9 men for a tough one this morning. The air was thick and hot and we had a lot to do.
The Thang:
Grab a lifting rock from the rockpile.
Mosey with your rock to the back lot and circle up.
SSH IC x 20
Staggered Merkin R x 10 IC
Staggered Merkin L x 10 IC
Lock out rock overhead squats x 10
Partner up
P1 run lap around flag pole and back
P2 curls
2 rounds
P1 run
P2 staggered merkins R
P1 run
P2 staggered merkins L
P1 run
P2 overhead squats
2 rounds
P1 run
P2 triceps extensions
2 rounds
P1 run
P2 two hand shoulder presses
2 rounds
Head over to tables
Grab some wall, people’s chair
10 decline merkins
10 tri dips
10 step ups each leg
20 merkins
20 Carolina dry docks
Grab the rocks and take them home
6 MOM
Protractor
Freddy Mercury x 20 IC
Rosalitas x 20 IC
20 merkins OYO
10 burpees OYO
Recover
Moleskine:
Nice to get the Q again at Dromedary. This has become a tough group so I wanted to bring the pain and hope it worked, it must have because I usually hear a little more chatter from the likes of Crabcake. I now have a theory that little 3 inch squats instead of full squats make you faster? Seems to work for Ice and Brat. Big Tuna showed up and worked his tail off out there today as did Grease Monkey. I didn’t see anybody taking plays off and I appreciate you guys allowing me to lead you into the day. Thanks to Nutter Butter for a great prayer to take us out and good to see you back in action.
The SF was firmly planted by Young Love and as a guest Q to Anvil I set off with a little nervousness of a tough crowd. Before I get into “The Thang” going out to Q at sites you don’t normally post to is a good thing, you get to meet new PAX and bring some new ideas to the table, try it get out of the comfort zone, I was welcomed by the PAX at Anvil and hope I brought a little pain!
The Thang:
Mosey for a quick COT:
SSH X40
MC X 15
IW X 20
Mosey over the the “shed” 10 Derkins, Dips, Step Ups and sprint out to entrance 1 and back hold plank for the 6
15 Derkins, Dips, Step Ups, sprint out to entrance 1 and back hold plank for the 6.
Mosey over to “The Avenue of Trees” tried to explain this as clearly to the PAX as possible:
Round 1: Sprint to every other tree (10 total trees), first tree 5 merkins back to base and 5 burpees, repeat up to 25 merkins.
Round 2: Repeat but change to Dry Docks with 5 merkins everytime you get back to base. The two rounds covered 2 miles and was a smoker.
Mosey over to Parking area close to 51. Merkin ladder 10 down to 0 in cadende with a nice sprint in between.
Sprints: various sprints from seated position, plank position with merkins
Mosey back to the AO time for Mary, no lets try 4 minutes of burpees or until the first PAX reaches 35. Thank you Lobstah Roll saved us all from the pain of 4 minutes.
Finish with Mary, 10 Flutter and 10 Dolly.
Thank you for the opportunity I hope I didn’t disappoint, solid showing from LR, Hannibal, Mermaid, but everyone went with the flow and went after it. Thanks Outback for missing The Maul to support me. Nice take out from Young Love, pray for Abacus & Chelms who are taking care of their brother during this tough time.
Announcements:
Nice work Mermaid on the Calvary food drive, Calvary thanked the men of F3 for the support.
OBT & Dredd will Q Stonehenge Saturday July 25th 6am, The Vine in Ballantyne come out and support them.
The P&O Show
33 men tuned in to the Pebbles and Outback show. First order of business was to divide the PAX. First group went with Pebbles, to quote Sergeant BA Baracus – I pity the fools. The second group went for a leisurely stroll across the Bagpipe AO taking in some fine scenery.
Bagpipe: Hangar 1 – Pebbles
YHC was feeling ambitious this morning after his ritual 8oz of espresso.
Warmup
Mosey to the hotel parking for disclaimer and SSH
Everyone seemed anxious to get going, so we began the trek to the parking deck. Along the way we stopped and completed few COPs while waiting on everyone
Imperial walkers
Low slow squat
Drop Squat
I don’t remember the count on these, lets just call it “enough”
We arrived at the parking deck still a little spread spread out, so pax in front jumped into mountain climbers while waiting on the rest.
The Thang
The parking deck consists of 8 flights. PAX were encouraged to run all eight flights and complete one exercise after running 2 flights (4 stations). The exercise for each station were as follows
Bomb jacks 10
Drop squat 10
Squat Jump 10
LBC 20 Reverse LBC 20
At the top, PAX completed 8 count body builders until the rest of the group caught up
Mosey down the steps to the soccer field.
Complete
10 turkish getups
Sprint the steps
Complete 20 tuck jumps
Run the ramps down
Finisher:
Leap frog broad jump
You complete leap frog over partner and land in deep squat position. From the deep squat, explode into a broad jump. Following broad jump crouch into a low position allowing your partner to complete the movement.
Repeat 50 yds out and 50 yds back.
Mosey back to COT stopping for Mary a few times along the way.
Moleskin:
I was intent in bringing some new movements and serious misery to the PAX of area 51. I hope I made some good memories. Strong performances from the usual: hops, bounty hunter, dear abby, and strong leadership from soft pretzle keeping an eye on Leigha.
Honor to lead, as always
Pebbles
Bagpipe: Hangar 2 – Outback
The goal today was to keep moving and limit the breaks – can only recall one 10 count. All went down as such:
The running warm up:
There were a number of stops on the way to Pond Hill (not sure if the hill by the second pond has an official name so though I would get original and name it) to ensure the lads were appropriately warmed up, which included:
20 merkins in cadence
20 Imperial walkers in cadence
20 Dips (at Lock Ness) in cadence
20 SSH in cadence
Main Event – Pond Hill
Start at the bottom of Pond Hill with 15 toe tip crunches
Run to the top of the hill for five burps
Bear crawl half way down the hill and 15 Derkins
Bear crawl the rest of the way down and 15 squats
One lap around the bond
Rinse and Repeat until time.
Warm Down
The run back from Pond Hill to the AO was interrupted by a series of exercises that included:
20 Flutters in cadence
25 Merkins OYO
20 Rosalita’s in cadence
20 Russian twists in cadence
10 Burpees OYO
20 Dolly’s in cadence
All you got back to the AO
20 Puppe Love specials in cadence
Moleskin:
Solid effort today and YHC was happy to be able to include a good dose of Mary as well as a cool down run through the sprinklers at the end. Mic Check lead from the front on the main event with CoPay and Mario close on his heels. Did not recall to much mumble chatter with the exception of Haggis questioning if YHC actual had a plan for todays workout. I was sorely offended and yeld at him, “I have a winkee”. Probably not something one grown man should yell at another.
Thanks for the lead gentleman.
Outback
13 PAX slipped into the early gloom at 0515 on Tuesday morning for the weekly speed workout known as Swift. Returning dirty to COT at 0613, there had to be a record of something in between. Here’s what they did.
The Thang:
The Moleskin:
Check the Bagpipe blackblast for announcements including a Murph on Sunday, CSAUP and obstacle course opportunities on 8/1.
Monday Morning rolled around early, and at 5:15 Curbie and I were the only two a fight club…..so we decided to do the following.
Lap around the lake….decided to go to fitness trail since it gets lighter earlier these days.
Did a round a piece hitting punching mitts 2:30 minute rounds. About that time I saw Foley and Croft (FNG) arrive around 5:30.
Did another round hitting punching mitts, and lap around lake, did another two rounds, lap around the lake, followed by 5 minutes of Mary..
Moleskin: Foley brought out Croft (FNG). Croft just graduated High School. Croft has some mean punching power for an 18 year old (Hate), and not really looking forward to sparring with him.
To the regulars who were in bed, on vacation, or taking in laws to the airport, I will see you next week.
Chippy
16 men came out for a Skunkworks sweat fest which all began at the ABC Store.
THE THANG
SSH x 15
Lawnmowers R x 15
Lawnmowers L x 15
2 handed swing x 15
Stagger merkin R on KB x 10
Stagger merkin L on KB x 10
Overhead press x 1 combined with two handed swing x 2. Increase multiples up to 10 OH presses and 20 swings.
Mosey over to Raintree soccer field
Plank. Sprint 80 yards.
Plank. Sprint 80 yards.
Partner 1 lunge walks 20 yards, partner 2 two handed swing. Flap jack.
Partner 1 upright row to OH press, partner 2 runs 80 yards. Flap jack and repeat.
Partner 1 alternating swings, partner 2 runs 60 yards. Flap jack and repeat.
Partner 1 single handed swings, partner 2 runs 80 yards. Flap jack and repeat.
Partner 1 high pulls, partner 2 runs 60 yards. Flap jack and repeat.
Partner 1 Louganis or deck squats, partner 2 runs 40 yards. Flap jack and repeat
Partner 1 clean and press, partner 2 runs 80 yards.
Circle up.
Louganis x 1 combined with KB curls x 2. Repeat up to Louganis x 5 and KB curls to 10.
Mary.
COT
YE OLDE MOLESKINE
With only 8 pax or so at 5:29am we doubled our numbers in the last minute with Fletch, DK, and others screeching in late. Since the departure of Sussudio we have gained another Englishman in the form of Bodybag who is a cross between Jason Statham and Vinnie Jones and his first venture out to SW in a while. My posts have been sporadic at best lately so it called for a combo of KB’s and sprints today with no real rest time incorporated into the 45 mins. With little breeze and warm temps it meant that the sweat was flowing, the lungs were heavy, and the KB’s slippery but the pax dug in and worked hard from start to finish. Mumblechatter was light and something was mentioned from TR when I called for the lawnmower warm up. Couldn’t pick up if it was not your classic KB exercise or if it was a slaughtering of the accent but nevertheless the pain began quickly in the warm up and never really stopped. Great showing by all today and with the kids off school it’s tough to make it out in the wee hours but once you have you feel better for it. Lots of encouragement out there this morning and I appreciate you guys letting me lead. I’m back on Q for “Jevlar” this Friday as A back up so if you don’t want to see me again feel free to step up and Q!
Cheers lads,
BD
Second unofficial week is in the books, as eleven men showed up to answer the challenge: PRE-BLAST
The Thang:
Partner up – size matters
Take a right out of OP onto Rea and run to HT, loop around the first pillar, and back to OP (+/- 1 mile). Run behind the school, past the play ground and concession stand, to the football field.
Partner 1 – runs back past the concession area to the playground for 10 pull-ups and then runs back to the concession area for 20 dips and 20 derkins. P1 runs back to the football field. Sumo squats while waiting for your partner.
Partner 2 – runs out the trail to Foxworth and up the hill. At the top (intersection with Bedfordshire), P2 does 40 LBCs, runs down the hill for 40 Freddy Mercury (single count, i.e. 20 each side), and runs back on the trail to the football field. Sumo squats while waiting for your partner.
When partners meet at the football field, partner carry to midfield and back (switch as needed). Partners flapjack – P1 heads to Foxworth, P2 heads to the playground – and that’s one set.
Stop at 0606 and run the HT mile again with a left into OP for COT.
Moleskine
Unofficial week two and a new attendance record with 11. It was hot and humid. Iron Mike and Spackler shed the shirts for COT. It’s too light outside
Everyone has heard “Under promise, over deliver” – right? Well, the estimated mileage was a bit light, but what’s a mile between friends? It turned out to be a little too run heavy at 4+, but we’ll get it dialed in to something in the 2.5-3.5 range. STRAVA or it didn’t happen
We had odd numbers, so Swiper went solo, which meant no partner carries, and therefore, the team of Spackler and Brushback are this weeks Kings of SOFA. I believe every group got in 2.5 sets, and a few got in the full mile to finish.
