Author: Rudy

  • Afternoon Delight! – 10-20-2021 – from Almonaster

    Still Waiting for Fall!

    PAX:

    – Big Willy
    – Blowout
    – Doc Ock
    – Almonaster

    Mosey to the Statue.
    Warmup:

    SSH – 20 IC
    Arm Circles -10 IC
    Reverse Arm Circles – 10 IC
    Imperial Walkers – 10 IC
    Balance on 1 foot for 10 seconds – Each Foot
    The Morpheus – 10 IC
    Grass Grabbers – 10 IC
    Windmills – 10 IC
    Mountain Climbers – 10 IC

    The Thang:

    Mosey to the Fountain.

    Rocky Balboa’s – 20, 2 is 1 OYO
    Incline Merkins – 10 IC

    Rinse and Repeat.

    Mosey around tree and back to Oak Alley.

    BLIMPS between the light poles.

    Burpees – 5
    Lunges – 10, 2 is 1
    Imperial Walkers – 15, 2 is 1
    Merkins – 20
    Plan Jacks – 25
    Squats – 30

    Bandstand.

    Individual Dora around Band Stand

    Shoulder Taps – 50 2 is 1
    Bobby Hurley’s – 75
    LBC’s – 150

    Squats – 25, IC

    On Band Stand.

    Mary

    LBT’s – 20, IC
    Reverse LBC’s – 20, IC
    Douille’s (Russian Twists) – 20 IC

    Mosey around the Parking Lot.

    Back to Flag

    Birthdays
    Anniversaries
    Announcements
    Intentions
    Prayer

    Thanks for the opportunity to Lead!

  • RevSox – the Prophet – from Rudy

    5:23am. That’s what time it was when YHC realized he had the Q. Just drove up to RockCity in the gloom. Getting out of the car, taking one last peek at the phone. Lo and Behold: calendar reminder that its my Q this am. Quick! Think! I’ve got one go-to Rock City exercise routine. A good time killer.

    Little did I know at this time that RevSox had predicted EXACTLY this Rudy workout at 3:40pm the day before. If YHC had paid attention to Slack, I would have known both that I had the Q and that I had better devise something new. But alas, RevSox apparently knows me too well. Better than I know myself, even.

    So 8 men (including Marlin again – maybe he’s becoming a regular!) welcomed the new week, and departed into the gloom for “The Usual”.

    Warm up at the Rock Pile with SSH, Stretching, some Peter Parkers, some Glute work till I got bored. Grab a rock, lets go.

    The Thang: 11s with Shoulder Presses and Curls mixed in. Not sure what this is? Either search my backblasts, or ask RevSox. He’ll tell you.

    Next: Core work. 2 PAX mosey off to pull-ups while the remaining PAX do an in-cadence core exercise. Flutters, Matahtma-X’s, Cockroaches and something else. Throw in some Wife Pleasers to work those glutes.

    Finally: Diver Down at the stairwell. Rows. “Diver Up” (Diver Down, but irkins, going up). More Rows. Then get them rocks back and get back to the flag.

    Wrap up around the virtual flag.

  • Grundy Shrugged – from TurboTax

    It took a good thirty minutes, but Grundy eventually shrugged…or groaned…or exhaled loudly. Sources later confirmed that Grundy experienced a little fatigue at this point in the beatdown. It made YHC feel good. Honestly.

    At any rate, 11 PAX posted in the Gloom this morning. We warmed up with burpees, mountain climbers, SSHs, imperial walkers, and hillbillies and then made our way to the back of the Justice Center.

    We dispersed among the back benches for 3 sets of 10 Bulgarian split squats each leg and 10 derkins, all IC.

    Crab walk to the smoker’s lounge then a long lunge Indian walk/run to the front of the Justice Center.

    Circled up for 3 sets of 10 T merkins, 10 Nolan Ryans each side and 10 hollow hold flutter kicks, all IC.

    Deployed to the front benches for 3 sets of 10 lateral step ups each leg and 10 good mornings, all IC.

    Lunge Indian walk/skip back the way we came where we hit 3 quick rounds up and around the Justice Center stairs and ramp.

    Closed the deal with 3 sets of 10 shoulder taps and 10 Peter Parkers, all IC.

    Countorama, nameorama and a nice positive prayer from who else but Grundy.

    Thanks for letting me lead guys.

    Great to have Cowbell back from his marathon, Maverick back from his injury, and Bubba back from his hiatus for his 3rd Gipper post in a row.

  • O say it ain’t so coach “0”!! – from Shooter

    With chatter of the recent resignation of Coach “0” Jose 10k entertained the PAX with the grumble mumble impersonation on this brisk Gloom.. If teaching doesn’t work out Jose 10k you have a straight path to stand up with the skills demonstrated at Granny’s.. You play the role with such accurate mumbles and grumbles… It appears the PAX has another committed brethren in JV and we look forward to the next step of getting you that VQ in the near future.. 6 PAX in all committed to the red pill 💊 and I hope the YHC didn’t disappoint.. Glad to have Cowbell back out packing the muscle back on after completing his marathon last week.. No more waving as he would often pass the PAX while training for his endeavor…

    All 10IC Grass grabbers, Windmills, Cherry Pickers, self love, Hillbillies, SSH, and Butt kicks,

    Moseyed to the tunnel for 100,200,300
    P1 completed called exercises while P2 utilized Granny’s steepest elevation in proximity for some cardio.
    RD1 P1Burpees P2 Moseyed down to the flat returning backwards up the ramp.. F/J
    RD2 P2 Air squats ( one day YHC will be able to execute the incredible form illustrated by Waterpik) P2 bear crawled out 20 count then returned with the bunny hop.. F/J
    RD3 P1 LBCs P2 Moseyed down and sprinted back up. F/J

    PAX then moseyed to the bus stop. 20 jump overs OYO, 10 donkey kickoffs, 10 either side half jump overs and back to 10 donkey kickoffs.T 👏🏼 to Russo for great extension at the top of the donkey kickoffs.. Rerurned to the flag wrapping up with 20IC Cowbell Flutters and Hello Dollies…

    Appreciate the post gentlemen and following my lead.. Until the next Gloom 👍🏼👊🏼✌🏼!!

  • 8 counts under the singing Oak – from Fracsac

    6 pax at The Renaissance looking to put some work in to improve and get stronger. Weather was perfect with a cool breeze to let the world know that hurricane season was coming to an end.

    Disclaimer given, then mosey to the NOMA steps to face the bacon.

    Warmup was typical with some bat wings to get the arms ready! Moroccan Night Club dancing made the bacon sizzle!

    The Thang

    Mosey towards the big lake track with a stop for 8 count Body builders along the way. People’s run to the singing Oak with more 8 count Body builders on site. The singing Oak was making beautiful music today!
    Onto the main event- 11’s

    8 count Body builders and Squats!

    People’s run the rest of the way around the lake with a quick stop on the side NOMA steps for calf raises before finishing off with Sunday mornings in the back.

    COT

    NMM

    -we officially have a new regular at the Renaissance- great to see Surge again!
    -Mall Cop made his debut at the Renaissance….
    -8 count Body builders are the ISI challenge of the month…needed 85 today
    -Coffeteria was awesome as always!

    SYITG

  • F3 NOLA Convergence 2021 (a.k.a.”Crew Change”) – Mothership 2021-10-16 – from Reluctant Yankee

    A fine morning, with a change in the weather providing a fitting backdrop for the changing of the guard on the F3 New Orleans Leadership Team.

    Kicked off at the flag zone with naming of the F3 NOLA Rookie of the Year and F3 NOLA Man of the Year. These went to Almonaster and Hokie Pokie, respectively. High praise and congratulations to both of these high-impact men for their efforts during the past year!

    Yankee then kicked things off on the Great Lawn with:
    Side Straddles Hops x27
    Hillbillies (in honor of Hawg’s prom) x 20
    OYO burpees x10
    Side Lunges x20
    Low Country Crabs x20
    Dying Cockroaches x20

    Moseyed to the track where Hawgcycle took over. Hawg brought the hurt with a modified Dirty Mac Deuce featuring:

    Larry Craigs x12
    Sumo Squats x12
    LBC x12

    Pax then partnered up. One pax sprinted 200 m around the tracks while the other moseyed across, then vice versa. Pax reassembled for announcement of the new SLT.

    It was time. Time to give a speech that would last generations, a speech commemorating the past 7 years, and one that would empower the incoming SLT for what was yet to come. Reluctant Yankee reached deep within his well of indisputable high octane expressions, and it was there and then he passed the torch of F3 Nola to Fracsac and Catfish, his great words of wisdom spreading across the field of F3 Nola men, leaders of this Fitness Fellowship and Faith thing we simply refer to as F3. Did anybody write down what he said?

    Fracsac circled the pax up on the field and did 5 SSH IC, followed by 10 burpees OYO. Many thought Shock and Awe was in the works, but nay, just an attention grabber. Next up was the mental challenge.

    6 SSH IC followed by 11 more in silence, all must end with the Q or a penalty would be handed out. The Pax passed with flying colors….but did they?

    4 corners on the track with 10 x 8 count body builders on 2 corners and 10 x burpees on the other 2. Circle back up for mental challenge again.

    This time there was a failure, with 10 x 8 count body builders as the penalty. The pax completed it the next go flawlessly.

    Pax had had enough mental abuse at this point, so there was much rejoicing when the workout was handed to Catfish. Catfish gently led things forward with:

    8-Counts x10
    Low Slow 8-Count Squats x20
    Bonnie Blairs x15
    Mosey back to the Great Lawn, with a quick stop at the baseball field behind Tad Gormley to do some Jack Webbs (up to 13, 11 got skipped). Continued the mosey back to the Great Lawn.

    At the Great Lawn, LBTs waiting x15 for the six. Frac then came back for a rousing round of Catalina Wine mixers (x15) for the finish.

    Back to flag for COT.

    Announcements: Roast on the Coast Starting Nov 5; GoRuck Tough NOLA the following weekend on NOV 12; Almonaster Qing a Christmas charity effort related to Operation Sweet Tooth (details to come)

    Delicious coffee and breakfast followed. Thanks to all who assisted with preparation for this.

    Thanks to all who attended and assisted with today’s convergence, and stay tuned for further announcements from the new leadership team!

  • Another Cakewalk – from Russo

    Hurricane Ida wrecked a lot of plans this year. She did a lot of damage, broke a lot of hearts, made life a ton more difficult. But one thing I’ve learned is that even in the darkest of hours, God can find a way to turn something terrible into something good.

    I don’t want to belittle the struggle our region is still dealing with, and I can tell you firsthand there is a lot of work left. But I can also tell you firsthand that God has given us an opportunity to grow together, help each other, and all in all, be better people.

    My original plan for the first week in September was to do a birthday Q, and following the lead of Grundy and/or Zoolander (depending on how good an idea it was), complete another “Cake walk” and hope it catches on as a thing.

    Well, those plans changed due to Mother Nature, but God’s timing is perfect, so a pax of 17 said “Take Two” under beautiful weather with low humidity and temps topping out at around 71.

    Warmup (between 10x and 20x, all IC)
    Seal jacks
    Toe touches
    Arm circles
    Torso twists
    Goofballs

    Thang: A cakewalk, your basic descending ladder of exercises and reps, starting at YHC’s age (in this case, 43), and work your way to 1, with some moseying in between around Old Mandeville/Lakefront.

    The order:

    43 High knees
    42 SSHs
    41 Plank Jacks
    40 merkins (where Bird started to wonder where the burpees were)
    39 squats
    38 Hello Dollies
    37 Calf raises
    36 Apollo ohnos
    35 Freak Nastys
    34 step ups
    33 flutter kicks
    32 butt kicks (2 is 1) (lead IC by the entire pax rotating, very nice job, gents!)
    31 Peter Parker’s (2 is 1)
    30 imperial walkers
    29 Shoulder taps (2 is 1)
    28 American hammers
    27 George thoroughgood
    26 Smurf jacks
    25 leg raises
    24 Rosalitas
    23 crab jacks (crab position – opposite plank jacks)
    22 groiners
    21 Bear crawls
    20 murder bunnies
    19 Hand release merkins
    18 Bobby Hurley’s
    17 crab cakes (2 is 1)
    16 circle ups
    15 Bulgarian split squats
    14 durkins
    13 big boy sit-ups
    12 LMCs
    11 diamond merkins
    10 star jumps
    9 donkey kicks
    8 8 count body builders
    7 makhtar n’jais
    6 6 inch drills (where Zoolander was wise to my plan)
    5 Carolina dry docks
    4 Bonnie Blair’s
    3 jump squats
    2 burpees (here they are Bird!)
    1 minute plank

    COT, name-o-rama, announcements, and prayer closed us out.

