For Those Who Came To The Rock – I Salute You!
25 pax posting for the Area51 mini convergence (the rest of the pax putting in a strong showing at the USMC Mud Run, made us proud), with our Fort Mill friends so strong they carried on as per usual. Unusually quiet at the start, owing to some overdue 2nd F amongst the 3 converging workouts. Of course when Market Timer and Zip-A-Dee posted that changed, well done brothers. No more wasting time with this crew and we were off to the soccer fields:
Circle up for:
Merkins x 10 – what? who starts with Merkins? Grumblechatter #Callaway
IW x 26
CDD x 20
Squats x 25
SSH x 40 (Callaway was right again with the world, closure was had)
Merkins x 10
Sprint to end of field and back
Partner up for:
Partner carry to end of field and jog back, flapjack
Partner squats x 10 jog to end of field, flapjack
High knees x 20 each leg and x 15 for both
Partner feet on shoulders for 10 merkins, flapjack and repeato
Wheelbarrow to other side of field, jog back, flapjack
Jog to washroom area and with partner:
People’s chair while partner does 30 dips, flapjack and repeato
Over to Bulldog for the hard part:
Over to the hill at the edge of the soccer fields for more partner work
Partner A on the exercise, partner b up and down the hill, flapjack until reps complete, plank when done:
30 Diamond merkins
25 Turkish gets ups (Bulldog to demonstrate and made look easy but most did LBC’s as they weren’t fooled) or 80 LBC’s (so far so good…)
30 Burpees (oh wait, now we’re working)
Jog to playground for round robin – 2 sets
Station 1: LBC’s x 20
Station 2: Decline merkins with feet on the swing seats x 20
Station 3: Pull ups on the other swing set x 20
Working in the sand making some additional work out of the sets
A little plank work at the end for good measure
Back to parking area for a visit from MARY:
Rosalitas x 25
High Flutters x 20, after giggling could be heard in the distance by girl scouts, Bulldog made the call to more manly looking Mary work…well done sir
Dollys x 25
Flutters x 20
Calls for hold it in between by many pax and adhered to by most
COT:
Great effort by the PAX, good mummblechatter after the quiet start, many comments heard about being glad there wasn’t much running, will try harder next time. Good 2nd F with many partnering with someone from another workout, great work by the 2.0’s partnering, turns out they had played football with each other 3 years ago and hadn’t seen each other since, F3 bringing people together. Strong effort by some seriously determined pax, Briquette looking strong, Callaway with the strong mumblechatter and Zip-A-Dee with the errant counting to see if the Q had enough O2 to keep the right count. Swiss Miss with the perma grin even as he says he’s getting tired (didn’t look like it brother). Merlot was but a fine second from being spilled, innocent to remain nameless but way to leave the effort on the field!
Great to workout with broad range of pax today and was a special honour for YHC to Q at the Rock for the first time as this was my first 3 posts at F3, where I started my fitness journey, a special shout out to many who have inspired me along the way: Runstopper, Mall Cop, Stone Cold, Shore, Dora, Bugeater, 49er, Bulldog, Haggis, Skywalker, Donkey Kong, Hops, SMASH, Thin Crust, Dolphin, and many others I know I’m forgetting (forgive me), yes it’s a lot of men, that’s what makes F3 so strong, always someone to give a push (mostly figuratively but Shore at the Go Ruck almost carried me the last pole run with one arm, STRONG!) and keep the motivation up. I can’t thank you all enough.
Great ball o’ man prayer by Callaway to keep our Mud Run brothers in prayer for safety and flight of feet (way to go on the Area 51 representation!) and take us into the coffeteria…
New Workout Tuesdays in Ballantyne area
Our resident stonemason, Haggis, is set to launch his new workout, Bagpipe, THIS TUESDAY April 30 0530-0615. Bootcamp style. Launch from The Vine Restaurant located at 13735 Conlan Cir in Ballantyne. (Man, I just have to digress a second to say that posting is so much easier than Twitter. I’m always running out of characters when I Tweet). Click below for directions:
https://maps.google.com/maps?daddr=Vine+American+Kitchen,+13735+Conlan+Cir,+Charlotte,+NC+28277&hl=en&ll=35.057114,-80.850551&spn=0.001208,0.002344&geocode=CQAnauDTrD8sFdrtFgIdilEu-yHizhL4MYvZyg&gl=US&t=m&z=19
Aye!
