Monthly Archive February 2022

Save the legs

This workout was scientifically designed to help the PAX get maximum enjoyment from the SOBeer run scheduled for later today. How? Leave the legs reasonably fresh and target the upper body with functional strength building basic gymnastic movements. 

The Thing:

Warm up: SSH, IW, arm circles, and merkins. 

Partner up. One partner does 10 merkins while the other runs. Tag/change until reaching the rockpile at the montessori school. Partner 1 gets a large rock. Partner 2 gets two equally sized smaller rocks. Called exercise in cadence, partners alternating rocks each round:

-guys with small rocks do flappy bird (side lateral raise) – alternating palms down and forward

-guys with big rocks do tricep extension, sumo bent over row, curl + press

Mosey to playground

In teams of 3. One guy holds an L hang while the other two wheelbarrow the length of the playground, flapjack and return. The wheelbarrow team can only move when the guy is holding the L hang.  

Then, a series of pain stations. Pax alternate through the pain stations, with the timekeeper dictating when to move to the next station being the PAX doing the burpees. 

-(timekeeper) 25 burpees

-toes to bar/knees to chest

-dips

-derkins

-incline merkins

Mosey back to the montessori school parking lot for a few rounds of Mary – flutter, LBC, and Chopper’s painfully slow count Rosalita (ouch!).

Mosey to first parking lot at Blakeney for some merkin variations (wide arm, Hindu)

Mosey to the playground at Blakeney. Each PAX does 5 clean pull ups. PAX waiting for the bar do dips & negative merkins using the slides to fully extend the chest muscles.

Mosey to the Best Buy wall for 5 reps of PAX choice of either handstand pushups or balls 2 wall. Repeato for a second round. 

Mosey back to base and Mary to time.

 

Moleskin:

I learned something today. If your weinke has an If-Then statement, it might be better to simplify the plan. In any event, the PAX left with reasonably fresh legs for today’s SOBeer run, and if we did it right, some very sore upper body muscles on deck for tomorrow. Great to have Posse and Landfill join and collect passport challenge stamps. Chopper killed it on handstand pushups, channeling his inner Vince Vaugh. Rudy grit through an injury to crank out the workout. Midriff had a variation of “toes to bar” that made me want to find a helmet for him. Olaf took us out with some powerful words about right and wrong, and the need to stand up and say “I don’t agree, this is wrong” even where doing so has a cost. Amen my friend. Thanks for having me lead today men.

 

Announcements:

-Posse invited all interested in improving their Q skills to join the Q-school to be held on Monday, March 14th at Cuthbertson Middle School 5:30 to 6:15am (park in the Left lot). 

-Posse plugged the Rooster relay marathon event in Rock Hill, which frankly sounds really cool. The event is open to all, not just F3 men. The pre blast is here.

-Soft Pretzel handed the shovel flag to YHC as a new site Q for Da Vinci. Thank you Soft Pretzel for your leadership at Da Vinci over the past several years! You’ve impacted many of us by encouraging us to step up and lead workouts and join in F3 events.

Who’s on Q Impromptu

I was asked 2 weeks ago by Transporter if I wanted to Q Impromptu today (2/25) I told him I would. This week when I looked at the schedule Rockwell was on the schedule. I asked Chastain if I was on Q today, since he does have the master list and I was told he did not see me anywhere on the schedule. 4:30 Thursday Transporter texts me and asks if I am good for today. I told him sure but I think there is some confusion. Chatter then posted on Group Me “I don’t know who is on Q…” Transporter later got back to me and I was indeed on Q.

The Warmup

from COT we Moseyed over to the entrance road around the front of the middle school and high school.

At every light we alternated between 10 squats and 5 lunges (2 is 1)

At the front of the High school we did some more warmups

Jimmy Dougans, side straddle hops, imperial walkers calf stretch, runners stretch and merkins.

THE THANG

We then moseyed back past COT to the path behind the middle school. We did a Paula Abdul with 7s. We ran 2 lights did 6 big boys came back 1 light and did 1 merkin then 5 and 2 etc.

