Turning up the volume

Turning up the volume

This week at Meathead, we’ll be turning up the volume on reps, if not also on the tunes.

  • As such, it is recommended you include a lighter weight bell in your complement of KB options.  YHC suggests something you can one-hand press 12-15 times with good form.  (Your form may degrade as the reps wear on, but you certainly don’t want to begin as a contortionist.)
  • Additionally, a golf towel or hand towel is highly recommended, as your knee will be otherwise making contact with our cheese-grater pavement.

PSA:  This week is TGU-free and pullup-free.  Still #0.0.

Aye.

Fast Twitcheversary

25 men gathered in the gloom to celebrate the three-year anniversary of Area 51’s first and only running & bootcamp style workout.

The Thang:

COP:
SSH x3
IW x3

Warm-up run to Davie Park entrance; 3 burpees oyo
Return to school

Line-up in two lines for Cowboy Runs®, led by TL & Haze
Cowboy Runs down Strawberry to end of Rosecliff
Return back up Rosecliff, stop at each streetlight for 3x merkins

13s – squats at top, LBCs at bottom
some Mary thrown in at end for early finishers

Run back to end of Rosecliff; jumpsquats at each streetlight x3

Partner up; partner 1 run suicide, partner 2 run to front of Rosecliff & back

No time for flapjack; form two line, Indian Run back to base

COT

Mileage: ~5.7

Moleskine:

  • Great turnout today for the 3-year anniversary, marked by a route in the shape of a 3 no less (if you haven’t seen the Strava map yet, check twitter)
  • We didn’t even get to Davie Park before we started hearing whines from Strawberry and others about the distance we’ve run from the school.  Really?  This isn’t Swift or anything.  cmon folks
  • Mumblechatter seemed to die out after the Cowboy Runs®
  • Fraiser continues to demonstrate his dominance (and proud allegance) at Fast Twitch, lapping virtually everyone on everything
  • Aside from Frasier, the usual guys out in front with Gerber, Alf, Margo, Haze, etc.
  • Kotters to Rock Thrill, great to see you back out here again
  • It has been an honor and privilege to lead this site for the past three years alongside by other site Qs and co-founders: Purple Haze, Joker, Sprague
  • h/t to PH for the takeout in COT

Announcements:

  • Saturday convergence at Day Zero, 3-year anniversary
  • F3 Dads at Col Beatty June 4; in Ballantyne this Saturday

Qs? We don’t need no stinkin’ Qs.

8 savvy veteran pax rolled up on Elon Park Elementary for another edition of Foxhole (YHC was on two wheels). Unfortunately, our Q for the day didn’t have his calendar up to date and was DR for work. After the radio silence on Twitter and Slack, YHC was somewhat prepared, but the pax elected to play a little musical Qs instead.

Circle up for COP:

> SSH x 20 IC (Frehley’s Comet)
> IW x 15 IC (Mighty Mite)
> Low Slow Squat x 10 IC (Freon)
> Merkins x 10 IC (Voodoo)

Now that we’re warmed up, time for some bells.

The Thang:
Voodoo round:
> 10 1H swings each arm, starting with the weak side
> 5 C&P each arm, starting with the weak side
> 5 pullups

Argonaut round:
> 10 snatches each arm, starting with the weak side
> 10 pullups

Voodoo round:
> 10 lunges each side
> 5 single leg Romanian dead lift per side
> 5 goblet squats

Frehley’s Comet round:
> 5 pullups
> 20 incline merkins
> 20 dips

Mighty Mite round:
> 20 man-maker KB merkins
> 20 tricep extensions
> 10 Romanian deadlifts

Argonaut round:
> 15 American swings
> 15 sumo deadlift to high row
> 15 diamond merkins

Frehley’s Comet round:
> KB Dolly presses x 15 IC
> Dolly x 15 IC
> Flutter x 20 IC
> KB Russian Twist x 10 IC
> Russian Twist x 10 IC
> KB heels to heaven x 15 IC
> Run a lap

Argonaut’s finisher:
> 10 swings, 3 presses per arm. After each round, pax rotates left to the next bell. Complete one lap.

