QIC: Circuit City
Pax: Mermaid, Margo, Chelms, Clover, Lorax, Point Break, Runstopper (R), Limey, Snuka (R), Bout Time, Uncle Phil, Kane, Thunder Road, Mayday, Jon (FNG), Matt (FNG)
17 PAX pulled up near the Amelie’s bakery as the temp and humidity was quickly rising. This was a Q that YHC has been looking forward to since Mermaid inquired a few weeks ago. This was going to be a site VQ. New turf to cover and shaky on the directions. More on that later. Also, YHC has been working on a few FNGs throughout Covid and was successful this morning as 2 of them showed up in the Gloom (Jon and Matt). Also, more on them later. YHC spent a little more time than normal on the disclaimer given the FNGs in attendance – one of which is a personal injury attorney. 0530 hit and off we mosey’ed to the parking deck at the high school.
COP
Circled up just outside the parking deck. Standard issue including the leadoff SSH. Hops was not there to object or modify this call but the group that was there all obliged. Followed with IW, LSS, and Mountain Climbers. Enjoyed a final set of “shoulder tap Merkins”, which Mermaid was concerned YHC made it up on the spot. Not quite but could see where the choppy cadence counting and poor form would lead one to think that.
Dora 1, 2, but not 3
Split into 2 groups so we could spread out – using both of the 1st two stairwells. Partner up with someone you don’t normally or haven’t before. Our 2 FNGs partnered up, both of whom were getting after it!
Mosey to Rock Pile on McMahon and Little Ave:
Here is where YHC’s poor navigation skills came in to play. We inadvertently took the long way around the Charlotte Catholic campus, instead of cutting through. Eventually, Mermaid helped guide YHC to the Rock Pile, however we are better having picked up the extra mileage.
Crawls and Lunges:
Line up abreast in front of bank facing McMahan. Bear crawl to curb and lunge walk back. Repeato. Here is about when we were paid a visit by an area “Karen”. Lorax and Point Break were our first line of defense to shield the rest of the PAX from the scolding for our supposed mischief. Despite an immediate threat that all of us could be arrested immediately, Lorax and PB did an admirable job deescalating Karen and she pulled away. After YHC confirmed we weren’t all going to jail, we did a round or two of crab walks and lunge walks. Some c-walked backwards while others forward. Pick your poison, me thinks.
Mosey back towards launch:
Ye Ol’ Moleskin
From YHC’s short time posting at Centurion, numbers seem to be growing quickly! Thanks to Mermaid and Margie for their site-Q leadership, a big factor in increased participation.
QIC: Circuit City
Pax: Hooper (R), Queen, Spackler, Jet Fuel, Puddin Pop, Marge, Huddle House, Motorboat, Buc-ee’s, Mayday, Thunderoad, Geraldo, Deep Dish, Sling Shot, Sweater Set, IHOP, Hops, Brandy, Limey, Baywatch, Beetlejuice, Amber, Snuka (R), Benny, Pack & Place, Floorslapper,
28 PAX arrived at the famed Dunkin Donuts with a noticeably cooler temp from last week’s workout. Humidity, however, has NOT budged. With a minute before launch, the half a dozen Old Providence neighborhood contingent came running in off of Rea. Must be some fertile ground over there for EH’ing the guys in the hood. Good work! At 0530 YHC took a big nervous gulp when noticing the nearly boundless circle of men at launch. After a subpar and probably unnecessary disclaimer – we were off to mosey towards OP Elementary.
COP
Many of the fan favorites showed up in COP. YHC lead off with the “sprinkler” – once called by Clover during a past Q of his. Litte more “stretchy” than the IW, me thinks. About Clover, he wasn’t there this morning but YHC might have lost his composure dealing with his usual cadence antics when combined with the boisterous mumblechatter so common with this group.
Triple Nickel(ish):
Round 1: Two groups split out for Dry Docks and Heels. YHC called for three “revolutions” (á al Snuka) with reps of 10 and 15, clearly negating the concept of the “nickel”. Things got worse when Sling Shot brought it to YHC’s attention that we were on “revolution” four — now confusingly past the called 3 but short of the nickel for those wanting full comp. YHC called it at that point and moved to the next round.
Round 2: Same groups. Better communicated TN this time to give everyone their money’s worth (ba-dum-bump-tss). Jump squats and the under-utilized calf raise. In his heyday, Arnold Schwarzenegger used to do calf raises with 1000 pounds on him — 6 days a week. It was tough to find that many coupons to accommodate so we crushed the body weight version instead this morning.
Run back for fountain work at HT:
Quick round of 10 set-ups each leg, 15 dips, 15 derkins. Repeato.
Crawls and Lunges:
Moseyed back to the office buildings for a crowd-pleasing bear crawl/lunge walk combo. Repeato. Back to launch for some Mary – which included a perilous round of “nutcrackers”. No nuts were cracked from the sounds of it. Threw in a sneak attack of 10 burpees OYO to close it out.