From there we headed to the benches behind the middle school. We did 15 step ups, 15 dips and 15 dirkins, then ran down to the Poop shack. We then repeated with 10s and then 5s. there we went to the overhand next to the middle school, there we did Bear Crawls and lunge walks.

From there we headed over to the The stairs at the high school, there we did 1 burpee at the bottom of the stairs, ran up the stairs did 20 donkey kicks then ran down the hill and did 20 Dry docks 1 set

then we moseyed over to the front of the middle schools and did 15 big boys, 15 heals to heaven and 15 lbc’s took half a lap, repeated and then headed back to COT

THE MOLESKIN

I always enjoy Qing at the site. It is a good group of guys and for a lot its the last workout before the weekend. I tried to end it with a little advice or a life lesson that I wanted to share. I was inspired by a line in the “How God Makes Men” book. it said, ” We can endure almost any amount of pain, if we know it has a purpose” I encourage the pax to think about why they come out and do this f3 thing. We need to be able to answer the “why am I doing this?” question. If you have an answer then you will be less likely to have excuse not to do it. I believe we loose some guys because they just don’t know why they are out there. My answer to why am I doing this is for my wife and my family. So as long as I still love my wife and family, I willnot have an excuse to not get up and get at it. So I encourage all the guys to think about why we are out here and use that as your motivation for getting at it regularly. Even on the cold wet and gloomy days you will have a reason to do it.

SOB Shared Leadership Team February Meeting

6 of the current 8 pax on the Shared Leadership Team (SLT) gathered to define the roles/responsibilities and discuss upcoming events and ways to accelerate the region. 5 guys are new to the board, so we spent more time discussing roles.

What is the mission of F3? Plant, grow, serve small workout groups for the invigoration of male community leadership.

Roles and Responsibilities (see descriptions below and who’s leading each)

Upcoming Events

  • CSAUPs: SOBeer Run (2/26), Last Man Standing (4/2), Waxhaw Trail Fest (4/30)
  • Pickleball AO

Open Conversation

  • Who’s accelerating? Who are we missing from the Gloom?

Notes

  • Discussed candidates for the Weasel Shaker role
  • Jerry World wants to get some solid drone and video footage to highlight specific workouts and Site Q’s
  • Rousey interested in Tik Tok for F3 SOB
  • Unanimous agreement that we need a F3 SOB NFT – Brexit is building
  • Unsure of future for The Bottom Line as an AO
  • Olaf discovered the map functionality on the F3 Nation website
  • Pickleball is pulling out lots of new guys and inactive F3 pax. Doesn’t necessarily qualify for an official AO, but want to plug this on the website and Slack

Action Items

  • Next meeting on Wednesday, March 30th at 7:00 p.m.
  • Fill weasel shaker role
  • Midriff will get JW linked to Twitter, Facebook account
  • Rousey reaching out to Soft Pretzel to learn from his work with Site Q’s and Q school
  • Brexit will investigate how to update website so that there aren’t old 2nd F, 3rd F listings

Next Meeting Agenda

  • Welcome the Weasel Shaker
  • One actionable idea per person
  • Brainstorm CSAUP ideas for the rest of the year (Tagalong mentioned this idea)

