17 Men posted for a day of Gear and KB’s at Ascent/Olympus today….Interesting day as 2 of which were FNG”s, 1 guy became shirtless, 1 guy threw up, 1 guy was really tired from staying out too late, 2 guys were under the age of 15 and 1 guy joined 10 minutes late. Today’s routine was designed to combine heavy slow movements paired with cardio, then second session was a HiiT/Tabata themed routine where Pax were on KB work for 45-60 seconds non-stop, with around a 15-20 second pause between rounds. Standard timing to maximize O2 Saturation and Intervals.
The Thang:
Warm Up: OYO
Heavy Weights and Cardio Mix:
GEAR Included:
– 365lbs Polled Stretcher (4 man low carry)
– 225lbs Olly Bar (2 man carry)
– 100lbs dumbbell (1 man carry)
– 150lbs KB/Ruck combo (1 man carry)
KB Time
:- Circuit Included:
2 Rounds for Time: 30 minutes
Mary:
COT
Moleskine,
What a great and inspiring group of new guys today. It was not even close to an introduction workout and you guys gave it your all! Some things we noticed (and please chime in below in the comments section if you saw something worth talking about)
Flappy Stick needs to keep his shirt on as it is making all of us jealous! That guy’s physique is impressive, however YHC is still perplexed as to how he got named Flappy Stick….is there something you aren’t telling us, lol
Billboard was a machine. FNG, had to take a quick break but rallied like a champ and earned his name today! Just wish we could have drilled down a little deeper into his background as he’s from Alabama and hates the Tide (Auburn fan). What is more interesting to find out at coffee today is how he and Dora met…at a bachelorette party (but not a normal kind….ask them one day). We may need to bring this back up next time and consider a name change.
The other FNG, Cooter also represented Cabarras Co well. He’s a NC resident but still scratching my head as to how we landed on Cooter. Isn’t Cooter from GA?
Witch Doctor continues to lead the pack, and still not sure if this guy has a weakness.
Wolf needs to set his alarm 10 minutes earlier to allow for more bathroom time, hehe.
Rad and Southpaw killed pulling that hose
Gullah is getting old….tomorrow B-Day
Anyone else notice something worth talking about? Comment below
***Announcements: TeamSPEARHEAD Red, Light and Blue in 3 weeks. Check out weekly F3 email with promo code and link to save $10 to register early
As always, it was an honor to lead the team today.
Respectfully,
The Hoff
With the convergence of Ascent and Olympus this Winter, the fusion of Gear and PT is now becoming reminiscent of the old days at Day Zero…an hour of pure exhaustion at it’s best. 12 men came out for The Grind...it’s name accurately describes how our bodies felt during and after this routine. Iron definitely sharpening Iron, or….maybe it was just Iron sharpening asphalt (hairburners), lol…
The Thang:
Warm Up: Alabama Slammer
– Partner up
– P1 and P2 do rep count of each round
– Sets of 20 Merkins, 20 Squats (both people performed 20 of each)
Weight Plate Routine:
Round 1
100 Halos; Hariburners
Round 2
75 Squat Press; Run around track
Round 3
50 Front Raise; Hairburners
Round 4
75 Wheels; Hairburners
Round 5
100 Bent over Rows; Run around Track
Round 6
100 Press; Hairburners
Round 7
50 Shouldering; Run backwards to line, Sprint back
Round 8
30 Triples (Curl, Press, Tricep Ext. is 1 rep); Hairburner
75 Tricep Extensions; Run Lap
Round 9
50 Bicep Curls Each; Run Lap
Mary with PLATES:
50 Side Bends
20 Power ups
25 Plate Twists
50 Plate Crunches
COT
Moleskine,
YHC was IMPRESSED with the efforts today. You guys showed up, were told it would be a shorter routine, but even as time was going longer than planned…no one complained (accept no cheap Wine Wolfman, haha) and everyone kept going strong! My apologies as I didn’t run through this routine prior to today and those 45lbs plates were really tough to move. Sony was amazing (he was my partner) and with each round, he’d hit the ground completely exhausted…..BUT despite giving it his all, he would muster up the will power to get up and keep working #dothehardthing! Much props to him.
