Or, if I had gotten this BB out before our 2nd F lunch, it would’ve been “Smoked Shoulders for a Pig Pickin'”.
Warmup
Got Gloves? DiCCS?
For the S, I did make a special shoutout to the Form Police. Normally regarded as nitpicky, jealous types watching from the back, here at Diesel & Chiseled, they are protectors of backs, knees, & shoulders. I called forth the Form Police to be your Brothers’ Keeper. If you see bad form, gently, lovingly, helpfully, correct that behavior. These kinds of workouts are so great to build true functional fitness. There were no counts to any reps on purpose. Full incentive to do full extension of every exercise. Also a great mental assessment; with only one person at each station, could you push yourself to keep going the whole time?
The Thang
Stations
1 – Tire flip from light pole to light pole (timer)
2 – Moroccan Night Clubs with Bricks
3 – Dips (or bonus Crab Dips)
4 – Bench Press with Coupon
5 – Big Boy Situps with Slamball
6 – Halo’s with Rocks
7 – American Hammers with Dumbells
8 – Abyss Merkins / Dry Docks
Round 2
1 – Broken Farmer Carry from sidewalk to trees and back (what makes it broken is two different objects, of different sizes & weights, so your core has to engage) <timer>
2 – Front / Side Flys with Bricks
3 – 21’s with Coupon (7 curls halfway up; 7 curls from halfway to top; 7 curls full extension)
4 – Skullcrushers with Coupon
5 – Slamball Lunge Bucket Brigade
6 – Thrusters with Rocks
7 – Romanian Dead Lifts with Dumbells
8 – Shoulder Taps on Coupons
Round 3
1 – Tire Flip (timer)
2 – Full Extension Brick Hold from the top
3 – Bent Over Rows with Coupon
4 – Lunges Around the World (with coupon, do front, side, & back lunges)
5 – Paint the Alphabet with Slamball (on your back, holding up slamball, hold your feet together; pretend you’re holding a paintbrush between your feet & trace the alphabet)
6 – Military Press with Rock
7 – Tricep Kick Backs with Dumbells
8 – Negatives with Coupon
More important than the workout at Diesel is the playlist. As Chastain & Goodfella figured out, it was a tribute to Neil Peart, the drummer from Rush who passed away from brain cancer last Friday. It appears only Chastain & I could tolerate 45 minutes of Rush, so I dropped in a second theme. Been a tough week at work (culminating in the anger of not being able to attend 2nd F lunch today) so I threw in some passive-aggressive tunes about working for The Man.
Tom Sawyer – Rush
Couple Days Off – Huey Lewis & The News
Limelight – Rush
Takin’ Care of Business – Bachman Turner Overdrive
Driven – Rush
Bang the Drum All Day – Todd Rundgren
Freewill – Rush
Workin’ for a Livin’ – Huey Lewis & The News
Fly by Night – Rush
Working for the Weekend – Loverboy
Spirit of Radio – Rush
Workin’ Day and Night – Michael Jackson
Closer to the Heart – Rush
A Hard Day’s Night – Beatles
Rhythm Method – Rush
If you never understood how a person could be considered the greatest drummer ever, since all they do is just keep the beat, I encourage you to watch this video.
https://youtu.be/4zhFbi_t4c8
Yes, it’s an 8-minute drum solo. You’ll thank me the next time you see me. This is the final song of the playlist as we were putting all the gear away.
Moleskine
Turnbuckle’s already posted about this on his Facebook page, which has substantially more eyeballs than this will ever get.
The tire flip was a little much today for TB. That’s OK, cause I saw everyone had at least one exercise that was a little too much for them. That’s a good sign of being on the other side of your comfort zone. That’s where progress is made.
It wasn’t that long ago when he would see a similar event as a failure. Now, it’s become a new goal. He’s already learned so many of the things he thought he couldn’t do were simply lies believed for so long. A switch has flipped for him and I’m excited to see his progress. I know we all are.
Announcements
Wedding Singer’s Sayonara Saturday, Jan 25, from 3 – 5 PM at Queens South
Plant the seeds & spread the word – Site Q School Saturday Feb 1;
Q School Saturday Feb 8
Hurry up & wipe, Goodfella is on Q at Homecoming; J-Wow at Commitment; Pax are running trails at the WhiteWater Center; still more Pax heading to the Gremlin CSAUP
And check out the Rooster: https://www.f3rockhill.com/2020/01/10/preblast-rooster-iii-the-rooster-crows-again/ I did it 2 years ago & had a blast!
