Author Archive Joker

Insert Witty Title Here

Six men gathered at McKee Road Elementary School for Area 51’s Saturday morning special.

SSH X 20

Squats X 20

IW X 20

Lunge Walk – Curb to Curb X 2

10 pull ups / 20 incline merkins; 9 pull ups / 18 incline merkins; 8 pull ups / 16 inclines… you get the idea

Relay Races

– Race #1 Each team member does 1/4 mile run, with team doing 150 merkins in total

– Race #2 Each team member does 1/4 miles run, with team doing 200 squats in total

Mary

People’s Chair

Field work – high knees, butt kickers, karaoke right, karaoke left, back pedal, sprint [with 10 merkins between each change over]

Rock Pile – Curls X 3 sets; Squats X 3 sets; shoulder press X 3 sets

Mary again

10 burpees OYO

Moleskin

– Impressive showing by today’s FNG [“Root Canal”]… local dentist, of course… showing up on his own – in heavy rain – without his “sponsor.”

-Donkey Kong – our very own Benjamin Button – seems to get younger with each passing year.  Can he really only be 28?  Must feel good to be the War Baby at every workout.

-O’Tannenbaum’s velcro strap shoes are – thankfully – nearing the end of life.  Any man that drives a Lexus should know better than to be seen in public with velcro on his shoes.

Men in Ponchos

The Thang

-Warm Up: SSH / Imperial Walker / Squat / Incline Merkins

-Lunge Walk X 2, with merkins at turnaround

-30 pull ups [done in five sets… 10, 8, 6, 4, 2]

-Decline Merkins / Dips / Squats

-1/4 mile race; 14/mile recovery; 1/4 mile race; 1/4 mile recovery

-LBCs / Flutter / Dolly / LBCs

-10 pull ups

-People’s Chair / Lap Around Track / Decline Merkins

-10 pull ups

-Carolina Dry Dock

-Plank

-Merkins Medley

Moleskin

  • So, it’s hard to look tough or feel tough in a poncho.  Especially if you pull it from your wife’s side of the closet, which is what I did.  Turns out we wear the same size poncho, lucky for me. 
  • Today’s workout may have lacked in creativity, but got the heart rate up and kept it there. 
  • Not much chatter this morning… just a bit of the usual stuff… giving O’Tannenbaum a hard time about his velcro strap workout shoes; giving Salt Lick a hard time about his love for pull ups, and giving Lobster Roll a hard time for his Frankenstein boots that he wears on inclement weather days.

Two For The Price Of One

So, last week apparantly F3Winston Salem posted two separate backblasts for the same workout.  Well, I’m not doing that… by I am posting one backblast for two separate workouts.

The Thang

March 1 – Area 51

Warm up… SSH, IW, Squat, Merkin

Little Baby Jog around soccer field

The Murph… 1 mile, 100 pull ups, 200 merkins, 300 squats, then finish with one mile

Little bit of Mary

Random stuff in the parking lot… lunge walk with merkins

People’s Chair… with arm presses

March 3 – The Matrix

Warm up… SSH, IW, Squats [sound familiar?]

Cinder block training:

-1/4 mile race, then 20 squats with cinder block

-1/4 mile race, then 20 shoulder presses with cinder block

-1/4 mile race, then 20 bench presses with cinder block

-1/4 mile race [this time, carrying cinder block], then 10 tricep extensions

1/2 mile Indian Run

Playground Stations [three cycles of each below]

-10 pull ups

-20 dips

-20 squats

Trail run

Mary

Moleskin [combined]

  • Really felt the lingering effects of the pull ups from the Murph.  Always a solid workout.  Ocho Cinco led the way for the mile run going out and coming back.
  • O’Tannebaum gets the “ugly shoe” award.  Not sure if I’ve ever seen a grown man with velcro strap shoes before. 
  • Good to see Fraggle back at The Matrix, after he admitted to a multi-month hiatus.  I could tell he was really “enjoying” the cinder blocks. 
  • Even with a cinder block on his shoulder Lobster Roll didn’t lose much speed.  That must have been a neighborhood game he played as a kid on the mean streets of South Boston.   

 

“Navy SEAL Fitness Test”

13 men gathered at Joust for a workout modeled after the “Navy SEAL Fitness Test”… shown in quotes for a number of reasons… the most important of which is that we aren’t actually in the Navy; and we also didn’t do the swim component of the fitness test [which I imagine to be a pretty important part for an actual SEAL… they do a little swimming, right?].  So while we weren’t real Navy men, we disembarked from our military vehicles [well… minivan for me, if truth be told], and got after it. 

