F3 New Orleans

Author: Tool

  • Get the RUCK outta here!

    Eight of F3 NOLA’s finest gurus posted in City Park Wed am for a humpday fix.  Several of the recent workouts have honed in on GORUCK training so YHC felt obliged to do the same and accommodate the die-hards that signed up for the November GR event.  Ironically, the suggested exercises from Shorty’s GR training schedule didn’t include a ruck-pack which made logistics a bit easier to work in the running, leg, and core work.  Amnesty didn’t get the memo and showed up humping a brick-filled backpack which quickly came off.  Mumble chatter that a true Marine would still mosey with it but Amnesty’s hearing was suddenly was impaired.  Disclaimer and off in a mosey down Roosevelt Mall.

    Quick Warmup (all IC):

    Plank Jack x20, Arm Circles (x10F, X10R, X10Chinook), IPW x20, Windmills x20, Peter Parkersx20

     

    Mosey to the Refinery for:

    3 rounds of:

    Sqauts x25 (Timer)

    Pull Ups/Hang AMRAP

    Dips AMRAP

    High Plank

     

    Mosey to the Museum Steps to split off in two groups:

    Group 1:  Lunge walk around the pond/sculpture (timer…this brought the burn)

    Group 2:  Flutter Kick till group one is done (modified round 3 with LBCs since legs were all shot)

    Switch off, three rounds total.

    Re-position on Museum steps for a Plank/Merkin Circle:  PAX circles up in high plank position.  The Q starts with “1” and does a merkin while others hold high plank.  Clockwise count up to 80 for round one.  Time was ticking so round 2 was cut to 40 count.  This seemed well received by the PAX going by the laughs and groans.  Trying to get 8 grown men counting in order and in rhythm proved to be a tad difficult.

    Mosey back (1/2 mile) to the flag where YHC was hoping for a third round of Plank/Merkin circle but time expired.  T-claps to Shorty and Cowbell (a.k.a. Team Millennial) for the brisk mosey.

    COT announcements include the upcoming 2 year convergence workout for 6:30 with pancakes and coffee to follow at Amensty’s house two blocks away.  Go-Ruck coming up in November and several PAX are committed….T-claps for signing up.  Prayer for those in need and to keep us healthy.

    Hopefully this altered version of the Go-Ruck training fit the bill.  Thanks for letting me lead.

    Tool

     

  • Tuesday Change Up

    Seven men posted this morning for our usual Tuesday running/cardio fix.  City Park was bustling in the gloom with plenty of other fitness gurus…always good to see.  A few minutes before takeoff, YHC briefed the PAX on our plan which would be a twist on some of the normal Stomp workouts.  Disclaimer and off for:

    Round 1:  Indian Run past NOMA to red light near the bayou and back to flag.  Steady mosey to start and increase the pace past the museum.  Distance approx 1.5miles with a pace of 8:30 or so.  T-claps to Cowbell for tracking the pace.

    Round 2:  Mosey to the track where the PAX had the option to branch off in two groups

    Run/Burpee Group:  10 Brupees, 1 lap, 9 Burpees, 1 lap, 8 Burpees,….down to 1.  Goal was to run 10 laps total and 55 Burpees.  T-claps to Rudy for pushing hard and knocking out all 10 laps.  Way to show up us young bucks who did 8 before running out of time.

    Ruck Training Group:  Run Lap, stop for squat/lunge circuit, rinse and repeat a few times.  I’m not sure of the specifics on this but it was obvious the crew was pushing hard.  T-claps to Shorty, Cowbell, and Amnesty for committing to the upcoming GORUCK.

    COT announcements included:

    Need Q’s for Stomp (and Okwata)

    5k run this (and every?) Thursday w/ the Crescent City Closers.  Meet at The Basin in LV for 6:30.  Contact Da Parish for details.

    Two Year Convergence coming up on Sat, Oct 15.  Be there or be square.

    Many upcoming races and half-marathons along with the GORUCK.  Rumor has it Shorty is planning a Mt. Everest climb next spring and a swim across the Atlantic next summer.  Contact him for details.