Eleven men joined up Centurion, they were disclaimed and away we went.
COP – at the base of the garage entrance. IW, LSS, Cotton Picker & Merkin x 15ish. Lots of mumble chatter not a lot of counting – but that is fine.
Next we took off and ran the short ramps to the top of the garage stopping at each turn to do 10 merkins and 10 dry docks at alternating turns. Go to the bottom of the steps by the elevator.
From here we ran to the far stairwell and go up to the next level where we did 10 squats at each stairwell. The same pattern was repeated for the remaining two levels. Exercises were heels to heaven and wide arm merkins (x 10 at each stairwell). Mosey to the rock pile at the corner of Little and McMahon.
Partner up with 1 lifting rock. Partner 1 runs around the traffic circle. Partner 2 does the called exercise (curls, triceps, press and squats). Each partner gets to do the exercise and run. Mosey to Charlotte Aquatics.
Partner drag up the incline for a good quad burner. Rinse and repeat. Mosey to the back of the school.
Partner 1 does dips while Partner 2 bear crawls up the ramp and runs down the steps. Repeat twice. Mosey to Launch site for a minimal amount of Mary before time is called.
The eleven were: Mermaid, Hops, Point Break, Snooka, Chelms, Lorax, Prohibition, Hopper, Cheese Curd, Purple Haze and Thunder Road. (The tag feature on the website doesn’t work all that well – or it’s user error. Probably both)
Observations:
Prior to launch, Prohibition pulls in with several minutes to spare. Being that there are only 11 cars in the lot, there are plenty of places to park. Prohibition locates the space right next to Purple Haze in the corner. When I say ‘right next’ to his car – you probably could have gotten a nickel and two dimes between the two cars. I’m not sure if that was intentional or not.
Cheese Curd had a full Northern Experience back at the rock pile. Not sure what team he was on or what that was all about.
So when we were leaving Charlotte Aquatics after doing the Partner Drag up the hill, I couldn’t help but overhear someone talking about a Partner tip pull. This is not F3 San Francisco and we’re not doing Partner tip pulls. Maybe that’s why Prohibition parked so close to Purple Haze in the lot? I’m starting to think the parking job was intentional.
Had a great time this morning with the men from Centurion. Everyone pushed it hard and we all stayed fairly close together. Thanks to Margo and Mermaid for the opportunity to lead!
Don’t forget to check out Slack for the 30 for 30 benefit for Red Rocks
8 men showed up to walk the talk and brave The Brave. The near freezing temps were much appreciated after several days of oppressive heat and humidity. Oppressive is a relative term, but when you sweat as much as YHC does, anything over 60 degrees is obnoxious.
Thang
Mosey to circular park / traffic circle in between the 1st two office buildings on N. Community House.
Mosey to traffic circle next to Wells Fargo building
Mosey North on Comm House, stopping at corner of Endhaven for 10 merkins IC. Continue to SpringHill Suites parking lot, stopping for 20 MC IC. Right on Johnston to McAlpine Creek Greenway parking lot, stopping for 20 flutter IC. Enter Greenway and bang a right to go under Johnston, then eventually exit left on the path that spits you out next to Pike Nurseries. 20 dolly IC in Pike parking lot. Mosey on path behind large pond just South of Pike. Find way to large traffic circle at the center of Atkins Circle apartment complex.
3-pronged Starfish
Cross Johnston at crosswalk and mosey all the way home on N. Comm House. In total we got in somewhere between 5.5 and 6 miles.
Moleskin
Pro tip: read backblasts. YHC had that self-righteous feeling that comes with talking a workout to new territory, only to find out after-the-fact that Frasier Q’d basically the same route once. And by once I mean three weeks ago. What are the CHANCES. Had I only read the backblast… It gets worse; Wild Turkey, YHC’s creative kindred spirit, and the only member of the PAX to post at both workouts, was surely thinking the entire time that YHC was a hack. YHC now needs to redeem himself with a future Q on new territory (an increasingly difficult task in SOB Land) with an innovative premise and questionable decision making.
