Posted on behalf of SENSEI
Hoping that the rain would either hold off or have ended by the time we had to launch, but being a good scout and being prepared for a downpour, YHC had 2 plans for this morning. Thankfully it was dry, or at least water had stopped falling from the sky by 0530 so we went with Plan A.
My attempts at being sentimental were met with much less enthusiasm than I thought they would be. 3 years ago this week was the launch of Peak 51, and both Slim Fast and Geraldo, the original site Q’s were there. Also, 2 years ago this week was YHC’s VQ. Since nobody wanted to reminisce and were ready to get to it, the disclaimer was given and we took off and did the following.
Run around the front of FBCM to the parking lot across the street and circle up for COP
SSH x 20
Merkins x 10 IC
IW x 20
Burpees x 5 OYO
LSS x 20
Run down to the driveway across from FBCM side parking lot and circle up
SSH x 20
Merkins x 10 IC
Burpees x 5 OYO
LSS x 20
Line up at the top of the hill
7’s w/ Squats at top and Merkins at bottom
Run across the street to the FBCM side parking lot and circle up
SSH x 20
Merkins x 10 IC
Burpees x 5 OYO
LSS x 20
Run 1 round of suicides using the 3 light posts for guides
Recover w/ LBC x 20, Flutter x 20, Dolly x 20
Another round of suicides
Recover with Rosalita x 20, Freddie Mercury x 20, V-Ups x 10
One more round of suicides
Mosey to the basketball courts beside the school and circle up
SSH x 20
Merkins x 10 IC
Burpees x 5 OYO
LSS x 20
Grab some wall for PC
Rd 1 – 50 arm raises
Rd 2 – 50 Peak arm raises
Mosey back to the launch point and done.
Moleskin:
· With the weather being iffy, I had no clue how many would show up this morning. The little burst of rain about 5:25 also had me wondering. The rain stopped at about 5:29 and lo and behold, 15 PAX were there and ready to roll.
· I had no clue of my VQ anniversary until I was planning out what we would do today. Total coincidence and nobody really cared but me.
· Not too much mumble chatter this morning aside from a few grumblings when we did some Mary.
· I did hear someone say at the end, “Boy that went by quickly”. I took it as a compliment and a sign that we stayed busy for the entire 45 minutes.
· Chime in with any thoughts/comments.
· As always, it is an honor to lead. Peak has an awesome group of regulars sprinkled in with new guys and visitors all the time.
· Excellent takeout by SF
YHC departed the house this morning to rain, heat lightning, and ominous weather forecasts from the local weather geeks. During my short drive to the AO (which included a gully washer- ‘Bama lingo for heavy rain), a Weinke audible was quickly formulated that involved covered spaces. Zero cars in the parking lot at 5:26 a.m. A quick check of Weather Bug revealed potential clearing, thus lifting YHC’s spirits. As if on cue, the PAX arrived. We were doing this uncovered. #swingforthefences Audibled the audible.
Disclaimer was provided mainly for Slum Dog’s benefit, as he returned to the PAX after a 3-4 year absence. Is there such a thing as a Born Again FNG?? Well, maybe there should be…. Off into the gloom we went sans rain.
Warm-up:
The THANG:
Mosey down Rea Rd towards Colony. Left on Chadwyck Farms Dr. Stop at Windyrush Rd.
Continue on Windyrush Rd. Stop at funky ranch house w/ the white mailbox, a.k.a. the bottom of the hill. Top of the hill was defined as Banfield Place which is a gated entrance to Bellmore, aptly renamed “Hellmore” by Pop Tart later in the workout. As Egypt noted, “That is where the rich people live.” Duly noted, banker.
During the pain, Egypt noticed a large boulder in one of the yards and alerted the PAX, “Just want everyone to know that is Evelyn’s Rock. And she had a dog named Hector.” Well, ok then. From this day forward, the Windyrush hill shall be known as “Evelyn’s Hill.” If anyone objects, then take it up with Egypt who will be busy feeding Hector.
Mosey to Edenbridge Ln and hang a left. Despite lightning warnings from Marge (“probably should think about heading back”), we pressed onward. #heatlightning 10 Merkins at each street light on the right side. Mosey across Rea and congregate at the OPES big tree w/ benches, the perfect setting when lightning is in the area.
Mosey to the OPES black top. Line up abreast.
