Grandson!

Grandson!

When I was a kid I used to go to school at 5 in the morning through 5 feet of snow and walked 5 miles uphill….BOTH WAYS.  Well, now the pax of F3Waxhax has a story to tell their grandkids when….

WARM UP:

Mosey around the school  (I was told 4 mile min and more intense)  so the mosey started at a about a 830 Pace.  Circle up 15 MC’s, couple of runners stretches,  some merkins and some IW.  Mosey to the intersection.  Pause, some merkins,  mosey into CF 10 air squats at each light till the stop sign, END Warm up.

THE THANG:

Decent hill on backside of CF (I’m naming Bratwurst Hill) 11’s Burpees at the top Merkin Shedders at the Bottoms,  Guessing its just over 1/8 mile end to end.  Finish that and head back home, a brief stop at a couple of lights for merkins and on the final stretch partner up for some Derkins 5 rotate partner every other light (to be fair I didn’t explain it all that well).  Mosey home,  couple jailbreaks to finish just on time!

MOLESKIN:

Gents this workout was inspired by Brat, didn’t know he would be there today so it was ironic.  Hills will make you faster and stronger,  an extra dynamic that brings additional endurance to the table.  When I started Brat made a group of us do something similar and it was brutal.  I remember how bad it sucked so as I continue to see the Waxhaw pax improve physically this was a solid challenge for us all.  Furthermore, you can bust your kids or your grandkids chops someday and say… I used to get up a 4:45 in the morning and run up hills both ways and do burpees till I almost puked so quite whining😊.  Maybe, just maybe, if we keep this up and follow the leads of our Respects and instead of saying used to we get to say… This morning, I got up a 4:45….

Some stand out notes:  Cobbler has a no-quit attitude,  I love it!  Zin was busting my chops, “I could have found a treadmill”.  Wolverine is an animal. Period. Hootch is much, much faster than he used to be. Bottlecap thinks its summer. I think I still live in Wisconsin.   Had a great time, great crowd and saw a lot of heart, honored to lead this morning and glad to see such a solid pax that has improved themselves and continue looking to improve themselves! That is what male leadership is about!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Christ’s Closet folding tomorrow morning 8 is at UMC  almost corner of Cuthbertson and Newtown ( you will see a bunch of f3 stickers)

Could this be a thing?

In the spirit of keeping track of group workouts (in this case unofficial), I’ve put together a little app that pulls all the backblast data and let’s you see what you’ve done. It’s pulling all the F3 South Charlotte BB’s so if you attended you’re in the app. Feel free to check it out at http://www.f3waxhaw.life

 

Oh and since I’m writing this backblast we’re also exploring the idea of making the LRC (picture pursuit but in Lawson) a thing. This past Wednesday Smithers, Foundation, and I ran it. We’ll probably do it again next week and maybe at some point it will be official.

Let’s Plank

Sitting around the house one night, a horrible thought occurred to me – how horrible would it be to do a workout almost solely in the plank position.  Not having the capacity to simply discard such an evil thought, I made the mistake of reaching out to Chastain, letting him know I had a horrible idea for a 0.0 workout.  Obviously lacking common sense as well, he immediately added me to today’s Q rotation at Diesel and today’s beatdown was born.  In order to make this truly disgusting, I asked my 15 year old daughter to build a playlist to coincide with this terrible idea.  She did not disappoint; creating a Spotify playlist consisting of amazing artists such as One Direction, Harry Styles, Melanie Martinez, and Billie Eilish.  Pain for both the body and soul….

