18 of the strongest, baddest dudes on a Tuesday with a Kettlebell weren’t afraid to answer the call of a BROfessor challenge despite sub 20 degree weather. Maybe you went somewhere else today and did a little running? That’s cute. We did running and threw around 50lb cannonballs. Just sayin..
The Thang:
The Warm-Up:
SSH x 20 IC
Merkin x 20 IC
2 Handed Swing x 20 OYO
Prying Squat x 5 IC
Field Farmer Carry
The Main Event:
Mosey to Church/Playground lot for Challenge
Presentation of Instructions: The Challenge is written in chalk on the pavement. You must do these exercises in order and must finish each exercise before moving on to the next. Alternate R/L hand as needed. Move as quickly as you can to complete The Challenge in the allotted time.
The Challenge:
Round 1: 50 KB Snatches, 10 Burpees, AYG around church (approx .33 miles)
Round 2: 100 2-Hand KB Swings, 10 Burpees, AYG around church
Round 3: 50 KB Squats, 10 Burpees, AYG around church
Round 4: 50 KB Cleans. 10 Burpees, AYG around church
Round 5: 100 High Pulls, 10 Burpees, AYG around church
Round 6: 100 Merkins, 10 Burpees, AYG around church
Extra Credit (when finished with The Challenge, perform as follows until time is called):
The Moleskine:
Young Love originally had a challenge like this a little over a year ago that I remember being terrible and that no one completed. So of course I thought we’d give it another go when it was my turn to Q this time. Even though there were some questionable routes on the “Church Loop” (YHC must have not given clear instruction), again I don’t think anyone completed the challenge this time either. I had just made it to the 5th round before time ran out. Sound off if you made it further this go around.
Great to see so many guys out this morning despite the 18 degree weather. It is always a pleasure to lead such a fine group of men. Cobains to Header and the rest of the men for not having music for the main event, although I feel like it would have taken away from the camaraderie of the joint suffering. I was in my own pain cave this morning and didn’t pick up on any of the usual antics, sound off on any notable occurrences that I missed.
Thanks to Harley and Fletch for the opportunity to lead!
Freedom, thanks for switching weeks brother and thanks for the great takeout!
5 PAX braved a hellofa cold morning for a fun-filled-frolic on a football field. Here’s what you missed:
The thang:
Run to HT and back
Partner up, one partner runs the length of the field while the other partner lunge walks the same direction
Partner runs back to the lunge walker, flapjack
Kirk and One Eye didn’t want to look like Mia Hamm or Rex (Toy Story) so they were also doing ‘Mercans and LBC’s…it’s hard bein’ Snoop D-O-Double G.
Moleskin:
Kirk and One Eye crushed the initial mile. The rest of us paced ourselves for the storm of lunges we knew were coming. Not a lot of mumble chatter. At least not initially. For a running-intensive workout I thought we stayed together reasonably well.
Excellent take out by Nuke. It’s always good to remind yourself to stop, look around, and appreciate what we’ve been given.
If you weren’t at Sofawib this morning, then you were probably at home doing an exercise video such as is featured above (be sure your speakers are turned way up).
-Aye
Daisy
Posted on the behalf of Marvel
15 men abandoned the comfort of the fartsack to endure a burpee-heavy beatdown in sub-freezing conditions. Here’s how it went down:
Jog around the parking lot 1x, then circle up for escalating SSH+Burpee combo
SSH – 5x / Burpees – 1x
SSH – 10x / Burpees – 2x
…and so on until
SH – 25x / Burpees – 5x
Imperial Walker – 15x
LBCs – 20x
Mosey to track, jog 1x around
Move to the field and line up on goal line, partner up
Partner 1 – sprint to midfield, jog back
Partner 2 – Merkins until Partner 1 returns
Partner 1 – sprint to far goal line, jog back
Partner 2 – Squats until Partner 1 returns
Mosey to baseball bleachers for circuit work
CDDs – 20x
Step Ups – 10x per leg
Supine Pull Ups – 20x
repeato
Jacob’s Ladder at the big steps
Run up the steps, Lunges at top – 6x down to 1x
Take the long way down, Burpees at bottom – 1x up to 6x
Mosey to the outhouse
Peoples Chair – 60 seconds
Peoples Chair w arm presses (40x) – 60 seconds
Back to the parking lot, partner up for more running
Partner 1 – sprint to far light post, jog back (2x)
Partner 2 – Flutter (1st run) / Freddie Mercury (2nd run) … flapjack
Circle up for Mary
LBCs – 20x
H2H – 15x
Moleskin:
Appreciate all the work the PAX put in this morning. I was originally planning for a track-heavy workout, but when we made our way down there, the men noticed a few ice patches in the immediate vicinity. Fireman Ed wisely suggested we run a lap together as a group to survey the area, and as we ran through a minefield of black ice it became clear that the Q needed to call an audible. Many thanks to Ed for limiting the casualties.
