Monthly Archive December 2021

Convergence @ Flash

38 Pax Converged at Flash for Partner up

DICCS- Provided

Warm up:

15- SSH

15 Moroccan night clubs

15- Imperial Walker

Plank to calf stretch

Runners pose

10 Merkins

The Thang:

Partner A holds handstand against wall while Partner B runs paved triangle near teacher’s MS parking lot then flip flop X2

Mosey to front of MS

25 merkins and 10 burpees at each of the 3 light poles to MS entrance

Mosey to benches at school

Partner A does 10 step ups where 2 is 1 while Partner B runs the island then flip flop X2

*Penalty round (some Pax were cutting through the island for their lap)

Partner A does 15 derkins while Partner B runs the island

Lunge length of overhang on way to back of school

Four Corners in basketball court

((25 big boys, 25 heels to heaven, 50 LBCs, 50 shoulder taps) 3 burpees in middle) X1

GAGA Pit work

On the edges of the two Gaga pit structures, Pax partners split up 75 derkins and 75 dips

Mosey back to COT as running out of time

Stop for 10 mike tysons at light post on the way

Done

Announcements were made

Welcome FNG – Shingles

12 Days of Skunk (feat. Leon Redbone)

10 Skunks with Bells in Their Trunks

Baracus, Swiss Miss, Stone Cold, Hot Corner, Orange Whip, Voodoo, Lois, Hoover, High Tide, Horsehead (

 

12 Days of Skunk:  

You know the drill.  Yes, it’s 144 burpees.  Merry Christmas.

 

Day:   Gift:

  1. Dozen Burpees (options to modify)
  2. Squat Thrust (formerly TGUs)
  3. Snatch
  4. Rows
  5. Lunges
  6. Shoulder Press
  7. Goblet Squat
  8. Louganis
  9. Russian Twist
  10. 1 Handed Swings
  11. Romanian Deadlift
  12. Clean & Press

 

Set List – The Elf Movie Soundtrack

  1. Pennies from Heaven – Louis Prima
  2. Sleigh Ride – Ella Fitzgerald
  3. Jingle bells – Jim Reeves
  4. The Nutcracker Suite – The Brian Setzer Orchestra
  5. Santa Baby – Eartha Kitt
  6. Winter Wonderland – Ella Fitzgerald
  7. Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town – Eddy Arnold
  8. Jingle Bell Rock – Wayne Newton
  9. What Christmas Means To Me – Stevie Wonder
  10. You Make Me Feel So Young – Frank Sinatra
  11. Nothing From Nothing – Billy Preston
  12. Baby, It’s Cold Outside – Zooey Deschanel, Leon Redbone

 

Nine years running now for this Skunk-Themed disaster of a workout.  It’s a good one, and will run the clock out if you give the burpees a go.

 

It was good to have the Meatheads out.  Nothing like a kettlebell workout to fill the gap in between kettlebell workouts when you are training for kettlebell workouts.

High Tide brought out a portable helicopter landing pad to do TGUs on.  He’s always had a penchant for this awkward exercise, but this really added some flair.  He said he got it from Walmart.  I think it was a yoga mat from the Lane Bryant catalog.  Anyways, he rolled around on that thing most of the morning and seemed to enjoy himself so we’ll just let it be.

Apparently, Hoover has been nursing from the leftover F3 Christmas Party kegs for the past week or so and was looking rather embalmed.  His eyes lit up when Santa Baby came on until I told him to google a picture of Eartha Kitt.  I think that spoiled his dreams a bit, so sorry about that.

Stone Cold really seemed to enjoy the Frank Sinatra lyrics about Punching the Moon like a Toy Balloon with Songs to be Sung and Flings to be Flung.  Those are actual lyrics.  Old Blue Eyes really had no idea what he was saying most of the time.

Zooey Deschanel and Leon Redbone’s rendition of Baby it’s Cold Outside is the best rendition of that song that exists.  It’s also a little bit creepy.  Ok, it’s a lot creepy.  Ok, it’s possibly the creepiest thing I’ve heard.  Definitely give that a listen if you haven’t heard it.

Haven’t seen Voodoo in a while, mostly because we both only go to the same workouts, which are different.  He still looks like the Prime Minister of Canada if you ask me, but nobody asked me.

I think Lois was there, in full on ninja mode with ¼” of exposed forehead skin.  It could have been Dwayne Johnson or John Cena too – hard to tell without seeing the face.

Last week at Kevlar, there was a homeless man sleeping under the tennis shelter.  It was around 32deg.  I started the wheels rolling to let Church Security know so we could get him out of there before the kids arrived for school.   That was my primary concern.  Smokey saw the same guy and came running up to me asking me if I had any blankets or coats in my vehicle.  That was his primary concern.  Given that my biggest hardship in December has been having to enter my email address and password with the arrow keys on my TV remote control to login to various streaming accounts, I have been reflecting on this a bit and I think it has done me some good.

TClaps to all the men of Skunkworks who came out to enjoy this annual tradition.  I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, even if you see me before then.

 

 

Yours Truly,

 

Horsehead

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2022 Passport Challenge

Passport Challenge 2022

As you read this you are probably either a) eating holiday snacks and maybe having a holiday libation or b) thinking about holiday snacks and maybe a holiday libation.  Well PAX, enjoy the next two weeks because come January 1st Area 51/SOB/Waxhaw are here to help you flip that switch.  With the New Year comes a new Passport Challenge and for the months of January and February it’s time to step it up.

For those unfamiliar with the Passport Challenge the concept is simple.  Attend as many different AO’s, 2nd F events and 3rd F events within the Area 51, SOB and Waxhaw regions as possible.  You can only stamp your passport for hitting an individual site or event once so the goal is to get out there and visit as many different ones as you can over two months.  See this link for the wrap up of the 2020 Passport Challenge.  https://f3southcharlotte.com/2021/01/04/2020-passport-challenge-wrap-up/

A link will be posted regularly to Slack where you can add your name to the tracking spreadsheet.  Each time you post at a different AO or 2nd F or 3rd F event add the date that you hit that site.  At the end we will tally up who did the most damage and will be crowned the Passport Challenge 2022 Winner.  As the winner you will win custom dog tags stamped with your F3 name and join an illustrious list of winners:

2018 – Mighty Mite

2020 – Das Boot

Ask either of these guys but the title Passport Challenge Winner forever changed their lives.  They no longer wait in lines at restaurants and get seated immediately.  Grocery stores regularly give them the, “this order’s on us” when they check out.  Life changing stuff.

 

So enjoy the holiday season but go ahead and get your name on the Passport Challenge spreadsheet.  When 2022 kicks off it is time to kick your posting into another gear.

Aassspppeeennn BB: Stag Party!

Aassspppeeennn BB 12/16: Stag Party

It’s a little early for reindeer and elves but Stag and 6 High-Impact Men spread joy and cheer throughout the Aassspppeeennn AO on Thursday 12/16! Thanks for the extreme grace given to this 1st time Q (who has four hooves and doesn’t know how to count properly, and also forgot to take the family pic?? This guy!) as we tried out some crazy ideas inspired by Georges Hébert and Méthode Naturelle: be strong to be useful. We didn’t save any lives from volcanic eruptions today but we’re that much stronger should the need ever arise!

DICCS:

The usual spiel

Warm-Up:

Mosey around the parking lot

Circle up for side straddle hop

Lunges

Moroccan nightclub

Arm circles forwards and back

Merkins

Plank, leading into left leg forward, left hand up, flapjack

The Thang

Lap around parking lot followed by fast lap (80% of max) reverse direction

Bear crawl down yellow sidewalk curb

Supine pull-up “bar-crawl” up walkway rail

Crawl bear down path to sidewalk

Broad jump from colored square to colored square; 2 Tony Hawk burpees on each square

Short mosey to parking lot; lunge walk to arrows

Hit the deck for “Superman” horizontal “pull-downs”

Mosey to playground

Monkey-bars across the crazy turning circles followed by 3 hanging toe touches (or knees to chest modification), Repeato thrice

Then over to the basketball court for a holiday medley of heels to Heaven, Merkins, LBCs, Big Boys, Dolly’s, etc.

Over to the wall for The Peoples’ Chair followed by lunge walks to parking lot

Crab walk to the opposite curb

Mosey around parking lot

Mike Tyson’s

Finished with Have A Nice Day: you have been made for a purpose; are you living it out? Are you cherishing the critical relationships in your life? Are there things you are anxious about but have no control over? Give it to The LORD! Live out what you are called to today!

Back to COT

Call-Outs:

Swimmers: continues be fast (on the land at least, who knows if he’s actually fast in the water?)

Double E: as always extremely positive, cheerful, and gung-ho despite the early morning hour

HB: thanks for the support and info on Q school!

Landfill: pushing hard as always. On deck for upcoming VQ!

Bonhoeffer: making it look easy! Now I know what “skorts” are…

Bernanke: interest rates remain low but Bernanke’s effort and positive attitude remain through the roof

The Sidewalk is Made of Lava jumps & burpees: where’s Stag on the last two?? Whoops he winded himself with his own exercise plan 😂

40-ish degrees, partly cloudy skies but enough clear spots to see stars shining through and be inspired. General reminder the workout starts at 5:30am Pronto, we might need alarm clocks as Christmas gifts 😆 Thanks all and have a very Merry Christmas with family and friends as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and savior!

Old Course for no men

Well, YHC will never attend another Xmas party as I got volun-told by one Geraldo to Q in the site q’s absence.

I tease about the never again stuff. That’s just how F3 rolls. We’re all about the starfish. With that in mind YHC didn’t want to think/remember a complicated wienke. While G and Hoover were no doubt carrying heavy things at a local GoRck event by 7am – 8 rugged pax and 2 iron tossing, very gullible, Olympus pax ventured out to see what Rea Rd has to offer.

Quick jog out to the front of Calvary. Skeerrrt… Turn around and grab the LIFOs. I thought we got all that out of the way with floorslapper classically :30 late but no, he would be outdone by OT. Gotta love a Saturday morning. Things are always a little slower to get going.

COP for SSH, IW, Low Slow Squat, Mtn Climbers and Merkins x 10 in cadence. All warm we took entrance 3 out to rea.

Long run down to Bevington and plank to wait on the six. Take the long uphill haul to Old Course.

Quick instruction on peaks/valleys. It sounds like it says, surprise surprise. On the peak 5 Merkins. In the valley 5 squats. Stop at the stop sign – about 3/4 mile with 13 combined peaks/valleys. Repeato back out to Rea with CCD in valley and Jump Squats on the peak. Squats got those quads and glutes firing after nice uphill climbs. 230ish exercises and about 250 elevation in dem hills.

Slow mosey back to bevington. Wall sit w/50 arm raises to wait on the six. Strong push up the hill to entrance 4, also known as the forbidden hill at Calvary. But when the cats away the mice will play. One all you got up the steep incline and jog back to the launch.

Six minutes of Mary and we’re done.

4.5 miles does a body good. Now that you’ve earned that extra IPA tonight you can thank me later.

Announcements

Taco Party next Friday. See SOB slack channel for more info. There will be some questionable beverages post workout.

Prayers for friends of Stalker whose lil girl is fighting cancer.

As always, it’s a pleasure to lead the fine men of F3. Merry Christmas to everyone. I hope this year has been good to you and next is looking good. Cheers

Udder

Commitment – 12 days of Christmas with Twinkle toes

DCCS was covered and we were off for a Christmas light tour of Millbridge.

18 elf’s with me, mosey to clubhouse for the warmup

20 SSH, 15 IW, stretch, 20 plank jacks, 20 LBCs calf stretch.

On dasher on dancer on prancer and vixen, on Comet on Cupid, Donner, Blitzen & Rudolph.

mosey to the Main Street. Stacking these as we go and mosey to the next intersection in between.

1. Burpee

2. diamond murkins

3. Bomb jacks

4. in and outs

5. Freddie mercury’s

6. Bonnie blairs

7. Spring Ups

8. J-los

9. SSH

10. LBCs

11. dry docks

12. Mike Tysons

We stayed together. 10 count to recover

mosey back to Millbridge clubhouse for some partner work.
200 LBCs and 100 step ups between partner. Timer is the runner .25 mile loop.
finish together with one last loop to hit 3 mi.

mosey back to COT – heads up biker burning rubber around the corner.

circle back for the six.
finish with 30 american hammers while we wait for everyone to do at least 1 together. Accomplished.

Numberrama, namearama,  no FNGs, time to get serious with prayers. Many men are hurting, some are quiet, others share, but all have something to provide another pax. Today was an honor to lead you men. It was fun at times, it was hard at times. And that’s what it’s all about.
Prayer requests were important to note. Let us be mindful of our blessings, take stock and be proud of the new group you have taken this year in your life, in your ministry, in your relationships and in your work.

dreams:

“Everything is figureoutable” ~ Matt Drinkhahn

this past week as a management team our executives did something I have never seen done in 15 years. We had a hour and a half dream session. Not an eyes closed dream session, but a really important start with Why you are doing what you are doing dream session. What we walked away with was clarity on why we all work as hard as we do. Don’t forget to dream. Then share your dreams. Here are a few categories you may consider doing this exercise with those who are import in your life, perhaps you start with the category of Travel, then go to Adventure, Relationships, career/finances, spiritual & faith, and

.  I’ll leave you with this as you consider slowing down and reaching out to a person in your life to reconcile, help, or just let the ek know they mean something to you. Do not take one single day for granted and alway remember that you and I alone are weak, but through Gods strength and his will you are amazingly perfect and an unstoppable force for good.

my goal this year was 150 workouts and an almost there!

love you brothers –

twinke toes.

 

 

Tribute to Area 51’s 10-Yr Anniversary

7 -Souls showed at the Body Shop for a Tribute to a milestone in our F3 History; Area 51’s 10-Year Anniversary…..Here’s what happened!

Mosey around the parking lot with a few high-knees, butt-kickers and karaoke then circle-up.

Canadian SSH x 10 (Shuffle Feet front-to-back, not side-to-side)

Merkins x 10

Calf-Stretch then Warrior-Stretch

Imperial Walkers x 10

Potato Pickers x 10

Then mosey to the Track to partner up for an early game of ‘Catch Me If You Can’. Partner 1 stands 15-yards away from Partner 2, on GO it’s 1-Lap and Partner 2 tries to catch Partner 1. (If so, the penalty is 10-Burpees) Flapjack and Go Again! Finish with a little Merry for Recovery.

Mosey around the back of the school while stopping at two street lights for 10-Burpees at each stop. Mosey to back Parking Lot for a Starfish

5-Merkins in the Middle

10-Squats, 10-LBCs, 10-Carolina Dry Docks & 10-Plank Jacks

Rinse & Repeat again, with the same, except this time 10-Merkins in the Middle. Mosey to the Rock Pile in the Front Entrance.

Circle Up for Pax-Choice of Rock Exercise x 10-Reps. After two rounds, run down to street light and back. Repeat 4-times and then return rocks.

Mosey to front of school at the Map of the US for an East Coast vs. West Coast Partner Pull [With Ropes]. Each Pax goes 4-Times

Grab some wall for 50-Jabs & 50- OHP

Line up in Plank Position on the Map to make a Horseshoe-route Jailbreak back to COT.

Moleskin:

We had a few V-Posts today; Bratwurst for sure and I think possibly Dunkin & Endo. It was great to have you and hope you come back again.

If you weren’t there, then you’re probably wondering what happened on the “Catch Me If You Can” game. We had NO Losers! I think there was some close calls, but no penalty burpees.

The QIC did have a little fun with the Gazelles in the group. As a Clydesdale,  I feel obliged to demonstrate that slow & steady can also win the race. So to be respectful of social distancing, we did a 1-on-1 Tug-of-War. Das Boot looked like he was water skiing he was pulling so hard and Prohibition got jerked about 3-feet into the air.

Respect to Area 51 and it’s Leaders on their 10-year Milestone!!!!

Let’s GOOOO Brandon!!

“Don’t sue me, don’t sue Petsmart,  and don’t sue former vice-president Joe Biden who will be upset at today’s agenda”.

Exciting extended calf warmups custom-made for Damascus (but fartsackin!) upper AND lower calf-stretches…double pleasure.

Special LGBFJB kettlebell reps partnered with alternating run to Target and back.

L(unges)

G(olf swings)

B(urpess)

F(ront press)

J(ump squats)

B(ack rows)

Followed by misc KB exercises coupled with PetSmart parking lot sprints. Blue Screen faked hamstring cramp to get out of running it appeared… just sayin’

Wrapped up with 10-minute abs where Chastain started calling in fake numbers as BScreen approached 50 high-flutters.

LET’S GO BRANDON!!

Was It Everything You Expected?

7 Pax ignored the fart sack on a chilly, rainy morning that would have been an easy morning to mail it in.  Instead they did the opposite and manned up for another edition of The Brave.  To follow is a written history of what transpired.

The Thing:

Full disclaimer and off towards 521.  Stopped at Ballantyne Corp Drive and into the first parking garage for COP consisting of SSH, potato picker, hillbilly, mtn climbers and stretching.  Frehley’s noted that we passed several dry parking decks on the way to this one.  True…and to further go against Frehley’s desires to not get wet YHC explained that we would not be staying at said parking deck but to remember it for later.

The group continued down Ballantyne Corp Dr with instructions to stop at Campbells building at the bottom of Bagpipe Hill.  In addition, we were stopping at every cut into a parking lot for 10 merkins, starting with wide arm then regular then diamond.  Keep this cycle going until reaching the bottom of the hill.  Cut over to the fitness trail and partner up.  P1 runs one direction to pull up bars and P2 heads the other direction to the other set of pull up bars.  10 pull ups each and then meet in the middle for 10 should taps (R+L = 1).  Then flapjack and head to the other set of pull up bars and continue for 6 rounds altogether.

Head back to the parking deck where we did COP (I said to remember if for later) stopping for rotations of 20 LBC’s or 20 heels to heaven at each cut into a parking lot.  At the parking deck YHC called for parking deck suicides.  Run up the first level for 10 Carolina Dry Docks and 20 monkey humpers.  Then down the stairs and up to Level 2 for 10 CDD’s and 20 MH’s.   We were not able to get the whole deck in before time to head back to launch.

Moleskin:

Great work out there as we got somewhere between 4.4 and 4.8 miles in with a heavy dose of upper body work in as well.  It can be tricky getting the workout portion in at The Brave AND hit the 4 mile minimum but pull ups are the great equalizer.  It was a rainy morning, which we have not had many of around here lately, but the group put in the work.  I really had no idea what to title this backblast until I went back and listened to my COT recording and the first thing said was Midriff asking “Was it everything that you expected?”  I can’t remember what context it was said in but I think that he was asking Odd Job since it was his first Brave workout.  Speaking of Odd Job, that guy is crushing it and getting in wedding shape.  Happy Meal with the overacheiver award pre-running the Brave for 2 miles….impressive!  Frehley’s may be mostly a kettlebell swinging meathead but he can still get down and dirty with the bootcampers for 4 miles like it is his day job.  Good to see Teddy back out.  Always good to catch up.  Speaking of getting back out, welcome back Fire Hazard.  Obviously you have not been sitting around doing nothing seeing as you led the pack the whole morning.  And Midriff of course was right up there with him.

Announcements:

  • A51 Holiday Part 12/16 at Candlewyck.  It is called A51 party but it’s a South Charlotte party.
  • Deck the Halls 12/17. Special start time of 5:15 for The Brave so that we can hit all 10 decks while staying together.  Coffeeteria and cookies to follow, and who doesn’t like coffee and cookies at 6:30 in the morning?
  • Feliz Navidad Christmas Eve bootcamp hosted by Taco Stand at the green at Rea Farms (behind Improper Pig).
  • Reach out to any guys that you have not seen in a while.  Sometimes this time of year may not be as festive for some guys as others so let’s look out for our brothers.

10 Years of F3, a reordering of the 3 F’s, and gratitude.

10 Years of F3.  Wow.  I’m old…Respect just around the corner.  Suppose I didn’t want to stay fat into my 40’s, so I tried this F3 thing at age 39.  My belt and my shoes were screaming.  A pax named Longhorn EH’d me at a Christmas party in between bites of my third red & green M&M cookie.

And while I dropped about 35 pounds (have added 20+ back!), my F3 journey has not really been about the 1st F pursuits.  Sure – there were the  5 or 6 mud runs (lost track, and I don’t spreadsheet everything in my life a la Mermaid, Bugeater, etc. – ha!), 3 BRR’s (4th one I drove which was, by far, my favorite), several 5K’s…in which I always finished just behind Prohibition as well as countless others..

F3 South Charlotte didn’t fully exist 10 years ago.  There were whispers of Joker, Tiger Rag, Stone Cold and others starting an AO or two, but frankly the first few AO’s were farther from my home than several of the Metro workouts – so my first’ish year in F3 was spent in Cotswold, MPHS & Freedom Park.

Launched The Rock, DMZ and Hawks Nest with Runstopper, MallCop (remember that guy?), Skywalker, and Doc McStuffins.

All that being said, where God really impacted my life was in the 2nd & 3rd F categories.  But you know what, category is a bad characterization.  Fellowship & Faith should impact all of our lives.  They are not compartments or pie pieces, rather, they should be at the center of everything.  More like the hub of a wheel if that makes sense.

But God surprised me.  I came into F3 knowing I needed to “skip rope” and “skip some dinners” – the 1st F.

I was selfish.  I thought to myself, I already have plenty of friends but I do love meeting new guys and hearing their stories, so “OK” to the 2nd F.  And I certainly didn’t think I had anything to learn in the 3rd F category.  Boy was I wrong!

He inverted the order of F3 in terms of importance for me.  Faith, Fellowship & Fitness.  Thankfully, that’s still now the case for me.  God expanded my view of what His kingdom is, and my role in it.

I love writing backblasts.  I know…that’s weird.  And I could write a lot (aka too much) with respect to F3 and the impact you men have had on me and my family.  I should thank all of you individually, and I’ll do so in time.

I’ll close with this prayer:

Father God, thank you for F3 and the men who have become my dearest friends.  Thank you for the lessons you’ve taught me and the truths you’ve impressed on me in and through F3.  Give me and these men continued courage to invite other men to what we’ve found in F3, and to point them to you.  Thank you that you are our ultimate Hope, and that while this world seems to spin out of control, yet you promise to never leave us.  Make us thankful for the Giver more than for the gifts as the gifts can and often are taken away, but You will not be taken away from us.

May the exhortation spoken by your son centuries ago become life-giving reality for all of us: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind….and love your neighbor as yourself.”