COT
Moleskin
Great morning to be out in the gloom! Thanks to Hops and Hopper for their leadership and giving me the keys this morning. All men had already crushed the 1st challenge of the day and that was just showing up. 28 did, in fact. Well done! YHC has made a habit in recent months of venturing to different AOs – some in A51 and SOB. My location makes it feasible for me but would recommend it as I found it great to meet even more PAX, hear “new” exercises called, and explore new turf. Another way we might be able to challenge and grow together.
QIC: Circuit City
Pax: Soft Pretzel, Gilbert, Chopper (R), Swine Flu, Mighty Mite, T1000, Johnny5, Frankie, Kirby, C3PO, Bucky, Midriff
13 PAX arrived at the area Pet Smart to be serenaded by Sugar Ray’s hit song “Every Morning” playing loudly from the outdoor pavilion area. A song Buzzfeed named to it’s “20 worst songs of the 90’s”. It had a nostalgic, yet pleasant effect on the group as we waited to launch. YHC disclaimed and off we went.
Thang
Mosey across Rea Road towards the fountain area in front of the WF Bank. Quickly circled for COP.
COP
Standard issue with the COP (Merkins, LSS, etc.). YHC did start out with SSH, despite Hop’s well-reasoned tip the other day that the calves, heels, and feet might not appreciate the jarring of this movement early in the workout. Habits are hard to break, I guess.
The fountain fun:
Group #1: 15 Derkins, 15 dips, LBC until the other group gets back.
Group #2: Mosey around the loop. Flapjack. Repeato x3.
151 Main parking lot:
To continue to work in more shoulder exercises for YHCs puny top end, a bear crawl/crab walk combo was called. Full body perspiration quickly followed. In an effort to accommodate Soft Pretzel bathroom expedition to an undisclosed location, an unwelcomed 2nd round was called with a plank-o-rama to close.
Rock Work:
Mosey up the Montessori school hill to the rock pile. YHC shared the observation with Mighty Mite that the hill has not flatten since our last jaunt there. Remarkable perspiration levels at this point.
Gathered around the “track” for a handful of called rock lifts. Followed by a lap each round. Good movement variations called by Soft Pretzel, Gilbert, and Midriff.
Made the long trek back to Pet Smart for COT.
COT
Moleskin
YHC has not fully developed even a mediocre cadence counting ability. Some will follow the actual movement, while plenty morph into random counting. Helpful counsel from Chopper afterwards has given YHC some hope. Ran alongside Gilbert on a suicide set – which included rounds of merkins. Was in awe of Gilbert’s textbook merkin form. Swine Flu has modified his name to include “THE” during the name-o-rama. Reminds YHC of the scandalous college football programs in Columbus, OH and Miami, FL. Gross. Kirby made it out, I think to his own surprise despite the libations last night. He was also the clubhouse leader with the mumblechatter, as per usual. Yeoman’s work from Soft Pretzel, CP3O, Mighty Mite, and Midriff, as per usual. Bucky can still run fast, and not surprisingly, hit the mark when he shared his encouragement with the PAX during COT on how we can show up during these troubling times. Midriff closed with a stirring takeout. Appreciate the opportunity to lead. Be well, men.
QIC: Circuit City
Pax: War Eagle, Twister, Teddy, Taco Stand, Swine Flu, Hops, Cooter2, Commish, Cable Guy (R), and FNG “Bag Man”
Late last night, YHC was struck with the overwhelming …. “I haven’t Q’ed in a while, so I should use the same weinke from last time” syndrome. So, with YHC equipped with an old recycled weinke, 11 PAX rolled out to the much darker parking lot of the Regal Theater. The parking lot lights being off to potentially save money were perhaps a subtle reminder of the hardships many companies are facing, or a symbol of the darkness that a great group of men like F3 can help cast out in our community …. hmmm, deep thoughts. A complete, yet choppy disclaimer was shared with a reminder to be “Covid-safe” and off we went.
Thang
Mosey across Rea Road towards the Piper Glen Cleaners, Hilton, and Residence Inn cul-de-sac. Speaking of Cul-De-Sac, where was he? Stopped along the way for some COP.
COP
SSH x 15 ….. Sprinklers x 15 (more “stretchy” than IW) …. The Merkin x10 …. Mountain Climber x 10 ….. Plank for ~30 sec ….. Little baby arm circles x 10 – both directions (good for YHC’s temperamental shoulders)
Cul-de-sac circuit:
Station #1 (Hilton): 15 Merkins
Station #2 (PG Cleaners): 20 Monkey Humpers
Station #3 (Residence Inn): 25 LBCs
Move clockwise thru each station. Return to center (Home Base) after each station for 5 Burpees OYO. Repeato (not called originally). Taco Stand was looking out for the people by instituting some Mary to wait for the 6 after Round 1, but YHC regrettably overrode with a call for a 2nd round.
Mosey back across Rea Road and waited for the with some patriotic American Hammer. Shifted gears to a AYG to the front of Firebirds. Taco, Teddy, and War Eagle with the Win/Place/Show. YHC normally doesn’t eat much before posting other than a few ounces of coffee and a bite or two of a bar. Was way too aggressive with a higher volume breakfast/coffee intake this morning that got a little “sloshy” on the AYG. Went into a “Merlot spill avoidance mode” for the next minute or so.
