23 fine chaps gathered this morning despite early warnings of rain and snow. Turned out to be a fine morning – perfect for a beatdown as follows:
Quick mosey to the grass for an equally quick COP:
– 25x SSH
– 20ish Imperial Walkers (more on this later)
– 10x Windmills
– 25x Mountain Climbers
Hoist the Bells and run to the church entrance. Find a partner with a friendly Bell weight. and line up for another rousing rendition of Catch me if You Can.
– P1: 15 merkins then chase your partner; P2: carry the Bells and run as fast and far as possible; flapjack and repeato as much as necessary. Run around church to far end of the parking lot/ 2nd hill entrance.
Stick with partner, divide up into 2 groups for a little friendly competition (Pays to be a Winner)
Round 1: P1: Run around church; P:2 2-hand Swings. Flapjack and Repeato.
Winner: Group 1 (the lower group aka the “heavyweights”). Winners do 10 burpees, losers get 20.
Round 2: P1: Run to bus (“heavyweights” run to stop sign past bus – life isn’t fair); P:2 curl/press combo move. Flapjack and Repeato.
Winner: Group 2 (the upper group aka “middleweights”). Winners do 10 burpees, losers get 20.
Round 3: P1: Both groups run to bus; P:2 10 good mornings and AMRAP squats. Flapjack and Repeato.
Winner: Group 1 (the “heavyweights”). No time for burpees – everyone wins!
Hoist the Bells and run back to the grass. One minute left – time for one round of mary.
– 25x flutters with Bell.
COT
Moleskine:
– Glad I planned for a short COP this morning. Turns out I couldn’t get it over fast enough. Calling myself out for screwing up the cadence on the most basic of exercises – the Imperial Walker. Surprised I wasn’t heckled more for that one, or maybe I just permanently blocked out that one. Sorry guys – thanks for bearing with me.
– Tried to divide the group up into equal portions of “heavyweights” and “middle weights”. A quick look around revealed that one of the groups was a little, umm, slim. Quickly redistributed in order to give each group a fighting chance.
– Can’t remember much else. From the above, looks like we did a fair bit of running and a fair bit of hefting. Guess that’s why the time flew by.
– Thanks for the opportunity to Q. Always a pleasure leading the PAX.
Announcements:
– 2 new 3rd F’s coming soon. Check the email.
A couple guys ran in, a couple guys arrived early to swing some metal, and a few chose to “only” come for the regularly scheduled workout. All were treated to a simple, full-body beatdown as follows:
– “Good Morning – you have 5 seconds” (YHC was just in time himself).
– “Follow me.” (Mandatory for all F3 workouts to begin this way, otherwise, the Q might as well be wearing pink spandex and carrying a clipboard).
– Mosey around church parking lot, down hill #4, up hill #4, find a nice spot to circle up.
– 100x SSH (now everyone thinks I’m nuts and hopes to God I don’t follow with 100 burpees).
– 10x merkins, 10x flutters, 10x squats
– repeato 4 more times (that’s 100 total of each for you guys counting at home)
– mosey to pavillion and find a bench: 100 jump-ups, 100 decline merkins (all OYO)
– plankorama
– mosey to strategically placed orange cones, which happen to be 100 yds. apart:
– sprint 100 yds, 10 Carolina Dry Docks, sprint 100 yds, 10 LBCs
– repeato 4 more times
– 50 LBCs and 50 CDDs OYO (for those still counting at home, that’s 100 total for each of the LBCs and the CDDs. Only 10 100 yd. sprints. Because either (a) I’m not that nuts (really, 100 100 yd sprints?!?!) or (b) time stops for no man and the morning can only last so long.)
– Mosey back to home base. Stop, circle up and count off.
Moleskine:
When you create a workout that challenges everyone to perform one hundred reps of each called exercise, of course the first title that comes to mind is “The Century Set.” That title also makes me think of a yet-to-be-created F3 workout potentially to be held at either Avante or White Oak Manor. Admirable, but we’ll leave it to our great-grandfathers to create that one. Seeking perhaps a more appropriate and aspirational title I decided to refer to the Centurion — that ancient Roman warrior who we all know led cahorts of 100 men into battle against the Germanic barbarian hordes. (I choose to conveniently ignore the fact that, according to Wikipedia, he only led about 60-80 guys.)
