Rooster Warm-Up

Rooster Warm-Up

Some idiot (YHC) had the idea to converge at Cuthbertson campus to do a pre-Rooster warm-up just to see where they were at for times on the mile runs. 4 poor souls came out to join me and this is what went down…

Warmed up with a short mosey around the stadium parking lot and did stretching OYO for a few minutes as we strategized how we would simulate the runs since we all had places to be and couldn’t do the full run a mile, wait for 4 others to run their mile in sequence and then run a mile together so we decided to run each mile “together” and then rest a few minutes and run the next and then the next.  We chose the Ignition Mile so Chastain could get his coveted “local legend” in Strava. Three of us ended with 3 miles and two of us ended after 4. You’ll need to check Strava to find out who is who but we all pushed it to the limits and got in some good cardio.

Mumble Chatter:

Brutus and Chastain have a really close relationship that makes some of us uncomfortable. But that’s ok and to each their own…

 

Moleskin:

Go out and have that uncomfortable conversation with whomever it is you need to have that conversation. Get that monkey off your back and don’t let it fester inside.

Bottle Cap took us out

 

WTF!? – In Due Time…

5 PAX converged at Walnut Creek to scope out the next path to stupidity for the Waxhaw and surrounding regions.  Between now and May 1st you will see more on this subject but until then, you’ll just have to hang on.

Kid Rock, Glidah, Wolverine, Dasher and YHC ran from the tennis courts at Walnut Creek via the Carolina Thread Trail at a scary-fast pace (for me at least) and turned around at the Suspension Bridge on the SC/NC border to return to Walnut Creek. All were present and accounted for at the end.  I feel obligated to point out that most of us completed the entire route while one of us took a short cut (you know who you are…)

Pre-Blast for the event will be coming soon and you will feel both excitement and dread (not necessarily in that order or in equal amounts) when you see what we have planned.

 

The only thing to fear is cowbell itself

Hard workouts can be scary. We get it. That’s why there are famous quotes like:

  • “First of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear cowbell itself – nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” FDR.
  • ““He who has overcome his fears of cowbell will truly be free.” Aristotle
  • “It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear cowbell never beginning to live.” Marcus Aurelius
  • “Of all the liars in the world, sometimes the worst are our own fears unless they are about cowbell.” Rudyard Kipling
  • “Ignorance of cowbell is the parent of fear.” Herman Melville

Understanding that, we weren’t surprised when only 4 guys showed up for cowbell. Feeling empathy for the petrified no-shows, we got to work.

We did swings, squats, side squats, ladder squats and swings, the sugar ray, the swinging lunge, the regular lunge, plank row and merkin ladders, lawnmowers, heavy big boy and twist ladders, heavy big boys, twists, cockroaches, and took a long farmer’s walk around the target with partner merkin chasers. And we did a bunch of sprints. Total of 5.73 miles by the apple watch.

T-claps in particular to Popeye for stepping up to the big bell today, and for his already-progress with intermittent fasting. Dasher is Mr. well-rounded, and brings power with the speed — always has. And Baio continues to impress with speed and grit. Everybody today was 49 or 42. Man, we are in our prime.

Thanks to Popeye for the takeout. Let us all love more.

Hey Jack A$$

The request to Q any site always comes with the challenge of finding something new to make the workout unique and painful.  This week, I felt that revisiting Jack Web would make for a great adventure.  11 PAX showed up for the fun.

The Thang

Mosey out and back to the circle in from of the stadium

  • Side Straddle Hop X20
  • Imperial Walkers X20
  • Calf Stretch
  • Merkins X20
  • Can Opener Stretch

Mosey to the beginning of the road for a run Web

  • Run to the First light and back, 4 squats
  • Repeat till 7 lights and 28 squats
  • Take a break for an Ab Web – 1 V-Up and 4 LBC’s – Repeat through 5 V-Ups and 20 LBC’s
  • Run to light 8 and back for 32 squats
  • Complete the rest of the Ab Web
  • Run to Light 9 and 36 squats
  • Run to Light 10 and finish with 40 squats

Mosey to COT

  • Jack Ass Web
    • 1 Jumping Jack, 4 Sumo Squat Calf Raises
    • Repeat till 8 Jumping Jacks and 32 Sumo Squat Calf Raises

At the end, 3.0 Miles, lots of squats and some tough abs

  • Welcome Greg Fadale – MySpace
  • Rooster this Saturday in Rock Hill – 6 miles per person in 1 mile increments

No fire needed here

March came in like a lion with a warm and humid morning in the 60s at Firestarter. Haze brought some repetition and sprints that bright out some competition and also showed that the concept of “end of the parking space, not the line” can be a challenging one. Another challenge: Q called for a “chair plank.” Appears to be very similar to a squat, chair squat out Al Gore.

