14 men gathered on a crisp fall morning to start their week off right. It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t always fun, but we’re all better off for it.
The Thang
The disclaimer was given, which was then rudely followed by a call for 10 burpees OYO. Once complete, we took a warm up lap around the Church at Charlotte parking lot ending up in the breezeway for some warm up exercises.
Find a partner of different size for some teamwork.
Round 1: From the central breezeway, each partner runs in opposite directions to the North (lower/downhill) end of the parking lot. Meet up for 10 hand-slap merkins. Return to breezeway and do 5 squats. Repeat for (10, 15, and 20 squats).
Round 2: From the central breezeway, each partner runs in opposite directions to the South (upper/uphill) end of the parking lot. Meet up for 10 hand-slap merkins. Return to breezeway and do 20 dips. Repeat for (15, 10, and 5 dips).
Active recovery with planking and some Mary.
Follow me out the parking lot, down Colony to the first right, Ballencourt. Meet up at the cul de sac at the bottom of the hill. Instructions given for next exercise. 7 trips up the hill to the 2nd mailbox. At top, do burpees (increasing from 1-7 each trip). Modify to merkins as needed.
Active recovery with some Mary.
Follow me across Colony to Charnay Trail. 4x100m sprints, with 10 merkins at each endpoint.
Head back towards base, stopping in Church at Charlotte breezeway for a little more Mary. AYG home.
Moleskin
The idea of the workout today was that while maybe limited in creativity, there’s a lot to be gained by basic blocking and tackling (something the Panthers could probably learn from). And, for those of you who know me, you know I’m not your creative genius – more like BASF (I take what things may be already out there and make them better). So today, we were out there to take what we’ve got and make it better.
Let’s start with the burpees. I hate burpees, but they are one of the best full body exercises that we do. And, they’ll warm you up in a hurry. So, while I got the expected “lack of creativity” catcalls when at the outset, I called for 10 burpees OYO, I knew that those not in winter gear like ‘Bout Time and Steinbrenner would actually appreciate it.
The decision to partner with someone “not your size” was very intentional. No, size had NOTHING to do with this set, but so often we partner with the same people based on size, speed, or just who you’re next to, which is probably a friend, that we sometimes miss the opportunity for 2nd F at a workout. I heard some introductions being made. Mission accomplished.
That set was also designed so that the faster runners would in theory get a little extra work in, as they would run further than a slower counterpart. #extracredit. Nice job to all following some cryptic instructions. Chappy claimed that it’s clear that Wake Forest guys can’t spit out clear directions. He’s right – we usually have people do that for us. We did have to modify endpoint on the second set to go to the other side of the Church, or we’d probably still be out there.
The Ballencourt work was pulled out of one of my favorite F3 workouts ever. It was Christmas week 2013 (or 2014, I can’t remember). And it was relatively warm and just pouring rain. There were 5 of us (I don’t even remember who) running that darned hill in terrible conditions. But it was Christmas, and it was relatively warm. It was a good memory, and so, I chose to bring that one back. It was more fun the first time.
Finally, the work across Colony and down Charney was simply because it was new territory, at least for me. It had nothing to do with the Halloween decorations, though a couple of them were downright freaky. And, contrary to Curd’s belief, I don’t live on that street and wasn’t showing off any Halloween blow-up dolls.
Nice work to all out there today. They guys all pushed it hard. It’s you against you. Make it worth your time. Pele, welcome back. Way to push through today and hope to see you again soon. Steinbrenner, thanks for the heartfelt takeout, and Bushwood, thanks for the opportunity to lead. Always a pleasure.
Announcements:
None. Out.
Disclaimer given (and evidently a fine one at that based on all of the unsolicited comments from the peanut gallery), and 28 men started their week off right.
Warm-up
Mosey to track and halfway around; Gather in middle of football field
Star (Merkins x5 in the middle)
Plank work (active recovery)
Recovery Lap (sprint the back straight if so inclined)
7s across football field (Merkins/Squats)
70-yard Relay (3 man grinders) on track’s back stretch
Mosey to restroom facility
People’s Chair with arm presses x50 (Active recovery)
Mosey to parking lot. Form of a circle for Mary (LBCs, Flutter, Freddie Mercury, Plank)
Done
Moleskin
Does anyone remember the scene from Bull Durham where Crash Davis (Kevin Costner) creates a man-made rain delay by turning on all of the sprinklers on the baseball diamond and letting them run all night? Well, the football field at SCMS felt very similar to that this morning. For a place that hasn’t had any significant rain over the past month or so, that thing was a swamp (#headsupforQwouldhavebeenappreciated). Fortunately the men of Base Camp are just that – men, and didn’t let a little mud stop them from a getting in a solid workout.
