The accountability of F3 is real, especially when Q’ing. After only getting a few hours of sleep, I reeaaaaally wanted to stay in bed this morning… But I thought of Seaman’s disappointment if I didn’t make him do 50+ burpees. So I powdered up and met 8 Pax for the early morning version of WPM.
The MISSION of F3 is to plant, grow and serve small workout groups for men for the invigoration of male community leadership.
F3’s Credo is: Leave no man behind, but leave no man where you find him.
I have to admit, I have NOT been the leader in my community I could have been. I HAVE left men behind and I HAVE left men where I’ve found them. As a greater community and a country, we’ve all been guilty of the same.
Let me be clear. I love our country and we’re beyond lucky to call it home. Nevertheless, it’s far from perfect. A horrific injustice has existed since its foundation. Despite what we might like to think, it hasn’t gone away. It’s only taken on different forms. And now it’s simply become far more visible to us all than in recent years.
The fact is… when we stay silent, we leave our black/brown brothers and sisters behind. When we remain ignorant to the reality of their struggles, we leave them right where they are.
Men, I sure as hell hope you’re invigorated. We must be leaders. We are being called to action by those who cannot protect themselves or have their voices be heard. Regardless of our individual stories, we all have a level of privilege we can leverage. In our families, businesses, places of worship, and neighborhoods… there is so much we can do. We must listen, educate ourselves/others, show compassion, organize, set an example… be a spoke in the wheel of positive change.
…
The Beat Down:
I woke up in a cozy, yet comfortable Air Bnb in a small town called Metairie, LA. Still tired from a long drive in to this distant destination the day before, I wondered how I would lead a workout in such a strange place. Nonetheless, I ventured to a spot they call “Rock City” to see what I could make of such an exciting adventure. Upon arriving, it was quite clear. I wasn’t in Uptown anymore.
As if planned out by the Phase 1 Committee an exact 10 Pax showed up. Unfortunately, I hadn’t adjusted my watch for the change in time zones and we kicked off a tad behind schedule after the usual disclaimer. With our starting mosey, they were quick to let me know I was going the wrong way with their screaming from behind. Eventually we came across the mystical rocks I’d heard so much about from tales of travelers at WPM.
Warm-Up
SSH x 20
Peter Parkers x 20
Merkins x 10
Arm Circles Forward x 10
Arm Circles Backward x 10
The Thang
A rotary phone style workout with 5 stations. I think there may have been a slight language barrier here as my instructions weren’t interpreted entirely.
Station 1 = Burpees x 10
Station 2 = Squat with coupon x 20
Station 3 = Flutter kicks x 30 (2 is 1)
Station 4 = Merkins x 40
Station 5 = LBCs x 50
The motion… Start at Station 1 and then proceed immediately to Station 2 upon completion. After Station 2, return to Station 1. Then, proceed directly (in a clockwise fashion) to Station 3. After Station 3, stop at Station 2 on way back to Station 1. And so on from there. See… extremely simple, right?
Next, we returned the rocks to their homes and paused there for some Mary.
Leg Raises x 20
Dying Cockroach x 20
Real Freddie Mercs x 20
From there, we Bear Crawled about 25 yards toward the flag, stopping for some LBCs.
With a few minutes remaining, we closed it out with 3 100 yard sprints on the football field.
Count-off… Name-or-ama… Distanced COT.
Thank you to the men of Rock City for having me out there and allowing me to Q this am. I [potentially] will return!
Ever since I was a little boy, I’ve dreamt of this day… For as long as I can remember, a group of sweaty guys with funny names have done nothing but tell me how much they hate me. But not today! Today marks the start of a new era.
The new era began as you might expect… It was a dark, wet morning when 27 men trudged out to the entrance of Audubon Park. 25 came for the Beatdown. 2 came to do their homework, I think – they were wearing their book bags, so it only makes sense.