 

Why this? #waxhawcounts

Records Being set at Bushwood!

While we have been noticing temps rising during the day and afternoons, I woke up this morning to a text from Fiji with a screen capture saying 34 degrees with flurries! NO way I thought, but dressed accordingly.

Left the house, rolled up to MES and saw the Mashers getting set up, heard some bumpin music in the SUV to left and thought, this is gonna be good. There were only a few cars when YHC arrived, but they kept pouring in one after another…Looking around, we could tell this was a serious headcount for B-wood, but we took it in stride.. DICCS set, Cranked up some warm weather tunes, Lets Mosey..

Warmup:

slightly longer Mosey to get the legs warmed up, although still jacked up counts

  • SSH 18 IC
  • Low Slightly faster than slow Squats with arms back to stretch 18ct
  • MNC 18IC
  • Potato pickers 18IC
  • Runners Stretch

Thang: 

Mosey to Turkey Hunt for a Paula Abdul: 5 Merkins, then 10 LBCs at the driveways, Mary at the end for the 6, then repeat back.

Head to the secret trail doing 5 speed skaters 2=1 at the driveways while I face the PAX to make sure they do em correct..Recalc, may need to set up a video to show these guys how to do these properly… Trust me, do’em right and you will feel it! Hit the trail, head behind school to the Coupon book.

With Coupon, Pax Circle up, 2 exercises, then run larger lap.

  • Rd 1. 18 Shoulder raises / 27 Tri ext –> Lap
  • Rd. 2 Chest Press 27 / Hernias –> Lap
  • Rd. 3 Curl 27 / Thrusters 18 –> Lap
  • Rd. 4 Bent over rows 27 / Big Boy SU with thruster 18 –> Lap
  • Rd. 5 1-2-3 18 / Am Hammers 18 (thanks One Star and Long Haul)

Rifle carry coupon back to pile, then head to COT.

few seconds left, so had the typical Bushwood Finally with the Fiji Fast feet merkin..

Moleskin: 

Well, every week we are seeing more and more PAX and FNG’s come out to bushwood. I think the Firethorne Crew sits at the Bar Shaming recruiting patrons.. Or they have a Hustle going down on the course.

As always its a great time heading this crew and awesome to see the growth at this AO and Waxhaw in General.. The small group that met here during the early days of Covid has seen significant growth.

YHC wanted to change up the music theme from the typical 80’s hairband to the smooth vibes of Cali-Roots Reggae- definitely a different sound.

Sadly, I saw sneak peek at a BB that was never able to be shared last week from the Body Shop where a certain QIC had to audible to the fields to talk to a man about a horse. During the Warmup, I heard/Saw said PAX pull out some TP and say, “i’m coming prepared for now on..” There is no Rudy’s shed at Bushwood, and the clubhouse does not take kindly to the degenerates in cutoff collared shirts, there is a $#*+’s Creek though!

I know YHC doesn’t make too many friends when it comes to coupon work, but we at Bushwood feel an all around workout is what sets us apart. Had a few grunts and rumblings of mutiny during shoulder raises, Hernias and BG raises, but overall you will thank me.

Speaking of Hernias: this is now added to the Exicon.. some how I have noticed certain Pax/Q’s have signature stylings.. J-woww’s flavor of the month Merkin, Das – Arod Pickle Pounder …… Some things are now to be expected.

Seems like we have been getting weekly FNG’s and this week is no different. Welcome Tyler Turnbull –Flo. Hes the latest sucker Pax from Firethorne who, Get this, was waiting for it to get warmer to come out! Newsflash, still flippin cold. Smuggler is the culprit, and Tyler deals with insurance (bonds, but who cares when naming), Hence Flo,  He is from Ohio, OSU and is a runner.

With the 4 mashers, we piled up to 23 Pax!!!! This caused a little bottleneck on the Abduls, but awesome to see these numbers growing. If you haven’t been to this site, get you butt out here. Its a bit of a change up from the others.

Announcements: 

  • Rooster this Saturday
  • Commitment will be AO to head to if you are not at the Rooster
  • Long Haul on Q at b-wood next week
  • Friday Last Call AO at MRHS 6am start
  • Appetizer at Rea View C3pO on Q—This is a freat 2.0 workout and has been growing also.
  • CPR class getting set up by Surge.

