Author Archive Voodoo

Can we get some bro music?!?!

8 bros met at the VSF at Elon Park Elementary School in South North Carolina for their weekly dose of iron + pain at Foxhole.

The Thang:

Grab your bells and mosey to the plush astro-turf field. Circle up for a brief disclaimer.

COP:

25x SSH IC

15x IW IC

Turkish Get Ups (4x L, 4x R)

Partner up. P1 does merkins while P2 does farmer carry to the end line. Flapjack. Repeato with squats.

Tabata: :30 on/:30 off

  1. Swings (1H, 2H, mix it up)
  2. OH Press L
  3. OH Press R
  4. Row L
  5. Row R
  6. Snatch L
  7. Snatch R
  8. Russian Twist
  9. Goblet squat

Repeato

Mosey back to the launch lot for the Finisher:

  1. 10 swings, 1 OH press each side
  2. 15 swings, 2 OH press each side
  3. 25 swings, 3 OH press each side
  4. 50 swings, 4 OH press each side

YHC with the takeout

NMM:

  • When Chanel lit the Foxhole bat signal to alert YHC that our scheduled Q had a conflict and couldn’t make it to the workout, I sprung into action, scouring the interwebs for something a little different to challenge the PAX. I settled on a KB tabata workout. I got introduced to tabata early on in my F3 “career” while attending Run n’ Gun on Wednesdays and thought adding the KB to the mix would make it even less fun. I was right. After the first couple of exercises, YHC was worried that :30 of rest was too much. By the end of the first round, I didn’t think it was enough.
  • YHC decided to bring a little Meathead to the Foxhole by supplying tunes. Unfortunately, spreadsheeting music does not equal workout music. I selected one of the Spotify stations I listen to at work, which really didn’t set the appropriate mood. Cobains to the PAX. I’ll find some death metal for my next Q.
  • As always, the PAX were crushing the workout this morning. Hopefully they’re starting to feel the workout right about now. Nice work, Loogie, putting in the extra credit to finish the swings at the end.
  • Get better, Chanel. We miss you in the gloom. Oh and make sure to share some of that Father’s Day candy with your co-site Q. #goodmanners

A regrettable decision

Bushwood did his best impression of YHC by arriving exactly at 5:30, so we got a slightly late launch, but that was the last time he would slow us down this morning. After a quick disclaimer, we were off.

The Thang:

Mosey from start point to the lot near the pines near North Face. You know which one YHC means. Circle up for COP (all counts are approximate – except the merkins):

SSH x 26 IC

Merkins x 15 IC

IW x 21 IC

Merkins x 10 IC

Low, slow squats x 20 IC

Merkins x 10 IC

Mountain climbers x 25 IC [skip last set of merkins]

Mosey to the base of North Face for modified 11s:

1 burpee at the bottom, scale NF for 10 merkins, circle the pines and return to the base

2 burpees at the bottom, scale NF for 9 merkins, circle the pines, etc. until

10 burpees at the bottom, scale NF for 1 merkin, collapse (at least that’s what YHC did). I think the rest of the PAX were doing some sort of Mary.

Mosey to the parking lot by 51 for some partner suicides to the first light post.

Partner 1 does exercise while Partner 2 runs. Flapjack until the combined partnership reaches the total number of reps called:

Round 1: 200 Mountain climbers (each foot counts as one)

Round 2: 150 squats

Round 3: 100 Merkins

Mosey to the start point to finish up:

On your belly, sprint to the first light post and drop to belly again. Repeato back to start point.

Mary:

LBCs x 31 IC

Protractor

Rosalita x 20 IC

1 minute left – AMRAP merkins

COT – YHC with the take out.