    Prayer intentions for Mason, Da Parish’s grandmother, Brady (YHC’s son), and the residents/patients at Pinecrest where Brady has been for the past few months.

    Glad to lead and looking forward to the next one.

    Tool

     

     

     

  • Better Sore Than Sorry

    “Sweat is just fat crying”  -DaParish

    Five brave souls converged on the northwest corner of Pontiff this am for another no-run workout with hopes of seeing plenty “tears of fat” aka sweat.  YHC’s mission today was to try a few new things while digging deep to push the PAX through a respectable beatdown.  Everyone trickled in right at kickoff, including SOGO who’s been on a hiatus due to work schedule…t-claps for posting and welcome back.  After the disclaimer, we circled up for a twist on some regular warmup exercises:

    Warm-up (All IC):

    Windmills x10

    Arm Circle Progression – Forwardx10, Reversex10, Chinook(overhead)x10

    Squat Progression – LS Squatx10, Squat Kickx10, Squat Jumpx10

    Plank Position – Shoulder Tapsx10, Plank Rollx10, Plank Jacksx10

    Burpees x10

     

    Grab a medium rock and back to the circle for 4 rounds of Curls and Rows w/ a few Squats all IC:

    Curls x25, x20, x20, x15

    Rows x25, x20, x20, x15 

    LS Squats x25

     

    Re-position 50yds away and line up for some quality time with Boss Keen:

    Boss Keen’s Rockpile – 2 rounds (back and forth) standing up, 1 (or2?) round sitting down (RT position)

     

    Line up in outfield where YHC introduced the PAX to something he found on the F3 website.

    Bearpees (Mix of Burpees and Bearcrawl):  Start w/1 Burpee followed by a 4ct Bearcrawl, increasing the Burpee count by 1 and keeping ratio at 1:4 across the field.  When we hit 6 at the far side of the field, we broke for a few quick inspirational quotes (see below) and then worked our way back with rounds 7-10….lots of sweating, grunting, and panting on this one.

    Once done, there was mention of Drew Brees and the number 9 but the PAX wasn’t falling for that so after grabbing the rocks it was back to the circle with just enough time for:

    Curls IC x10, rotate rock to left, Curls IC x10, rotate…5 rounds total.  The trading of the rocks was a random call due to various mumble chatter about rock size and also due to the fact that YHC’s rock split in half by the chain gang….plus YHC felt like a chump with his half rock and wanted to insure consistency for the entire PAX.

    COT started off with a recap of some of motivational workout quotes we kicked around throughout the beatdown:

    “You have to push past your perceived limits, push past the point you thought was as far as you can go.”  -Drew Bress

    “Better sore than sorry”  -Anonymous

    “Weakness is pain leaving the body”  -Amnesty

    YHC mentioned how the PAX pushes himself and others to do more than they would typically do on their own.  T-claps to all of the Q’s for keeping the workouts interesting and worthwhile.  COT ended with shout outs for those in need and gave thanks to the sky Q.

    Moleskin:  Mumble chatter today attempted to determine if “rows for the hoes” (the cousin to “curls for the girls”) actually excites any women but the conclusion only rendered something about a tramp stamp.  I guess that remains to be determined.

    Till next time,

    Tool

     

     

     

  • 40 is the new 20

    “You can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to get old.”  -George Burns

    Those were the first words of wisdom shared with the PAX this fine morning which happened to be YHC’s 40th Birthday.  Since all of the cool people have been signing up to Q on their birthdays, YHC felt obliged to do the same.  Needless to say, 40 would be our number of the day with some lagniappe thrown in.  Here’s what we did:

    Mosey over and out to the large paved area near the seawall for a warmup COP:

    SSH x40IC, Arm Circles x40IC, 10 Burpess, 19 Squat Jumps OYO, re-position near concrete post to balance for 76 Calf Raises OYO.

