Started the morning with a little half mile Mosey to Millbridge community center parking lot and Rudy’s response was priceless: Oh gosh! Arrived at parking and circled up for some dynamic stretching.
The Thang
Progressive (4) corners. Run to first corner and complete first exercise and then run back to start. Run back to first corner first exercise again, then proceed to second corner exercise, the run back to start. Repeato (3) more times. Each time PAX arrived back at the start various exercise were performed until the 6 arrived: Burpees on your own, Merkin Circle up to 100, and Burpee circle around twice.
Mosey back to Commitment but stopped over to the rock pile and broke up into teams of two to complete 100 curls, 100 overhead presses, 100 goblet squats, and 100 triceps
Next, in same teams rifle carry and web edition – partner (1) rifle carry rock while partner (2) was doing Bobby Hurley – LBC web. After first round, partners switched one did rifle carry while partner did (2) Bobby Hurleys and (8) LBC. This continued until (10) Bobby Burleys and (40) LBC’s were completed.
Mosey back past COT to the roundabout for the famous Chicken and Premature Spiderman walk with Merkin. PAX spread apart equally around roundabout, got into plank, Spiderman walk (5) times and (1) Merkin. PAX went around about 90 degrees and reversed. This went on for three minutes and much groaning! Mosey to COT.
Announcements
Deep Dish birthday today 52
6th man Rubbermaid
March 6 Q school
Rooster signup for March 13 – Five man teams – 1st PAX runs a mile and rest, 2nd PAX runs a mile and rest, 3rd PAX runs a mile and rest, 4th PAX runs a mile and rest, and lasty 5th PAX runs a mile and rest. This continues for 5 rounds and the last 26th mile, the 5 PAX team runs the last mile together to finish.
Prayer Request
Fuse friend Butch – recover from prostate surgery
The Juice Dad since he has ALS
Premature brother Jason (47) and his son Michael (28) battling alcoholism
Keeping the BB short and simple
The Warmup
The Warmup started with a long Mosey to start dynamic stretching
The Thang
PAX Mosey to large parking lot with islands in the middle to perform many different exercises. Workout was simple:
1) Get to first island due rep of (5) reps of the called out exercise
2) Move to next the island due (10) reps of the same exercise
3) Move to next island due (15) reps of the same exercise
4) Move to end of the lot due (20) reps of the same exercise
5) Mosey back to first island and complete the next exercise
Some of the exercises were pickle pounders, bobby hurleys, heels to heaven, merkins, LBC, flutters, mike tysons and the real treat was “how” to reach each island
PAX got in three miles by going back and forth in a parking lot!
Announcements
6-man Twinkle Toes
Welcome FNG Stryker (Alex Sohn)
Rooster March 13 (more details will follow)
The Warmup
The Warmup started with Popeye recommending an audible moving Diesel to Cuthbertson. I said to Chicken, we can do that? He said you are the Q and you make the rule! Enough said and I jumped back into my car and drove off. PAX arrived 5 minutes late therefore no time for a warmup.
The Thang
I told Chicken I was setting up the racetrack, like we did at Body Shop, and he just rolled his eyes. The racetrack was shaped like Daytona 500 with (3) exercises on the straight portions with pit stops at the turn areas. Well it was not an actual pit stop to take a break but was the start of the pace car. One PAX would start in plank, Spiderman walk 3 times, and then a Merkin. This continued until the pace car reached the other pit stop and back to the starting pit stop . The rest of the PAX were spread out along the tracks straightaways doing an exercise. Once pace car finished, PAX rotated to next station. Draper and Popeye really enjoyed going from pit stop to pit stop.
Racetrack design: coupon was required at each station:
PAX completed 5 rounds around the track and cars were slowing down after second lap. PAX crushed it and big shout out to 0-69! You did it brother!
0-69 said today was epic!!!