It was a great morning to be out, and a better way to start the week. We did a lot (and I may have actually missed a few things in the write-up above). Planning a moderate workout that can challenge the varied fitness levels is a challenge, but the men of Base Camp again proved their metal and were strong throughout. I hope everyone got something out of this morning. No 10-counts were administered and all survived. YHC considers his job done. Thank you for the opportunity to lead – ALWAYS a privilege.
Kudos to Simba and Baracas for the 1.5 mile pre-run. Great 2nd F with you gentlemen this morning. Gummy, nice 25-yard sprint from your car. #overachiever
Announcements
HDHH Wednesdays at The Lodge
23 of Charlotte’s finest gathered for an early morning breakfast at Carmel Park and start the week right.
The Thang
Very brief disclaimer as it was a veteran crew this morning, though in hindsight, a warning about broken glass bottles would have been appropriate.
Fast mosey down Camilla towards Carmel Middle School, stopping for 8 burpees at each speed bump along the way.
Warm up :
SSH x25
IW x20
Slow squats x20
Mountain Climbers x20
Peter Parkers x20
Mosey to football field. Look out for aforementioned broken glass bottle (later diligently assessed as rum) and be careful when getting over fence.
4 Laps around track, stopping at each turn for called exercises:
Lap 1: Merkins x25 (all turns)
Lap 2: LBCs (turns 1 & 3), Dollies (turn 2), Flutters (turn 4) – all x25
Lap 3: Squats (turns 1 & 3), Jump Squats (turns 2 & 4) – all x25
Lap 4: Burpees x10 (all turns)
Form Plank Circle for Ring of Fire. Mixed in RAH, LAH, RLO, LLO, Elbows, and finished with 6-inches
Mosey to endline
AYG to far goal post
Backwards run to midfield, AYG to endline
Leave track and mosey to far side of school. People’s Chair for 2 minutes, finishing with Air Presses (x20 or x25, can’t remember)
Fast mosey back up Camilla
Speed bump 1: Russian Twist x25 in cadence (selected ed by Jamboree)
Speed bump 2: 45 merkins OYO (selected by and in honor of Runstopper’s 45 birthday)
AYG home
50 LBCs in cadence to finish
Moleskin
Great workout by the PAX this morning. The group stayed close together, and hopefully no one left anything on the table (you against you). Unfortunately, YHC didn’t know it was Runstopper’s birthday until 0610, or there would have been a lot more 45 rep exercises! #veteranmove. Happy birthday, RS! #old
The group was pretty quiet at the beginning, though I’ve come to realize that my hat blocks out a lot of noise (#shouldwearathome), but that changed with the burpee call on Lap 4 around the track. Mission accomplished. Glad YHC could wake up Steinbrenner and get him in his usual form. Also caught plenty from Simba, as was noticed by other members of the PAX. Love the chatter.
A bunch of Larry Birds out there this morning, particularly around the track. Nice work, and keep pushing men. Finishing with 100 LBCs (if we’re going in civilian count) was strong, if not very unpopular. Way to push through. Thanks to Flutie for taking us out. Always an honor to have the reigns – thank you for the opportunity!
14 of south Charlottes finest refused the fartsack on a muggy Saturday morning and responded to the challenge posted by YHC on twitter yesterday afternoon.
Mall Cop planted the Shovel Flag at 6:59, and after the disclaimer (which some called professional), we were off.
THE THANG
Warm-up
Mosey to Baseball Field – Partner Up and grab a rock that you can be proud of
Mosey back to launch point – Perform the Starfish to all of the Entrances
Mosey to Shelter for People’s Chair
Triple Nickel on Soccer Field Hill
Mosey home for Mary
THE NAKED MOLESKIN
While not everyone is doing the BRR (and for those that aren’t, they’re probably getting pretty annoyed with the heavy dose of running in workouts these days), YHC wanted to continue the prep for those that are with some running with boot camp exercises mixed in this morning. Not sure how much ground we covered, but it was a lot.
