Author Archive Goodfella

Day after the Super Bowl Beating

The day after the Super Bowl still brought 10 Pax out for an Ignition workout.  Some of the “regulars” were not present, and we heard at least 1 Pax may have spent “a minute” extra with the M which made him 15 minutes late.  Well worth being late, and he was able to join the Flash crew.  Maybe a bit too many Nachos, Wings, and Beer for others, but it was time to go to work.

Weinke planned, Playlist and Speaker rolling, DiCCS communicated…let’s go!

Mosey down the path towards Rudy’s Palace, doing various Warm-up exercises at different spots such as:

  • Butt Kickers
  • Walking Quad Stretch
  • Walking Glute Stretch
  • Toy Soldiers
  • SSH x 20
  • Low Slow Squat x 15
  • Imperial Walkers x 20

 

Mosey to the dual circles for a Jacob’s Ladder of Burpees.  Run to top circle, 1 Burpee, back to lower circle, back up to top circle for 2 Burpees…repeat until hitting 7 Burpees at the top). Done!

Mosey onto the track for ¼ Miles x 4. At each goal post, alternate between:

  • (20) Merkins
  • (20) LBC’s

Reverse direction after each lap, totaling 1 Mile.  Done!

Mosey up the ramp to the Bleachers for exercises down low, and up top.  Headlamps were recommended for this portion since it’s pitch black on the bleachers.  We did:

  • (10) Derkins down low
  • (10) Flutters up top

Repeat until we got to the opposite side of the bleachers.  All-in we must have run up and down 9-10 times. Done!

Mosey the Benches behind the HS for some partner work.  Partners do:

  • (10) Box Jumps each
  • Run to the loop, partners split in one direction or the other
  • Meet halfway for (10) Merkin Shredders
  • Run back to the benches for (20) Dips
  • Repeat the sequence again

Done!

Mosey back towards COT where we ran 2 laps around the parking lot until the Flash crew arrived.  Done!

Moleskin:

A great crew this morning, with everyone working hard.  We got in 5 miles from what some of the fancy watches read, and we moved a lot.  The bleachers have always been a great workout like back in the day of Commitment at WHS (R.I.P.!) so it’s great to work it back into a workout.

It’s impressive to see Mad Dog out at Ignition since he had to leave early for his first day on the new job. Great work, brother, and go get ‘em today in Rochester.

Of course, Dasher and Hollywood crushed it today around the track, and seemed to have the extra gear today.

Gerber was under the weather and still crushed it, leaving most of us in his dust.  Way to work when you’re down, brother.

Seeing Foundation working so hard during mostly running workouts lately has been awesome too. Keep it up.
I’m also proud of Smithers for how hard he’s been working, the improvement in speed and strength in a short time.  Keep pushing.

Legal Zoom is a staple at Ignition and worked hard again today.

We also had one of our “Seniors”, Recalculating, at Ignition today, and he took off during Jacob’s Ladder like Deadwood last week in the Mile repeats.  Now you’ve been exposed that you are a lot faster than you lead us to believe.  We are going to push you even more now, Recalc!

Shake & Bake always says “No”, but he keeps coming back for more and always pushes himself and the Pax hard.  It’s always great to post with you, brother.

 

It’s always a pleasure and privilege to lead these great Pax, and you guys push me harder than I would push myself.  We still had 22 total between Ignition and Flash, as well as 12 more at Asylum for Deadwood’s Q.  34 total the day after a late night and Super Bowl is awesome.  Thanks for always showing up, fellas, and let’s keep pushing for FNG’s to join us, since we all know how important the fellowship is in our lives.  Enjoy your day, and we will SYITG this week!

 

Announcements:

  • Q School on 2/8/20 at CMS. 630-730am workout with teaching. 745-830am Coffeteria and discussion about Q’ing.  Posse and I will be your hosts, so if you haven’t signed up already, you should!

 

 

Do You Believe in Miracles? YES!

Today is a reminder that F3 is about much more than a Workout. One of our brothers, Doc McStuffins, is undergoing (at the time of this posting, has already undergone) major surgery to replace a heart valve that has caused him to change the life as he knew it. Not every one of the 19 Pax who posted at Dromedary today has had the pleasure of knowing, posting with, or calling Doc a friend, but we all still rally to support our F3 brothers no matter what the circumstance.  The least we could do today was to show up, work hard, push ourselves and each other, and thank God for the fact that we “get” to do this every day.  Here we go:

DiCCs info given. Playlist and speaker always ready to go. Time to mosey around the MRHS lot.  We stopped at the 4 corners for a warmup exercise while YHC pointed out some nice words written in sidewalk chalk. More to come on that.  Mosey past some pre-stacked coupons, around the entire lot, and back to the top of the lot.

The Thang:

Time for Four Corners/Starfish, with one of the following exercises written in a corner:

  • LBC’s x (20) + (3) Burpees back in the middle
  • Jump Squats x (20) + (3) Burpees back in the middle
  • Merkin Shredders x (20) + (3) Burpees back in the middle (these were brutal!)
  • Speed Skaters (1=1) x (20) + (3) Burpees back in the middle

Done!

Mosey to the side driveway where each Pax completes (20) Plank Jacks (CC) at each light, around the Globe, except for the last (3) lights where we audibled to (20) 6” Plank Jacks (CC).  All-in, there were (6) total lights.  Done!

At the Globe, the Pax would complete ¼ lap around the globe broken up into:

  1. Lunge Walk
  2. Hop on Right Leg
  3. Hop on Left Leg
  4. Lunge Walk

Done!

Everyone plank, then 6” Plank, ½ way down, etc.

Done!

Mosey to the alcove of the school, partner up, and complete the following, 2 times/Pax:

  • P1 LBC’s / P2 Run to next alcove, complete (10) Donkey Kicks, run back to P1
  • P1 Heels-to-Heaven / P2 Run to next alcove, complete (10) Donkey Kicks, run back to P1
  • P1 Flutter / P2 Run to next alcove, complete (10) Donkey Kicks, run back to P1

Done!

