Skunkworks: From Caterpillars to Butterflies…with NO RUNNING!!!
Posted on behalf of Brown
25 men shook off the Memorial Day cobwebs and got right back in to it with another twist on some good ‘ol fashioned iron peddling!
The Thang:
Mosey to the lower lot for warm up.
25 SSH
25 IW’s
Group up in 3’s or 4’s with like sized bells for “caterpillar” merkins with farmer carry hills. Caterpillar merkins are merkins with your feet on your partners back shoulders, with their feet on another’s shoulders. You must work together completing merkins as one.
1 pax member does farmer carry up hill, 10 shrugs at top, back down.
2 and 3 pax members complete caterpillar merkins to 50. Rotate out until 50 reps completed.
Repeato
1 pax member does farmer carry up hill, 10 shrugs at top, back down.
2 and 3 pax members complete goblet squats and burpees. Rotate out until 50 reps completed.
1 pax member does farmer carry up hill, 10 shrugs at top, back down.
2 and 3 pax members complete merkins and upright rows. Rotate out until 50 reps completed.
Mosey back to upper parking lot and circle up.
Round 1: 20 reps each, 3 times through, OYO
Curls
Tea bag squats
overhead press
Luganis w/bell
Round 2: 10 reps each, 2 times through, OYO
Good Mornings
Lawnmowers
High Pulls
Clean and Jerk (Thanks Busch!)
Round 3: 10 reps OYO
On your back
Skullcrusher to Press to Overhead Extension completes 1 rep
20 LBC’s w/bell
10 Flutter w/bell
Moleskin: Great job this morning by the pax! The caterpillar merkins were greeted with the usual moans and groans about having to try something new. You know you liked it! Thanks to those who wore compression shorts! I’ve already tweaked it a little…’til next time! From what I could see and hear, great job working together during the hills, except for one group who strategically placed themselves behind a car! More giggling than lifting. They made up for it during the second half…maybe? Everyone seemed to be crushing it during the circuits based on the small amount of chatter. The only voice I heard amongst the grunting was Busch, who was killing it as usual, probably from not getting much push from one of his partners, YHC, a little earlier. I was having to deal with my own workout after 3 days of enjoying the weekend, I’m sure I missed some great details, so sound off your comments below. I always enjoy the opportunity to lead and appreciate the pax for giving me your time and effort. Hopefully you got to a considerable level of exhaustion from lifting instead of running. If you bring a bell, you might as well use it and not run from it.
Announcements: GOLF!!!!
The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Moaning and Grunting
Summer hours are supposed to mean knocking off a half day on Friday to start drinking beers outside. Not so for the 20 men who joined Fast Twitch’s “Summer Hours” this AM. It’s only one full hour, but feels like so much more.
Jog around the cars with some high knees and butt kickers.
COP:
- SSH x25 IC
- IW x 20 IC
- Merkins x 15 IC (this is about when YHC heard the calls for “I thought this was a running workout”)
The Thang:
- Run through Raintree to the base of the hill on Windbluff ~1 mile
- Partner up. Partner 1 lunge walks up hill, Partner 2 runs to top of hill, to the bottom, then catches partner 1 on the way back up. Partner 2 continues lunge walks up the hill while Partner 1 runs to top, bottom, then back to Partner 2. Keep the rotation to the top. Once the lunge walkers reach the top, jog to bottom and repeat.
- A little Jacob’s ladder with Merkins/Squats at the top. in sets of 5, 10, 15 & 20. The early finishers run back down to meet the late finishers and run with them to the top.
- Run back to track via Raintree and Rt 51.
- Circle up for LBC’s, Flutters, Dolly’s all x 25 IC.
- 5 minutes left – Enough time to knock down 800m around the track and back to the parking lot for COT.
Moleskin:
- Rumor had it that we covered 4.8 miles this morning. Maybe a bit shorter than the last few Twitch’s but I think everyone had enough of the hills. All got at least 8 to 9 turns up Windbluff. The good news is that these hills are much smaller than BRR!
- A big group today as many are in full BRR preparation or trying to slim up to get that summer beach body. My guess is Frasier and Turkey Leg were in it for the latter.
- Welcome to the site FNG’s Hairball and Young Love and to F3 FNG Evan Howell (Thurston). Way to keep up the pace this morning!
Announcements:
- Golf on Thursday.
