Author Archive Chastain

Meet in the woods on 420

Just 4 dudes in the dark woods for a casual meet up at 5 in the morning. Nothing fishy going on.

Rubbermaid and Paper Jam got a head start at 5am but Carb Load and myself thought that sounded WAAAY too early and opted to leave at a more reasonable 5:30. Fun was had by all. The trails were actually dry this time. No one fell. Good job everyone.

The faster you run the sooner you’ll be warm

6 PAX at Last Call this morning. One of which I wasn’t sure was going to get out of the car. 34 degrees and wiiiiiindy. Only thing to do is run until you aren’t cold any more.

Warmup

Quick mosey around the parking lot to the opposite end. Circle up for SSHs, Imperial Walkers, Moroccan Night Clubs, Glidah Stretch, Mountain Climbers, and Plank Jacks

Mosey to the center row to start the Thang. Wait! Quick audible so Krusty (I think) can grab his gloves from his car. Remaining PAX do 12 Monkey Humpers IC around his car. OK, mosey back to the bottom of the hill

The Thang

Jailbreak to the top of the hill. 5 Merkins, 5 Big Bois, and 5 Bomb Jacks alternating at each tree (of which there are 9) on the way back down the hill. Al Gore with calf raises if you finish early

Repeato. This time American Hammers IC if you finish early

Mosey to the front of the HS for Deconstructed Burpees, 4 corners style. We stuck together for this one and all exercises done in cadence: 10 Squats, 10 In and Outs, 10 Merkins, and 10 Bobby Hurleys. Back at the start now, do 10 Burpees OYO.

Mosey to the first alcove to the left side of the school for some 7s. Donkey Kicks on one alcove and Speed Skaters (2=1) on the next alcove.

Finish up the alcoves with 50 Air Presses civvy count.

Back to the front of the school and partner up. P1 runs a lap around the lot and P2 does the exercises: 100 Derkins, 150 Step-Ups, and 200 Dips

Running low on time, head back to COT, but stop at the top of the hill. 5 Burpees OYO then all you got back to COT.

Moleskin

Pretty light on mumblechatter this morning. Or maybe I’m just tired. Thanks to One Star for putting me on the calendar. Glad I actually checked the calendar so I knew which day to show up. 😉

Announcements

April One Q Challenge – If you haven’t heard, the challenge for this month is to have unique Qs for each site for every day this month. That means nearly 100 different PAX need to Q to meet that goal. And THAT means if you aren’t signed up to Q something then we NEED you to do that. So if you’re reading this and you aren’t signed up to Q anything in April, reach out on GroupMe or wherever you’re posting next and let the Site Qs know you’re available.

WTF – Waxhaw Trail Fest – Saturday May 1st starting at Walnut Creek Park

Of Wolf and Man

Listen to this while reading the backblast

12 men rolled out of bed a little earlier and ventured into parts unknown to help launch The Lycan; F3 Waxhaw’s newest AO. As much as we all love the Flash/Ignition mob, it’s getting a bit unruly with 30+ PAX posting on the average Monday. Great numbers! But that just means it’s time to expand. Posse, Dilbert, and I did a little recon work on Friday and discovered a neighborhood with a wicked, hilly loop and access to Highway 75. We’re right across from the cemetary with easy access to downtown Waxhaw and on campus there are hills, trails, and plenty of room to stretch your legs.

So what’s a Lycan? From the Greek: “lykos” meaning “wolf” and “anthropos” meaning “man” – lukanthropia translates to the Latin “lycanthropy” or more commonly: Werewolf

Waxhaw Elementary School is home of the Wolves, so it was only fitting to adopt that into the AO name. Plus, like any good werewolf tale, the beast is unleashed on the full moon.

And it just so happens that was today…

A full moon at The Lycan means Iron Wolf Challenge (think Iron Pax Challenge difficulty without the chest beating and no Hartsville) so today that meant a couple of items up front:

  1. All moseys are double time
  2. EMOM Timer is in effect – 2 burpees Every Minute On the Minute

Warmup

Fast mosey to the back of the school for some fast count SSHs, Mountain Climbers IC, and Merkins IC, all punctuated by the EMOM timer and burpees along the way. Continue the loop around the school and as we’re coming back to the front I see a headlamp (I thought) over near COT, so we swing by to pick them up.