    Meander to the concrete planters for:

    Hip Slappers x20IC, RL Step Ups x20IC, Hip Slappers x20IC, LL Step Ups x20IC

    Quick breather then a mosey to the shelter for some quality time with the F3/Mitch Landrieu sponsors pull up bars.  Started with a few rounds of this circuit:

    Pull Ups AMRAP/Hanging Knee Ups x10 total, Low Slow Dips x10, Alt Lunges x10R X10L

    After 2 rounds we switched gears by gathering at the base of the levee where YHC explained the fuzzy definition of what “over the hill” means.  According to Google, it could be 30, 40, 50, or 60.  With that being said, it was determined that none of us are officially over the hill in age but instead we would traverse over the hill and back with Burpess x10 on each side.  Once complete, realign at the shelter for 2 more rounds of:

    Pull Ups AMRAP/Hanging Knee Ups x10 total, Low Slow Dips x10, Alt Lunges x10R X10L

    A mosey westbound on top of the levee brought us near Canal Blvd where we lined up for round 1 of Mary:

    Russian Twist x20IC, Flutter Kicks x20IC, LBC x20IC.  These were done in solid fashion despite the PAX being distracted by a vine ripened tomato moseying by.

    Indian Run the Canal Blvd loop/hill from amethyst to Lakeshore Dr (approx 1/3 mile) and hit the levee again for round 2 of Mary:

    Russian Twist x20IC, Flutter Kicks x20IC, LBC x20IC.  YHC proceeded to quiz the PAX on Burpee count of the morning to see who was paying attention.  Cowbell guessed right which meant we needed to crank out Burpees x10 to top off our 40.  Mosey to the flag with no time left for plankorama.

    Recap of the total rep count for the am:  40 each (some IC):  SSH, Arm Circ, Burpess, Step Ups, Hip Slappers, LS Dips, Pull Ups/Knee Ups, R Lunges, L Lunges, Russian Twists, Flutter Kicks, LBC, (plus lagniappe SJx19, CRx76)

    Solid workout by all.  I’m out of time typing this (birthday dinner awaits) and may later add the COT details along with the other COT insprational age quotes by Muhammed Ali and Plato.

    Tool

     

  • The Mystery Q Still Remains a Mystery

    This workout started with a text from a fellow PAX asking if I’d be able to Q in the event that the “Mystery Q” didn’t make it.  Needless to say I obliged and proceeded to ask if there was a certain theme the Mystery Q had in mind and the response was “…it’s a mystery even to me.”  Therefore, it still seems a bit fuzzy on who the true Mystery Q was going to be.  The PAX had to settle for me instead and here’s what happened:

    After a brief yet complex explanation about the Mystery Q and the uncertainty of him joining the workout at any given moment, YHC took the lead with the usual disclaimer and mosey to the rock pile.

    Warm Up:

    SSH x30 IC, Windmills x20 IC, Monkey Humpers x20 IC, IPW x30 IC, Arm Circles x20 IC, Plank, Rolls x20 IC

    Grab a rock a mosey to the field for a Burpee/Curl circuit in pairs:

    PAX 1 cranks out 10 Burpess while PAX 2 cranks out Curls AMRAP.  Toggle back and forth while counting down to 1….which was instead replaced with a 10 (#thanksOBT).  Total count was 64 Burpees and a bunch of Curls.

    Round two was a similar circuit with Imperial Squat Walkers (2 count) and shoulder presses AMRAP.  Start a 10, work down to 1…which was once again replaced with 10.  Total was 64 reps (128 Squats w/knee-elbow twist) and shoulder presses till arms were nearing numbness.

    Some famous and inspiring quotes were recited by the PAX somewhere through this about “iron sharpening iron” and “no pain no gain” and “pain is just weakness leaving the body”….

    PAX lined up for a Mary themed Indian Bear Crawl (always easier to envision than explain) to the track and back with rounds of:  Russian Twists, LBC, Flutter Kick, Plank.  YHC will pretend I didn’t hear whoever suggested the “Tunnel of Love” for the last round….that may be a bit too bromantic.  T-claps to Rudy for the impromptu vocal performance.  YHC was planning on a longer bear crawl but time was up so after depositing rocks to the pile, there was a sprint to the flag.