- Everything else on June 14. Olympics, F3 Dads, F3 Pool Party, neighborhood garage sale, free document shredding @ town hall, the new 22 Jump Street Movie opens, and my wife has a hair appointment. Shout out in the comments if I missed anything
- Next Thursday, June 5 @ 7:30PM starts the first running of F3 Night Train. This once a week run is for everyone, but mainly to support BRR training and running 2x in one day with little recovery, assuming you ran Thursday AM. Starting point will be ABC at the Arbo for week 1. Starting point will vary to find some good hills, and announced on Twitter. Distance will be whatever you need, similar to Rum Runner format, but not meant to be your LSD for the week. I would guess most PAX will end up with 4-6 miles on the evening, but go longer or shorter if you want.
#F3Swift – Up the Dunreggan Brae and Plateau
Swift launched at 0515 from the Vine in Ballantyne without the QIC (running late, but not running…) for some warm-up. Once the festivities kicked off at 0530, we had 9 PAX up for a workout that called for hills and some sustained running.
The Thang:
- Warm-up of about 0.5 mile. Since the Q failed to post earlier, we did some standing dynamic stretches to loosen up in preparation for the Dunreggan Brae.
- 4 x 200m intervals up the Dunreggan Brae (hill on Ballantyne Corporate Place eastbound to the bridge across Hwy 521 – aptly named by Haggis for a hill in his hometown) at R-pace / 1 mile race pace effort. Jog back down after first 3.
- After the 4th hill and jog recovery, do a 10minute Out and Back run at 80%. This is a new pace for QIC from the runcoach workout, but appears to be a pace slower that Marathon Pace by 15 to 30 seconds. Not a recovery, but not a Threshold Run.
- 4 x 200m intervals up the DB. Jog back down.
- Jog back to COT, stop for about 30seconds of Mary on the way with the Bagpipe gang.
The Moleskin:
- Inevitably, there are some mornings to run late. After a long run, splashing in the pool, and backyard grilling, the QIC hit snooze a few too many times this morning. Fortunately, there is a built in snooze button at Swift right now with the PAX returning to the Vine at 0530.
- Once the Bagpipe left the AO, we had 8 PAX looking for some running. A late arriving Puppy Love was forced to admit he wanted some running, or that he didn’t want to catch up to Bagpipe. We set out with 9 PAX.
- Dunreggan Brae is smaller than our Ben Nevis hill, but with the shorter distance called for this morning, there is nice to have less traffic and have the space of the bike lane and street to spread out. Sidewalks are never the best for hill work. Just about a perfect 200m from lightpost to lightpost at the DB.
- The 200m are usually run at 1 mile race pace on the flat, so the goal for these hills would be to push the same effort, maintaining good posture (slightly forward), arm swing (perhaps more direct and slightly bigger), and stride (tad shorter) that are appropriate for hills. Pace will be slower, but the GAP on Strava should adjust (http://www.strava.com/activities/146165890/laps). No downhills run at this effort today. Good distance to keep the PAX mostly together and able to regroup before the next interval.
- The 10 minute out and back was pretty hilly. There is not much flat at the Ballantyne AO. Fun to try to make it back to the start right at 10minutes. Big pack developed with Haggis, Spinner, Jamboree, Rock Thrill, and Puppy Love. Hopefully everyone pushed themselves.
- Last 4 hills were smoking fast. Haggis pushed each one extra hard, and YHC was pretty sure he was either trying to spill some merlot or push his hometown advantage because he knows DB so well.
Announcements:
- Check the Bagpipe backblast – http://f3nation.com/workouts/bagpipe
Cold Cuts can be Risky Business
13 Pax including two 2.0’s and two FNG’s brought the pain for a good old fashioned Saturday burn at Area 51.
The Thang:
Indian run from the front of the school to the back with the Pax in the line doing the called exercise while the person in the back runs to the front. Called exercises were high knees, butt kicks, shuffle both ways.
COP
SSH x 30
Wide are merkins x 10, hold plank merkins x 10, hold plank diamond merkins x 10
Slow squat x 20
Mosey to the playground to partner up
In honor of Memorial day we did half a Murphy
Pull ups x 50
Merkins x 100
Squats x 150
Partner 1 runs around the school while partner 2 works on the count.
Plank when you are done.