SOB SLT Roles Descriptions

  • Role clarity, skills needed and what is expected, will lead to higher performance and acceleration in accomplishing our mission.
  • All SLT roles: FREED TO LEAD
    • Lead with Love, commitment to always be accelerating across all 3 F’s, model the F3 culture and avoid factionalism (cliques)
    • EH’s PAX to individual initiative and virtuous leadership acceleration
    • Vocal on the F3 SOB Slack Channel to collaborate, learn and share best practices
    • Attends monthly SLT Meetings
  • Nantan (Midriff): The Q of the Region: The cultural and spiritual leader of his PAX
    • Encourages Plant/Grow/Serve and ignites the need for male community leadership amongst the Pax.
    • Cheerleads and inspires. Delegates often
  • Weasel Shaker (TBD): He is a best practice investigator, implementation guru, rule embracing, spreadsheet-loving, detail-oriented sort that helps the Region accelerate
    • The man who shakes the men who are trying to weasel out of their commitments and what they know needs to be done
  • CommzQ (Jerry World): This man is the Q for making sure the Pax stay connected to one another.
    • He understands very clearly that 2ndF does not end at the AO or happy hour
      Twitter, Slack, Facebook, TikTok, etc. are the tools he uses
    • Promote the message to men on the outside looking in
  • IT Q (Brexit)
    • Ensures website accurately reflects our efforts across 1st F, 2nd F, 3rd F
    • Streamline and improve messaging on website so that men are intrigued by F3 SOB
  • 1st F Q (Rousey): This is the guy that ensures the smooth running of the AO’s.
    • He makes sure that Site Qs are doing their jobs and often will hold regular meetings to do so.
    • He works with the Nantan and WS to look at the growth of 1st F AO plants, Q school
  • 2nd F Q (Taco Stand, Tagalong): Mr. Party Pants. Whether it be Hump Day Happy Hour (HDHH), family picnics, Christmas Parties, or Coffeeteria, this is the guy who makes the donuts.
    • Spreads his fellowship activities across the region to support, coach Pax and to avoid factionalism in the region (cliques)
    • Creates SLT to plan and execute 1) Hump Day Happy Hours or the like, 2) Region Convergences and 3) CSAUPs.
  • 3rd F Q (Olaf, Kirby): The 3rd F Q really needs to understand the needs and wants of his Pax.
    • He can plant anything from a leadership discussion, weekly faith formation to a regular community service opportunity for Pax.
    • His role is the essence of the real mission of F3. Male COMMUNITY Leadership. It’s ambiguous on purpose, but it needs to make IMPACT.

Don’t do the hill again

Warmup

All the necessary safety announcements made.  Mosey to front of school.  Imperial walkers, LSS (mistakenly called lunges), plank, merkins, Demascus’ stretch.  Mosey to the top of the hill (plenty of chatter starting), SSH, American hammers, flutters, runners stretch.

The Thang

Mosey to rear of school, 3 burpees at each light, circle back for the 6.  Mosey to next entrance/exit for Paula Abdul’s with 10 big boy’s, finish at BB hoops.  Mosey back to front of school, considered heading back up the hill but Chicken talked me out of it so we went to do partner work in front of the school.  Timer is one partner around the loop, other partner does plank jacks, gas pumps, merkins, donkey kicks.  2 sets of each/person.  Mosey to COT with <10 seconds left.

Moleskin

11 PAX and hit the 3 mile mark which is pretty good for watchtower.  Great weather and a great group to lead.

Announcements / Closing

CPR this Saturday, 2/26 12:30pm at Crossfit Weddington.  Let Surge know.

SOB Beer Run this weekend.

Q source starts this Friday, check out leadership channel for details.

Site Q-School March 14th, Cuthbertson MS.

Reminder Sundays @ 7:30am Open Door

Mad Dog took us out after I stared at him

 

2/22/22 at Bushwood

2/22/22….too bad Q did not create a Wienke to tie into that once in a lifetime date????  And too late to pretend that I did.

Warmup

Mosey around the bus lot, along Marvin School Rd to the upper parking lot.  SSH, IW, Mountain Climbers, Moroccan Night Clubs, Arm Circles all x 18.  Stretching – calf followed by up/down dogs.

The Thang

Grab a rock, pick a lane and line up at back line of parking lot.  Sets/reps consisted of:

Curls x 20, run to opposite end of lot for squats x 10.  Repeat twice for 60 total reps.

Tricep Extensions x 20, run to opposite end of lot for Bobby Hurley’s x 10.  Repeat twice for 60 total reps.

Shoulder Press x 20, run to opposite end of lot for Speed Skaters x 10.  Repeat twice for 60 total reps.

Rows x 20, run to opposite end of lot for Mountain Climbers x 10.  Repeat twice for 60 total reps.

Chest Press x 20, run to opposite end of lot for Plan Jacks x 10.  Repeat twice for 60 total reps.

Rifle carry rock to pile and mosey around back of school to bus lot and grab the wall.