I’d also like to compliment everyone else as well who all did the same thing round after round. It was easy for me to notice Sony’s efforts because he was working with me, however each time I’d pick my head up, others were also digging deep and killing it out there.
Hope no one made any plans to be active today, hehe. If you noticed something out there today that you’d like to comment about or give someone you worked out with props, please use the comment box below
As always, it was an honor to lead the team today.
Respectfully,
The Hoff
With Temperatures at 27 degrees, a crisp cold wind and early on the first Saturday in what many were able to call this morning their first day off for the Holidays….8 Pax decided to bundle up and grip, pull, drag, press and swing frozen Iron for an hour at Olympus
The Thang:
Warm Up: Cross-Fit Style Pyrmaid for Time
– QIC partnered up Pax in groups of 2 based on ability level
– P1 and P2 went head-to-head
– 10 Burpees; 20 Pull Ups; 30 Sit Ups; 40 Merkins; 50 Squats
GEAR TIME: Partner up
– Form in to 2 groups; P1 joins group in Kettle Bell Circle and performs non-stop exercises until P2 finishes with Gear Station
– P2’s group line up to move HEAVY gear to cones and back
– Flapjack; Rinse and Repeat for 12 cycles
Stations Included:
100 Lbs Fire Hose Drag
Bear Crawl While Pulling 125 Lbs Sled
Inch-Worms with 2 10 Lbs Plates under feet
135 Lbs Dead Lifts Non-Stop
Forward Squat with 80 Lbs Ruck
Overhead Squats w. 65Lbs Ollie Bar
Kettle Bell Exercises Included (and all were 30 reps each round):
KB Swing; Goblet Squat, High Pull, Lawn Mowers, Overhead Press, Tricep Extensions, Bicep Curls, Etc…
Football Challenge with Mary
– 8 Rounds
– 2 Pax at a time took turns being QB and Receiver (2 rounds per team)
– Team calls exercise and IF 20 yard pass is dropped, penalty was we all had to DOUBLE the reps from said called exercise
Moleskine,
Great efforts in the bitter cold today, especially for Witch Doctors 2.0 (RAD) who joined us today. The 14 year old really stepped up and made all of us old guys drag behind! Nice work young Jedi.
For the rest of the team, as always at Olympus the workout was fun…guys were entertaining, laughing and really giving it their all! I’m going to feel this one all weekend.
As always, it was an honor to lead the team today.
Respectfully,
The Hoff
16 Pax posted and Olympus welcomed some new faces today (some from Ascent and Mint Hill) who were looking for an unconventional Power Plus Cardio HIIT workout. The focus of the routine was to Push, Pull or Drag a lot of HEAVY weight and at the end, we even pulled each other. Here’s how it went down…
The Thang:
Warm Up: Hairburner Races – Partner up into 7 teams
– P1 pushes plate approx. 60 yards
– P2 performs 8 Count Body Builders until P1 returns
– Flapjack
– 3 Rounds, with each round the winning team doesn’t have to perform Burpees; losing 6 teams have to perfoom the number of Burpees (depending on what place they finished)
GEAR TIME: Partner up
– Form in to 2 groups; P1 joins group in Kettle Bell Circle and performs non-stop exercises until P2 finishes with Gear Station
– P2’s group line up to move HEAVY gear to cones and back
– Flapjack; Rinse and Repeat for 12 cycles
Stations Included (cones approx 80 yards total; 40 yards to cone and back):
100 Lbs Fire Hose Drag
100 Lbs Chain Pull
125 Lbs Sled Pull
135 Lbs Sandbag Carry
135 Lbs Ollie Bar Carry
90 Lbs Kettle Bell
Inch Worm with Plate
Kettle Bell Exercises Included:
KB Swing; Goblet Squat, High Pull, Snatch, 1 Hand Swings; KB Lunge; “Get ups with KB”; Overhead Press; etc.
