Backblasts

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Group Dynamics

AO:  The Patriot

QIC: Lucius

THE PAX: 

Bone; Brown Bag; JAG; Jenner; Lazlo; Maj. Payne; Mayberry; Prenup; Shark Week; TÏesto; Sunshine

THE WARM UP:

SSH; Mosey; Imperial Walkers; Mosey; LBACs; Mosey; LBACs; Mosey; Moroccan Nightclubs; Mosey; Cherry Pickers; Merkins; Downward Dog; 1x Burpee

THE THANG:

Station-to-Station: The PAX split into four-man teams, then moved through exercise stations, including:  2 x Over-the-Fence Sandbag Clean and Toss;  1 x CB Farmer’s Carry; 1 x Overhead CB Carry; 1 x Balls-to-the-Wall challenge; 1 x Build-an-8-Count (5 x Merkins; 5 x Plank Jacks; 5 x BWS; 5 x 8-count Body Builders); 2 x Sandbag Pull-Thru; 4 x Four Flights of CB Carry.  All exercises performed with a smile on the PAX’s faces.

Bear-i-Cides:  The PAX assembled on the goal line for a 150-yard bear-crawl suicide,  bear crawling to the 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 yard lines, running back to the goal line, then performing a convergence rest exercise to pick up the six.  Rest exercises included 10x BWS, Plank Jacks, Merkins, Al Gores, Plank.

THE MARY: 

Round-Robin Abs including Flutter Kicks; Speed Bike; Toy Soldiers; LBCs; & MLBCs (More LBCs)

THE COT: 

Today’s exercises emphasized moving as a team and picking up the six.  We finished what we started as a group, leaving no man behind.  As we enter the holiday season, do not forget to support, motivate, and check in with your friends, family, and F3 brothers.

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Black Friday Madness

AO: The Patriot

QIC: Maj Payne
The PAX: 
Sunshine

Mayberry
Bambino
Jag
5 PAX assembled this Black Friday in the gloom for some shopping madness. It was a bit complicated, but all prevailed and received an appropriate beatdown. Here what happened:
WU: 
15 x SSH
15 x IW
15 x BWS
15 x Merkins
The Thang: Mosey to the center of the field where the shopping PAX gathered for instructions. YHC scrawled exercises onto cards and dispersed them across the field at each hash mark spanning out from the 50 yard line (40, 30, 20, 10 and goal line): mountain climbers, BWS, Merkins, jump squats, Bonnie Blairs, burpees, hand release Merkins, double Merkin burpees, triple Merkin burpees, 4x4s.
PAX split into two teams, and then bear crawled out to gather the exercise cards. This is the shopping portion of the Black Friday beatdown.
Once PAX recovered all exercise cards back at the 50, it was time to wrap gifts. PAX paired exercise cards with two playing cards from a card deck to form a complete package. Playing cards designated the number of reps per exercise.
Additionally, teams had two “Double Discount” cards they could add to two of the 10 packages. Double Discount cards, if included in a package, would mean that receiving team must complete the exercises they gave AND received. Presenting team would mosey back and forth across the field from sideline to sideline while opposing team knocked out all exercises. If both teams gave a Double Discount to each other simultaneously, they would cancel each other out.
The PAX next exchanged gifts with enthusiasm. It’s not clear exactly what happened, although YHC does remember being a recipient of a Double Discount treat fairly early on that included 16 x 4x4s and 13 x burpees, and then blacking our for the remainder of the beatdown. Time always flies quickly during these, and Black Friday shopping was no exception.
No time for Mary.
COT: Only in America do we trample each other for sales exactly one day after being thankful for all we already have. Yes, it’s crazy. Be thankful today and all days that despite its craziness, we live in the best country in the world. Go out and continue to make it better in all you do!
Aye!
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That Beatdown’s Got Legs

We were 5 strong at the Compound this morning: Adman, Nano, Sidecar, YNAB & Monk.

As I made my DEINKE yesterday evening, I got the idea of typing “legs” into the Exicon and came up with this:

Warm-up: SSH, Arm circles, Dogs, Cobra, Rockette Hillbillies, Mountain Man Poopers, mosey to Market parking deck, which has about 8 flights of stairs, or at least it felt like it.

The Thang:

Thang 1: A version of the Leg Wrecker + Everest: One group holds an Al Gore. The other group climbs a flight of stairs by zombie walk (this looks idiotic but takes coordination), and holds Al Gore (this just looks idiotic). The other group zombie-walks a flight to catch the other group. Alternate this way to the top deck, where we performed … 

Thang 2: 11’s with Mike Tysons on one end and No Surrenders on the other. Then back down the stairs by …

Thang 3: Grizzcalator to descend the stairs, one at a time in plank position, with a merkin on each stair. With 0615 fast approaching, we moseyed back to while talking about the …

Announcements: I forgot what they were. Did I mention my 52nd b’day is just over a month away? I’ll post a wish list soon.

Really enjoyed this crew this morning. Looking forward to Turkey Trot around Lake Accotink tomorrow at 0700 (that was one of the announcements.)

Monk-out

 

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The Oak Grove Olympics

AO: The General

QIC: Traveler

PAX: Jenner, Major Payne, Prenup, Horsepunch, Toolbox, Sub Prime

The PAX voyaged to nearby Oak Grove Park where they made unconventional use of park infrastructure for the beatdown.

Warmup: SSH, arm circles, imperial walkers. Moseyed to Oak Grove Park, with a brief pit stop for Merkins.

The Thang:

One at time, the PAX did 5 flights of stair repeats while everyone else AMRAPed an exercise that the stair-climbing PAX prescribed. We quickly realized that the incentives were misaligned for the stair-climbing PAX to climb slowly while everyone else grinded through the exercise they suggested. Exercises included Burpees, Freddie Mercuries, Bonnie Blairs, Merkins, Flutter Kicks, and Bear Crawl (in a circle).

Inspired by a Jenner playground circuit at a different park in the AO, YHC devised a circuit in the Oak Grove Park playground. The loop included: 10 Dips on the slide, Bear Crawl along the ledge of the playground, 10 box [picnic bench] jumps, Bear Crawl along the other ledge, and 4 pullups on a rope hanging between two slides. The PAX did as many rounds as possible in a 5 minute window. Surprisingly, no injuries were sustained while completing this course in the gloom.

PAX moseyed to an entrance ramp to the park which had a dual-railing – a top rail for Australian Merkins and a bottom rail to hold the feet for sit-ups. While one PAX did a set of 20 Bonnie Blairs, the rest AMRAPed on Australian Merkins. Then while the next PAX completed Bonnie Blairs, the rest AMRAPed on sit-ups. PAX kept rotating between Australian Merkins and sit-ups until everyone completed their set of Bonnie Blairs.

We finished our time in Oak Grove Park with a homemade Pentathlon. The PAX made their way around the track on the perimeter of the park, completing a different workout at each of the 5 signposts around the track. The exercises were: 10 Burpees, 15 Merkins, 20 Jump Squats, 25 Toe Touches, and Walking Lunge / Frog Jump combination to the finish line.

Moseyed back to the field at The General.

Mary:

What’s better than 7 Minute Abs? 1 Minute Abs! With time running out, YHQ led the PAX in one minute of Gas Pedals in cadence.

CoT:

YHC was celebrating the newfound freedom of owning his first car, but recalled the wise words of the legendary Navy SEAL-turned-leadership-guru, Jocko Willink, and his motto – “Discipline Equals Freedom.” Freedom doesn’t mean doing whatever you want at any time. It means becoming whoever you want to be. This is accomplished not through spontaneity, but through the discipline to set goals and execute on them.

Announcements:

A new schedule is posted on The General slack channel! First up: Toolbox!

 

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Who’s Block is it Anyway?

AO: The Patriot

QIC: Lazlo

The PAX: 3 Mile, Prenup, FNG SwingLine, Lucius, Tiesto, Poe, Hightower, Jenner, 2 Percent, Sunshine, JAG, Bone, Bambino, Major Payne, Elvis

On a strangely warm morning, we had a Game Day Friday.

WARM UP: SSH; imperial walkers; cherry pickers, arm circles; mosey to the coupons to bring them down to the field

THA-THANG: 

GAME #1: Who’s Block is it Anyway (Hat tip: Bone for the name)

The PAX were divided into groups by careful scientific analysis of fitness level, blood O2, cognitive evaluation, and counting off by twos. The objective for each team was to move a coupon from one endzone to the other. Each point allowed the PAX to move the coupon one yard. To earn points, PAX were allowed to choose their exercises, with increasing points given to exercises of increasing difficulty. The exercises were:

1 point: 2 Merkins

2 points: Bear crawl to the 10 yard line, 20 Bobby Hurley’s

3 points: Bear crawl to the 20 yard line, 10 squat thrusters

5 points: Bear crawl to the 30 yard line, 5 man makers

8 points: Bear crawl to the 40 yard line, 20 yard traveling burpees

After the first round, degree of difficulty increased for another round where points awarded were 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

GAME #2: Get Off of My Lawn!

Still dividing into two groups, the coupons were even split with half on each sideline. The objective was to get all of the coupons to the other team’s sideline. To move a coupon, the PAX had to do an exercise of their choosing. As the exercises got easier, they got longer to incur a greater time penalty. The exercises were:

-10 Burpees

-20 Frog jumps, 10 SSH

-20 Carolina dry docks, 20 SSH

-15 Flutter kicks IC, 30 SSH

-30 LBCs, 40 SSH

After generous helpings of both mumblechatter and shenanigans, it was time for Mary.

MARY: WWIIs, toy soldiers, flutter kicks

COT: We talked about the F3 Mission Statement: Our mission is to plant, grow and serve small workout groups for men for the invigoration of male community leadership.

And the F3 credo: Leave no man behind, but leave no man where you find him.

Both are important aspects of why we meet and what we do at stupid hours of the morning in all kinds of weather, but are also valuable thoughts in other aspects of your life. Plant. Grow. Serve. Leave things better than you found them. Aye!