S.O.T.H. – 5 years in
On a Saturday, in February, 14 men showed up at 0700 (and 1 more showed up at 0703) just so a 6’8″ guy with an awkwardly colored beard could berate them into exercising with rocks and then running. It was still slightly moist from the 3,597,097th day of rain that month and just warm enough to make you question wearing an extra layer. But 15 men put in the work for a Saturday morning and got their weekend started off right. The Q just tried to keep up.
Thang:
Run to the grassy knoll.
1 burpee, IW, 1 burpee, Merkins, 1 burpee, Low Slow Squat, 1 burpee, Plank up: Peter Parker, Parker Peter, 1 burpee = 5 burpees
Mosey to the rock pile at the front of the church
Pick a Rock & Pick a partner, pick your nose, go to handicapped lot (insert joke here), Rifle Carry Rock around the circle
P1 – runs the loop w/rock or rifle carries the rock
P2 – Squat, Reverse Lunges, Rows, Good morning, Curls, OH Press, Tricep, Plank
rinse/repeat/flap-jack
5 Thrusters
Fast lap around the loop with rock
5 Thrusters
Rifle Carry Rock around loop
Repeat 5 times
25 4 count Rock flutter presses
25 weighted LBCs
10 Leuganis
Return rocks
Run to the hotbox, trash can relay, new partners
P1 runs to the last trash can and back
P2 dips, step ups, derkins
Back to launch, a couple of sprints and some merkins sprinkled in, get us to 3 miles
Mary, to run the clock out
State of the Hoover
5 years of F3. Somedays there is a lifetime between then and now, other days it’s “What did I do before F3?” Same thing I say about my kids.
I could tell you a whole story of how F3 changed my life and made me a better person. (spoiler alert: It has and jury’s still out). But I’ll keep it simple. I remember things I did before F3 but I don’t remember or understand my routines from before F3. For example, I woke up this Sunday not hungover from bad late-night decisions, and ran almost 7 miles. 5 years back, 7 miles was a joke and there was always a pack of cigarettes hiding in the garage. One step at a time, to the tune of over 3,500 miles, things changed and life got better. A quality of life that comes from being active and accountability from working with other like-minded men.
This isn’t a journey I undertook on my own. Big thanks to a lot of people over the past years. Too many to list and I’d probably forget someone. But I couldn’t talk about 5 years of F3 without calling out Boerewors. It was his EH that got me started on this journey and he’s been a great friend all along the way. Dankie
Let’s see what another 5 years will change.
#SYITG
Are those books overdue?
15 studs showed up for a forewarned running episode of Rock Zero. The temp teetered at 40, so a little nippy, but we came ready to endure. The kettlebellers were setting up their stage at Olympus while we prepped. It was time to roll. I made a quick disclaimer and off we journeyed.
ALERT: This BB has less info about the workout and more about the The Moleskin. After all, the observations and mumble chatter moleskins are 95% of why we show up….so let’s get at it:
Warm Up:
We jogged our way to Carrington Swim Club for some of the following:
- IWs
- Low Slow Squats
- Hillbillies
- MCs
We crossed 51 so we could use the newly paved triple lane sidewalk to get to Windswept.
The Thang:
Jog into Windswept. Did some LBC working recovery, then ran down to Binfords Ridge Rd. Partner up. Partner #1 runs to one cul de sac while partner #2 runs to the other. 10 merkins in each cul de sac, then 10 HR merkins when you meet up with your partner. Repeato, but flapjack on direction.
Lunge walk then jog to Nora’s Path Rd. Same idea as Binfords Ridge Rd, but Heels to Heaven in the cul de sacs then Freddy Mercury with your partner. Repeato a la flapjack.
Run out of Windswept and cross 51. Geraldo got tied up playing frogger so while we waited, we pleased the passing traffic with monkey humpers….rears facing traffic, of course!
Get to the library. Little plank recovery. Keep your partner. Partner #1 runs the parking lot island while partner #2 does said exercise. Flapjack. Exercises were:
- WWII sit ups
- Boon crunch left knee
- Boon crunch right knee
Jog across Rea back to Calvary. One lap around North Face with CDDs at the end.
