Area 51 and SOB’s will each have F3 Dads workouts for the 2.0’s through the month of June.
Details:
Dates: 6/3, 6/10, 6/17, 6/24
Area 51 – Colonel Francis Beatty Park 9:00-9:45
Lex Luther is F3Dad Q. Lineup: Alf, Lex Luther, Thin Mint, Mr. Brady
SOB – Bull Ring in Ballantyne 9:00-9:45 (Corner of Brixham Hill Ave/Ballantyne Corporate Place)
Honey Bee is F3Dad Q.
2.0’s have a blast at these workouts. Dads do too. Be sure to bring hydration. Spread the word and post with your kids.
PREBLAST: Death Valley Converging at Anvil May 24.
The last CCC was a major success with about 35 PAX attending and another 20 sticking around for some fellowship and a little encouragement from the Godfather of F3 Jedi himself.
In case you don’t know, DeathValley is converging May 24 w/Anvil.
Immediately following the workout there will be coffee and a testimony from Stinger (aka Paul Hulbert). It will be incredible! The talk will be done by 6:50 sharp.
11 PAX joined YHC to work off the cerveza, tacos, and tequila from Cinco de Mayo. Actually, YHC had a few IPAs at Happy Hour and pizza with the family. Still in need of a good workout to burn that junk off. Buckeye joined us for a brief period until YHC indicated that this was Rock Zero during the disclaimer. He didn’t like what he heard and interrupted the disclaimer to ask where High T was meeting. Off he went. Off we went.
Mosey over to the Life Center. Circle up.
COP
Merkin x 10
MC x 10
Peter Parker x 10
10 Burpee OYO
Low Plank Jack x 10
Wide Merkin x 10
Mosey over to the Pavilion
Bench Set
15 Hip Slappers/15 Jump Up/15 Dips/15 Derkins
AYG to fence and back. Repeat x 2
Mosey to rock pile. Grab rock.
Line up in parking lot.
Rock Set
10 Curl/10 Tri Ext/10 Thruster. Repeat for 20 each.
Bear crawl approx. 50 yards. 5 H-R Burpees. Backwards run back. Repeat x 2
Sprints
Two light posts. 10 x called exercise at far end. AYG back. Merkins, Squats, H-R Burpees.
Mosey over to launch lot.
Mary
Keep feet up. Flutter x 10/Heels to Heaven x 10/Dolly x 10
AYG North Face Loop. Down hill. Up NF. Back to Mary lot.
Repeat x 2
Closing Sprints. Back over to Sprint lot. Various plank exercises with one light post sprints.
YHC had 2 minutes on clock. Gummy had time. Done
COT
Moleskin
Met a few of these guys for the first time today. Interesting names that were mostly given by McGee. No surprise. He is a giver. One Eye was crushing it today. Typical. He gets after it. Pro was showing some fast twitch on the sprints. Neck and neck with Taffy, Gummy’s 2.0 who is 15 and has some long legs. Dutch Baby had to bow out at about 35 minutes due to some leg pain. Heal up. Iron Horse was getting it done as usual. Boerwoers, Backsplash, Jet Fuel, Leroy, Big Willy all pushing hard. Strong work today men. Honored to lead this fine group. Gotta run to camp Thunderbird for a longhouse. Really enjoyed getting out today.
Announcements
Contact Boerwoers if you would like to Q Rock Zero. Looking to fill the schedule.
Packed the Toyota with 6 cinder blocks and 2 KBs (40 & 45). Utah rode with me and was in the dark on the gear. He noticed the blocks while stretching next to the cargo hold. He uttered a remark of disgust that I quickly forgot. Likely due to the Anvil gear hangover provided by Alf on Wednesday. TR came in hot, but in time for the 13 PAX to count off 1 and 2 prior to disclaimer. Off we went.
Brisk mosey down Conlan. Left on Brixham across Bally Corp to Bull Ring. Circle up in plank.
COP
MC x 15 IC
Merkin x 10 IC
Diamond Merkin x 10 IC
SSH x 10 IC
Mosey up Bally Corp hill to the bridge. People’s chair plank. 10 Turkees.
Mosey back down the hill. Left at exercise trail. Continue to Loch Ness. Plank-o-rama.
Mosey back to launch to pick up the gear.
Team 1 vs. Team 2. Shared gear carry back to the bridge on Bally Corp Pl. Winner: Team 1.
