The Hydra “Lucky” 13 Get Lucky
13 fortunate PAX converged on the grounds of Olde Providence Elementary for a workout that went something like this:
Track:
1 Lap – 1/4 High Knees – Merkins x 20
1 Lap – 1/4 Butt kicks, 1/4 High Knees – Merkins x 20
Field for COP:
2 Minute Plank (Men’s Health requirement for long life expectancy)
SSH x 20
Negative Merkins x 10 (hold 3 count down, then up)
Standing Mountain Climbers (high knees) x 15
Merkins x 15
Squat Hops (forward hop, backward hop) x 15
Partner Up for Prairie Fire Mary (10L, 10C, 10R)
Run to Bus Parking Lot and find a line for 20 yard There and Backs:
Two-legged line hop There, Merkins x 20, Two-legged line hop Back
Jump Forwards There, Heels to Heaven x 20, Jump Forwards Back
One-Legged line hop There, Mason Twist x 20, One-legged hop Back
Indian Run to Harris Teeter (.65 miles)
Merkins x 50
Audible Merkins x 20 (guest Q Harris Teeter lady)
Indian Run back from Harris Teeter (.65 miles)
Return to Olde Providence Fields:
Partner Drag There and Back (70 yards) Flap Jack as needed
Mosey to Concessions for refreshments:
Dips x 30
Jump ups x 20
Burpees x 10
2 Rounds of this 30, 20, 10 (until time runs out)
Return to Parking Lot and Circle Up for Mary:
Dollies x 15
Count off to 13
Name-o-rama (2 FNG’s welcomed)
Announcement: Keep Posting Hydra, if interested in getting in Q rotation let YHC know. We are booked into June but can find a week for you, always like to see pax step up.
Moleskin: The cold temps offered up a reminder that we are not quite past mother winter yet. Close but not quite. After last week’s whistle treatment by 49er, some pax may have retreated to their whistle-free fartsacks for what offered to be a workout that delivered cardio, core, and bits of strength thrown in for good measure. We cleared over 2 miles of movement for the morning and got the heart rate up on some exercises during COP. The standing Mountain Climbers were crowd favorite and looked a bit like dancing dudes giggling like school girls. Well, it delivered cardio and the high knees proper form offered a great warm up for what was to come. Always good to see 74 year old major war daddy (recovering from broken hand – disclosure not an F3 injury) out there pushing it. YHC goal was to cover some ground, get some core worked out, and sprinkle in some upper body strength. I think we got that accomplished. Great work by pax. Good laughter and chatter out there and great work by group getting to and from Harris Teeter for our shopping trip. Loved the “do 20 more” from our impromptu guest Q Harris Teeter lady strolling into work. Seemed only natural that I instruct the pax to do 20 more merkins on top of the 50 we had just completed. My pleasure to lead this morning, thank you for the opportunity.
Hydra fun handout
2 ran in, 1 did a pre-kettlebell warmup but when the 5:30 bell sounded, ten faithful began the fun handout. It went something like this:
Warmup: 2 Laps with 10 merkins after each lap and PLANK while waiting
COP at fields: SSH x 25, IW x 15, MC x 25, Diamond Merkins x 10
The Thang: Line it up for 50 yard There and Back Pyramids (5,10, 15, 20, 15, 10, 5)
THERE: Burpees, Heels to Heaven, Merkins, LBC’s x 5
BACK: Burpees, Heels to Heaven, Merkins, LBC’s x 10
THERE: Burpees, Heels to Heaven, Merkins, LBC’s x 15
BACK: Burpees, Heels to Heaven, Merkins, LBC’s x 20
THERE: Burpees, Heels to Heaven, Merkins, LBC’s x 15
BACK: Burpees, Heels to Heaven, Merkins, LBC’s x 10
THERE: Burpees, Heels to Heaven, Merkins, LBC’s x 5
BACK: Merkins x 20 and then PLANK while waiting
INDIAN RUN AROUND SCHOOL (1/4 mile)
PLAYGROUND: Partner Up (10 Pullups, 20 Decline Merkins, 20 Old School Situps) FLAPJACK
CONCESSIONS: 30, 20, 10’s (30 Dips, 20 Step Ups, 10 Burpees) – 2 ROUNDS
BACK TO FIELDS: THERE and BACK ONE MORE TIME
START: HEELS TO HEAVEN x 20
THERE: LBC’s x 20
BACK: PLANK while waiting
PARTNER UP FOR PRAIRIE FIRE MARY (10L, 10C, 10R)
MOSEY TO PARKING LOT AND CIRCLE UP
TWO-MINUTE PLANK TO FINISH
46 minutes: That’s a wrap – 1 minute of overtime!