5 roundtrip gassers in the parking lot with Mary in between.
LBC’s and merkins to finish.
Moleskin:
My reflections below:
- Gummy: He immediately ragged on me for my choice of shorts. Little surprising as they were Clemson orange. It hurt a little! Nevertheless, it’s great to have him back at a boot camp!
- Boerewors: He told me upon arrival he reconsidered coming due to the running pre-disclaimer, yet he crushed it. #sandbagger.
- Floorslapper: While we were on Binsford Ridge he told me almost bought a house on the street but all you could hear from the house was 51 traffic. Yet, I never heard a car while we were on that street. Weird.
- Deep Dish: He manhandled 4 Mountain Candy’s last night (one of my favorite crafts), but still showed up with his Samson hair and never showed a taxing moment. He also pre ran. #olderversionoftrevorlawrence.
- O’Tannenbaum: Post workout he put on a beanie that made him look like a human condom. He did admit he normally wears it at night. I bet he does!
- Buc-ees: The man jokes about being lightning quick, yet he was right there with us the whole time! Boy is putting in the work! Always with that Texas grin on his face, too! Awesome!
- Stone Cold: His dri-fit pullover was the same shade as my shorts. Gummy quickly commented. My take-away is SC and I have incredible taste and Gummy has, well, very little….
- Jet Fuel: The man still looks like a Dicks Sporting Goods catalogue model pre, midst and post workout. The shirt never comes out of the shorts. Anyone ever check if those are actually onesies? Plus, the man can go the distance!
- Spackler: We owe the mileage to this guy. He texted Friday night suggesting 3 wasn’t enough. I had to answer. Also, during warm-ups, he revealed the worst case of frontal static cling to a pair of shorts I have ever seen. How does that happen? I don’t want to know. The man went on to later crush his round at CCC and racked up a 79! Dang!
- Runstopper: Did he have on tights? Don’t waste my time!….yes! Last I caught up with Stopper he told me he was focusing on upper body. While I am sure that’s true, the man still crushes a run and was up front the whole hour. Bottom line….the guy is tough!
- Marge: He is deep in Palmetto Run training so I figured he wouldn’t mind the mileage today. He is moving into my neighborhood soon so we planned a lot of football Saturday’s in his backyard as we ran….can’t wait, Marge! I am sure Deep Dish feels the same! Oh, and DD promises to wear a bathing suit for the pool!
- Snowflake: Does it get more inspiring than this guy? He is 59…..he preruns….he can pace with anyone 30 years younger than him. I asked him if he wanted a ride home and he politely smiles and says “No, I got it”. I bet you do, Snowflake!
- Mr. Magoo: While all of the Clemson alums crow about Dabo and Trevor, Mr. Magoo and I always get a chance to talk Buckeye to each other. Thanks for reminding me we were playing the Illini in the afternoon. Didn’t turn out the way we wanted, but great to see you bro!
- Geraldo: This brings me to my favorite biographical section of the morning! When we got to the library parking lot, there were cones and signs directing the flow of traffic one way around the island. We decided to run in the opposite direction of the signs and didn’t think much of it considering the library wasn’t even open yet (although one person sat in a car reading a book at 7:30 waiting for the library to open at 9:00….as Runstopper said, “That’s dedication”). An early bird librarian pulled into the lot, rolled down the window and told Geraldo he was running the wrong way around the island and to please reverse course….priceless! Fast forward one lap later and another librarian pulls in and tells him (and a few others of us) to move to a back lot so we don’t get run over….her advice was more helpful! Geraldo took a couple of bullets for the team, but only because he was the fastest and first back to our launching point in the lot. Bottom line, librarians have it out for Geraldo! Someone did comment that librarians have never been known to like or appreciate athletic dudes!
We covered 4.5ish miles and worked in a few exercises. We also got to meet up with 6 of our Olympus bros for COT! Very cool! Geraldo and Hoover, thanks for the chance to lead! Rock Zero and that AO will always be near and dear to me! Gummy, thanks for the prayer, man!
Announcements:
Beer mile on 3/19
Dark Helmet at Stonehenge next week
March Madness Challenge is on. Read Flipper’s blasts
Functional Strength Challenge coming in May. 3 Categories of lifting and also categorized by age. High Tide is developing the plan!
Shiver Me Timbers
20 PAX stood around trying to keep warm while they listened to many words of wisdom from Chastain at F3 Waxhaw latest version of Q School. After a butchered disclaimer and explanation of DICSS it was time for:
COP:
Each attendee was required to call an exercise in cadence count. Moroccan Night Club seemed to be the favorite among the Waxhaw faithful and One Star demonstrated what occurs at his home on a typical Tuesday evening opting for the Pickle Pounder x 5. When all the counting was done, an all out sprint by Fuse Box led us to:
THE THANG:
Gathering up at the front of the school by the benches and overhang, Chastain continued to wax poetically on the mundane details of a Q. He reviewed watching out for the 6, how to kill time, and made us run around in a circle doing some exercises. Fuse Box and YHC nearly came to blows over the timing of scouting a site before the Q (unresolved aggression over the UNC-NC State rivalry) but fortunately Chastain’s calming voice of reason led to a compromise. When all was said and done we returned to launch and our fearless leader wrapped things up.
MOLESKIN:
Although we never really got warm from the exercises, Chastain and Fuse Box brought the heat on “how to” run a successful Q.
I forgot how chilly it gets when I stand around for 1.5 hours in 40 degree whether in shorts. A few PAX, like Ex-Lax and Schedule C, were smart enough to wear long pants while Schnitzel ran to his car to grab his jacket.
I learned there are many ways to spell Tanyatine in a backblast (still don’t know what the heck that means), someone else likes to take dumps at workouts (dude wipes work better than winkies) and Baio will have a great foundation for his VQ next week.
It’s time to put all this great knowledge to good use and sign up to Q.
SYITG
If I were Q
-DICCS
(Disclaimer, Cell Phone, CPR, Safety)
-Warm Up
We all took turns with messing up cadence workouts.
-The Thang
Chastain went over the common short comings of us new Qs. Remember to plan out your Q, be prepared for an on the go audible, always start on time and end on time. Many other useful tips were given.
-Moleskin
Dang …If y’all didn’t know Fuse can run faster than you think at least at the beginning of a workout.Very good job of keeping the mood light in showing us what not to do. However I will be including a partner carry crawlbear in my next Q. Thanks to Chastain for the on point guidance in ever portion of the Q from the warmups, to helpful ideas on how to run a good workout, and how to wrap up everthing INCLUDING THE FAMILY PHOTO!!!!
I am thankful that Loafer introduced me to F3. My first workout was in September or so of 2020 and I can honestly say it has helped me in many ways. Thanks to all those behind the scenes that put in the hours to make this F3 thing work!
Cool Kids @ Q School
#DICCS
(Disclaimer, Cell Phone, CPR, Safety)
#Warm Up
Minimal warm-up given the different objectives of the day but we did break a sweat.
#The Thang
Very informative session and revealed many things I was not previously aware of. The material covered will be super helpful for all those that have not lead a workout yet.
– Cadence and leading an exercise in cadence discussion. Not as easy as you might think.
– From here we went through several scenarios and workout options
– Picking up the 6
– Leading the pax when you aren’t in the lead (very relevent for me)
– Planning your workout
– Scouting and reconnaissance of the AO
#Moleskin
HUGE Kudos to Chastain and his sidekicks Fuse, Paper Jam, and One Star and for putting on a great Q School.
F3 has made a huge difference in many areas of my life (physical, emotional, spiritual) and you can’t ask for a better group of men to hang out with.
F3-Waxhaw Q-School 03-06-2021
#DICCS
(Disclaimers, Cell Phone, CPR, Safety)
#Warm Up
No real warm up this morning. It was a little chilly so most Pax warmed up in place while we started going over what is involved in Q’ing an F3 Workout.
#The Thang
– Discuss DICCS.
– Cadence and leading an exercise in cadence discussion.
– From here we went through several scenarios where mistakes were made (on purpose) and then discussions and explanations were had about what was wrong and why. Items of discussion (in no particular order):
– Picking up the 6
– Leading the pax when you aren’t in the lead (delegating/Instructing)
– Planning your workout
– Scouting and reconnaissance of the AO
#Moleskin
Huge thanks to Chastain (for leading), Fuse Box (for showing us what NOT to do and why) & Paper Jam (for some great Q Hacks) for putting together a extremely informative and well planned Q School and to all the veterans, especially One Star that offered great examples and incite from vast Q experience. Being my first Q-School, looking forward to being able to now prepare, lead, and follow-up assigned Q’s for the next few Q’s I’m assigned to.
F3 Waxhaw Q School – 3.6.2021
Since this was Q School this won’t be your normal Backblast. But you should read it anyway.
#DICCS
(Disclaimer, Cell Phone, CPR, Safety)
#Warm Up
No real warm up this morning. It was cold so most pax warmed up in place while we started going over what is involved in Q’ing an F3 Workout.
- #The Thang– Discuss DICCS. This is something that I’m not used to so it was nice to see how Waxhaw does it.
– Cadence and leading an exercise in cadence discussion. It’s been a while since I’ve lead a workout so it was nice to go over it again and do it in front of a group again. #feelsgood.jpg
– From here we went through several scenarios where mistakes were made (on purpose) and then discussions and explanations were had about what was wrong and why.Items of discussion (in no particular order):
– Picking up the 6
– Leading the pax when you aren’t in the lead (delegating/Instructing)
– Planning your workout
– Scouting and reconnaissance of the AO
Overall an extremely informative session and a nice refresher for me. The material covered will be super helpful for all those that have not lead a workout yet.
#Moleskin
Many thanks to Chastain for putting on a great Q School and it was nice meeting so many new (to me) pax.
F3 is an interesting mix of personalities and I always find that the groups all have similar dynamics no matter where you go to workout. It’s familiar and can make you feel at home when you aren’t. I’ve been in Waxhaw since fall of 2018 but haven’t really planted myself in the F3 community down here. It’s my fault. I haven’t put in the effort and made connections with many of the pax. Everyone I’ve met has been more than friendly. It has been hard for me personally, to make the switch from Harrisburg to Waxhaw. Much like the workout, I need to put in the work. If you don’t see me around feel free to call me out here, on GM or Slack or wherever you see me.
Aye!
Hot and Ready
We’ve all been there.
Q cancelation and you need to Q in a few hours. What do you do.
Grab something from the old:
What’s a Hot n Ready? It’s basically a standard go to time filler if your Q needs something else or something you like to throw in as a base for a workout. It’s always Hot n it’s always ready at a moments notice.
We’ve also all been suckered into a $5 pizza from Little Caesar’s, so let’s just stop pretending otherwise.
This time, C3PO couldn’t Q but then he could. However, Speed Bump was already excited about doing a starfish and had made the cones so we stayed on Q and I filled in the rest:
DICCS
Mosey to grassy area next to Middle School for warm up stuff.
The Thang:
Speedbumps Starfish
Four corners, four exercises, 10 of each:
- Hand Release Merkins
- Big Boys
- Heels to Heaven
- Bobby Hurleys
- After each exercise come back to the middle for 5 burpees
- Repeat for total of 2 rounds
Mosey to side of HS breezeway stair area.
- 5 Mike Tysons
- Run down path for 5 box cutters
- Bunny Hop up stairs
- Repeat for 4 rounds total
Mosey to wooden benches
- 30 dips
- 10 step up
- 30 dips
- 10 step ups
Mosey back to side of middle school
- 10 Merkins, 10 Donkey Kicks, 10 Big Boys
- Next round 9 and continue all the way down to 1 of each
Mosey down to Rudy’s Shed
- Quarter mile all you got back to COT
Done!
GREAT JOB EVERYONE! As always, love to see the Dads and 2.0s out working hard.
Swing Em If You Got Em
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times
Another Wednesday for Waxhaw’s premier kettlebell and running workout
There were kettlebell swings, there was running
There were thrusters, there was running
There were squats, there was running
That’s basically it. Just lots of swings, thrusters, and squats with progression runs to the end of the lot and back but moving your kettlebell up a line each time. Most progressions started at 25 and worked down to 5 reps by the fifth line.
Great work everyone