Taper with a Merlot Twist
22 dodgy geezers showed up at Kevlar for a nice taper involving sprints, hills, tires and the odd any hill. No snakes today and we got right to it.
THE THANG
Mosey to church lot
SSH x 20
IW x 25
Merkins x 12
MC x 15
Dry Dox x 10
Sit into two groups (eventually) with first group running lap and the next group lunge walking in same direction. Switch when running group catches lunging group. Repeato with bear crawls.
To the Hills
Jacobs Ladder to 7 with manmakers at top and same number of squat jumps at bottom (extra credit knee slaps.)
Mosey to field with sprint to flag pole
1) Partner 1 elbows to regular plank Partner 2 sprint to tires for 10 tri dips.
2) Repeato with mason twists and dry dox.
3) Repeato with flutter kicks and decline merkins.
4) Repeato with burpees and inside grip merkins.
5) Repeato with Turkish get ups and stagger merkins.
Mary till time ran out.
COT
MOLESKIN
Tough to predict numbers today with Mud Run lads “tapering” in preparation for tomorrow but ended up with 22 hard working fellas. Bananas showed up in his snuggie so as to emulate the feeling of his fartsack. TR was there bright and early studying his form guide prior to critiquing the workout even though the he should have been “tapering” himself. One lad certainly not “tapering” was Fraggle who lost his cornflakes somewhere between the hills and the tires. In F3 terms this type of occurrence is described as the spilling of merlot and this warrior battled on and he reminded me of the guy in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81hT3wNFB4k&sns=em
They were a few concerned looks as the pax headed to the soccer field which had not been cut in a while. Tall grass means only one thing and the rumors of snakes made their way around. The lads got to inspect the tires up close for any rattlers by sticking their heads down deep for the Carolina dry docks. Wolf man was particularly strong on the tires as partners worked hard to get back and make the switch. The burpee call got a few moans from Chuck E Cheese but all in all a good sweat for all involved.
Thanks to Strikeout for taking us out in prayer today.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Good luck to all participating in Mud Run.
May 10th is first 3rd F Friday book study. True Measure of a Man by R.E Simmons. 6:30-7:15 am at Arboretum Chic Fil A. Stonecold and Bulldog leading.
Only Saturday workout is the Rock at Cavary 7am.
Centurion – Partners in the Pit
12 men enjoyed the less gloomy gloom for a great time, albeit a somewhat quiet one.
The thang:
Short jog to parking lot, for:
SSH IC x 40
Merkins IC x 10
Imperial Walkers IC x 25
Squats IC x 26
CDD IC x 20
LBC IC x 20
Short jog to the picnic tables for short dip/step up ladder from/to 10
Short jog to the Pit with lunge walk down the hill
Run to end of pit and do 10 burpees, run back to do 10 merkins, count off in finishing order
Partner up with number to equal 13 (i.e. 12 and 1, 11 and 2, etc.)
In partner: 120 Merkins, partner a run to end of field and back, partner b merkins flapjack until complete, plank when done
120 LBC, partner a run to end of field and back, partner b LBC flapjack until complete, plank when done
60 Spartan Burpees, partner a run to end of field and back, partner b Spartan Burpees flapjack until complete, plank when done
mosey to road and back to shovel flag for MARY:
Flutter x 25
Dolly x 25
Heels to Heaven (thanks to the demo by Haggis who gets the extra credit) x 15, YHC was demonstrating strained counting at this point
Mason Twist x 15
High Dolly x 20
Protractor for c. 1 min
Conveniently already in the right configuration for COT:
Moleskin:
Great effort by the pax today, a number of shout outs, Cain looking very strong as well as Sacagawea on his first post, well done, Haggis not looking worse for wear after another of his epic races last weekend (50k in the mountains). Shout out to Manners and Enfield, keep pushing us old guys, great to see you out there. Thanks to the pax for the opportunity to lead and to Escargot for really leading up the effort to build up the Centurion workout, great campus and good 2nd F as well, also thanks to the prayer taking us out and keeping our brothers running the Mud Run lifted up for strength and safety. Good luck boys!
The quiet before the storm
The Thang: It was a straight 4 or 6 miles this morning for the pax.
Moleskin: Quiet slow pace this morning for most. Except for Sprague and Strange Brew who showed up early and fininshed strong. Sprague is always fast. Strange Brew, I think, even surprised himself this morning at how fit he is getting.
Cheese Curd and YHC were actively tapering for the mud run this morning (as opposed to all those passive fartsackers out there). We are now loose and ready to roll come Saturday.
Skywalker suffered in silence this morning as he worked to get back his running legs. I think peer pressure helped him keep going and never quit. Good for him.
And Swiss Miss was out yet again. He’s becoming quite the regular. Look out.
News: Convergence in the south on Saturday morning. 7am at the Rock. There will be no Stonehenge or Area 51 workouts. The rest of us will be having fun in a watered down cow pasture.
The Gopher- Part 2
33 men accepted the challenge and posted this morning for a 45 minute non-stop DV beatdown -aka-The Gopher (yes Tiger Rag… I got the workout idea from Haywood/WIB.. but isn’t that what backblasts are for??).
Warm up:
-YHC explains the course.
-Pax partner up.
The Thang:
Bang!
-Pax run around parking lot. Teams complete 20 merkins at concession stand.
-Man A runs to football field and runs one lap around track, then runs back to the transition area (concession stand).
-Man B runs down steps to baseball fields and completes 20 reps each of: dips, modified pull ups, carolina dry docks, and LBC’s then runs back to transition area.
-At transition area each team completes a team total of 20 merkins; then man A&B switch. Goal is for each team to complete 8 loops.
-Early finishers- Extra credit 2 MOM.
Moleskin:
-It was very quiet this morning… as expected. The only chatter that could be heard was in the transition area amongst teammates looking for one another, dividing up the 20 merkins, and giving the occasional shout of encouragement.
-This was a great final team cardio workout before the mud run. 45 minutes of constant running with pain stations added in is brutal; especially when you are have a team component factored in. Pushing yourself to dig a little deeper so that your teammate is not having to knock out all 20 merkins or is having to wait/plank for you at the transition area is a great motivator.
-The goal of 8 completions of the loop was a bit optimistic, but hey..it’s F3 so the bar was set high. I believe the most loops completed was 6.5. If any team completed more shout out in the comments… you guys deserve the recognition.
-T-claps to Strange Brew and Thin Crust. You guys have come a long way brothers!
-Strong soft launch this morning at The Maul (Stonecrest). 26 post with 1 FNG…. EH’d by guess who???? I guess we can now assume that any FNG named after a fruit is a member of the Bananas’ clan.
-Time to taper.
Looking forward to Saturday.
49er
Addition By Division
Twenty six big, hairy American winning machines layeth the smacketh down at Area 51’s newest workout, The Maul (even though we are meeting at a power center, not a mall…just play along).
WARM UP
- Mosey to the parking lot (one of just a few paved spaces in our new digs)
- SSH x 20
- I-Walker x 20
- Slow-Mo Squats x 25
- Perfect Merkins x 10
- Mosey to wall (good morning to Matlock, passing in the Benz)
THANG
- 11’s: Wall Jumps / Dips
- Walking plank around portion of fountain. Left, then Right.
- 50/50’s: 50 yard sprint/10 merkins, repeato up to 50 merkins
- Mosey to loading dock, U-Turn so as not to rouse the #SleepingTrucker. Sweet dreams, Rubber Duck. Mosey to dew-covered, steep hill at back of theater.
- Let us contemplate steep hill with a 2 minute People’s Chair
- Old School Jacob’s Ladder: 1-7 burpees.
- Abort Old School Jacob’s Ladder. Men down! Abort! Back to loading dock in silent mode, like a Prius in space.
- Speed Bump Burpees. Sprint to Speed Bump, 5 burpees. Six speed bumps.
- Circle up and hold 6″ waiting for Mary.
MARY
- Low/Slow Flutter x 15
- Slow Dolly x 15
- Slow Rosalita x 16
- One legged flutter dolly x 10L
- Other-legged flutter dolly x 11
- LBC x 16 (legs at 90 degrees, uncrossed)
FINISHER
- Speed Bump Mosey Sprints: mosey to 1st bump, All You Got to 2nd, mosey to 3rd, AYG to 4th, repeat.
- Plank to regroup
- Mosey back to start
- Test run of next week’s hill x 1 (Success)
COT
MOLESKIN
- F3 is free, but not cheap. It costs you sleep. It costs you comfort. It costs you pride (but builds it at the same time). And despite that–or perhaps, more accurately, BECAUSE of it–twenty six men gather to run around in the Target parking lot. You wouldn’t come if it wasn’t hard. This is a good thing.