Thanks to Argonaut (I think) for the take-out.

Announcements:

> YHC on Q at Fat Camp on Wednesday at 5:15 at Elon Park Elementary. Come on out for the worst good time you’ll have all week.

> Q school is being held at the Panera at the Arboretum on June 4th. Preblast is here.

Moleskine:

> Thanks to the pax for stepping up in the absence of a Q. YHC couldn’t find Bounty Hunter’s twitter handle on Sunday for the pre-tweet and his sign up pre-dated the establishment of the Sign-up Genius site, so there was a bit of a site Q fail there.

> YHC was either exactly on time or slightly late, depending on how accurate your watch was. YHC was happy to provide entertainment for the pax while trying to get parked between Mario and Fire Hazard’s Xterra. No paint was traded with either, so I call it a success, regardless of the comedic value.

> This was a tough one. The successive tricep beatdown from Frehley’s and Mighty Mite, then the finisher from Argonaut was tough. YHC ended that circuit on Mighty Mite’s (respectable) 60 lb. KB, which was not fun.

> Thanks to Argonaut for the help with the backblast. I’m pretty sure it’s inaccurate, but it’s a lot better than it would have been if YHC had been working from memory.

> Feel free to chime in with any other announcements or mumblechatter YHC missed. Again, great to see everyone this morning and thanks for supporting the best Monday gear workout in the region.

SOFAWIB Preblast: My Buddy And Me

Partner up.

Run the AYG mile to HT (Right onto Rea; run to HT; loop the first pillar; back to OP)

With your partner (never leave him behind/ahead/too far to the side)
–Run to the playground and do 10 pull-ups and 30 dips on the Buddy Bench (Buddy Bench is required)
–Run to Concession Stand and do 20 squats and 20 incline diamond merkin
–Run to the Field and do 30 Russian Twists and 10 dumbocrats
–Run through the woods and to the top of Foxworth hill (at stop sign) and do 10 partner derkins and 30 Flutters (single count)

Run back to field, concession stand, and playground and do exercises. That is 1 round.

Complete as many rounds as possible until 6:05.

Run the mile to HT and back.

Olde Providence Elementary. Rally at 0520, liftoff 0530 sharp.

#PreBlast – 16 weeks until BRR

#F3Swift will launch Tuesday at 0515 from the Vine Restaurant parking lot.  Come early at 0500 for some extra warm-up.

With 16 weeks until to go to the BRR, we’ll be shifting to a mix of strength AND endurance for the next cycle. That doesn’t mean Hills / Sprints AND Mile repeats each week, but there will be some variety with a focus on those types of efforts.  There’s also an opportunity to have guest QIC’s at Swift, so please let YHC know if you are interested.

This week, we’ll venture into some territory not used recently (Ballantyne Country Club) for the workout known as the 2/1/30.  For those programming your watches, it is helpful to know that it will be:

  • 2 minutes Hard (or the equivalent of Interval / I / 2mile race pace); 1 minute recovery to the six
  • 1 minute Hard ; 30 seconds recovery to the six
  • 30 seconds Hard ; 30 seconds recovery to the six
  • Repeato until time is called.  Program the watch for at least 6 rounds, and we’ll adjust from there.  Expect around 6.0 miles for the hour workout.

This is a time-based workout, so it allows the group to have a wide variety of paces and abilities.  That means it will be FNG friendly for the BRR and other run training.

Hair Nation

OK, I am 3 days late and Weinke-less (not as painful as it sounds) so will jog the memory to re-kindle the events at Overdrive.

4 Strong men showed up to brave the mist and rain. Here is how it went down…. I think.

COP

HB Mile

Gather at pic-nic area for warmup to Great White…or was it Whitesnake?

SSHx25

IWx25

The Thang

Partner up for kettlebell/sand bag run combo

Round 1

Group 1 -KB Swing, Skull Crusher, Sumo squat X5, X10

Group 2 – HB mile w Sandbag.

Flapjack, two sets, increased reps to 10 after first set.