Mosey to the back of the school where the stumps are located
Partner 1 runs around the school while partner 2 does the set of exercises
Jump ups x 25
Inclined merkins x 50
Splint squats x 80
Plank when you are done
Walk to the open patch of grass for Jack Abs courtsey of Mighty Mite
One whale kick for every four LBCs. We did up to seven whale kicks and 28 LBCs
Hand off to Far Side
SSH x 20
IW x 20
MC x 20
rock pile
Stagger arm merikins x 8 flap jack
diamond rock merkins x 2
curl x 20
tricep extension x 20
partner suicide ladder
round 1 merkins and LBC
round 2 flutter and squat
round 3 carolina dry dock and merkins
mosey to playground, shuffle backwards etc
10 merkins
mary:
Dolly x 20
rosalita x 20
protractor
lbc x 20
flutter x 20
Done:
Moleskin:
Two FNG’s brought the pain this weekend. Welcome Cold Cut (Michael McAllister) and Risky Business (Joel Rutledge). Strong showing for your first outting. Two 2.0’s also appeared for about 5 minutes of exercise and 55 minutes of throwing rocks and messing around. Floor Slapper’s wife thought he was in the driveway packing the car to go camping, must have a lot of stuff to pack if she didn’t know you were gone. Glad to Co-Q with my man Frazier, always a lung buster to work out with you. Sorry for the late post of this BB. Memorial Day festivities can be demanding!
I’m Thankful For…
24 of Area 51’s finest toed the line for a Memorial Day Mini convergence at the site of The Matrix
The Thang:
Splinter lead:
Mosey jog to back lot & COP:
• SSH
• Squats
• Merkins
• Mtn climbers
• Peter Parker’s
Jog to lair of the cinder blocks count off by 2’s and have each #2 grab a cinder blocks Mosey to lot by cars for some partner work with running and blocks
Partner 1 runs rap while partner 2 does called exercise. Flap jack and repeat for
• Squats
• Derkins on block
• Overhead press
• Flutter Press with block
• Hand-release merkins
Hand off to Uncle Leo for lead:
Mosey to field for Mary
• 1 minute plank
• 1 minute glute bridge
• LBC
• Pencil roll right and left as called (crowd pleaser)
• Greg Louganis
The 300
• 25 x jump ropes
• 25 x merkins
• 25 x LBC
• 25 x jump squats
• 3x thru AFAP
Go back to the blocks for Catch me if you can – Partner 1 runs with block while Partner 2 does 5 burpees then runs to catch Partner 1. Trade off and repeat for a lap and a half around the filed
3 minutes remain so…
• 1 minute time hack across the field to jungle gym and wall
• Group 1 does 1 minute pull-ups AMAP
• Group 2 does 1 minute wall sit
• Flap jack
COT
Moleskine
1) Splinter was calling on PAX early between exercises to name things they are thankful for, part of the Threshold challenge (watch Twitter for more on this). He seemed to stop doing that when we began the block work. YHC thinks everyone’s answer would have been “I’m thankful for O2”.
2) QOTD goes to Zip-a-dee when discussing how Group 1 should have been thankful for Group 2 moving the blocks across the field. Zip’s response without missing a beat was “I’m always thankful for a good #2”
3) Great to have PAX from Basecamp and other sites join us at The Matrix today.
4) Always an honor to lead
IT ONLY TAKES TWO TO RUN DMZ
Two men gathered in the gloom for some Memorial Day work. DMZ was “officially” cancelled but we didn’t let that stop us.
The Thang
Run up Carmel, left on Mullen Ford, right on Simsbury, right on Carmel and back to Carmel Road Park. We sprinkled in a few stops with various exercises.
Moleskin:
Shockhoe Bottom and YHC missed the Area 51 weekly email or might have noticed DMZ was “closed” for the holiday. We made an “executive” decision to run the workout any way. Given it had been 12 days since my last workout (don’t call walking in Europe a workout although it did help me keep somewhat in shape), there was no way I was going to go back and fartsack.
Shockhoe and I had never met before so we had 45 minutes to work on both the 1st and 2nd F. It was a great workout.
#F3Swift Preblast – the Plateau
Swift will launch on Tuesday at 0530 (0515 for more warm-up and stretching) from the Vine Restaurant in Ballantyne.
If you know what a Plateau is, you’ll have a “leg” up in this workout for mental preparation. It goes something like this, rise in elevation, high altitude plain, fall in elevation. What that means for a 45 minute running workout means Hills, sustained interval, and more hills.
If you are programming the watch at home, it looks something like this:
- Warm-up
- 4 x (200m Hill at 1-mile race pace effort, 200m jog recovery)
- 10min @ 80% (Basically Marathon Pace + :15) – calculate Marathon Pace at http://runsmartproject.com/calculator – i.e. if your marathon pace is 8:00/mi, then 80% is around 8:15 – 8:30/mi.
- 4 x (200m Hill at 1-mile race pace effort, 200m jog recovery)
- Cool-down
See you in the Gloom!
Silence at the Foxhole
6 pax including 1 FNG got in their Memorial Day downpainment with a regularly scheduled episode of Foxhole.
The Thang:
Mosey down to the lower parking lot for COP.