TUG OF WAR: With 100 Lbs Fire Hose
– 3 Rounds
– Losing team penalized with 20 Burpees; Winning Team 10 Burpees
– T1 2 – T2 1
Mary
– LBC, FLutter, Russian Twists
COT
Moleskine,
Great efforts all around today. Nothing worse in F3 than Hair Burners and Burpees, so we made sure to get our full dose today! It was a pleasure meeting some of the new guys and hope to see you again. It’s my son’s birthday party today, so can’t type more, Sound off in Comments if you noticed something that is worth mentioning.
As always, it was an honor to lead the team today.
Respectfully,
The Hoff
Reminders:
Witch Doctor’s Virgin Q at Olympus next week
Thursday Matthews Sports Complex – Form Teams
Jan. 9th Joe Davis Run
Well, we keep on trying to do things that haven’t been done before in F3, and today I believe we accomplished that yet again…with the first ever, Tractor Tire Flip Off! Mighty Mite texted YHC this afternoon stating that he had troubles shifting gears in his car because his hand grip suddenly stopped working; T-Claps MM!!
The Thang:
Warm up:
– SSH x 21
– IW x 21
– Slow Squats with Squat Jumps x 31
– Merkins x 21
Stationary Inch-Worm with Weights on Feed x 15
Sprint 100 Yards
Mobile Inch-Worm with Weights on Feet x 30 yards
Sprint 100 Yards
Tractor Tire Flip Off
– 4 Tractor Tires, (2) 45lbs Weight Plates
– Hair-burners are Timer x 50 Paces
– Tractor Tires start flipping
– Rotate
– Rinse and Repeat x 12 cycles
GEAR TIME: Fire Hose Timer – Stations Include:
– HEAVY Fire Hose Drag x 80 yards
– Jump Rope Non-Stop
– Bench Press (yes with actual weight rack, plates and ollie bar)
– 135lbs Sandbag Over-head press walk/ Medicine Ball Wall Balls
– Pull Ups
– Bicep Curls
—–Rinse and Repeat for 30 minutes
COT
Moleskine,
Killer work today team! It’s always fun to have the Tunes Blaring while we are moving heavy stuff around for an hour. Props to our FNG, Jamal who gave it his all today but only made it through 1/2 of the routine….YHC got a call from him today and he said he’s pumped to get back out there and crush it at Olympus. I believe we converted another believer. Also, had a second FNG today, Witch Doctor who was leading the pack. He is reconfirming that Cross-Fit guys can hang with anyone!
AND…don’t leave out Byron…this guy is solely responsible for the identity of our site…and nothing displayed that more than him pulling into our site with 3 Tires stacked in his Truck…and meeting YHC at his house to get 4th tire and Bench Rack. Thank you Byron!
Hard to believe it’s almost been 2 years since Gullah and I started Olympus. Now with Ikki’s new blood at leadership you’ve got to spend some time with us!
As always, it was an honor to lead the team today.
Respectfully,
The Hoff
We learned 2 things: 1) Running up a hill carrying 70 lbs is pretty hard and 2) shooting free-throws after 35 minutes of intense work is kind of hard, lol. So, 5 Men gathered thinking we’d be stationary for a good portion of the workout, however plans tend to change….we got on the move immediately and didn’t look back.