DiCCS provided, even though we were not leaving our starting 2 foot circle.
No warmup – let’s jump straight into this bad idea.
The Thang
  • 5 rounds of 10 reps of each exercise, performed from the plank position performed as a group
    • Mike Tysons
    • Carolina Dry Docks
    • Mountain Climbers
    • Peter Parkers
    • Shoulder Taps
  • After round 2 – 100 squats in cadence
  • After round 4 – 50 Roman Deadlifts (each leg)
  • After round 5 – 50 Roman Deadlifts (each leg)
  • 5 rounds of 10 reps of each exercise, performed from the plank position performed as a group
    • Mike Tysons
    • Peter Parkers
    • In/Outs
    • Merkins
    • Mac Tar Jais
  • After round 1 – 50 jump squats
  • After round 2 – 50 reverse lunges (each leg)
  • After round 3 – 50 jump squats
  •  After round 4 – 50 reverse lunges (each leg)
  • 3 min left
    • Superman x 25
    • American Hammers x 25
Moleskin
  • I was not sure how today would play out, and began getting nervous that it would disappoint after nearly all PAX complained that there was no gear at a gear workout.  However, we hopefully learned that body weight exercises, even with 0.0 miles, can be enough.
  • I tried to call and audible and replace Mac Tar Jais with Shoulder Taps, but Chastain was having none of it.  In a crowd pleasing moment, he shamed YHC into sticking to the original plan.  I’m still angry…
  • Welcome to FNG O-69 (Bob Perkins) who joined us after some EH’ing by Chicken Little.  Named for being a Bingo caller during his slow period at work.  It was a close call between that and Big Papi (he’s a Yankee Fan), but with Bingo being so unique that name won out by a narrow margin.
  • Thank you as always for following my futile attempts to lead such an amazing group of men.  F3 is an amazing group and even though I love to bust chops, I don’t take it lightly.
Announcements
  • Last day for this round of donations for Ray of Hope – Bring toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, shampoo ,etc to Bottlecap, Shop Dawg, or Dancing Bear.  Something we learned today is that while EBT can buy soda, chips, and other items to keep people unhealthy, it cannot be used for toiletries, making these items extremely important for donations. – Thank you Posse for that education.
  • Christ’s Closet folding party tomorrow morning immediately following coffeteria.
  • Uncle Si asked for PB&J donations for Food for Families, which is an organization that provides food to hungry kids.  They started with 13 kids and now server over 850, and are still not in all Union County schools!  The need is real and could be another 3rd F opportunity for F3Waxhaw.

30 for 30 with Brad (Red Rocks) Challenge

February 16, 2020 will mark one year from when Brad Sherrill (Red Rocks – Area 51) suffered a massive stroke, changing his life and others around him forever. While his recovery has not been easy, both Brad and his amazing wife, Ali have fought hard and never let off the gas in making progression.

Whether you are close with Brad, met him once or simply heard of Brad from someone you know, then you likely know Brad always sees the positive in everything. Ever since I’ve known Brad, no matter how sour of a lemon is thrown at him, personal or work related, he always turns lemons into lemonade…and I’ve never seen him lose his cool. Given the severity of his stroke, his medical professionals are still amazed with how far he has come. If you know Brad, give him a challenge, he’ll beat it. And if it was something Brad knew others would benefit from, he’d invite you to join him.

So why not continue with the glass half full mindset in 2020! Join Brad, Ali, myself and others for the “30 for 30 with Brad” Challenge starting Jan 17. There are only (2) requirements…

1)       Make time to do at least 30 minutes of physical activity for 30 days straight. It can be any form of exercise you choose…walking, running, swimming, tennis, yoga, pilates, body weight exercises, stretching, boot camp, weight lifting, barre, sculpt, aerobics, skiing/snowboarding, shadow boxing, bike riding/spin class, jump & jacks, etc…mix it up…again, whatever you choose that gets you moving! If needed, you can even break up the 30 minutes into chunks (15 mins here, 15 mins there), just knock out at least 30 minutes per day.