As usual, the workout looked better on paper, as YHC was hurting towards the end of the starfish – it makes you realize how big the Calvary campus really is (I don’t think some of our “legs” were much shorter than those done at Fast Twitch on Tuesday – and THAT is a running workout). The PAX should be proud of pushing through this one today!
Mall Cop tried a couple Q jacks, and his arm press suggestion during the people’s chair was actually a good one (though he opted out of round 2 – #dontsuggestitifyoucantdoit). YHC did give him the call on the exercises during the Triple Nickel (an exercise with a nod to Mermaid), but when he called out jump squats and burpees, YHC quickly regretted that decision. #wontdothatagain. He’s a beast, that one.
Props to Bushwood and Hops – you guys were killing it this morning. Stone Cold, way to push through on a bad leg/wheel, and Hopper, those huge strides will come in handy on the mountain roads in a few weeks. Great to see some new faces out there this morning, and you all represented well. Runstopper – I hope you just tweaked something and are back at it next week.
Hops, thanks for the strong take out. As always, and honor to lead you guys.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The shovel flag was planted sometime before 0520 when YHC rolled into the Calvary parking lot, clearly by one of the crazies (Abacus, Mermaid, and Cane) rocking a pre-KB workout or one of the runners (Champagne, Boutique, Swanson and Baracus) who got in up to 3 miles before the main event started. Maybe should have warned them?
THE THANG
The usual disclaimer (with resident Anvil attorney present (Young Love)) and 25 of South Charlotte’s finest, including 2 FNGs, were off (ok, maybe 24 – I think I saw a shadow darting across the parking lot to catch us during the warm-up lap).
Warm-up
Mosey to Entrance 4 while trying to act as if 25 guys working out at 5:30 a.m. in church parking lot is “normal” as we run by two occupied police cruisers.
Mosey towards North Face, stopping midway in parking lot for a brief COP
Complete the run to the bottom of North Face
Backwards run across field in front of sanctuary, finishing with a normal run to church entrance with turf “hill” (no idea what to call this location)
Mosey to athletic fields, partner up in 3-man teams (size/speed do not matter)
Return to home base for Mary
MOLESKIN
In 94% humidity, nothing’s easy, and this workout didn’t seem to disappoint. Heavy breathing was heard during the warm up lap, and there were plenty of hands on knees following the decline burpees. And we had just begun. Nonetheless, that didn’t stop the PAX from poking the bear during the first round of LBCs, buying few more for the group in round #2.
Originally, YHC had planned to do a “starfish” type workout, but in reading backblasts from the last week or so, decided something more original needed to be created. So, I introduce “The Sand Dollar” – all the work around the perimeter. With that in mind, we got a nice tour of the Calvary campus, working around the edges (mostly) and finding plenty of pain stations along the way.
We had a number of folks, Hops, Young Love and Simba come to mind, that were running on fumes completing their third workout in as many days, which is extremely impressive in the oppresive humidity. Well done. I’m sure there are others – please sound of below and let us know of your feats. As mentioned above, three brave men posted for the pre-KB workout, with another four doing the pre-run. #amazing
That was a great effort by the PAX today, as everyone pushed through and we are all (hopefully) better for it. Also noticed quite a bit of 2nd F and even 3rd F following the workout. Nice work. It’s a privilege to lead this group of men.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
F3 Dads at Francis Beatty Park – 9am Saturday
BRR – Course changes have occurred. Also, get orders in for BRR shirts. See your captain for information on both.
Swanson is smoking BBQ on Friday and selling pulled pork for $10/lb. If you’re interested, email him at kevinicard@gmail.com.
The thang:
After all were properly disclaimed, we took a short jog to the parking lot with the CMPD K-9 Unit SUV (and big officer and bigger dog).
Warm up
Mosey to top of North Face & Partner Up (size doesn’t matter)
Partner 1 runs lap while Partner 2 performs called exercise
Mosey to large parking lot on south side of church
Mosey to bottom of Entrance 4
AYG home for COT
Moleskin:
A great, beautiful morning to be working out (there was even a layer of light fog hanging over the big field in front of the sanctuary. Lots of mumble chatter, particularly at the outset. Purple Haze was anxious to get going, as at 5:30:15 he asked, “What time is this workout going to get going?” Gummy gave YHC some lip about a lack of creativity in the warm up. #justwaitgummyitscoming
Great work on the hills of North Face. YHC had made a special request of the Church staff to have it mowed to 3” in preparation of our arrival. They obliged, and we hit the hill hard. The Ring of Fire in theory was a good idea, but based on the form looking around the circle about halfway through, I don’t think the pax liked it all that much. The final beat down at Entrance 4 proved to be a killer, and even with having to audible based on time constraints (the group can thank Champagne for that one), we still got in 70 burpees ON TOP OF the exercises going up the incline.