10 Turkees. Gear carry back down hill and follow previous route to Loch Ness. Drop gear at end of exercise trail.
Mile
Run the loop 3 times with stops at Corp 1 (20 Derkin) and Corp 2 (5 Box-Jump Burpees)
Plank-o-rama to regroup. Grab gear and drop it the back of Thin Mint’s truck. Quick mary to regroup.
Mosey up Conlan. Dodge Starbuck’s traffic. Continue to top floor of parking deck.
Burp-and-Merk
Burpees with increasing number of merkins. 1-10.
Down stairwell to ground floor level.
Sprints. 2 decks at a time to the top. Back down stairs. Flutter x 20.
Head home at whatever pace you choose. COT
Moleskin
Ran this workout the last time YHC Q’d The Brave 01/29/2016. Really enjoyed the workout and had some great feedback afterwards, so decided to run it back. Mario called it from the gate on the run to the Bull Ring. Felt compelled to tell the crew it was a recycle. MT threw a jab at lack of Q creativity. Fair enough. The weather was much better for round 1 when we had 4 fewer cinder blocks and 4 more men. The humidity #smoked YHC.
Fast group of guys today. No real surprises. Welcome to site FNG’s Meatloaf and Rachel. We realized we were a man down upon arrival at the deck. Quick survey and our missing PAX was Meatloaf. Site Q Thin Mint took off to look for him. No sign of him on the search mission. We realized his car was gone when we got back to launch for COT. YHC followed up electronically to make sure he was OK. Good news, he was just fine. Some minor cramping and the stop at launch provided the perfect exit strategy. He assured me he will make his exit known should he bow out early again. He was crushing it.
T-claps to Frasier for carrying a cinder block from launch lot to bridge. Pop Tart did the same with a KB. Utah appears to enjoy running with large objects. He was crushing as well. Mario was right next to me on two occasions to offer relief, thankfully. TR has gotten quite fast and Champagne really impressed on one of the sprints. Great to see Hairball out today. Had to give him a hard time about hands hitting pavement #purerunner. He had gloves and killed it. Buckeye took his tank off in COT. Just as jacked as last week at BROlympics. Whole crew pushed hard today.
Appreciate the invite from Thin Mint to Q The Brave. Always a tough workout. Solid work men.
Announcements
Richard Sheltra Memorial 5K. Tomorrow in Pineville. Good number of F3 guys registered to run. REGISTER
Bucky’s M organized a charity event for tomorrow: Spring Fling Craft Brew Fest to benefit an orphanage in Kenya: LINK
The Arsenal in Indianland. Change in format. 30 minute pre-run (HILLS) followed by 45 minute bootcamp. MT says it is HARD and you should try it.
F3 founders, Dredd and OBT, wrote a book about how it all transpired: Freed to Lead-F3 and the Unshackling of the Modern Day Warrior. I encourage you all to read it. You can order it by clicking this LINK
I will share some #Nuggets from Freed to Lead on a weekly basis in a post much like this one. Each post will require only a few minutes of your time. Most of the words will be straight from the book.
Chapter 1: The Explanation. F3 is a solution to a problem. Take a minute to think about how F3 fills a void in your life. The void was the problem.
Chapter 2: Why We Are Here. 3F’s: Fitness, Fellowship, Faith.
1F Rules (Core Principles)
The Q (workout leader) is free to design and run the workout as he sees fit. The Q gets feedback from the PAX about whether his leadership is any good. Feedback is generally immediate, abundant, and forthcoming, whether the Q wants it or not #mumblechatter
F3 started 1/1/2011. I will leave you with that. Will post again next week and share some more. Buy the book and read it. EH (Emotional Headlock) those around you. Give it away men.
Emotional Headlock: The method by which most FNGs are recruited into F3. Abbr: EH (Lexicon)
The cold mornings are behind us. Cross that excuse off the list of reasons why your friends, coworkers, etc., cannot do F3. That leaves the early hours and out-of-shape as excuses. Don’t let any man tell you he can’t get up that early. Bold-faced lie. Out-of-shape, well, you have to start somewhere. We can promise men that they won’t stay where they start if they push.
Historically, we get more FNGs in the Spring than the rest of the year, hence the title of this post. This is your reminder to put the EH on the men around you. They need F3 and we need them.
