Some Men Never Learn
The shovel flag was planted and 22 men gathered in the gloom (five early for some pre-workout KB – more later) to get the weekend started off right.
The Thang:
KB – Between 5am and 5:10, five men gathered for some KB work led by Champagne. Not sure why we have started working out longer on Friday (1:15) than on Saturday but PH and Champagne insist I need it so I showed up. They also insist that they don’t mean any dis-respect to my workout but it’s odd they are in the parking lot throwing the bell around before I even roll in. At a minimum I’m hoping their Friday evening festivities will end a little earlier than normal due to fatigue.
Regular workout – Grab two pavers from the Q’s SUV and head up to the parking lot.
COP
- SSH X 20
- 10 burpees
- Man maker merkins X 15
- 10 burpees
Jog down HW51 to entrance to greenway and plank till all the pax arrive – #nomanleftbehind. Head over to the bars for a mini murph – 30 pull ups, 60 merkins, and 90 squats. Plank till PAX finishes
Jog back up HW51 to shopping center for Push Presses in cadence (about 25) until PAX gathers. Head over to Palentine hill with some serpentine runs up and down the hill.
Palentine HIll – Ladder to 5 up Palentine with burpees at top and squats at bottom. Pretty sure this is one of the toughest hills in Charlotte even without the bricks. PAX stayed strong and no BS’s calls were heard.
COP – Mary with flutter, dolly, high dolly (or was it flutter – I never get it right #10,000+ fails) and slow bicycle.
More serpentine running up and down the hills back toward the school.
LIne up in parking lot for some speed/agility work
- Karaoke right to 2nd light, sprint back
- Karaoke left to 2nd light, spring back
- Bear crawl to 1st light, spring back
Back to SUV to drop of bricks and finish with 10 burpees.
COP
Naked Moleskin:
Champagne and PH once again start poking the bear via Twitter on Thursday night. Any complaints about the workout can be directed to those two jokers. They provide plenty of #firewood for the Q every time I”m up. Sad thing is that PH knew it was lights out for me while Champagne continued his “encouragement” after 9pm.
Sacagawea is first guy I’ve seen to beat Frasier in a sprint. I think Frasier was taking it easy so not sure who is faster. Formal invite for Sacagawea to attend Fast Twitch is hereby extended.
Once again, the Q briliantly demonstrated the concept of 10,000 fails multiple times. We encorage more men to step up and Q. Centurion is close to needing to have an offshoot (#starfish).
The bricks, while appearing small and easy to handle, are wickedly deceptive, especially when running up Palentine.
Announcements:
F3 Golf sign up ends May 15 but please sign up sooner if possible.
Make sure you focus on the Fellowship and Faith part of F3 as much as the Fitness. The opportunity to make a greater impact is amplified by F3. Don’t be afraid to get outside your comfort zone and try something new. Udder worked on his presentation skills at Panera after the workout – nothing like wi-fi disconnection to help you deal with adversity.
Champagne mentioned something about something. I’ll add it later or he can include a link in comment I”m sure will be forthcoming.
Gopher sighted at Hydra
18 men of Area 51 came (mostly at 05:29 or later) to take on the gloom. YHC had 2 workouts planned and thought at 05:28 the workout was going to be a “playground” morning. At 05:29:30 and increased numbers, YHC autibled and decided to introduce the infamous Gopher from DV to the Hydra Beasts.
I can’t imagine there will ever be a per workout here with these sleepy heads. That said, everyone was ready to go and off we went.
The Thang
Mosey thru the parking lot to scoop up the stragglers and head to the field, one more joined late
COT
SSHx25 , merkensx20, LBCx30, IWx30, bicycle x15 forward x15 reverse
Introduce the Gopher (Does Hydra- Gopher need a new name, sound off below)- mosey to playground and find a partner.
For those new to the Gopher, sorry for the very brief overview, but we did take a run to see the path that you should travel.