 

Just a run

DiCCS

Warm-up Run with Stretching

 

The Thang

400 – 600 – 800 ladder x 3

Cool down run

 

Moleskin

Good to have the LRC gang out with us this morning.

I believe this is Popeye’s 5th or 6th Express workout.  Great job pushing yourself

Chatter box comes out of the dark as he was a couple minutes late.

Premature getting in his last hard workout before the Rooster.

Pretty sure everyone ran faster than they thought they would.  Smithers and Foundation were killing it today.

Hurry being Hurry.

 

Announcements

Next CASUP is May 1st.  Will be a trail team relay.  Preblast coming from Kid Rock this week.

 

What I (really) learned at Q School

20 of us gathered for a entertaining workout/lecture series.  Most were anxious to prove their mettle and perhaps attempt to hijack the Q – looking at you One Star 😉 – to show how much they already knew.  Some were just plain anxious or were trying to make everyone else feel better by pretending not to know how to count in cadence! Chastain did his best to wrangle the rowdy crew, God bless you sir!

 The Warm Up

This turned out to be the bulk of the workout.  Chastain rattled off more disclaimers than I realized existed, and we then took turns leading one exercise IN CADENCE to a 5 count.  Everyone seemed to go brain-dead, as we struggled to come up with more than 3 distinct exercises, and we had a hard time counting to 5 at some points.  I should note that this section may need to be renamed, as there was much more standing around than actually warming up.  You did your best to keep us moving Chastain!

The Thang

Fuse Box “led” us to the front of the school where we did some partner work, modeled a bunch of bad behavior for the kids, and talked at length about how to put together a Weinke, kill time, and avoid big mistakes when learning to Q.  As mentioned earlier, lots of Q jacking going on, lots of ideas for exercises, and a lot more standing around.  We then ended up at COT, where there was lots more standing around and instruction.  After that was a graduation ceremony and if it weren’t for COVID I’m sure there would have been lots of hugs to go around as well.

10 Things I learned at Q-School (Moleskin)

  1. How to do the Pickle Pounder
  2. Fusebox can run like he was shot out of a cannon when he wants to
  3. You should visit your site at least 5 times during different hours of the day to get a feel for the site before Qing
  4. Don’t wear shorts to Q-School when the temp is below 40
  5. Weinke’s can be used as toilet paper in an emergency situation
  6. Chastain still gets nervous before each Q (likely due to not visiting the site frequently enough ahead of time)
  7. Coffeteria is just a bait and switch – there’s no actual coffee served after a frigid morning of standing around!
  8. Apparently these backblasts are not optional – never would have known 😉
  9. There are a lot of great guys out there ready to pitch in and help lead this exponentially expanding region
  10. I think I’ve dodged Q-ing for about as long as I can and am getting extremely close to being voluntold!

All in all, it was definitely helpful, and fun time meeting some new guys and sharing some laughs.  Well done Chastain, thanks for all the hard work!

Let’s kick it old school

11 men decided to start their week off at Firestarter.  With YHC at the helm for the first time at this AO, I figured I’d bring some old school F3 to the site.  I mean, what’s an old school F3 bootcamp without burpees?  With a virtual shovel flag planted in our minds, a disclaimer verbalized for our attorneys, and a group of tough dudes that were trickling in at 0530 and 0531…we were off for 45 minutes of pain.  Here’s what we did:

 

Circle around the green to grab Wingman and Tuna and then off past Chili’s and throughout the shopping center avoiding garbage trucks, up and down some stairs, and found a nice area of asphalt to circle up:

COP:

  • SSH x 30
  • 10 burpees OYO
  • Imperial Walkers x 27
  • 9 burpees OYO
  • Low Slow Squat x 24
  • 8 burpees OYO
  • Mount Climbers x 21
  • 7 burpees OYO
  • Peter Parkers x 18
  • 6 burpees OYO
  • Parker Peters x 15
  • 5 burpees OYO
  • Romanian Dead Lifts x 12 (each leg)
  • 4 burpees OYO
  • Merkins x 9
  • 3 burpees OYO
  • Wide Arm Merkins x 6
  • 2 burpees OYO
  • Diamond Merkins x 3
  • 1 burpee OYO

(If you are counting, that is 55 burpees within the COP)

Mosey around the parking lot some more to stretch the legs and head over to the Target parking lot.  Line up on the curb for a modified Beast.  Typical Beast is 6 exercises x 6 repetitions x 6 rounds.  Unfortunately, there are 7 islands on that particular parking lot, so we had to modify.  6 repetitions at the first 6 islands and then 6 burpees at the final island.