Firebird Fun
Round #1: Group 1 runs forward to the main median then backwards, while Group 2 does 15 Dips, 15 Derkins, and 15 LBCs. Flapjack
Round #2: Same run for Group 1 but Group 2 does 15 step up each leg and American Hammer until the group returns. Flapjack.
Same 2 groups for two rounds of people’s chair variations with called exercise at the BOA ATM for the other group. Threw in some air presses to not leave the shoulders out of the fun on the 2nd round. A quick bear crawl and crab walk combo to finish up.
Final suckage: Run the last couple hundred yards backwards to launch. Hops and Teddy with a strong push here.
COT
Moleskin
Awesome to be back out in the gloom at one of YHC’s favorite AOs. Great to be in the trenches again with War Eagle, Cooter, Commish, Teddy (hope your back is improving), Swine Flu, and Taco Stand. Fist bump to Hops for venturing more than a couple blocks to post at RY. Appreciate your spiritual influence/leadership you have/had on many of us. My 1st time posting with Twister and Cable Guy. I heard Twister was an FNG last week and has posted 7 of the last 9 days. NICE! Kudos to Cable Guy for bringing out an FNG. With that ….. welcome “Bagman”!
*** Also, to the title of this – “Haven’t we seen this before”. YHC feels this is particularly relevant given what we have seen in our great country over the past week or so. It’s not my style to pontificate on such topics, so I hope and pray that we all, as followers of Jesus, are positioned to respond and take action in a loving and restorative way.
A crisp, damp morning welcomed 18 PAX out to the local Movie Theater parking lot. After being subjected to a front row seat of Kirby getting dressed as he exited his car, the group gathered in normal fashion waiting for all to arrived. YHC inadvertently called Brisket “Goonie” (they do look alike, amiright?) followed by a disclaimer and off we went.
The Thang
Moseyed out in front of HT for the Warm Up:
– SSH x 15
– IW x 15
– Daisy Pickers x10
– Mountain Climbers x15
Headed across the freeway known as Rea Road and circled up back by the Autobell. Shortly after crossing Rea, One Star inquired if we were going to be in that vicinity for a while — YHC confirmed — and off he went to lighten the load at the 7-Eleven.
*** Count off by 3’s and separate into groups.
YHC failed to state clearly (or at all?) to the group how many rotations or when the pain would end. After what seemed like two full rotations the trucks and buses starting rolling thru the area and YHC called an audible to move to a safer location.
Back over Rea Rd towards Smashburger. YHC can’t imagine they had the grill fired up at 6am but Long Haul and myself caught a whiff of something grilled …. and …. delicious.
Announcements:
Side note: Today marks 6 months since YHC has been posting. Pales in comparison to the MUCH longer commitment many of you have made to F3. The experience has been great and the encouragement along the way has made all the difference. Always an honor and privilege to lead!
11 Strong Men came out to face whatever cold Mother Nature could muster up. As these fearless men approach the AO, you could tell many had layered up more than usual. After briefly discussing why anyone would be outside in 26 degree weather (felt like 15 with the wind), my watch struck 5:30am and a thorough Disclaimer was conveyed. Moseyed downhill — with the wind at our back to a circle up for COT.
Warm Up: SSHx15 … IWx15 … LBACx10 (both ways) … MCx15 … MERKINx15 … Hold 30 sec plank
THE THANG:
MOLESKIN:
ANNOUCEMENTS:
*** GREAT work this morning men. We overcame the temptation of the warm fart sack and we are better because of it. Great message from Bucky this morning on Slack challenging us to not let the weather deter us. Appreciate the opportunity to lead this fine group of men! See you in the gloom!
Temps were a bit chilly this morning but that didn’t stop 15 PAX from being subject to relentless College Football references from YHC. It is conference championship week, right?! Normal disclaimer with an added part about YHC does not advocate gambling nor should any point spread or over/under referred during the workout be considered a suggestion.
WARM UP
*** All reps were 16 — in reference to the point of WI & OSU match-up in the BIG TEN Championship this Saturday. SSH; IW; LSS; Mountain Climbers, Peter Parker.
THE THANG
Mosey to Cantina 1511. PArtner up. YHC was lucky enough to snag one of the group’s gazellas (Bucky). Although Mic Check, Long Haul, Delta, Morning After, and War Eagle are always pushing the front.
110 Merkins and 200 Flutter kicks23 dips
23 dips
7 Burpees at start and mid point
23 Big Boy sit-ups. Hand clap partner at the top. (WI RB Jonathon Taylor)
Wheelbarrow partner carry thingy down . Run backwards back . Did not witness any awkward moments with this exercise.
Mosey to Police Tower. 17 Monkey Humpers (WI QB Jack Coan is #17)
Found a spot on back wall of Regal. 52 initial air presses (rushing yards of JT during 1st game). Dropped 6 inches and Added 48 to make it 100
THE MOLESKIN