Four Southshore Pax made the trek to the most scenic AO in F3Nation to join our Northshore brethren for a Q school beatdown.
Pre-thang
We made it just in time to join the Pax on their traditional 2 mile pre-thang run. Turbo and Butt Splice set an 8 minute/mile pace as we Southerners tried our best to keep up. Ocho joined us for the last 0.00002 miles and we returned to the flag with a minute to spare.
Introduction
At 0630 we ovaled up around the flag as the group had grown too large to make a circle. #NiceProblemToHave. YHC briefly introduced myself and the other Southshore pax, gave everyone an explanation of why we were there and moseyed to wider area.
As we moseyed, Kimchi notified me that I had not given the disclaimer.
Q Rule #1 – Don’t let anyone know when you screw up.
We circled up and YHC proceeded to give the disclaimer, acting as if I had been waiting for the stragglers to arrive.
Q Rule #2 – Always start the workout with a disclaimer.
The Q should start each workout by letting everyone know that he is not a professional trainer, that there are inherent risks involved in what is about to take place, and that if you choose to participate it is upon your own volition.
Q Rule #3 – Make it hard.
We keep coming back to F3 because it challenges us. It’s important that the workout is tough. When you Q, push yourself. Have a plan, believe in your plan, and execute your plan confidently. Make sure you are moving from exercise to exercise with purpose and direction. Keep the pax engaged and don’t give them any downtime to wonder what they should be doing. Note: There are going to be times that you smoke yourself and are going to need a breather. Give yourself and everyone else a break by having one of the fit guys countdown. 10 -20 seconds ought to do.
- 8 Count Body Builders IC x 20
- Abe Vigodas IC x 20; Imperial Walkers IC x 25; J-Los IC x 15
- EMOM – Burpees x 12; 8 Count BB x 8; Merkins x 40; Squats x 50; Burpees x 10; 8 Count BB x 6
- Floyd Mayweathers IC x 20; Connor McGreggors (aka Parker Peters) IC x 20
- 8 Count Body Builders IC x 15
Q Rule #4 – Know how to count.
When leading exercises we use 3 two part commands to keep the pax together. These commands are standardized across F3 Nation. By using the standard commands the pax knows what to expect and is able to easily stay together. It makes the workout efficient, allowing us to get more done with the time we have. Here is an explanation by the founders of F3.
At this point Kimchi took over and coached several “volunteers” on counting. First he explained the commands:
- Next exercise is….The Side Straddle Hop.
- Ready position….Move.
- In cadence….Exercise.
He also explained how to vary your count on the last rep to let everyone know that the exercise is ending, and if you are on the ground, tell everyone to “recover” if you want them to get up. Each man that posted to the center led the group in a traditional 4 count cadence exercise along and a non-traditional cadence. The oddball cadences and exercises were:
- Redbull Smurf Jacks (Super fast 4 count)
- Merkins (Super Slow 4 count)
- Squats (Down Up 2 count)
- Copperhead Squats (Slow movement on first 3 counts, exploding on 4th)
- Dr. Ws (8 count) – T-claps to Grundy for his assist.
Q Rule #5 – Plan more than you can do
You want to make sure that you have enough exercises planned to fill the entire time slot. You never want to get to run out of things to do with time on the clock. That inevitably leads to down time as you scramble to think of what you can do next. The pax will notice and the mumble chatter will start. It’s always better to plan too much than too little.
Q Rule #6 – Be flexible and ready to adjust your plan
After YHC’s extended warm-up and Kimchi’s counting school, we had about 7 minutes left to fit in Fracsac’s COP and the 600 reps Triple Shift had planned. Quick regroup by Frac and Triple and they created a mash-up of their COPs to top off the workout.
Q Rule #7 – Smoke the world.
One pillar of an F3 workout is that it is open to all men, no matter what their fitness level is. As a Q it is your job to devise a workout that pushes the Stallions to get better without leaving the Clydesdales behind. There are a few tricks we can use to accomplish this:
- Exercises where you do as many reps as you can within a time limit – Tabata, EMOM, etc.
- Partner exercises. By dividing into groups some of the pax can carry a heavier load – Dora 1-2-3, Foul line to Foul line, etc.
- Exercise where you run station to station, Elevens for example.
After a little trouble counting to 2 (come on St. Tammany Parish School Board!) the pax was divided into two groups. Group one did 15 freak nasties, 15 pistol squats each leg, and 15 derkins while group two bear crawled out 35 yards and back. 1 Flapjack and we were out of time.
Q Rule #8 – Be Attentive
Know how many guys are at the workout and keep an eye out to see if any are struggling. When going on long moseys make sure you assign someone to sweep the six to make sure everyone gets to the destination. You would be surprised at how many times we have heard a new guy express his appreciation for someone that went back and got him. It’s important that everyone that participates in the workout knows that no man is left behind.
It’s also important to give clear directions about form. There is nothing wrong with coaching guys. We all want to get the most out of our workouts and we often don’t realize that we are doing something incorrectly. It is time well spend to take a few seconds to discuss the correct form when doing an exercise (like merkins).
Q Rule #9 – Be punctual
It’s important to start and end on time. If you wait on people before you start you are allowing them to be late and you’ll find that your workout time gets pushed back later and later each week. If you don’t end on time, you may be keeping some of the pax from getting to their next big thing on time.
Q Rule #10 – End with a COT
As Q you get the final say in naming the FNGs. Try not to suck at it. We had 4 today and I am notoriously bad at FNG naming (see The Dentist). Fortunately EIEI rolled out of the fartsack to join us this morning. Welcome Sisqo, Grasshopper, MASH, and Carpool.
Be prepared to lead the prayer at the end, but you can usually find a volunteer if needed.
Q Rule #11 – Write a Backblast
It’s important to commemorate your achievements in the historical records. Here is a good one if you need an example.
Q Rule #12 – Sign up and lead.