The Thang:
Team Movement #1: 20 lbs medicine ball
– Indian Run to Hill (team runs in a single-file line)
– P1 Squat Thrusts with ball and at top of motion, EXPLODES and throw ball high into the air and falls back to the end of the line
– Ball can only bounce 1 time; if P2 doesn’t catch it we stop and do PT
– P2 catches ball, performs Squat Thrusts while throwing ball up in air and P3 is next
– Rinse and repeat until we reach the Hill
***4 BALL DROP PENALTIES PERFORMED ALONG THE WAY: 5 Burpees; 10 Merkins, 15 Jump Squat, 25 Burpees
Team Movement #2: 70 Lbs Ruck at top of hill
– P1 runs ruck to bottom of the hill and back up; hands to P2 and rotates into the Team Work
– Team performs Team Rows x 10 while ruck is moving
– Row are 2 people standing up, 1 person lies on back and they all lock arms…performs pull ups and rotate until each Pax does pull ups
– x 10 Cycles
Team Movement #3: Indian Run Back with Medicine Ball and 70 lbs Ruck
– Straight Line formation
– P1 has Ruck; P2 has ball….P3-5 run behind
– P5 sprints to front of the line and takes Ruck from P1; P1 takes ball from P2
– Team weights remain at the front of the line while team runs back
– Rinse and Repeat until back to basketball courts
Basketball Challenge:
– P1 dribbles to Basketball goals and takes a shot….if shot is made, the he calls out exercise…if shot is MISSED, then team has to perform Hairburners from curb to curb (approx 30-40 yards)
– 15 rounds
– 10 rounds of Plate Pushes and 5 called exercises (we need to practice our shots, lol)
– Exercises x 5 rounds (Merkins, Overhead Plate Walk with press x 2, LBC’s, Squats)
COP: Grab Bells and Circle Up
– P1 enters center of the circle calls out exercise for 4 other Pax to perform
– P1 has to perform Weight Plate Slide (with feet) in Plank position (feet to chest) x 20 reps
– P2 enters circle, calls exercise and performs plate slides x 20
– Rinse and Repeat x 10 rounds
– Exercises called: Goblet Squat, Single Arm KB Swing, Rack and Press single hand, Flutter w. press, Overhead KB Press, KB Swing, Bicycles w. KB Press, LBC, Mountain Climbers over KB (Slow), etc.
COT:
Moleskine,
Great efforts all around today. It was nice to lead such a strong group today and YHC appreciates the teams’ willingness to try something new. Other than Strawberry and Ikki, we really need to practice our basketball shot…however Jordy explained it best while out there. He said, ‘if you ain’t using your legs to help with your shot, the ball isn’t going anywhere”….lo.
As always, it was an honor to lead the team today.
Respectfully,
The Hoff
It was a muggy and exhausting morning at Olympus as we took 2 laps of Hairburners as warm-up, followed by simulating how soldiers in battle race and have to extract wounded warriers and polished our arms off with the only Arm workout I’ll ever do again…”The Audry Arms”…
The Thang:
GEAR: Poled Litter, 2 Ollie Bars, 135 lbs sandbag, 65 lbs sandbag, EZ Curl Bar 60 lbs, (2) 35 lbs dumbbells; (2) 15 lbs dumbbells; (2) 10 lbs dumbbells, (3) 35 lbs plates, 25 lbs Chain
Warm-Up:
SSH x 30
MTN Climbers SLOW x 30
Slow Squats with Holds and Jumps x 15
Merkins x 20
Round 1: Hairburners
P1 Pushes 35 lbs plate x 50 paces, P2 jogs behind
Flapjack; Rinse and Repeat
2 Laps
Round 2: Team Extraction
– Poled Litter loaded up with sandbags and chain = 220 lbs
– 2 Teams of 3
– T1 on Litter runs like coming out of war zone
– T2 Performs: Crab walk x 20; Duck walk x 20; Ape Jumps x 20; Bunny Hops x 20….then sprint to Litter
– Teams Flapjack; Rinse and Repeat x 4 Laps
Round 3: Audry Bicep- NO REST In between rounds
EZ Curl 60 lbs x 25
Half Hammer Curls x 25
Full Hammer Curl with Twists at Bottom alternating with Wide Grip Curls
Reverse Curls with Ollie Bars
Bicep “Twisties” – awfully hard
– Rinse and Repeat over and over until Arms don’t work
COT
Moleskine:
Great work out there today men! It was nice getting back out there. Time is short today so sound off if you noticed something or just wanted to comment on the day. Hope those arms work for you all later today!
As always, it was an honor to lead such a strong group today!
Respectfully, The Hoff
It was mona a mono, man vs man, team vs team and an individual challenge as 12 men had to dig deep to overcome the competition. Based off the CMT show Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Challenge which prides itself on finding the toughest athletes in a head-to-head, elimination style competition, Olympus got to see some great battles today!