Mosey quickly back to the parking lot to enjoy those fine coupons/cinder blocks.  Same Partner for:

  • P1 Bicep Curls / P2 Run to, and touch, the speed bump and back
  • P1 Overhead Press / P2 Run to, and touch, the speed bump and back
  • P1 Man Makers / P2 Run to, and touch, the speed bump and back

5-minute warning according to YHC’s watch.  Grab coupons and deliver back to COT (load in my car!) for last few minutes of Mary.  Around the circle where we did something like this:

  • H2H
  • LBC
  • Protractor
  • Throw in some Dry Docks (Premature must have thought these were part of Mary!!!)

Done!

 

Moleskin:

As always, it’s a pleasure and an awesome responsibility to lead the Pax, especially at an AO near and dear to my heart at Dromedary.  It’s a great campus, very safe (other than a school bus once in a while), and there is a lot of room to roam. We stayed relatively close to the lot today but we still got to focus on and work the 3 areas that make for a solid F3 Bootcamp Workout…SPEED, STRENGTH, and CORE!

When I say everyone worked hard today, that’s no joke! There really wasn’t much circling back or waiting on the Pax today.  A true sign that we are ALL getting stronger and faster, and the type of workout we did today gave everyone a chance to transition quickly and keep moving.

We have a great group of guys at F3 Waxhaw, to include our brothers from SOB, Union County, Indian Land.  We know at times of need we are there for each other.  Like Transporter said today when talking about Doc as a Leader, Man, Friend… it’s not a matter of IF you come to a time of need…it’s a matter of WHEN.  These are the times when being part of F3 matters the most. We are not created by God to do life on our own, or to not compete and fight, not challenge ourselves, not hold each other accountable as men, and not support each other when times get tough.  We are truly blessed to be a part of F3.

Miracles:

We received some updates tonight from Doc’s wife that his Heart Surgery was a success today, and he will soon be better than ever! That is a Miracle in itself.  There are many miracles in Doc’s story, namely the man-made technology developed in the form of a Heart Valve, the skill of the Surgeons and Nurses who delivered a successful outcome for Doc, and the fact that he will now be able to make his Misery his Ministry after this health scare.  Miracles are everywhere if you open your hearts and minds to them.  We may not witness them today in the form of walking on water, turning water into wine, or multiplying 5 fishes and 2 loaves to feed 5,000, but they are there.

On a personal note…last week, my son’s teacher asked me to speak about the “Miracle” of my life, after my son told her my personal story of when I was born in Newark, NJ. Being born at only 4 lbs, 4 oz and 3 weeks late, the doctors told my parents I was not going to survive. The priest came in, baptized me, gave me my “last rights” as a Catholic, and everyone expected the worst.  Little did they know that God had a different plan and a Miracle in store.

Not only did I survive (1st Miracle), but I spent 4 months in the NICU.  This particular hospital in Newark, NJ, Presbyterian Hospital (which is the same name of the hospital my 3 boys were born in Charlotte!) had just opened that NICU a month before.  Maybe that’s why I was late?  Had I not been born at Presbyterian, there is no way I would have survived (2nd Miracle).

The Medical expenses for 4 months in a NICU were astronomical, and on a Fireman’s salary there is no way my parents could have paid it back. An organization called the “March of Dimes” paid the entire bill for my care (3rd Miracle).

I reminded the students that Miracles affect many generations as well.  Since I was not supposed to survive at birth, that means they never would have known their friend and classmate, Alex (F3 Flash).  That made it real to them.

Thanks for everyone’s prayers for Doc and his family, and for being the men and leaders that you are or are working to become. We are all in this together, fellas.  Iron Sharpens Iron!

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.Romans 8:28

 

Announcements:

  • Site Q School on 2/1/20 at Cuthbertson Middle School. 630-730am Workout.  730-830am debrief/discussion at Chick Fila in Wesley Chapel. Posse and YHC on Q.
  • Q School on 2/8/20 at Cuthbertson Middle School. 630-730am Workout.  730-830am debrief/discussion at Chick Fila in Wesley Chapel. Posse and YHC on Q.
  • Sorry if I missed anything else, fellas.

YHC took us out in prayer, something we are calling “Cradle-to-Grave”. If you are on Q, you lead the workout, lead at COT, and close us out in prayer, or a quote, or motivational thought…whatever works for you. We know that public speaking and public prayer isn’t everyone’s strength, but we can all challenge ourselves and pull it off successfully if we just practice and prepare. We are here to help!

Rebuild!

*Q Preface:

F3 means so many things to so many Pax on a day-to-day basis. Some come for great workouts and that brings them back.  Some enjoy the fellowship/banter and that keeps them coming back.  Others want to be around men of faith and that keeps them coming back. 

Whatever your “thing” is that keeps you coming back, there was also some”thing”/someone that brought you out in the first place.  Maybe it was a horrible fitness level, peer-pressure/Emotional Headlock, a friendship, guilt, desperation, or just curiosity when you saw all these F3 Bumper Stickers around town.  Today was a reminder for YHC and other Pax in attendance that we need to be more open and intentional about reaching out to men to join F3 for one main reason: We are ALL just Sad Clowns looking for support/encouragement to be the men, leaders, warriors God created us to be!  Here we go…

 

4 men showed up early for a Homecoming pre-run around the Weddington MS campus, including our brother from Indian Land (Happy Meal) and his FNG (Brent), Bottle Cap, and YHC.  Happy Meal let us know ahead of time he was coming so it was great to chat with Brent during the run.  Little did we know, our brother Haggis from Ft. Mill/SOB would show up with an FNG as well.  All-in, we would be (11) Pax today.