COUNT OFF – 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
NAME-O-RAMA
ANNOUNCEMENTS (get your Valentine’s Day reservations made!)
BALL OF MAN (take out by Gummy)
Moleskin:
A tweet was sent out Wednesday that promised fun. YHC did his best to deliver. The fun we had doing a pyramid a couple of months ago was brought back for a repeat performance. Several of the pax missed the last go round so it was a first hydra there and back pyramid experience for them. The squish, squish, squish sound of the fields on a 32 degree morning made for a cold wet one while motoring through the There and Backs and made the LBCs and Heels To Heaven super wet gloomy fun. It was good to see Yankee back at ole Hydra.
On the day, we ended up rattling out 100 Burpees, Merkins, LBC’s and Heels to Heaven and traveled about 1.5 miles. Kirk and Hopper were strong out there on the pyramid and Mallcop was a machine as well considering he started at 0500 in a self-led Kettlebell workout (uh, okay you earned extra credit even though you rolled out at 0600 due to your corporate obligations). Considering Gummy bookended the workout with a 2 mile run in and run home, that was mighty strong today! Hacker came in for I believe his 3rd straight week of Hydra handout and showed he is a force to be reckoned with as he has been F3’ing it for over a year…how many months has it been Hacker since your first post to The Rock. Gecko was his usual force and High Tide who has the shortest distance to travel to OP came rolling in LATE. I believe it was to avoid the warm-up laps as High Tide has mad it known he is not a fan of running. Come on High Tide, it’s not so bad. Gullah came to play at Hydra. I think he felt bad for putting me through one mega pain handout on Saturday at Olympus. That is a great kettlebell workout with cardio sprinkled in. No joke and a Saturday workout everyone should post for and check out!
The pyramid zapped energy out of the gate and the pax held on to complete the game plan. The final touch of a 2-minute plank showed that planking is no joke. An article in Men’s Health last week identified three tests to determine life expectancy and how passing them is a sign of strong core. They are: 2-minute perfect plan (straight line back and legs with arms fully extended), your waist line is no more than 1/2 your height, and you can sit down on floor and get back up without using hands, elbows, arms…Try them out. I tweeted this article out last weekend if you follow me on twitter @jasonhilliard
It was a privilege leading the pax today. I have been doing an every 3 week rotation for a bit and have others stepping in on the 2nd and 3rd weeks. We have workout Q’s booked up through March but have openings I will be looking to fill in Apr, May, June in coming weeks. Let me know if you are interested in leading a Hydra workout. Gummy joined the Hydra Q rotation and laid out a great one a couple of weeks ago. Donkey Kong is co-site Q and comes to smack folks around pretty good on his days and 49er, our long lost co-site Q has been seen recently crawling out of his cave from winter hibernation and will be leading Hydra soon.
Well, that’s a wrap. Until the next gloom,
Bugeater
Burpees as Recovery
11 men descended upon OP for a heavy running workout. We covered 2.5 miles during the 45 minute workout. Here’s how:
Warmup:
Little baby jog to front of school, u-turn to pick up later arrival, then on to the front field
SSH x 25
IW x 20
Mountain Climber x 20
Slow Squats x 20
The Thang:
Mosey to concession area
Partner up
Partner 1 does derkins while Partner 2 runs around first baseball field, flapjack
Repeat with three other fields: Dips, Jump Ups, CDDs
Mosey to field map at front of park for a baseball ladder
Run to the pitcher’s mound on field 1. Do 1 Burpee. Back to map for 1 Sister Mary Catherine.
Repeat up to field 6, number of reps = field number (Audible from going all the way to field 8 so we had time for Mary)
Mosey to front field for Mary
Flutter x 20. Line up, sprint to end of field. Line up, return.
Repeat with Dolly, LBC, Peter Parker, Parker Peter, Protractor
Moleskin:
The plan was to start with running and keep it going throughout the workout. Easier to stay warm that way. YHC smiled a little when I heard someone say that the burpees during the baseball ladder were their recovery time. Mission accomplished.