    This Q doubled as my 3 year anniversary Q, so it’s time for me to again thank Toto for EH’ing me. Like I suspect has happened to many of us, I had no idea what I was in for. I showed up late to my first beatdown (Splice was Q) and quickly wondered what I got myself into. Manny’s words to me were “just stick with it” and he was right.

    More than once, I was the 6. I’m still the 6 on occasion. But each and every time, someone is there to pick me (or you) up. Tanked up was the first I remember. Shooter seems to do it the most (especially on moseys).

    And that’s what makes this group of men so darn solid. What started out as “I could use the exercise” or “I want to get back in shape” quickly turns to something more.

    The F for Fitness is lowercase. The other two are uppercase. I’ve enjoyed laughing with you all, especially when Hammer gets a pax going with his 80’s references, or Zoolander makes an off color joke about doing a Freddy Mercury. You each have enriched me, made me a better person, lended guidance, and just in general have been a blast to be around.

    Before I started, I didn’t have a lower back that constantly aches or stiffens up, nor did I have a left shoulder that tells me “That’s enough merkins for today.” I didn’t even know I had an Achilles’ tendon.

    But it has all been worth it. Ever nagging pain and shortness of breath: worth it knowing I’m making a decision to better myself as a leader, a Christian, a productive member of society. And that’s due to each of you, whether I called you by name above or not. Because finally, after 3 years, I think I’ve learned your real names, which is maybe a bigger compliment.

  • B.L.I.M.P.S. on the Upper Deck – from Einstein

    Short disclaimer…

    Warmup:
    all 15xIC: Toe Touch, Side Straddle Hops, Grass Grabbers, Good Mornings, Hillbillies, Shoulder Shruggs, Imperial Walkers,
    Thumb Drives, Smurf Jacks

    Thang:
    On the Upper Deck of the Justice Center Parking Garage
    Running to each of the four corners doing the following
    1st round 5×4 Burpees
    2nd round 10×4 Lunges (2 is 1)
    3rd round 15×4 Imperial Walkers(2 is 1)
    4th round 20×4 Merkins
    5th round 25×4 Plank Jacks
    6th round 30×4 Squats
    Totals: 20 Burpees,40 Lunges, 60 Imperial Walkers, 80 Merkins, 100 Plank Jacks, 120 Squats, about a mile of running

    Mosey back to the invisible flag for a few minutes of Mary: Rocky Balboas, Leg Lifts, Scuba Steves, Hello Dollies, Iron Crosses

    Count-o-rama
    Jose-10K leads us out with prayer.
    BBQ enlightens the PAX with his “tricks of the trade” on “aging” gracefully

    Thanks guys. Always extremely decent of you letting me lead.

  • When Life Gives You Lumber – from Grundy

    The old saying goes that when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. A lesser known saying is that when life gives you lumber, make a bunch of other guys move it around back and forth pointlessly for an hour. So, when Ida provided my backyard and neighborhood with a plethora of logs and stumps, YHC went ahead and tried out that lesser known saying. In addition, the Q was able to get rid of the lumber at the end of the beatdown which was in danger of becoming part of the permanent fixtures that are still adorning many neighborhoods around the Northshore. Win-Win.

    So after having almost knocked out Bird with my open car door before the beatdown, I proceeded to try to give us all that same opportunity of physical injury by throwing, dragging, pressing, lifting, and flipping logs/stumps.

    That’s really all there was too this workout. After a brief warmup, we went to the field where YHC placed all of the logs. All of the logs had different corresponding exercises associated with them and we rotated through them for the hour. The signaling of when to rotate was when the one individual flipping the main log returned to the starting line.

    Sprinkled in the beatdown was some Mary as well.

    We left the field a little worse than we found it, but I guaranty that we were better men by the end of it.

    We returned to the flag and Russo closed us out.

    Thanks guys for letting me lead and have a great weekend!