Also, according to Wikipedia:
Centurions had to be literate, have connections (letters of recommendation), be at least 30 years of age, and had already served a few years in the military. The centurion in the infantry is chosen for his size, strength and dexterity in throwing his missile weapons and for his skill in the use of his sword and shield; in short for his expertness in all the exercises. He is to be vigilant, temperate, active and readier to execute the orders he receives than to talk; Strict in exercising and keeping up proper discipline among his soldiers, in obliging them to appear clean and well-dressed and to have their arms constantly rubbed and bright.
I think it’s fair to say that most of us in F3 more or less either resemble this description or at the very least aspire to it. Congrats, I just paid you a compliment.
More importantly, though, thinking about Centurions also led me to reflect on the following from Matthew’s gospel in the Bible. I invite you to consider this with me:
Matt. 8:5-13 (ESV): When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant,‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heavenwhile the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.
As I considered this, I wondered to myself: do I share the Centurion’s faith in the power of the Word, His word?
Announcements:
– From Abacus: Below are the links for the team page and my personal page for Team Chepul Hill for the 1st Annual Charlotte Brain Tumor Race on Saturday, 3/22, at Freedom Park:
15 committed fellows made the decision to join me in the gloom this morning and follow me around McKee Road Elementary for the weekly gathering known as The Matrix. All chose the red pill and down the rabbit hole we went…
The THANG
Quick mosey around school, across parking lots, through fields and around track. Circle up for COP:
COP:
Mosey to Playground for circuit work:
Mosey to other side of school for wall work:
Mosey to track and line-up:
Fast Mosey back to Home Base for COT
COT
Moleskine:
– Excellent gloomy conditions this morning. A nice (in an F3 sort of way) damp chill to the air created the perfect conditions for 16 mouthbreathers to generate a significant amount of steam around the playground during the circuit work. Interesting to visually observe the amount of CO2 we exhaled – provided a nice gauge to the intensity of the workout.
– Felt like good 2ndF throughout, even though there wasn’t a whole lot of talking. Interesting what bonds can be formed on the gloomy fields even though we don’t say a lot and can barely see each other at times. Probably the real reason folks came out this morning, although I’d like to think it was in eager anticipation of my beatdown.
– Nice lead by Zip to get us back to the COT. I felt it was fair to let the guy complaining about 30 seconds of OT set the pace so we could get out of there. Apparently some (one?) of us wanted to get to work on time this morning.
– Note to self for next time: fast mosey after a BTW session doesn’t work so well. Almost did a faceplant after my first two steps due to the rapid return of blood from my head to my body.
– Thanks for following my lead today, fellas. Always a pleasure to lead the PAX. And on the last The Matrix of the year, provided me an extra moment to reflect on how I have grown in each of the 3 Fs this year past. Another year of similar growth is one of the things I am looking forward to most in 2014.
Announcements:
– Convergence workout 1/1/14 at Death Valley – 7-8 am. All other Wednesday workouts closed.
– Convergence workout 1/4/14 at The Fort – 7-8 am, with Joe Davis 5k at 9 am. Preblast with details went out or click here: http://f3nation.com/2013/12/29/preblast-convergence-and-5k/
– Most South Charlotte/Area51 workouts will be closed 1/4/14, but a few (e.g., The Rock) will be open. See weekly email for more info.
– Area 51 “Lone Survivor” movie (Jan 10) and Murph (Jan 11) is coming up. Movie theater reserved by Stone Cold at Cinebarre. Looking for a big presence for the movie (remember to bring cash). All Saturday workouts will run “The Murph” the following day (Jan 11) . Tons of details here, including logistics for movie, evite, and HDHH opportunity prior to movie: http://f3nation.com/2013/12/27/area-51-2nd-f-preblast-lone-survivor-movie-friday-followed-by-murph-saturday/
– More announcements and details in the weekly email. Read it.
11 solid men ventured into a relatively mild November morning to put in some pre-holiday work. Here is what we did:
Moleskine:
Announcements:
18 men left the fartsack behind to join me in the gloom. This is what we did:
The Thang
Warmup run around school and elementary track until everyone arrived.
COP
Mosey to the playground for some quick circuit work:
Mosey to other side of soccer field, peer into the bushes and procure a cinder block (1 per person). Mosey with block to side of field and partner up.
Mosey back to bushes, carefully arrange blocks in orderly fashion.
Jailbreak to parking lot.