Announcements
Premature on Q tomorrow at Blackhawk
The Warmup
Warmup simple: ran to the nearest covered area which was about 100 yards and started dynamic stretching
The Thang
The Wienke incorporated using Premature’ s playing cards of pain. We all decided to play 21 and started with flipping two cards. The sum of the first two cards was 17 and it made sense to start with Das Boot’s famous “Pickle Pounder”. Chicken was very excited to hear Pickle Pounder but after 17 rounds, not so much. PAX continued to flip two cards for 13 rounds and decided to take a pit stop for 2 seconds before starting bear crawls. PAX circled back up to start the next 13 exercises finishing the deck and encountered the Joker. This was dealer preference which equaled 50 Goofballs. Again, thanks to Das Boot. Sugar and Sledge looked like professionals doing Goofballs…hmm.
During the second set, Chicken and I created a new exercise called the Daytona 500. Start in plank, move sideways three times, then (1) merkin going counterclockwise for one elliptical revolution. We managed to complete 16 Merkins. That was a love hate exercise.
PAX shuffled the deck and performed another 13 exercises and had intermission with bear crawls. Circled back, completed Daytona 500 but this time going clockwise.
I can tell Das Boot and Sugar were very excited about doing the Daytona 500 by listening to their groans. For that matter, everyone had groans including the Q!
I will say Sledge-O-Matic crushed it! He did all the exercises and still had more in the tank. Great job my friend.
No mileage but only repeated one exercise twice: You got it “Pickle Pounder”
Announcements
Rooster March 13
The Warmup
Starting the morning at HOT 25 degrees can always be painful especially when “fart-sacking” feels like heaven. Anyway, 20 PAX came out and we started with DiCCS and then Mosey to Rudy’s Poop shed for some dynamic stretching:
The Thang
The Thang was simple many exercises and some running. Cannot get any easier.
PAX broke up into 4 teams to complete one round of four corners using Premature’s famous cones which identified the exercise at each corner. The teams were required to complete 20 reps at each station and then run once around the perimeter of the parking lot. After the run, teams headed to the middle to complete some marry until the 6 arrived. Next, PAX teams rotated counterclockwise to perform the next exercise and repeat0 three more times.
Round two: Same PAX teams stayed together and got a lifting rock to perform more exercises. Half the team ran to the other end of the parking lot and back while the other half completed exercises with the rock. The reps were per individual:
Everyone pushed it today and got in a good workout to start off the week and great job our FNG Hot Tub completing all the exercises. Welcome!
Announcements
6TH Guy – Hurry, last name Scurry and it obvious how he got the name
FNG – Jeff Trembell (I hope I got it correct) – works for Bath Fitter so properly named Hot Tub
Blood drive Jan 30 Five Stone Church
Need volunteers for Rice and Beans
CSAUP – 2/6 approx. 11 miles, start at any AO – Ruck also part of CSAUP
Opening enrollment for Northpoint Christian Academy starts 1/18
Today is my one year anniversary message : My wife, Kelli, asked me over the weekend “What are you going to tell Ryan how F3 has helped you over the past year?” Before I answer, I need to provide you some insight of my life:
I grew up living in low income housing, on welfare, in Middletown, Ct. Times were rough to the point my sister, brother, and myself would steal food at times in order eat. Father was an alcoholic, very abusive, and left us when I was eight years old. Trust me I was glad!!
I started working at 11 years old delivering newspapers (no internet in 1982) and all the money I made, I gave to my mom for food. During high school I partied a lot and was wild but managed to still maintain good grades. My senior year, I was a young punk who disrespected adults and thought I was “king-crap” until I pushed the wrong buttons with my machine drafting teacher, Mr. Lewis. I remember very clearly, to this day, how being a punk in his class has repercussions. I was showing off and being disrespectful during his class and scheduled me for detention. I stood after school in a room by myself and he comes over to me, grabs by shirt, and pushes me into the wall and told me “you have the ability to be something if you just get your head out of your ass!” I was not so tough at that moment and never disrupted his class the rest of the year. He even went out of his way to get me a part time job as an entry level draftsman and yes a whole $4.58 and hour. I did well at the job and after a couple of years, I told my mom “I am leaving the projects and never coming back.”
I started to learn more and more in my career and my goal was to become a mechanical engineer. My boss, Larry Alonzo god bless his soul, was like a father figure and he recommended I go to college at night to become an engineer. He also helped me get into a community college. Finally, after 10 years I graduated from UCONN with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and yet my satisfaction was short lived and something still was missing. I did not plan on going to graduate school but I did and after 2.5 years got my MS in Engineering. However, satisfaction again was short lived and I proceeded to get my MBA. After, 17 years of going to school at night and weekends I was emotionally done. During that same time period, I had my oldest son Michael 28 who unfortunately is an alcoholic today, got married at 23 and divorced at 33. Five years later at 38, I got remarried to my current wife Kelli which is the same year I finished my MBA. My wife knew I was driven and my aspirations in becoming an executive. At the age of 40, we had our son Ryan who is 9 today and at age 45 I moved my family to Charlotte to become the Director of Operations at Siemens. It was tough to leave my family and a 22 year career in Aerospace manufacturing to start a new life and career.
One year ago today, I was on a business trip in Orlando and a guy from the Fort Mill F3 asked me to work out him but did not realize it would be outside in a parking lot. Little strange but I liked it AND very challenging. He told me to lookup Waxhaw F3 on Facebook and send out a request. I did that day and received a reply from Zin. We exchanged messages a few times and said he said “Just show up.”
First time I posted was Jan 18, 2020 at Commitment and I had no idea I was going to get a name like Premature and ending a workout in prayer. After, people said come to Coffeteria. I said, what is Coffeteria but let me go home to get some money. Popeye said do not worry, we got it. I went to Dunkin Doughnuts and sat with a bunch of guys I did not know and they treated me like we knew each other for years. I went home and explained to my wife the F3 philosophy and she asked “Are you going back and is it a cult?” I laughed and said yes going back and no not a cult. I told her it is a bunch of guys helping the community who have fun and care for other people. After a few weeks, COVID started and was still doing the workouts virtually and then Open Door bible study started with Bottlecap. I attend the bible study every Sunday and it has become one of the best parts of my week. The open door group is like having a brotherly family. Everyone on the call are vulnerable, broken guys, that are willing to help. Also, I am part of a team called the Antelopes which consist of Chicken Little, Carb Load, Sugar Daddy, and Mad Dog. These guys help hold me accountable to post and our team Group Text each other daily. Today, I am physically, mentally, and spiritually in a greater place than a year ago which is beyond anything I could imagine. Sorry for the long winded story but now to the question:
“What are you going to tell Ryan how F3 has helped you over the past year? Simple answers F3 has help me:
1) have more compassion for people and the willingness to help
2) understand family is priority, not chasing corporate ladder – still working on this
3) learning about the bible and how God’s will is help our brothers and sisters which is the key to eternal life
I still have a long way to go but I am in a much better place and thank you to F3.
Prep
Well it was time to bring out Premature’s cones of pain. Set alarm early and drove to Kensington Elementary School parking lot to setup the four corners of pain using the cones. Once complete, drove to the Millbridge Parking lot and setup the next four corner series of exercises. This completed the setup and headed to Commitment AO.
Warm-up
The warm-up started with a Mosey to Millbridge Parking and finished with some stretching exercises:
Thang
PAX split up into three teams of four to start four corners of pain. Once the team completes the first exercise, PAX meet up in the middle and hold in plank for the six. When entire PAX was together, completed two burpees and proceeded to next corner. This continued until all pain stations were complete except the burpee count keep doubling: two first round, four second, then eight, and finally sixteen.
Next, PAX Mosey to Kensington Elementary School to find a lifting and running rock. Mad Dog stated clearly “Chose wisely.” By the way, good advise. PAX rifle carried the rock to the first school parking lot to start the next set of four corners of pain. Same process as the first, except the exercises were different and PAX had to rifle carry the rock at all times. The exercises had to be completed using the rock as well:
Last but not least, PAX rifle carry rock to the top parking lot to meet Lieutenant Dan. All nine guys lined up along the curb to start with one Big Boy sit-up, run rifle carry to other side of parking lot, four reverse lunges, and run rifle carry back. This continued for eight rounds ending with eight Big Boys sit-ups and 32 reverse lunges.
Acknowledgements
I want to recognize Turnbuckle since he walked/ran the entire time and distance along with completing all the exercises! Well done and proud of ya!
Mosey back to COT
Announcements
Blood Drive Jan 30 Five Stones Church
Need support to fold clothes at Christ Church
Neighborhood walk Marvin Creek 1/17
Feb 6 CSAUP – Carb Load and Tuck
Rice and Beans signup
The Perfect Plan
I planned the entire Wienke last night, set the alarm for 5:15 arrival at Diesel, setup Premature’s famous cones in the parking lot, and finally complete a pre-workout stretch. Got into car and arrived at 5:12 which was better than planned and who do I see, Chastain and Brutus already ready. Well started talking to them and my plan went out the window: no setup or stretching but still had Wienke memorized. PAX cars kept rolling in until 5:30 and some were even a little late, no name Posse. 5:30 hit and we were off, walked 15 feet, to circle up and start Warmup.
The Warmup
The Thang
The Wienke was designed to focus on abs, legs, and shoulders using a coupon. PAX broke up into teams of two to perform various pain exercises shown below along with coupon rifle carries. One-person rifle carry, while the other performs the exercise. The quantity is per team, not per individual. If any team finished an exercise early, they continued until the 6 finished.
Well, I can tell everyone was loving the idea of performing all the rifle carries. I had the joy of rifle carrying next to Brutus while he was singing something, if that is what you call it. At the same time, the entire PAX kept hearing an angry chicken clucking in the background however it was not our Chicken Little. Many PAX were groaning since their shoulders were fatigued after 30 minutes into the work out. I told them “Good news only 15 minutes to go” and Jwow and Carb Load gave me a nice facial expression. Chastain was my partner and I saw him lower the coupon a couple of times to his shoulder during the rifle carry. I could imagine he was saying to himself “I cannot wait till this ends” and I was silently thinking, success. I happened to look over to my right and I see Turnbuckle crushing Big Boy Situps! Nice job!
I did not get to see Rockwell, Posse, Chicken Little, Sledge-O-Matic, Penalty Box, Dough Boy, Dish Dish, Bunyan, or Red Bull since they were on the other side of the parking lot but sure heard their moans!
6:15 came and Chastain said “I cannot believe we did over a mile of rifle carries”
Thanks everyone for pushing through and I enjoyed being the Q.
Announcements
Turnbuckle laundry list…lol
CSAUP Feb 6 – signup
Premature will Q tomorrow at Commitment tomorrow for one-year anniversary. The official anniversary date is 1/18, which I will also Q, at Flash but Commitment was my first F3 experience.
The Warmup
Woke up this morning to HOT 30 degrees and was running a little late. I arrived at 6:11 and did not see any cars and wondered if it was cancelled or worse, workout location changed. 6:13 came and a convoy of cars were heading into the parking lot. I said to myself “Thank God.”
Started DiCCS at 6:14 and we were off at 6:15 sharp. PAX started with 800m warm up Mosey to the football field parking lot. However, you can imagine Hurry, Gerber, BC, and Easy Button definition of Mosey and mine are not the same. Shout out to Sugar since he was with the Gazelles as well. Rubbermaid and I took Mosey definition serious.
The Thang
The Wienke was designed to focus on abs, speed sprints, and Mosey runes.
Abs/Run – PAX started with three rounds of four corners of the large parking lot. PAX did 15 Heels to Heaven at each corner which equaled 180 in total
Sprints – PAX proceeded to completed 5 rounds of speed sprints by running 400m laps. Run hard 400m up slight incline and casually back.
Run/Abs – PAX ran to front of school to start next round of four corners except this time 15 reps of flutters – repeat 3 rounds. At this point Gerber, took a detour to fertilize the grass.
Run/Abs – PAX ran to Rudy’s shed and completed a LBC circle wave until 100 reps were completed and then ran back to COT parking lot
Run/Abs – PAX completed one round of four corners with 5 Big Boy sit-ups at each corner
Sprint/Run – PAX sprinted to Crazy Man cabin held and waited in plank position until the 6 arrived, then ran to front of the high school
Run/Abs – PAX ran to front of middle school for rounds of 4 corners. Each corner PAX did 10 Peter Parkers and then finished by running back to COT.
Total run/sprint 5.5 miles but of course Hurray was 6.5. Plus, over 500 abs reps!
Transparency – I was nervous about leading Ignition today since I knew I could not keep up with everyone, but I also wanted to step out of my comfort zone and I knew the F3 brothers never leave anyone behind or judge. I started F3 Jan 18th this year where I struggled to complete any workout and because of F3 I am better physically and spiritually. At the same time, I have met many great guys that became personal friends.
In short, I want say thank you to every one and stepping out of your comfort is a good thing. The internal feeling of accomplishment is overwhelming!
Announcements
Welcome 2.0 FNG – Gecko
Blood Drive Jan 30th
CSAUP Feb 6 – signup
The Planning
Well today was an great start to Q in 19 degree temperature and to celebrate my 49th birthday! Today officially started the one year count down when during Namarama: I will say “Mike Niro 50 Premature” and everyone will say: Respect. The theme was simple: different ways to use the numbers 4 and 9.
Posse asked me to Q Homecoming since I made the statement “I like to Q” however full transparency I and not a fan of writing BB however I understand the importance. Writing and reading was never my strong point during high school or college. Anyway, back to the BB.
Posse knew I never went to the Homecoming AO so I decided to scope out the sight during the day of Christmas Eve. I found the perfect area to perform the THANG, the running track right next to parking lot. I went home and planned the Wienke using the famous Premature cones that had designated exercises. I texted Posse and told him “We are good to go”. I arrived 20 minutes early to layout the cones and to my surprise, all the gates were locked. Realize, I am walking around in 19-degree weather trying to figure out how to get into the track area. No luck. I drove back to the parking and thank god I saw Gopher and FNG Jamal Brown. Jamal later was named Whack A Mole since he is the brother in-law to Gopher. I asked them to help me create a .25 mile running loop within the parking lot and spread out the cones.
The Warmup
The Thang
The Thang was simple, run and complete six 6 exercises: Heels to Heaven, Merkins, Squats, Big Boy Sit-ups, Mike Tysons, and Lunges 2 is 1.
Everyone pushed it today and got in a good workout to start my birthday and coming off Christmas Holiday. Great job!
Announcements
6th guy – Coco Crisp from Raleigh – awesome job lost 50 lbs. and just completed a full marathon
Welcome FNG – Jamal Brown (Whack A Mole)
Blood Drive Jan 30
The Warmup
Well usually the warmup is the easy part of the hour unless you are Premature.
Gerber, Tool Time, Sugar Daddy, and I were together and I was giving the DiCCS. We saw another group of guys, new faces to us, and thought they were Rucking.
5:15 came, according to Premature watch, and the four of us were off. We turned right out of the parking lot, turned right again onto Kensington, and another right back into Millbridge heading to Nesbit Park’s roundabout. Gerber asked if we were going to stretch and at the same time, I hear a freight train coming behind and of course its Hurray. He blew buy me and said “they are a bunch of pissed off guys behind you.” Sugar and I looked at each other puzzled and realized the other guys were not Rucking, they were there to run. At the same time, we see a cavalry of PAX coming toward us led by Bottlecap and Hollywood. We all joined together and proceeded to the roundabout to start the WARMUP.
PAX Mosey through the trail and back to Millbridge Parking Lot to start the THANG
The Thang
The Thang was simple, RUN! We traveled many roads in Millbridge and of course each road had its own hill.
Everyone pushed it today and got in a good workout to start winding down the week. Great job!
Announcements
Welcome FNG (Jared Richardson, hope I got that correct)
F3 adopting a family in Monroe since husband packed up everything and left his family – please bring presents to Turnbuckle
Turnbuckle announced : Save the date blood drive – Saturday Jan 30th
2020 Passport through December 31
Prayer Request
Keep praying for Premature wife, Kelli with an “I” with her autoimmune