Great work by everyone. That much continuous running isn’t easy if you’re not used to it. Spammer got after it in only his second workout. BOG was killing it on the sprints at the end – he said he imagined he was chasing Fletch.
Extra credit to Stage Coach, Bugeater, Puddin Pop, Gummy and Cheese Curd. 5 of 11 with extra credit running to and from the workout. Total mileage for those who ran to and from Harris Teeter was 4 miles.
Announcements:
Blue Ridge Relay – let Baracus know if you’re interested. Teams are forming, so hurry.
F3 has a team for the March 8th Corporate Cup. Sign up on the race website – choose F3 as the team.
[Posted by Bugeater on behalf of Gummy – congrats on site Q at Hydra!]
Cold with a 100% chance of phosphocreatine depletion
Four hearty souls and YHC shook off the warmth and comfort of the fartsack and said yes to pain, as pain brings growth.
The THANG:
Mosey to lower parking lot
SSH x 21
IW x 21
MTN Climbers x 21
Pendulum Plank x 21
Wind Mills x 21
Arm/shoulder rotations x 21 (ea direction)
Low slow Squats x 21
Good Mornings x 21
Squat Jacks x 21
Stagger Merkins x 30; 15 ea arm
Two handed swings x 21
Partner up, like size KB
P1 Merkins x 9/ P2 Farmer Carry With Bells; CMIYC – flapjack until reaching neighborhood hill
24’s on the HILL
Burpees at the top of the hill x 3. Carry KB to bottom of the hill.
Renagade rows w/ KB at the bottom of the hill x 21. Leave KB, run back to top
Burpees x 6
Renagade rows x 18
Burpees x 9
Renagade rows x 15
Burpees x 12
Renagade rows x 12
Burpees x 15
Renagade rows x 9
Burpees x 18
Renagade rows x 6
Burpees x 21
Renagade rows x 3. Return w/ KB
P1 Merkins x 9/ P2 Farmer Carry With Bells; CMIYC – flapjack until reaching school parking lot
Partner back up for 66’s and sprint work. Partner 1 performs specified exercise while partner 2 sprints out and back (40 meters). Flapjack until team completes a total of 66 reps:
Triceps extension w/ KB
RDL
Two-handed swings
Goblet squats
Figure 8 with curls at top
Times up. Pencils down.
COT
Moleskin:
With frosty flesh and strong spirits the PAX embarked on a metabolism revving, energy draining set of exercises. YHC sought to bring an aspect of the 3rd F to this morning’s 1st F: three parts make the ONE.
We began with an invigorating COP to raise our core temperature. After a few layers were shed and left behind we set out for the neighborhood hill. 24’s on the hill sounded great as YHC concocted this morning’s bout. However, YHC was on the verge of projectile vomiting after completing 2/3 of the task. With the phase “Don’t Q what you can’t do!” ringing in my head there was no choice but to complete the task with all the strength and honor exhibited by the PAX. While on our famer-carry CMIYC back to the school a local resident muttered: “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen!” He knew CSAUP when he saw it. With little time and many plays remaining on the Weinke it was time to get back to work. With minimal mumble-chatter the PAX embraced the partner work and completed each task with all due haste.
It was an honor to lead the PAX this AM on my maiden Q. Thank you for enduring my over-reliance upon my Weinke.
-There has never yet been a [person] in our history who led a life of ease whose name is worth remembering. Theodore Roosevelt
[posted by Bugeater on behalf of Lab Rat – Congratulations Lab Rat on leading the F3 pax today!]
The Change-Up at The Rock
10 PAX worked out for a full 60 minutes using most of the terrain offered up at The Rock. A quick shuffling of Q at the beginning (see moleskin) and the workout went something like this.
Bugeater (YHC) on Q:
1 Lap (400 m)
COP: 20 SSH, 20 IW, 30 MC, 20 Mason Twists, Partner Prairie Fire Mary (10L, 10C, 10R), Plank, 11 Slerkins (slow merkins and I will not mention YHC’s fail on rep number 11)
Indian Run (600 m) to our favorite hill known as North Face
5 Burpees at North Face Up, 10 Rock Hoppers at North face Down x 3
Cross over to fields on Rea side of Church for 50-yard There and Backs:
Round 1 There – Heels To Heaven, Back – V sits
Round 2 There – Mason Twist, Back – Dollys
Round 3 There – Flutters, Back – Heels To Heaven
Merkins x 50
Plank until PAX gathered and ready
Round 4 There – Bear Crawl/Crab Walk flapjack as needed, Back – Bear Crawl/Crab Walk flapjack as needed
Indian Run (600 m) back to starting COP location for hand off to Tadpole.