Our FNG (invited by grizzled Basecamp vet Hairball) works in info security at BofA. In a moment of inspiration, one of the PAX suggested we call him ‘Snowden’, and when the FNG visibly cringed at the idea, we knew we found the perfect nickname. Snowden proved to be a strong performer in the gloom this morning, hope he’ll be back again soon.
Announcements:
Tang is heading to Chile in March for a mission trip and their group is trying to raise money. Check out their video below.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/c3vzmgtmnjggdop/Chile%20Fundraising%20Video.m4v?dl=0
Frigid 5K Run & Plunge is on 2/13 at the US Natl Whitewater Center
With the preblast being sent out the day before and Hairball proclaiming #makefasttwitchgreatagain eleven men gathered for the show. Two real men, Hairball and Turkey Leg, felt it was manlier to not wear tights. The other nine cowered with their heads down in shame as we set out. Purple Haze made a quick observation that Mr. Brady was only wearing tights. Yikes!
If the Pax read the preblast then they were aware of what we were doing. If you did not then just like a pop quiz you are going to fail.
Off we went without any instructions other than to run your 5k pace. There were five stops along the way at intersections along Hwy 51 as we ran towards the Arboretum. At each stop we did a different exercise, IW x 5, Squat x 5, Merkin x 5 and the Burpee x 5. At the second to last stop a quick halt as we encountered the dreaded “black ice” that meteorologist around the region have used to scare school systems into closing schools and jack up mile and bread sales.
Once we reached the intersection of Hwy 51 and Arboretum Way we mosed across down Arboretum Way where the Pax was asked to partner up based on difference in speed. We had an odd number so Gerber, Hairball and Turkey Leg partnered up. Not sure if they understood the whole “differing speeds” because they were crushing it. It could have been a Q fail in my instructions as most things were frozen at this point.
Once we were paired up the idea was for one of the partners run down Arboretum Way while the other partner runs down Spring Ln. You will meet somewhere in the middle along Bon Via Dr. There you do five hand slap merkins and return the way you went. You should arrive at the same time if you keep your 5k pace. Once back at the beginning you do five hand release merkins. Get up and do it all over again heading in the opposite direction.
We got a total of five circuits in. The loop is .9 miles. The run out and back was 1.1 miles each.
At the end of Strawberry Hill and Hwy 51 you were asked to run to the first speed bump after the parking lot and into the parking lot to finish at 6:15am!
Moleskin: We got somewhere between six and seven miles. It was cold at the start but it did seem to warm up by the end. I almost broke a sweat. Almost. Despite claims of going to McDonalds by Pro he declined, unless he went afterwards. I cannot confirm that.
Hairball, Gerber and Turkey Leg were flying out there. All stars. Everyone gave solid effort. Running at 17 degrees is not optimal for getting the most out of your run but I thought everyone pushed hard. Margo, Fault Line, Haze and Ironsides are getting faster and faster. I know Haze is still rounding into shape from the calf strain.
Mr. Brady was rocking the spandex. I bet Mrs. Brady has a hard time controlling herself when he gets home from his workouts.
Alf and Prohibition continue to churn out the miles. I am sure both are eagerly plotting their next marathon. Kiawah is always nice in December boys!
It was honor to lead and thanks for playing along. You ran a lot of miles this morning a great pace.
Announcements: New York City marathon lottery is closing sometime. Check with Hairball. He may or may not being doing it.
I went to bed last night after reading the weather forecast….18 degrees…..
I woke up in the morning and looked at the temp again….19 degrees…the weather man in this town is never right, what a hack.
I was pleasantly surprised to see another strong turnout in SOB land in spite of the i chilly weather. After a quick disclaimer from YHC, we were off.
Warmup
Mosey to the B-village parking deck
SSH x 15
MC x 15
SSH x 15
Merkins x 20
SSH x 15
Indian Run up the PD
Mosey down and stop at each level to complete an exercise
lvl 3 5 burpees
lvl 2 10 squat jumps
lvl 1 5 burpees
Mosey over to the pond by the Marriot
The Thang
I decided to play a version of King of the hill. Here’s how it worked out:
The pax broke up in to groups of 3-4
Workout “stations” were selected around the pond (and fit trail) and included the following:
Box Jumps
Merkins
Dips (on trail)
Pull ups
Burpees
Each team was to run around to a station of there choice and complete as many reps as possible. The PAX were to keep track of their total cumulative reps for each station. Team with the most reps at that station was “king of the hill”. Team with the most stations wins.