After a quick disclaimer, we moseyed to the base of Wolf Pack Mountain…
Warm Up
SSH x 25 (Apparently I was supposed to do 30. Some people were very upset that I didn’t. I think, specifically, El Wire’s day is all out of wack as a result. He’s somewhere searching for 5 more SSH’s.)
Low Slow Squats x 15
Windmills x 10
Peter Parkers x 20
Arm Circles Forward x 10
01 x drawkcab selcric mrA (Seaman gets excited)
Burpees x 10 OYO (Seaman gets sad)
Mosey to 2nd Floor of Mountain via Stairs
Burpee Broad Jump up first incline
Lunge across level stretch
Run backward up next incline
Bear Crawl across next level stretch
Take stairs back down to base for Varied Mary until all Pax arrive
Highly Modified Dora
Locate partner
50 x Burpees (cumulative)
100 x WWII Situps
150 x Monkey Humpers
200 x Merkins
250 x Squats
Turn-around point: top of first ramp in garage (run up and down the ramp)
Mosey Back to Flag
Count-off, Name-o-rama, Sweaty Ball of Man
It’s pretty amazing to look back… I started posting when I was 26 years old. Over the years, the most impactful outcomes F3 has produced for me are definitely the relationships I’ve been fortunate enough to develop. I’ve gained friends and mentors, men that I truly look up to for a long list of reasons. F3 has given me the blueprint for what it means to be an exceptional member of our community and I’m continuously inspired by the what I see – both during and outside of the workouts.
Thank you to all of the men that have helped to create and grow this incredible movement in New Orleans. No more hate! And nothing but love for F3.
19 spritely souls swam through the sea of soul-sucking humidity to stare an unfamiliar beat down straight in its sly, sweat-provoking face.
Welcoming of PAX, giving of disclaimer, leaving of flag.
Warm Up:
Mosey to field in front of Zoo
Side Straddle Hop x 30
Peter Parker x 25
Low Slows x 15
The Thang:
7 of Diamonds
Set up consists of 4 stations. Completing each of the 4 stations makes up 1 round. The same workout is done for the same number of reps at each of the four stations. Quick mosey between stations.
Round 1: Burpees x 7 (at each of the 4 stations)
Round 2: WWII Sit Ups x 14
Round 3: Merkins x 21
Round 4: Squats x 28
Round 5: Flutter Kicks x 21 (2 is 1)
Round 6: Lunges x 14 (2 is 1)
Round 7: Burpees
Mary
Dying Cockroach x 20
Pengquins x 20
Real Freddie Mercury x 20
Nola Ryan x 10 (each side)
Bear Crawl
1/2 length of field in front of Zoo (forward)
1/4 length of field (backward)
1/4 length of field (forward)
Mosey back to flag, counting of numbers, sharing of names, naming of FNG, giving of announcements, balling of men.
Jackie Robinson once said, “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives”. Today, 42 men showed up in the soggy gloom to face the Mountain. Today, we caught a glimpse of the incredible impact F3 has had on a growing number of lives as we set yet another AO record for attendance.
“Life is not a spectator sport. If you’re going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you’re wasting your life.”
No spectators here – we jumped right into the thing after the disclaimer and an awe-inspiring cartwheel demonstration by Crop Duster.
Brief mosey to Tulane’s front yard for an oval warmup
Side Straddle Hop x 25
Imperial Walker Squats x 20
Arm Circles Forward/Back x 15
Mosey to top of the Mountain via the stairs
11’s comprised of Leg Raises and Burpees
LBC’s OYO to wait for the 6
Merkins x 10
Mosey down the Mountain to Touchdown Jesus via stairs
Pax formed groups of 3
Pax 1 executed Squats AMRAP style at one end while Pax 2 held a Plank at the opposite end of the lawn. Pax 3 ran to tap out Pax 2 and take his spot so that he could then take Pax 1’s position doing Squats. Continued this rotation allowing each Pax to complete Squats, then Jumping Lunges, followed by Monkey Humpers. This is tough to explain in writing, but much tapping occurred and all were jolly.
DIZZY BEAR! – Traditional Bear Crawl that leads into a Reverse Bear Crawl upon Q yelling, “DIZZY BEAR!”
Merkins x 10
Dying Cockroach x 20
“This ain’t fun. But you watch me, I’ll get it done.”
It sure ain’t always fun, but it’s worth it.
I’ll leave y’all with one last Jackie Robinson quote as I think it ties even more directly into what we’re doing than the previous ones, “F3 is great.”
Lobsta (FNG), Grimace (FNG), Pops (F3 Cleveland), Monty (F3 Cleveland), Sesame Street (F3 Naperville), Crop Duster (F3 Naperville and visiting cartwheel extraordinaire), Gabrielle, Willie, King Kong, Medulla, Peppa, Douille, Saban, Sandbar, Brown Bag, Chiquita, Two Yutes, Fracsac, Bad Moon, Chowda, Jingle Vader, G-Spot, Bartman, Piranha, Landing Strip, Mariah, Reluctant Yankee, Flaming Lips, Giligan, Wash n’ Fold, Cavalier, Bones, Quincy, False Start, Cowbell, Angie’s List, Quarter Pipe, Tinkles, 86, Nine Lives
I woke up this morning much like I do most Fridays… hurtin‘ for a squerkin. And in the late September gloom, it was clear to see that an eager group of pax shared my hunger. But we had to get warmed up first as you never go into a squerkin cold!
So after a light mosey to Touch Down Jesus, we circled up for:
Side Straddle Hops x 25
Mountain Climbers x 25
Arm Circles Forward x 15
51 x drawkcaB selcriC mrA
Now, closer to an appropriate level of warmth, we mosied to the base of the mountain and climbed the stairs up to floor 6. After tending to those experiencing PTSD from Yankee’s stair workout 2 weeks ago, we were ready to get to squerkin.
In pairs, the pax got into reverse squerkin position at the base of the ramp
Reverse Squerkin Position: one pax in plank position with head in direction of the ramp with the second pax grabbing his partner’s ankles in a standing position with his back towards the ramp
Each pair proceeded to climb the ramp, stopping at every other parking block curb thing
At alternating stops, pax 1 did 3 merkins and pax 2 did 3 squats
Halfway up the ramp, we flapjacked
Done and hurtin’ from our squerkin, we mosied to a halfway point between the two top deck stairwells.
In pairs again, pax 1 ran to the stairwell, down 2 flights, across floor 5, and up the opposite stairwell to his partner
Alternating runners, the pax up top completed (in AMRAP fashion)
Wall Sits
World War II Sit Ups
Lunges
Burpees
A slow mosey down 1 flight of stairs to the bottom of the ramp again put us in starting position for Dizzy Bear!
We started in regular Bear Crawl position heading up the ramp
Upon yelling, “Dizzy Bear” all pax performed a 180 maneuver into a Reverse Bear Crawl up the ramp
Those enjoying themselves gleefully echoed, “Dizzy!”
Back on the peak of Wolfpack Mountain, the pax hit their six in an oval for some Mary
American Hammer x 25
Flutter Kicks x 25
Leg Raises x 20
Real Freddie Mercury x 20
We mosied our way back to the flag to tie a bow on the whole thing with a quick Circle Merk
Merkins x 15
Count off, name-o-rama, ball of mansweat. Done and hurtin’.
A sweet 16 slumped into the gloom this AM to ascend Wolfpack Mountain.
After saying the words at the beginning that we’re always supposed to say… a quick mosey over to the front lawn of Tulane…
Line up for SSH x 20
Bear Crawl to first oak tree
Up on feet for Imperial Walker Squats x 20
Crab Walk to next oak tree
Mountain Climbers x 25
Mosey over to the base of the Mountain…
Partner up
PAX 1 executes 15 Burpees while PAX 2 does a Wall Sit. Then, switch.
Rinse and repeat with 10 Burpees
Rinse and repeat with 5 Burpees
Mosey up the stairs, almost to the peak of the Mountain, stopping on floor 6 at the base of the ramp…
Partner up for Dora 1-2-3
Running heads up ramp and taps wall at top before heading back down
Jumping Lunges x 100
Merkins x 200 (it was during this set that Amnesty glanced over at me to say, “This is bullshit”)
Russian Twists x 300
Line up 1/4 of the way up the ramp…
In honor of Reverend, Reverse Bear Crawl up to top of ramp
Mosey to peak of the Mountain…
Get in groups of 3
Partner Leg Push-Downs x 25 while 3rd PAX executes LBC’s
Cycle each PAX through once
Mosey down the Mountain and to the Flag. Count-off, Name-o-rama, announcements, and Ball o’ man.
I hope you all will think of me today and tomorrow when a bout of soreness kicks in. But I ultimately hope your M’s will think of me two days from now when you’ve recovered and feel like you can do anything, for any amount of time.
The rains of the week blessed us with a cool morning and plenty of soggy ground to play with.
We started with a comfortable mosey around the clubhouse parking lot that allowed us to gather the straggling PAX who seemingly modified their alarm clocks this AM.
Once at a dry patch on the field in front of the zoo, we got to warming up:
Sidestraddle hop x 25
Arm Circles forward x 20
Arm Circles backward x 20 (missing Seaman’s countdown)
Imperial Walker Squats x 20
Peter Parkers x 20
A mosey took us across the train tracks to a levee that could more appropriately be described as a mountain rising from the surrounding marshland.
Here we partnered up for Dora 1-2-3’s up and over the levee:
Merkins x 100
LBC’s x 200
Squats x 300
With heavy breaths and heavier shoes, we mosied back to Oak Alley and the lamp posts:
From the track, Bear Crawl to first lamp post: Putins x 25
Bear Crawl to 2nd post: Dying Cockroach x 30
Bear Crawl to 3rd post: Parker Peters x 20
Bear Crawl to 4th post: Box Cutters x 20, with a complimentary hold at the end at 45 degrees
After an easy mosey to the shelter:
Left Leg Step-Ups x 20
Dips x 20
Right Leg Step-Ups x 20
Finally, wetter with sweat than the ground we trod on, we mosied back to the flag for the Count-Off, Name-o-rama, Announcements, and BOM. Happy to see the 13 PAX this morning. Thanks for following along with the workout and keeping a light heart in the mud – Jadeveon.
After many days and more sleepless nights of relentlessly preparing for what I prayed would be a perfect VQ, I woke up to a beautifully, wet, muddy and demeaning Gloom, courtesy of the Birdcage. Nonetheless, 16 strong braved the weather and duck-filled fields to get covered in sweat and dirt.
The Thang:
Disclaimer
“Side Straddle Hop” x 25
Two lines of a “Burpee Catch Me If You Can Indian Run”
Enough for each Pax to get in one set of 5 Burpees
“Global Warming” where the ducks most certainly left some treats behind for us
Mixed in with…
Peter Parkers x 25
Imperial Walkers x 21… – hope to get better at the whole counting thing
Arm Circles Forward x 20
Arm Circles Back x 20
Monkey Humpers x 20
(All done while a park employee surely sat in his truck recording the 16 strange men dancing in a circle)
Mosey back to light posts
“B.O.M.B.S.” – I severely underestimated how long this would take us. When I look at the numbers again, I’m not sure why. Timing adjustments will be made for my next Q!
50 Burpees
100 Overhead Claps
150 Merkins
200 Big Boy Sit-Ups
250 Squats
(pairs who finished early started a second round)
Workout Complete
Successful name coup by Breitbart mid-nameorama. Bold move. Bold indeed.
Pumped to have lost my V-card and looking forward to the next Q!
Words of wisdom to anyone planning their VQ:
You’ll need to take off an entire day of work to go through ALL the exercises on the F3 site.
Run through your full workout ahead of time so you know what you’ll actually be able to fit in. Should have listened to Reverend on this one!
