7 men got fast, powerful, and mentally tough during the 2nd running of cowbell. They slung heavy bells, they sprinted, and never stopped. These are some of the fittest men in the nation. Yet at the end, some were literally unable to lift their bells for another rep. Others appeared to be swaying on their feet, breathing hard. These men were and are complete bad-asses.
Why inflict brutality on themselves this cold winter morning? To get fast, strong, and mentally tough, of course. Each man next to his brother knew he could accomplish what would be impossible alone. No matter what trial he faced later that day, it would seem smaller. These men do this most every day. You see, the men of F3 inflict trials on themselves for a reason. They know that trials produce perseverance, and perseverance produces character. With character, the really good stuff is right around the corner.
That brings me to Zinfandel’s semi-reluctant take out. For those of you who don’t know him Zin, he has one of the biggest hearts in F3. He urged us this morning to hug our neighbors, to think of them, to love them, and to think bigger than ourselves. Implicit in what Zin said was that each of us has been given a kind of power that most others are missing. We have the obvious: speed, strength, mental toughness, and the character that comes from it. And we have each other: other men to come alongside us with their own speed, strength, and mental toughness.
Let me ask you. What are you doing with these gifts? Consider your answer. And consider how to use your gifts going forward if you are not satisfied with your answer. Your brothers will support you. And when the world sees you and your brothers, using your strength, character, and relationships, acting sacrificially, in love, for others, without profit to you, they will ask WHY. Only good things come from that question. It is the 3rd F.
Ice9 out.
Sixteen braved the foggy cold morning, several in summer shorts. Note, they do sell sweatpants on the F3 Gear site or really tall socks (just ask Geraldo). Hoover destroyed my legs with an AMRAP (crap) session on Monday, but I braved it out this morning.
Warm-up: Ran to oval. 15 each of side straddle hops, imperial walkers, low slow squats, mountain climbers, and Peter Parkers.
1st series: Ran to nearest entry to north parking lot. Started at entry with 20 merkins, then ran to end of lot and did 20 LBC’s, then ran to the other side of lot across from the start area and did 20 jump squats. Then back around to the start and repeated three more times but lowered to 15 reps, 10 reps, and ended with 5 reps.
Planked to wait for all to finish.
2nd series: Ran to hot box and partnered up. Partner 1 did step ups, while partner 2 ran to the 2nd light post and back. Swapped. Next round partner 1 did dips and partner 2 ran to the 2nd light post. Swapped. Then repeated the routine.
3rd series: Ran to rock pile past cemetery and got a lifting rock. Partner 1 did curls while partner 2 ran to the last tree island in that parking lot. Swapped. Repeated next with presses, then triceps, then squats.
4th series: Ran back to starting parking lot. Circled up for Mary’s. 15 flutters with hands to the side. 15 dolly’s with hands to the side. 15 heals to heaven with hands to the side, all in cadence. Then finished with 1 burpee.
Announcements: Spackler’s Beef Curtain persona announced himself. Mighty Mite (aka Dracula) is advertising another blood drive on slack, so expect a visit from him.
Prayer request for About Time and his son Jennings.
Thanks to site leaders Lorax and Point Break.
Rubbermaid is a liar. 4 pax went to Morning Woods. They expected trails. The expected darkness. They even expected fog. They were TOLD the trails drained well and not to expect mud. Rubbermaid is a liar.
Fortunately, only the Chicken fell.
+1 to your post count.
So when Cooter asked me a couple of weeks ago if I would Q Bagpipe on 1/12 I said “Sure”. Looked at the calendar and nothing stood out so sign me up. It wasn’t until about Sunday evening that I put 2 and 2 together to realize that Tuesday morning was the day after Bama would be playing in the national championship game. Keep in mind that these games typically involve my family coming over to watch it and win or lose it means YHC getting to bed late. Hmmm, it is going to be raining and I will undoubtedly be dragging. I need a set it and forget it workout to hold in the Ballantyne Village garage. Then it dawns on me that I Q’d such a workout 2 years ago but I can’t quite remember what I did. And thus reason #164 to write a Backblast…went in and found my Backblast from 2 years ago and I was set. I did have to modify some of the exercises for Covid (we miss you hand slap merkins and can’t wait for you to come back) but for the most part things stayed the same. 6 gentlemen rolled up eager to join YHC in celebrating Bama’s win (at least that’s how I interpreted it) and we were off.
The Thang:
Mosey to the Ballantyne Village parking garage and circle up for:
SSH x 18
IW x 18
Mnt Climbers x 18
YHC asked the group if they sensed a trend. Tagalong must have done his research knowing the Q and correctly replied 18 national championships for Bama.
At this point YHC divided the group up into teams of 2 and gave each team a number. I explained that we were going to run up one level where YHC had placed pieces of paper numbered 1 – 9 with a different exercise noted on each piece of paper. Each team was to run to the piece of paper that corresponded to their team number and do that exercise. Once both guys were done (main rule is to wait on and not leave your partner) then run up a level where there were 9 more exercises laid out. Same theory where you find the piece of paper with your team number on it and do that exercise. Then run down and find the next sequentially numbered exercise, back up to the corresponding number and so on until each team works through all 18 pain stations.
The actual order of the below is not 100% accurate as YHC did not write them down anywhere but you get the gist.
Lower Level:
#1 = 15 diamond merkins
#2 = 60 second elbow plank
#3 = 15 goblet squats with kettlebells
#4 = 24 J Lo’s
#5 = 6 inches with legs for 1 minute
#6 = 15 shoulder tap merkins
#7 = 25 Heels to heaven
#8 = 20 merkins
#9 = Some guy or gal drove their car into this spot so we lost the exercise. It became Pax choice at this point.
Upper Level:
#1 = 15 Carolina dry docks
#2 = 60 seconds protractor
#3 = 10 lunges (R+L = 1)
#4 = 20 big boy situps
#5 = 20 wide arm merkins
#6 = 24 chippy cross’s
#7 = something with legs
#8 = 10 staggered right arm and 10 staggered left arm merkins
#9 = 15 dying cockroaches
Quick plank work while the final teams finished. Just enough time to run back up and down collecting the papers. It was my plan to leave the kettlebells and drive back to pick them up. Midriff had other ideas and so no no, we are carrying these bad boys back. So we took turns handing the bells off on our mosey back to launch.
Moleskinny:
Being the odd man out I hopped in with team #1 (duh) of Cable Guy and Rousey. Had a great time working out with and catching up with these guys. I was a bit of form police because the reps were relatively low with the intention of keeping good form. Cable Guy makes it look so effortless and Rousey never runs out of energy. I believe team #2 was Cooter and Jazz Hands who were first to finish. Cooter is Mr. Reliable and always puts in work while it was great to see Jazz Hands back out. The man has not missed a beat. Team #3 consisted of Midriff and Tagalong who I think probably finished first officially and I think took on an extra round of exercises.
Some observations:
Announcements:
Always a pleasure to Q at Bagpipe and thanks to Cooter and Cable Guy for the opportunity to lead.
6ft DISCC
Mosey around parking lot, with some carioca, butt kickers and high knees.
Circle up and 10 reps of: SSH, IW, Moroccan NCs, LSS, MC, Peter Parker, Plank
Stretch: Can Opener (2. elbow low, .3 hand high), flapjack, then up for 5x of Sun Worshiper to Cossack Squat each leg
Kick off with some tunes doing 45’s, which is 45 seconds of an exercise to music. I choose two songs that cover 9 minutes, so we get in 2 rounds. Based on the mumble chatter I reduced the time for the planks on the second pass:
1. Superman hold
2. In and Out and Merkin
3. Bobby Hurly with floor slap
4. Crab Cake
5. Side Plank Left
6. Side Plank Right
Run to the start of the course and divide into teams of 3. With the team staying together but socially distanced, compete in a race against the other teams to complete four two laps. The course circles the parking lot with an optional detour. Reps at most stations are up to chance, at the mercy of the dice being rolled by the PAX.
1. Slalom course – fast mosey rounding 6 cones (easily had room to add 2 more)
2. Speed skater (reps = die roll x3)
3. Broad Jump to next cone
4. Merkin (reps = die roll x2)
5. High Knee to next cone
6. Mike Tyson (reps = die roll x2)
7. Bear Crawl to next cone
8. Lunge 2=1 (reps = die roll x1)
9. Butt Kicker to next cone
10. Team decides how many Burpees to do, choosing A or B. Who’s feeling lucky?
A. roll one die for burpee reps & then take long route to the start
B. roll two dice for burpee reps & to earn a short-cut to the start
With about 6 minutes to spare we circled up for some Mary and did PAX called: Heals to Heaven, Box Cutter, American Punch-out, BigBoys, Freddie Mercury, American Hammer and Crab Foot Raises? (Just ask Twinkle Toes to demonstrate) and maybe another one or two. Note to self, think twice about which 2.0 you call during Mary #littleAbsOfSteel
Today: The workout was tougher than expected, but the feedback was very positive, so mission accomplished. Special thanks to T1000 for giving me a great Christmas present of 6 oversized dice, which were perfect for a goofy game in an Appetizer workout.
Tomorrow+: If you’re reading this, you’ve already drunk the kool-aid and don’t think twice about setting your alarm to 5AM. But I bet you also know a few guys who were interested in F3 – until you mentioned workouts start at 5:30AM. This is a large untapped group of men who know they need F3, but they ruled it out not knowing they have options. The Appetizer & Clyent Dinner can be the teaser that eases these guys into F3 without the leap of rearranging their sleep schedules.
So don’t just think of these evening workouts as a make-up for fartsacking, or as a chance to spend time with your 2.0s with a bunch of other dads where you build bonds and lead by example, it is also a great time to introduce F3 to those harder to reach guys who need it just as much. Share the word and EH these guys and bring them to our AO. After a taste of F3 in the evening workouts, they’ll show up to some Saturday workouts, and before long setting the alarm to 5AM isn’t so crazy and they’re actually looking forward to it.
HELP! The COVID-19 pandemic has severely diminished the Red Cross’s blood supply and they have called upon the men of F3 Nation to step up like we always do. Our blood drive in October was a great success and we need to out do ourselves in 2021!
Our friends at the Brace Family YMCA(3127 Weddington Road Matthews NC) have offered to host the Red Cross and our pax for a donation day from 8AM to Noon on Friday February 19 2021. I know it’s not the cool thing to HC to things several weeks in advance but make an exception this time, block off your calendar on the morning of 2/19 and SIGN UP NOW! Most of the companies we work for offer you volunteer time off and this falls under that category!
Q and A
Q: How do I sign up?
A: Go to redcrossblood.org
Next enter the code F3 in the Find Blood Drive Search
From there you will be shown a list of ALL F3 blood drives that are currently scheduled. You will choose the Brace Family YMCA on February 19th option. Then you will see all of the remaining appointment options from 8 AM to Noon.
Q: My wife/brother/son/neighbor/coworker is interested in donating at this drive. Are they welcome to join?
A: Absolutely. The more the merrier. Provide them the same signup information I provided above and have them sign up the same way.
Q: I’ve been on some weird vacations recently. Will that prevent my eligibility to donate?
A: Maybe. But read the eligibility requirements www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/how-to-donate/eligibility-requirements.html
and see if you are still a candidate for donation. If you read through the eligibility requirements and determine you will NOT be able to donate, please refrain from signing up because you might be taking a spot away from another donor.
Q: I’ve already signed up. How can I help spread the word?
A: Remind other pax to sign up in the COT of all the workouts you attend between now and Feb 19. Publically shame pax who are dragging their heels and not signing up. And spam the slack channels with this link.
Q: I am not able to donate but I still want to help. How can I?
A: Mighty Mite needs help moving chairs/tables/equipment and with general logistics/signups. If you’d like to volunteer for the whole day or just an hour or two, let him know!
Q: F3 has a lot of blood to donate in order to reach their lofty goals. Is this one blood drive going to be enough?
A: No. We had one in October and will continue to do it every few months. All regions participating in this effort are expected to host 3-4 drives between now and the end of 2021. Plan on donating and helping out at the next one! If you can’t make this one, find another F3 blood drive that fits your schedule. If none of them work for you, donate somewhere!
Q: Mighty Mite was really annoying on slack and in person during the recruitment for the last blood drive. How can I get him to shut up and leave me alone?
A: Sign up and get your fellow pax to sign up. Mighty will be quiet when all the open slots are full.
Q: I am confused about _______
A: Reach out to Mighty Mite
It’s Big Tuna Season and today’s conditions were ideal; Cold, Dark & Wet!! Only Five braved the foul-weather conditions to help graduate this QIC to RESPECT-status.
So here’s what happened;
A quick disclaimer and immediately go into Burpees x5. (The Burpees were sprinkled throughout the the work-out to end with a total of 50.) Followed by a quick-mosey around the parking lot.
Warm-up:
Head for the one dry sheltered area for a round of exercises with a lap around the parking lot in between each exercise:
Final lap around the parking lot, first-half mosey and the second-half AYG!!!!!
Ye Moleskin:
I greatly appreciate the opportunity to lead these men today and they were all GOOD-SPORT’S to hang in there as the Q attempted to prove [to himself] that 50 is no different than yesterday. T-Claps to Long Haul and Tanyatine for setting the pace, also to Das Boot & Deep Dish for hanging with the Q and to Noonan for being spot-on with the weather forecast. (He said it would stop raining at 6am).
Special Prayer Request for Deep Dish’s friend Bill and his family.
There are lots of things PAX think about when deciding to post:
There is no doubt that there are some legitimate reasons not to post. This soap box backblast is not a guilt trip but rather a challenge: PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE, BE UNCOMFORTABLE, AND COMMIT THE NIGHT BEFORE
A couple questions to ponder:
Again, this is not a guilt trip but hopefully a reminder of what we have the opportunity to do every morning. We have the opportunity to:
DO NOT TAKE THESE THINGS FOR GRANTED! THESE ARE GIFTS GIVEN TO EACH OF US . . . ARE YOU GOING TO KEEP THEM TO YOURSELF OR START GIVING THEM AWAY TO OTHERS?!?!? You know the answer. Now let’s go do it! #COMMIT
Soap Box finished . . . Now onto the workout:
Speaking of COMMIT, 8 idiots PAX were rewarded for their commitment by getting some decent weather (40 and just misting) at Watchtower.
WARMUP: SSH, Imperial Squakers, Merkins, Split-legged Squats
THANG:
TIMED OUT!
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
10 men gathered in the gloom on the SCMS parking at 0530 today for this week’s edition of Base Camp. YHC is not a regular but there seemed to be a solid turnout of regulars in attendance. Oh yeah, and Floorslapper was on time. So there’s that.
Mole-Thang-Skinny
Base Camp is billed as a moderate workout, but that doesn’t mean easy it means make it scalable. The pax should be able to do the suggested work, modifying if needed, and pax looking to go the extra mile have the option to do so. YHC has been Q’ing most workouts as AMRAP, and this fits the bill perfectly for Base Camp. So with a plan in place, YHC rolled in to Q at 0530.
Disclaimer was given, and we were off.
Warmup:
1 burpee, SSH X 20
1 burpee, IW X 20
1 burpee
Merkin X 5
Peter Parker X 5
Parker Peter X 5
Merkin X 5
1 burpee, Low Slow Squat x 10, 1 burpee
AMRAP #1: 15 Mins
Grab a Rock – medium size, AMRAP
Soccer Arm Superset (OH press, curls, triceps) X 10
Run to closest basketball hoop, 10 merkins and 10 jump squats, run back
AMRAP #2: 15 Mins
5 Rock Thrusters
Rock overhead, carry to light pole, 5 rock overhead squats
Rock overhead, carry to second basketball hoop, 5 rock overhead/front lunges (per side)
Rock overhead, walk back to start
Mary to run out the clock
Strong group today putting in work. During the second AMRAP round, I heard at least one pax mention that their legs were feeling the work. YHC’s shoulders were burning at the end from the OH rock carries.
Thanks to Thunder Road for hanging with YHC during the first round of AMRAP. YHC was a little slow in starting the first round, getting the timer set and gloves on. Appreciate having someone to grind through the work with. It was cold, but as usual a solid group provides plenty of accountability and after the first round I’m pretty sure everyone had warmed up.
Additional thanks to the site-q’s Thunder Road and Mr Magoo. Appreciate the opportunity to lead.
Announcements:
Keep ‘Bout Time’s son, Jennings, in your prayers.
YHC has the keys to Skunkworks tomorrow
There is a blood drive in February and Mighty Mite is on Q. Sign-up and donate.
YHC had the takeout