Round 2

Group 1 – KB Clean/Press, Russian Twist, KB dead lift x10

Group 2 – Sand bag run to Island on other side of school, step up x25

Flapjack, two sets, 2nd run replaced step up with merkin/squat combo x 10.

Round 3

Group 1 -KB leg lifts(?), lawnmower, and mystery exercise x10

Group 2 – Run to island (no sandbags) merkin/squat combo  x10

One set of this and Done!

Hairband – thanks for keeping me and line and truly impressive you knew the artist of every Hairnation song played! Jabberwocky, keep up the good work, you are getting stronger every day. Shep-Thanks for taking us out. Prayers for jamsey. Always an honor to lead this group.

“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Shlemiel, Schlemazel, Hasenpfeffer Incorporated”

No SF since both site Q’s were AWOL; but after a brief disclaimer, 27 pax posted in the Monday morning gloom at Base Camp.  Site Q emeritus – Fireman Ed – posted, so there was some sense of institutional knowledge….or something like that.

The Thang:

Pax in plank while disclaimed and while we waited for the LIFO’s.

Jog to the track for one lap.

Since the SCMS football field was in its habitual soup-like state, we circled up for COP in the high jump 1/2 ring.

COP:

IW x 20 IC

Slow Squat x 10 IC

Rockhopper x 10 IC

LBC x 13 IC

6-Count Burpee x 10 IC

H-R Merkin x 10 IC

Jog back to the launch lot

Some plankorama.  No 10-counts today, we planked or held squat = active recovery

Partner up

P1 – Old school sit-ups with P2 holding feet while in plank.  Flapjack. Rinse & Repeat.

P1 Broadjump burpees about 30 yards (courtesy of Goonie), backwards run back.  P2 does squats.

P1 Lungewalk 30ish yards, backwards run back. P2 does CDD’s.

Mosey to ramp.

Bearcrawl down the ramp, hop up stairs.  Rinse & repeat.

Mosey to pavilion (aka Semi-Gloss’ office)

People’s Chair w/Overhead press x 20. Then with overhead press x 13.

Mosey back to launch lot for some extended Mary.

American Hammer x 13 IC

Flutter x 13 IC

Plank/Mission Impossible Wave for a few rounds

Makthar Ndjiaye x 10 IC

6 Count Burpee x 8 IC

SSH x 33 IC

COT

Ye Olde Moleskine:

Big group this morning with 2 FNG’s – Shotz and Chin Music.  Welcome guys, and keep coming out.  It’s never easy (shouldn’t be), but it will get easier….somewhat.

Some good mumblechatter this morning.  Appreciate Simba & Goonie tapping me, though Fireman Ed took some credit as he said I was the last Q he lined up before retiring from a 2+ year illustrious Site Q career at Base Camp.

YHC had to audible a bit; forgot how poorly the gridiron drains at SCMS.  Didn’t want to lose one of the pax in the quicksand.

Introduced or re-introduced a couple exercises to the pax, and finished with SSH’s lest some of the pax have a panic attack.

Enjoyed it fellas.  Always love Q’ing the pax, and grateful for the fellowship.  Sound off in comments on noteworthy or not-so-noteworthy things – a lot going on among the 27 pax out there.

T-claps to Jamboree for running in.  He lives at least 4 miles from  Base Camp.  #oldmanstrong

Thanks to Big Top for taking us out in COT with the prayer.  And thanks to Freedom & Bo-Peep for the assists on the nicknames.  Good work.  BTW, Bo-Peep is one of the finest nicknames in all of F3.

Have a good week men.  Go serve and make a difference!

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”  John 15:13

Announcements:

F3 Dads – starts this Saturday at the Bull Ring in Ballantyne; and the other one starts June 4th at Col. Francis Beatty Park.  9 am start time – 2.0’s (boys & girls) welcome.

Memorial Day Saturday Convergence – this Saturday at Day Zero (McAlpine Elementary) at 0700.  Great workout and tribute to those that have given the last full measure of devotion to this great country of ours.  Be there!

Patriots Day/Memorial Day Festival in SouthPark on Monday – Memorial Day.  See www.f3nation.com, Twitter, etc. for details.  Lots of F3 brothers from different regions will be there.

Ragnar – 5 months from now.  See J.R.R. Tolkien for details

 

1 mile AYG x2

The Thang:

  • Mosey from Carmel Road Park to back of Carmel Middle School with 5 stops for 10x burpees;
  • COP – SSHx10; IWx10;
  • 1 mile run AYG – Run from back of Carmel Middle School to intersection of Camilla Drive and Carmel Road and back;
  • Mary while waiting for the six – LBCx25; Flutterx25; Freddie Mercuryx25
  • Jack Web – 1 merkin / 2 air presses – up to 10 merkins / 20 air presses
  • 1 mile run AYG– Run from back of Carmel Middle School to intersection of Camilla Drive and Carmel Road and back;
  • Mary while waiting for the six – LBCx25; Rosalitax25
  • People’s Chair – 3 sets approx. 45 seconds each
  • Mosey from back of Carmel Middle School to Carmel Road Park with 5 stops for 10x burpees
  • Finish with LBCx20; Over/Underx20; Heels to Heavenx20; 20 merkins in cadence.
  • COT

Moleskin:

The 1 mile AYG call is always a crowd pleaser – especially when you do it twice. Hamlet claims that the Pastor cursed the Q before the first mile and the Q heard Pulp Fiction’s clear excitement as YHC announced the second mile. Swiper and Agony were way out in front as usual. Overall strong work by the PAX today. Thanks to Swiper for taking us out. Always an honor to Q the DMZ PAX.

Aye

One Eye

Close Encounter

Fifteen benchmarked their hill readiness under the double full moons at this morning’s Blue Ridge Prelay.  The reputed home of the CLT Running Co’s BRR hill training is really a tale of two courses. The front half (from the base of Blue Ridge) to the back side of the loop (at the top of the Blue Ridge cut through) gives you all the hills you can handle.  The back half (Wilby to Mountain View) is a nice recovery to get your head (and legs) right.  There are plenty of options for each runner to choose his own adventure.

After a half mile mosey, the recommended course for today:

  • Start at the Base of Blue Ridge and Old Bell
  • Right on Mountain View
  • Straight onto Wilby
  • Left on Mountain View
  • Right back down Blue Ridge to start/finish point.

Rinse and Repeat until 6 AM.  This is the Mt CLT Strava Segment  but I added a descent back down Blue Ridge (seems like an incomplete loop to me…).

At 6 AM we gathered at the Bottom of Blue Ridge to run to the Yucca plant at the top of the Old Bell dead end.  Then dealer’s choice: for the frisky, hill repeats up and down Blue Ridge to sweep the six.  For the rest, head back to gravel lot on the flat and speedy Old Bell Rd.

OLD MOLEY

  • I think we can all agree on two things:  the course is as tough as the name is bad.  You can blame the name on me but as Patton said: “A good AO name, violently executed now, is better than a perfect AO name next week.”  If you’d like to give your opinions of the course to Horsehead, email him at ForeheadMustache@gmail.com.
  • Not sure how many intentionally modified the descent down Blue Ridge each lap, or if they “accidentally” missed it.  Seems a shame to leave that out of the loop.  I mean, if you are coming for hills, go big.
  • Speaking of….Laettner continues his obsession with hills and smelled of mashed potatoes.  He made good on his premeditated refusnik and ran repeats from the dead squirrel to the yucca plant most of the morning.
  • If that’s not weird enough, somewhere around Lap 4, Stone Cold saw what he claimed was a “man wearing nothing but a sweatshirt” at the corner of Wilby and Mountain View.  After Soul Glo’s “Bunny” encounter, I am a bit more skeptical  of these types of  reports, but I’ll be doggone if I didn’t see the same thing coming around for the next lap.  Except is wasn’t an old man without pants–it appeared to be a young man in a peach Speedo skulking around the back of the house like Gollum.  By the time I rounded the corner and peeked down the driveway, (“it’s hideous, yet I can’t look away) he had moved parallel with me, to behind the car. The mouth-breathing and foot-dragging had alerted the torso-clad biped to my presence and, in considering FIGHT or FLIGHT, I chose the latter sped off at a blistering 9 min/mile pace to safety of the Pack.  A close encounter, indeed.
  • Old Horsey MCUniBrow had originally planned for this to be a once-a-month endeavor but I think it needs to be every week.  Once a month is good for bench marking current hill training but if it’s used as the training tool, it needs to be every week.  Either way, it will have rotating Qs and will be largely tweet and meet.  Not sure if there will be another running next week (Memorial Day) and, if so, who will Q.  So put something out there if you’ve got an itch for hills, or to get a glimpse of the Speedo Guy.  Keep an eye on Twitter and the website.

 

Angry Site Qs

We had warned the PAX. Sign up to Q or deal with angry EE and GJ. No one signed up…..it’s on.

Pre-Thang
5 miler through majestic Brandon Oaks. EE likes the new area SC and I found on Thursday at Gump.

The Thang
HB Ultra around parking lot side walk w/ Karaoke L/R, High Knees, Butt Kickers

Circle Up for COP
DISCLAIMER CLEARLY GIVEN TO ALL NEW FNG’S TO WORK AT THEIR OWN PACE AND LISTEN TO THEIR BODIES

SSH x 50 IC
20 Penalty Burpees for No One signing up to Q since last week
IW x 15 IC
LBC x 20 IC
Merkin Hold Call Outs x 15 IC with varying hold times

Mosey to Flagpole where EE pulls out the UN-Famous Epoxy Plates of Equalization!
Form 2 teams
1 PAX from each team start to push plates around parking lot loop while remaining PAX rotate between called Exercises:
Loop 1 – 20 Merkins / 8 Burpees

During this time, FNG Striptease started feeling lightheaded, passed out and we ended up calling on some first responders to help him. Once FRs arrived, GJ took the group while EE stayed with Striptease to clear out the area for the FRs to help him.

Mosey to the buses (wanted to keep the group near EE/Striptease but far enough to give them space).
SSH IC x25 to get the group warmed back up.
Cheese Weave through about 15 buses with a sprint in between the buses.
LBCx IC x20
Cheese Weave back up through the buses
Mountain Climbers IC x20
Cheese Weave back through
Dollies IC x20
Backwards Cheese Weave (watch out for those mirrors)

The sweat is now solidly flowing soooooooooo let’s go back to those plates.

Hairburners Round 1 w/ merkins x20 and lbcs x40
Hairburners Round 2 w/ Squats x40

Made 3 or 4 loops around the parking lot with Round 1/2.

In the parking lot, we do ‘No Parking’ sign suicides. 8 signs stretching along the parking lot.

Mosey to the hill, 5 AYG sprints up the hill, recovery run down. Planking exercises till everyone finishes.

5 MOM
Dollies IC x51
EE-led Protractor
Flutters IC x10

DONE!

COT
Prayers for triptease obviously.
The Count’s Mom
My family
Thanks to Short Circuit for taking us out (though you may have been the first to have prayed for a Striptease that God actually probably listened to)

Moleskine
– First off, Striptease is okay. Madison and El Chapo went to check on him afterwards. He’s going to get checked out Monday. Prayers that this is nothing other than just needing some food on your stomach.
– This is a huge reminder of why every workout needs to have a phone with at least one PAX. And why we leave #nomanbehind.
– FNG Striptease so named because before passing out, he had started shedding clothes including his shorts down to his spandex leggings. There may have to be a rename here as he wasn’t there to defend his honor before we named him Striptease. Dude deserves that. Probably won’t be much better honestly but the option is out there. Though, the nickname is awesome. Just sayin…..
– FNG El Chapo came with Madison and Striptease and is so named because he works in Pharmacy. Way to push through!
– Our original plan was for max punishment. The events of the day caused us to have to change up the workout but still saw plenty of soaked shirts.
– The backwards cheese weave is dangerous. At least the FRs were still around just in case.
– Anyone notice EE walking a little taller after it was his Q that caused us to have to call the FRs. #humblebrag
– Enjoyed #F3TheGrindstone afterwards. 1 Cor 8 next week.

Thanks for letting us lead!

Double E & Glass Joe