(Posted on behalf of Boutique and Semi-Gloss)
12 or so men partook in a little toughness.
The Thang
Boutique Q
Warm up lap cross field with backwards run & karaoke mixed in.
COP on basketball court:
SSH x 25
IW x 20
Mtn Climbers x 20
Merkins x 15
Mosey to front lot:
Minute To Win It (PAX does called exercise for 1 minute followed by lap around lot)
Squats
CDD
Dips
Calf Raises
Burpees
Just before our Burpee set, The Rock infiltrated the PAX.
Mosey over to the wall for a little peoples chair:
Left for up
Right for up
Over head press x 20 in cadence
HANDOFF to Semi-Gloss
Mosey to yellow rose parking lot
Partner up.
Partner laps. Finish with 100 merkins for the team.
Lap 2 run around and finish 300 lbc’s.
Indian run back to campus.
30 dollies cad
20 flutters cad
Mosey to playground.
30 dips, 30 derkins, 30 pull ups
Mosey back to the parking lot
Suicides
Ye olde moleskin
The weather was warm. The pax complaining and well for me it was no shirt today.
Boutique lead the pax off to a solid karaoke and a great workout with a little interval training. The lap work was especially painful but needed especially for me. The running was going great but in the background we could hear the fAint sounds of some pax and what can only be Runstopper rocking out the drill sergeant workout.
Apparently the q’s at the rock weren’t there today so the guys over there came our way. Just in time for my q. I had to call an audible after Boutique’s wall sit because of the size of the group.
We mosied over to the yellow rose pkg lot and decided to run. At first the pax were on board but I felt a mutiny coming after the second round and the runstopper reminded me that they still have to run back to the rock.
When we began the Indian run back the back of the line wasn’t making it so we circled and pushed through.
YHC was a little bad on the time and I called the Mary a little too soon. Don’t worry radar of course gave me enough crap on it.
Haven’t q’d at day zero in a while and enjoyed it. Always a good workout on a Saturday to get the week out right.
10 men posted at #F3DayZero on the day after the 4th. We continued celebrating our freedom with a little painfest.
The Thang
Warmup run around the track and gather on the basketball court for COP:
Run to the front of the school and find some bench:
Run to the Yellow Rose parking lot:
Up the steps and onto Baybrook Lane. Plank at stop sign, knock out 10 Merkins on the Q’s count.
AYG to the stop sign at Carswell. Line it up for a Mermaid special…the Triple Nickel:
Run back down Bevington to the Baybrook. AYG on Baybrook up the light post. Mosey from there to the back entrance to the McAlpine Proving Grounds.
Mosey back to parking lot. COT
Moleskine
Big day at Day Zero…3 FNGs thanks to Hairball’s family being in town and 3 site FNGs thanks to Snowflake, BOG and Virus finally showing up at McAlpine. All the new folks had the Q pretty nervous. So we stayed basic today…just running and straightforward exercising. Got the heart rate up and did a lot of merkins to get all swole for an all day pool day. No one complained, except Spackler…said something about boring, while he was being a #refusenik.
Announcements
The Thang & Moleskin
8 men answered the call of the #F3DayZero Challenge. Perhaps the biggest challenge has become showing up for it. It is brutal and the Giant Weinke shows no mercy.
But the Giant Weinke was lost in Radar’s move to Union County and so we had a smaller weinke made from cardboard that was either cut from the side of a moving box or stolen from a homeless person.
Also lost was the Challenge music list and so we defaulted to Radar’s Spotify. Baracus suggested 80s. As such, we got some Hungry Eyes and Tainted Love…solid motivation when you are doing 100 knee tucks. And, as a result of some of the tunes, YHC will now be watching Top Gun and Breakfast Club at some point this weekend.
But what remained the same was how tough the Challenge is and how hard the Pax push themselves through it.
