Ace of Burpees

AO: The General

QIC: Traveler

PAX: Dr. D, Trolley, JAG, Sub Prime, Sam Adams, FNG Romo

After a big thunderstorm the night before, the PAX gathered on the damp morning turf for a little card game. Respect for all PAX who stuck around after the CoT for some EC to finish the rest of the deck.

Warmup: 15 of each: Arm Circles, SSH, Imperial Walkers, Cherry Pickers

The Thang:

Deck of Cards Workout – Each suit is a different exercise:

  1. Hearts: Burpees
  2. Diamonds: Merkins
  3. Spades: Sit-ups
  4. Clubs: Jump Squats

PAX circled up and took turns drawing cards. Whoever drew the card led the PAX in the workout that the suit of the card indicated, in the quantity of whatever the number on the card was (eg. 8 of Hearts means 8 burpees). Face cards represented numbers 11-14.

Every two times going around the circle, PAX lined up to sprint the length of the football field and back as a “rest.”

This started off pretty casually, but the intensity quickly ratcheted up when we started drawing multiple hearts (aka burpees) in a row. YHC didn’t reveal the existence of Jokers in the deck until they were drawn, but the Jokers signified a 50-yard bear crawl. The pinnacle was in the 3rd round when the consecutive cards drawn were: Joker, then Ace of Burpees, then another Joker. All were huffing and puffing after that trio and were left wondering who shuffled the deck.

In the interest of time, we stopped before finishing the deck. However, all 7 PAX stuck around for some EC after the CoT to finish up the last 5 cards. Deck completed.

Circle of Trust: After celebrating Father’s Day last weekend, YHC reflected on lessons learned from his own father, inspired by his famous mantra: “Once a task is first begun, never leave it til it’s done. Be the labor large or small, do it well or not at all.” YHC’s take on it is to not be satisfied with doing a task or act of service just “good enough”, but really putting your all into it. We all notice good service when we are the recipient of it, yet often cut corners when completing tasks ourselves. But the attention to detail can really make other people’s days. Going the extra mile and completing our tasks with “excellence” helps us not only build a great reputation, but can have a profound impact on those around us. 

Black Jack & Dominoes

AO:  The Patriot

QIC: Lucius

THE PAX: Apollo; Jag; Jenner; Lazlo; Maj. Payne; Noodle; Poe; Sunshine; Vegan

WARM UP: SSH; LBACs, Downward dog; Merkins; fellowship lap

THE THANG:  

After retrieving cinderblocks and taking them for a short mosey, the PAX engaged in a fun morning of black jack and exercise.

The PAX took turns drawing cards to determine number of exercise reps.  If the PAX’s cards added up to less than 21, they did that number of reps, then a short run, followed by burpees to make up the difference to 21.

If the PAX’s cards exceeded 21, they did all 21 reps, a short bear crawl or Everest climb, then burpees to make the difference between 21 and the total drawn.

Exercises included:

  • Derkins;
  • CB Curls;
  • Step-Ups;
  • Dips;
  • CB lion kings (squat-press); and
  • 4x4s (only 15 completed — modify as necessary);
  • Derkins;
  • CB Curls; and
  • CB lion kings (squat-press).

THE MARY:  31 flutter kicks

COT:  Some say that fitness is the “first domino to fall,” meaning that if one drops his fitness routine and commitment to his health, other aspects of his life will similarly slide.  Thanks to the PAX for encouraging each other not to let this domino fall.

 

F3TheCapital Rough Rider Convergence – Year One

AO: Theodore Roosevelt Island

QIC: Maj Payne, Early Bird and Hightower

The PAX: EarlyBird, Horshack, Bus Stop, Winkelvoss, Fonda, Miller Time, Cousin Eddie, FNG Brady, Dr. D, Subprime, Poe, Lucius, Deflator, JAG, Bone, Jenner, FishFry, Mule, Nano, PopFly, Hickory, Sam Adams, Buffet, Gatsby, 2.0 Apollo, 2.0 Banner, 2.0 PB, 2.0 Pinetar, 2.0 FNG Padawan.