With this Q’s standard 80’s Rock Playlist, Bluetooth speaker, some Coupons and a Whiteboard planted, it was time to execute on the Plan. YHC’s Plan, but clearly not God’s Plan!  

Mosey around the front of the Middle School for various exercises, with running between each exercise consisting of SSH, IW, Low Slow Squat, Mountain Climbers.  Stop in front of the Elementary School for a few quick stretches (for this old man!) consisting of Standing Quad and Glute Stretches, Bend at the Waist and Hang to stretch the Back and Hamstrings, quick Upward Dog & Downward Dog plus calf stretch. All this knowing what was coming during the next 50+ minutes.

The Thang:

At each of the (5) light poles down the school driveway, complete (10) Walking Lunges then circle back for the Six.  Once complete, run to the back entrance/driveway and complete (5) Jump Squats per light until you get to the back parking lot.  Once arrived, the “Whiteboard of Pain” was waiting for the Pax.  A quick explanation by YHC of how this would go down.

There were (10) separate exercises listed on the Whiteboard with (10) reps/exercise.  After completing each set, run a full lap around the outside of the lot then start back at exercise #1, but add one additional exercise every lap (1, 1+2, 1+2+3, 1+2+3+4…you get the picture).  The list of exercises were as follows, in an order that allowed Pax to get some Strength + Core, followed by Speed:

  1. Derkins
  2. LBC’s
  3. Step-ups
  4. Flutter (2=1)
  5. Dips
  6. Heels-to-Heaven
  7. Jump Tucks
  8. Big Boy Sit-ups
  9. Peter Parkers (2=1)
  10. BURPEES!!!

All-in, the Pax completed (100) Derkins + (90) LBC’s + (80) Step-ups + (70) Flutters + (60) Dips + (50) H2H + (40) Jump Tucks + (30) BB Sit-ups + (20) Peter Parkers + (10) Burpees.  Pax who completed early got a prize and some Extra Credit of finding a Pax who had not yet completed and got to stick with them. This took up the majority of our time today. Done.

Mosey to the gravel lot and hill next to the school where some beautiful Cinder Blocks were waiting for the Pax.  Partner up, grab a cinder for:

  • P1 (200) (100) Bicep Curls / P2 Run up hill, (1) Burpee, back
  • P1 (100) Overhead Press / P2 Run up hill, (1) Burpee, back
  • P1 (100) Tricep Extension / P2 Run up hill, (1) Burpee, back

Done. Some Pax mentioned that these must be “Lowe’s Cinder Blocks” since they felt heavier than normal. That’s how we roll in The Haw!

Mosey to the parking lot for the final 4 minutes and the “Cube of Pain” (the cool little cube with different exercises and counts). Roll the cube to see where it lands.  We completed:

  • (15) Jump Lunges
  • (20) Mountain Climbers
  • (20) Jump Squats
  • (20) BURPEES!
  • Time!

Moleskin:

This was YHC’s first Q at the new Homecoming, which only happened since our brother, Frack, couldn’t take the Q as he is up in NY celebrating the life of his Grandfather (a Korean War veteran!). Please keep Frack and his family in your prayers.

Great work by all 11 of us who attended while many of our brothers were doing CSAUP’s, Trail Races, and Commitment.  I hope you all felt it was challenging. We kept moving and did plenty of Core + Strength + Speed work, which makes for an ideal F3 Workout.

Like was mentioned earlier, the “Plan” was to lead a solid workout today, expecting only one FNG along with Happy Meal.  God’s Plan was MUCH bigger than this, as brother Haggis showed up with another FNG named Clive (both from Scotland!).  Little did we know, Clive is going through a lot of challenges right now in his life as he revealed in the FNG-naming portion of COT.

Like many of us before and now, he is experiencing challenges in his marriage and in his work.  He had to shut down his construction business recently, and this has put a burden on him, his family, his self-worth, finances, etc. A position none of us ever plan to be in, but one that requires support from others to get through.

The Enemy uses these things to crush our spirit and self-worth as a leader, provider, and as a man! We thank the Lord that Clive showed up today, had the courage to share his struggles with us, and allowed us to minister to him and support him at this time of need. None of this would have happened, though, had Haggis not reached out to Clive, EH’d him, and made a commitment to help him through this.

Clive got the name “Rebuild”, as Transporter immediately called it. Perfect! Rebuild represents the transformation Clive and we all need to go through (by our own doing or forced into it) at many times in our lives. We All Rebuild! We Rebuild our Finances.  We Rebuild our Marriages.  We Rebuild our Families.  We Rebuild our Homes.  We Rebuild our Careers.  We Rebuild our Personal Brand.  We Rebuild our Faith.  We Rebuild our Health/Fitness.  We Rebuild our Purpose!

Our new F3 brother, Rebuild, will come out on the other side of this stronger, wiser, better, and with an awesome opportunity to “Make his Misery his Ministry” to other men who will go through similar challenges.  We all have our “stuff”, but it’s what we do with our stuff that makes an impact on lives.

God clearly set this up today in order to do His work through Haggis when he invited Rebuild to Homecoming (an AO he doesn’t live near, with Pax he doesn’t really know).  If any Pax still questions the impact F3 has on the lives of us Sad Clowns, or those we haven’t invited yet, I encourage you to think about our brother Haggis and his FNG/Friend, Rebuild.  F3 Waxhaw had (4) FNG’s workout with us today…keep inviting!

To God Be The Glory!  Iron Sharpens Iron!

Fraternally,

Goodfella

 

Announcements:

  • 3rd F opportunity at Open Door every Sunday at Five Stones Church.  7am.  Be there!
  • Church on the Street being run by the Waxhaw crew (ask Bottle Cap for more details)
  • Site Q School on 2/1/20 (if you’re a Site Q and haven’t attended one yet, you need to attend!)
  • Q School on 2/8/20 (if you’ve Q’d <3 times or more than 3 times, you need to attend and learn from your peers!)