Partner 1 Run= Playground to the entrance of OP, to the track for a loop, then back to the playground
Partner 2 Exercise= Playground to concession stand bleachers. Durkensx20, Incline Merkensx20, step-ups or jump upsx20 & Dipsx20
Meet back at playground and between partners complete LBCx40 and Dollyx20
We started at 0538 and ended at 0613
2 MOM
Protractor of varying degrees until everyone is back
Mosey to the lot 06:15:30 (latecomers got their monies worth)
Moleskin
– Not a ton of chatter this AM, just a few, “again, another lap?” Yep, That’s the gopher!
– Few jack rabbits out there. This workout promotes pushing each other. Once Cole Slaw and I connected after the second lap, I felt better. Sorry man, I looked all over for you after my first lap, but thought you left me. Good timing today!
– Speaking of timing, this was new to Hydra, so I wasn’t sure if 1 & 2 would get back at the same time. I think it worked.
– Sorry for any lack of clarity giving verbal instructions. I did ask if you were familiar with the Gopher, however I failed to listen if anyone said NO. To busy thinking….glad everyone caught on
–YHC has been off for over a week due to travel and vacation. I needed a reason to get in the gloom, so I was happy to be leading. For those who have not lead (Pudding Pop), you are ready! When else today will you be able to say, “follow me” and mindlessly 17 other will follow. Always grateful for the opportunity!
– Good to see Cole Slaw, Briquette and Pulled pork standing side by side in the circle (see PAX list). Anyone else hungry?
-Happy b-day Gullah, great to keep that one under your hat until after the workout…46 burpees, you would have had some haters this AM!
– No announcements, keep an eye on twitter
The aftermath of PDM
5 men entered the gloom this morning for a Devil’s Turn with a different format. The idea was to get everyone to push themselves to at least their “Marathon” pace from Bratwurst’s calculator http://runsmartproject.com/calculator/ for a full 55 minute workout (after a 1 mile warmup).
To facilitate this and allow all PAX to start and end together, a Progressive Difficulty Matrix was compiled (see preblast for details). The basic scheme was to run one mile together to warm up then speed up to tempo pace and hold it for the rest of the workout. The PAX ran out to the S. Charlotte Middle School track and continued around the track until the time came for each person to leave the track to get back to the parking lot by 6:10 am (this is where the matrix became necessary). Due to the differing speeds of the PAX, this meant a different total distance (# of laps at the track) for each runner.
The scheme seemed to work relatively well (except YHC robbed Madam of an extra lap at the track – more on that later).
The Moleskin:
– There was a small group at the Turn this morning with many of the regulars in absentia. Weather was not a concern. The low 50’s and low humidity made for perfect running weather. It sounded like both Fast Twitch and the Maul included hill intervals so maybe that kept people away.
– Since it was the first time with this format, YHC was a bit neurotic about the timing of everyone leaving the track to get back. This resulted in sending Madam back before he got in his final lap at the track. #cobains brother. Next time run to your heart’s content. Also, congrats on the first non-stop tempo run of this length. Careful, you may just get hooked on this running thing. #runnershighaddiction
– During the warm up, Horsehead shared his experience with F3 in his first 6 months and how he was named while recycling merlot in the COT in his first post. His 5.7 mile non-stop tempo run this morning was evidence of how far he has come. (Hey weren’t you looking for the 4 mile option?) Nice work brother! It is always great to see the impact F3 has on people.
– Turkey Leg was, as usual, swift out there this morning. Oops, YHC used the wrong word. Perhaps, he was twitching strongly out there is better. Not really. Well he ran fast for an extended period of time and didn’t look that tired when he got done. #F3strong
– YHC was lucky that Frasier was on a similar tempo today and had some company on the run. The 2nd F helped the miles pass with less mental pain. During conversations though, there were far more pauses on YHC’s end (to breathe!). Also, on the run out to the track YHC had to cry uncle at one point. #unsustainableeffort Thanks for hanging back though. It was a good run.