Great job by all PAX. We had a tight formation and there was hardly any time spent waiting for the 6. Cobains for getting us back to launch 2 minutes late. It was a direct result of taking a wrong turn into Tagalong’s beard and spending several minutes trying to find our way out. That thing is like the wardrobe from Narnia.
TUCKOUT
Pax: Fault Line, Lex, Cottontail, Spack, Puddin, Christmas, Horsehead (Q)
Where is my John Wayne
Where is my prairie song
Where is my happy ending
Where have all the cowboys gone
7 for Kevlar, beating the Gummy over/under odds from last night. The count did not include Gummy, however, who had more important things to do.
THANG:
Run around
Warm up COP
Giant Starfish with 5 burpee center.
Repeato a few times
7s on the big hill – Merkins and Jump Squats
Mary while ½ the pax run to the big rock and back.
MOLESKIN:
As I mentioned earlier, this workout appears to be hanging on for dear life.
Anyway, I think you get the point. It’s still hanging around. What’s different between Kevlar and the list above? Kevlar can be awesome again. With apologies to Puddin’s shirt, none of that other stuff has a chance. Attendance is actually trending upward, but we haven’t even hit the worst winter weather yet. Let’s hope for a turnaround. Show up.
From this morning, just a few observations:
The Total Body Fitness Circuit was rehashed from a previous workout that only had 3 in attendance. It was too good for that, so we revived it. Cottontail has already mailed out a handwritten thank you letter, although with baby #14 on the way I’m not sure how he has time to do anything else.
Puddin Pop always brings the fun. Sometimes it’s hard to decipher what he’s saying through the miasma that he is enveloped in, but I believe that most of his comments were about pre, post, and during bowel movement activities. I tried to take notes, but ran out of toilet paper.
Spackler admitted that he considered Header’s workout at Joust but posted Kevlar for the commentary and the backblast. We all know what really happened that time Header tried to use the FBC Lottie Moon collection plate as a Frisbee over there – total disaster.
Did you know that James Best was in several Andy Griffith episodes before he went on to play Roscoe on the Dukes of Hazzard? He played rising country music star Jim Lindsey, who somehow managed to get a screaming electric guitar sound out of an unplugged acoustic that he barely touched. Guess what his real first name is? Jewel. He was also a black belt in karate, which helps with a first name like that. Denver Pyle (Uncle Jesse) was also in Mayberry for a while as the Darling family Patriarch.
This backblast is going to make the Hangers On list soon, so we’ll end it here.
Post Kevlar in 2020. Make Kevlar Great Again
Horsehead
January 17th, 2019 was my first official post back after my second hip surgery. Today’s Q was about revisiting some of my favorite/least favorite called exercises from some of my previous Qs of 2019.
Only 5 men made it to Swarm this morning thanks to tomorrow’s Gremlin and trail races. Not sure what happened to Bottlecap, I hope he’s ok…
DiCCS were given (Disclaimer, Cell phone, CPR, Safety)
Long mosey to the side of the stadium
Mosey around the side of the stadium to the bleachers:
Mosey to the stop light at Cuthbertson Rd.
The Official Burpee Mile®
Mosey to the start of Dobson Dr.
Mosey to the benches in front of the high school
Done!
MOLESKIN:
So back to January 17, 2019. I had just received clearance from my doctor the afternoon before and went out and ran two slow miles on the greenway. I could barely walk when I posted the next morning. It was the Floater no less that day, Dancing Bear was on Q (where has he gone lately?) and my legs were so sore from that two-mile run that I honestly thought of how I could quit and disappear the first 10 minutes of the workout.
I didn’t quit that morning. I struggled and I was miserable. I was so sore and in so much pain for two weeks. Last year was tough. It still is tough. But, I keep coming back and everyone here keeps pushing and encouraging me. Last night was my 181st post to complete my year back in the saddle. Maybe this year I can hit 200 posts? 250?
Life is all about perspective.
Last year on January 17th, 2019 I was 205lbs and not where I wanted to be physically. For me, working out is also about my mental release and my mental well-being. So, to say I was not only physically out of shape but not in the best mental state last January would be an understatement. I was ashamed of the way I looked and the way I felt. Nothing fit. Starting in December 2018 I starting wearing a shirt to bed which I have never done my entire life. I remember after a few days my wife even asked, “Is everything ok? You’ve never worn a shirt to bed before”. I just replied, “yes, I’m just cold”. I wasn’t where I wanted to be and I wasn’t where I knew I could be and I wasn’t ok with it.