  • round 1 – Merkins
  • round 2 – Jump Squats
  • round 3 – LBC
  • round 4 – Carolina dry docks
  • round 5 – Romanian Dead Lifts (6 each leg)
  • round 6 – American Hammer

(Adding those 6 burpees at the end of each round = 36 bringing our total up to 91)

Mosey back to launch.  With approximately 30 seconds left, it was notated that we had 91 burpees in the bag.  So logically, we needed to go ahead an knock out 9 more to make a perfect 100.  I didn’t hear any complaints either which was pretty amazing.  Great work fellas!

Ye Naked Moleskin:

Let me just say, it was awesome to lead this group this morning.  Thanks for having me.  The guys really got after the whole time right from the get go.  It only took to the round of 9 burpees in the COP for the pattern to be discovered.  But everyone stuck it out.  Had some pretty sound groans as we got towards the end of the COP.

The Beast may have brought out some colorful language from what I’m told on Slack, but I did not have the pleasure of hearing it.  Feel free to recap in the comments!  But here is a pro tip from Wingman on efficiency of LBC:  when needing to get up and move quickly, do them facing the opposite way, then roll over and go.  Thanks for that!

Great to see some guys out that I haven’t seen in a good bit.  Mic Check is coming up on 8 years of F3 in April.  Midriff was crushing it.  Big Tuna kicking ass as always.  Teddy smoking it out there and reminiscing of our days from Day Zero aka the baddest AO in Area 51 (RIP).  Das Boot running in and out is always impressive.  Hopefully the run back wasn’t too bad!  LaFawnduh picked a good one to make his comeback .  Cotters!  Great work everyone.

 

Announcements:

  • Convergence on Saturday 0600 at Stonehenge – DaVince will be CLOSED
  • If you want to be crazy and run a 50k on South Mountain, reach out to Midriff
  • If you would like to donate to A Roof Above on behalf of Firestarter, please reach out to Wingman or Teddy
  • Today is National Women’s Day.  Take some time to thank a woman in your life (wife, mom, daughter, sister, coworker).  Lord knows we need them to keep us in check! 

 

Where Did Fuse Box Go?? Q-School March 6, 2021

20 PAX were in attendance for my first F3 Q-School at the cold Cuthbertson Middle School parking lot. With Chastain in the lead, we went through the DICCS and they were explained. I liked the fact that there was a “no question is a stupid question” disclaimer! Comfort was granted right from the start…Little did I know Fuse Box was lurking in the group of PAX.

 

The Warm-Up – If we were not in Q-School after the DICCS we would normally go to a mosey to circle up for the warm-up. The PAX all circled up at the start and we were taught about the correct way to count the exercises. Each PAX had to pick an exercise in cadence count to perform front and center. That is where I was able to ask my first stupid question.

 

The Thang – And they’re off!! Normally this would have been in the Warm-Up but, Fuse Box took off like a gazelle like he was being chased by a lion! I was impressed, I didn’t know the young guy could go that fast. We were then schooled at the correct way to lead the PAX to the warm-up and to circle up and lead. After the circle-up, we preformed exercises at the front of the Middle School. We spoke of the different exercises one could use, use of partners (partner carry was put aside for Covid-19) and other ideas one could use. In this area of the backblast, I might also list the exercises such as:

  • Starfish in parking lot to include 5 burpees in the middle – 10 Merkins, etc.
  • 20 Heals To Heaven
  • 20 Dips
  • 20 Donkey kicks

With no time remaining, we jail broke back to the start. Of course, Fuse Box was the first one back to the start – what a gazelle!

Circle up back at the start and count off. Any Friendly New Guys??

 

The Moleskin – What a great Q School! Thanks to Chastain, Fuse Box and the rest of the veterans who helped out today! I felt we ALL learned a ton today. Including the all important DICCS, the correct way to count and use cadence, how NOT to run ahead – leave no man behind, and the correct way to LEAD a successful Q. I just signed up this morning to Q at Flash on April 5th…let’s see if I learned anything!

 

Announcements – Any announcements from the group? Name the FNG’s if any. Chastain did take us out with a genuinely nice poem. Normally the Q takes us out. Chastain recorded the Nameorama on his cell phone. Frozen, we took the “Family Photo” and I had to run off to go to work!