– Since there are now two speed workouts on Tuesday, Devil’s Turn may tend more toward a tempo run in the future (or at least have the option for tempo run) so that, along with Rumrunner on Sundays, a ballanced running plan can be followed if desired.
Slings and Arrows of Outrageous Fortune
It was 450 years ago on this day that none other than Shakespeare himself was born. The mysterious workings of the universe are such that there were 11 abed this day who from within the fartsack asked themselves, “To be, or not be–that is the question. Whether ’tis nobler to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to sleepeth in on this lovely spring morn. . . To sleep. Perchance to dream. Aye there’s the rub. I shall find my way to The Charge.” And that’s how we came to participate in. . .
THE THANG:
DDs Q:
10 Burpees
Mosey around the parking lot with High Knees; Heels to Butts, Karaoke
Mosey to upper field
Single leg lunges
Circle around basketball court
25 SSH; 25 Imperial Walker; 25 Mount climbers; 25 Peter Parker; 25 Parker Peter; 25 LBC
10 Burpees
Mosey back thru campus
10 dips
10 incline Merkin
10 decline Merkin
REPEATO w 15s then 20s
Peoples chair 90 secs; Wall Plank
Balls to wall 60 secs
People chair w air press 60 secs
Balls to wall sliding down to wall plank 60 secs
Bear crawl and crab walk 35 yards thru high road cones
Mosey to stadium
partner 1 sprints around back of stadium, up the spiral staircase and accross the top of the bleachers and down to meet partner 2
partner 2: (100 reps, 4 different ex.)
20 dips, 20 Merkins, 20 LBCs, 20 steps ups, 20 decline mercins
REPEATO 2 SETS
50 Shades Q:
Mosey to field.
100 yd dash dropping to belly every 10. Run back.
Last man planking, everyone run 100 yds and back when you fail until last man is planking. Big Kudos to Mr. Green and Chowda who agreed to call it a draw after planking for what seemed like nearly half an hour.
Mosey back to lot w jail break.
END.
MOLESKIN:
Two new boot camp workouts in the area: Casbah meets Fridays at 0530 at Sharon Elementary. Black Widow meets Tuesdays at 0530 at Trinity Presbyterian.
Yesterday Power Play was an FNG at Black Widow. Today he was a veteran at The Charge. Who is this guy? Time will tell.
See you in The Gloom.
–Fitty
Sadclown no more
0650 – I’m the only one here. Pretty quiet. Rain is coming down hard. Think I’ll stay in the truck until someone else shows up.
0655 – Hmm, no one else here yet. I wonder if anyone else is coming or if today is THE DAY.
0657 – So, if no one else posts, do I (a) go home and post a fake backblast, (b) go home and never post a backblast or (c) sadclown the workout I had orignally planned.
0659 – Hmm, no one else yet. Interesting. Leaning toward option (b).
0700 – Aww crap, I was ready to do it anyway. Might as well get to it. Here we go. Holy cow it’s wet!
Mosey away from parking lot and into the gloom.
0702 – Hey, who’s that pulling into the lot. Guess I’ll circle back and check it out…
The PAX were light and the workout was solid. Backblast is late (for me), so I’m gonna make is short and sweet:
run around school, COP (SSH, IW, merkins, flutters, etc.), run 2/3 mile, BEAST (merkin, squat, flutter, carolina dry dock, sister mary catherine, lbcs), run to playground for circuit training (pullups, dips, squats), repeato x3, run 2/3 mile, rock work (curls, squats, deadlift, overhead presses), run back to recordbreaking COT.
Moleskine:
– Really glad I didn’t have to workout alone. That would have sucked. Would have sucked even more because it’s been so long since I’ve worked out alone. Felt kind of like Kevin Arnold being left home alone in area51.
– DK hates to run, but he’s fast so at least he doesn’t have to run as long as some people to get the job done.