Nope! Not a late PAX, but instead the Waxhaw PD has stopped to investigate why there are a bunch of cinderblocks sitting in the parking lot of the school. I attempt to explain/EH (for a later date) the officer into joining us, but between me shouting “Burpees!” when the timer went off and just the general confusion, all I got from him was a “this just looks weird.” I assured him we’d be clearing out around 6:00am then we moseyed away leaving him in stunned amazement as 2 more police cars pulled into the parking lot.

The Thang

Partner up so we can move some coupons from COT to the back of the school. Partner 1 farmer carries two coupons while Partner 2 runs to the rear of the school (where we did the warmup) and then back to their partner. Swap places and repeato until both coupons have arrived at the back of the school.

Now that each person has their coupon it’s time for a Blockee Webb. At the top of the hill, do 1 Blockee then leave your coupon, run all the way down the handicap ramp to the bottom of the hill. Do 4 Step-Ups on the wall then run up the grass hill and back to your coupon. 6 inch plank on your block while waiting on the 6. Repeato until 5 and 20

Fast mosey to the south side of the school and find a spot on the wall for Donkey Kicks 10 to 1. It works like this:

  • 10 DKs with a 10 second, feet on the wall hold at the top
  • 9 DKs with a 9 second hold
  • Progress down to 1 DK with a 1 second hold

Fast mosey back to the coupons for some 7s: Weighted Coupon Squats at the top of the hill and American Hammers (2=1) at the bottom

6 minutes remaining so find a different partner than the last time and farmer carry/fast mosey back to COT the same way we moved blocks the first time.

Moleskin

Lots of fun this morning. The EMOM timer really sucks for two reasons. 1) Burpees and 2) it throws off any rhythm you might have had. But that’s why I threw it in there. We don’t wake up at the crack of dawn for easy. We get up early to push ourselves and start the day off right. Thanks to the men who joined me this morning to launch this site. Go see Posse, Showgirl, and Nails so you can get on the schedule.

As I told the PAX this morning: if you loved the Iron Wolf Challenge, good news! We’ll be doing another at the next full moon. And if you hated the Iron Wolf Challenge, good news! We won’t be doing another until the next full moon!

Announcements

Dilbert has his vQ next week at The Lycan. Show him and the new AO your support

CPR class tonight at 5 Stones from 6pm to 8pm. Talk to Surge (Jim Connell) on GroupMe or just show up at the door with cash in hand ($15 I think??)

April 1 Q Challenge – No repeat Qs for the whole month. That means Site Qs need your help filling their calendars. If you aren’t already signed up to Q a Site then talk to a Site Q and get on the schedule

The Clippy Challenge + Setting Goals

10 PAX went to Pursuit and some of them attempted the Clippy Challenge. What’s that? According to Paper Jam he was trying to come up with a route for his Pursuit Q when his 2.0, Paper Clip, said “why don’t you just have everyone run to the bridge in Waxhaw and back?” So simple! So that’s what a good chunk of PAX did. Two peeled off and did some walking/rucking through Millbridge, while Ex-LAX, Fuse Box, and YHC aimed to set a PR for Ex-LAX in a 5k. Mission accomplished! Even though Millbridge is apparently one giant uphill climb, Ex-LAX pushed through and knocked out his best ever 5K time. Major kudos buddy!

If you don’t have a goal, whether that be improving your 5K time, completing a half marathon, posting X number of times per month then it isn’t too late to start!! In fact, those goals don’t have to be all 1st F related! Think about 2nd and 3rd F goals you could set. What about bettering your relationship with your M or your 2.0s? Maybe you have a job related goal you could set. Need ideas? Check out these goals set by some PAX you know: 2021 PAX Goals

Set a goal, hit the goal, set another, repeato! Look for an accountability partner. Tell them your goals and ask them to check in on you. Ask them to help you hit those goals. We aren’t meant to be stagnant. If you aren’t improving then you’re declining and maybe you don’t even realize it. If you need help figuring out your goals then talk to me or talk to Posse. We’re glad to help.

Holy sh– City workout

Out of town again and planning to post with the local region. My brother in law needed a ride to the airport for an early morning flight. Should’ve been perfect except he overslept and wasn’t answering his phone.

So I roll into The Phoenix AO about 8 minutes late and fortunately these guys have a shovel flag planted. I sprint in the general direction looking for signs of life, come around the corner and see a group of guys doing Blockees with their coupons. Yuck. They haven’t seen me yet so there’s still the chance to sneak back to my car. Nope. I’m here. Let’s do this.

They pax were “kind” enough to lend me a coupon and we continued a very Chiseled-esque workout with block work then a mosey on repeato.