The Thang

Little Baby Jog to the football field

Quick warm up… you know the drill… SSH, IW and Squats

Navy SEAL Fitness Test

– Merkins – AMRAP with 2 minute time limit [threshold requirement of at least 42]

-Sit Ups – AMRAP with 2 minute time limit [threshold requirement of at least 52]

-1.5 mile run – complete in less than 11 min and 30 seconds

– Pull ups – complete at least 8 [no time limit] with full arm extension

Little Baby Jog up to parking lot

Close out with plank-o-rama, merkins and CDDs

Moleskin

Sorry I didn’t list the full PAX in the backblast [I left my Weinke back at the house]. 

Good times out there this morning.  I think the last fitness test workout I led was something modeled after the Stanford Woment’s soccer team, so today’s workout ranked much higher on the manliness scale.  We are just a bunch of 40-something suburban dads for the most part, but we gave it our all out there in the gloom today.  Lab Rat looked great on the track.  Lobster Roll had a strong performance in all elements of the fitness test; he already had the haircut of a military man, so we may want to just swing him by to see a local Navy recruiter.  Great way to start a Friday.

Attack of the Beards

15 men gathered at McKee Road Elementary School. 

The Thang

Warmup run around the school. End in field inside the mini-track.

 COP

– SSH x30

– Merkins x20

– Squats x20

– Merkins x10

– Mountain Climbers x20

 11s across the track infield with CCDs and Jump Squats

 Bear crawl across infield, run back across infield. Repeato.

 Mosey to backyard playground

 Circuit work: 10 pull-ups, 20 step-ups, 15 CCDs. Repeat x3.

 Mosey to wall for people’s chair with 40 air presses (in cadence).

Field Work [each below had merkins or burpees mixed in]

-Backpedal X 2

-Karaoke X 2

-50% run X 2

-All out X 2

 Circuit Work [3 cycles]

-Pull Ups X 10

-Dips X 20

-Squats X 20

Core Work – LBCs, Flutter, Dolly

Merkin Combo – Incline / Decline

Moleskin

-It was a great morning for a workout.  Not much ocurred out of tha ordinary, but 15 men left a little stronger. 

-While Scooter Time is the nicest man you will ever meet out of the gloom, he takes on a different persona while working out… only speaking if spoken to, and even then, just a one or two word response.  And speaking of Scooter Time, he may have been wearing the largest gloves ever seen at an F3 workout… resembling Wreck-It Ralph or The Thing.   

-Donkey Kong and Young Love were wearing well groomed beards. Donkey Kong – allegedly – can grow a full beard overnight, so there must be some significant sculpting involved in keeping such a manicured look.  Tool Time opted for a more rugged, mountain man look… insprired – possibly – by Dora??

No Resolutions Required – Area 51 Jan 1 Convergence

When you get up by 6:30AM on New Year’s Day to break a sweat, you are off to a good start to the year. 

The Thang – Stagecoach

Group 1:

 COP:

  • SSH
  • Merkins
  • IW
  • Hand Release Merkins

Hill work:

  • 11’s with Burpees and Jump Squats

Little bit of people’s chair, wall planks and wall mountain climbers

Group 2:

Ring of fire:

1 Pax calls exercise for group to perform while he runs around circle

10×10

  • 10 burpees per minute for 10 minutes

Group 3:

Core Starfish:

  • Heels to Heaven
  • Dying Cockroaches
  • LBC’s
  • Backscratchers
  • Dolly
  • 5 burpees at center in between each station

Bear crawl with incrementing merkins at each parking space

Ring of fire:

1 Pax calls exercise for group to perform while he runs around circle

Little bit of people’s chair, wall planks and wall mountain climbers

The Thang – Young Love

 Group 1:

Off-road trail run to lower baseball field. 

 COP:

  • Plankorama while waiting for group to assemble
  • SSH
  • 10 burpees OYO
  • IW
  • 25 burpees OYO

Mosey to baseball diamond for some work on the base paths:

  • Round 1: 20 squats at home; bear crawl to 1st; 10 single-leg (R) squats; dragon walk to 2nd; 20 squats; bear crawl to 3rd; 10 single-leg (L) squats; dragon walk home; squats until all have arrived home.
  • Round 2: 20 merkins at home; lunge walk to 1st; 10 exploding merkins; lunge walk to 2nd; 20 merkins; lunge walk to 3d; 10 exploding merkins; lunge walk home; plankorama until all have arrived

Fast mosey to upper baseball field for some speed work:

  • Sprint AYG from right field fence to centerfield
  • 10 merkins
  • Sprint AYG back to fence (crash into fence)
  • Sprint AYG to centerfield
  • Sprint AYG back to fence (stop 2 feet short of fence because crashing into fence sucks)

Mosey back to parking lot.

Group 2:

Off-road trail run to lower baseball field. 

COP:

  • Plankorama while waiting for group to assemble
  • 10 burpees OYO

Mosey to baseball diamond for some work on the base paths:

  • Round 1: 20 squats at home; bear crawl to 1st; 10 single-leg (R) squats; dragon walk to 2nd; 20 squats; bear crawl to 3rd; 10 single-leg (L) squats; dragon walk home; squats until all have arrived home.
  • Round 2: 20 merkins at home; lunge walk to 1st; 10 exploding merkins; lunge walk to 2nd; 20 merkins; lunge walk to 3d; 10 exploding merkins; lunge walk home; plankorama until all have arrived.

Fast mosey to upper baseball field for some speed work. Brief pitstop at rails for 25 supine pullups:

  • Sprint AYG from right field fence to centerfield
  • 10 merkins
  • More sprints (lost count)

Mosey back to parking lot.

 Group 3:

 Off-road trail run to lower baseball field. 

 COP:

  • Plankorama while waiting for group to assemble
  • 10 burpees OYO
  • Flutter kicks x25

Mosey to baseball diamond for some work on the base paths:

  • Round 1: 20 squats at home; bear crawl to 1st; 10 single-leg (R) squats; dragon walk to 2nd; 20 squats; bear crawl to 3rd; 10 single-leg (L) squats; dragon walk home; squats until all have arrived home.
  • Round 2: 20 merkins at home; lunge walk to 1st; 10 exploding merkins; lunge walk to 2nd; 20 merkins; lunge walk to 3d; 10 exploding merkins; lunge walk home; plankorama until all have arrived.

Fast mosey to upper baseball field for some speed work. Brief pitstop at rails for 25 supine pullups:

  • Sprint AYG from right field fence to centerfield and back again, and again, and again … 

Mosey back to parking lot.

The Thang – Joker

I also had three groups, and frankly, all of the exercises have started to mesh together in my mind.  Can’t say I remember exactly what each group did… so, here is a mash up of what we did across three separate groups:

  • Merkins…. Regular, wide arm… and yes, diamonds.
  • SSH and Imperial Walkers… of course we did [these are required in the F3 Constitution]. 
  • A few laps around the track, including some Indian Runs… yep. 
  • Squats… check.
  • Lunge walk and bear crawls across the width of the football field… check / check.
  • For my third group we did some field work… butt kickers, high knees, karaoke, backpedal… and washed it all down with a 240 yard sprint on the football field.   
  • A little bit of Mary for good measure.

 Moleskin:

  • Some PAX were begging for an audible from the 11’s on the hill during Stagecoach’s Q on the first segment.  Very unsavory right out of the chute.  Now I [Joker] understand why this group mocked me when I had them do a “warm up lap” on the track after Stagecoach had already beat them down pretty good. 
  • The pax showed good creativity during the ring of fire.  The inchworm Merkins were a definite crowd pleaser. 
  • In group 1, a member of the PAX that Young Love couldn’t quite recognize started late and tried to hop the fence to catch up with the crowd. Let’s just say he didn’t quite stick the landing. 
  • Burpees never get easier. Dragon walk doesn’t either. Good effort by the PAX though. Crawling through the near-frozen mud is more fun on paper than in reality. 
  • Nice work by Robin Hood (inspiration) and the 2.0s (entertaining). Really enjoyed the anonymous 2.0 who corrected my [Young Love’s] form on my single-leg squat. He was right (my form left something to be desired) — but, in my defense, it was my 3rd time through the routine.
  • Spackler was in rare form on Wed morning.  I think we should have checked his blood alcohol level, as I’m not sure if he was truly fit for duty.  In recognition of the number of beers that Spackler consumed on New Year’s Eve, we finished our routine with Spackler’s group by doing 17 burpees. 
  • Random items… Jamboree is looking flat out svelte [great work brother]; Runstopper was kind enough to wear man pants over top of his 3/4 length tights [“yoga pants”]; Donkey Kong was MIA, but turns out he was with family in Concord [and he took a morning walk on Jan 1st with a 40 pound rock in his back pack]; one FNG at the workout… nicknamed Roscoe P. 

Area 51 – January 1st Convergence at South Charlotte Middle

What: New Year’s Day Area 51 Convergence

Where: South Charlotte Middle School [same location as Base Camp and Death Valley workouts]

When: January 1st, 7-8AM

Who: All PAX that are man enough to wake up “early” on Jan 1st

Why: Because it’s the right way to start the year

Your Qs for the Day: Young Love, Stage Coach and Joker

Note: This will be the only workout in Area 51 on January 1st.

2 Players and Up

Two men gathered at McKee Road Elementary School to burn off some of the extra Thanksgiving calories.

The Thang

Standard warm up… you know the drill

Lunge walk and merkins combo

Little Baby Jog

Pull up and dip combo

Bear crawl / sprint combo

People’s Chair

Step Ups

Random pull ups, CDDs, and merkins

Trail Run

Merkins and dips combo

Mary

Moleskin

It only takes two for an official F3 workout, and two PAX it was.  My observations on a two-person workout:

-“Circle it up” just doesn’t work with two, but it’s hard not to say it.

-During opening warm ups it’s difficult to determine where to fix your gaze… prolonged eye contact in a two person workout can become awkward.

-Finding the right partner for partner exercises requires little thought.

-And all kidding aside… the fellowship is strong.  Strange Brew and I had a full year of fellowship conversation packed into 75 minutes.  It was a reminder that a small group… even a group of two… can have the full F3 experience.

 

Little Baby Hill

Posted on behalf of O’Tannenbaum…

IS THERE A HILL AT THE MATRIX?

Yes, there is!  And Eleven disciplined MEN “jumped” up it this morning!

 The Thang

Warm up: SSH, Windmill, Merkins, Imperial Walker, Mosey

 Field Work:  Side Lunges with 2 jumps, kari oke (sp), high knees, butt kicks, one legged jumps, sprints, bear crawl

 The Hill: Jump up the hill, 5 burpees, run to school for 10 Donkey Kicks—-5 SETS

 Lunges in PKG lot with squat jumps, 5 pull ups, 10 dips–3 SETS

 Track: Mosey to track for ladder workout–Merkins & squat jumps

 The Wall: 1 minute recovery on the wall

 Mary: Finish with LBCs, Dolly, Flutter, and Back Scratcher

 Little Baby Moleskin

Floor Slapper was tardy, but legal parking.  Tiger Rag (like Tiger Woods) wasn’t present, but we talked about him anyway…

Hard Heads and Buff Chests

8 men gathered this morning in the crisp air of Area 51.

The Thang

Joker on Q
Warm up… squats, SSH, IWs… all X 30
Playground stations… pull ups, dips, merkins
Rock pile… curls, squats, shoulder press… all X 20
Starfish run
People’s Chair and Lunge Walk
Lots of merkins… wide arm, reg-U-lar, diamond, incline, decline
Uncle Leo on Q
Jog to Jungle Gym
Obstacle Course COP
PAX complete exercise in COP while each PAX peels off and completes short obstacle course over Jungle Gym – balance beam hops, over climbing wall, over low bar and monkey bars
COP exercises – squats (?x), lunges (?x) and merkins (x15 in cadence)
Jog back to rock pile for Mary.  Pick a partner and 1 rock per pair
Partner rock sit ups – pass rock each rep – x20
Partner rock Russian Twist – pass rock each turn – x20
Partner rock sit ups – pass rock each rep – x20
Greg Louganis (no partner) – x15 in cadence
Jog to the trail loop behind school
Merkins in cadence x 15
1 Trail Loops
Squats until all are back
Merkins in cadence x 15
1 Trail Loops
Squats until all are back
Merkins in cadence x 10 (that’s 310 merkins for the workout)
1 Trail Loops
Squats until all are back

Fellowship jog back to lot

Moleskin
-True to form, Floor Slapper arrived at 7:02-ish… stealthly finding his way into the warmup COP.
-Today, I [Joker] thought for sure I gouged Crabcake’s head when we were doing the partner rock sit ups. Crabacake was closer to me [behind me] than I realized… when I took the rock above my head I hit something pretty good… it was Crabcake’s head… good thing he was wearing a fluffy hat.  If you see Crabcake this week and he acts confused… you will know why.
-Lots of merkins today.  With Runstopper as our inspiration, we repped out 310 today.  I was feeling pretty good about this, but I just saw Runstopper tweet that they did 340 today at The Rock.
——-Temporary Pause in Backblast———–
I just took a break from my backblast to do 31 merkins… so, that makes 341 for the today… sorry Runstopper.  Speaking of Runstopper, the men of Area 51 felt so buff after this morning’s workout that we agreed we would wear our collared shirts “Runstopper style” [i.e., with a couple of extra buttons undone at the top, and no undershirt] for the balance of the weekend.  You know we love you Runstopper.