T-claps for Intel, who posted remotely from San Francisco at the same hour as we were working out at Anvil (yes, 2:30 a.m. PT). YHC had sent him the wienkie Tuesday evening, and rumor has it he was complaining as much as the pax in Charlotte.
Purple Haze closed us out strong in prayer in the middle of a wet, stinky BOM.
Announcements:
21 of South Charlotte’s finest mustered at 0530 for an early humpday beatdown.
The Thang:
Following disclaimer, 10 burpees OYO
Mosey to parking lot near 51 for warm-up (SSH, IW, Slow Squats, Mountain Climbers – all x25)
Mosey to end of the parking lot for the Beast (3 way points each direction, 6x called exercise at each. Exercises: Merkins, Diamond Merkins, LBCs, Jump Squats, Lunges, Burpees)
Mosey to wall by concession stand for Peoples Chair (30 seconds arms by sides, 30 seconds arms straight out front, 15 shoulder presses in cadence). Rinse and Repeat.
Mosey to Baseball Field rock pile. Partner up, and each groups chooses a manly rock for Partner Chase around Church building. Partner #1 runs with rock while partner #2 does 10 merkins, then runs to catch partner #1. When caught, flapjack.
After returning rocks to their homes, mosey home.
10 burpees OYO, followed by Mary (LBCs (x25) and Flutter (x25))
Closed with COT & BOM
Moleskin:
Great work this morning by all the pax, particularly the group of new guys that just started Monday – Big Top, Bushwood, and Simba (back for more pain already) and the 2 FNGs, Kevin Icard (Swanson) and Derek Rogers (Steinbrenner). I was concerned that the burpees at the end of the beast would take out some of the pax, but all powered through VERY strongly and are better for it. YHC was going clearly going through O2 depravation himself when I couldn’t get the cadence count straight for the shoulder presses in the People’s Chair work – thanks for saving me Baracus (the A-Team sticks together). YHC also took the limited mumble chatter and periodic groans as a sign the the pax were getting their heart rates up and burning some calories. It’s always an honor to lead this fine group of men – thank you for the opportunity.
Announcements:
Bus leaves for Mud Run from South Charlotte Middle at 0500 Saturday (be there by 0445). If you haven’t paid, do so. More info can be found on the website.
Convergences this weekend. Day Zero, Ascent, Stonehenge meeting at The Rock on Saturday 0700. Area 51 converging with Outland at McKee Rd Elementary.
21 men of widely varying ages braved the relatively tropical 27 degree weather to jump start their Super Bowl weekend readiness. The support and positive mojo of the PAX helped propel the novice Q with newfound confidence to lead in the regular rotation.
The Thang:
Intel on Q
Random roaming throughout the vast parking lot: Forward, backward, karaoke, lunge walks
Mosey to soccer field for COP….
SSH x 30
IW x 30
Merkins x 25
Slow Squat x 25
(maybe some other stuff)
Mosey to end of soccer field…
Mosey to outhouse…
Smooth handoff to Hannibal
Back to the hill by the soccer field for some 11s (burpees at top, jump squats at bottom)
Mosey to baseball diamond for a little early spring training. Partner up. Partner 1 goes to 2nd base and Partner 2 goes to Home Plate.
Partner Chase back home: Partner 1 runs backwards and Partner 2 does 20 merchins and then runs to catch Partner 1. When caught, flapjack.
Finished with Mary (in cadence):
The Moleskin:
The PAX endured the Gloom well this morning and great effort was put out by all. Welcome to our FNG Eviction – we hope you’ll join us again! Tadpole added an unplanned level of difficulty for 3 poor downwind souls with a crop dusting outburst during our baseball diamond segment. We are pleased to inform that no permanent damage was reported. Runstopper piloted his private jet back from an Asian trip earlier in the week; as usual, there was no evidence of jet lag (with the exception of a huge yawn on the baseball diamond – brother are you tired or bored?). Plenty of grumbling was overheard by the Qs on the 11s, and the LBCs in cadence x50 were not a crowd favorite. However all endured, and while they may feel it later today, will be better because of it. It was a pleasure to serve you today.
Announcements: