Category: Patriot

AO: The Patriot

QIC: Traveler

PAX: Jenner, Major Payne, Bone, Dr. D, Moonshine, Da Parish, Noodle, Fish Fry, Prenup

VQ for YHC. Had to run the PAX through a nice beatdown for the inaugural Q. The PAX arrived to discover a surprise layer of ice on the field and track. Wasn’t it 70 degrees last weekend? Da Parish posted from F3 New Orleans and brought a little Cajun flair to the gloom.

Warmup: Butt kicks, high knees, Merkins, Frankensteins, arm circles

The Thang:

Morning Call: In honor of April’s pull-up challenge, the PAX started the workout on the pull-up bar. The PAX rotated through on the pull-up bar, with the rest of the PAX circled up and in Merkin-position. One Merkin for each pull-up performed by the PAX on the bar (up to 10). With 10 PAX in the gloom today, the Merkins added up quickly.

Mosey over to the basketball court.

Lazy Doras: Nothing lazy about this one. PAX partner up and as a team completed 100 Merkins, 200 LBCs, and 300 squats. While P1 is completing the exercise, P2 enjoys a “rest” exercise (plank, 6 inches, and squat holds). Dr. D patented the “duck squat” as the preferred resting position for a squat hold.

Mosey back to the football field. After all those squats, no one was pushing the pace on this one.

Finished the workout with a Quarter Pounder. Basically a football field suicide, with an exercise performed as a group during each leg. Ran out to the 25 yard line for 25 sit-ups. Back to the goal line and then out to the 50 for 50 flutter-kicks (which turned into 100 as Maj. Payne counted in cadence). Back to the goal line and then 75 yards out for 75 mountain climbers. Finished it off with 100 yards and 100 side straddle hops. Back to the goal line.

The Finisher: In case the PAX didn’t get enough of a chest workout in, we topped it off with some more Merkins.

Announcements: Launching the new AO at Washington-Lee in Ballston on Tuesday, April 9 at 530! Meet at the field goal post by the high school on the football field.

COT: YHC realized he couldn’t create the workout all by himself and needed to rely on the F3 exercise database for help. Men are often afraid to admit they don’t have all the answers. But we’re stronger when we lean on each other for guidance.

AO: The Patriot

QIC: Lazlo

The PAX: Dr. Dandelion, Noodle, Hightower, Buffet, Prenup, Prius

Cold, windy morning in the gloom on Friday. Yet, a strong turnout for a March Madness workout. It was a tourney-style workout, starting with a round of 68, 32, etc. Due to time, we only made it to the Sweet 16, much like any team the HQ pulls for in the BBall version of this event. Special nod to Dr. D for picking up the count when your HQ found himself, well, speechless.

WARM UP: SSH; Imperial Walkers; Arm circles; Windmills; fellowship lap to pick up some coupons

THA-THANG: The setup was inspired by the Four Corners offense. Stations were in each corner of the football field with the cinder blocks at Corner 1. For the welfare of the HQ, the round of 68 was split four ways for 17 reps each. It went something like this:

-Bear crawl ~50 yds to Corner 1, do 17 shoulder presses

-Sprint 100 yds to Corner 2, do 17 burpees

-Lunge walk ~50 yds to Corner 3, do 17 Merkins

-50yd high knee/50yd butt kicks to Corner 4, do 17 LBCs (IC), round of 68 is done.

-Crawl bear to Corner 1, do 32 curls; backwards run to Corner 2, do 32 high knees; duck walk to Corner 3, do 32 mountain climbers (IC), Carioca to Corner 4, do 32 flutter kicks, round of 32 is complete

-Crab walk to Corner 1, do 16 squat thrusts, 50yd run/50yd backwards run to Corner 2, do 16 Bobby Hurley’s, reverse lunge walk to Corner 3, do 16 wide Merkins, single leg hop (50yd right, 50yd left) to Corner 4, time for Mary.

MARY: 68 LBCs, 32 scissor kicks, 16 Freddie Mercury’s, 8 toy soldiers, 4 snow angels, 2 WWIIs, 1 60-second boat/canoe

COT: The premise of the Four Corners offense is to spread out, avoid each other, limit interactions. The lesson from this morning’s Q was how much that really sucks. What’s better is friendship, connections, getting to know people. Fellowship. Part of what F3 is all about. The PAX were challenged to make a connection this week. Someone at work or in the neighborhood or the grocery store or wherever. You nod or say hi, but you’ve never really talked and gotten to know who they are. Spread the fellowship. Aye!

 

AO: The Patriot

QIC: Lazlo

The PAX: Dr. Dandelion, Major Payne, Banjo, Sauerkraut, Subprime, Bone, and Flutie Flakes

The snowy gloom of Monday gave way to an icy gloom this Wednesday. After a short excursion and one near-ice-induced injury, we spent most of our time in the plowed parking lot. It turns out that snowballs make a great substitute for orange cones.

WARM UP: SSH; imperial walkers; arm circles; Peter Parkers; Parker Peters; 5 minute jog, Ricky-Bobby-style, the pair in back does 3 burpees then sprints to the front of the line, repeat until the jog is complete.

THA-THANG:

-Field of Dreams: bases spaced ~25 yds apart, 2 PAX at 1B do squats until relieved, 2 PAX at 2B do merkins until relieved, 2 PAX at 3B do LBCs until relieved, 2 PAX at home plate do 15 burpees, then bear crawl to 1B to relieve the 2 PAX there, who bear crawl to 2B, and so on. Repeat until all PAX have completed the burpees.

-Dominos: PAX lined up in plank position, starting with left arm up. 1st PAX does 10 merkins and stays in regular plank, 2nd PAX repeats, until all dominos are down. 1st PAX does 10 merkins and finishes right arm up. Repeat until all dominos are back up. Repeat again until all dominos are back down.

-1-2-3 Dora: PAX pair up. Each team works towards a cumulative total of 100 merkins, 200 squats, and 300 LBCs. While partner 1 sprints ~50 yds across parking lot and back, partner 2 performs as many reps as possible. Switch. Repeat until all rep’s are complete.

MARY: Quick Mary of flutter kicks, scissor kicks, and WWIIs

COT: I recently watched a reality show on Netflix about a woman who helps people organize their house. Bad show, don’t watch it. But she starts by asking people to start by thanking their house for all it provides. Before throwing away an item, could be socks or an old t-shirt, she asks people to pause and thank it. This got me thinking about gratitude. I would have never thought to incorporate something like this into my daily routine. But I think all of us would be better off with a bit more gratitude in our lives. I don’t know this for a fact, but I also suspect that it’s contagious. So a challenge to all of you: take a moment to think about some of the things you’re grateful for. Better yet, tell someone. Repeat. So a big thanks to all the PAX who joined me in the icy gloom this Wednesday for helping me to be better in fitness, fellowship and faith!

AO: The Patriot

QIC: Prenup

The PAX: Horsepunch, Major Payne, Subprime, Fish Fry, Lucius, Noodle, Trebeck, Bone, Hightower

Similar to measurement Monday, but with stated goals of what you are going to do….

Warmup

Side shuffle hops
Imperial Walkers
Cherry Pickers
Quad stretch
Downward dog

The Thang:

Series of competitive events with your partner timing or measuring you. You have to call out a reasonable goal in advance, which everyone gets to veto if necessary. The events are as follows:

• 400m run
• Pull ups
• Horsepunch and Minnows (Horsepunch is in middle of field, goal is to catch as many people going horizontally from sideline to sideline on the field, all are bear crawling)
• Push ups
• Partner Carry

Round of Mary

COT: Be intentional in what you do, and set a goal to give you a plan for achievement.

AO: The Patriot

QIC: Lucius

The PAX: Dr. D.; Hightower; Jenner; Maj. Payne; Noodle; Pierogi; Prenup; Rainmaker; Subprime; Lucius.

The Scene: Nearly perfect—low 40s, dark, light fog. 

Warm Up:  Social lap; Windmills; Arm Circles; Cherry Pickers; 8-Count Body Builder; Willie May Hayes

The Thang:

NO-BURPEE* BLIMPS:  Six stations of 8-Count Body Builders, Lunges, Imperial Squat Walkers, ‘Merkins, Plank Pivot-Wiper Things, Squats with Overhead lift. Pyramid of 8-10-12-10 reps, punctuated by 50-yd runs.  Skipped the last s8-rep pyramid step, so PAX could get to coffee on time.

PAX split into two teams for parallel exercises:

– NO SANDBAGGING: 50-lb sandbag clean and throw; supported by bear-crawling comrades.

– LIFE IS BETTER WITH COUPONS: Cinder block curls and shoulder-to-shoulders 

ABBREVIATED MARY: LBCs; Flutter Kicks

COT:

We often question why we wake early to lift cinderblocks and throw sandbags.  Many of us define goals to motivate and structure our exercise.  But goals can obscure the enjoyment of simply doing the work itself.

Teddy Roosevelt, work-out fanatic and proponent of the strenuous life, wrote that during his time as a rancher in the Dakotas “[w]e knew toil and hardship and hunger and thirst; and we saw men die violent deaths … but we felt the beat of hardy life in our veins, and ours was the glory of work and the joy of living.”

As you continue to work toward your goals, do not lose sight of the joys of the work.  Carry this with you from the field of the Patriot as you work the other areas of your life.