– If you ever find yourself working out in a group of 2, do not circle up. Do not square up. Line up shoulder to shoulder and workout like men. gaze into the distance, not each others’ eyes. That’s just weird. Same rule probably applies to groups of 3 or 4. I wouldn’t know. There was only 2 of us.
– Hope everyone had a nice spring break and/or enjoyed the fartsack on Saturday. You missed a great workout, awesome fellowship … and long gazes into the distance.
Relentless
I’m pretty sure I got everyone’s attention last night when I pre-tweeted that today’s workout would be intense with the disclaimer in full effect. If they didn’t see the tweet, then they surely heard me when I repeated my encouragement/warning/disclaimer at 0529. Anvil has been attracting a nice mix of strong vets and relatively newish PAX, and in the ever present tension between pushing ourselves while leaving no man behind, I knew the disclaimer would be needed today. The good news: we didn’t lose anyone. The equally good news: everyone got a nice, strenuous 45 minute workout in this morning.
PAX properly disclaimed, we moseyed into the extra gloomy morning.
Mosey to Rock Pile and pick a heavy rock. Ok, everyone put down your rock and pick a heavier rock. Raise boulder to shoulder and mosey to the COP.
COP
– Drop boulder
– SSH x25
– 10 burpees OYO
– Pick-up boulder to perform Rock Combo: squat/curl/overhead press. 10 Rock Combos OYO
– Drop boulder
The Circuit
– Run to Entrance #4, bear crawl down first half, run to bottom, 10 hand-release merkins, sprint up Entrance #4 and run back to your rock.
– 10 burpees OYO
– 10 Rock Combos OYO
– Run to bottom of North Face, sprint up North Face, 10 jump squats, run back to your rock.
– 10 burpees OYO
– 10 Rock Combos OYO
Break up into 2 groups: Group 1 runs toward Entrance #4, Group 2 runs toward North Face.
Continue with same circuit as above until Q calls time, repeating Circuit as many times as possible.
Q calls plank to regroup. Time for some Mary.
– Plankorama (focus on form)
– Flutter with Rock Press x25 (hold em, feet and rocks)
– Heels-to-Heaven (no Rock) x10
Shoulder your boulder, return boulder to rock pile, run back for COT near cars.
Moleskine:
– Nice work today, fellas. The strong guys pushed it and the moderate guys hung in there and at least appeared to give it their all (hard to tell in the dark and I’m not your mother so it’s on you anyway). I’m pretty sure this workout was pretty good (I never can tell how intense a workout is when I Q, although I will say that this workout failed to let up and kept coming back for more) and will make a reappearance when you least expect it. I might even get super creative and come up with a name for it someday.
– Disclaimer was emphasized because (a) I knew modification may be necessary for some folks and (b) North Face in the dark early morning gloom truly is an expedition. North Face is awesome, use at your own risk.
– Champagne gets a special shout out for going at this with a weight vest. Well done, brother.
– Prayers for Lobster Roll’s friend and family (cobains – I forgot to write down the name) who just lost wife/mother to sarcoma.
Announcements:
– See the email of the week. If you don’t receive the weekly email please ask a friendly site Q to get you set up.
Preblast: Kum-ba-yah Allegretto
On Thursday at Devil’s Turn, we will put all the bickering and rhetoric aside about who is the fastest workout in Area51. Instead we will unite and run as one, SOB and Twitcher, young and old, Flightless Bird and Dandy in a tempo run at Allegretto pace (you do the math). Singing kum-ba-yah is optional (and if you are able to sing while running at tempo pace, you should be running faster).
To keep all Devil’s Turn attendees on their toes (yes, that means you Frasier, Fletch, and Turkey Leg), we will attempt a progressive difficulty matrix to calculate how many miles an individual will run during the 55 minute workout. We will run the standard route out to S. Charlotte Middle school with everyone starting at 5:15 am from the greenway parking lot at the corner of Rea Rd. and Bevington Place. The matrix calculates when you must leave the track depending on your expected tempo pace in order for all PAX to reach the parking lot at the same time at 6:10 am. This also means the faster you run, the longer you run. Seems fair right?