2)       Track your activity. There are far too many platforms and devices out there that can track one’s activity so to keep this simple, we’ve created a Google Docs spreadsheet you can access via the URL below.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G2ZBRENrxiDE1RWd4z57rV6K8411_DoehAi7ISTFbXQ/edit?usp=sharing

Once you’ve accessed the spreadsheet…

  • Enter your name (First & Last) in the name column (column A) at the bottom of the names already entered. The names will periodically get sorted alphabetically so you may have to scroll to find your name when returning to enter your daily updates.
  • Each day, enter your total minutes of activity for that specific day. Your TOTAL Minutes at the end the 30 day challenge has already been calculated for you. You’re on your own honor system.
  • For those using a personal computer, be sure to bookmark the URL above in your web browser favorites so you can easily return to it daily.
  • You can also edit your personal data for the challenge using your mobile device (phone/tablet). To do so you will need to download the Google Sheets app…

o   Apple Devices: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/google-sheets/id842849113

o   Android Devices: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.docs.editors.sheets&hl=en_US

  • If you find that your totals are not calculating or have other issues with the spreadsheet, please email Adam Bickford (adam.p.bickford@gmail.com) directly.
  • Please do NOT edit anyone’s name or data other than your own.

Brad will be tracking his therapy, walking and riding his new 3-wheel bike! So guess what that means?!?! Brad will get to see each of you who have joined this challenge and holistic progression for all who participate.

Brad, Ali and I will convene for coffee on Sunday morning, February 16 at the Piper Glen Station Starbucks to celebrate what he’s overcome as well as the results of the challenge. You are welcome to join us and weather permitting, we may even get a walk/ride in on the greenway across the street. Don’t forget to celebrate your own personal accomplishment with this challenge too!

Cheers,

Adam Bickford (Billie Jean)

Jon Williams (Brushback)

#30for30withBrad

You Are Not Feeling Old

The power of the fartsack was strong on this chilly morning, but 8 PAX showed up in the gloom at the Arsenal anyway. Being the Q, I was one of them.

Ideally I would have had time to visit the AO and find some new and interesting features to add to the weinke. Not having kids who go to school there,  it was difficult to find time to snoop around the high school or middle school.  I may have received unwanted attention while testing load bearing structures and challenging obstacles anyway.

Interested in keeping it interesting, we moseyed out of the parking lot to unfamiliar territory at the front of the middle school. A nice space which offered some soft grass for a little stretch and warm up.

I told the PAX we’ll begin with stretching because I’m old.  That was a lie.  The truth is, it just feels good. I hear guys in their 30’s complain they’re getting old.  And while being a teenager may be a distant memory, we spend hours each day repeating the same limited physical patterns, for years.  You are not feeling old, you are just feeling stiff and losing mobility.

I know this because I made the same mistake when I was younger.  Now that I take mobility seriously, I don’t feel old at all.  Seriously.  Well, maybe my knees a little, but I never stretch them, which really just proves my point (I think).

Full range of motion and flexibility is a wonderful thing, though yes, it is awkward and painful to get there.  I’m a mobility evangelist and will continue to advocate the practice, and mandate it while I’m Q-ing.   Two-cents deposited.  Rant-done.

The Thang

Mobility “Cal Poly Hip Flow” Highlights :

  • hip circles
  • reach high
  • plank
  • staying in plank, kick right-leg up high behind, pause
  • bring right-leg forward, place foot inline with the hands
  • twist to the left, lower right elbow toward the ground, as far as comfortable, pause
  • twist to the right, raising right arm to sky, pause
  • repeat left/right twist x5
  • return to plank, and repeat all for the left-leg up, then forward
  • with left-foot back, alternate between cossack squat to sun worshipper, x5, then repeat with right-foot behind

Well warmed up – some standards :

  • SSH x15
  • IW x10
  • cherry picker x10
  • merkin x20

Mosey to the middle school parking lot:

  • run 10 spaces, sprint 10 spaces, run 10 spaces
  • scorpion dry dock (Carolina Dry Doc with one leg held up/behind, scorpion-like) x20
  • run 10 spaces, sprint 10 spaces, run 10 spaces (back at start)
  • lunge x20
  • repeated for 2 rounds