There were a bunch of guys getting after it this morning with a three teams clustered together. Voodoo was carrying the mini-bombox like a football – high and tight. Strong work from my partner, Icicle, in only his 2nd post back from a 2-month IR stint. Found out during the partner carries that he’d had a back injury – but he pushed through without incident.
Appreciate Starfish giving the chauffeur treatment to the dynamic duo of Butter and Butter’s Hair. Sundancer brought the clowncar and the tunes – playlist:
Star Wars main title – John Williams
Frizzle Fry – Primus
Bulls on Parade – Rage Against the Machine
Batman – Bob Schneider
Sad But True – Metallica
Call Me – Blondie
Southern Hospitality – Ludacris
One Big Holiday – My Morning Jacket
Roll in my Sweet Baby’s Arms – Chris Thile
New Born – Muse
Dirty Blonde – The Bad plus Joshua Redmond
Hero of the Day – Iron Horse
Appreciate everyone making it out today! We’ll be running a modified Murph next week – same time and place.
Kirk
The pax of Day Zero/Area 51 will be hosting a running of the Murph on Sunday, June 28 — the date that marks 10 years since Lt. Michael P. Murphy was killed while serving in Afghanistan.
Lt. Murphy is said to have invented this workout, which he called “Body Armor.” He completed it while wearing a 25-pound flak jacket. It was later renamed in his honor.
We’ll launch from the South County Regional Library parking lot at 7 a.m. to begin the one-mile run down to McAlpine Elementary.
There, we will complete 100 pull-ups, 200 merkins and 300 squats.
To finish, we’ll trek one mile back to the library. Plan on dedicating an hour to the workout. Whoever finishes first will lead the early finishers in mary, tabata or more merkins, according to his discretion.
It’s become kind of a cliche to complete the Murph workout and it’s been written up in all sorts of magazines. We want this to be more meaningful. I hope you’ll consider donating to Charlotte Bridge Home, which helps veterans returning to this area transition to civilian life and employment.
They accept payments online, so please think about dropping in $10 or whatever you can. I’ll collect checks payable to “Charlotte Bridge Home.” If you’d rather bring cash, I’ll be glad to accept it and write a check on your behalf.
Sound off in the comments to HC. Hope to see you there.
24 men kissed their families goodbye, laced up their shoes, and rendezvoused at the shovel flag for a Fast Twitch throw down.
The Warmup:
Mosey from the parking lot to the Davie Park entrance. Plank up. A proper disclaimer was given here.
The Thang:
Sprint to first street light, jog to second, sprint to third, etc. all the way down the side street. 6 lights total. Down and back twice with merkins in between sets.
Mosey down to the corner of Rea Rd. Squats x 25
Mosey to second entrance to Calvary.
7’s on entrance hill. Squats at bottom. Merkins at top. Backward run up the hill, run forward down.
Plank when finished.
Mosey to baseball field. Partner up.
P1 does 1 leg lunges on benches. P2 run to light pole and back. Flapjack. Rinse and Repeat with other leg.
Mosey to corner of Rea Rd. Merkins IC
Mosey to Davie Park entrance.
LBCs (Thanks Hopper)
H2H x 20 IC
Flutter x 15 IC
Mosey back to parking lot.
Done.
5.2 miles
Moleskin:
Prophet Purple Haze stepped out on Twitter yesterday and called for a Fast Twitch throat chop in the morning. He named it, claimed it, and the PAX were rewarded accordingly.
T-claps to Yogurt for pushing through injury as long as he could and almost making it back to the AO. YHC led his 2.1 last week into a broken wrist, so I’ll keep my distance from the rest of your family. Heal up soon, brother!
T-claps to The Big Hairy for making an ambulance run to pick up Yogurt. As the story goes, Yogurt refused to get in any car driven by The Big Hairy until Haze convinced him otherwise. When the Prophet speaks, you listen.
Great effort by everyone out there today. YHC smoked himself so hopefully everyone else got their money’s worth too. Always a pleasure to lead!
The “what and why” for starting this workout are at the bottom, if you want to take the time, otherwise here is the plan for tomorrow:
The Thang:
Partner up – size matters
Take a right out of OP onto Rea and run to HT, loop around the first pillar, and back to OP (+/- 1 mile). Run behind the school, past the play ground and concession stand, to the football field.
Partner 1 – runs back past the concession area to the playground for 10 pull-ups and then runs back to the concession area for 20 dips and 20 derkins. P1 runs back to the football field. Sumo squats while waiting for your partner.
Partner 2 – runs out the trail to Foxworth and up the hill. At the top (intersection with Bedfordshire), P2 does 40 LBCs, runs down the hill for 40 Freddy Mercury (single count, i.e. 20 each side), and runs back on the trail to the football field. Sumo squats while waiting for your partner.
When partners meet at the football field, partner carry to midfield and back (switch as needed). Partners flapjack – P1 heads to Foxworth, P2 heads to the playground – and that’s one set.
Stop at 0606 and run the HT mile again with a left into OP for COT.
Should be +/- 3.2 miles depending on number of sets including stops that target upper body, lower body, and core.
Workout named for the newest featherweight member of F3 Columbia that I carried up McDowell Street a few times at Muthaship Monday. (Choose your partner wisely)
SOFA WIB (which needs a new name): What is it and Why start it?
We’ve all got a story about our involvement with F3, and since mine plays a part in wanting to start this workout, I’ll share it. I started with F3 a little over two years ago. I’m one of those former high school athletes that came “straight off the couch” because someone EH’ed me. I knew I needed to get in shape. I showed up at Core on a Saturday morning, and some Respects were running circles around me (at a non-running workout). I almost passed out. Literally.
A few weeks later, a friend heard I’d started F3 and invited me out to WIB (Workout In a Bag) on Tuesdays at Freedom Park. After a few excuses (“5:30 is too early”, “I hate running”, etc.), he eventually cajoled me into coming out. The first workout was “The Escalator” – basically a partner version of The Murph broken down into smaller parts (spoiler alert: that’s coming next week). I was fortunately in a paincave for most of that experience with only three remaining memories: 1) hating him for convincing me to go, 2) laughing at the incessant mumblechatter, and 3) walking part of the mile back as the six. The leaders that day finished it in +/- 37 minutes, something I couldn’t imagine. I was dead last.
That did not sit well with me. Walking during the last mile was the worst. I was pretty much determined to keep coming out to get better, so I did. One week I showed up, and my buddy didn’t. I got partnered up with Sauerkraut, who I’d never met. By the end, I couldn’t even plank for partner derkins, and he’s not only “not complaining” but encouraging me to keep going and do what I could. I didn’t realize it while just trying to survive, but that was iron sharpening iron. WIB became my regular post – the one I wouldn’t miss.
Months later, I had gotten a little stronger and a little faster, completed my first mud run, etc. Guys from my mud run team used WIB as our team training, where we would race and challenge each other. During a standard boot camp, everyone follows the Q, but with a set circuit , it was a giant competition.
That’s the plan for this workout: there will be a pre-blast announcing the workout, which will often involve partners. It will be non-stop, typically a continuous circuit, that will accomodate FNGs struggling to finish (like I was) and challenge F3 badasses – because you set your own pace. Need a push? Find someone faster and try to keep up.
When I moved south of Fairview, I immediately saw that A51 lacked this type of workout. Not long after that, Team Southbeach won the Busted Paw, somehow (inexplicably) giving Cindy the creative license to write this:
Diary of the Busted Paw – entry 2
Despite all the ballwashing BS, there is a valuable truthnugget in there: Competition will drive you to work harder than you will on your own.
That’s the what and why, and what I hope this workout will become. There will be running – at least two miles, but it’s not a “running workout”. It may even, eventually, incorporate kettle bells or plates. There will be partner work. It will never be easy, but I expect there will be encouragement amongst the trash talk, as the goal is to push each other to get better.
I’ll see you in the gloom.
Kirk