It was a bright sunny and warm day in the Capital, which didn’t exactly seem like the gloom, but it would do. 32 PAX gathered on sacred F3 ground — at Theodore Roosevelt Island. The day marked one year since our F3 brothers from Carpex and Churham launched F3TheCapital officially, and the beatdown proved to be epic. Greatest was the addition of three new AOs recently.  “The Highlands” launched this past Thursday at Virginia Highlands park in Pentagon City, and we’re adding two AOs in Alexandria to our map at Ft. Hunt and Mt Vernon high schools!

It was important to honor the island’s namesake, and we definitely did the Rough Rider himself proud.  Here’s how it went down…

EC: Three hearty souls, Lucius, Hightower and Maj Payne, wandered the streets of Georgetown, walking from Key Bridge to Theodore Roosevelt Bridge and back for a bit of EC rucking.  Great ideas were raised by all (mostly Lucius) about which Go Ruck event we should enter next.

Warm up: 10 x SSH, 6 Burpees, 10 x Imperial Walkers, 5 x Burpees, 10 x Willie Mays Heys, 4 x Burpees, 10 x Cherry Pickers, 3 x Burpees, 10 x Little Bitty Arm Circles (Front and Back), 2 x Burpees, 10 x Merkins IC, 1 x Burpee.

Thang #1 (Maj PAyne Q):

Mosey along the island trails, stopping occasionally for a TR quote.  These quotes are worthy of consideration as we move along the path of life.  Reader squat holds and PAX perform the requisite exercise until the quote reading is complete:

Derkins: “Bodily vigor is good, and vigor of intellect is even better, but far above both is character. It is true, of course, that a genius may, on certain lines, do more than a brave and manly fellow who is not a genius; and so, in sports, vast physical strength may overcome weakness, even though the puny body may have in it the heart of a lion. But, in the long run, in the great battle of life, no brilliancy of intellect, no perfection of bodily development, will count when weighed in the balance against that assemblage of virtues, active and passive, of moral qualities, which we group together under the name of character; and if between any two contestants, even in college sport or in college work, the difference in character on the right side is as great as the difference of intellect or strength the other way, it is the character side that will win.”

Burpees: “Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children’s children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.”

Jump Lunges: “If there is one tendency of the day which more than any other is unhealthy and undesirable, it is the tendency to deify mere “smartness,” unaccompanied by a sense of moral accountability. We shall never make our republic what it should be until as a people we thoroughly understand and put in practice the doctrine that success is abhorrent if attained by the sacrifice of the fundamental principles of morality.”

Body Weight Squats: “Nothing in this world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty. No kind of life is worth leading if it is always an easy life. I know that your life is hard; I know that your work is hard; and hardest of all for those of you who have the highest trained consciences, and who therefore feel always how much you ought to do. I know your work is hard, and that is why I congratulate you with all my heart. I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life; I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.”

LBCs: “Life is a great adventure, and the worst of all fears is the fear of living. There are many forms of success, many forms of triumph. But there is no other success that in any shape or way approaches that which is open to most of the many, many men and women who have the right ideals. These are the men and the women who see that it is the intimate and homely things that count most. They are the men and women who have the courage to strive for the happiness which comes only with labor and effort and self-sacrifice, and only to those whose joy in life springs in part from power of work and sense of duty.”

Burpees: “There is not a man of us who does not at times need a helping hand to be stretched out to him, and then shame upon him who will not stretch out the helping hand to his brother.”

Merkins: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Dry Docks: “We despise and abhor the bully, the brawler, the oppressor, whether in private or public life, but we despise no less the coward and the voluptuary. No man is worth calling a man who will not fight rather than submit to infamy or see those that are dear to him suffer wrong.”

Thang #2 (Earlybird Q):

Jacob’s Ladder x 5 – run up hill, 2 burpees, repeat and increase burpees by 2 each additional time up

Dealers choice, sprint stairwell to stairwell, exercises at the top of each:
1 round pistol squats to 16    (Winklelvoss)
1 round protractor (Fonda)
1 round dips to 20 IC (Miller Time)
1 round Russian twists to 20 IC (Bus Stop)

Thang #3 (Hightower Q):
NanoShuffle: Split the PAX into 2 groups, with 5 coupons, objective to move the group to opposite end os Roosevelt memorial circle. Coupons start in rear, first pass medicine ball overhead, second pass block underneath, third pass block on right side, forth pass rucksack on left, fifth pass sandbag from your shoulder, then run to the front. Continue passing coupons until Group makes it to opposite side behind memorial.
Mary:
Mix of Superman’s, wide leg lifts, to flutter kicks

CoT (Hightower):

Special prayers to Nano’s dad and PopFly’s family.
Prayers to us fathers and our own fathers, as Sun we all celebrate Father’s Day.
Motivation that we all Carpe Diem, seize the day, don’t take these moments or granted.
Congratulations to all of us making our first anniversary with F3 The Capital.