Mosey to the Field – Grab a Partner

  • Flip Flop :
  •   Partner A: tire flips x10
  •   Partner B: burpies (until relieved by partner)
  •   repeated for 2+ rounds
  • Wheel of Merkin  (using tire for elevation) x5 each
  •   incline merkin
  •   left-tilted merkin
  •   derkin
  •   right-tilted merkin
  • return tires

Mosey to the Playground – Grab a Partner

  • Undertow (named that one myself)
    Partner A: Underdog (aka supine merkin) x15
    Partner B: Toes-2-Bar or Knees-2-Chest (until relieved by partner)
    repeat for 2 rounds
  • No name (Partner Pups?):
    Partner A: Pull-Up x5
    Partner B: Side-Plank (until relieved by partner)
    repeat for 2 rounds

Mosey back for MoM

  • box-cutters x20
  • rosalitta x15
  • crab cakes x15? (awesome pick Happy Meal)
  • heels to heaven x20

Announcements

Saturday Convergence at Stonehenge –  Da Vinci cancelled (however, considering the smack talk between these AOs on Slack, I feel like I’m being punked)

After Thoughts

Thanks for overlooking my ineptitude in calling the cadence, and the mysterious issue with my timer (working fine now), we made it through & I hope the PAX enjoyed a beatdown giving you a warm blanket of soreness the rest of your day.   Special thanks to Brexit for introducing me to the Arsenal (you had me at tires!), and Happy Meal for giving me the opportunity for an earlier than planned Q (oh and those tasty Crab Cakes).

1/9 Clyent Nail Biter!

Day 9 of the New Year and (12) men enjoyed a bountiful meal!

DiCCS were given (Disclaimer, Cell phone, CPR, Safety)

Mosey down sidewalk trail

Warm-up:

  • Side Straddle Hop x 20 IC
  • Imperial Walkers x 20 IC
  • Merkins x 10 IC
  • Calf Stretch to get the caloric burn going

The Thang:

Mosey over to the benches by the Cafeteria

  • Squats x 30
  • Dips x 30
  • Decline Merkins x 10
  • Rinse and repeat one more time

Mosey to the basketball Courts: Split into Teams

  • Partner one sprints full length of court and back while other does Plank Jacks
  • Rinse and repeat x 10 total

Mosey over to path from bus lot to roundabout

  • Same Teams: One person runs to roundabout and back
  • Other team Member is doing part of a shared 100 Big Boy Sit Ups

Mosey to Rudy’s poop palace:

  • Wall squats
  • Donkey Kicks x 20

Mosey in between lights

  • Shuffle to the right
  • Shuffle to the Left

Mosey over to the benches by the Cafeteria for more partner work.

  • Box Jumps x 100
  • Teammate runs halfway down path and back
  • 50 LBCs on your own

Mosey back to lighted path

  • Speed skaters x 10
  • Run to second light for 10 more speed skaters
  • Back to start for 10 more speed skaters
  • Rinse and repeat

Mosey back to start

  • Sprints back and forth in parking lot
  • Circle up for LBC’s, V-Ups, and Heels to Heaven

Done!

 

MOLESKIN:

VQ in the House for a solid Dozen Dudes on a gorgeous January evening.  I want to thank my F3 brothers for the encouragement the past few days, it helped me out a great deal. Special thanks to Banjo for throwing my name out there. Its great to get that monkey off my back!

Since the weight loss challenge started up this week I wanted to start with something that keeps everyone moving.  So, we did a good amount of running. I also wanted to let everyone know it was a Burpee Free zone. (Zinfandel did not get that message!) Lol

I think everyone got in over 2.5 miles today so the running box should be checked, and everyone can move on to a Burpee blast Friday tomorrow with all the trimmings!

Speaking of goals for 2020, what’s yours?  Mine is to not be so tired all the time. Who would think working out More would make me less tired? Well it works and I’m glad to continue the trend!

Thank you coming out and for the opportunity to lead my 1st Q today!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

  • Damascus on Q tomorrow at Diesel!
  • Wedding Singer has Impromptu!
  • Transporter has Swarm!
  • January 11th, Christ’s Closet folding day at Union United Methodist Church at 8:00am after Commitment and Homecoming.
  • Donations for toothpaste and toothbrushes need to be in by tomorrow
  • Weight Loss Challenge weigh ins have begun. Tomorrow is the last day! Please see Foundation’s scale to get that done asap and SIGN UP

Did you hear the one about Bucky and the 2 Cooters?

3 posted on a chilly morn at the Fishing Hole for what was promised to be low mileage and high intensity.  Here’s what went down after no disclaimer was disclaimed as there were no FNGs in sight:

COP

Mosey the long way around the football stadium and up the parking deck ramps and circled up for:

*LSS x 15

*Windmill X 15

*Hillbilly X 15

*Little arm circles X 15 each way

*Plank up and stretch calves (is that the plural form of calf?) – Left, then right – this one’s for Bucky

*Mountain Climber X 15

 

#1 – Mosey down to the bottom floor where YHC explained that we’re going down so we can go back up.

*Up to level 4 = 3 burpees

*Down to level 3 = 3 heels to heaven

*Down to level 2 = 3 merkins

*Down to the bottom again = 3 jump squats

-Rinse and repeat adding 1 rep to each exercise until we ended at lucky 7.

 

#2 – Mosey to the rock pile and pick out your favorite lifting rock – watch out for winter snakes!

*curls, then presses, then overhead extensions for 10 count each

-repeato por favor with 9 reps of each and continue until 1 rep.  Drop your rock.

 

#3 – Mosey back across campus to the little wall:

*30 dips

*20 step ups (10 each leg)

*10 derkins

*Run to the school and back.  Rinse and repeat with 25, 15, and 5 reps, respectively.

 

#4 – Mosey back to launch for some Mary and time was called.

 

Moleskin

YHC got there per the usual 5 minutes before launch and almost ran head on into Bucky who was driving in circles asking “where’s the parking lot”?  Bucky was received with open arms by Cooter, Sr. and Cooter, Jr. as this was Bucky’s first time posting at The Fishing Hole.  Over the holidays he spent some time dunkin’ on some fools and pulled his right calf muscle.  So the Fishing Hole was just what Bucky’s doctor ordered – low mileage and high intensity (although you’d never guess he was injured as YHC spent most of the time trying to keep up with him…).  Working out with 2 other PAX in freezing weather offers up a unique opportunity to bond with some bros and the mumble chatter was heavy.  Cooter, Sr. starts his new job at Vanguard on Monday and is excited to take his next career step.  Good luck to you and good work out there this morning!

It was my pleasure to lead again.  Thank you for the opportunity!

 

Announcements

*Keep Chopper in your prayers (we missed you today, Buddy) as he had his prostate biopsy yesterday and is recovering and waiting for some answers.

*Keep Doc McStuffins in your prayers as he has an upcoming heart surgery.

*One year ago yesterday YHC had his last surgery related to his tumor.  God is good!  Romans 8:28

It’s like Meathead, but on a Wednesday

10 pax took the DRP yesterday and posted at Meathead instead of a lesser site, like WAMRAP. I was a little worried that some folks would get confused and post at Elizabeth Lane or show up on the wrong day or something, but I think it worked out. The Anvil pax and their fearless leader (Lorax) were very welcoming and only mildly heckled our vast selection of kettlebells. At about 5:31, they moseyed off and, after I disclaimed the pax, we got to warming up with some SSH and merkins.

The Thang:

Today was day 2 of week 1 of the SFG Level 1 strength program we’re working on. The workouts are pretty simple (not easy) and consist of 3-4 fundamental kettlebell exercises.

  • 3 sets of 5 deadlifts
  • 5 x waiter carries per arm
  • 5 sets of 5 double cleans
  • 5 sets of 5 double front squats

Finisher:

  • 2 x :30 of hard style elbow plank
  • 2 x :30 of hollow body hold
  • 2 x :30 hip extension

Joint COT with the Anvil pax. Thanks to Hammer for the speedy takeout.

Announcements:

  • Olympus rises again like a phoenix from the ashes on Saturday at Elizabeth Lane Elementary at 7:00 (by popular demand). It will be a 60 minute workout.

Moleskine:

  • Thanks to the pax for their patience while we got through this workout the first time. We initially tried to have half the group deadlift while the other half did the carries. Unfortunately, the carries took a lot longer, so some people did extra deadlifts and there was general confusion. We eventually got it figured out and everyone got through all of the work.
  • I think the consensus is that everyone needs bigger bells. This workout (which alternates with Monday’s workout) is relatively low reps, but heavy weights. People should take this as an opportunity to challenge themselves. Quality is also very important and is something the pax should keep in mind while performing the exercises. The core should be tight and the squats should be as low as you can go (knee health dependent).
  • Going forward we’ll be doing single leg Romanian deadlifts instead of standard deadlifts because we don’t have enough weight to appropriately challenge the pax. We’ll also knock out the deadlifts first, then do the carries.
  • I hope to see you out there on Saturday!

Abandon Weinke!!ORRR Not

You will make time for what is important to you.  It was clear this morning that pax were committed to making health and connection a priority in their lives as 30 men showed up to push themselves mentally and physically.  That said,  I didn’t anticipate 30 some pax as I was putting my Weinke together in my head the night before,,,  I assumed 12,15….Maybe 18,  all of which I was prepared to give a solid beat down, mixing coupons and partner-work for 45 Min.  As I dropped off the coupons, bumped into our brother Goodfella on a pre-run and headed back to the launch point.  At first,  looked like about 11-12 dudes ready for punishment,,, just as i had planned for it,  awesome!  Then more pax came in, and more, and more. =My plan was looking a bit….shot

Warm UP: Mosey around the lot, get a little jog in so I can come up with a new plan,  oh wait,  one more comes in on two wheels,  keep the mosey going.  Head to the front of school,  25 SSH’s, some merkins,  Mountain climbers, something else.  DANG this is a big crowd,  what is this a convergence?? Did I miss something, Nope this is F3 Waxhaw and  clearly the plan for this and 9 coupons isn’t going to cut it for this hungry crowd.  =Time to improvise.

The Thang:  Light poles,  simple yet effective.  Pick an exercise and we are going to run these 6 lights for 20 min and give these men what they came here for.  1 set 10 Merkins, Second set, 10 lunges, 3 set burpees, 4 set Partner pull ups, 5 set CDD, by the way my partners Nails and Point Break killed it.  Everyone worked hard, seemed to be getting their monies worth but there was still….Time.  Can we modify some of my plan, yes,  two groups,  hand the reigns off to Goodfella to take one group to do a lap of Indian run Worm burners with 5 merkins while another group did a round of smash balls merkins and a lap. Worm burner group comes around and flap jack.  Just enough time to head back.

Mosey back for a quick…Kinda jail break to the launch point.  Goodfella made some pax carry the coupons back so he gave them a little extra challenge:)  END

Moleskin:  Lot of regulars and a lot of Cotters (i think that is how you spell it) WELCOME BACK.  Everyone worked hard,  keep coming for those that made it out for the first time in a while.  Culbertson Middle has two sites on Fridays 515 and 530 as well a Waverly (Viva Chicken)  at 530 for those a little more north.

 

Announcements:

Christ Closet folding on Saturday morning

Toothbrush and soap collection:  I think its Dancing bear and Bottlecap

The hills have eyes

The Wednesday morning Trail run started with Just me running by my self.  I was surprised right before the turnaround by Hollywood passing me as he normally does.  We did meet up at the end both completing the full 7.9 miles.  As I was running the last ridge I looked down the hill and saw at least 10 sets of eyes looking up at me.  I am going with they were deer as it was hard to tell height as I was above them.  I hope it was not the pack of coyotes I had been hearing the whole run.