Announcements:

  • Calvary Church is re-stocking its pantry. This is an opportunity to help out a church that is one of the best AOs in Area 51, hosting two workouts a week. Anvil has agreed to bring canned beef (5 and 13 oz. cans) next week. Centurion is covering the canned ham (I’m sure there’s a joke to be made here, Horsehead or Tiger Rag). Other workouts have agreed to bring other items. Please give generously to help those less fortunate.
  • The Fall Mud Run is scheduled for October 24 and Mermaid is the Area 51 Q. There is no official F3 sign up yet, but Mermaid is available to help organize teams or whatever else is needed.

NMM:

I don’t know about the rest of the PAX or the veteran Qs, but every Q for YHC is a bit intimidating. You want to make sure to give the PAX their money’s worth without burning out too early. When planning a workout, I try to stick to the principle of “If you can’t do it, don’t Q it.” Oh well, some rules were meant to be broken. Hence, the 11s on North Face. YHC did it, but did it slowly. This resulted in at least two of the PAX lapping YHC. There may have been more, but I chose to ignore the Larry Birds. Thankfully, this pack of veterans knows how to stay busy and proceeded to do a set of Mary while YHC finished up. I have never spilled merlot at a work out, but there was definitely a chance during this set.

The weinke had called for more merkins during COP, but YHC had to audible to maintain form and save some upper body strength for the 11s. I got the idea for that set from an MT Q at the Brave a few weeks ago. However, that was on a much smaller hill.

I’ve done a lot of really tough workouts in Area 51, but my first post was at Anvil and it almost killed me. Since this was my inaugural Q at Anvil, I wanted to return the favor to the PAX. YHC may have bitten off a bit more than I could chew with the weinke, but I hope it was enough to smoke the PAX.

Thanks to Mermaid and Young Love for the opportunity to lead. Two great examples of what F3 is all about.

The total workout resulted in 2.3 miles (per my Garmin) and 230 merkins (not counting the AMRAP at the end). If you’re doing the 10k challenge, you still have work to do today.

Slip Sliding Away

25 men posted at Carmel Road Neighborhood Park for the weekly beatdown known as DMZ. Both Area 51 and Metro were well-represented.

The Thang:

No FNGs, so quick disclaimer and off we go to the RTS.

COP in the parking lot.

SSH X 25 IC

IW x 20 IC

MC x 15 IC

10 slow squats to pause at the bottom. 3 count down, hold until told to go back to the top.

5 slow merkins to pause at the bottom. 3 count down, hold until told to go back to the top, hold at the top.

10 slow reverse lunges to pause at the bottom IC.

5 slow wide arm merkins to pause at the bottom. 3 count down, hold until told to go back to the top, hold at the top.

Head to the end of the parking lot farthest from Sharon View and face the road. Bear crawl to the speed bump, 10 CDDs, lunge walk to the second median, 10 jump squats. Repeato back to the starting point. (Side note: apparently, Hops is part bear because he was flying through the bear crawls.)

Head to the wall for People’s Chair with air presses x 30 IC

15 donkey kicks OYO per Kirk’s request

More People’s Chair with 10 count from Agony

BTW with thigh slappers x 15 – Q audible after the ground was too slippery (translation: YHC almost face-planted)

Back to the building facing Sharon View. Get in groups of 3. Partner 2 starts at the second median, other 2 by the building. Partner 1 runs to Partner 2 and tags him. Partner 2 runs to Partner 3 and tags him. Partner 3 runs to Partner 1 and tags him. Repeato until Q calls time (about 5 minutes).

Stay with your partners and move back to the wall. Partner 1 does 10 dips on the short end of the wall. Partner 2 does 10 climb-ups in the middle. Partner 3 does 10 derkins on the high end of the wall. Rotate until Q calls time.

Mosey back to start point and plank for the six.

6MOM:

LBCs x 25 IC

Heels to Heaven x 20 IC

Dollies x 16 IC

Russian twist x 16 IC

Dying cockroach x 10 IC

NMM:

  • It’s always good to be out at DMZ. It’s a veteran crew of regulars and the mumblechatter never ends. Some favorites were the off-road route to COP after all of the rain, the slow exercises in COP and the BTW on the slick asphalt.
  • YHC had a weinke ready to go for DMZ early last week, but opted to adopt some of Champagne’s Anvil weinke after enjoying it last week. As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
  • Thanks to Hops for the invitation to lead as well as the strong take-out.