The Thang:
Warm Up:
– Burpees x 10
– Slow Squats x 20
– LBC x 30
– Merkins x 40
– Monkey Humpers x 50
TEAM and Mono a Mono CHALLENGE:
– 2 Team Captains, name teams (Ultimate Warriors and The Moonies)
– 2 Teams of 6; each round 1 from each team competed in challenge
– Winning Team hands out the PAIN as penalty
– During Challenges, Teams do KB exercises non-stop until challenge over and a winner named
– Losing Team Penalties: Burpees, Merkins, Monkey Humpers, etc.
ROUND 1: HAIRBURNER RACE 50 YARDS
– Team 1 and Team 2 each send 1 competitor for 6 rounds
– P1 and P2 start at cones, Push Plates 25 yards to other cone and return back
– Winner is the one that makes it back first
– KB High Pulls – Team performs non-stop during all 6 rounds until everyone gets a chance to compete
– Losing Team Penalties: Burpees, Merkins, Monkey Humpers, etc.
ROUND 2: KETTLE BELL GRAB AND GO
– Team 1 and Team 2 each send 1 competitor for 6 rounds
– P1 and P2 compete. Stand at cones 40 yards apart. 45Lbs Kettle Bell in the middle
– At start, men sprint to the KB and must wrestle bell away from the other and bring it to the other end
– Winner is the one that makes it to the end with the bell
– KB Lawn Mower Rows – High Pulls during all 6 rounds until everyone gets a chance to compete
– Losing Team Penalties: Burpees, Merkins, Monkey Humpers, etc.
ROUND 3: TUG OF WAR
– Team 1 and Team 2 each send 1 competitor for 6 rounds
– P1 and P2 compete in Tug of Way
– Winner is the one that is able to pull opponent 15 yards past the middle cone
– KB Swings – Team performs non-stop during all 6 rounds until everyone gets a chance to compete
– Losing Team Penalties: Burpees, Merkins, Monkey Humpers, etc.
ROUND 4:BICEP CURL-OFF
– Team 1 and Team 2 each send 1 competitor for 6 rounds
– P1 and P2 compete by facing each other, picking up 65lbs Ollie Bar and going rep for rep until 1 man gives up
– KB Snatch – Team performs non-stop during all 6 rounds until everyone gets a chance to compete
– Losing Team Penalties: Burpees, Merkins, Monkey Humpers, etc.
ROUND 5: INDIVIDUAL SANDBAG RELAY RACE
– 1 competitor at a time
– Starting at cone, sprint 30 yards and pick up 65lbs Sandbag, run back to cone with bag and drop it off
– Sprint 50 yards and pick up 135lbs Sandbag, run back with bad to the Start Point
– Winner is the one with the fastest time
– KB Press, Mary, Rows etc. – Team performs non-stop during all 12 rounds until everyone gets a chance to compete
COT
Moleskine:
Hats off to everyone out there today! The efforts and spirit of competition had us raise the bar while keeping great sportsmanship in place. YHC wanted to bring something different and hope the Pax enjoyed it. T-Claps to Mighty Mite who crushed his own time and set the record with 25:95 in the bag run….6 seconds faster than his first run…and a huge THANK YOU to Fireman Ed who lugged those bags round after round so the Pax could compete.
End Result…The Ultimate Warriors destroyed The Moonies most of the rounds!
Look out for every 3rd Saturday of each month for Hoff’s GEAR DAY at Olympus.
It was an honor and pleasure leading such a strong group of men today.
Respectfully – The Hoff
14 Meatheads posted today for a little work that would push the boundaries of what is considered normal and what could be labeled as insane…the result, all 14 Pax took the bull by the horns and really impressed YHC today. Excellent and strong group of men out there today.