25 air presses; 10 Merkins; 25 Jabs; 10 donkey kicks; 25 air presses; 15 Dry Docks

Mosey to COT.  PAX in a circle, on your six.  25 big boys followed by 10 (audible to 9) burpees.  Time

Moleskin

15 PAX a strong showing for Bushwood.  Good to see the Firethorn boys back in action.

Announcements / Closing

SOB Beer Run this weekend.  Q-School March 14th

The living Sat-Nav system: Steroid

There are so many puns when it comes to our Guest Q’s name…so I better leave them out! 😉 The prospect of having another Metro Q – with unheard-of strength and endurance – scared away our regular crowd… but we were still a nice group of 8 Pax! Steroid said, that he was never that far south in Charlotte…well… first of all *Waxhaw*…but his navigation skills are unparalleled, as we will soon see.

Warmup

Warmup was somehow mixed into the regular workout itself. A quick loop before the Middle School, some Merkins and LBC’s and off we went.

The Thang

Running towards Lawson, taking the first entry on the right. Started with some more Merkins and squat-jumps. The the brilliance of good Q-preparation with the brains from Steroid showed their first prime example: He told us where we are going, by naming the streets! Unbelievable!

We went on to go to somewhere and do merkins and squat-jumps on every junction.

Then he found the trails and a nice loop within Lawson. Partner up, one goes one way, the other goes the other way. Where they meet: 10 handclap merkins and 10 derkins each. Two rounds.

Then some more hill-running, after giving precise way-instructions again! Just to find another nice hill where we did some more merkins and squat-jumps and burpees.

Was there another hill involved with some more merkins and LBC’s and stuff? I got lost…

The Gazelles were always doing some marry, until the 6 came in. Very kind! 😉

On the way back to COT we found out that there were still a few minutes on the clock. So mosey (fast!) to the High School, do some ab-work and then run back to COT.

Moleskin

It is always great to have people out there who can push you harder and harder to become better and better. Steroid was certainly no exception!

Announcements

I’d like to refer to the Flash BB, if it is out there… 😉

  • CPR class this Saturday
  • Beer-walk this Saturday (please note the order in which I remembered the announcements! ;-))
  • Site-Q-School in March
  • ….

Posse led us out with some thoughtful quote from an actor or TV series (sorry, my brain was still trying to re-gain all the lost oxygen)! But it was a nice quote, thinking about all the people who supported you to become who you are now!

Waxtravaganza Part Deux Rucking Edition

TLDR: I flaked. We rucked. 10 Pax enter, 7 Pax leave. Stronger together, sharing weight, sharing burdens. These coupons don’t save you anything. I struggle, “leave no man where you found him” gets proven again.

 

Just before lunch, just a few days before the start of the year I got a message from Carb Load about helping him with rucking Waxtravaganza. I was having a tough time when I received his message. I was dealing with some mental and physical health issues and had been continually crying out “I believe; help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24) to God. I left Carb Load hanging until the middle of January and when I finally responded, I told him that I would help, but I made excuses why he should want someone else.

Carb Load let that sit for a little more than a week until he came back with a more direct “You’re the Q, make it happen.”

Back in the summer of 2021, I did a series of ruck events in preparation for the Charlotte GrowRuck. I learned a few tricks, like using waypoints as places to pick up and drop off equipment, and I met some interesting Pax along the way. One brother in particular is Snoop from Metro who did a series of evening rucks. I learned that he has a vast collection of ruck friendly coupons – logs of all shapes, sizes, and colors; in addition to other toys.

I got about two weeks out from this year’s event when it hits me, I have some work to do! First step, see who is coming with me; I have three Hard Commits and myself. Time to put out some additional advertising, but I have a plan and I’m flexible so I can adjust as needed. Next up, connect with my brothers, get some fun coupons and set them out along the route.

I arrived at the start/finish point around 0630 and Turnbuckle and a Girl Scout mom were already there. A few minutes later ruckers start rolling in; by 0700 we are up to ten ruckers – double the number from last year. I am nervous as I go through the DiCCS (Disclaimer, CPR, Cell Phone, and Safety brief). In my initial freakout, I also forgot to grab the flag as we rolled out. Just as we begin our adventure, Carb Load calls a quick pause for a pregame family photo.