Mosey to back of OPES.
Mosey to Launch.
Done
MOLESKIN
It was an honor to lead this group of men today. YHC is a Hydra regular, but this was my Hydra VQ. It was all fun and games until we hit Evelyn’s Hill, which is a beast. Egypt crushed everyone (including Queen) on the hill emboldened by his astute observations of inanimate objects. Strong work by the entire PAX today. YHC was touched by Hannibal’s jet lagged participation. Welcome back, Slum Dog. Hope to see you posting regularly. Puddin’ Pop will be glad to know YHC had Summerlin suicides on deck time permitting. Next time, brother. Face your fear. Thanks for the great take-out today. It was so memorable that YHC has no idea who delivered it.
Hello glorious PAX of Area 51,
I am writing you today to inform you that there will be a Convergence on April 12th with Anvil @Calvary Church.
But wait, there is more!
Immediately following the workout we will be heading inside (or staying under the pavilion depending on weather) to fellowship, drink delicious coffee, and hear from an absolute legend: the Bill Grier aka JEDI.
This is the man that F3 Co-Founder DREDD considers his first Mentor and credits with bringing him to Jesus.
He will be sharing his testimony and highlighting the importance of male community in our lives.
We will start @630 sharp and be finished @650, but feel free to stick around for the fellowship!
BASICS:
Convergence @Anvil 4/12
Coffeevergence to follow 630-650
See you there,
Dolly
Emotional Headlock: The method by which most FNGs are recruited into F3. Abbr: EH (Lexicon)
The cold mornings are behind us. Cross that excuse off the list of reasons why your friends, coworkers, etc., cannot do F3. That leaves the early hours and out-of-shape as excuses. Don’t let any man tell you he can’t get up that early. Bold-faced lie. Out-of-shape, well, you have to start somewhere. We can promise men that they won’t stay where they start if they push.
Historically, we get more FNGs in the Spring than the rest of the year, hence the title of this post. This is your reminder to put the EH on the men around you. They need F3 and we need them.
Hard to argue with questions like:
Do you want to get in the best shape of your adult life?
Do you want to improve your health?
Do you want to lose that 20 pounds you gained over the colder months?
Do you want to establish friendships with other men in your community?
Do you want to do more in your community?
Do you want to get your kids involved with F3Dads?
Do you want to try a workout that doesn’t involve headphones, walls, ferns, and gym equipment?
Offer to pick them up. Add the accountability from the start. Hard to hit snooze when you know someone will be sitting outside your house with the engine idling.
Give it away men
It was a great morning. 60 degrees and wet. Focus turned out to be a lot of Shoulders. The pax worked hard and a couple of points I thought to myself, “What did I do!” We had a surprise visit from First Lieutenant Chaplain Godspeed who led our warmup and then headed out the to Reserve training. Good to see you and thanks for the cameo.
Warm – up
The Thang
Endex and COT
We have enjoyed The Charge almost even more now that it has achieved “Rogue” status. Rumors of its demise were premature. One of the best AOs in all of Metro and it is good to see that it is alive and well even after previous attempts to euthanize it have been well advertised.
Considering the concept that this workout had been put out of its misery, YHC thought we could celebrate its staying power by collectively surviving the Kevorkian at today’s edition.
Warm-O-Rama
Dynamic warmup through the upper parking lot loop with Buttkickers, High Knees, Apollo Creed Left and Apollo Creed Right and a lot of moseying. Mosey to the 50 yard line for:
Mosey to goal line.
The Kevorkian
Partner assisted suicides.
Partner A runs. Partner B stays at goal line and performs AMRAP of called exercise until Partner A returns. Flapjack and repeato through rounds of 60 yards and back, 40 yards and back and 20 yards and back.
Round 1: Push-O-Rama: Wide Merkins, Merkins, Diamond Merkins
Round 2: Leg-O-Rama: Squats, Lunges, Alternating Side Lunges
Round 3: Ab-O-Rama: Freddie Mercury, Rosalita, Low Dolly
Round 4: Plank-O-Rama: Plank Jacks, Peter Parker, Parker Peter
Round 5: Burp-O-Rama: Burpees, Burpees, Burpees
Round 6: Push-O-Rama: Wide Merkins, Merkins, Diamond Merkins
Round 7: Leg-O-Rama: Squats, Lunges, Alternating Side Lunges
Round 8: Ab-O-Rama: Freddie Mercury, Rosalita, Low Dolly
Round 9: Plank-O-Rama: Plank Jacks, Peter Parker, Parker Peter
Round 10: Burp-O-Rama: Burpees, Burpees, Burpees
Mosey to parking lot
6 Minutes of Mary
LBCs x 20 IC
Right Oblique Crunch x10 IC
Left Oblique Crunch x10 IC
Box Cutters x15 IC
Heels to Heaven x17 IC
Burpees x5 OYO
Fin.