SSH X 25
IW X 20
Diamond Merkins X 10
Side Lunge X 10
*In honor of all of the men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice for us, the rest of the workout was held in silence.*
Two handed swings X 50
Upright row X 30
Lap around parking lot
Clean and press X 40
Goblet curls X 30
Lap around the parking lot
One handed swings X 40
One arm rows X 40
Tricep extensions X 30
Man-maker merkins with KB X 20
Lap around the parking lot
LBC X 50
Flutter X 20
Mason twist X 25
Dolly X 20
Dying cockroach X 20
Mosey back to launch for COT, break silence with the Lord’s Prayer
Moleskin:
With many pax off work today only a small, but strong, crowd gathered at the Foxhole. Lots of the pax have big Memorial Day plans.
Frehley’s Comet brought out his neighbor, an FNG whose sweat glands dictated that from this point forward, will be known as Great Lakes. He did a great job following the exercises considering the silence of the Q and the rest of the pax.
After COT, Philmont brought out 3 jester hats and wanted to find someone to sew them together for him. Needless to say, we missed out on a lot of good jokes from Frehley’s and Philmont due to the silence.
Announcements:
Kettlebell clinic resumes this Saturday at 6 AM before the Rock.
F3 Golf is this Thursday.
F3 Olympics and pool party on June 14.
No tribal Jewelry needed for for this beatdown
First up YHC takes the reigns with a quick mosey to the virtual shovel flag since the real thing was in Countertop’s car. Why was it in his car still? Read on…
COP:
Side Straddle Hops X 20
Imperial Walkers X 21
Low slow squat X 20
Follow me! Mosey to the rock pile and find yourself a manly rock. I won’t call out names but there may have been a pebble or 2 picked up by some PAX.
Partner up, P1 does called rock exercise P2 does called movement:
Round 1: P1 curls, P2 sprint to football sled and back. Flapjack until 100 combined curls
Round 2: P1 tricep extensions, P2 sprint to sled, bear crawl half way back, sprint 2nd half. Flapjack until 100 combined extensions
Round 3: P1 Press, P2 sprint to sled, lunge walk back. Flapjack until 100 combined presses.
Round 4: P1 flutter press, P2 sprint to sled and back. Flapjack until 100 combined flutter presses.
Strong work boys but wait, we still have a minute or 2!
Grab those rock and curls in cadence to 10, on the last one hold it at top position, drop half way and hold it…. hold it! Drop those rocks and on your six for some active recovery.
30 LBCs on your own and deposit the rocks… Just the rocks, not the methane Belly Flop! (filling the gap left by HorseHead)
Ok, all you Counterto…. oh wait…
Double E on Q (Filling in for Countertop who called in sick – Can you say Saturday AM Fartsack Delight?? Hope you feel better brother!)
Great time to introduce FNG’s to my main man Jack Webb (For some reason Zip was all “Jacked” up to be reunited with Webb again – Yelling like a Kid in an F3 candy store!)
Push-ups (1 – 10) with alternating Air Presses x 4 (4, 8, 12.. – 40)
Mosey to Stadium Bleachers and partner up for a little Stairway to Heaven!
P1 exercises while P2 runs to top of bleachers.
Exercise 1 – 70 combined burpees – P2 2 x bleacher run – Plank when done
Exercise 2 – 100 combined Dips – P2 1 x bleacher run – Plank when done
Exercise 3 – 50 combined BombJacks – P2 1 x bleacher run – Plank when done
Indian Run to VSF for Mary
Mary
25 x Freddy Mercury IC
Protractor
25 x Mountain Climbers IC
25 x Dolly’s IC
2 x Hip Bridge hold 20 sec
20 x Flutter’s IC
So the picture above…
We are not quite sure the fashion statement Late Show was trying to make with his beaded necklaces before the beatdown, maybe Outland Marti Gras? We wonder what Tribe he comes from with that sweet action beard though.
It’s amazing how bleacher running will suck the O2 right out of you, especially
Snowman on his knees praying to the bleachers for mercy during the Stairway to Heaven.
Announcements:
– Matrix Memorial Day workout – 1 HR – 7:00am – 8:00am
– Foxhole normal time or there is a Metro convergence/5k
– Continued Prayers for Coy – www.careforcoy.org – 5 year old boy that just had surgery to remove cancerous Brain Tumor in Pittsburgh. Continue to pray for a speedy recovery until Little Coy and his family can finally come home.
– 5k for “See Kristan Run” next Saturday 8am (the sister in law of fellow F3er Amoeba) so there will be an F3 showing there.
Welcome FNG’s glad you made it out and hope to see you back! We all Hope HH and CT get well soon and thanks to Glass Joe for taking us out at the end.
Always a pleasure Gents!!