down to rest, or else you owed 3 burpees each time. (legs/core/grip)
  3. Standing Heavy Rope Row Pulls:  P1 provides resistance while P2 reels in thick rope to the end, flapjack.  (total body/grip)
  4. Reverse Burpees: With 25lb or 35lb kettlebells lay on your back, extend kb above head, extend it beyond knees, squat, stand…. unwind movement (core/legs/triceps)
  5. Fingertip Farmers Carries: With 35lb or 45lb plate or 45lb kb walk with weight around cone and back with each weight. Throw in some shoulder shrugs, and remove fingers from the weights to increase grip strength (shoulders/grip)
  6. Hanging Toes-2-Bar w/ Pullup: at the kids playground, don’t stop hanging! Working on grip strength further, alternate full-length pulp and a toes to pulp bar touch (abs/grip/back) 
  7. “Spear” Throw: practice throwing the wooden dowel spear through the target hula hoop to avoid doing three burpees (mind).
  8. Supine Thick Rope Pullups: Shorter thick rope body supine pull-ups and negatives with rope chained to the top of a fence (back/biceps/grip)

All of the stations today should have sapped the grip strength out of you and forearms should be on fire… Spartan Race obstacles that the exercises were intended to prepare you for were: rope climb, plate drag, bucket carry, 8″ wall, z-wall grip, monkey bars, the metal rig, spear throw, and the running

MOLESKIN

Great morning for a workout. Sun was up, and weather was warm enough in the 50s to wear my prize racerback F3 tank top. Heck YHC got to sleep in a few extra minutes instead of posting at the EPIC SOB 6am Stonehenge workout, where YHC is Site-Q (#shamelessmarketingplug).  Bonus for the day was that YHC didn’t even chip a tooth this time posting at RockZero (2 chipped teeth in 2 separate occasions at Day Zero… hey it claimed to be a High Intensity workout).  Anyway, if you liked the workout, thank YHC for bringing something new…. if you hated it, blame Flipper for inviting me, and Hoover for specifically asking for some Savage Race/Spartan Race training.  Couple of musings from this morning: Hansel & 15 Gretel….err, YHC means Nemo (16yrs) and Umizumi (15yrs) were pushing hard to get their hairless 8-packs polished for Spring Break so that the girlies can take notice of them at the pool…. while they play Minecraft on their iPads.  Both did a great job with the heavier weights today especially the 85lb bucket carries which easily were more than half their body weight. YHC tried to light a fire in them youngster, by betting they would place Top 5 in the upcoming Savage Race which they plan to enter…. kids race that is.  Kid Rock rolled up early this AM, and pulled his monster truck up next to my F-150… dude, YHC is Asian you can’t do that, there’s already enough insecurities! Kid Rock & Flipper both were in the zone with the workout gear this morning, except the spear throw which needed a LOT of work! #30burpees Marlin got War-Daddy for the day as the oldest and only Respect here today, but age did not appear to be a factor at all for him and the “older-crew”… in fact Joker & Witch Doctor, a pair of 45yr old stallions, were going toe-to-toe with Nemo & Umizumi on all 16 of the sprints. It was very very impressive to see them go as hard as they did this morning, and they definitely came to play.  Ickey Shuffle didn’t seem to get the Slack memo that High Tide was posting with a bum calf hampered by injured calf, as he tried to drag him across the parking median in the standing rope pull aka Tug-O-War.  Disregarding the Q’s instructions for the exercise, the two looked more like ‘Lady & The Tramp’ reeling in a shared spaghetti noodle towards each other, maybe ending in a kiss. You decide who is more the lady, and who the tramp. Hoover is big dude, and was slapping the basketball backboard at the turnaround point for sprints, which impressed YHC…. but then YHC noticed he didn’t need to jump to do that. Carry on. YHC could see Boerwors & Dingo crushing the low sled push across the way.  YHC has some good convo this morning paired with McGee who seemed to be in good spirits which was great to see.  He found a way to get his 100 burpees a day in as per his 100-4-100 Challenge, which YHC has been participating in showing solidarity for a fellow F3 brother.  Also great to work out with someone YHC had never worked out with in Private Benjamin who pulled like an ox in the standing rope pull, and pushed like a tractor in the Rogue Dog Sled push. Great meeting you brother.  Lots of other musings, apologies for the omission but getting ready for the F3 Dads Checkers Hockey Game tonight with a few things in-between. Sound off in comments below with them…

Thank you Flipper for the invitation to Q RockZero, and for the takeout today. It was a pleasure to lead as always, and YHC enjoyed working out with some guys YHC doesn’t normally get to.  Looking forward to posting with you all again soon.  Have a great weekend all!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

SYITG ~ JRR Tolkien

No, more-more-more!

At the Rebel Yell – They cried for NO more – more – more as 13 Courageous Men gathered to Post for this Vintage Smack Down..  Let’s mosey…

Thang

The Day’s Mystery Co-Q’s were no strangers to this group and no strangers to delivering the goods as they brought the BIG BOY toys so everyone could have some extra fun.. Special thanks to Loogie and Mic Check.

COP

Imperial Walker X 10 IC

Low slow squat X 10 IC

Merkin X10 IC

Mountain Climber X 10 IC

Burpees on own X 5

Count off 1’s & 2’s as we split into groups and off we went on our separate ways.

Group 1 Remained at Launch area:

  • Kettle Bell Regime (includes 6 different exercises).
  • Just for fun – we decided to plug in a “Hair Burner” Station..
  • Passionately led by our Mystery Q’s..

Group 2 Moseyed into the Gloom:

  • Ran to Murder Horn – Did some plank on the way to the bottom where we planked again.
  • Headed to the Pool parking Lot for some pull ups X 20 and Dips X60
  • Moseyed back up the Murder Horn. Jump Squats at all lights on way up.  Increments of 2.
  • Circled back for the 6 and planked at the top.
  • Headed back to AO Launch.

Quick 10 Count – Switched groups – Repeat.

Closed out together w/ 5 Minutes of Mary.

COT

Moleskin

Even though we broke into groups – we started together and ended together as Iron Sharpened Iron once again!  Literally – – I am starting to think that Mic Check really likes Hair Burners. I could see smoke coming off the asphalt as he slid that Iron plate across the lot.  Loogie likes playing with heavy things – probably because he is good at it. Doc McStuffins – all I can say is that guy can run –  Whoaaa. I don’t think my dog could catch him and my dog is fast. Frehley’s Comet, Fredo & Chopper posted strong performances – (RESPECT).  Goonie, Heartbreaker, Adobe, Morning After, Black Beard and Cable Guy – looking strong & steady..  As usual – It was an honor to lead this group.

Announcements

Savage Race Saturday, May 13th..  Teams of 4.. Still Time to sign up.

Tootie starting Third F after Maul at Chic-filet Stone Crest. 6:30 – 7:30.  Reach out to Tootie on Slack or Twitter if any questions.  Start Date – Wednesday, March 8th.

Presbyterian Church Providence Rd. Wall Project.  March 18th.  Reach out to Haggis or Frehley’s Commet for further details.

Richard Sheltra Memorial Charity 1K, 5K and 10K.  April 29th.  Reach out to Cheddar for details.

Details

Workout Date – 02/23/2017

Workout Q – Commish