The PAX could stay on a station as long as they wanted until another team came and kicked them off.
This concept worked okay, but there were some issues. The two major ones were:
-Pens were freezing, so numbers couldn’t be written down (i provided pen and paper)
-Too many stations and not enough PAX
I think in warmer weather with a big group it would work alot better. I would also make it “silent auction” style so you don’t know how many reps the other team did until the end.
Lastly, I think it would be alot more fun if there were more groups then stations, this way groups are constantly moving.
End of the day, the all the PAX got in some pull ups, so it was worth it.
After finally getting warm at the 35 minute mark we stopped to work on the ole chesticles.
15 step-up reverse lunge L&R
20 merkins
10 wide
7 step-up reverse lunge L&R
10 stagger L and stagger R
10 diamonds
COT
Hopefully the PAX stayed warm this morning. I had some good sweat going, but I was pretty well layered up. It was really good to see a FNG post on what was probably the coldest day of this season. I guess when its time to start, its time to start.
Honor to lead as always.
Pebbles.
After weeks of anticipation it had finally arrived. F3 da Vinci launch day. The AO scouted, shovel flag honed, workout weinkified; Mic Check and YHC were ready. That new shovel flag smell hung in the air as it was planted at Niagara Falls (the main fountain area in Blakeney shopping center). As 7AM approached it was exhilarating to see PAX slowly filter in from all directions. 10. Then 20. 30. Then 35. The total finally resting at 35 eager men and one 2.0 that wanted to be able to say “I was there when it all started”. The growing chatter of brothers welcoming each other in the gloom mixed with splashing noises from the surrounding fountains made for the perfect soundtrack to start the day. And there it was. 7:00. A quick welcome and disclaimer was given and we were dispatched to the grassy area behind the fountains for COP.
COP: SSH x 25, IW x 20, CDD x 20, Merkins x 20 (all IC)
The Thang
Due to the large size of the group we divided into 2, with the first half staying with YHC and the 2nd following Mic Check.
Tuck’s group
Circuit at Niagara Falls
Repeat circuit as many times as possible for approximately 25 minutes. At 7:30 mosey North to building with 2nd level shopping area with stairs on either end (by Noah’s Art). YHC has affectionately named this area Nakatomi Plaza (because YHC can).
Welcome to the Party, Pal (7’s at Nakatomi Plaza)
Mosey to West entrance of Blakeney (near 131 Main) for 10 minutes of suicides using straightaway with abundant light poles and trees. Perform 5 merkins at each light pole/tree before turning around.
Mic Check’s Group
Welcome to the Party, Pal (same as Tuck’s group).
People’s chair w/ shoulder presses, then run around the building. Merkins then run around building. Slow merkins with plank hold then run around 2 buildings.
Niagara Falls (same as Tuck’s group, but add 5 reps to all exercises on each subsequent lap)
At around 7:55 both groups met up at Niagara falls for some mary to close things out together.
BOM: Hops
Moleskine
What an honor it was to co-lead such a large group of strong men and to help bring this truly great AO into fruition. We’re already reaching more men in the South Charlotte area, with 4 FNG’s at launch (thanks to EH’ers Bratwurst, Loogie and Mighty Mite). YHC received very positive feedback about the AO and the workout. So, yeah. Couldn’t be happier about how things went.
Howie (Bratwurst 2.0) is following in his father’s footsteps for sure. The 11 year-old blew by me on a straightaway at the Niagara Falls circuit, just like his Dad does multiple times a week.
Mary seemed extra hard at this workout. I was in extreme pain trying to get the count up to a respectable number. The V-up roll-up was not the biggest hit of the morning.
A big thanks to Hops for the moving take-out.
There was a good turnout at the Starbucks coffeteria. Although the venue was probably a little small for a group of our size. Most of us wound up congregating on the back patio (which seemed A LOT colder than when we were running through it minutes earlier).
Thanks to the Stonehenge site Q’s (Mr. Bean, Frehley’s Comet and Wild Turkey) for ending their workout early to allow for a double-down. T-claps to double-downers Fire Hazard, 777, Lex Luthor, Commish, Heartbreaker, Linus, Champagne, Strawberry, Big Tuna and Outback. Some of these fellas also did a Stonehenge pre-run. T-claps to Bunker for a 2.5 mi da Vinci pre-run.
YHC owes Mic Check a huge debt of gratitude. He is a great leader as you all know and there is no one better to co-lead this site. I look forward to learning more from him as we go through this journey.