The QIC, Fragile (it must be Italian!) asked for suggestions at one point but didn’t like my Murder Bunny option. Huh. Blockees are OK but MBs are no good?

Good group of guys. I think they welcomed the break to grab me a coupon from the Blockees they were doing when I arrived. Good banter, some attempted Q Jacking and they were kind enough to humor me for a family photo at the end.

A+ Would post again

But is he really Canadian?

Penalty Box has a plan. A plan to get out of bed in the morning. A plan to push himself to keep improving. A plan to avoid the rain. A plan to destroy the PAX with 1460 reps of awfulness.

Take a look at the workout below. There were no breaks. No standing around. No moseys so you can rest your tennis arms. Just 45 minutes and 1460 reps of Canadian-induced pain. Though now that I think about it, I never heard a single “sorry” so are we sure he’s Canadian? Maybe the years of cross checks and high sticks to the face beat it out of him and now he’s just here to toughen the rest of us up a little.

After a quick audible in the MASH channel and a location switch to the steps at Cutty, 13 PAX were treated to the following:

Warm Up
Side Straddle Hop 25
Imperial Walkers 25
Shoulder Pistons 25
Chest Pistons 25

Set 1
Chest Press 50
Gas Pumps 30
Chest Press 50
Gas Pumps 30

Set 2
Merkins 30
Flutters 30
Merkins 30 (6×5)
Flutters 30

Set 3
Block Dips 30
Rosalitas 25
Russian Block Dips 25
Rosalitas 25

Set 4
Shoulder Press 25
Skaters 50
Shoulder Press 25
Skaters 50

Set 5
Curls 25
Mt. Climbers 30
Curls 25
Mt. Climbers 30

Set 6
Shoulder Plank Tap 30
Plank Jacks 30
Knee Plank Tap 30
Plank Jacks 30

Set 7
Squats 30 (w/Bricks)
Squat Toe Raises 50
Sumo Squat 30 (w/Bricks)
Sumo Squat Toe Raises 50

Set 8
Step Ups 50 (25×2)
Plank Lunges 50 (25×2)
Step Ups 50 (25×2)
Plank Lunges 50 (25×2)

Set 9
Rows 30
Frankenstein’s 25
Ditka’s 25
Triceps 30

Set 10
Canadian Beavers 25
Triceps 30
Myagi’s 20 (10×2)
LBC 50

 

Moleskin

Following the workout I spent some time talking to Penalty Box. He was complimentary of the F3 PAX and appreciative of the opportunity to lead the group. But I’m appreciative of Penalty Box. What PB does isn’t impressive for a man of 72 years. What PB does is impressive for a man of 27 years. You don’t go to a PB workout and think “wow, that’s pretty good for a 72 year old”. You go to the workout and then grunt and struggle and gasp the whole time because it’s terrible and evil and if Penalty Box really is a Canadian then he’s the meanest Canadian you’ve ever met but he’s doing all the exercises while counting cadence and he’s doing the same reps you are and he’s 72 years old wearing a Triple Respect shirt because he earned it.

Yeah, I’ll let him Q again, but it won’t be any time soon. We all need some recovery time.

Down range at the Grand Strand

I figure if we can get credit for virtual workouts or the LRC then surely I can get credit for visiting our brothers down on the Grand Strand.  And it doesn’t look like they’re gonna write a backblast so you’re gonna get my version instead.

I decided to visit the Bomb Squad on Monday and did a little pre-run with Sade. I know it’s short for something but I can’t remember. Regardless, a couple laps around the community center and it was time to begin.

Warmup

After finding out the origins of my F3 name all our warmups were soccer related, including a few rolling on the ground looking to draw a foul.

The Thang

Lots of four corners exercises with dry docks, LBCs, Big Bois, and the usual. Nothing too strenous and the group did everything together even though it was technically OYO. Suddenly round three threw in these nasty burpees with a diamond merkin at the bottom and a bomb jack at the top. Didn’t see that coming. Still recovering from that when the next exercise is a burpee with a double merkin at the bottom? WTF? Where’d these come from? Round 4 and we’re back to standard exercises.

After 4 rounds of 4 corners we had just a bit of time left and did some 11s on the bleachers with dips and step-ups before a final mosey back to COT.

Moleskin

Visiting other regions is fun. I try to learn something new if I can as well as share something our region does that maybe they don’t know about. For my contribution I gave’em the DICCS. We were fortunate to be working out in a closed campus with lots of lights, but as EVERYONE but me was wearing black and no one BUT me had a headlamp I was sure to emphasize Safety. I was also the only one carrying a cell phone and the only one that knew CPR, so I impressed upon them the importance of looking out for your brothers. It was well received so hopefully they’ll be upgrading their DICCS soon.

One final note: it was good to do the Name-O-Rama and hear the Grand Strand boys do it the right way. That is, Hospital Name, Age, F3 Name.

Happy trails to you

Some guys got some miles on some trails.

There was mud involved.

The End.

Fondle

That’s a funny word. Today at Watchtower 14 PAX fondled some balls. Is it possible to fondle anything else? Anyways, thanks to Posse for loaning us his balls to fondle. In a SACK too!

Today’s Q was a bit different than the norm. I (accidently) signed myself up to Q 8 times this month so I needed something different. Knowing I was at Watchtower I’d already been thinking about a re-run of a Q that Foundation did a long while ago (back when he still posted with us). So after Posse pulled his balls out yesterday at Flash it gave me an idea for a variation of that Q.

Warmup

Mosey around the starting lot then circle up for some SSHs, Imperial Walkers, Moroccan Night Clubs, Calf Stretches (you’re welcome Damascus), Glidah Stretches, and finish with some Mountain Climbers.

The Thang

Mosey to the middle of the road in front of the school; even with the flag pole. Find a partner of equal(ish) speed and ability and line up across from each other on either side of the road. Now everyone on one side of the road is one team and everyone on the other side is another team. *sigh* of course we have an odd number. Oh well.

In the middle of the road, between the two teams is a basket full of balls. Each ball has an exercise, a number of reps, and how to count (in cadence or civilian count). At the far end of the road towards the bus lot are two buckets, one for each team.

Round 1:

  1. 10 minute timer
  2. On “Go” one PAX from each team will draw a random ball from the basket, call out the exercise and rep count to his team then do the exercise to the rep count OUT LOUD
  3. Upon completion:
    1. That PAX takes the ball and sprints to the bucket, drops it in and sprints back
    2. Remaining PAX from that team do the exercise to the rep count together OUT LOUD
  4. The next PAX may draw a ball from the basket only when:
    1. The previous PAX returns from their sprint
    2. Their team has completed the exercise as a whole
  5. Repeato until the timer ends
  6. The team with the most balls in their bucket wins

Mosey as a group to grab the buckets and back to the basket. Round 1 was a tie with 8 balls in each bucket. Return the buckets as a group back to their original locations.

Round 2:

Same rules as Round 1 except you choose which bucket you place the ball in depending on whether or not you “liked” the exercise. For example, if you drew “10 Burpees” you might want to place that in the other team’s bucket for the next round. Conversely, drawing 15 Side Straddle Hops might be a keeper so you place it in your bucket. 10 minute timer in effect.

No winner here as this was a set up for round 3. Mosey as a group down to the buckets to see who has what. One team has 6 balls in their bucket while the other team has 12! I didn’t expect it to be THAT uneven so I added a few balls at random to the bucket with 6 so there’d be enough to go around.

Round 3:

  1. No timer
  2. On “Go” one PAX from each team will draw a random ball from their bucket, call out the exercise and rep count to his team, then do the exercise to the rep count OUT LOUD
  3. Upon completion:
    1. That PAX drops the ball in the basket and sprints to the far end of the road near the COT parking lot
    2. Remaining PAX from that team do the exercise to the rep count together OUT LOUD
  4. The next PAX may draw a ball from their bucket as soon as their team has completed the exercise as a whole
  5. Repeato until all PAX reach the far end
  6. PAX at the far end do Mary until everyone has finished
  7. The team that gets all members to the other end first wins

Less than 3 minutes left we finished up with some Mary.

Moleskin

So who won today? Good question. It didn’t really matter which team won (though if it did matter it was my team). Instead, I wanted to give PAX a chance to count cadence OUT LOUD and lead some exercises. There are quite a few guys who’ve never Qed before or only a small number of times. I think part of that is because it’s a little scary to stand up in front of other PAX and show them what you know. Counting Cadence (for example) seems easy when you’re a follower. But suddenly, you’re standing in the middle of the circle and all eyes are on you and it’s tough to remember which hand goes where, how many reps you were doing, or what order numbers go in. Today each PAX got a chance to stand at the front of their team, call out an exercise, and then count OUT LOUD while doing the exercise. Other than some questionable form, the funniest looking Imperial Squat Walkers I’ve ever seen, and Fuse busting out some dance moves with his Peter Parkers, everyone did a good job. Hopefully, if you’re someone who’s been hiding in the shadows, nervous about your ability to lead, that gave you a bit of confidence that you can stand up in the front, count cadence and exercise, all at the same time!

Announcements

Q School – Saturday March 6th from 6:30am to 8:00am at Cuthbertson Middle School – Whether you’re a long time F3 veteran or you were recently an FNG and you’re just getting your feet wet, everyone can get something out of Q School. We’ll cover the fundamentals and responsibilities of being a Q. You just need to bring yourself and your questions. No question is too stupid for Q School. We’re here to learn. Sign up here: https://forms.gle/fhJ2VuUs7v4k28o77

 

YHC took us out

Bong Bindian Buns

7 pax at Clean Slate for a last minute substi-Q. So what do you do when you’re a last-minute Q? You steal from your previous Q’s. And what do you do when you have an idea for an exercise? You over use it until you absolutely hate it.

Got to the site a bit early to pre-run and make sure the site was safe. Cold temps and rain had me concerned about the possibility of ice, but we’re in the clear.

Warmup

Mosey towards the elementary school with a few stops along the way to warm up. Lots of SSHs, as well as a few stretches and miscellaneous others.

The Thang

No one else but me had done the killer B’s, so they had no idea what they were in for. Same format as yesterday and just as awful.

  • Burpee
  • Burpees, 2 Bonnie Blairs
  • Burpees, 3 Bonnie Blairs, 3 Bear Crawls
  • Burpees, 4 Bonnie Blairs, 4 Bear Crawls, 4 Broad Jumps
  • Burpees, 5 Bonnie Blairs, 5 Bear Crawls, 5 Broad Jumps, 5 Bobby Hurleys
  • Burpees, 6 Bonnie Blairs, 6 Bear Crawls, 6 Broad Jumps, 6 Bobby Hurleys, 6 Bomb Jacks
  • Burpees, 7 Bonnie Blairs, 7 Bear Crawls, 7 Broad Jumps, 7 Bobby Hurleys, 7 Bomb Jacks, 7 Big Bois
  • Burpees, 8 Bonnie Blairs, 8 Bear Crawls, 8 Broad Jumps, 8 Bobby Hurleys, 8 Bomb Jacks, 8 Big Bois, 8 Box Cutters

There is some good distance between each of the schools, so from here on out all moseys are Indian runs. I promised the Pax that if they didn’t Indian Run (meaning the sprinting to the front from the rear) we would just keep running. They mostly complied.

Front of the HS for some partner work.

  • Short lap around the front island and a collective 200 Dips and 150 Step Ups for each pairing.

Another Mosey to the bus lot for a Starfish. Again, if you’re reading this and you also read the Swarm backblast then it’ll look a bit familiar.

  • 20 reps of Dry Docks, 20 LBCs, 20 Squats, and 20 Plank Jacks. 5 Burpees every time you complete a corner.

Another Mosey, slowly making our way to the middle school car line. With some nice long straightaways we did one round of track work.

  • Race speed, recovery speed, finish line speed, and recover.

Posse then refused to give me a 10-count, so Catfish did it for me. Weird.

A quick Mosey to the back of the school for a little Ring Around the Pax. Each Pax calls out an exercise and runs away while the rest of the Pax have to do the named exercise. Exercises included (but not limited to): Squats, Dry Docks, Merkins, American Hammers, and more!

Nigh out of time we bid our adieu to the middle school and made the long journey back to COT.

Moleskin

Posse attempted to turn every exercise name into a killer B (hence the title) but I think I was the only one who laughed. Anchor Bolt made his second post EVER this morning and just kept trucking along. Great job! Draino was quiet and I don’t think he likes me. Slidah, uh, injured himself elsewhere. Something about an overuse of his hand. Sketchy on the details. Regardless, he didn’t let that slow him down and even went above and beyond with some leg lifts during the step ups. Dilbert didn’t complain at all. Apparently I didn’t run him enough. Next time!! And Catfish kept our spirits up with a Foo Fighters soundtrack for the whole hour. Good job as a new Site Q buddy. Sometimes your plans fall through and you’re stuck without a Q. He was prepared to Q it himself but at some point remembered that I’d promised to tour the campus for him. Thanks for the invite buddy!

Announcements

Q School – March 6th, 6:30 to 8:00 at Cuthbertson. All are welcome. If you’ve never been you should definitely sign up. If you’re looking for a refresher then please sign up. https://forms.gle/iqsQ1jp3BVsuziCt9

Catfish took us out