Here’s the matrix:
As always, there are options to modify any portion of the plan as needed. The idea is to have everyone start together, see each other multiple times on the track for back slap and high five opportunities, and then arrive back at the parking lot together. That is all.
Put on your MAD PJS
25 pax entered the gloom this morning for a hike followed by a full body beat down.
The Thang:
Mosey to Track for COP
Mountain Climbers x 20
Diamond Merkins x 15
Seal Jax x 20
Jump Lunges x 20
Peter Parkers x 15
Mosey through woods to playground
Partner up
MAD PJS (Exercise with Partner Switch)
Partner 1 run, Partner 2 Exercise then FlapJack
Merkins
Air presses
Dips
Pull ups
Jump squats
Squats
Plank up when done
Repeat x 2, Donkey kicks instead of dips 2nd round
Mosey to hill
Bear crawl up and jog down x 5
Plankorama
Crab walk up and jog down x 3
Plank
Take long way back to parking area for Mary
Moleskine: The workout this morning was pretty much non-stop for 45 minutes, with maybe just a few minutes to catch our collective breath. YHC lost his wienke on the trail, but luckily, the acronym stuck and all exercises were recalled. Bear crawls and crab walks are always a crowd favorite.
Announcements:
3rd F at noon Bojangles and after the workout at Pipe Glen Starbucks
Sign up for Golf Tourney
Busch looking for attorney to deal with immigration issues
Mission: Get Logs Placed In New AO
5 spirited and excited SPEARHEAD men had 1 mission with several objectives today at our new Tuesday AO (Boyce Park via. McAlpine Greenway Sardis Rd and Old Bell). 1) Get a great training Log from the Pile at Old Bell, 2) Ruck Log to Boyce Park in 20 Minutes, 3) Suffer through intense Hill work, 4)Log PT and 5) Time Hack back to Old Bell by 06:15. Outcome…All objectives met and exceeded expectations!
The Thang
Mosey to stack of freshly cut down trees
Objective #1: Pick out perfect 5 man Log
Objective #2: Ruck Log to Boyce Park in 20 minutes
Result: 16:46 seconds – Great work team. Reward (see Objective #3, hehe)
Objective #3: Hill Work
P1 “Strapless Ruck” – Sprint down paved hill 1/4 miles to bottom, turn around, sprint back up. Total 1/2 Mile Hill Run
P2 Non-Stop Burpees until P2 returns
Flapjack
Result: SMOKED! Reward (see Objective #4)
Objective #4: TEAM Log PT
– Merkins on Log x 40
– Overhead Press Shoulder to Shoulder x 20
– Hold Press x 30 Seconds
– Team Log Squats x 30
– Flutter Kick Over Log x 50
– Seal Team Team Sit Ups x 33
Result: Smoked. Reward (See Objective #5)
Objective #5: Time Hack Back to Old Bell in 12 Minutes
Result: Goal Achieved 11:52 seconds
COT
Moleskin:
Awesome work all around team! The worst part for me was the hill work. T-Claps to BTB who OWNED that hill. He beat me and BLC by at least a minute….that man is a power walking machine!
Dora came out to the new AO today with a new look….may take some time to get used to so if you haven’t seen it, make sure to get out here next week as he is up for Q next Tuesday at the new AO. I promise it will be one that you will not want to miss!
Clueless continues to be the most interesting person I’ve ever known. Does anyone remember the exact quote he made today in regards to Humans being units of measure, or something like that??
BLC and I are doing the GRC again Friday….and the new rule is it’s going to be a “silent” challenge. If interested to see what that is like, come on out and shadow.
Sorry for the late post as work took all my time today…go figure, I actually have to work at the job and can’t mess around with posts….the new boss is Intense…lol.