This year on January 17th, 2020 I’m down 30lbs or about 14.5% of my weight from a year ago. More importantly I feel healthier mentally. I think this mental (and physical) health transitions to my relationship with my wife, my kids, my coworkers, friends, family, everything.
I don’t think it matters if you’re 205lbs today or 305lbs today or 150lbs today. There are always goals to strive for. The important thing is to continually work towards moving in the right direction. I think the best way to do that is to surround yourself with people that can and will hold you accountable and surround yourself with people that are moving in the same direction in life that you want to go. Don’t surround yourself with people that are just going to hold you back. Go with the ones that will push your forward. F3 does that on so many levels, you just have to be willing to challenge yourself and to be challenged.
So this year, I encourage everyone to push themselves with their goals. Whether it is to get more physically fit, mentally fit, lose weight, spend more time with your family/kids, spend more time in the Word, go for it! And if you want to really improve your odds, surround yourself with people that can help you get there and are headed that way. You are not alone in whatever you are struggling with and whatever you want to work towards.
Most importantly, KEEP COMING BACK!
Thank you for the opportunity to lead today. Thank you for welcoming me back the last year.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Nine PAX stumbled their way to Overdrive for the weekly kettlebell beating. YHC upon arriving assessed the windy conditions and decided to huddle the PAX under the covered picnic area. What a guy I am! Hairband arrived early to get in a little Dora backpack time while YHC warmed up with yoga stretches for his broken back. 5:28 Bernanke rolls in on two wheels, per usual. Shepherd eventually showed up after slaying some Philistines with the jawbone of a Glass Joe.
We have a Kotter – Playoff.
A moderately executed DCCS and we’re off for a long(ish) mosey around the parking lot. Circle up by the under the picnic area.
COP:
The Thang: 4 X 10 X 1 HB mile
PAX completed 4 rounds: 10 reps of the called exercises for 5 minutes. Repeat exercises in the round until the 5 mins are up. Focus was on form (ahem Glass Joe) and not necessarily speed (ahem Shepherd).
Round 1:
Round 2:
Round 3:
Round 4:
Round 5: (Ran out of time for this round, posted here for posterity)
After four rounds, ran short on time so did 1 minute waiter carries, each arm. Many jokes were made about keeping the body erect and tight for whole minute.
Mary
Moleskin:
The PAX did a great job working through some full body movements. The hairband miles in the wind were a bit of a beast but all got through it with guts and grit. Thanks for the opportunity to lead and workout.
Announcements:
Sometimes when a cook is asked to prepare a meal with only a few days’ notice they open the cupboard and grab a few tried and tested plant based ingredients to whip up something they hope will satisfy everyone. Tonight was no different except I did add a new exercise from the test kitchen.
8 men and a 2.0 came calling when they heard the dinner bell.
DiCCS were given (Disclaimer, Cell phone, CPR, Safety)
Pre-Dinner Stroll:
This evening’s menu:
1st Course: Cheese Plate
2nd Course: Salad
Main Course: Triple Nickle
4th Course: Dessert
5th Course: Nightcap
Done!
MOLESKIN:
I’m surprised only 9 came out for dinner tonight. Might be a few months before we see a mid 60’s seating possibility again.
Hopefully everyone enjoyed the “Inchworm Shredders”.
Great to see Centerfold out MASHing as he gets ready to go under the knife for his knee, get well brother.
I think everyone got between 2.5 and 3 miles tonight, well done.
Thank you for the opportunity to lead today.
Week 1 results are in and we are off to a great start with all but 1 Pax posting a positive result. Time will tell as week 1 usually is the easiest and the real challenge comes in the upcoming weeks. So with that lets take a look and see what the leader board shows.
Current Top 3 Individuals who are in the money:
Additional Pax who are safe this week from week 1 penalty:
Pax who face a 100 merkin penalty this week:
Team Standings:
For those who owe penalty need to complete prior to next Thursday. Week 2 penalties are 100 Bobby Hurley’s
Keep the calories down and exercises going.