COT/BOM: @Pigskin took us out
NMM:
Great to see this AO survive all attempts to euthanize it. It’s way too good of an AO to let it die.
2.04 miles and a whole lot of “floppin”.
Tclaps to @Phoenix for realizing by the time we got to 6am that the playlist had a death theme.
Tclaps to @Rev for being my partner. But whatever he posted on Twitter about YHC’s EH of him to this workout was pure fabrication. #TruthNugget #TeslaReallyIsMean
Great to be with @Monk and @Bullwinkle for the first time in a long time.
YHC is glad that he now knows how to spell @Boerewors without having to google “South African Sausage”. Tclaps @Wuerffel. #NSFW.
#FUPigskin. @Rev says that @Pigskin has a Pavlovian response to that so figured I’d try it.
@Chowda is a bada$$ and had to put up with @Wuerffel’s bad attitude all morning. #Cobains.
Who needs a Site Q anyway?
Playlist
(Don’t Fear) The Reaper (Blue Oyster Cult)
Psycho Killer (Talking Heads)
Suicide Blonde (INXS)
People Who Died (The Jim Carroll Band)
Killing in the Name (Rage Against The Machine)
Killer Queen (Queen)
I Need Never Get Old (Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats)
Only The Good Die Young (Billy Joel)
Wanted Dead or Alive (Bon Jovi)
Live Forever (Oasis)
God’s Not Dead (Newsboys)
Orange Whip was down in the back. Dollywood to the rescue. After a little text chatter and Dollywood reaching for his bag of tricks, a plan began to take shape for the gloom to follow.
16 PAX and 2 FNGs in tow.
After the anti-professional announcement,, the predictable happened:
20 x SSH
20 x EW
10 x Merks
Off to Davie park we went. Following some planking at the top of the park, DW’s bag of tricks materialized and up to the soccer field we went.
The thang:
Partner up, get a ball and stand behind the cones 20 yards away from the goal. THE GOAL – you get six shots to hit the crossbar: three kicking and three throwing. THE KICKER – partner two has to bear crawl to retrieving your sailing balls (and most did sail over the goal and down the hill – SUCK!).
Once the bar was hit or the number of attempts was tried, the pair had to sprint a
lap. Rinse and Repeat till each person had four cycles.
Mosey back to COP. PAX called Mary exercise: Spackler (big week for this guy – more later) called dollies, Jet Fuel called Freddy Mercuries, and Puddin Pop called Rosalitas in espanol.
Two FNGs were named: Kozar and Dunkin. Welcome. It seems that both were EHed by
Dollywood. Kozar played soccer at Messiah and is Dolly’s brother in law and Dunkin was a goalie at Wake.
Moleskin:
This crossbar thing separated the men from the boys. Who knew… Spackler could kick a ball. OF all people!! I mean I knew he could hit a golf ball and I guess there are some similarities, but … I call it luck. It is a shame that luck did not transfer to the gamecocks. It is my understanding that Spackler was present in Arizona wearing loud gamecock pants documented by several media outlets! Anyway, Spack & JetFuel smoked the competition finishing above several collegiate athletes including a few accomplished ones and one former pro (shout-out Busch)
ChinMusic was a pro too – Heard he played with Chipper jones or something like that, pretty legit, but not the same skillset for this competition, I digress.
Header is still on that kick for the Half marathon – what a legend.
Other notable performances include:
– SweenyTodd officially registering 3 posts in a row @DeathValley, come on!
– Carlton knocking out his 2nd week in a row!!
Small group this morning – I’m assuming due to the late basketball game Monday night and not because I had the Q. But we had fun anyway and hopefully everyone at least got their money’s worth.
The Thang:
Quick disclaimer then a short mosey down Brixham Hill, stopped off at a lot 1/2 way to the Bull Ring office building.
COP:
Mosey to putting green area at center of Bull Ring. Plank for 6 and instructions. 2 laps around putting green area, alternating at each corner between 10 merkins & 10 jump squats. Plank/Mary for 6. 2 more laps alternating between 20 LBCs and 10 stationary lunges. Bit of Mary to regroup.
Mosey to the bigger-than-I-thought pond behind Bull Ring along edge of 485. Start with 5 burpees, then a lap around pond, and 5 more burpees at starting point. Plank to regroup. Considered very briefly a second lap around said big pond but wisely chose to move on to the next location.
Mosey to pond at Rushmore & Harney Dr. Partner up. P1 runs hill twice with 10 squats each time at top. P2 runs a lap around pond stopping somewhere along the way for 20 merkins. Flapjack.
To kill some time we all ran the hill twice more with 10 squats at the top each time.
Mosey back to launch lot with a little Mary along the way to regroup. Had to finish with some Carolina Dry Docks at the end as an homage to all the Carolina successes we’ve witnessed over the past few weeks.
BTW, not a fan of either school, but enjoyed pulling for both of them down the stretch – good stuff. Have to say I didn’t exercise much wisdom in staying up to watch the end of last night’s game, but managed to power through this morning, barely.
Thanks for the opportunity to lead the group today.
Announcements:
YHC rolled up to an annoying flickering light in the Anvil parking lot. Had not posted at Anvil this year but was told by the PAX it has been that way since before Christmas. Someone please bring a BB Gun to take care of that thing. Beautiful weather this morning and 20 men arrived including one FNG. Welcome Pre-School! Thorough disclaimer and we’re off.
THANG
Mosey across Rea to the library parking lot for COP.
Merkin x 15 IC
Hold 6 inches plank x 15 seconds
Mountain Climbers x 15 IC
Imperial Walker x 15 IC (You’re welcome Gummy)
Mosey north on Rea and hang a right on 51. The PAX was catching up fast to 3 women runners. In an effort not to freak them out, YHC slowed the pace down knowing we would soon separate by turning right on Cary Ridge. The women also turned right on Cary Ridge. Damnit! Quick decision was made to do some plank work to create some separation. Continue run to Alderman Lane for some triple nickel action. 5 merkins at bottom and 5 jump squats at the top.
Continue to the end of Carey Ridge for some Mary.
Flutter x 15 IC
Heels to Heaven x 15 IC
LBC x 15 IC
The PAX then lined up abreast on Coburn and did 15 broad jumps and then ran to the intersection of Bevington Place. Run down Bevington to Rea road. 15 merkins at each speed hump. Total of 5 speed humps. Once finished run back for the six. Continue north of Rea back to Calvary entering the south entrance. Circle up for some more exercises.
Low Slow Squat x 15 IC
Dolly x 15 IC
American Hammer x 15 IC
Mosey back towards parking lot for 5 minutes of sprints. Insert a few more merkins and planks as well.
MOLESKIN
YHC is out of town on spring break last week and will likely fall behind on mileage goals. The selfish decision was made to focus on some heavier running which meant leaving campus this morning. Total distance covered was approx. 3.5 miles and 150 merkins for those counting. Great work by all this morning. 5 men from the Sturnbridge neighborhood attended today, including a FNG Pre-School brought by Mermaid. There is officially too many for carpooling so they had to bring 2 vehicles.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Convergence with Anvil and Death Valley at Calvary next Wednesday, 4/12. Some experienced guys will talk about their F3 experience. Perfect opportunity to bring some newer guys and FNG’s.
Baracus and Stone Cold are heading to Pittsburgh to launch a site on 4/29. Let them know if you have any connections up there.
10 PAX took their dose of the #DRP and ventured out to Ye Olde Scout Hut for some figurative and literal stretching at Gumby.
COLD OPEN:
After a minimally adequate disclaimer, we started in corpse pose while YHC read 1 Peter 5:6-8:
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (ESV)
YHC talked about addressing the visible nerves of his 8/9-year-old flag football team before their first game a few weeks ago, telling them “nervous” can be okay, if you channel it the right way, but not to let “nervous” become “scared.” Isn’t it wonderful that we have a God who cares about us such that we can give over our anxieties to Him? But, there is a catch … more later …
THANG:
WARMUPS
From corpse:
Move to table top:
Stand up for sun salutations, or, as YHC calls them when no one’s looking: Yoga Burpees. So, that meant 1 guided yoga burpee, followed by 3 OYO.
HOLD ME CLOSER, CHAIR AND DANCER
Repeato with requisite flapjacking on dancer.
WARRIOR DASH, BUT WITHOUT THE DASH
Start in mountain, step back into warrior 1, making sure hips are square, then warrior 2, back to warrior 1, then mountain, then 1 YB OYO.
Next round, add on a Booyah-inspired lean forward in warrior 2, then add on peaceful warrior and pyramid/triangle (YHC was confused as to the name of the one we were doing).
So, the final sequence was:
Repeatos after the YB during the buildup, with requisite flapjacking to get right and left sides covered.
GOOD OL’ WIDE-LEGGED STRETCHING
Face the wall to YHC’s left/PAX’s right, spread legs.
Arms out and slow fold down to the middle. Touch the ground/mat. Walk hands back toward your 6, back out, then right side/left side.
Slowly back up. Repeato.
TRUNCATED PIGEON
Start in down dog, right leg back, swing through for pigeon. Try and get your elbows down. Move back up and flex your left leg up and try and grab it. Only the real overachievers such as High Tide and Madison pulled it off. The rest of us, YHC included, just grunted flexing our legs.
Unwind, move back into down dog, flapjack with left leg and OOPS TIME’S UP.
After a scramble to unwind from pigeon and briefly land back in corpse, YHC revisited the devo … yes, we have a God who cares for us and wants us to give Him our anxieties, but we must remember the first verse in the passage – we are to humble ourselves first, because, if there’s one thing that’s a certainty, it’s that we aren’t in charge, and we should always be humble as we approach the throne.
–30–
GREEN MOLESKINE:
There is a certain irony, given the devo, that YHC was a little nervous in his first venture as Q. The goal was to concentrate on quality versus quantity, so it was a lot of Gumby meat-and-potatoes with some slightly longer-than-average holds on each one, with the movement coming with the barrage of yoga burpees.
The workout music was, as usual, an adventure. We were using the SiriusXM app to stream in music. YHC started with some classical music until Horsehead piped up that it sounded like “Kill the Wabbit.” YHC quickly found something more Horsehead’s speed, “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by the venerable Cyndi Lauper. There was a palpable disappointment amongst the PAX when we had to turn that down for the devo.
Related: Welcome back Horsehead.
Eventually, YHC settled on a jazz standards station. Ethereal in its own right, but a little more peppy than usual. Next time YHC promises he will deliver on his promise to bring Apocalyptica to the masses. Until then, enjoy their stirring rendition of “Nothing Else Matters.”
Great takeout (as usual) by Tweetsie.
It was an honor to lead this morning. Can’t wait for the next opportunity! We might actually end on time next time around.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Q needed for next week’s Gumby. Let High Tide know, because he’ll need to pass off the keys to the hut.
F3 is launching in Pittsburgh on April 28. Stone Cold and Baracus are going up for the launch. If yinz know of anyone in the city (AO will be North Park), EH them to post at launch. If you need EH verbiage, Horsehead has you covered: “If you like them, tell them about F3. If you love them, tell them to move.” According to Stone Cold, there will be at least 1 trip to Primanti Bros.
Also on tap for expansion: On May 6, F3 Birmingham is launching. High Tide is likely to fall on that sword. If he does, I expect him to bring back Dreamland for everyone.
I forgot to mention during announcement time – there is still a big need for men to serve at Carmel Baptist Church’s upcoming Joy Prom, which is a full-scale prom for special-needs folks.
(Fri. Apr. 28 6:45-9:45pm and two times on Sat. Apr. 29 1:00-3:00pm / 6:00-9:00pm)
In essence, you get gussied up in your suit (or tux, if you ball that hard), you are paired up with a female guest for the evening. You take her to get some jewelry, sparkles, etc., then hit the dance floor. You also in theory go have a dessert with your guest, but, sometimes, they don’t want to leave the dance floor.
It is one of the best ways you can spend 3 hours on a given evening. It does not disappoint. Do it. Tweetsie and I will both be there on Friday the 29th, where there is a better-than-average chance you’ll see me flip out in the DJ room when “Turn Down for What” is played. Let either of us know if there are any questions, or you can go see more details and signup at joyprom.org. If you need any more convincing, watch the videos there.