18 tough guys from South Charlotte and beyond entered the friendly confines of Elizabeth Lane Elementary armed with enough Bells to put cracks in the one of the roughest parking lots in area51. Fortunately for the parking lot, we wouldn’t be putting the bells down much today. Plenty of sweat this morning thanks to the surprisingly warmer temps. The pax was properly disclaimed and we launched into the Warmup.
SSH x20
20 two handed swings OYO
Low Slow 3 count Squats x 15 IC
Merkins on your Bell x15 IC
Cleans x 10 Each Arm OYO
Snatches x 10 Each Arm OYO
The Main thing went down like this. After a few comments about needing to pass out headphones so the Pax can hear the tunes, the volume was adjusted and away we went.
4x4x4’s (Complete 4 reps each arm of the 4 Called exercises for 4 Rounds)
Round 1
Single Arm Swing
Cleans
Rack Squat
Snatch
(50 LBC once done)
Round 2
Single Arm Swing
High Pull
Reverse Lunge w/bell in Rack
Shoulder Press
(50 Merkin when done)
Round 3
Single Arm Swing
Single Leg Dead Lift
Lawnmowers
Rack Squat shoulder Press
(25 Merkin, 25 LBC when done)
Partner Up w/like Bells for Doubles: 5 Rounds of Each Exercise – Partner 1 on Bells, Partner 2 maintains static hold
Double Swings x5 (partner 2 Holds Low Squat)
Double Cleans x5 (partners 2 Holds 6 Inch Plank)
Double Alternating Should Press (partner 2 holds feet up 6 inches)
Moleskin: it was a great day to keep the bells in motion and get a good sweat out this morning. The usual Meatheads were in attendance and getting after it – lots of heavy bells being moved around the circle. Radar made a cameo and we even had Simba working out in his DasBoot. Turkey Leg is becoming a Meathead staple and getting in the double down pre-run (sorry I was there for the pre-run this morning brother). There was plenty of chatter before the start and during the warmup, but that quickly went away once the heavy lifting began. Strong effort by all in attendance as usual. Hopefully everyone got their money’s worth today. Always enjoy leading Meathead, thanks guys.
Thank you Simba for the takeout
Announcements: Joe Davis Run See link for Signup and PreBlast: http://f3nation.com/2015/10/28/2016-joe-davis-memorial-resolution-run-pre-blast/
Turkey Bowl – Thanksgiving Morning – Grudgematch of Type of AO (Running, Bootcamp, Gear) more details to follow
Bring back Kevlar? There was chatter in COT about brining it back. Bulldog is looking for interest, anyone interested in taking on co-site Q or Q hit him up.
15 men of south charlotte decided to roll the dice with this dusty Q. Full disclosure and YHC announced it’s been about 3 weeks since my last post. Either way, to late for the PAX to drive to another sight, so 0530 came and off we went…well Donkey Kong graced us with his presence about 2 min late.
The Thang
Slow mosey around the parking lot and head to the 1/8 mile track
Warm Up
4 corners of a Burpee
1- 10x Squats
1-10x Donkey kicks
1-10x Merkens
1-10x Jump ups
10 burpees
Next round 20 per except for burpees
Mosey to median…actually, medium paced walk
Abs- LBC’s, Protractor, Bicycle
Curb Work
1)Plank/ Curb ups x20
Curb squats x20
Run a lap / Rinse and Repeat
2)Split arm Merkens left side on curb x10
Calf Raise x20
Run a lap/ Right arm and Calf raise
3)Curb plank- Shift left half way around the semi circle and 10 merkens / Shift right then 10 merkens
20 Merkens then mosey to the Church across the street
Buddy up and grab a lifting rock
P1 Lift exercise, P2 Run to the Salvation Army donation center than flap jack
Curls, Press, Triceps and Squats
Few abs in-between to keep the Pax together
Mosey to the Playground
1/2 group does 10 pull ups then goes to the baseball field
1/2 group does 20 Steps ups (10/per) and 20 Dips then pulls ups
Try to do it twice, but getting close to 0615
Ye’ Old Moleskin
Announcements:
Joe Davis Run- there is a discount if you sign up before 10/31 https://joedavisrun.racesonline.com/ and then another discount that runs until Dec. So save money, sign up today. Questions-Slim Fast or Bushwood
F3 Turkey Day bowl- On thanksgiving day, more details to come
So it is time to run a timed mile, yup, I’ve heard that some people have done this in such austere places as High School so for those of you that can remember that this shouldn’t be that bad. For the others of us this is what we have been working our way up to in terms of effort, pacing and breathing.
The plan is to do a proper warm up, done at a WARM UP PACE FOR YOU, the idea is to warm up the muscles but not tire them out and then do some dynamic stretching and run a timed mile, or technically in case Bratwurst is reading this a timed 1600m, which of course would be from lane 2 as I recall. We will not get that technical of course although for those technical type pax feel free to use lane 2.