I laid out that we would start with a 60lbs sandbag and carry that to the first waypoint then swap out for a two-man log. Conversation starts out light; we have some experienced ruckers, some first timers, and some out of towners – the makings of a magnificent event.

As we make our way to the first waypoint, we move the sandbag around from one Pax to another. I announce that the theme for this ruck is shared burdens. The Pax do not seem too excited about the theme, but they are in it to win it. Just before we arrive at the first waypoint, my brother Chicken Little shows up with Old Glory and we are looking good.

As we pull in for our first gear transition, Jingles spots something out of place and raises a red flag – “that two-man log waiting for us is contraband from Metro”; he says it does not belong in Waxhaw. He and I have a good laugh because we have been under that very log together on one of Snoop’s evening rucks and he remembers that it is a challenge.

I call out that we are dropping the sandbag and that two of our taller ruckers are to pick up the ‘contraband’ and start moving to the Millbridge pool. As we make our way through the mean streets of Millbridge, Pax are moving in and out from under the log. I am seeing first timers and rucking veterans jump at the opportunity to help their brothers shoulder the burden of that log – it is a beautiful thing. We are looking good and keeping everyone together; everyone gets some time under the log.

As we draw near our second waypoint, I start seeing some obstacles amongst the Pax. Sledge-O-Matic is having some ruck struggles; he is one of our first timers, but some of our experienced Pax are talking him through how to arrange and adjust his straps so that the ruck rides differently. Schedule C is also having gear misbehave, he is one of our more experienced Pax, but his hydration bladder is leaking – could be an easy fix or a real problem.

We arrive at the Millbridge pool and drop the log. We rest for a few moments so that everyone can check their gear and take in some hydration and calories. The boot camp runners have not caught up with us yet; I suspect that they will overtake us as we reach the next waypoint, same as last year. Sledge says he is good to go, and Schedule C is all fixed up; time to ruck up!

We swap the two-man log out for a long heavy chain to carry along the Carolina Thread Trail and make our way to the Walnut Creek clubhouse. I selected the chain for the trail because it will ride close to the body and not throw off our balance as we travel the uneven terrain yet still provide a challenge. The trail is mostly single track, and we are getting a little spread out, but the conversations are getting a little bit deeper and heavier burdens are being shared.

As I suspected, just as we were leaving the trail for the Walnut Creek clubhouse the running Pax came upon us. Two brothers, Chastain and Dunkin, grab me up as they pass by – I’m grateful for the encouragement. The runners and ruckers are arriving at the clubhouse together – everyone is swapping encouragement. We are losing two ruckers at this waypoint, Sun Drop and Sledge, they have other obligations, so they are unable to ruck the full event. As the sweep, by the time I arrive at the waypoint the shovel flag is already planted with the chain resting next to it and the other ruckers were able to grab a few moments to rest and regroup. We are not staying (like the boot campers) so we grab up our flag, shoulder the chain and head back for the trail.

We are down to eight Pax, and I expect another rucker to drop at the next waypoint; Jingles must bow out to take his son to a basketball game – good man. What I did not expect was to pick up a Pax, Falcon, who has started walking to take a break from running. Falcon takes up Old Glory and carries on.

As we are making our way to the next waypoint, the running boot campers pass us. We are spread thin again but regroup as we arrive at the boot camp location. Most of the ruckers are enjoying refreshments provided by Turnbuckle and the support team when I arrive at the waypoint. Falcon is still hurting so we advise him to drop and not cause significant injury; we leave him with Turnbuckle as we prepare for our next movement. My original plan for this stop was to swap the chain for a single man log – however where I stashed the log and where the Pax stopped for the Commitment bootcamp were not the same. I did not want to fall behind the boot campers, so I called an audible and we dropped the chain and moved on out. From this point forward the runners and ruckers are neck-and-neck; they will pass us and stop for a bootcamp, and we will pass them as we drive on by.

We carry only our rucks and Old Glory for the longest portion of the ruck – the movement from Harvey Clay Nesbit Park to Waxhaw Elementary School, with a quick stop at 701 Main. This is no loss because I have something special planned for our last waypoint. At The Lycan we will have two coupons waiting for us, another single man log and the 60lbs sandbag for the final leg to the finish but… we gotta get there first.

My navigator, Jingles, has dropped as expected and I am a little concerned about our path out of the labyrinth that is Millbridge. I am quickly relieved to learn that Schedule C is also a Millbridger, so he takes on the navigator mantle. As we head out on the Millbridge trail I realize that I have done a poor job of managing my nutritional needs and hydration. I am quickly trying to overcome my mistake by eating and drinking some calories, however by the time I reach the trail exit at Creekview, I am totally gassed. Schedule C and Dana can see it all over me; they hang back with me as I try to recover on the move.

I am still trying to eat sports gummies and drink electrolytes when I receive a call from Jingles. Ever the loving brother, he is checking in to hear our progress out of Millbridge. I give him our current location and he is satisfied that we are on the right route. I am starting to feel a bit better, and we begin to close the gap with the other ruckers.

Animal is in the front – he is in beast mode for most (if not all) of the ruck and showing no sign of slowing down. Kojak and Mighty Mite are hanging right there with him. I caught up with High Hat and checked in with him. He is another first timer, but he is rolling like a veteran rucker. We have covered over eight miles by now; he says he is feeling strong but is battling some aches and pain. He is just giddy that we did not have to go all the way to the Blackhawk AO when we reached Walnut Creek.

It seems like the journey to 701 Main is all uphill, so I am falling behind again, and I am starting to question my life choices. I am feeling overwhelmed and underprepared. Schedule C sees me falling behind and having experienced more than a few rucking events, he knows what to do; he gets me talking. One thing we discuss is how I have stepped out of F3 for a season while I fought some mental and physical battles. I told him that I had convinced myself that I was alone in the battle (a lie), but several brothers reached out to me to remind me that F3 is about shared burdens, and I am not alone. I have been truly humbled and amazed by the outreach of compassion, prayers, and encouragement from my F3 brethren.

Once my mind is off my pain, Schedule C encourages me to start catching up with the rest of our Pax. As we reach 701 Main, I noticed that Mighty Mite has fallen a bit off his original pace. I check in with him and he is dealing with some expected aches and pain as well. We keep pushing forward to our next and last waypoint, Waxhaw Elementary.

As we near The Lycan I am beginning to wonder if I should call another audible and move on to the finish without the coupons awaiting us. We are a few men short and some of us are already experiencing pain. After we arrive at the waypoint, we plant the shovel flag and circle up; we take a few moments for rest and refreshment, then we have some real talk. “Where are we at?” “What is our status as a team?” I lay out the final mission. “Can we complete it?”

Everyone steps up; we are golden. Animal hits his tunes to get his mind right as we prepare for our journey through the pain cave. Dana goes and retrieves the 60lbs sandbag, we have the single man log – we are ready to roll. Old Glory in the lead with the log close behind. We are staying tight, and I am watching as these brothers are passing the coupons back and forth to “carry each other’s burdens, and in this way […] fulfill the law of Christ.” (Gal 6:2)

Dunkin’s family rides by us and brings shouts of encouragement. We see them again as we cross over the bridge. Last bit until we finish, everyone is excited. Runners have been passing us along the way, but we all finish strong and together. I am feeling spent, but the rest of the team is looking strong – these Mighty Men!

Thanks to all the ruckers who joined me. Thank you for letting me lead. Thanks to all the Pax who have come back for The Six, who have not left this man behind or left me where you found me.

 

 

The Path Less Travelled

Prelude

I am suprised that the Pax is not tired of me Qing.  Based on the Preblast from Popeye, he thought I would make everyone lift to oblivion so we had to do something the opposite.  The benefit of Waxtravaganza is that Carbload made us run all over kingdom come to which you learn about the possibility of new trails or new ways to get to new places.  That is unfortunate for the PAX but away we go with the opening DICKS and not a site Q available to ensure I don’t so something stupid.

The Thang

Mosey to the circle

  • 20 Side Straddle Hops
  • Calf Stretch
  • Runner Stretch
  • 20 low slow squats
  • 20 Merkins

Mosey to the bridge

  • 20 Dry Docks
  • 20 parker peters

Turn left and mosey down a trail no one ever pays attention to until you hit the hill

  • 7’s with Merkins at the bottom and big boys at the top
  • Run up and down the hill a lot

Hed up the hill to the traffic circle while doing 5 Imperial squakers at every other driveway

  • Hated to audible from every driveway but the 10 squats would have killed everyone on the way up the hill
  • At the circle, the official and complete Jack Web – 1-10 merkins, 4-40 air presses

Run down the hill doing 5 squats at each driveway till we hit the Millbridge Clubhouse

  • 4 corners – 20  Flutters, 20 LBC, 20 Big Boys, 20 Rosalita’s, Flutters waiting on the 6

To the Road

  • 10 speed skaters at every other driveway, single count

Grab some rocks

  • 20 Curls, Tris, row, bench, overhead
  • Move to the Right
  • 15 Curls, Tris, row, bench, overhead
  • Move to the right
  • 10 Curls, Tris, row, bench, overhead
  • 7 minutes of heaven – 1 burpee increasing by 1 at each tree on the way to COT
  • Finish with some Ab work at COT

COT

3 miles, some help for Marta to win the passport challenge and a new adventure to a terrible hill idea in Millbridge.  Great job PAX.

Announcements

  • Read the Book of Daniel  – Amazing story of his faithfulness in God in Babylon after being pulled from Isreal.  Great story of faith in trying times
  • Uncle Si made it through surgery and is recovering – High Hats Brother

Is this thing still on?

9 pax posted at Meathead this morning in the chilly gloom. Most knew the general plan (4 rounds of 8 reps of 3 supersets), but there’s always some extra time for some ad libbing by the Q.

As I got my bells out, I noticed a new face amongst the pax. I walked over to introduce myself to Countertop, a visitor head locked by Unplugged. Countertop has an injured back and didn’t want to run, so he was in the right place.

0530 rolled around, so we got started:

Warm-up:

  • SSH x 20 IC
  • 2H swings x 25
  • IW x 15 IC
  • High pulls x 10 per side
  • Prying squat x 2
  • Snatch x 5 per side
  • Windmill x 10 IC

Hypertrophy plan:

Perform 4 rounds of 8 reps of each of the following 3 supersets with a 2:00 timer. Perform the reps, then wait for the 2:00 to run out, then go again.

  • Superset 1: 8 cleans + 8 presses – doubles or singles
  • Superset 2: 8 squats + 8 merkins
  • Superset 3: 8 heavy swings + 8 lawnmowers per side

Complex:

4 deadlifts (doubles or singles), 3 snatches per side, 2 merkins, 1 push-press or jerk for 5 rounds on a 90 second timer

Carries:

Static holds: overhead, rack, and farmer. Singles or doubles. :20 in each position with 1:00 recovery.

Mary1:30 or so of hollow body hold to run out the clock.

Announcements:

  • Blood drive – check Slack for details, but there are back-to-back blood drives. 3/11 at Westminster Presbyterian Church and 3/12 at Doerre Construction. There are lots of slots available, so please pick a time that works for you.
  • QSource – Thursdays at noon online and Sundays at 0800 at the Panera at the Arboretum. Join the channel on Slack for more details and to get caught up on the reading (you don’t have to buy the book – it’s all online).

Moleskine:

  • I put together a new playlist last night instead of relying on one of Spotify’s canned ones. Of course, all the songs by particular artists were together, so I relied on Spotify’s shuffle feature. So far, so good until we got to our second Motley Crue song in the same workout. Hoover immediately called out the Q for a playlist fail. Back to the Spotify playlists…
  • Frehley’s was out of town, but he would have enjoyed the transition from Foo Fighters to Motley Crue. One of his least favorite bands followed by one of his favorites. Next time, I hope it’s Pearl Jam instead of Foo Fighters and I hope he’s there to complain.
  • Ickey has been quiet this week, possibly mourning the Bengals’ Super Bowl loss. I’m just glad he watched it since it’s so hard for a team to get there. I’m also happy he’s posted at Swole and Meathead this week. Soul Glo wasn’t there and must still be recovering from the game (and the officiating).
  • Site FNG Countertop did a great job today and said he’d be back for Swole on Monday. Apparently, he tried to post this Monday, but went to Cavalry instead of McAlpine Elementary. We got him straightened out and look forward to seeing him next week.
  • Time to watch some Olympics. Thanks for coming out and following my lead. See you on Saturday!

Waking up at 0526 for a workout.. that I’m Q’ing

0445: Alarm goes off. “I can slither back in the fartsack and get 15 more minutes of rest in”

0526: “What time is it?!? &$^&*! I’m going to miss my own Q!”

0527: Sprint downstairs, throw on clothes and grab my shoes, head out the door.

0528: Start the car and back out of a driveway. “Wait a minute…. Shouldn’t I just skip the Q entirely and deal with the relentless shame of not showing up to my own party? Or will I preserve some semblance of dignity showing up significantly late to the workout. Well, it’s too late now”

0530: Attempt to tie shoe laces while driving down Ardrey Kell past the high school. Note to self: Do not every try this again

0536: Coming in hot to Big View Diner. “I hope there’s only 2-3 people who will chastise me upon my arrival.” 

0537: “Dang it, there’s more cars here than I expected. Now where could they have gone. Now I’m going to be an even bigger idiot showing up at 0615 and claiming that I spent the last 38 minutes searching for the pax.”

0540: Run towards athletic fields by Elon Park Elementary. “MIDRIFF!” calls out an angelic, albeit burly voice in the distance. Mighty Mite emerges from the neon-light soaked misty distance.

0541: Greeted by the pax with monkey humpers and quietly join in like a dog with its tail between the legs. “These are for you, Midriff” War Eagle declares poignantly. “You can’t call anymore burpees since we’ve been doing those at every speed bump around the school” declares Mighty Mite. The show must go on.

0543: Burpee 1 bombjack, broad jump (2 parking lot spaces) and bear crawl (3 spaces) to end of parking lot by first athletic field. No gloves was a big mistake.

0545: 10 donkey kicks, 30 air press, 15 donkey kicks, 35 air press and 20 donkey kicks, 40 air press on building next to athletic field

0548: Four corner/starfish on soccer field. Start with 3 burpees in middle, then run out to a corner to complete called exercise before repeating next corner. 15 merkins, 15 diamond merkins, 15 wide arm merkins, 15 dry docks. The starfish reminds us that F3 works because there the model does not prioritize centralized leadership. A starfish can lose an appendage and grow another starfish, rather than the whole unit dying. Attempt to atone for my sins by thanking pax for stepping up to lead in my absence. “Ahh, so you intentionally came late to teach us a lesson. That’s cute.” affirmed War Eagle in an encouraging tone.

0558: 10 stepups (each leg), 20 dips, 30 LBC by the benches in the middle of the field.

0603: Suicides on soccer field. 5 jump squats every line. How is Jerry World so fast with such short legs???

0606: Mosey back to Big View, completing 20 monkey humpers and 20 dry docks on the way.

0612: Circle up for 10 merkins, american hammers, 10 merkins, rosalita, 10 merkins, heels to heaven, 10 merkins.

0615: Countarama and Nameorama. How has MARTA posted at 30 unique workouts since January 1? Is he a machine? Or has he found a way to clone himself? Oh wait, I need to ask about announcements..

0621: SOBeer Run on 2/26, Passport challenge, F3 Metro/South Charlotte Blood drive, Waxtravaganza part two in Waxhaw this Saturday. Why is Brexit wearing massive gloves like some hitman in a James Bond film???

0625: Closing prayer. Discuss benefits of permanently relocating to this location. Commiserate with other dads about the eternal conflict with disobedient children. Man, Inkwell’s Jeep is the coolest vehicle out here. I wonder how I can convince the M to make this our next “family” vehicle. Do car seats even fit in that thing?? It’s got a roll cage so that’s pretty safe, right?

0628: Make my way back to the good ole 2012 white Hyundai Sonata. Phew! I made it. Relatively unscathed physically and emotionally. That wasn’t as bad as I though it would be. These guys have my back.

“MIDRIFF!” The burly voice calls out again. This time with eager anticipation. “Let me know when you want to lead a full 45-minute workout”

Brutal. Savage. Rekt.