Announcements
The VSF was planted alongside the slew of men that arrived early for pre-KB as 30 pax gathered for another #F3Centurion fun-filled Friday. After the disclaimer about YHC’s lack of professionalism, we got straight to work. Here’s a peek at what we did today:
The Thang
10 burpees – Plank – 10 merkins OYO
Run through the student parking lot, stopping in front of the school – 10 burpees – Plank – 10 merkins OYO
Run through the Chipotle (not Chipotle’s) parking lot, across 51 and back behind Cabo’s, stopping at the base of Palatine Hill – 10 burpees – Plank – 10 merkins OYO
Line up along the base of Palatine Hill
Run to the parking lot close to Planet Fitness – 10 burpees – Plank – 10 merkins
Run back across 51 to the picnic tables
Run to the student parking lot and line up along light post
Mosey back home
COT
Moleskin
Last week in his BB, @F3Escargot noted that YHC had the Q and that we’d most likely be on Palatine Hill. Well, YHC certainly couldn’t disappoint the site Q…he and his sidekick Chelms are the bosses. And so I planned some adequate time over there.
Not sure about the rest of the Pax but workouts that are simple and just keep repeating the same thing over and over and over are the ones that break YHC’s spirit. So that was the plan…to attack the legs (and lungs) early and often with some incessant hill work. Somewhere about 3/4 up the hill on the first backwards run the quads went from burning to numb…and basically stopped functioning. Nice work from the Pax pushing through 5 of those.
It is worth noting that Frehley’s has become a big fan of the bear squat…kept calling it a warmup for his weekend. #DirtyOldMan
We also noted that the Planet Fitness parking lot was full. A lot of people in there with their iPods blasting Nikki Minaj while they stand around waiting for the next machine to come free, wondering to themselves “why am I here?” They are totally missing out on the beauty of the gloom and camaraderie forged when 30 men do 40 monkey humpers in unison.
Solid take out by Snowflake who turned 53 today. Happy Birthday brother! We should’ve done 3 more burpees.
Announcements
After a few laps around the parking lot to allow for some stragglers (Frasier & Soul Glow) to get out of their respective vehicles, 18 men launched from SCMS into the humid morning for this week’s edition of #F3FastTwitch, the best worst hour of the week. The plan, that YHC had been sitting on for about a month, was simple. Here’s what we did:
The Thang:
Run down Woodfox, turn left on Rounding Run, turn left onto Rising Meadow and go to the top of the hill by the light post. Our job for the morning was explained to the Pax. There’s approximately 1/2 miles between the top of Rising Meadow and the bottom of Windbluff. There’s a few hills in between. We were going to run that, over and over and over, until 0600. 5 burpees at the bottom of Windbluff. 10 jump squats at the top of Rising Meadow.
At approximately 0600, we gathered back together at the bottom of Rising Meadow for a short Indian Run back to the SCMS football (& futbol) field. We lined up along the goal post for 3 sets of gassers, down and back.
Mosey back the parking lot. COT
Moleskin
Pretty straightforward today. But as promised, we got some hills…and found out that they just keep on giving, especially when you just hit play and rewind for 45 minutes. The 1/2 mile stretch between the top of Rising Meadow and the bottom of Windbluff is brutal…don’t think there’s any flat on it really. And the air was thick. So we just had to give more. No doubt we did. Don’t think anyone left anything in the tank this morning.
The guys out front completed 5+ rounds and ended up somewhere around 6.7 miles this morning. Pretty sure everyone got to +6. Rock Thrill ran in from the greenway and then back afterwards…10+ miles…don’t know how he did that. #Strong
Thanks to Hops for taking us out.
Announcements
At 0515 from the SCMS parking lot, #F3FastTwitch will launch into another epic hour. Tomorrow morning has something for everyone:
So grab the smokeboots and come ready to go.
With no site-Q to be found, 8 men moved the Pavilion tables and launched into another episode of #F3Flex. Today, it was more quality time with foam roller.
The Thang
Then foam roller time:
COT
Moleskin
Self-Myofascial Release techniques on a foam roller improve flexibility, function, performance, and reduce injuries. In a nutshell, you use your own body weight to roll on the round foam roll, massaging away restrictions to normal soft-tissue extensibility. Some benefits of self-myofascial release include:
• Correcting muscle imbalances
• Improving joint range of motion
• Relieving muscle soreness and joint stress
• Decreasing neuromuscular hypertonicity
• Increasing extensibility of musculotendinous junction
• Improving neuromuscular efficiency
• Maintaining normal functional muscular length
Another solid #F3Flex workout from Whiplash. Very informative about the techniques and benefits. Everyone in the Pax should be doing this.
Foam rolling hurts.
Foam rolling your IT band should be a form of torture.
Bugeater had his beach towel out…claimed he used it to wipe away sweat from his pre-run with Boutique and Stone Cold…most likely those were tears he wiped away.
There were no jokes about YHC’s tiny foam roller this time (see note above about missing site Q).
8 guys performing self-myofascial release on Church grounds sounds worse than it really is.
Announcements
The picnic tables were moved and 11 men gathered for an #F3Flex introduction to Active Isolated Streching (AIS) (also known as Active Isolated Flexibility or AIF). The AIS method of muscle lengthening and fascial release is a type of Athletic Stretching Technique that provides effective, dynamic, facilitated stretching of major muscle groups, but more importantly, AIS provides functional and physiological restoration of superficial and deep fascial planes. Each stretch begins by defining the current range of motion (stretch point). The target muscle is then stretched beyond that range with a gentle assist continuing for only two seconds. The muscle is then returned to its original resting position. Typically, eight to ten repetitions are required. Performing an Active Isolated Stretch of no longer than two seconds allows the target muscles to optimally lengthen without triggering the protective stretch reflex and subsequent reciprocal antagonistic muscle contraction as the isolated muscle achieves a state of relaxation. These stretches provide maximum benefit and can be accomplished without opposing tension or resulting trauma. (NOTE: The foregoing paragraph was written from memory and was not aided by Google in any way).
The Thang
AIS stretches for the following:
Close with some mobility stretches:
COT
Moleskin
After neglecting normal morning duties to make the pre-run with Baracus and Stagecoach, Hops had some business to take care of from the outset…pulled an actual Semi-Gloss, but outdoors. The men of #F3TheRock better beware the next time Runstopper takes them to the sand volleyball court. The term “kitty litter” may be more literal than figurative after this morning. #WatchOutForClumps
Even though he loves them, possum biscuits do not agree with Horsehead, as his very real battle with early morning flatulence continued. He was positioned right next to Hops, which made things interesting for Stone Cold and Baracus. Not to be outdone, Bug joined the crop dusting too…must have had some Yuengling at the pool yesterday. A question for Dr. Danner: does AIS truly work if you hold your breath the whole time?
Spackler stayed consistent by even being a refusenik on some of the stretches. First burpees, now AIS. Guess that’s what happens when you become strictly a #runner.
It seemed like each Pax had something different to aid with the gentle assists for the AIS…to name just a few, we had ski rope, jump rope, towels, resistance bands (including one pink one), and some kind of rope that looked like Opie Taylor’s belt.
Whiplash kept using big doctor words like “piriformis” and “psoas” when describing some of the muscles we were stretching. They did sound fancy and all the Pax agreed it was much better than saying “that muscle deep in the butt.”
With all that said, it was another solid #F3Flex workout. The benefits of increased mobility and flexibility are numerous. If you have not made it out, you should. Your muscles will thank you.
(posted on behalf of Radar, who wasn’t there)
The shovel flag was planted and, as Old Glory flew in the morning breeze, 15 men launched into #F3DayZero. Here’s what we did:
The Thang
Purple Haze Q
Run a half lap around the track, exit the back gate onto Baybrook Lane and then over to the Tuesday Morning parking lot for COP:
Run up the steps back and to the stop sign at the bottom of Baybrook. Divide into groups of 3 for hill grinders…Partner A exercise at bottom, Partner B running up the hill, Partner C exercise at top…keep rotating until the Q gets tired. Exercises:
Gather back up at the bottom. AYG sprint on Bevington from Baybrook to Carswell.
AYG sprint from stop sign to top of hill on Carswell.
Mosey back to the parking lot.
Spackler Q
Mosey to the rock pile and grab a rock for some catch me if you can with a partner.
Then gather up for some of Spackler’s famous Alabama Slamma:
Circle up for Mary:
Done. COT.
Moleskin
74 and humid at 0700 this morning. Thankfully, there was a little breeze…however, it offered very little relief on the hill grinders. YHC’s Q was meant to vary our heart rates, which seemed to be accomplished. All the men pushed it hard up the hill and everyone was fast down the hill. TR almost blew through the stop sign, twice. The Baybrook Lane hill is not too bad…but it provides plenty of pain when you run it hard, over and over and over and over again.
Plenty of people out in the neighborhood and someone in our group kept trying to EH someone they knew…strong effort but the Billy Zane could not be achieved…next time perhaps.
Spackler took over and immediately had us running while carrying rocks. That’s never any fun no matter how you slice it. Then, having admittedly not planned anything in advance, he went with his old standby…no, not Murderhorn, even though he offered to load us all up in his truck to take us over there…instead, the Alabama Slamma…210 Merkins while alternating in bicep curls. This got us all swole up.
Plenty of chatter during the Slamma, including a Philmont mentioning a “greasy BBQ sandwich served on an old dirty ash tray” which he noted was a reference to the movie Weird Science. This got Prohibition reminiscing about his youthful crush on Kelly LeBrock.
TR went refusenik after a while and started challenging some of the Pax to see how long they hold the rock straight out.
Despite the humidity, Semi-Gloss kept his shirt on the whole time.
Soul Glow actually showed up on a Saturday.
Radar’s softer side was evident this morning, as he was almost encouraging, almost thoughtful.
Farside tried to send his Father-in-law, Boomer, to SCMS for DayZero…nice move to attempt to ace the in-law…however, conscience got the better of him and Farside called him over to McAlpine Elem at the last moment.
Splinter split after the 1st half when he heard he’d have to wear his running shoes on the grass field during Spackler’s Q.
Solid group of men. Solid effort by all. Great send off by Philmont.
Announcements
2 shovel flags were briefly planted while 34 Pax gathered in the McAlpine Elementary School parking lot for the 1 year anniversary of #F3DayZero. Our brothers from #F3TheRock and #F3Olympus joined us for the occasion. But more than a celebration of the first year of the workout it was more of a time to remember and to honor those that served and gave the ultimate sacrifice to ensure the freedoms we now enjoy. Throughout the workout, we made special note of sacrifices, which are detailed below.
The Thang
At 0700, Radar and YHC grabbed the flags and carried them out to the Proving Grounds as the Pax followed. The flags were firmly planted in the middle as we gathered for COP. Radar gave a stirring speech about pushing ourselves today. YHC encouraged the Pax to sound off in our cadence. All 34 did both today.
Before the Merkins, the Pax were informed that there were approximately 455,000 American deaths in WWII…an average of 297 deaths per day.
Then, at Radar’s encouragement, our youngest 2.0s, SouthPaw & Jackie Chan, carried the flags over to the Yellow Rose parking lot, as the Pax followed. Awaiting us there were plates for hairburners and Radar’s funbags for CMIYC. This part of our workout was dedicated to Marine Corps PFC HAROLD CHRIST AGERHOLM. Radar read the Citation noted below.
In groups/partners here’s what we did:
Repeat above except with 10 squats for the CMIYC.
Then, our older 2.0s, Charlie and Tadpole, both of which want to be Navy Seals, carried the flags back to the Proving Grounds, as the Pax fell in behind in two lines.
Back to the field, we stayed in the two lines and dropped for Partner Merkins to 10. Before the Partner Merkins, we noted that approximately 6,600 Americans were killed, wounded or lost at Normandy when the Allied forces stormed the beaches.
After that, we circled up around the flags for the grand finale…100 burpees OYO. But before the burpees, Radar read the Citations noted below for Naval Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy and Naval Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Monsoor.
COP
Moleskin
All the men today brought it strong today and worked hard to honor the sacrifice of many. We could never repay for what’s been done so that we can live in freedom. Today was simply a small way to show our appreciation. Never forget the blood shed by those who have served. Never forget.
As for our Day Zero 1 year, thanks for all the support of the Pax this past year, for the convergence of TheRock and Olympus today, and for the men who showed up and gave big effort today. We look forward to this next one.
Citations
Citation
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with the 4th Battalion, 10th Marines, 2d Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Saipan, Marianas Islands, 7 July 1944. When the enemy launched a fierce, determined counterattack against our positions and overran a neighboring artillery battalion, Pfc. Agerholm immediately volunteered to assist in the efforts to check the hostile attack and evacuate our wounded. Locating and appropriating an abandoned ambulance jeep, he repeatedly made extremely perilous trips under heavy rifle and mortar fire and single-handedly loaded and evacuated approximately 45 casualties, working tirelessly and with utter disregard for his own safety during a grueling period of more than 3 hours. Despite intense, persistent enemy fire, he ran out to aid 2 men whom he believed to be wounded marines but was himself mortally wounded by a Japanese sniper while carrying out his hazardous mission. Pfc. Agerholm’s brilliant initiative, great personal valor and self-sacrificing efforts in the face of almost certain death reflect the highest credit upon himself and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country
Citation
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as the leader of a special reconnaissance element with Naval Special Warfare Task Unit Afghanistan on 27 and 28 June 2005. While leading a mission to locate a high-level anti-coalition militia leader, Lieutenant Murphy demonstrated extraordinary heroism in the face of grave danger in the vicinity of Asadabad, Konar Province, Afghanistan. On 28 June 2005, operating in an extremely rugged enemy-controlled area, Lieutenant Murphy’s team was discovered by anti-coalition militia sympathizers, who revealed their position to Taliban fighters. As a result, between 30 and 40 enemy fighters besieged his four-member team. Demonstrating exceptional resolve, Lieutenant Murphy valiantly led his men in engaging the large enemy force. The ensuing fierce firefight resulted in numerous enemy casualties, as well as the wounding of all four members of the team. Ignoring his own wounds and demonstrating exceptional composure, Lieutenant Murphy continued to lead and encourage his men. When the primary communicator fell mortally wounded, Lieutenant Murphy repeatedly attempted to call for assistance for his beleaguered teammates. Realizing the impossibility of communicating in the extreme terrain, and in the face of almost certain death, he fought his way into open terrain to gain a better position to transmit a call. This deliberate, heroic act deprived him of cover, exposing him to direct enemy fire. Finally achieving contact with his Headquarters, Lieutenant Murphy maintained his exposed position while he provided his location and requested immediate support for his team. In his final act of bravery, he continued to engage the enemy until he was mortally wounded, gallantly giving his life for his country and for the cause of freedom. By his selfless leadership, courageous actions, and extraordinary devotion to duty, Lieutenant Murphy reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Citation
CitationFor conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as automatic weapons gunner for Naval Special Warfare Task Group Arabian Peninsula, in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM on 29 September 2006. As a member of a combined SEAL and Iraqi Army Sniper Overwatch Element, tasked with providing early warning and stand-off protection from a rooftop in an insurgent held sector of Ar Ramadi, Iraq, Petty Officer Monsoor distinguished himself by his exceptional bravery in the face of grave danger. In the early morning, insurgents prepared to execute a coordinated attack by reconnoitering the area around the element’s position. Element snipers thwarted the enemy’s initial attempt by eliminating two insurgents. The enemy continued to assault the element, engaging them with a rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire. As enemy activity increased, Petty Officer Monsoor took position with his machine gun between two teammates on an outcropping of the roof. While the SEALs vigilantly watched for enemy activity, an insurgent threw a hand grenade from an unseen location, which bounced off Petty Officer Monsoor’s chest and landed in front of him. Although only he could have escaped the blast, Petty Officer Monsoor chose instead to protect his teammates. Instantly and without regard for his own safety, he threw himself onto the grenade to absorb the force of the explosion with his body, saving the lives of his two teammates. By his undaunted courage, fighting spirit, and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of certain death, Petty Officer Monsoor gallantly gave his life for his country, thereby reflecting great credit upon himself and upholding the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.