Hard to argue with questions like:
Do you want to get in the best shape of your adult life?
Do you want to improve your health?
Do you want to lose that 20 pounds you gained over the colder months?
Do you want to establish friendships with other men in your community?
Do you want to do more in your community?
Do you want to get your kids involved with F3Dads?
Do you want to try a workout that doesn’t involve headphones, walls, ferns, and gym equipment?
Offer to pick them up. Add the accountability from the start. Hard to hit snooze when you know someone will be sitting outside your house with the engine idling.
Give it away men
23 men, including the QIC posted to Centurion for some work in week 2 of 8 of the Augean Series. Utah rode with YHC and immediately noticed the pick ax next to Paper Jam’s car as we pulled in. He, of course, wondered if it would be used in the workout. Not in the weinke. YHC surmised that it was a loaner tool to be returned to the owner. That was the case, however, 777 did not post to pick it up. Thorough disclaimer given to our PAX who ranged in age from 16 to 55. Off we went.
Thang
Mosey up ramps to level 4 of Tartarus.
COP –all in cadence
SSH x 10
MC x 10
Merkin x 15
Peter Parker x 10
IW x 10
Short mosey to stairwell 1.
Redemption Loop (slightly modified)
10 Jump Squat. Descend to ground. 5 H-R Burpees. AYG left around the football field. Stop at scoreboard. 5 H-R Burpees. Continue AYG around field. Stop at Cougar entrance. 20 Merkins. Bear Crawl to crosswalk. AYG up stairwell 1 to level 4. Plank series to regroup. Low Plank Alternating Leg Raises x 10 IC.
Descend Stairs. Line up across ground level.
Plank Start Sprints
AYG from plank start. Half level for each up to level 4.
After completion of last sprint go directly into Redemption Loop
Mary
Legs stay raised to 6 inches–all IC: Flutter x 10/LBC x 10/High Flutter x 10
Descend stairs to ground level. Mosey to front of building picnic table area.
Bench Set–10 Jump Up/10 Dips/10 Derkins. Repeat until YHC calls it.
Mosey back to Tartarus. Up stairwell 1 to level 4.
Repeat Redemption Loop
Reverse plank series to regroup.
Descend stairwell 1 to ground level.
One Level Repeats
AYG up stairwell 1. Run to stairwell 2. 5 Burpees. Descend stairs. AYG to stairwell 1. 10 Carolina Dry Docks. Repeat until YHC calls it. YHC got 3 full repeats.
SSH OYO to regroup. AYG to launch lot.
COT
Moleskin
Not sure why, but co-site Q Margo requested some Redemption Loops this week. HOF retired site-Q Chelms not so hip on the Loops. He did them without complaint. Fairly certain he only left early once today on the last of the Plank start sprints after YHC gave the instruction to go directly into the next Loop. Speaking of sprints, Tagalong showing some serious fast twitch, as well as, the 3 sub-20 young men: Drago, Rapper’s Delight, and Nemo. BTW, Drago was a good 13 minutes late. Also, Snowflake was crushing the sprints. Ickey, of course, threw in some blazing sprints. The youngsters, Bout Time, and Brilleaux were hanging in the front with YHC on the Redemption Loops. Chelms was not far behind. Udder threw in a good loop on number 2. Hannibal, Prohibition, Margo all solid work. 6 respects posted and crushed it. Well done all.
Ickey schooled the PAX with his preblast comment regarding the origin of Augean. Indeed, it is a reference to the Augean stables. Hercules, in one of his trials, had to complete the cleaning of said stables, which held 300 oxen for 30 years, with no custodian. So, yes, a load of crap can be referenced with the use of the word. The load of crap is related to the “sometimes distasteful” part of the definition, in my interpretation. The use of the word for this series, however, puts a focus on the first part of the definition: “extremely formidable or difficult.” Staying with the Roman theme here at Centurion. Either way, hopeful the PAX did not equate the workout to the latter part of the definition, in favor of the former.
Prohibition posted again. Fast Twitch, Anvil, Centurion. Great to have him back out in the gloom.
PAPER JAM RODE THE ELEVATOR FROM GROUND TO LEVEL 4. DURING THE WORKOUT.
Grateful to lead the Centurion PAX this morning. T-claps to Paper Jam for the takeout prayer. Get after it today men.