- 3x Claps to all who supported the new effort. Last week’s count at DV was 50. This week’s Wednesday counts at 59. Addition by Division.
- More Russian chauffeurs spotted at A51. Thanks to Peekup Andropov for hauling the 2.0’s, Infield and Manners, to and from the workout. Perhaps sensing a emotional car-jacking, Andropov peeled out of there on two wheels. Come join us next time. It’s free….
- Trending: Open Pit Action (OPA) shirts. Baracus yesterday, Brown today. Pose Down Season approaching.
- Radar must have spiked the Grape Ne-Hi with some 5 hour energy. Killing it on the Speed Bump Sprints.
- Most were secretly hoping to see someone go in the fountain during the 11’s. Some not so secretly hoping. Agree with Sprague–those walls were not regulation (though not as bad as C-Rock).
- Welcome to (yet another) Bananas EH: FNG Strawberry (last name Fields). Your lifelong dream of doing sprints in a loading dock have been fulfilled.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
- HDHH at 1800 – 1930 at Vintner’s Wine Market at Arb.
- A51 Convergence at The Rock Saturday, 0700 – 0800. NO WORKOUTS at Stonehenge or Area 51 (McKee) on Saturday due to Mud Run.
Forget Proper Form
30 men enjoyed a crisp morning of kettlebell fun.
Warmup:
– SSH, Two-Handed Swings, Merkins, Goblin Squats, Mountain Climbers
Burpee Chasers
– Partner up, try to match KB size
– Partner 1: farmer carry 2 KBs, Partner 2: 5 burpees, sprint to catch Partner 1…flapjack
– Around church to stairs, two-handed swings while you wait
Mary w/ KB
– Mason Twists, LBC, Flutters, Planks (no KB), Peter Parker (no KB)
Merkin Chasers
– Find partner, repeat lap the other direction replacing 5 burpees with 10 merkins
Partner Sprints
– Partner 1: KB exercise, Partner 2: spring exercise…flapjack
– Upright row / springs
– Goblin squat to press / bearcrawl, crabwalk, sprint
– Tricep presses / backwards sprint, spring
Lungewalk to Wall
People’s Chair w/ KB
Moleskin
Proper form is key for KB exercises, and Tiger Rag’s coaching is usually appreciated…However, his instructions on where to put your thumb on the two-handed KB swing was not a pleasant visual.
I had the misfortune to be partnered with TR and his 50 lb KB on the first lap and was thankful for Bulldog to switch with me on the second lap…but somehow I ended up with Header and his 40 lb KB. You guys are impressive with those man-sized KBs, my forearms are still twitching.
I tried to keep the pace up with no breaks, hope you enjoyed it. Great enthusiasm and good work out there! My shoulders are still hurting from Runstopper’s Jack Webb on Saturday.
— Harley
Death Valley Preblast- “Ready for the Mud Run?”
If the answer is “no”… show up.
If the answer is “I/we think so”…show up.
If the answer is “yes”….show up and prove it.
Launch time 0530.
Final pre-mud run endurance workout tomorrow morning at Death Valley. 45 minutes non-stop with pain stations (the clock doesn’t stop for a “10 count” in the Mud Run!). Tapering begins at 0615.
If you are looking for something a little more on the “lighter side” and are thinking about posting at the soft launch tomorrow at Stonecrest Tiger Rag will be there to deliver another Area 51 PAIN fest.
#no-wheretohideinsouthclt.
See you in the gloom.
49er
Soft Launch: New Wednesday Workout
Addition by Division. Breaking your routine. Starbucks and Chicken Minis. All good reasons to post at STONECREST tomorrow for the soft launch of the Wednesday workout. All Pax welcome.
Details:
- SOFT LAUNCH: WED, APRIL 24.
- STYLE: Boot camp.
- TIME: 0530 – 0615
- MEET: Side parking lot next to Stone Crest movie theater (tucked away out of sight). Closer to Elm than Rea.
- QIC: Tiger Rag and other motley characters until full time Site Qs step up.
Look, we hit 50 at Death Valley. That was fun. But there’s a reason we meet in small-ish groups: 2nd F. Time to bust it up.