COT
Moleskine:
– 18 men left the fartsack behind thinking it would be a nice, warm Carolina morning, perfect for our outdoor exercises in the park. It was just that…for about 5 minutes. At 5:35 (while doing burpees, I think) the rain poured out of the sky. First a little mist (nice and refreshing) then a complete drenching (embrace the suck). Props to the men though – no complaints, just kept moving. Gotta wonder though, how many would have come out if it were raining that hard at 5:00? I know I would have been there (one of the pros/cons of being the Q), but anyway…
– I arrived at 5:10 to set up the field and found 5 cars waiting for me. No people, just cars. Then at 5:20, I saw 5 black shapes (and one little itty-bitty blue headlamp) come trotting into view. Props to the men in rucks who arrived for a 3 mile warm up ruck (with team weight) and stuck around to pleasure us with their company (most of them keeping the rucks on for the workout).
– This was my first workout in over a week, having just recovered from a nasty cold (with 2 elementary kids, what can I say, I was over-due to catch one). Felt good being out there, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to be feeling this one later today/tomorrow. Hopefully everyone else got their money’s worth also (granted, it was free, but anyway…).
– Between the rain, the darkness and the “gotta catch my breath” feeling, not sure what went on that I missed. Feel free to shout-out in the comments below.
– Always a privilege to lead the fine men of F3. If you’ve Q’d a workout, you know what I mean — if you haven’t then be sure to find out. Step-up and volunteer to lead one. Thanks Uncle Leo and Alf for the opportunity.
Announcements
– Floor Slapper will be on for his inaugural Q Saturday at Area 51 (McKee Rd. Elem). After over a year in F3 he’s probably picked up a trick or two. Without a doubt, he’s deserving of all the chatter we can muster.
– Wednesday, The Hoff is leading The Charge at PDS. He promises manicured turf and pedicured toes. (He mumbled so I’m not sure exactly what he was talking about. He might have been kidding).
– All other workouts (1stF, 2nd F and 3rdF) on as usual – check the email for details or ask someone if you have questions. Not sure who to ask? Ask anyway. Someone is bound to know something.
Run around building and settle in for some People’s Chair-o-rama (2 x 90 seconds)
Mosey back to to parking lot and split up into groups.
10 burpees OYO because you can’t have a burpee-free workout — I’m pretty sure that’s stated in the fine print of the Disclaimer.
Run back to the safety of the parking lot for COT.
Moleskine:
– Stated intention of the workout this morning was to do a basic bootcamp, hit the major muscle groups, run around a bit, and have a wee bit of fun along the way. Based on feedback, I’m happy to report mission accomplished.
– The unstated intention of the workout was to complete most of the field work in the sprinklers. Unfortunately, the sprinklers weren’t on today. Why do it in the sprinklers? For some stupid reason I thought it might be fun – that’s why. Perhaps even more than a wee bit of fun. And we all need more fun in our life. Heck, for many of us, F3 is about as fun as our day gets.
– As always, it was a privilege and an honor to lead you guys.
Announcements:
– HDHH tonight (sorry, I posted this while HDHH is going on, which means I didn’t get my own message. I should be HDHH’ing, not posting right now…)
– New gear/Saturday workout: Olympus. Word is The Hoff will hunt you down if you don’t post.
– Spring Mudrun. Sign up. Stagecoach will hunt you down if you don’t.
11 men gathered around the VSF this morning to together take in their daily dose of downpainment on the day. After a brief moment of light stretches and friendly greetings, we got down to business.
THE Thang
First, 10 burpees on your own. Done, good. Let’s mosey over here, no over there, hey look, there’s a circle on the pavement. Bright idea – lets COP here.
COP
SSH x25
Wide-arm Merkins x10
Imperial Walkers x20
Regular Merkins x10
Slow Squats x20
Diamond Merkins x10
Regular/Fast Squats x20
20 Man-Maker Merkins
99 Calf Raises
Mosey a bit, find a hill (oh, crap – hill happens to be entrance #4) and bear crawl down said hill.
Line it up for some Jacob’s Ladder 1-7 burpees on top with matching burpees on bottom.
LBC until all are done then do x20 more for good measure.
Bear crawl back up said hill.
Mosey to sweat box pavilion. Watch out for speed bumps along the way. Seriously. Watch out for the speed bumps.
In the pavilion, find a bench and make it your friend with a set of 11s dips/derkins.
Plank until all are done. Move planking out of pavilion so we can breathe. Plankorama.
Mosey to other side of pavilion for People’s Chair-o-Rama, mixing in some BTW for good measure.