YHC took us out with the Ball of Man around Rebuild. Powerful moment for all as we pray for our brother in this tough time.

I will end this BB with my Family’s Life Verse, which was given to me by a buddy on the day I was part of a major layoff on 10/25/12:

 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose”

Romans 8:28

 

Be The Light!

16 men decided a little rain wasn’t going to discourage them from showing up for a great workout at Union County’s Waxhaw’s longest-running and most successful AO, Dromedary! Would we be under roof to stay dry? What would the Weinke look like? Would there be Burpees? What about rocks? Plenty of questions but only one good answer. AMRAP!

Quick disclaimer given, bluetooth speaker and standard “Rocky” themed playlist ready to roll, so it was time to mosey around Marvin Ridge. Warm-up exercises around the entire campus after various distances, consisting of (the the best of my memory as I made it up as we ran):

  • SSH x 20
  • IW x 20
  • Plank Jacks x 20
  • Mountain Climbers x 20
  • Merkins x 20
  • Grab a wall for Air Presses x 10, left leg out x 10, right leg out x 10

Mosey around the back of the school to the cafeteria and track for the surprise. YHC pre-labeled the (7) AMRAP stations, moved the rocks, and dropped in 2 lanterns along the darkest portions of the track. Little did I know that those lanterns would show up in other ways today for YHC…more to come on that.

The THANG:

Mini-AMRAP of 25 minutes today would consist of the following stations and reps:

  1. (20) Dips
  2. (20) Donkey Kicks
  3. (20) Merkins
  4. (20) Bicep Curls (only heavy rocks today!)
  5. (20) Big Boy Sit-ups LBC’s
  6. (20) Gas Pumps
  7. (5) Burpees/round

Timer went off at 610am, with just enough time to return the rocks and mosey to COT. Quick Mary led by Transporter and Gerber before 615am. Done!

MOLESKIN:

Great job by everyone for pushing themselves and each other today, and we covered about 3 miles as well. It was great to see Deep Dish back out there after a couple months of nursing a knee injury. Also love the consistency, dedication, and hard work of Sprinkles, our “Home Alone” younger brother/son. I don’t know many HS Seniors getting up at 5am to work out with a bunch of old, crusty guys in the cold rain. We appreciate you, brother, and know God has big plans for your life. Keep up the great work.

So…about those lanterns. YHC makes reference during COT prayer of the Darkness in this World, and that we need to be the Light as Darkness cannot exist in Light. Today was no different and this was part of the prayer. The Bible verse of the Day today on the You Version Bible App was from John 8:12 where it reads “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Later this morning, I caught a Joel Osteen sermon on Sirius Radio where he talked about being the light when negative people in your life try to bring you down. He mentioned that Darkness cannot exist in the Light and we need to ignore those people in order to light the path for others. Amen!

I truly believe that the 3rd F always shows up during our 1st and 2nd F activities, even if we don’t recognize it at the time or at all. The daily encouragement (light), fellowship (light), banter (light-hearted) we experience everyday is that Light, both in us and for us! I know it helps me get out of bed 4-5 days/week to workout with my F3 brothers, and helps me navigate the day-to-day keeping God’s will and plan for my life in everything I do. I would encourage others to think about what this means to you, personally, since we are about to celebrate Christmas with our families. It’s not about the presents, but about the Gifts God has given every one of us to impact others. Iron Sharpens Iron!

Impromptu: What’s old is new again!

Brother Hooch asked YHC months ago if I would be interested in Q’ing Impromptu in November. I couldn’t think of the last time YHC had Q’d Impromptu (hadn’t been asked, more guys stepping up to Q compared to the past, etc) but it had been a while. Confirmed with Hooch that 11/22/19 would be the day so let’s bring back an old school beating for the Pax.

23 men showed up knowing it would be a perfect 48 degree morning so decided a workout was a good choice going into the weekend. A new iTunes Playlist was created (hearkening back to a playlist from a few years ago), Bluetooth speaker charged, Weinke was finalized with the goal of non-stop movement for 45 minutes (a-la Dasher’s typical workouts) and it was Go-Time.

The THANG

With the Rocky Theme playing we moseyed around the MS lot, circled up for (10) x SSH’s, mosey toward front of school, circled up for (10) x Low Slow Squats, mosey around the island for (10) x Plank Jacks + (10) x Mountain Climbers, plus a quick Upward/Downward Dog and calf stretch. Mosey to the front of the MS for (10) x Heels-to-Heaven. Done.

At this point, YHC noticed a certain Pax and co-Site Q of Impromptu, the old & crusty (and lovable!) Recalculating himself, was not in attendance. Disappointing, since he called YHC out about Merkin form. FYI…it’s physics…shorter arms = faster Merkins. Period. Move on.

Time for the dreaded “Merkin Ladder” underneath the flag poles. You could hear plenty of moaning and sighs before we even started but it was time to suck it up and do it. Several Pax broke and either hit their knees or stopped, but the majority completed the Ladder. Nice work. Time to mosey to the front of the High School.

Bringing back an old Frack beauty, it was time for the Pax to try the Railing Crawl. Feet on one side of the railing of the Handicap ramp, hands across to the other side in a Plank. Partner up…Partner 1 crawls the railing then bear crawls back down the ramp, under the others. Partner 2 takes 1 Lap 2-3 Laps around the island waiting for Partner 1 to complete the crawl/bear crawl. Took a lot longer than estimated but we kept moving. Repeat Twice. Done!

Mosey to the side of the HS, wait for the Six with some quick Mary. Regroup and head to the “new” and improved benches (thank you Bottlecap and Five Stones Church!) which were always near and dear to YHC’s heart during the initial monthly Impromptu AMRAP’s.

Partner up for:

  • P1 (150) Dips / P2 Run to school and back
  • P1 (100) Derkins / P2 Run to school and back

Done!

Mosey to the circle…circle up for (10) very slow, 5-point Burpees…painful. Done!

Mosey to the dark hill near the buses…partner up again for:

  • P1 (150) LBC’s / P2 Run up the Hill and back
  • P1 (100) Freddy Mercury’s / P2 Run up the Hill and back

Done! Mosey to Rudy’s Poop Palace/Transporter’s Shed (whatever else we choose to call it) for:

  • (20) Air Presses
  • (10) Mike Tyson’s
  • (20) Jabs

Done! Mosey up the path stopping at each light post for (5) Burpees/light. Wolverine, Glider, and Sprinkles crushed this portion, but we all circled back to pick up the Six and got “extra credit” for finishing first.

With a few minutes remaining, YHC pulled out something from brother Dasher’s Gladiator Q last week. Run and step up and over the (6) metal picnic tables on the side of the MS parking lot. Repeat 4 or 5 times until time was up. Lots of walking in between, which means we were all wiped out and worked hard this morning. Time expired! Done!

Moleskin

It was great to see everyone out there today, and I thank you for supporting my Q. Now in my 4th year at F3, I don’t Q as often as I once did since we have grown so much and more guys step up to lead. Every time I get to Q, I feel it is my goal and responsibility to the Pax to prepare a solid workout, make it challenging, make it fun, keep everyone safe, and encourage as often as I can during the workout. I believe the goal was achieved today.

It’s encouraging to me to see so many guys getting faster, stronger, better during workouts. I hope we all walked away feeling a sense of accomplishment and a stronger fellowship with our brothers. I look forward to leading again soon, so please let me know if you have any gaps I can fill on the schedule. Iron Sharpens Iron! Aye!

Announcements

  • Soft Launch of “Homecoming” (insert name) on 11/23 at an old favorite AO at Weddington MS. Let’s not mess this one up again. Damascus!!!
  • Wolverine on Q tomorrow at Commitment
  • Ruck tomorrow starting at 7am at Hickory Tavern in Ballantyne (Toringdon). 12 miles on the Greenway with 2nd F opp at HT afterwards. 12 miles since every 12 minutes someone commits suicide. In honor of our F3 Brother in Cape Fear. God Bless!
  • Millbridge & Lawson Turkey Trots on Thanksgiving Day. Wear your F3 Gear and Headlock some FNG’s.
  • If I missed anything, my apologies.

YHC took us out in prayer. Reminder to reach out to your F3 brothers or anyone you know is alone or struggling during Thanksgiving. This is a tough time of year for many…let’s be the light in this dark world!

F3 Waxhaw – Board Meeting Minutes

When: 10/19/19 (5:15am-6:15am)

Location: McDonald’s Waxhaw

Six Pax of the F3 Waxhaw Board gathered on an early Saturday morning at the McDonald’s in Waxhaw (it’s about the only place open at this time!).  The goal was to move the ball forward on a few current/open items, and set others in motion to strengthen the Waxhaw Region, round out members of the new Board, and our plans for service and growth in 2020. 

We know the Mission of F3 Nation is To Plant, Grow, and Serve Small Workout Groups For Men For The Invigoration Of Male Community Leadership.  At the same time, we are given autonomy to run and grow F3 Waxhaw in a way that works best for our Region and Pax, with our only guardrails being the 5 Core Principles of F3 Nation (Free of Charge, Open to All Men, Held Outdoors, Led in a Rotating Fashion, Ends with a COT).

With all this said, here is the Agenda and Updates from the Board Meeting to provide visibility into what we are working on for the benefit of the Pax and Region.

  • Board Members – Update
    • Functional Q’s (2 per Function)
      • Weasel Shakers: Mad Dog, Posse
      • 1st F:  Hollywood, Dasher
      • 2nd F: Zinfandel, OPEN
      • 3rd F:  Bottlecap, Deadwood
    • Special thank you to Dasher and Deadwood for stepping into these new roles.  2nd F co-Q to be announced soon.
  • Website Update (Zinfandel)
    • Zinfandel, Legalized, Schedule C, and Wedding Singer working to develop the F3 Waxhaw website
    • To include a schedule/calendar of Workouts and Events, FNG info, relevant Waxhaw and Nation information, etc.
    • Look for the site to be live by January 2020.
  • F3 Waxhaw Holiday Party11/16/19, 8pm – 11pm at the Lawson Clubhouse
    • Please sign-up if you plan to attend (M’s are welcome too)
    • Food is covered but is BYOB
    • Need some Pax to help setup and break down (should be simple)
    • *Note: Donations will be taken to build a small fund for F3 Waxhaw to the benefit of our community.  This will simply be used to allow us the flexibility to bless and serve those in need in our community (many different ways to do this). More to come on this…
  • 3rd Annual EFFFEEs 12/7/19, 8pm – 11pm at the Briar Crest Clubhouse
    • A night of celebrating roasting the Pax for their efforts in 2019
    • Pax only…no M’s or 2.0’s for this event
  • Safety – Priority of F3 Nation
    • Reminder to take this very seriously during workouts
    • Also keep in mind that there is always a brother struggling with something that he may not tell us about. We need to reach out to the Pax we haven’t seen in a while, and stay close to those we workout with every day. We never know what they are going through. 

Other topics to be discussed (future meetings):

  • November Board Meeting – Date TBD
  • Service Projects (Nesbit Shed build and cleanup)
  • AO Expansion Plan (Ruck workout, Weddington MS, others?)
  • Whetstone and Leadership Discussions (different than Q Source)
  • Pax Profiles coming soon
  • Q Schools (Requirement and Schedule)
  • Grow School

Thanks to all the Pax who have volunteered/been voluntold to help make the new F3 Waxhaw Region an immediate success.  We still have a lot of work to do, but none of this would be possible without the synergies between the Board, Functional Q’s, Site Q’s, and the rest of the Pax willing to do whatever it takes to execute on the plans.  