    COT included prayers for the Daigle family and those battling health issues.  Also gave thanks to the Sky Q for giving us the opportunity and physical ability to do these workouts.  That’s something that hopefully doesn’t get taken for granted.

    T-claps to Mayberry from F3 Knoxville for joining us and pushing the PAX.

    T-claps to Chair Thrower for posting twice in row and planning on a third post for the Tuesday stomp.

    T-claps to the Mystery Q for asking me to lead.  I hope this was on par with what he had in store.  I regret not pushing the PAX a bit more and squeezing in more bear crawling and running…gonna have to work on clock management.  Also regret forgetting that today was the 11 year anniversary of Katrina.  I would have been fitting to do burpees in the ditch/canal for some floodwater flashback.

    Tool

     

  • Humping Blocks on Hump Day

    For those who read this title and thought of something x-rated, get your mind out of the gutter.  For the rest of those who enjoy G-rated backblasts, here’s what happened:

    Seven F3 gurus posted at City Park this am for the usual Wednesday fix.  Typical mumble chatter as the PAX walked up, including some kotters to Shorty who has been fartsacking and/or “working” early in the am.  After the disclaimer, off in a mosey down Roosevelt Mall with a detour for a quick warmup COP (all in cadence):

    SSH x40

    IPW x30

    Arm Circle x20

    Windmill x10

    YHC wanted to allocate as much time as possible for the main part of the beat down which included a truck full of cinder blocks parked at the end of RM.  This would be the second time F3 NOLA had a date with these masonry masterpieces.  Time to glove up, grab a block (all opted for the larger 28lb variety), and lift overhead as we walked to the nearby field.  YHC cautioned the PAX to watch dropping the blocks on their heads since these had to go back in stock at work and it would be difficult to resell them if they were cracked or stained with blood.  Circle up for round 1 of the block party (all con el bloque):

    Row x30 IC

    Squat Press x20 IC

    Curl x20 IC

    Side Step w/Knee Up x30 IC

    Rinse and Repeat

    Quick breather then paired up for more cementitious bonding:

    PAX 1:  Farmer’s carry two blocks to top of hill (approx 50 yds), crank out 10 burpees on hill, farmer’s carry back, plank and wait for…

    PAX 2:  Run to old Foundry (approx 150 yds), crank out 10 pull ups/hangs or AMAP, run back.

    switch and repeat.

    YHC hoped to squeeze in another round of these but time was ticking so the pairs lined up 10ft apart facing each other for an alternating block circuit:

    Squat w/block x30 OYO/timer while partner block swings (kettlebell style).  Switch.

    Lunge w/block x30 OYO/timer while partner block swings (kettlebell style).  Switch.

    Had to also scratch round two of these after looking at watch which showed just enough time for a quick round of Mary:

    Russian Twists w/Block x20 IC (good stuff)

    Knee Ins while sitting on block x15 IC (awkward and ugly)

    Cockroach Crunch LBC Block Press Supreme…x20 IC (good stuff)

    T-minus four minutes so grab your block, lift it overhead, and start pressing all the way back to the truck.

    Indian Run back to the flag.

    COT included prayers for everyone going back to school, those battling medical issues, and YHC’s son.

    Mumble chatter highlight:  When YHC asked the PAX for confirmation on proper row form, some questioned Walleye’s input claiming he was trying to drum up business rather than see us go injury free.

    Moleskin:  It will be interesting to see if Team F3 Uptown ever decides to keep up with the Joneses by incorporating boulders or concrete blocks into an Audubon workout.  Until then, we can only assume they are not capable of such things and will leave the heavy lifting to those of us north of Claiborne Ave.

    Thanks for letting me lead.

    Tool

  • Men Among Fartsackers – 610 Stomp #50

    Hundreds of people converged on City Park this am to sharpen their bodies and minds by running through the scenic oak tree lined roads, utilizing the great outdoors gyms, and taking advantage of the pro-grade practice track. The only problem was only two of those individuals were F3 gloomers. So as 5:30 rolled around, Cowbell and I shrugged our shoulders, waiting for someone, anyone, to roll in hot but no dice. So we were off in a steady mosey for a 30 minute run along the Bayou St. John route with plans to finish off the morning with speed work on the track. YHC informed Cowbell he’d be skipping the burpees due to a tweaked calf coupled with the impromptu neighborhood beer slurping 9 hours earlier. Moseyed down the bayou and turned around at Orleans which made for roughly a 3 mile run. T-claps to Cowbell for keeping YHC company and keeping me from whiskey dicking more than I did. Once back at the track, we were hoping for enough time for four laps but only managed three. Lap #1: 50yd walk, 50 yd sprint x4. Laps#2&3: 100yd walk, 100yd sprint x2. Time was ticking so back to the flag for the obligatory 10 burpee finale. COT included a prayer for Cowbell’s grandparents and YHC’s son.

    YHC apologizes to the PAX (aka Cowbell) for showing up only running on 6.5 cylinders instead of the usual 8. Despite the somewhat mediocre posting this am, we still avoided a case of the fartsack that seemed to plague dozens of other F3 men throughout New Orleans.

    Tool

    P.S. T-claps to HVAC who was out there running solo on the track. He plans on making it to The Uptowner on Friday.

  • Old Metry Manliness

    At 5:30 it was looking like a PAX of two but then out of the darkness a few more trickled in hot to bring the count to six.  Good to see HVAC back this week, especially since there was the notion he might be one-and-done after Hawg’s yoga workout last week. This was YHC’s first Q at the new, no-run Uptowner so this meant incorporating in more exercises and COPs in lieu of that not-so-manly jogging/frolicking that is known to occur at Wolfpack Mountain.  After the disclaimer we were off in a non-mosey for a warm up around the flag:

    SSH X30 IC
    Hill Billies x25 IC
    Arm Circles X20 IC
    Windmills X20 IC
    Alt Shoulder Taps X20 IC
    Plank Rolls X20 IC

    Grad a rock and head for the first baseball field to pair up for a descending burpee circuit:

    PAX 1 lines up facing PAX 2 with a safe distance between. PAX 1 completes 10 Burpees while PAX 2 completes curls with the rock. Flip flop back and forth until each PAX has done 10,9,8,….=55 Burpees total for each man plus lots of curls and some rows thrown in at round 5 or so.

    Head in a non-mosey 30 yds away to field #2 for an Mary inspired Indian Bear Crawl. PAX lines up in outfield (behind third base) for with alternating Mary while last guy bear crawls to front. A bit hard to explain to the woosy and winded PAX but it came together once we started.
    Round 1 to home plate: LBC, Russian Twists, Flutter Kicks, Penguins
    Round 2 back to outfield: Plank, low plank, LBT
    Bonus Round 3 consisted of side squat walk w/rock OYO to fence and back. Some grumbling at this point but the PAX stayed with it.

    Enough time for one last COP with:
    Rock Curls X15 IC
    Rock Rows x15 IC

    Walk back to flag while doing Shoulder Presses w/rock. Deposit coupons in proper spot and call it a morning.

    COT included prayer for those traveling, Kim Chi’s friend, Fracsac’s brother, and YHC’s son.

    Nothing groundbreaking or newsworthy this am, just six men all striving for a solid beatdown. No whiskey-dicking in sight.

    Tool

  • F3+NOTC+2Miles+ColdBeer=GoodTime

    “Running is not, as it often seems, only about what you did in your last race or about how many miles you ran last week.  It is, in a much more important way, about community, about appreciating all the miles run by other runners, too.”   -Richard O’Brien

    The PAX of F3 NOLA trickled into City Park Wednesday evening to not only test the limits of our middle-aged chassis (minus the 20-somethings) but also support NOTC in their quest to promote running in the community.  This was a good setting for us to get the word out about F3 and EH a few new guys.  T-claps to the 16+ PAX for posting, even though it looked like it was going to be a washout.  Luckily, it cleared up and the race went off as planned.  T-claps to those who stayed behind to man the tent and churn our cups of Gatorade to the masses.  Those that ran were greeted with the all so pleasant mugginess that is to be expected this time of year.  Despite the heat and humidity, several PAX pushed hard and had great race times.  T-claps to Cowbell, Rudy, Shorty, Roots, etc for taking the lead.  T-claps to everyone for EHing after the race.  The rain made the crowd a bit light but there were plenty of potential gloomers.  YHC gets the vibe our numbers will continue to grow due to the PAX spreading the F3 love.

    T-claps to Rudy for getting this pic and t-claps to Side Effects for building the cool sign:

    Thanks to everyone who came out, contributed, or helped out.  Hopefully we can do more events like these in the future.  It was also good to meet some of the Ms and 2.0s.

    See you in the gloom.

    Tool

  • Ledge-O-Rama, Ledge Love, Lots-O-Ledge,….

    Fourteen of New Orleans’ finest came out to City Park this am to strengthen our bodies and minds. The sun was up and so was the temp which meant we were in store for a sweaty morning. Right before launch, YHC informed the PAX that the workout would have less running and take it easy on the legs since we’ve had our share of two-legged exercise this past week and will the next. Disclaimer…then off in a mosey to the Great Lawn for a warmup.

    Pre-Thang:
    SSH x30 IC
    Arm Circles x30 IC
    Shoulder Taps x20 IC
    IPW x20 IC
    Sqaut Kicks x20 IC
    Reposition for Bear Crawl across the Great Lawn

    Mosey over the the Sculpture Garden ledge to start the Thang. YHC informed the PAX this would start the ledge-o-rama themed workout which would involved lots of concrete around the park.

    Ledge #1:
    Box Jumps w/step down x10
    Dips x20
    Inclined Merkins x30
    Rinse and repeat

    Mosey to the Museum for Ledge #2:
    Pair up for a few Dora (Dura??) circuits. Cumulative count with one PAX doing specified exercises while other PAX run to steps, bunny hops up each step and back to ledge. Keep a running count for:
    200 Hip Slappers
    100 Side Step Up w/Knee Up (50R, 50L)
    100 Dips

    Grab water and line up for Indian Run up and down Lelong Dr. Lots of cars and people so we opted for the sidewalk. Not the prettiest Indian Run but it worked. Once back, the IR turned straight to a mosey headed for the Big Lake ledge. Once there we lined up for a core focused COP. Ledge#3:
    Peter Parker Inclined Plank w/alt foot taps to top of ledge x20 IC (not official name for these??)
    Russian Twists x25 IC
    Hip Thruster-R x20 IC
    Peter Parker Inclined…. x20 IC
    Hip Thruster-L x20 IC
    It was sunny, hot, and lots of glare from the water so YHC forgot to introduce a round of Knee Drive Holds that were on the itinerary.

    Mosey back to water fountain, then to museum steps for a some more interaction with concrete. Round#4:
    Ascending Merkins, aka Tooth Fairy, aka Elevator???, aka Stairway to ???….
    Increasing Merkins on each step: x1,x2,x3….up to 11. Total count was 66 Inclined Merkins

    Mosey toward the flag with a pit stop at Popp’s Bandstand more masonry fun. We only had a minute of two left so YHC had to abbreviate this drill from five rounds to three. After explaining and being gullible enough to give a complete 3 burpee demonstration, YHC led the PAX into a quick Round#5:
    Jump up high ledge of bandstand, knock out 3 Burpees, run down other side and back to high ledge. Repeat twice with descending burpees then run to flag and plank.

    Announcements included reminder about NOTC Wed night race on 07/20 that we are sponsoring. Also, Wed am needs Q for Foundry workout. Reminder to hydrate before, during, and after workouts. T-claps to Bubba for getting those snazzy F3 business cards made. We’ll have some at the race on Wed as well as some of the morning workouts. Prayed for those travelings, YHC’s son, special intentions, along with and end to the violence and racial tensions throughout the nation and rest of the world.

    Good turnout for coffee afterwards with top notch service from our favorite waiter, Mike.

    Thanks for letting me lead this morning.

    Tool