The Thang:
Warm up:
SSH x 20
SSH with KB in Left Hand x 10 in cadence
SSH with KB in Right Hand x 10 in cadence
Mountain Climbers Over KB (Slow Cadence) x 20
Gear and Kettle Bells the Perfect Combination: Partner Work:
– P1 Sprints 75 yards to Kettle Bell Circle while P2 works station:
– QIC calls out what KB exercise for Pax to do each round
– When P1 gets back, P2 trades off implement and sprints to KB Circle and does work
– Each round Plank until all Pax return and await QIC to call out next KB Exercise for that round
Gear Stations Include:
Fire Hose Run x 100 yards
Weighted Sled Pull x 65 yards
Hariburners x 65 yards
Barbell Clean with Press 115lbs
Ruck 135lbs Sandbag x 80 yards
Side-to-Side Sandbag Squat w. Press (starting point on ground at left, explode up with full press and end on the ground on the right side, flapjack and rinse and repeat)
Rope Pulls – Kettle Bell tied to Rope, hanging 10 feet. Pull from ground to top over and over
Kettle Bell Exercises:
KB 1 handed swings x 15 each side
KB 1 handed high pull x 15 each side
KB 1 handed snatch x 15 each side
KB 1 handed rack x 15 each side
KB Upright Row x 30
KB 1 handed overhead press x 15 each side
Kettle Bell 2 handed swing x 50
NASCAR Hairburner RACE
– Pax forms up a Huge Circle and brings bells
– 4 Pax line up on the inside of the circle single-file and performs race with Hairburners NASCAR style within the Loop
– Rest of the Pax performs Mary exercises until 4 Pax come back and trade plates off to the nex 4 Pax
– Rinse and Repeat x 4 rounds
Exercises: LBC’s x 2, Flutter and Dolly
COT
Molesine:
This workout was Varsity level and everyone killed it today! The mix of Kettle Bell, Gear and Cardio was a receipe that really pushed the Pax to dig deep and simply move weight.
As it was so dark, it was tough for YHC to see and point out individual performances. Normally I’d have more to post in the Moleskin, however relying on the teams to comment below about what they whitnessed today.
Again, thank you for posting with us and it is an honor to lead such a strong group of men.
Respectfully, The Hoff
Twas the beginning of a long season of swinging cold iron as 8 Pain-Seekers gathered at Olympus. MIghty Mite said it well right before the start. “This reminds me of the first day at Olympus”….as it was a brisk 41 degrees and reminiscent of that cold, first day.
The Thang:
Warm up:
SSH x 15
Run around track, alternating between sideways running, high knees and backwards running.
Goblet Squats x 15
Iron Mile: Hairburners…Here we go again
– Teams of 2
– Each team alternates pushing the plate around the track
– When P1 falls over in exhaustion, P2 takes over, P1 then jogs behind
– Rinse and Repeat x 3 Laps
Extraction: Tribute to Cpl. Nathan Cirillo of the Canadian Army Reserves
– Nathan was killed on Oct. 23rd this week defending an ISIS attack in Ottawa
– Break into 2 teams of 4
– Team 1 Carries Polled Stretcher around track
– Loaded on polled stretcher is the average weight of a fallen soldier
– 135lbs, 65lbs, and 40lbs sandbags = Total weight 240lbs
– Average soldier weighs 180lbs, with 60lbs of gear
– Team 2 performs KB exercises non-stop
– Exercises included: KB Burpee Squat Thrusts, Flutter, Dolly, Tricep extensions
– T1 passes off polled litter to T2
– Rinse and Repeat for 4 rounds
Kettle Bell COP: For Time Cross Fit Style
KB Swings x 5, Merkins x 5, LBC’s x 5
KB Swings x 10, Merkins x 10, LBC’s x 10
KB Swings x 15, Merkins x 15, LBC’s x 15
KB Swings x 20, Merkins x 20, LBC’s x 20
KB Swings x 25, Merkins x 25, LBC’s x 25
KB Swings x 30, Merkins x 30, LBC’s x 30
Animal Lap Around Track
Bunny Hop
Burpee/ Frog Jump
Duck Walk
Crab Walk
COT
Moleskine:
It was a change of pace from all the gear today, and each guy gave 100%. Shot out to Swiss Miss and Might Mite who were owning the plate pushes! Also Might Mite might actually be an animal as he was the first to finish all the animal movements #mutantwolverine
T-Claps to Dr. Love who came out for the second time to Olympus and F3 and we hope to see you more and more. He is already at high level of fitness and literally walked in off the street and killing it #goodfitHL
Thank you to all the men that posted with us today. You guys are what makes being a Q so rewarding as each person embraced the suck with a smile on their face. Enjoy the rest of the weekend and hope to see you soon.
Respectfully, The Hoff