Armies

AO: Patriot

QIC: Citrus

PAX: Cable Guy, Jenner, Lazlo, Lucius, Maguire, MySpace, Piccolo, Spokes, Wedding Singer, YHC

WARMUP: SSH, Hillbillies, imperial walkers, WMH, windmills, cherry pickers, downward dog

THE THANG:
If results are the only thing that matter, then today went exactly as planned – all arms were smoked. If following a plan to perfection is what counts…well, YHC wasn’t perfect.

As designed, the PAX partnered up, and there were 10 stations:

  • Coupon Shoulder Press
  • Coupon Chest Press
  • Coupon Curls
  • Coupon Tricep Press
  • Coupon Atlas Press
  • Air Press
  • Merkins
  • Plank
  • Dry docks
  • Shoulder Taps

YHC had planned for two 10 minute AMRAPs with an intricate competition that involved counting cumulative reps, prizes, and penalties. Turns out that moving quickly between stations, having partners working at different speeds, and aggregating counts isn’t easy.

Instead, the PAX did the following as partners, hitting every station once:
5x 1 minute AMRAPs
Fellowship lap (400m)
5x 1 minute AMRAPs
Fellowship lap (400m)

YHC mixed up the partners, then:
5x 1 minute AMRAPs
Fellowship lap (400m)

MARY: Flutter kick, LBC, ring of fire side planks

COT: "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face". Even for the COT, adaptation is key. After reusing yesterday’s COT this morning, YHC realized he missed a golden opportunity to invoke the sage pugilist, Michael Gerard Tyson. When the plan got punched in the face this morning, it was time to modify the approach. Be prepared to roll with it, today and everyday. That doesn’t mean "abandon the goal" – it means, do the work and be prepared to change things up on the fly.

Neighborly Fun Run & Playground of Pain at FreeState

AO: #FreeState
QIC: @Horshack
PAX: 3 – @Deagle and @CashOnly

Warm Up:

  • SSH x 25 IC
  • Imperial Walkers x 15 IC
  • Windmills x 15 IC
  • Burpees x 10 IC
  • Michael Phelps x 15 IC
  • Cherry Pickers x 15 IC

The Thang:

  • One mile Indian Run to GlenMar Park
  • AMRAP Circuit #1 (40 on / 20 off)
    • Box Jumps
    • Dips
    • Squats
    • Monkey Bars (ouch, we’re not 10 years old anymore!)
  • Mosey to Tennis Court
    • Tennis-cides x 2
  • AMRAP Circuit #2 (40 on / 20 off)
    • Step Ups
    • Decline Merkins
    • Alternating Lunges
    • Assisted Pull Ups
  • Recovery one mile run back to #freeState

Mary – straight through, no break

  • American Hammer x 10 IC
  • Freddie Mercuries x 10 IC
  • Side Crunches x 10 each side IC
  • Flutters x 10 IC

COT: Q-Source (Q1.8: Whetstone)

  • A knife is sharpened by a whetstone
  • To whet is to put on an edge so that it is sharp, ready for use, and dynamic
  • HIMs act as a whetstone to sharpen other men – aka "Blades" (Stephen Covey calls it "sharpening the saw")
  • In Q-Source vernacular, "Sharpening" is the process by which a whetstone equips a blade for leadership.
  • HIMs don’t wait for retirement to serve as a mentor or "Stone" for others
  • Mentorship helps the Stone as much as it helps the Blade
  • The Whetstone relationship helps close a HIM’s own hypocrisy gap
  • Helping a "Blade" build guardrails takes a HIM out if his own selfishness and self-delusion (the fuels of hypocrisy)
  • Using straight talk and taking hard looks at ourselves – both the Stone and Blade are better prepared for life come what may

Q-School at Atlantis

AO: Atlantis

QIC: Infinity

The PAX: Boomer, Deflator, Bratwurst, Hammerhead, Grease Monkey, and Khakis

Disclaimer: At the start of your workout, you need to give the disclaimer. Specifically, this is a free, volunteer, peer-led workout. You are not a professional. You also have no knowledge of any injuries or fitness considerations. It is each person’s responsibility to be safe and modify exercises if you need to.

Also, while COVID-19 restrictions are in place, inform the PAX that the workout will allow social distancing, and that all should maintain social distancing during the workout.

WarmUp: It’s best to start with some type of light exercises to warm up the group. Think of muscles like taffy… when cold, snapping happens easier. When warm, nice and smooth.

Review how to lead basic counted exercises. This is probably the trickiest part for new Qs. Calling Cadence in the F3 style serves a number of purposes:

  • Creates rhythm which distracts the mind from the task at hand

  • Builds teamwork by synchronizing PAX and creating focus

  • Not knowing the number of reps discourages budgeting of effort; you get used to going as long as you have to

Proper Cadence Sequence

  • “The next exercise is…” [pause] “Side Straddle Hop!” (or name of other exercise)

  • “Starting Position…” [pause] “Move!”

  • “In Cadence…” [pause] “Exercise!” (begin count 1..2..3)

Other Notes

  • Leader counts the cadence, (1 … 2 … 3 … ), with each number generally corresponding to one movement of the exercise; pax count the repetitions ( … ONE). For many exercises, a completed four-count will correspond to two repetitions of an exercise.

  • Altering inflection on last rep signals that it’s time to “HALT!”

  • “Recover!” is the signal that the set is complete; absent a call of “Recover!,” pax should hold their final position at completion of the last rep and await further instruction

Have the PAX take turns leading the warmup exercises:

  • SSH, Michael Phelps, Cherry Pickers, Butt Kickers, and Mosey around field.

The Thang: Put together your plan. Check out the exercise database (Exicon) on F3Nation.com for inspiration. Lots of great exercises, and new Qs frequently find something new here to bring out. Only one rule applies: If you can’t do it, don’t Q it!

Plan more exercises than there is workout time–you don’t want to get caught empty-handed.

Demonstrate leading the first round, and then rotate among the PAX for leading the second round:

  • 100m Sprint

  • 10 Merkins

  • 15 Flutter Kicks IC

  • 20 Air Squats

Objective: Focusing on proper form accomplishes two objectives simultaneously. Proper form gives maximum exercise benefit and prevents injury. If you can’t do it, don’t Q it. Once your form suffers, halt exercise. Keep your eyes on the Pax. If you are losing more than 10 – 20 percent, halt and move on to the next exercise.

  • DO: Model proper form

  • DO: Be knowledgeable about proper form

  • DON’T: Prescribe one way to do an exercise. Modify as needs require.

Demonstrate leading the first round, and then rotate among the PAX for leading the second round:

  • 25m Bear Crawl

  • 10 CDDs IC

  • 10 Australian Snow Angels IC

  • 10 Reverse Lunges IC

Getting Prepped, General Info

  • Start on time. Wear a watch. End on time.

  • Be prepared for your lead to be more strenuous physically than you think. Counting cadence while you exercise can make it harder to breathe.

  • Remember you have help. If for any reason you want someone to grab a part of the workout even while you are out there, speak up.

  • When you screw up or fail, keep calm and drive on… count louder and push forward. As Dredd says, “When falling, dive!”

Demonstrate leading the first round, and then rotate among the PAX for leading the second round:

  • 50m Standing Long Jumps

  • 20 Overhead Claps IC

  • 20 Reverse Merkins

  • 10 Box Cutters

Getting Prepped, General Info

  • Every man thrashed, no man left behind. To promote “you versus you” but also to keep the PAX together, offer extra credit to the frontrunners via burpees, planks, merkins, etc.

  • Don’t take unnecessary risks or do stupid stuff. The Pax is looking for leadership and will follow often before thinking if they’re getting a great workout.

  • Think of CoT words in advance.

  • HAVE FUN. F3 groups are always supportive of new Qs. We love to see new people stepping up.

Mary: Take turns having the PAX lead the Mary:

Big Boi Sit-Ups, Penguin Crunches, LBCs, and 30s Plank.

Announcements: Hammerhead (QIC) and Deflator (Co-Q) will lead next week’s workout!

CoT: F3 stands for fitness, fellowship, and faith. F3 began in 2011, in Charlotte, North Carolina, when two friends, Dredd and OBT in Charlotte started a boot camp style workout for men, beginning on New Years Day, 1/1/11. Based on the high level of interest, the two came to realize that men needed something more than society was currently giving them; specifically, a male camaraderie that encourages growth and improvement.

F3 Core Values: The workouts have to:

  • Be free of charge

  • Be open to all men

  • Be held outdoors, rain or shine, heat or cold

  • Be led by men who participate in the workout in a rotating fashion, with no training or certification necessary

  • End with a Circle of Trust

F3 Mission: To plant, grow, and serve small workout groups for men for the invigoration of male community leadership.

Dogeball to the moon!

AO: The General

QIC: Citrus

PAX: D’artagnan, Fairweather, Lazlo, Maj. Payne, Toolbox, Trolley, YHC

WARMUP: SSH, Hillbillies, imperial walkers, merkins, WMH, cherry pickers, merkins, downward dog, merkins

THE THANG:
PART 1: Bobby Ricky (There may be a real name for this, but YHC couldn’t find it in the Exicon. Nor did he look very hard.)

PAX run single file with the leader holding a 20lb slamball. After 1 minute, leader hands to the PAX behind him, and peels off to be the 6. Repeat until everyone spends a minute on point.

Originally intended to just be around the track, this part was useful for getting to the other side of the stadium when YHC found that the locks had been changed at the AO.

PART 2: Dogeball
In partners (with a group of 3), lineup on the goal line, with each group having their own Dogeball (dodgeball). Each group does 100 yards of an exercise together, then hold Al Gore at the other goal line until everyone finishes. Along the way, the group can attempt to shorten their distance by having one partner throw their Dogeball to the other partner. If he catches, the group jogs to that point and resumes the exercise from there.

But, just like its namesake, Dogecoin, there are no guarantees in Dogeball. If the PAX dropped the Dogeball, the group got a 5 burpee penalty, AND had to return to the spot of the throw to complete their exercise.

The PAX jogged the return trip as a group, passing all of the Dogeballs between everyone. There was no winning here – only a 2 burpee penalty for everyone if any ball hit the ground. Or 4 burpees thanks to Trolley managing to knock another Dogeball out of the air with his Dogeball. Don’t hate the player, hate the game.

The exercises we got through were:
* Lt Dan
* Inchworm (alternate partners working, so ~50 yards each)
* Bunny hop
* Bear Crawl (with bonus 3rd throw carrying 10 burpee penalty)
* Lunge walk (with bonus 3rd throw carrying 10 burpee penalty)

MARY: LBC, American Hammer, Flutter Kick, Snow Devil, Penguin, Freddie Mercury, Black Widow

COT: This quote from actor Mads Mikkelsen reminds us that being too focused on the end result of our careers will most likely lead to disappointment. That doesn’t mean to wander aimlessly – act purposefully, but make what you are doing "now" the most important thing.

“My approach to what I do in my job — and it might even be the approach to my life — is that everything I do is the most important thing I do. Whether it’s a play or the next film. It is the most important thing. I know it’s not going to be the most important thing, and it might not be close to being the best, but I have to make it the most important thing. That means I will be ambitious with my job and not with my career. That’s a very big difference, because if I’m ambitious with my career, everything I do now is just stepping-stones leading to something — a goal I might never reach, and so everything will be disappointing. But if I make everything important, then eventually it will become a career. Big or small, we don’t know. But at least everything was important.”

AMRAP, AMRAP, AMRAP

AO: Horizon
QIC: @sticks
The PAX: @3mile, @oldbay, @kodiak, @lightspeed, @disco, @attache, @sticks
WarmUp: SSH, cherry pickers, Michael Phelps, imperial walkers
The Thang:
AMRAP 1 – 10 minutes
5 Thrusters
15 up right rows
15 Big Boy Sit Ups
200 m run

AMRAP 2 – 10 minutes
6 handstand pushups
18 coupon curls
18 Tricep Push
24 Air Squats

AMRAP 3 – 7 minutes
3 Burpees
20 Mountain Climbers
50 Step ups
Mary: Stretching: Triangle, Reverse Triangle, Sit and Reach
COT: Minute of silence