Announcements
Savage Race 05/13/2017. Register and run it with the 50+ South Charlotte PAX already registered.
At his F3 HOF enshrinement, aka, retirement as Centurion site-Q, Chelms referenced an 8 week series of horribles, or something to that regard. Great way to pass along the site Q duties, if you ask me. No further information was presented or shared, nor, was this 8-week series aptly named. The lack of naming or further information was likely due to Chelms hasty departure to beat the rest of the PAX to Panera for the Stand. Week 1 featured Margo, who laid down a serious beating. He, too, failed to name the 8-week series that his former counterpart had alluded to the week prior. We will roll with the Augean Series. 03/17/2017-05/05/2017.
The goal for each 45-minute Augean workout will be to fit the definition of the word.
Augean – extremely formidable or difficult and occasionally distasteful.
8 standing around, shooting the breeze in the few minutes prior to launch. Van Pelt asks if Hops has the Q. Why yes, Hops is scheduled to Q. Hops is also coming off IR, so Lobsta recruited Rachel to Q his first full-on bootcamp. Had his VQ at Fast Twitch recently and delivered a solid beating. YHC got a call from Rachel last night. He had to cancel due to illness. Told him it was handled. McGee came in hot at 0530 and started rapid-firing questions. Brought him up to speed and the 9 of us took off.
Thang
Mosey through the parking lots for a 1/3 mile warm-up trot. End in lot with 4 basketball goals.
COP (in cadence)
SSH x 10/Mountain Climber x 10/Merkin x 20/IW x 10
Low Plank Jack x 10/Heels to Heaven x 10/Hand-Release Burpee x 10 (OYO)
Where YHC stood served as Home Base.
Modified Starfish
Run from Home Base to called campus location. Complete called exercises. Run back to Home Base and complete the following after each round:
Low Plank Jack x 10/Heels to Heaven x 10/Hand-Release Burpee x 10
Plank series/Reverse Plank Series/Mary called between each round to regroup before next round called. 20 Wide-Arm Merkin OYO after Mary on round 6.
Mosey back to launch lot.
COT
Moleskin
Men get injured, men get sick, and other men step in to fill the void. That is how this works. Glad to fill the void today. Hops is on the mend and Rachel will be back soon. 70 Hand-Release Burpees, 10 Double-Merkin Burpees, 2.5 miles total with core work and other various exercises. Solid 45 minutes of work by all this morning.
Strong mumblechatter out of the gate from McGee. He started a bit negative with all the Q changes, but quickly became aware of his surroundings and acknowledged the beautiful morning. Pro posted for two consecutive days. Scabby was on time and pushing hard. Van Pelt, Snowflake, Crabcake, and Thunder Road got it done. Well done men. McGee took us out in BOM.
Announcements
Savage Race 05/13/2017 in Concord. 20% discount ends Thursday. A51/SOB has 50+ signed up to run this one. Register HERE
Thursday’s are typically reserved for the M to post FIA, who is always great about giving me her day when I have Q. This week she informed me that the gift of Thursday would require my reciprocity in giving her Wednesday…until the forecast called for rain. Alas, my lucky rainy day included 45 minutes of beatdown provided free-of-charge by Thin Mint. 17 men joined YHC at the AMC at Stonecrest for the weekly installment of Rebel Yell, which, as Strawberry informed me post-workout, is the hottest ticket on Thursdays in South Charlotte. Disclaimer was given, we grabbed the 4 cinder blocks YHC had positioned behind the Toyota, and off we went.
Thang
Mosey to parking lot adjacent to Chik-Fil-A. Circle up.
COP
All in cadence: IW x 10/MC x 10/Merkin x 10/Diamond Merkin x 10/SSH x 10
5 Stop Storefront Tour
Stop at end of each of four closest building. 5 Hand-Release Burpees at each stop and 5 H-R Burpees back at the blocks. Plank-o-rama to regroup.
Mosey around the back of Target to 2nd speed bump. People’s Chair to regroup.
5 Stop Double Merkin Burpees
Stop at the next 4 speed bumps and end at the stop sign. 5 Double Merkin Burpees at each stop. Plank-o-rama to regroup. Low Plank Jack x 10 IC.
Mosey out of the retail area up to Elm. Left on Elm. Left on Elmstone. Stop at Rosebriar to regroup. Continue mosey a ways down the Murderhorn.