2019 has been a great year for Waxhaw, and now that we are a standalone F3 Region, 2020 will be even better. There are many men in our community that need the impact of F3, and plenty of current Pax looking to step up and lead in 2020 (in their individual areas of strength). Please let us know if you have any thoughts/concerns/questions/opportunities to make the Waxhaw Region better.  We don’t have all the answers, but I think we can all agree we have something special down here in little ‘ole Waxhaw NC.  

See You In The Gloom!

Ta-Ba-Ta!

In the World of F3, or at least in my own little World, we tend to default to our “Dolphin”-type/typical F3 workouts. It is only when the forecast calls for inclement weather that I think about a way to push the Pax, and at the same time keep us all relatively dry. 12 Pax showed up at Dromedary not knowing what to expect (or that YHC was on Q), so it was a perfect morning for some Tabata time!

Mosey to the MRHS Cafeteria area and the picnic tables where YHC planted the “Whiteboard of Pain” prior to the Pre-run. Quick disclaimer/DiCCS, warm-up consisting of some (15) SSH, (15) IW, (10) Potato Pickers, Quad Stretches. Done!

The THANG:

For those unfamiliar or new to F3 Waxhaw, Tabata is a 4-minute, High Intensity Training exercise consisting of (8) Exercises, each being only :20 in length, followed by :10 of rest. Sounds easy, but it is not. Check out this link to a Men’s Health article about what it all means.

https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mensjournal.com%2Fhealth-fitness%2Ftabata-training%2F&data=02%7C01%7Cjbadolato%40vmware.com%7C2d99511d645b4435e18008d7525d6edb%7Cb39138ca3cee4b4aa4d6cd83d9dd62f0%7C0%7C0%7C637068433568347201&sdata=b%2FQRbl17%2BDeBPRmtZawPJvkTtJ3CVeA7MZltA5afaD0%3D&reserved=0

The initial thought was to complete (8) total rounds of (8) Exercises, but the decision was made to mix in some running in between each round. Thankfully, the new Tabata Pro App is solid and there were no interruptions in the flow or the play list! Lessons-learned from past mistakes. Here is the list of exercises:

  • Merkins
  • Step-ups
  • Dips
  • Jump Squats
  • Carolina Dry Docks
  • Knee-ups
  • Burpees
  • LBC’s

After each round, we ran towards the buses, cut underneath the covered area and looped back to the benches. Repeat for (6) total rounds instead of (8) as the time was flying by. 5-minute warning given on the watch, so time to mosey back to COT. Circle up for a quick elbow plank led by the new Plankmaster, Bottlecap! Quick Al Gore from One Star. Done!

Moleskin:

Great work by the 12 Pax who showed today. It’s great to see our brother, Segue, back in the mix after some major life changes over the past year or so. Keep showing up! Also nice to see Posse keeping the atmosphere light with his funny comments about all the great movies he has never seen (Rocky? Really, Posse? The greatest movie EVER!).

I don’t Q as often as I once did, but when I do Q now, it is so much easier to pull together a Weinke quickly. I envied that about the veteran Q’s when I started, and aspired to be there myself. I only say this to encourage other Pax to keep volunteering to Q, learning from your brothers (steal ideas!), staying in your “Dolphin” when you Q, and challenging yourself to improve every time you Q. It’s a blessing and a privilege for us to be able to lead other men, and if we are going to “take” the DRP, we need to “give” the DRP as well. If you’re not ready to Q yet, or don’t ever intend to for personal reasons, then that’s ok. We will be here when you’re ready, and will support you even if you don’t want to Q. We are all making F3 Waxhaw a great place for FNG’s to join, and everyone matters.

With that said, thank you for allowing me to lead today. I’m coming off a pulled/strained Quad so it’s great to be back out with you guys after a couple weeks laying low. See You In The Gloom again soon!

Announcements:

Holiday Party (11/16), EFFFEE’s (12/7) happening soon. Be sure to sign up. (But I’m not sure how we are spelling “Effies” these days!)

3rd F opportunity, Open Door, at Five Stones every Sunday morning at 7am.

Thanks to One Star for taking us out in prayer, even though his son doesn’t think he can pray like Moneyball!

F3 Waxhaw Board Meeting

Five of the 7 current F3 Waxhaw Board PAX gathered to discuss a long list of items including events happening in the last 3 months of 2019, as well as what 2020 looks like for our new Region.  New Region! New Standards!  We want to recap the “meeting minutes” (shout out to Bottlecap for putting this on paper) in order to give full transparency of the meeting. 

Since there are a lot of new and/or curious PAX, we also want to provide a general overview of the Board…What is it? Why do we need it? Who is on it? How do PAX participate in it? Etc, Etc.

REMINDER:  

F3’s Mission is to: Plant, Grow, and Serve small workout groups for men for the invigoration of male community leadership.

F3’sCredo is: Leave no man behind, but leave no man where you find him.

THE BEGINNING:  

  • The initial F3 Waxhaw “committee” was started when Thin Mint, SOB Region Nantan, approached 4 PAX (Bottlecap, Goodfella, Mad Dog, Posse) about Waxhaw forming its own region in early 2019
  • Over the next several months, those 4 individuals attended SOB board meetings and discussed how and when to launch F3 Waxhaw
  • To provide structure and additional leadership, they formed the F3 Waxhaw Board and unanimously decided to ask:
    • Hollywood (1st F), Zinfandel (2nd F), and Foundation (3rd F) to be “Functional Qs” and part of the initial board
    • Mad Dog and Posse to be Co-Weasel Shakers
    • Bottlecap and Goodfella to be Co-Nantans
  • Each board PAX to serve at least until the end of 2019

THE LAUNCH:

  • F3 Waxhaw was officially born during a very successful Launch-Vergence on Labor Day
  • Thanks to the MANY men who stepped up in various ways
    • Logo created
    • Shirts ordered
    • FNGs/Kotters invited
    • On-Site/Workout executed
  • The new Region has experienced tremendous growth; in number of PAX, number of workouts, and more importantly, in number of PAX stepping up in leadership roles…All of these are fulfilling the F3 Mission!
  • One of the main goals of the F3 Waxhaw Board is to utilize our recent momentum to enhance and spread F3 to more men in our area

THE FUTURE:

  • At today’s Board meeting, we discussed what the future looks like for the Board itself
  • We unanimously decided to grow the number of PAX on the board (from 7 to 9) and better define each role
    • Nantan (1 PAX):  Casts vision for F3 Waxhaw; a cultural/spiritual Leader within a Starfish-modeled Organization who Influences through “VAPE” (Vision, Articulation, Persuasion, and Exhortation)
    • Weaselshakers (2 PAX):  Keeps all initiatives and leaders on-track and accountable; helps the Nantan communicate and implement the vision
    • 1st F Q – Fitness (2 PAX):  Ensure all PAX and FNGs are challenged, welcome, and safe at our workouts by working with Site Qs; execute Q-Schools and Site-Q Schools on a regular basis; encourage and implement Fitness events outside of normal workouts (ex. Monthly Challenges, Spartan race, Convergences, etc.)
    • 2nd F Q – Fellowship (2 PAX):  Make sure all PAX get connected beyond morning workouts; manage Social Media to drive excitement; create social events for PAX as well their M’s (wives) and 2.0s (kids)
    • 3rd F Q – Faith (2 PAX):  Encourage PAX to move/serve for the betterment of them and others; organize service opportunities in the community; ensure 3rd F groups (Bible studies, Men’s groups, QSource) are thriving; explore fundraising opportunities to serve local charities
  • Over the coming months, the Board will be identifying and asking some PAX to step up into further leadership roles
  • New/Additional Board members (Functional Qs)
  • Functional Qs will be asking for assistance to lead projects/initiatives (ex. a PAX runs the Christmas party, a PAX is point person for School Service project)
  • We agreed that our vision is to eventually have a separate website (www.F3Waxhaw.com) that we utilize to share all our local activities and content with our PAX and potential FNGs
    • Do we have PAX capable and willing to assist?
  • 2nd F (Fellowship) Update:
    • Saturday Nov 16th:  Inaugural F3 Waxhaw Holiday Party (cuz it can’t be a “Christmas Party” before Thanksgiving)
    • Zinfandel and Twinkle Toes are working on details (other PAX to help?)
    • Lawson Clubhouse
    • Initial plans are $30/couple with a (toy?) donation or $50/couple without
    • Heavy apps and entertainment to be provided; BYOB
  • Saturday Dec 7th:  3rd Annual EFFEE Awards
    • Men only
    • Briarcrest Clubhouse
    • A time of GREAT fellowship recounting the best and worst of 2019
    • Awards are given . . . Thick skin is required
    • Deflated, Foundation, and Zinfandel are working on details
  • Next Board meeting:  Saturday October 26th – 0515-0615 at McDonald’s
    • Any specific topics?

Hopefully this gives everyone a better understanding of F3 Waxhaw Board, what the Board has been doing, and will be doing moving forward. More importantly, hopefully this gives a very clear realization that there is a LOT to still be done and WE NEED YOUR HELP, fellas!  If you are willing (we will figure out the able) to help, or if you have an idea, or just have a question, please don’t hesitate to grab one of the current Board PAX at a workout and talk to us.  Thanks to everyone for their effort and support in making the F3 Waxhaw Region a reality in 2019! Let’s Keep Growing!

Choo! Choo!  

Out of a Comfort Zone at Ignition

YHC agreed to Q Ignition (for the first time!) a couple months ago when Hollywood told me he would sign up to Q at Dromedary in return. Little did I know the IronPax Challenge would be planned, and would flat wear me and the Pax out on Saturday. After a day of rest/recovery, it was time to plan a Weinke with a 4-mile minimum. It needed to be challenging so here we go…

That Thang:
Take 1 “Pre-Run” lap and route around the entire Campus as a warm-up with various exercises. We did:
•20 x SSH at Transporter’s Shed (more to come on the Shed)
•20 (Very) Low Slow Squats at the circle
•20 Peter Parkers near the Student Driver cars
•20 LBC’s in front of the Middle School

Mosey back to the start and do a Fly-By past the Flash Pax getting ready to launch. To the long pathway for some Suicides, hitting each of the (9) light poles, doing (5) Merkins at each. (We covered ~1.9 miles here). During the Suicides, one Pax (Zinfandel) disappeared into Transporter’s Shed for quite a while. Circle back for the Six…People’s Chair at Transporter’s Shed. Upon completion, another Pax (Gerber) said he would meet up with us in a bit. Now 2 Pax visited the Shed? Rough weekend of drinking for the boys, I guess.

Mosey back to Circle for “Down & Back”:
•Down = 20 Flutter (IC)
•Back = 20 Plank Jacks (IC)
•Down = 15 Flutter (IC)
•Back = 15 Plank Jacks (IC)
•Down = 10 Flutter (IC)
•Back = 10 Plank Jacks (IC)
•Down = 5 Flutter (IC)
•Back = 5 Plank Jacks (IC)

Mosey to the Football Lot for:
Tyson Ladders across Lot, curb to curb. Also do (2) Burpees at each of the (2) lights in the middle of the lot every time you passed them.
7 x Mike Tysons + 4 Burpees
6 x Mike Tysons + 4 Burpees
5 x Mike Tysons + 4 Burpees
4 x Mike Tysons + 4 Burpees
3 x Mike Tysons + 4 Burpees
2 x Mike Tysons + 4 Burpees
1 x Mike Tysons + 4 Burpees

5 minute warning went off and Zin started to panic that we wouldn’t get back to COT in time. Better Hustle! Got back about :30 late but plenty of time for Name-a-Rama!