Summer Sledding

Olympus Sat June 8

QIC: Hightower

PAX: HT, MajPayne, Rogue, PopFly, MisFire, NAFTA, BadaBoom, Nano, SnappyLunch, Mule, DR PAX GeekSquad F3 Chatt, FNG Blackbox (2.0’s) Vault, PB, Banner, Apollo

Warmup:
30 SSH’s, Good Morning & Hill Billy stretches, into downward dog calf & inverted hip stretch. Followed by fellowship jog around school, with intervals of karaoke, long jumps and egg shells.

The Thang:
Introduce Sled Games
3 Min Partner AMRAP’s:
Station 1: Uphill Sled push w partner plank, walk to bottom of hill & switch positions
Station 2: Partner 1 Overhead Seal claps & Partner 2 Mericans, switch as needed
Station 3: Partner bear crawl & pull pallet sled with cinder block
Station 4: Partner oblique twists with cinder block
Station 5: Partner climb shipping container
Station 6: Partner 1 Lateral sled pull 45#, rest, then Partner 2 pull sled. Rinse & repeat
Station 7: Partner 1 5 slap battle rope, then sled pull w block, then partner 2 rinse & repeat
Station 8: Partner 1 air squat with 30# Ruck, Partner 2 burpees, switch, then rinse & repeat

Mary:
Quick round every other PAX lead core exercises.

CoT:
Best wishes to SnappyLunch as he sets off to next posting in Colorado Springs!
Next Sat, June 15 AO at Teddy Rosevelt Island for 1 year Convergence
F3 regional Capital shirts should be here for Convergence

Empathy

AO:  The General

QIC: Lucius

THE PAX: Trolley, Major Payne, Jenner

WARM UP:
SSH; LBCs, Moroccan Night Clubs; Cherry Pickers; Don Quixotes; fellowship lap

Three PAX convened for a fun circuit with 22-lb pavers at the General, but needed a fourth PAX to make it work.  Maj. Payne’s attempts to recruit a fourth from the early-morning stadium crowd fell short.  YHC was unsure how this was going to play out.  Luckily, Trolley arrived just in time to save the work-out:

THE THANG:
After celebrating Trolley’s arrival, the PAX split into pairs.  While the first pair performed AMRAP of an exercise, the second pair ran to the far end of the field and back for a 200-yard timer and recovery run.  The pairs then flip-flopped.  Exercises included:

  • 21-count suicide curls (with 22-lb paver);
  • Plank jacks;
  • Squat thrusts (with 22-lb paver);
  • Merkins;
  • Everest climbers (lunge, lunge, squat);
  • Man Makers (with two 22-lb pavers);

The first set was so fantastic, the PAX performed a second, omitting the plank jacks on the second go-through.  1.25 miles run, with a few reps between.  Good Living!

The PAX next celebrated the morning with 20 shoulder-to-shoulder presses (with 22-lb pavers), then ran the stadium stairs for good measure.  PAX performed recovery burpees to pick up the six, then ran back to the pile of pavers for the Mary.

THE MARY:
PAX-led copy-cats (one-legged bridge exercise borrowed from neighboring exercise group); flutter kicks; WW Is, and Dollys-to-heaven.

COT:
In reading the book “Don’t Split the Difference” by former FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss, YHC was struck by the importance of displaying empathy—understanding for others’ viewpoints even if you don’t agree with them.  Hostage negotiators build empathy through active listening and language-mirroring techniques.  And the Q builds it by performing the workout with the PAX, instead of standing there with whistle, stopwatch, and clipboard.  YHC has always appreciated this aspect of F3.  We’re all suffering, including the Q.  Understanding others’ points of view can lead to productive outcomes, as proven at the General this morning.