Jog, run, sprint, backpedal, etc. around parking lot and form up for a quick speed session of Mary.
LBC x20
Flutter x20
Dolly x20
We’re done and that’s good cause we’re out of time…
Moleskine:
– I got the call yesterday from Baracus requesting I man up and Q so he can rest (sleep) his weary legs in preparation for some little race he’s running on Saturday. Might be some hills, he said, so he’d like to taper a little. No problem, BA. Glad to be of service. Don’t get lost- I’ve heard that can happen when you run like a mountain goat on unmarked roads between bears in the dark. Speaking of bears, remember, if a bear starts chasing you, you don’t have to be the fastest guy, just don’t be the slowest guy either…
– Larry Birds. 3 of them on the Jacob’s ladder today. Way to push us Lobster Roll, Hops and PBQ (Mr. “I’m feeling kind of gassed today.” Could’ve fooled us.)
– Speed bumps. Anvil has speed bumps and it is dark when we run around the site. Glad no one was hurt, but that being said, it is pretty funny when someone who will go unnamed (although, word is, he likes to count) calls out the speed bump warning and then proceeds to demonstrate what happens when said warning goes unheeded.
– Preamble. While trying to figure out whether the People’s Chair was “By the people” or “For the People,” your O2-deprived Q, who also happens to be a lawyer when I’m not running around in black exercise clothes made it abundantly clear that I am no constitutional scholar. I do corporate finance work – no Constitutions around here. (And it is “We the People,” for the record. Mr. Lincoln introduced all that “of the people, by the people, for the people” language.)
– Good working out with you fellas. Thank you for allowing me the privilege of leading. Remember, reach out to those of us you haven’t seen in a while.
Announcements:
– Check the website for new 3rd F opportunities. Go to them.
– See weekly email and/or Stone Cold if interested in learning/refreshing yourself on proper CPR technique. There will be a training Saturday, Sept. 14th from 9am-12:30pm at Covenant Day School. This is especially good if you tend to Q a lot. Might be vital if you think you are a hard a$$ Q.
11 brothers quietly gathered around the SF in the early morning gloom to hopefully share some 2ndF while participating in 1stF. A few minutes later, the only fellowship occurring was the powerful bond that comes while suffering in silence together…
The THANG
50% jog around the parking lot (watch out for the speed bump!), mixing in some backpedaling for good measure, and down to the soccer fields (keenly avoiding the portion of the fields under sprinkler).
Extended COP
Mosey to rock pile (watch out for the speed bumps!), pick rock, mosey with rock to softball field. Line up somewhere between 2nd and 3rd base.
Pair up
Partner 1 – sprint to left field fence and back
Partner 2 – perform exercise with rock
Flapjack and do the set 2x. Plank until folks are together then move on to next exercise.
Exercises: curls, squats, ovehead tricep extension, curls, squat, overhead tricep extenstion
Return rocks from whence they came and mosey back to middle of parking lot for COT
COT
Moleskine:
Not a lot to say after that beat down. During and after the extended COP/warmup, no one was saying anything. I mean, it was eerily quiet. The only noise was our gasping of humid air and the sprinklers churning in the distance. Funny thing is, I was so gassed myself that I didn’t realize it was quiet until we had about one more set of rock exercises left. Tried to liven it up a bit with some good natured jokes and an attempt at an AYG race on the last set of sprints. Everything seemed ok, though, as evidenced by the quality COT to close us out.
Good working out with you men. Always a pleasure and a privilege to lead the quality individuals who are the PAX. Thanks for the opportunity and thanks for following me, even if we did pass through a quick set of 110 burpees.
Announcements
Anvil Q opportunities are available for September. Reach out to me or Baracus if interested. If you don’t, we will hunt you down.
New 3rdFs starting in September on Wednesday and Fridays. Check website or weekly email for more info.
HDHH tonight. Vitner’s in Arboretum unless otherwise notified via twitter. Don’t let your brothers drink alone.
19 men gathered in the pre-dawn gloom for another chance to be sharpened on The Anvil, then, out of the gloom, 5 men marched in with their rucks on tight. Might have been serious, if not for the fact that they reminded the rest of us of those comedians from the 80s…
Warm-up Jog
COP
Mosey to the Furnace (aka the covered picnic table patio)
Mosey and Backwards Jog to Mary’s Playground
Mosey/Karaoke R/Karaoke L/Mosey to the Hoops
Mosey then jailbreak to COT
COT
Naked Moleskine:
Announcements: