This was my first Q duty since recovering from a stress fracture in my foot. After nearly two months of limited exercise, I had begun to get back into some of the more cardio heavy workouts recently. It’s been tough, so I was hopeful I had enough in the tank to lead the men to a good workout this morning. Hope it didn’t disappoint. Here is what we did…
After planting our brand new shovel flag in the ground at PDS, we mosey’d down to the track to take a warm-up lap, then circled up in field for…
COP
Jog over to the goal line on the football field and get into groups for 3-man grinders.
Mosey to the stadium with a stop for people’s chair (left leg up, right leg up, air presses x20 IC)
Bleacher grinders
MoM
NMS
The heat may be taking its toll. We had a small group this morning, but we had some great fellowship. It has been a little while since I’ve Q’d, so it was great to return to action. Thanks for the opportunity to lead.
Great to see you this morning Joker. That is the first time I’ve seen someone do peoples chair while facing the wall. As usual you were ridiculously fast on those bear crawls…great work. I enjoyed knocking out those grinders with you and Tesla.
Arena rightly called me out on the bleacher work…definitely looked better on paper. Nevertheless, you, Chowda and Ray Charles were killing it. Nice work guys!
Ray Charles….enjoyed the PDS history lesson from our local alum this morning. Still wish they would have installed some fans or something on that field. Does the wind ever even blow in that bowl?? Man the air is thick down there!
Again…thank you men for the honor of leading this morning. Please come out again next week! Thanks Ray Charles for taking us out!
Announcements:
Pre-run 5am
Only two fool hardy souls for the 30 min 5am pre-run, which happened to be the two Q’s.
Main event 5:30 am
Gathered the troops and disclaimer provided. PAX counts off into two groups. First group went with Mr Bean and headed for the “Ring of Fire”. Second group went with Outback and headed for the “Decks of Death”.
“Ring of Fire” (Mr Bean)
SSH X15
MC X15
IW X15
Mosey to start of the bullring for a “ring of fire. There are 20 entrances to the ring, the ring itself is 800m +/- at each entrance 10 merkins, complete circuit =200 merkins.
Round 2: Partner up for another “ring of fire” 10 handslap merkins at each entrance, complete circuit=200 merkins. PAX instructed to modify as needed.
While waiting for the 6 a little Mary, Flutter in Cadence x20, Dolly in Cadence x20
Partner up for sprints: Partner 1 sprints a loop while partner 2 performs LBC’s until partner 1 returns. Rinse and repeat 3 times.
PAX together to head home pick up pace at each drive entrance, hold plank for the 6. Quick stop at Rocky River Grill for a merkin ladder. 6 sets of 5 merkins in cadence with short sprints, cadence count by Linus, Tuna, Crabcake, FNG (Ponzi) and YHC.
Jail break by most back to the AO. Great work men, Mermaid crushed the ring along with Fire Hazard and Mighty. Strong work by both FNG’S, I partnered up with Ponzi he pushed himself hard for the first time out. Thanks to Big Tuna, Loogie and Fire Hazard for keeping the 6 in check and bringing them home. Nice to see my Swift brothers strolling around the Bullring, good to see so many of us in the gloom. Thank you for the opportunity if you haven’t lead step up and take the challenge there is no better feeling.
Bean.
“Decks of Death” (Outback)
The Decks of Death featured a 440 rep beat down with no 10 count rests and went down something like this:
Run to the parking deck basement in Ballantyne Village.
First Up – Warm up (100 reps)
Second – Merkins (100 reps)
Third – Legs & Shoulders (100 reps)
Forth – Abs (100 reps)
Finished up with 20 dips and 20 more flutters.
Headed home in time for COT.
Moleskin:
Solid effort this morning with the PAX staying very close to each other. Mic Check and Escargot were pushing for the lead along with a few others. Also appreciate the clarification/demonstration by Market Timer and Frehleys on a true form Monkey Humpers, although there is still some confusion on inside or outside hold on the ankles.
Thanks for the lead gentleman.
Outback
10 SOBs prepared for the F3 Gladiator Games that are this Saturday 8/8 in Indian Land. Here’s what we did:
The Thang:
COP – SSH X 10, Good Mornings X 10, Halos X 8 each direction, around the worlds X 8 each direction, merkins X 15
High Intensity KB Ladders:
Q calls 2 exercises that are performed at your own pace starting with 10 each, then 9, 8, 7, down to 1.
Round 1 – KB Swings & Diamond merkins on your KB
Round 2 – Upright rows & Tricep Extensions
Round 3 – KB Press & Russian Twist
Gear Work:
Divide the PAX into 4 groups, place 3 KBs at the pain stations 2 & 4 and rotate through pain stations.
Pain Station 1 – Hair burners down and back
Pain Station 2 – 2 Handed Swings X 20, Clean X 20 (total), Tire Flips X 15
Pain Station 3 – Hair burners down and back
Pain Station 4 – Upright Rows X 20, One Arm Press X 20 (total), Tire Flips X 15
Moleskin
Kettlebells, Tractor Tires, and Hairburners….Can you start a week of any better? Heck No! Awesome work by the PAX this week. Welcome Don Q to the Foxhole. Hope to get you back out here.
Announcements:
Gladiator Games this Saturday 6-10 in Indian Land
We started with 5, had 3 run back together, and had 4 at COT. Yep…one of those mornings. This was a grind. Fairly spread out pax, dark streets, a random old guy in a bandana watching us out the window, an aggressive Prius circling the block, a potential kidnapping, an empty cop car, and the smell of a possible gas leak…pretty much all you could ask of a workout.
Thang:
Run a mile down Rea to Providence Lane West, continue down PLW with 5 stops totaling 100 jump squats, 100 merkins, 100 knee ups then run back of PLW (repeated), and finish with a mile run back up Rea.
War Daddy of the group, 49er, had to exit at 0600, so he showed up early for a pre-run, then made a strong showing with about 3 miles with us (1 full circuit). Per Strava, Voodoo got 1.4 rounds with 3.8 miles: Voodoo Strava
One Eye got in a full two rounds: +/- 4.3 miles, 200 jump squats, 200 merkins, 200 knee ups. Agony and YHC got in two complete plus a run back to pick up One Eye: I had it at 4.83 miles, while his watch had 5.0 miles plus 200 of each. I’ll edit to post the Strava link whenever I get it uploaded. https://www.strava.com/activities/361367418
I’ll also leave out the Friday gif of Smokey and Craig, but it’s on Twitter.
The three of us cruised in at 6:16 to find Voodoo sitting in the middle of the parking lot, in the midst of a solo C?OT, which turned into a rectangle of trust. Agony took us out.
Moleskine:
I love those days when everyone is so out of breath that it takes a few minutes for COT to form / begin. This was one of those days. Must say that I am proud of the guys that took on this challenge. It was a complete grind. There were 3 rolling hills on Providence Lane, and the middle one felt like a continual middle finger sticking up. No one completed three complete sets, but most got in a full two. Yet another week at SOFA WIB where the exercises were a welcome respite, though a lingering reminder now #smoked.
It was fairly dark on PLW. One Eye wore a headband (shocker), then managed to smoke YHC on the run back to OP. Agony got a little freaked out by some guy walking around his house wearing a bandana on his head. Who does that at 6AM? He, meaning Agony, also opted for the shirtless look, presumably so the random red Prius driver circling the block could better see him in the dark.
After a solid showing, 49er left early, and then it appeared that Voodoo went MIA. We were relieved to discover at COT that Voodoo had not been thrown into the back of the red Prius (trunk? Does a Prius even have a trunk?). I thought it would have been somewhat ironic (in the sense of rain on your wedding day) for a hybrid driver to kidnap a Tesla driver, like some Greenpeace jealous rage or something. These are the things that O2 deprivation can cause you to think.
During our overlapping moments of exercise, Agony wondered if either of us smelled absolutely awful or if there may be a natural gas leak. Others at COT confirmed to smelling natural gas, so may want to be careful grilling / smoking / shooting fireworks if you live over that way. We also discussed the meaning of placing oneself under the spiritual authority of another, and what that looks like in the context of the Acts 2 church model. Not really, but I do welcome your comments as it’s something I have been kicking around in my head.
Regrettably, YHC has the Q tomorrow at Bandit – Freedom Park at 0530 – for any that would like to venture north to heckle, laugh (at or with), and most likely see numerous Q fails.
– Kirk
Posted on behalf of Squid:
The Thang:
Circle Up
Side Straddle Hop (20)
Imperial Walker (20)
Fit to Fight (FTF) 15
Protractor (legs together 60 degrees to 10 degrees) (15)
Two Rounds Around the School (Run together, halt, then exercise)
Pull ups (10) Knee bends (10)
Run
Low slow squat (20)
Run
Low Slow Merkins (slow on the way down; three count, then up) (15)
Run
Ninja Squat (20)
Run
Low Slow Merkins (down, then three count on the way up (15)
Run
Circle Up for Abs:
Dolly (25)
Flat Crunch (15)
Freddy Mercury (changing pace) (25)
Right Side Bends (15)
Left Side Bends (15)
Decline plank walk around the curbs mixed with a merkin (first group)
Little Baby Crunches (second group)
Then switch
Wall Time:
People’s Chair (Passing the 20lb weight back and forth) 4 Rounds
Line up and planking it up (elbows to elbows; passing the soccer ball under the bridge) 5 Rounds
Lunge Walk out to the curb and back
20 Incline Merkins on the curb
Balls to the wall (20 seconds)
Donkey Kicks (20)
Sprint Time:
Two Groups
First Group (50 % half speed to the end of the black top, then 100% full sprint back)
Second Group (Merkins while first group sprints)
Switch back and forth for 3 Rounds
Finish with 5 Burpees all together
At 0515 on Tuesday, 12 PAX took to the Bull Ring at the Ballantyne Corporate Park for the weekly Speed workout known as Swift.
The THANG:
Moleskin:
Announcements:
12 fine gents decided on KB’s for a Tuesday morning pain montage.
THE THANG
Disclaimer
20 two handed swings
15 SSH
15 IW
10 two handed swings/10 Overhead presses
8 two handed swings/8 Overhead presses
6 two handed swings/6 Overhead presses
4 two handed swings/4 Overhead presses
2 two handed swings/4 Overhead presses
Back up the ladder
10 right handed lawnmowers (???) in cadence
10 left handed lawnmowers in cadence
20 two handed swings
Over to the cones
Round 1 – 50 two handed swings and 10 burpees on each of the 5 cones in 5 minutes
Round 2 – 50 tea baggers and 10 air squats at each cone in 4 minutes
Round 3 – 50 high pulls and 10 diamond merkins at each cone in 4 mins
Round 4 – 50 alternating swings and 10 Carolina Dry Docks at each cone in 3 min 30
Round 5 – 20 Louganis and 10 heels to heaven at each cone in 3 mins
Round 6 – 5 two handed swings sprint to cone 1, 10 two handed swings sprint to cone 2, 15 two handed swings sprint to cone 3, 20 two handed swings sprint to cone 4, 25 two handed swings and sprint to cone 5
4 minutes of mary.
COT
YE OLDE NAKED MOLESKINE
A light yet strong crowd out at Skunkworks this morning. YHC was not sure if I could even Q due to a limp wrist obtained at last weeks smokefest from Busch. Having donned the Haggis style MMA gloves it was time to get to work with all merkins done on the fists. During the COP it was very obvious that there is a large difference between the Queens English and the American version:
Q: “Next exercise is…..the lornmowa”
Pax: “The what?”
Q: “The lornmowa.”
Pax:….crickets
Q: “This!” (showing the demo)
Pax: “Ohhh the larrrnmowerrrrr”
Q: “That’s it chaps. Let’s get to it.”
After the extended warm up (and seeing Harley grimace on the overhead presses) it was time for a lung buster combo. Opening round of 50 swings and 50 burpees looked great on paper and easy to complete in 5 minutes but was I wrong? After two or three cones it turned into a stagger between sets as the clocked ticked down. Hats off to most of the lads for getting it in and to Chanel for bouncing back from injury and crushing it along with Freedom and his gorilla bell. Fireman Ed was either counting by twos or he has just turned into a KB machine as he was leading from the front.
Good stuff from Witch Doctor and Blazing Saddles who are on a roll now after several weeks of consistent posting.
Thanks for allowing me to lead.
BD
Announcements: Gladiator training in Union Co this weekend
25 of South Charlotte and South Carolina’s toughest showed up at SCMS this morning ready to grind. In the heir of transparency, YHC posted a preblast yesterday outlining what was on deck. The pax either missed the post or threw caution to the wind and came ready to grind.
The Thang:
Mosey to top of Windbluff (corner of Windbluff/Raintree Ln). This is the center of the tripod.
Leg 1- down Windbluff, up opposite side stopping at yellow 20mph curve sign.
Leg 2- right on Raintree Lane towards 51. Right on Smokerise to the dead end.
Leg 3- cross Raintree Ln back down Rounding Run to the base of Rising Meadow.