As always, TY for letting me Q again and for coming out to the new AO!
Respectfully – The Hoff
Fast Twitch Muscles
13 men chose this morning to be awesome and posted at #F3FastTwitch. Here’s the work we did this morning:
The Thang
A little baby jog for a couple of laps around the cars (just to take multiple looks at Spack’s new FX4 pickup truck) with some high knees and butt kicks thrown in to warm up the legs. Then a mosey to the teacher’s lot in front of the school for COP.
- Side straddle hops – 25, in cadence
- Imperial walkers – 20, in cadence
- Mountain climbers – 20, in cadence
Enough of that so we took off at brisk pace from the school down Woodfox to Rounding Run, stopping at one of YHC’s favorite hills on Rising Meadow. Two lines at the bottom light post for hill sprint intervals to the light post atop the hill.
- 2 hill sprints at 50%-60%, mosey back down
- 8 hill sprints at all you got, mosey back down
- 2 hill sprints at 50%-60%, mosey back down
We gathered ourselves for the run up to Raintree Lane. Stopped there for a brief plank-o-rama. From there, we ran a solid pace to the first street sign on Willow Point. Here’s what we did on Willow Point:
- Sprint to first street sign, plank – 15 merkins, in cadence
- Sprint to second street sign, plank – 15 wide-arm merkins, in cadence
- Sprint to third street sign, on your six – 20 flutter kicks, in cadence
- Sprint to dead end, on your six – 25 dollies, in cadence
Mosey through the blockades and line up for Indian Run from behind the Arbo Walmart back towards home base. Along the way, we made a stop at the grassy knoll on 51 between Serendipity and Strawberry.
- 11s – backwards run up the hill, jump squats at the top, merkins at the bottom (10-1, 9-2, 8-3,,,,,1-10)
- Jacob’s Ladder – 7 times up (forwards this time) with increasing burpees at the top
- Chair plank while everyone finished.
Solid pace run back to the SCMS bus parking lot. Circle up for a couple minutes of Mary.
- Little baby crunches – 20, in cadence
- Reverse crunches – 20, in cadence
Done. COT.
Moleskin
As stated in the pre-game disclaimer, YHC is not a professional. However, YHC does have access to the world wide web. The #F3FastTwitch muscles are built for explosive strength and optimum athletic performance. Today’s workout was meant to work on those muscles.
Hills sprints are always a crowd pleaser. 8 all you got up the Rising Meadow 50 yard hill definitely got the legs firing. Gummy claimed the distance between the light posts got longer each time. Spackler’s time check after each mosey down to the bottom didn’t help morale.
The all you got sprints on the flats at Willow Point were different but still worked on our explosion. At the dead end, FT FNG Horsehead brought forth another explosion, unleashing an unwelcomed spirit on the Pax. Smelled like he ate a ‘possum biscuit before the workout. Total Q failure, in that YHC had us at the dead end, with no way out except to meander through the fog. Lightheaded, we pressed on for the Indian Run.
With old 45 minute time limit, we would have pressed on towards the school. But the full hour brings forth more options for pain. The 11 times backwards run up the grassy knoll with jump squats at the top…complete fast twitch muscle combustion. Although about half-way through, the burn went away, as complete numbness set in. Still we had enough time for a Jacob’s Ladder. Chelms complained.
Afterwards, some of us gushed over Spackler’s new FX4 bad in black pickup truck. It’s got a pretty big bed for hauling stuff, so keep that in mind Pax. Spack (33) said it was his mid-life crisis…but, sadly, he’s probably already well into his 2nd half.
Welcome to site FNGs Horsehead and Prohibition. Solid work by all. Thanks for the opportunity to lead such a strong group. #F3FastTwitch remains the elite Tuesday workout.
Announcements
New Thursday morning moderate intensity workout launching May 1 in Matthews. Slim Fast and Geraldo are the site Qs. Start EH’ing.