We hope to see you at da Vinci regularly. I cannot wait to see what other Q’s do with this site. We have barely scratched the surface. The all-star Q’s of the next several weeks (Haggis, Madame Tussauds, Outback, Champane, Mr. Bean) will surely break the AO in nicely until it is purring like a kitten. Don’t miss it.
Group Pic: Link
PreBlast:
http://f3nation.com/2016/01/14/preblast-da-vinci-launch-11616/
Announcements:
Family Hike at Anne Springs Close Greenway on Sat 1/23 at 12PM.
Here is the planning in the morning to avoid freezing our tails off!
Leave at 5:15 and head towards the Arboretum. Run at a 5k pace with five stops on the way. At each stop we will do a called exercise to wait on the six. Once we arrive at the entrance to the McDonalds at the Arboretum we are going to start the workout.
We are going to cross Hwy 51 to Arboretum Way. Here we will pair up based on speed. The idea is to match two guys that are at differing speeds. For example one of the faster guys will pair up with a slower pax. You will set out in opposite directions one going down Arboretum Way and the other Spring Dr. The pax going down Arboretum Way will turn right and the Spring Dr route will turn left. Both should meet somewhere on Bon Rea Dr. The loop is close to a mile. Once you meet up do five hand slap merkins. Return back to the start going the way you came and do five hand release merkins at the start point. Do it all over again until it is time to head back. Everybody should get at least five laps in. Each group should leave Arboretum Way no later than 6:05 to run the 1.1 miles back to the AO.
Warm up lap… 1/4 mile
Plank… yes, that was the opening exercise
SSH X 30
IW X 30
Merkins X 30
Pair up and retrieve cinder blocks from the woods
Partner 1… 1/4 race as fast as you can; partner 2… curls with cinderblock… flapjack
Partner 1… 1/4 mile race; partner 2… bench press… flapjack
Partner 1… 1/4 mile race; partner 2… tricep extensions… flapjack
Partner 1… 1/4 mile race; partner 2… bent row… flapjack
Return cinder blocks
Run back to school… People’s Chair, with sets of incline merkins and decline merkins mixed in
Run to playground… three sets each of pull ups X 10 and squats X 20
Stomach stuff… Dolly, Flutter, LBCs
10 burpees OYO
Moleskin
4 hardy pax posted for a post-Carolina-Seattle beatdown, hoping to build up a solid lead and hang on for the win.
The Thang
COP:
Super-meaty Super Sets:
Waiter Carry to far speedbump and back
Suitcase Carry (like Farmer Carry but with only one bell) to far speedbump and back
Done
COT
Announcements: too cold & sleepy for any
Naked Moleskine:
Special welcome to FNG Marlin (Chuck) who fooled YHC into thinking he was just another Ballantyne-area veteran that YHC hadn’t met yet. When he first joined in, YHC thought he was Frehley’s Comet but realized he wasn’t after we got to the playground. Nonetheless, he never missed a beat, so YHC didn’t know he was an FNG until COT. Turns out, none of us realized he was new. #Cobains, Marlin! Regardless, glad to have you in the group and look forward to posting with you again and giving you a proper welcome.
As for the workout, it was pretty simple today but effective in targeting the full body.
Thanks for the opportunity to lead. Always an honor.
Aye.
After a long weekend we’ll emerge from this pro-soccer arms beatdown looking like a cross between a T-Rex and a soccer player. I can’t promise it will be fun or exciting, it won’t be. It’ll be a grind. None of this complete-body, hit-every-muscle stuff. Tomorrow will be all legs. Hopefully by about 1PM Tuesday, I’ll have to be wheeled in my chair to the office water cooler because I won’t be able to stand.
Here’s what you won’t miss:
*Partner up (size and speed won’t matter. genuine compatibility might.)
*Run the HT mile.
*Rendezvous with your partner at the end zone of the football field.
*Partner 1 starts lunge walking towards the opposite end zone across the football field.
*Partner 2 runs the same direction to the opposite end zone and back to his partner.
*Flapjack. Partner 1 runs to the end zone, dabs in celebration, and back to his partner.
*When you reach the end zone reverse it and go back the other way.
*At some point one partner will only have to run a few yards to the end zone, so be it.
*Repeato until 6:05ish.
*At 5:50 there will be an optional audible. You can run or lunge walk backwards if you fancy it.
*At 6:05 we run the HT mile again.
Thank you for choosing the toughest workout on Providence Rd., on Tuesdays, in the OPE parking lot, with the most active backblast commentary. See you in the gloom.
-Daisy