Tadpole on Q:
Mosey to soccer fields and Partner Up:
Partner Drag 40 yards – flap jack
Partner Wheelbarrow 40 yards – flap jack
Partner A Burpees and Partner B 50 yard sprint to Fence – 3 rounds
Partner A 6 inch Mission Impossible and Partner B 25 yard lunge walk
Mosey to tables for wall chair, military air press x 20
Step Ups x 20, Dips x 20, Derkins x 10 – 3 rounds
Mosey to volleyball courts for:
Bear Crawl There, run back
Bear Crawl there, Dragon Crawl back
Mosey to Circle Back up for Count off and Name-o-rama
Ball of Man send off by Tadpole
Moleskin:
An interesting start to the day was an SOS tweet sent out by The Rock workout co-founder and steady as she goes Mallcop at 0640, originally scheduled to first half Q followed by waiting in the wings Tadpole. YHC saw the tweet in route and made the decision to help a brother out and pulled into Calvary to step in for a sickly Mall Cop. Yes, the decision was made to forego the opportunity to see what Purple Haze was going to dish out at his one-year F3 anniversary Day Zero workout. From the sound of it, I heard Haze laid out a painful dishing out of gloomy pain. So YHC immediate plan was to pull from my Hydra playbook from Q’ing on Thursday and Blades of Glory informed he said he was prepared for some of what YHC might bring.
The initial cold was harsh but five minutes into the workout many pax with the right layers were warm. The gloveless Tadpole was handed extra gloves sacrificed by Bulldog to help a pax brother out. Great move there! Not having coordinated the workout the terrain used by YHC and Tadpole was completely opposite sides of campus, so it could not have worked out better. We went on a regular tour today and many pax almost jumped on the 1 of 4 warm buses headed to a 3-day ski trip.
Some mumble chatter was heard. The North face was a treat that garnered comments, as usual. Wolfman was rather comical with his comments through out and indicated his spearhead and ruck focus has left him sucking wind on the sprints and running drills. Still a strong showing brother and way to power through! Blades of Glory is like a dang machine out there as well as Bulldog as usual as those two led much of the drills. Beast! Harley and Iron Horse were their steady strong as usual and all 10 fellas brought their A game and busted it all the way through – 60 minutes strong.
Tadpole showed off some great leadership leading the second half and at 17 is proving to be quite the F3 force. Great work Tadpole who expressed interest in Navy Seals. F3 is a great resume and network builder Tadpole. Good work buddy and leverage to the max.
Announcements:
GORUCK MARCH 2014: Reach out to Bulldog for anyone interested in upcoming Goruck in March. Goruck is an event every pax member should do at least once. Its the way to earn your man card. Read past backblast for Goruck events.
BLUE RIDGE RELAY SEPT 2014: Reach out to Baracus for anyone interested in Blue Ridge Relays in September. Many months to prepare. If you can handle a 10k you can handle this. This event is some great 2nd F and a blast as the jokes and stories are flying and being made as you go. Read past backblast for Sept 2013 BRR.
SAMMY 2nd BIRTHDAY: Spandex son Sammy turns two today. He was a miracle baby so dad was announcing to pax showing off his father pride and sharing this great news. Tremendous stuff and this is what F3 is about. Guys you can confide in, share the good and bad with.