Announcements:

  • Second annual F3 Golf tournament – Hosted by Area 51. Head counts are due tomorrow, so please sign up. Benefits F3 Leap. There’s a separate auction going to partner with Dredd or to make someone else partner with him. #mumblechatterinthebackswing
  • BRR – Still some slots left and teams looking for free agents. Reach out to your regional Q if interested.

A little of this and a little of that

Despite the unseasonably cold temperature this morning, 12 men decided to show up and test their mettle (or is it “metal”) at another installment of Olympus.

The Thang:

Take the KBs to the big parking lot. Drop them and run to the school sidewalk and back.

Disclaimer: I’m not a professional, interrupt if you have questions, modify as needed.

  • ~25x SSH IC
  • 15x IW IC (#boring)
  • 25x KB swings OYO

Warm up over. Partner up by KB size for CMIYC. P1 takes both bells and runs for the light at 51. P2 does 10 merkins and chases. Flapjack until you make the light. Brief plank for the six.

Drop the KBs at the light and run to Carmel Baptist. Run down to the field and grab some wall for Peoples’ Chair while waiting for the six. Once we’re all there, do 10 climb ups on the wall. A few weeks ago we came down here with Alf and did some tire work. It seemed like fun, so we did it again. Partners take turns flipping tires and carrying tires until everyone’s had a chance for both. 10 more climb ups and then mosey back to the bells.

CMIYC to the second school entrance and back into the bus lot. P1 farmer carries two bells while P2 does 10 merkins and chases.

Circle up at the lot for a quick set of individual KB exercises:

  • 25 swings OYO
  • 20 snatches (10 per arm)
  • 20 OH press
  • 20 cleans (10 per arm)

Take KBs to the track near the playground for more partner work. P1 does 10 (or max) pullups while P2 does called KB exercise. P1 is the timer. Once complete, flapjack.

  • Round 1: TGUs without KB for those that haven’t done them before
  • Round 2: TGUs with KB
  • Round 3 – See saw press
  • Round 4 – Raised right leg split squat with KB (P1 switches to merkins)
  • Round 5 – Raised left leg split squat with KB (P1 switches to derkins)
  • Round 6 – Swings (P1 switches to incline merkins)

Haul KBs back over to the cars for Mary:

  • LSF with KB press x 25 IC
  • Russian twist with KB x 10 IC
  • Dying cockroach or something similar x ~21 IC
  • Plank with six inches while Gullah gives a 10 count
  • Still have a few minutes, so 5 more TGUs (or as many as your knees can take on that asphalt)

COT – thanks, Chanel, for the strong closing prayer, especially when he called us “sisters”

Moleskine:

YHC hadn’t been to Olympus in a few weeks and it was great to see some new faces (at least new to YHC). Gullah and Ickey Shuffle are doing a great job promoting the site. 12 PAX on a cold morning is impressive. YHC isn’t the most creative Q, so I borrowed heavily from some beatdowns YHC had attended recently. Everyone was pushing hard out there and YHC was honored to lead the PAX on a beautiful, chilly morning. I’m sure I missed some mumblechatter, so feel free to chime in below.

– If possible, please consider making a donation to Zip-a-Dee. See A51 weekly email for details.

– Mud run – 3/31 is the last day for signups and a few teams are still looking for free agents. Also, be sure to pay your bus and sundries ASAP to reserve a spot.

Circuits of Fun (a.k.a. Pain)

9 men met at Charlotte Christian School for a fun-filled morning of running, pull ups, kettlebells, etc. I had asked the PAX in the Thursday night pre-tweet to bring their favorite kettlebell, but apparently no one at Joust actually uses Twitter. Thankfully, I have four and Joker had his M’s (why else would he have a 25 lb. kettlebell in his car?).