Triple Nickel
Between 2 stoplights in the middle of MH. Run up hill to light. 5 Burpee. Run back down to launch light. 5 Heels to Heaven. 5 Repetitions.
Mosey down to the bottom of MH. Plank-o-rama to regroup.
AYG up the hill back to Rosebriar. Reverse Plank-o-rama. Smurf Jack x 10 IC
Mosey across Elm back to launch lot. Drop blocks at Toyota. Circle up for Mary. Burpees to allow six to join group.
Mary – all IC. Hold 6 inches between. Flutter x 10/Dolly x 10/Heels to Heaven x 10/High Flutter x 10
Wide arm Merkin x 10 IC
COT
Moleskin
Transport of the cinder blocks over the 2.5 mile workout was the responsibility of the group. All men helped. Big Tuna refused relief as he sprinted up the Murderhorn with a block. Impressive Big T. Alf and Doc were out front pushing on the pace for pretty much all of our work today. Don’t think Alf really gets tired anymore. Well done. Two weeks in a row posting with Doc. Dude gets after it. Tagalong and Shrinkwrap out there again crushing it. Solid work men. Bucky, Goonie, Fireman Ed, Toolbag, Heartbreaker, Strawberry getting it done, as always. Good to meet Tiny Dancer. He slayed it today, along with Morning After. 4 Respects all got it done this morning. Partnered up with Van Pelt yesterday at Anvil. He never lets up. Great job this morning.
Today marks 5 years of my brother Eric’s death by suicide. Many of you know of this story as YHC also Q’d a workout 11/09/2016 on his Bday. I told some of his story at the workout and in the backblast. This is why 5 played a prominent role in the workout this morning.
Funny things go through your head when you are leading a workout and thinking of bringing your own “stuff” into play. Questions are asked. Am I selfish to make this about me? Will the men think I am looking for pity? Does anyone care to hear about my struggles? Answers: Maybe a little. Doubtful. Lastly, yes, these men, my friends and brothers, do care to hear about my struggles and offer support.
To me, this anniversary is a weird one. It is like most other days in most ways. But, 5 years ago, my family lost one of us. What do you do with that? Should I be more sad than on March 8, or any of the other days? Don’t think so. Got woke up this morning, not by my 0453 alarm, but by a 0430 text from my friend Rock Thrill. It read: “Good morning. I will be thinking about Eric’s life and your family today. Praying for you all. I am with you in spirit at your Q. Enjoy honoring your brother’s life and using his life as a platform for impacting others. In Him, RT” Rock Thrill and YHC share the common bond of losing a brother. His brother, Joe, from an accidental overdose, and my brother to suicide following a 10-year battle with addiction. His support this morning was huge. Inspiring. Also inspiring is the 5 years of the Joe Davis Run for Recovery put on by RT and his family. This year over $34K was raised and given to Keystone Substance Abuse in Rock Hill, SC. #IMPACT
So, on this anniversary, we carried 4 cinder blocks (don’t have a 5th, which would have been fitting). All of us had to help to get that done. The blocks represented the extra burdens that we all carry, whether it be the death of a loved one, problems with work, mistakes made in life, or anything else that weighs us down. We all have something or many things. The sharing of the burden of the blocks is much like the support we provide for others. All the PAX were quick to take that burden from a brother. The point YHC made in COT was that we need to remember to do that with those around us. To be vigilant in supporting others, lifting them up, and being there.
Was at a recent 3F with Hops, Deep Dish, and Dolphin. Something we discussed really stuck with me. Not sure who brought it up, but the discussion moved toward asking the question: “How are you doing.” We all ask this question several times a day. At least YHC does. It is asked as a pleasantry or a greeting. Given the current usage, the power of the question is lost. Most will respond, “Good,” or, “Living the dream,” or something to that effect. It is automatic for most. Think about asking a follow up question: “How are you REALLY doing?” This will grab the attention of most. Some will interpret it as genuine and may actually answer truthfully. Be prepared to be leaned on. Thankful for all of you men and for F3. Awesome way to start this day.
Announcements
Wall restoration at Providence Presbyterian Church. Round 2. 250-year-old stone wall is falling down. F3 is trying to put it back together. 03/18/2017 from 0800-1200. Check Slack for details.
Savage Race 05/13/2017. Get signed up and join the 50 or so A51/SOB pax already committed.