Moleskin:
Besides Bushwood (new site) and Clyent Dinner on Thursday Nights (my date night…can’t do it!), Ignition is the only regular morning workout I have not Q’d until today. It was a bit of a mental grind for me since I don’t love running for an hour more than once per week, which is typically taken at Pursuit (right outside my door in Millbridge). I have done Ignition only twice previously so I need to thank Hollywood for challenging me to get out of my comfort zone and Q.

We covered ~6 miles today and it was not easy, especially the Suicides portion. I appreciate the Pax coming out today to support me and push themselves to start the week. We are blessed to have such great AO’s in Waxhaw, and Cuthbertson is The Mothership (4 separate workouts here/week!). It’s always a privilege to lead and I look forward to another Ignition Q again soon.

South of the Border!

A couple of weeks ago, Cobbler put out a plea on Slack looking for Q’s for The Arsenal in Indian Land, SC.  YHC attended a Rockwell Q there a few months back, and this AO is awesome. Three schools all in one location, plenty of area to roam, and only 10 minutes or so from Millbridge (which now hosts 2…yes, 2 workouts a week with Pursuit and Commitment!).

This would be a great opportunity for someone from the newly-formed Waxhaw Region to step up…so that’s what happened.  Q accepted! Time to spread the word, prepare the Weinke, Cross the Border and try to crush our F3 Brothers to the South!

The THANG:

10 of us showed up today to a low-60+ degree temperature, including 3 of us from Waxhaw (YHC, Rockwell, and YHC’s son, Hawkeye).  With a good feel for the AO after visiting Google Earth and a visit yesterday, the Weinke was strong, so the music needed to be as well…80’s Rock!  Let’s get rolling…

Short Warmup around the front lot of the Elementary School…Circle up for:

  • SSH x 20
  • IW x 20
  • Plank Jacks x 15
  • Peter Parker x 10
  • A little stretching to include Upward/Downward Dog, Calf Stretch

Need to point out and recognize that one of the strong and loyal SOB/Arsenal Pax, One Niner, showed up today even though he is on the IR with a foot injury.  He came with his Cruiser Bike + Headlight so he could get some cardio in while we all ran around, but would jump off the bike and do the exercises with us when it was time. Incredible commitment and creativity, brother!  It was awesome to see and I will be sharing this with the WaxPax so we can incorporate into our M*A*S*H Unit.


Grab a wall out front for a new & improved exercise called the “Merkin-Donkey-Derkin”.  Pretty self-explanatory but we need to come up with an actual name for it (like “Awful” or something like that).  YHC introduced the “Donkey-Derkin” at The Floater recently, and it wasn’t received well, which tells you it was hard! Here is how the new & improved version goes:

  • Get in Plank Position
  • Do a Merkin, followed by a Donkey Kick/Balls 2 The Wall, Do a Derkin, Reset to Plank
  • Repeat this awful exercise (10) times on my count
  • Done!

From the sounds YHC heard, this was something “special” that needs to be stolen by others and used again soon. 

Long mosey to the front of the Middle School Circle (via Bus Route). Quick directions to Partner Up for some Core Work:

  • P1 (150) Flutters (every 2 is 1) / P2 run around the island
  • P1 (150) LBC (Civilian Count) / P2 run around the island
  • P1 (150) Freddy Mercury’s (every 2 is 1) / P2 run around the island


Mosey to the High School Parking lot, but on the way take a pit stop for some Incline Merkin Ladders on the curb.  Start at 1, work our way up to 10.  Brutal! Done!

Mosey over to the High School Student Parking Lot for “4 Corners/Starfish”.  Here is how it went:

  • 5 x Big Boy Burpees in Middle after returning from each corner.

Note: Big Boy Burpees = 1 Merkin during the 1st Burpee, 2 Merkins during the 2nd Burpee, 3 Merkins during the 3rd Burpee, 4 Merkins during the 4th  Burpee, 5 Merkins during the 5th Burpee. Repeat 4 times! Smoked!

  • 20 x Squats
  • 20 x Bomb Jacks
  • 20 x Mary Catherines 
  • 20 x Jump Squats

Only 7 minutes remaining…time to skip the planned trip to the Football Stadium Stands where we would have done some more work!  Mosey back to the Elementary School via the Bus Route, stop at the wall when YHC realized some Pax were worn out.  (50) Air Presses.  Done!

Mosey back to ES for the “Cube of Pain”…a silly rubber ball/hexagon/octagon/many-a-gon with various exercises written on it. I think we did:

  • 15 x Jump Squats
  • 20 x Merkins
  • 15 Jump Tucks
  • Something else I can’t remember. 
  • DONE!

Moleskin:

It is always great to get out of our comfort zones, try something/someplace new, workout with Pax you don’t normally work out with, push each other, and walk away with satisfaction knowing you prepared a solid workout that challenged your brothers (and your son!). It was an absolute privilege to cross the Border to lead today a great group of guys in Indian Land, SC.  Thank you to Cobbler for throwing the opportunity out there, and thank you to the men who posted and supported my Q.  Especially Rockwell, who HC’d this week and showed up (unlike others who HC’d and didn’t…you know who you are!).

Welcome to our FNG, “Janitor”, who has 4 kids and does much of the dirty work at home. We also couldn’t agree on a name that matched his background, so Janitor it is!  I look forward to leading at The Arsenal again in the future, fellas. We just need to find/plant some lifting rocks/cinder blocks around that campus somewhere!

Announcements:

  • Isabella Santos Race with Speed For Need on 9/28
  • Waxhaw Region Launch/Convergence on Labor Day. Cuthbertson High School in Waxhaw.  All 3 F’s happening. 7am – 8am Workout. 8am – 9am Coffeeteria + Christ’s Closet donations. 
  • One Niner took us out in Prayer!