The Thang:

Grab the KBs and mosey to the field above the bleachers. Drop kettlebells and run down to the 50 yard line.

COP:

  • Disclaimer given (drilled into YHC after 2 consecutive Saturdays of Q school)
  • SSH x 21 IC
  • IW x 26 IC
  • Merkins x 15 IC
  • Slow squats x 20 IC (3 down, 1 up)

Next, we did a walk through of the morning’s circuit. There was a lot of mumblechatter as we didn’t actually perform any exercises during the walkthrough. However, once the workout started, there was very little mumblechatter. Here’s the circuit:

  • Run up Grandma Mountain to the playground equipment and do 10 (or max) pullups=
  • Run to the blue door and do 20 jump squats
  • Run to the kettlebells and do 20 reps of your favorite exercise (YHC did swings, snatches, cleans and OH press on successive rounds)
  • Run to the top of the bleachers for 20 derkins and 20 dips
  • Run down to the track and run around counter-clockwise back to the base of Grandma Mountain, stopping at the 10 yard line for 20 yards of bear crawls.

The goal was to complete 5 rounds or stop at 6:10. Most of us got 3+ rounds done. Lobstah Roll and Joker were at 4-5.

6:10 – plank up near kettlebells and wait for PAX to gather. RAH, RLH, Regular, LAH, LLH.

Grab kettlebells and mosey back to the start point for a little Mary

  • 25 x LBC IC
  • 15 x Heels to Heaven IC

COT – Thanks to Smokey for taking us out.

Moleskine:

– YHC designed this workout to keep everyone working hard at their own pace. The speedsters would do more and the Clydesdales would do less, but everyone would be in constant motion. The PAX didn’t let me down as everyone was pushing hard all morning. It’s always an honor to lead such a great group at Joust.

– Lobstah Roll and Joker led once YHC took the training wheels off. They bailed before COT, presumably to get their weekly blood transfusion from Superman because they were flying out there.

– #Kotters to Shockoe Bottom, who has been on IR for a while. It was great to have you back out there and hope to see more of you.

– Good to see Strange Brew, fresh off of his travels to Asia. To avoid congestion at any of the workout stations, he ran the course backward. #CrazyCanadian

Announcements:

– Please consider making a donation to help Zip-a-Dee with his medical expenses. Assistance is also needed in moving him tomorrow. Please reach out to Countertop or Horse Head if available.

– Mud Run bus and sundry payments are due. Sign up now to reserve your space. There are also a few teams looking for a 4th if anyone is interested in the premier CSAUP of the Spring. See the website for more information.

Shaking off the food coma

31 of F3’s finest met at Carmel Road Neighborhood Park for a post-Thanksgiving beatdown. It went something like this:

The Thang:

Disclaimer – YHC forgot (oops). Thankfully, it was a veteran crew, so none was needed

Jog to Carmel Middle School, stopping at each speed bump for:

Speed bump #1: 10x burpees OYO

Speed bump #2: 10x double burpees OYO

Speed bump #3: 10x triple burpees OYO

Stop at bus parking lot for COP:

SSH, Mountain climbers, IW, Peter parkers, squats

Jog to track at football field for the Dirty MacDeuce (12 reps of 12 exercises, broken into 4 blocks of 3 exercises with a lap around the track in between each block)

Block 1: Wide arm merkins; Dolly; Squats, all exercises OYO

1 lap around track

Block 2: CDD; LBC; Rock Hoppers, all exercises IC

1 lap around track

Block 3: Diamond merkins; Freddie Mercury; Parker peters, all exercises IC

1 lap around track

Block 4: Merkins; Rosalita; Burpees, all exercises IC except burpees

1 lap around track

Partner up at the 50 yard line, size matters. P1 carries P2 to the sideline and back. Flapjack at mid-field and P2 carries P1 to the opposite sideline and back.