The idea behind the timed mile is not to beat your high school time but to set a new baseline for future progress. Jack Daniel’s (the running coach, not the drink) would suggest that the timed mile can be used to set different types of training paces, the calculator that YHC uses is:
https://runsmartproject.com/calculator/
This mile should be an all out effort, as in if you had to run 1.1 miles you couldn’t do it, merlot is ok (just wait until you cross the line and try to avoid fellow pax’s shoes)
Once we have the timed mile under our belt we can plug the number into the calculator and then use the different paces (under the training tab) for future interval work.
Should there be a large number of pax we will run two heats to make sure that it isn’t too crowded on the track itself (don’t want lane 2 to get too crowded with engineers).
Following the timed mile we’ll do a few cool down laps, or perhaps they could be looked at as warm up laps for the next part of the workout to which I’ll leave some suspense but to give a small hint it does involve running.
at #F3Swift on Tuesday, 7 PAX decided Extra Credit is mandatory, 1 saw fit for the full hour, and 3 late bloomers at least decided they would get a partial 55 minute workout for the day.
The THANG:
Moleskin:
Announcements:
At 5:27am YHC rolls into the parking lot at Providence Day School ready to take The Charge’s pax on a little trip off campus. Hmmm…nobody is standing outside. Well, it’s raining, so maybe people are staying dry in their cars. I get out and start stretching…but nobody joins me. All the cars in the parking lot belong to the running group that has established a regular presence at our AO. Hmmm….is this going to be the day that nobody shows and I head home to get back in the fartsack? NO! With 1 minute to spare, Icicle, John Deere, and Babyface ride in like the calvary. No time for chit-chat…so off we go into the rainy gloom!
The Thang
Mosey from the parking lot toward the school exit. Stop at Sardis Rd. entrance for first COP
Turn right on Sardis Rd and continue the trip toward the Stonehaven neighborhood (home of YHC). Cross road and stop at Waverly Hall for COP #2
Run down Waverly Hall to Regency and stop for COP #3….sorry guys, time to embrace the weather and get soaked.
Take a left on Regency and run to Rocky Falls Rd. Stop for next COP.
Right on Rocky Falls run to intersection with Charter Place…wave at YHC’s house as we pass by. Stop for instructions.
Partner Hill Repeats
Goal is to reach 100 handslap merkins, but we had to audible to 80 as the field trip to this location was a little further than what I measured the night before.
Return trip to PDS
Stops at Waverly Hall again for flutters, Sardis for IWs, and PDS entrance for squats.
We did a quick COT, a prayer by John Deere, and we were done.
Moleskin:
I’m still getting used to the new Q scheduling system. Although you’d think I’d remember if I scheduled myself to Q, I didn’t realize that until 7pm Tuesday night. No matter…I cooked up something a little different for the pax. A trip WAY off campus to visit one of my favorite BRR training sites… the quarter mile ‘climb of suck’ on Rocky Falls Rd. I think the other 3 men with me would agree that it is brutal. However, we did modify a bit for time purposes and each only had to endure the pain twice. Lots of running today…probably more than we’ve ever done at The Charge. We ran 4 miles total. More like Fast Twitch today I guess.
The weather was lousy. It rained on us the entire time, but we convinced ourselves it wasn’t bad given the warmer temperatures. We were completely soaked within 10 minutes…getting on the ground for the flutters assured that.
All the guys did great out there. I hope they didn’t mind the departure from our usual on-campus boot camps. It was fun to lead, and as always…an honor.
12 PAX, including 1 FNG, ignored #Cantorre and their #Fartsacks and posted at Death Valley for their #DownPAINment. Here’s how it went down.
The Thang:
COP:
Track Work
Mosey to the track and partner up, size and speed does not matter. Run in opposite directions, meet and perform the total number of reps of called exercise.
Finish up with 8 merkins OYO for a total of 108, the number of wins for the 86′ Mets.
People’s Chair (aka “The Semi-Gloss)
Head back towards Semi-Gloss’ office, the bathrooms, for some shelter and 3 rounds of the People’s Chair, 2 with Air Presses x 50.
Play ball! (well not really)
Mosey up and pick out a cinder block, wait, no blocks Audible #1, find a lifting rock and head down to the ball field, which was not covered by the crack SCMS grounds crew and thus Audible #2 was called. Partner 1 runs to the loop from the bleacher up and around the stairs, Partner 2 does called exercise AMRAP with the coupon, flapjack.
Mary:
Moleskine:
Announcements:
No shovel flag was planted (because a certain Site Q either didn’t want to get it wet or forgot to bring it for the N^9th time, but 5 PAX, no make that 6 as Soft Pretzel comes rolling in late, set off into the Gloom of the Marvin Ridge campus at 0530 on Wednesday.
The Thang:
Mosey through the parking lot in the light rain looking for somewhere dry. Found 1st spot at the front of the high school under a very high awning.
Open up with:
SSH ICx20
Imperial Walker ICx20
Mountain Climbers slow (bring your foot to your wrist) ICx20
Good mornings ICx20
Start the Tabata at 40 seconds on the exercise OYO, 20 seconds to recover. Watch doesn’t stop.
Merkins reg
Lbc
Merkins diamond
Flutter
Merkins wide
Dolly
Carolina Dry Docks
Rosalita
Peter parker
Heels to heaven
Follow to Middle School front annex with tables and Continue Tabata 40/20
Step ups (too wet for jump-ups)
Mountain Climbers
Rapid 1 legged step ups
Squats
Full (slow) mountain climbers
1-armed Spartan Burpees (no Merkin)
Man-made Merkins
Maktar jai
Christian laetner (Q fail)
Woodpeckers (elbow plank with foot raises)
Monkey Humpers
Side lunges
Calf raises
Single leg bridge
Squats
Rock hoppers
Stump huggers
Mountain Climbers on wall
Plank w/ back pocket touches
Mosey back towards cars taking the long way around the Middle School at about 1/2 mile or more.
AYG at the end.
COT
Moleskin:
The normally hearty Union County PAX may have been deterred by the rain, but not these men. Counting on someone to be there to lead (apparently none of them know what a Preblast or what Twitter is, quick demo of Area51 app at the end of the workout), they showed up ready for whatever the Q called for. Fortunately for them, the Q likes to find the warm and dry and stay out of the suck.
When you have a 20sec rest, that should be the time for Mumble Chatter, but apparently it’s during the easy opening 40sec exercises when the Chatter started. Bananas always one to probe the PAX broached topics such as Snow Ruck (and how it’s fun to go watch 3 Go Rucks, but never dip his toe in himself), how beautiful the high awning looked in the warm glow of the entrance lights, and probably 3 other topics, not the least of which was a daily faith lesson about how to trust yourself on 1 arm Burpees.
Mcstuffins, the Chilean vet, has jumped in full bore and rarely misses a workout. Perhaps a little refusenik (something about rotator cuff on the Christian Laetners), but YHC is 2nd guessing that one after only pulling 2 or 3 in a row at a time.
Enron was there and rivaled Bananas with stories (OK, not really) and seemingly went on an excursion to find some dry wall. Apparently he is selective or was trying to avoid Silicon for unknown reasons.
Silicon fresh off the Mud Run where he didn’t get too banged up, told us how to get faster by chasing Middle School girls. Apparently it’s working for him…
Soft Pretzel was like OK, whatever, sounds good, all while probably wanting to Q jack and get to lying in sticky mud to make us as tough and carefree as he is.
A great morning to be out! Makes you realize it rarely sucks to get a workout in, but it rather sucks to sit at your desk all day wishing you had…
Thanks for the opportunity to lead men!
Announcements:
F3 Union County shirt order has reopened at f3.mudgear.com. If you want to get winter gear, check the Ballantyne area’s site at mud gear for long sleeves, fleece, and sweat shirts.
Joe Davis 5K/10K in early January. Look in weekly email for details, but there is a discount that ends Oct 31 if you want to save some $.
Rain was nothing but the backdrop to a beautiful morning as 12 devoted men left the ponchos at home and laced up the kicks for RedRocks’ first Q. Disclaimer was announced and somehow those in attendance believed enough in RedRocks to follow him. This is how it went…
Warm-up run around the front of church to the Rea Road side parking lot
Timed warm-up — 1 min of each of SSH, Imp Walker, Mount Climber, Freddie Merc, Merk
Getin our rocks off — 21 reps of curl, overhead chest press, tricep ext, front lat lift…pass rock to left and repeat
Station work — Run from church to Starbucks and shopping center (south on Rea towards greenway). 3 stations placed throughout shopping center and greenway entrance area. Station 1: – 25 reps of derkins. Station 2: 12 free standing sqauts & 12 sister may catherines. Station 3: 25 merkins. Repeat 3 times
Brisk run back to starting point.
End of workout
8 men showed up for the promise to be battle tested and survived the invasion from our Indian Land brothers.
Posted on behalf of Pebbles…
The Thang:
The Warm-Up:
The Main Event:
Round 1:
Round 2:
Round 3:
Run a lap around the playground.
Round 4:
Run a lap around the playground.
Mary:
The Moleskine:
Great to have Pebbles come up and Q for us and bring with him Mario, these guys from Indian Land are the real deal. Kotters to Madame Tussaud, great to have you back brother. Freon is making a regular appearance at Foxhole and is getting stronger each time. Every week he says the same thing, “It being tough just proves I need to be here”. I love that. This guy is committed and I can’t wait to see him get stronger, faster and become a leader in F3. This is why we do this. Frehley continues his strong efforts and moving up to bigger bells and Strange Brew is becoming a regular albeit a little tardy (Foxhole can be haul for some folks but they still come because its awesome sauce). You can tell Voodoo is running too much these days, I hope we don’t lose another Meathead to the dark side (you know who you are). Great workout and we look forward to having Pebbles Q again!
Announcements:
The 4th Annual Joe Davis Memorial Resolution 10K/5K Run benefiting Keystone Substance Abuse Services is scheduled for Saturday January 9, 2016 at 8:00 AM starting at Walter Elisha Park in Fort Mill, SC.
This family-focused/family-friendly event has special meaning to F3 because it is in honor of the brother of our own F3 Brother Rock Thrill… aka Chris Davis. Chris and his family established this event to capture the hope that his brother, Joe, always held onto… “Hope…never lose this.”
Here are some thoughts from Rock Thrill:
On behalf of the Davis-Boyd families, please allow me to thank everyone from both F3 and FiA for both past participation and for considering participating again this year as we stand together to fight the awful sickness and disease that is Addiction. This event would only have a fraction of the impact that it has had if it were not for you!
Unfortunately, the odds are that each of us will be affected by Addiction in some way in our lifetimes, whether it be personally, a family member or a friend.
Every day in life, we talk about the “What.” In this case, a running race. But, the “What” matters only because of the “Why,” right?
The “Why” is to spread awareness that there is help available for those struggling; hope that our family wish we had known about. Help and support saves lives.
For our family, we hold tight to Romans 8:28, which reads,
“We know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose”
It is a tough pill to swallow when you lose a member of your family or a dear friend, but we feel called to make an impact because we believe God saves lives through earthly resources when we align with Him. We believe this race is God’s purpose for us and we want Joe’s life to continue counting for good. Many times, when we are out at a restaurant, or in a race, or anywhere, someone recognizes us and tells us that they suffer from addiction or know someone who does, and that it has impacted their life in a positive way. Those times serve as confirmation that the race is making a difference!
Yes, we are asking you to leave your comfort zone, get out of a warm bed, early on a Saturday morning, and run a distance that is challenging, on one of the coldest days of the year. It will be tough, but isn’t it a great reminder of how tough it must be to get free of Addiction?
I hope you will join us as we celebrate Joe’s life on January 9th!
In Him, Chris (Rock Thrill) Davis and the Davis-Boyd Family
Race Overview… Why You Should Sign Up!!
In 3 Years, the race has raised over $65K for the Keystone Substance Abuse Center. Total participation has grown from 400 in 2013 to 600+ in 2015, including 200 F3 and FiA participants. This year’s goal is to expand to 700-800 runners, including 225+ F3 and FiA participants… which is TOTALLY doable!
We need you, your M’s, your 2.0’s, your family, and your friends to sign-up! http://joedavisrun.racesonline.com/
Here are the reasons you should sign-up and run the Joe Davis Memorial Run on January 9, 2016:
1. Proceeds raised from registration fees and donations go to support Keystone Substance Abuse Services,
2. Rock Thrill has given many of you, including YHC, tons of encouragement as you have come into F3 and set and achieved your personal fitness and leadership goals. Your participation in the race allows you to give back support and encouragement to someone that has given a great deal to our PAX.
3. Cool t-shirt!
4. Family-focused/Family-friendly… The Davis/Boyd family does this for their family… but they believe this is about the BIGGER family! You won’t find a nicer, more welcoming family than the Davis’s! Bring your M, your 2.0, your friends, and you will see that you are considered part of the family!
5. Ok… now something for YOU! This is a great event to kickoff your 2016 fitness and commitment goals! Last year, we had SEVERAL guys run their first 5K if not for the VERY FIRST TIME… at least in a long while! The PAX always step-up and provide great support for all runners… young, old, fast, not-so-fast, first-time, long-time… it is just a great event for getting 2016 started in the right direction!
6. Finally, by your participation, you encourage others in MANY ways… some ways you may never know…. You encourage neighbors with abusive addictions… You encourage your M’s, 2.0’s, friends and family to also participate… You encourage your PAX to push themselves to achieve something they might not thought was possible 6 months ago… You encourage a community to see what F3 is all about!!
Here is the link to sign-up. http://joedavisrun.racesonline.com/ In the “Team” field, indicate “F3” or “FiA” (as appropriate).
There will be more information as we get closer… the main thing now is to get signed-up!!
Don’t be the Sad Clown working out alone on Saturday Jan 9, 2016!!!