At the center of the tripod do 5 HR merkins. At the end of each leg do 10 sumo squats, touching the ground with both hands.
Complete all 3 tripod legs and return to the center. That’s 1. Repeat until 6:05.
Obligatory Indian run 0.7 mi back to campus.
NMM:
Speed was on display today. LOTS of guys out there getting faster. A51 is shaping up to have a strong showing at BRR next month. Not sure the team stats, good representation from Free Range and Flattnin’ the Hills. Radar was noticeably absent. Not sure if he’s in taper mode yet.
Most ended up hitting more than 6 miles this morning. A potential record high of 7.3 miles in 60 minutes by a ski bum may be tough to top. Van Pelt’s Fitbit said we climbed the equivalent of 80 flights of stairs. Not many buildings in town you can replicate that.
No surprise to see the ski bum holding his usual spot out front. Brady put up a strong fight and wasn’t far behind. Beaker, Fletch, TR and Bout Time were pushing the pace as well.
T-claps to our brothers Funhouse and Jekyll from The Fort making the trip north for a dose of the Tuesday’s fastest hour in South Charlotte. Both were crushing the pace today. BOLO for a clowncar to Tega Cay soon.
Lots of other guys out there grinding it out and getting stronger. Huge peloton group had their smokeboots on today.
Glad to see some tanktops out there this morning – Fletch, Runstopper, Soul Glo, I see you. Ironsides had an awesome tank top on but it didn’t make an appearance until the COT. Thanks for supporting the #TanktopTuesday cause.
Prohibition, Mouth, Glass Joe, Jekyll all posted Strava PRs on the wicked incline on Windbluff.
T-claps to TR for keeping the pax up to speed on the latest from the veterinary science of feline gastroenterology.
Thanks to the site Qs in absentia this morning for the opportunity to lead. FT is a great example of a love/hate relationship. Everyone out there today got stronger.
T-claps to Glass Joe for taking us out.
Announcements:
Sign up for F3 Golf.
6 men threw a lot of punches on Monday morning.
YHC had been out sick all last week and so was itching for an F3 session. As a result, Fight Club had a bit more bootcamp than usual this week.
We started with a quick 10, 20, 30 routine: 10 pull-ups, 20 merkins, 30 sit-ups, then a run around the parking lot. Repeato 3 times.
Head to Loch Ness: gloves and pads on: one round punching, one round holding, one lap around the lake. This was repeated many times with high intensity until approximately 6:05.
Line up on grassy area: 10 merkins, 20 toe tapper crunches, sprint to other end. Repeato in reverse. Then 10 heels to heavens, 10 burpees, sprint to other end. More sit-ups, then plankorama, then 15 merkins, then sprint to other end.
Done.
– Solid showing this morning from the Fight Club faithful. Come and try this workout. It is not what you think, but it sure does hurt.
– In his first ever time doing a boxing workout with younger brother Doubtfire, Haggis was dismayed to find that not only is Doubtfire younger, taller, and faster; he can also punch harder too. That sucks.
– Thank you all. It is always a pleasure to lead and work out with this group. Thanks especially Chipotle for making Fight Club a success.
28 or 29 pax posted at Stonehenge at 5am for the Roshambo option of Southern Discomfort. The CSAUP started early as 6 or 7 pax jumped in the back of Ductwork’s truck and hurtled down 485 towards Ballantyne from Matthews Elementary (Peak 51).
At 5:45ish, the Roshamboers rolled into Centurion and were greeted by about 40 or so Swift Kickers and Sack Tappers.
Won’t rehash all the details, but will point out just a few observations and the pax can chime in with any other anecdotes.
* 2nd F was great and it was a cool sight to see 70ish pax heading down 51 with the shovel flags.
* Got a lot of horn-tapping love from cars as we made our way from AO to AO. #merica
* Sorry the distance was a little off for the 3 options…didn’t factor in the mileage at the AO’s themselves….but made it more noteworthy for all the pax doing 8+, 14+ and 17+ miles
* T-Claps to Urquell and Borat – FNG’s for a CSAUP event like Southern Discomfort – that’s strong!
* And special welcome to Walker from The Fort, Whoopee from The Gas House and Abacus-Metro. Also had some pax from MECA (Mint Hill).
Please chime in on the Comments to add some much needed flavor to this backblast.
Thought it was a great event, and we’ll definitely have to do it again next year.
Let MallCop know if you want a t-shirt. If we get at least 12 takers, we can do another order.