Mosey to front of the school for:

People’s chair (1 min.) with air presses x 25 IC

BTTW                                                                                                                                     People’s chair (1 min.) with air presses x 15 IC

Mosey back to the parking lot, stopping at speed bump #2 for 10x jump squats and 10x walking lunges per leg OYO

At the lot:

Plankorama – RAH, RLH, RLD and drop hip x5, LAH, LLH, LLD and drop hip x5, 6” for an Agony-led 10 count

LBC

Heels to heaven

LSF

COT – Thanks to Gummy for the take-out

Naked Moleskine:

DMZ always attracts an eclectic crew from the borderlands between Metro and Area 51 and this morning was no different. Thanks to the PAX for coming out on the Monday after a long holiday weekend. This was definitely the largest group YHC has ever had the honor of leading.

There was a fair amount of mumblechatter out in the gloom this morning, but the PAX were very supportive of YHC’s frequent weinke consultations during the Dirty MacDeuce. Thanks to Hairball for straightening out my confusion over Peter Parkers vs. Parker Peters. #Don’tDoThoseTooOften Judging by all of the Larry Birds out there this morning, I’m not sure anyone other than the Q was smoked, but thanks for keeping me company anyway.

Announcements:

1) Joe Davis Run (1/10/15) – Sign up now to benefit a great cause in memory of Rock Thrill’s brother. F3 Nation is going for a big turnout, so wear your F3 gear. There may also be some sort of competition between regions, but I’m too slow to participate so I’m staying out of it. Details: http://goo.gl/Y9R6rR

2) F3 Holiday Parties are coming up – Metro on 12/5 and Area 51 on 12/6. Details: http://goo.gl/tJMklI

3) F3 Clothes Drive – Following up on the success of Sole Redemption last month, F3 is collecting clothes for Charlotte Rescue Mission. Details: http://goo.gl/mS1qRq

4) 2 year anniversary of the Governator on Wednesday, 12/3

5) 1 year anniversary of Casbah on Friday, 12/5

 

A leisurely stroll around Charlotte Christian

14 beasts decided not to #fartsack despite the latest Polar Vortex, most likely because of YHC’s guarantee of an “epic-er” beatdown than #F3Kevlar. After an implied disclaimer (everyone looked experienced – ie, no blank stares), we headed to the football field for:

The Thang

Mosey to the track for a warm up lap.

Mosey to the 50 yard line for COP:

  • SSH x 25 IC
  • Burpees x 5 OYO
  • IW x 20 IC
  • Burpees x 5 OYO
  • Mountain Climber x 25 IC
  • Burpees x 5 OYO
  • Slow squats x 20 IC

Mosey to the stadium stairs for 11s: 10 dips at the top with 1 step up per leg at the bottom. Continue until you get to 1 dip at the top with 10 step ups per leg at the bottom. #QAudible: YHC wasn’t expecting backs on the bleachers, so we split up and used the aisles with some starting at the top and others at the bottom. I don’t think we had any collisions…

Mosey to Grandma Mountain for the triple nickel :

  • 5 pull ups at the top
  • 5 merkins at the bottom
  • 5 times through

Mosey to the goal line for a merkin pyramid:

  • 5 merkins, 1x sprint to the 20 and back
  • 10 merkins, 2x sprint to the 20 and back
  • 15 merkins, 3x sprint to the 20 and back
  • 10 merkins, 2x sprint to the 20 and back
  • 5 merkins, 2x sprint to the 20 and back

Cool down lap around the track, then break for the cars for 6MOM:

  • LBCs x 25 IC
  • Heels to Heaven x 25 IC
  • Superman for +/- :30
  • LSF x 25 IC
  • Rosalitas x 20 IC
  • 10 burpees OYO
  • Plank for merkin wave (thanks, Header). Everyone planks up each of the PAX calls “down” and drops to 6 inches. After going around the circle, each PAX calls “up” and goes back up. We went around a few times, including one where we went up halfway. #Ouch

COT – Thanks for taking us out, Header.

Naked Moleskine

Thanks to the PAX for coming out for my first boot camp Q and suffering through the various audibles. Hopefully everyone left the workout feeling they got their money’s worth. If not, see Header for a refund.

I tried to include a lot of my least favorite exercises in this workout (running, pull ups, merkins, burpees, etc.) so I was in a self-induced pain fog for most of the workout, but noticed several of the PAX crushing the workout. Congrats to Freedom who has been coming out to the moderate workouts for a few months and is in his second week of “regular” workouts. As anyone can tell you, it never gets easy, but it gets easier. Keep coming out and you’ll be doing a Mud Run, 5K, etc. before you know it.

Announcements

1) Area 51 Christmas Party – HC by 11/20. Details: http://goo.gl/a8jYLf

2) #SoleRedemption ends 11/22 – One more week to contribute shoes. Details: http://goo.gl/gBEkAn Stone Cold (I think) delivered a huge pile of shoes this morning, including a few that push the boundaries of “workout shoes.” Keep ’em coming so Header doesn’t have to #fartsack wear short sleeves all winter. #BadBet

3) Joe Davis Run (1/10/15) – Sign up now to benefit a great cause in memory of Rock Thrill’s brother. Area 51 is going for a big turnout, so wear your F3 gear. Details: http://goo.gl/Y9R6rR

4) Thunder Road Marathon is this weekend. There will be a number of F3 men out there, so get out there and cheer them on.

Tapering like a Meathead

5 strong men descended on Meathead this morning for some light KB work prior to the #F3BigGame this Saturday. After polling the PAX and discovering that only one of us was actually doing the Mud Run (sorry, Brown), we decided to go heavy instead.

The Thang:

Take KBs and head to the track for COP.

SSH x 25 IC

Burpees x 5 OYO

Merkins x 15 IC

Burpees x 5 OYO

Mountain Climber x 20 IC

Burpees x 5 OYO

Partner up by KB size

CMIYC around the track

P1 farmer carry; P2 does 10 hand release merkins before giving chase

The Challenge (take KBs and head to the bus parking lot):

50 clean and press (mix up sides as needed)

15 CDDs OYO

AYG to cones and back

50 teabag squats

15 CDDs OYO

AYG to cones and back

100 swings

15 CDDs OYO

AYG to cones and back

50 Russian twists (R/L = 1)

15 CDDs OYO

AYG to cones and back

50 high pulls (mix up sides as needed)

15 CDDs OYO

AYG to cones and back

50 overhead press

15 CDDs OYO

AYG to cones and back

On your six for some Mary:

LBCs x 30 IC

Heels to Heaven x 25 IC

Dolly x 15 IC

We had some time left, so we did a few more exercises:

10 burpees OYO

HT audible – LSF with KB press x 15 IC

Prohibition audible – KB curls x 25 #DontTellTR

COT

Naked Moleskine:

Thanks to the PAX for coming out for my first Area 51/Gear Q. These are great workouts and Meathead is a solid addition, giving the non-runners a chance to get their swell on.

This workout was based on a great beatdown Young Love delivered at Skunk Works a few weeks ago. I liked it a lot, so I didn’t make too many changes (less running and no burpees).

Joker as always was a beast. He’s strong and fast, but he definitely had some exhaust issues on the Russian Twists.

High Tide provided solid leadership and helped YHC when I had a little more time left at the end than anticipated (thanks to earlier Q audibles). He also dominated the Challenge.

Brown decided to go “easy” today with only a 40 lb. KB, which happens to be what YHC considers his “big” KB. He then proceeded to fly through the Challenge with ease. A true #F3Meathead.

After getting his bionic knee on pre-COP, Prohibition manhandled the workout. He did the CMIYC solo and then powered through the entire Challenge before assisting the Q with another audible for some (illegal) KB curls. TR, what happens at #F3Meathead stays at #F3Meathead.