Hydra meets Starfish pyramid, pax meet pain head on
12 PAX posted for an extremely gloomy workout. The group brushed off the early chill quickly and got into beat down rhythm. It goes something like this…
Trackside: 2 Laps
COP: 20 SSH, 20 IW, 30 MC
The Thang:
Starfish Pyramid (15 minutes as far as you get) pyramid count 5, 10, 15, 10, 5:
Run to station 1 for pyramid count Merkins, then 10 merkin middle
Run to station 2 for pyramid count Jump Squats, then 10 merkin middle
Run to station 3 for pyramid count Heels To Heaven, then 10 merkin middle
Run to station 4 for pyramid count Rock Hoppers, then 10 merkin middle
(Congrats those who got through 4th interval – you nailed 200 merkins)
Plank in Center & Recover
Line it Up:
75-yard Bear Crawl, Crab Walk, Lunge Walk (alternative) There and Back (150-yards total)
Partner Up:
75-yard Partner Drag There and Back There and Back (150-yards total)
Mosey to blacktop and Partner Up:
Partner A Burpees while wait
Partner B Zig Zag line to line for 50-yards to cone/end – Sprint Back
Flapjack
Rinse & Repeat but Partner A does Heels To Heaven for Round 2
Indian Run 400 meters to circle up
Partner Up for Prairie Fire Mary: 10 Left, 10 Center, 10 Right – Flapjack
Mason Twist x 15
The Moleskin:
Great work by pax today. The primary goal was to lay out a workout that offered lots of movement and kept things going. The target was shoulders, chest, legs and lungs. The group 4-station pyramid starfish got the Thang started off pretty good. 15 minutes to see how far we could get in the pyramid. Many pax made it through the 4th interval (5,10,15,10) – strong, way strong as you hit 200 merkins. WIth a dozen guys we made the call to all start together at Station 1. That worked well. Kept us all working hard to keep up…
Also, great run in to workout by Puddin Pop and Cheese Curd. Extra credit earned.
Tiger Rag checked in on the old Hydra to see how things are going, great to see you TR. Hope we lived up to the F3 billing with this workout. There are a lot of tough acts to follow out there. We try to apply motion and muscle and variation to shock the muscles.
Quote of the day: “If someone sees an arm or a shoulder out in the middle of the field somewhere please return it to me.” by Puddin Pop
Keep coming back to Hydra, spread the word, and lets get some FNG’s and guys back out. Some folks have crawled into there winter caves but as weather warms am sure we will see our numbers climb.
It was my pleasure to lead in this wonderful gloom.
Thanks Hannibal for taking us out in the ball of man.
Area 51 2nd F Preblast: Lone Survivor Movie Friday followed by Murph Saturday
Gentlemen of the Saturday Gloom,
Our own Stone Cold has presented an excellent opportunity for a private F3 movie showing for the men of Area 51.
Head lock others and join your F3 Area 51 brothers in this 2nd F/CSAUP combo to honor the men and women in uniform who risk it all for our freedom on a daily basis.
These two servings are certain to inspire and motivate. This movie will provide perspective and appreciation for those who serve our country. The 2nd F reinforces the F3 mission for our fellow F3 brothers who we lead, follow, work out with, confide in, and team together for CSAUP events like the Mud run, Spartan races, Blue Ridge Relay, and Go Ruck – among others.
Lone Survivor Movie Premiere in Charlotte: On Friday evening, January 10, 2014 we will be watching the movie premiere of Lone Survivor at a private F3 showing at Cinebarre movie theatre in Arboretum. This is a powerful movie based on a best-selling true story about 4 Navy seals under insurmountable odds and is for all things that push us past our physical and mental limits. Many PAX have read the book.
“The Murph” workout: Saturday January 11, 2014, the Area 51 Qs have confirmed that they will integrate “The Murph” or some version of it into each of their regular workouts (Area 51, Ascent, Day Zero, Olympus, Outland, The Rock, Stonehenge). The workout was designed by Lt. Michael Murphy, who died while serving and whose character is in this movie, and is intended to honor him and all who have served. The Site Q’s for that day will provide special instructions as needed. Day Zero has mentioned converging with The Rock for this event.
Details:
Serving #1: Lone Survivor Movie Premiere in Charlotte – Friday, January 10, 2014:
- Event Q is Stone Cold, contact information in Evite
- RSVP to Evite: http://www.evite.com/event/0383ZUBUAKYBQQWSGEPDMOSYLZ5PFM
- Evite Reminders to be sent out prior to event but can click link above to RSVP now
- The confirmed movie launch time will be a 2030 start time – SHARP!!!
- We are pushing max limit so be there early to ensure you get a seat
- Cost of tickets will be $15 due to overwhelming response
- Cinebarre will have a table setup for F3 to collect your cash for the amount (no debit/credit cards due to combined cost of rental and tickets)
- Meet-up at Cinebarre Theatre before the movie for those interested (1900 – 2015). Some pax may gather at The Lodge in Colony Place but will move to Cinebarre if/when it crowds. NOTE: Change in plans to NOT meet at Vintners due to size of response!!!!!
- Trailer and Story behind the movie available at: www.lonesurvivorfilm.com
Serving #2 : The “Murph” plus more at your regular workout locations/times – Saturday, January 11, 2014
- CSAUP Q for this 2nd F is Honey Bee, for questions regarding the “Murph”/workout
- Area 51, Ascent (modified), Day Zero, Olympus, Outland, The Rock, Stonehenge
- 1 Mile Run – 100 Pullups – 200 Merkins – 300 Squats – 1 Mile Run (modify if necessary)
- The “Murph” typically takes 30-40 minutes to complete, so factor into workout schedules
- Red Pill: wear a fully laden ruck like the real Murph -Lt. Michael Murphy featured in Lone Survivor
- Coffeeteria to follow at your regular location and times
Movie 2.0 Disclaimer: The Lone Survivor is rated R due to profanity and realistic depictions of violence where the characters portray real people who die (parent’s guide linked below). F3 Nation does believe the film is appropriate for mature/teen 2.0s and would welcome all interested 2.0s to attend the event to learn more about those who serve our country and a real world depiction of heroes: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1091191/parentalguide?ref_=tt_stry_pg
Note: Many PAX across F3 Nation are coordinating similar Lone Survivor events during this nationwide opening weekend event, include NoCo and Metro here in Charlotte. This event is open to F3 pax everywhere.
Promote in work out announcements and spread the word. Get your fellow workout PAX to participate. Headlock some FNG’s and we can use opportunity to get them to post for a workout!!!
Some notable lines provided in the movie and by interviews with the real life Navy Seal survivor Marcus Luttrell:
“I can fight.”
“There is nothing I cannot do.”
“There are brothers that never leave your side.”
“You can die for your country, I am gonna live for mine.”
“As a Navy Seal, our greatest fear is not being there for each other.”
“I will have your back, I will be there for you, including giving my life for you.”
We are glad to support this 2nd F opportunity brought by Stone Cold,
Jason Hilliard, Bugeater & Joe Evins, Honey Bee
Hydra gift exchange
11 pax stepped away from their warm beds, their Christmas trees and families tucked snugly in bed to meet their workout brothers in the cold but unusually friendly gloom. After talk of mumble chatter the evening before in twitterland, QIC felt compelled to make believers out of this group, that we could have another day of Christmas.
The Thang:
Warmup is 2 laps, 4 corners: SSH x 10, I Walkers x 10, Merkins x 10, Burpees x 10
Plank
Partner Up – Partner A Bear Crawls, Partner B 5 Burpees and Chase, switch – 1 Lap
Mosey to field behind school and line up for a fun (&slightly confusing) pyramid run:
There – burpeesx5, M Climbersx5, HeelstoHeavenx5, RockHoppersx5
Back – burpeesx10, M Climbersx10, HeelstoHeavenx10, RockHoppersx10
There – burpeesx15, M Climbersx15, HeelstoHeavenx15, RockHoppersx15
Back – burpeesx10, M Climbersx10, HeelstoHeavenx10, RockHoppersx10
There – burpeesx5, M Climbersx5, HeelstoHeavenx5, RockHoppersx5
Mosey to Playground:
Pullupsx15
Partner A Plank on Partner B Feet, Partner B Old Fashioned Situpsx25
Mosey to Snack shack:
Dipsx30, Hop/Step Upsx20, Burpeesx10
Again – Dipsx30, Hop/Step Upsx20, Burpeesx10
Mosey to Football Field:
200 yards of Partner Drag flap-jacking as often as needed (there and back)
Mosey to finish
Circle Up
Ball of Man – Closing prayer by Hops (thanks Hops)
The Moleskin:
Strong work by all who came out. There was some tough going in the middle of that gloom. The bear crawl around the track is always a crowd pleaser, and somewhere on the way to 15 reps of the pyramid run some folks were feeling the sweet, sweet pain of hydra, or perhaps it was the return trip of the partner drags that was the icing on this workout cake.
There was no slowing Long Distance as he was powered by his strong legs and his extra g-force. I hope Santa brought you some new pants for Christmas. Cottonmouth was a jumping machine on the hop ups and completed the 30-20-10 round in quick time. Strong effort in the pyramid run by all!
Hops earned some bonus points as he ran to and from OP for a probably 2+ miles additional workout. The Hydra likes to keep the pax moving and the challenge weekly is to get pax to run in from their homes or the Harris Teeter or Bi Lo to add 1.5-2 miles onto the workout..
As usual, I appreciate the opportunity to lead. Thanks gentlemen. Keep pushing and giving your best. Prepare for an awesome 2014. Sign up for some events so you have targets to shoot for. See you out in the gloom and keep posting Hydra!
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Convergence Saturday Ascent at the Rock
Convergence Saturday Day Zero and Olympus
Convergence New Years Day Morning – all A51 workouts at Death Valley (South CLT Middle School)
Joe Davis 5k coming up Jan 4, 2014.
Lone Survivor Movie Premiere – 2nd F Friday January 10 followed by Murph workout on Saturday January 11, 2014. 2nd F combo coordinated by Stone Cold and Honey Bee
Last, step up and Q Hydra in 2014 – we need to add some folks to the rotation. We have had the following pax lead Hydra thus far: Donkey Kong, 49er, Bugeater, Cheese Curd, Run Stopper, Cotton Mouth, High Tide, Champagne – and would like to add more to this list. When you lead you get to design the workout. That is the beauty of it. Step up and let Kong, 49er, or Bugeater know which week in Jan or Feb you would be interested in. New Years Resolution for you to lead a workout.
Hydra keeps things moving,,,as usual
13 pax rose from their nice warm beds to take on the Hydra. When the Q runs to the workout with a 35-lb ruck sack on, you better believe there is something fun planned for the pax. I mean, there is this thing called equal pain distribution. Just sayin’. We ran over 1.5 miles and managed 200 merkins on this workout tour.
The Thang:
Merkins x 30
Warmup is 2 laps, 4 corners: SSH x 10, M Climbers x 10, Rock Hoppers x 10, Burpees x 10
Flutterkicks while we wait (compliments of Donkey Kong)
Merkins x 30
Partner Up – Partner A Bear Crawls, Parner B Burpees and Chase, switch – 1 Lap
Merkins x 30
.75 Mile Indian Run to Office Building next to Harris Teeter (where did Reload go?)
Merkins x 50
Criss Cross in Parking Lot line to line – Sprint Back when reach end
.75 Mile Indian Run to back to Olde Providence Elementary
Mosey to field behind school and circle up:
Merkins x 30
Time for some core:
Heels to Heaven x 10
Mason Twist x 12
Partner Up for Prairie Fire Mary Left x 10, Center x 10, Right x 10 – switch
Heels to Heaven x 10
Mason Twist x 10
Old School Situps (partner A planks on feet, partner B sit ups) x 15
Mosey to finish
Circle Up and finish with Merkins x 30
on the day, 200 Merkins – nice work!
Ball of Man – Closing prayer by QIC
The Moleskin:
Admittedly QIC has been on somewhat of a lazy tour since BRR and appreciates the opportunity to lead this workout. It is a reminder that everyone is put there pushing themselves and getting stronger. Gummy was tearing it up out there, Fletch bringing his usual speed, puddin pop was tearing up the bear crawls (or the bear crawls were tearing him up), insomniac showed some strength, Blades of Glory and Gecko showed some wheels out there as well when out on our fun run. I have seen Camacho posting Hydra regularly, Mall Cop showed for what he said would make him on track for 6 posts this week, That is mega strong brother and glad to lend you my ruck sack while you decide that YOU WILL SIGN UP FOR GORUCK CHALLLENGE. I firmly believe EVERY F3 PAX should complete at least 1 goruck challenge in their lifetime and my vote would be younger over older, so just sign up and be a part of something hard to describe. It was and may be the hardest physical challenge I have endured, but also one of the most rewarding things I have done in my life. The camaraderie and bonding through training and completing the mission makes it all worth it. See Dora for details.
The chill never really got to anyone as we had a constant motion going. We skipped the starting warmup circle and just got down to business for a little warmup on the track to set the tone. On our run we inadvertently lost Reload. Sorry about that Reload as we do not like to lose fellas out in the gloom and try to keep everyone together – should have fallen back for you brother! We reunited with Reload back at OP Elementary and we finished as one pax – whew!
AFter the beat down today, QIC happily hitched a ride home with Puddin Pop. . My lazy tour has resulted in just a wee bit of fatigue. The pax were strong today and I appreciated the opportunity to lead. Thanks gentlemen and anyone interested in stepping up to lead Hydra workouts in coming weeks let me know.
By the way where is Greyhound? The 70+year old warrior was a staple for several months straight and I have not seen him in weeks. Zima brought him out, maybe he knows.
Until next time gentlemen. Keep coming back and bring other pax and friends to Hydra.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Up to 26 workouts in Area 51 – great stuff!
Convergence next Tuesday at Skunkworks – be there for the fun. Look for workout start time in Weekly Sunday Email.
Step up and Q Hydra in 2014 – we need to add some folks to the rotation.We have had the following pax lead Hydra thus far: Donkey Kong, 49er, Bugeater, Cheese Curd, Run Stopper, Cotton Mouth, High Tide, Champagne – and would like to add more to this list. When you lead you get to design the workout. That is the beauty of it. Step up and let Kong, 49er, or Bugeater know which week in Jan or Feb you would be interested in.
24 degrees of Hydra
I realized something today. Free workouts work. Even at sub-freezing, frozen tundra, finger numbing, heart slowing 24 degree temperatures. A great show was put on by the pax who escaped the fartsack and man style posted in the frozen wintry gloom. Not too mention The Hoff who came rucking into Hydra like we were some kind of base camp.
The Thang:
1 Lap
Burpees x 5
1 Lap
Mosey to frozen field for COP:
Side Straddle Hop x 20
Imperial Walker x 20
Mountain Climber x 30
Carolina Dry Dock x 20
Rock Hopper x 10
Partner Up for Prairie Fire Mary Left x 10, Center x 10, Right x 10
Now time for the Pyramid Run (50-yard sprints/runs)
At end of each 50-yard run do the following 4 exercises:
Burpees, Merkins, Heels to Heaven, LBC x5, x10, x15, x20, x15, x10, x5
Those waiting jog in place 1 minute
Those waiting Burpees x 10
Indian Run around Olde Providence School
Back to Field:
Partner Drag There and Back, flapjack as needed
Mosey to Playground and partner up:
Pullups x 10
Old School Situps x 20 (partner plan on feet)
Decline Merkins x 20 (partner plank)
Mosey to COT for 2 minutes of Mary:
Mason/Russion Twists x 20
Flutter Kick x 15
45 minutes of adrenaline rush complete. mission accomplished. Good work fellas.
Moleskin:
So the sight to start was worthy of a picture. The breath of every man visible. Those few in shorts, most gloves and hat. Introductions seemed necessary because not only is it dark gloom at 5:20 AM these days, but the winter garb makes us all look like undercover workout artists.
Audible off the bat to get some blood flowing, some laps were ran. Did not originally plan the laps, but man, when the chattering is from teeth banging together and not just yapping, it seemed like the right thing to do. So a couple laps we did…
Even after COP folks were still a bit chilled to core. Enter Pyramid Run and workout game changer. This treat of a workout was instantly welcomed, or at least accepted by the group as an innocent enough exercise. How hard can it be. The idea of 4 exercises pyramiding up to 20 and back down with a tiny 50-yard gallop across the field can’t be that tough. Boy, the grunting and mumblechatter and work put on by the pax over that next 20 minutes was awesome. Work to the core, the bodies finally warmed, and the peak at 20 reps each were accomplished and the ride back down to 15, then 10, then 5 reps was handled. Our business was done.
The Hoff either heard and repeated from another pax or originated from his own brain “This is better than sleeping” at one point through the pain fun. Quote of the morning we will call it. Nice to see you Hoff and everyone should take a crack at the Kettlebell Olympus workout on Saturdays!
In the end, we put in 80 reps each of the 4 exercises during the pyramid run. nice work! And those that did the 10 bonus burpees got themselves to 90, add the 5 we did after the first lap and the five more you do when reading then post, then you have arrived at the century mark for the day. Good job. If you read this and do the 5 burpees, then you gotta reply to this backblast to share it and earn the points brother!
Good work by all, keep coming to Hydra, let’s keep these numbers up there. Let’s not let the cold keep us away. All weather all the time baby! Keep pushing, keep posting, keep getting better.
We had several Hydra newbies today, welcome to Chicken Wing (brought out by The Hoff), Judge Smails, and Ribeye!
Announcements:
3rd F led by Carrier at Atrium uptown Wells Fargo 11:45 AM Thursdays, starting today, come on over if you are uptown.
Tiger Rag is looking for convergence on next Thursday. I think he is doing an F3 Maui tour so he will not be leading, but some of us not travelling need to step up and help lead this band of brothers before we OD on turkey for the day.