Author: TurboTax

Great to see Collard Greens and Tank-Up return for their second post this morning.  Something about the approaching storm motivated the 4 strong PAX to get after it without delay, warming up with a sense of urgency under the Gipper’s gaze:  Seal Jacks 20x IC, IW 20x IC, Torso Twists 10x IC, Merkins 10x IC, Mountain Climbers 20x IC, SSH 20x IC, Butt Kicks 20x IC, and Windmills 10x IC.

Mosey to the Justice Center Veterans’ Memorial for a shoulder/rotator cuff complex: lateral arm raises 10x IC, front arm raises 10x IC, thumbs up 45 degree arm raises 20x IC, thumbs down 45 degree arm raises 20x IC, small arm circles forward 20 count, small arm circles backwards 20 count, touchdown rotator cuff raises 20x IC, and arms in front pulses 20 count.  Separately, not very challenging, but when linked together and the challenge of not dropping your arms is issued, quite challenging indeed.

Short mosey to the Justice Center Oak Alley for a burpee gauntlet…burpee at each oak tree down the alley.

Recovery walk to the rear of the Justice Center where the PAX combined repeated strides at 85% down a lane with return agility drills back to the starting point:  lateral bounces each direction, carioca each direction, low slow lateral shuffles each direction, heal walk, toe walk, and finally ankle flips.

Mosey back to the Trailhead, grab some coupons (T claps to Steve for replacing the coupons that the PAX destroyed a couple of weeks ago), partner up for 5 minute AMRAP of OH cinderbock walk for partner 1 while partner 2 hits as many Merkins as possible, switch up, and get in as many rounds as possible.

On our sixes for some coupon pause bench press, then flutter kicks and Hello Dollys 10x each IC holding coupon arms extended, and wrap it up with some wife pleasers 20x IC.

Count-o-rama, name-o-rama, and Einstein prayed us out as the storm arrived.

Solid effort this morning.  Thanks for letting me lead.

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More like Breakin’ Cinder Blocks in the Gloom to be honest.  So YHC was careful to give the disclaimer this morning.  Not only did the PAX include FNG Collard Greens, but the THANG included the inaugural use of cinder blocks on the Northshore.  While the Southshore PAX are rock and cinder block experts, YHC was concerned that their country brothers here on the Northshore might not prove quite as adept at handling awkward objects.

So the THANG started with a warmup under the Gipper’s gaze:  SSH, IW, Merkins, torso twists, windmills, and arm circles, all IC mostly for 15 reps.

Mosey to the cinder block pile, grab one and then mosey over to the School Board Taj Mahal picnic area for a couple sets of:  squats, RDLs, upright rows, curls, shoulder presses, and manmakers, all IC 10x with the cinder blocks, followed by box jumps up and over a couple of picnic tables.  Lucky for all the School Board employees, Collard Greens waited until the end of the beatdown to splash Merlot discreetly.

Next up were five sets of quick foot toe taps on the cinder blocks, a 30 yard or so sprint across the parking lot, followed by a return mosey and then a cinder block throw.  This is where YHC’s inexperience with awkward objects made itself evident.  Green Mile crushed, and YHC means crushed, his cinder block with a throw.  Not really thinking things through, YHC encouraged continued destruction (who doesn’t like breaking things?) but reversed himself in short order once it became evident that the PAX would not be returning to the Trailhead with any City owned cinder blocks unless YHC reigned them in.  So we replaced the throws with squat jumps after the second set, but YHC is determined to find something the PAX can throw once he pays off the installment loan on the replacement cinder blocks he will promptly deliver back to the City.

Indian lunge walk back to the Trailhead exchanging the remaining cinder blocks under EiEi’s guidance.  Mary at the Trailhead:  Putins, ABCD abs, Scuba Steves, and Nolan Ryans, all IC.

Count-o-rama, name-o-rama, and prayer.  Einstein has the Q next Wednesday.  Thanks for letting me lead.  Welcome to the PAX, FNG Collard Greens.

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Only Blackbird could return from a week of backpack elk hunting in the Utah mountains refreshed and ready to humble the Covington PAX.  EiEi is used to it by now but welcome Steve to the geriatric Covington PAX where sextuagenarians abound, and bound, and jump and crush and inspire the young PAX to get after it in the gloom every Wednesday.

So this morning’s Thang all started with a mosey to the Justice Center Veterans Memorial and a warm-up COP.  SSH, windmills, squat thrusts, torso twists, Merkins, airplanes, arm circles…all IC 20x more or less.

Then down to business with lateral plank walks over a wide white line; back and forth IC 20x; then 20x hipslappers IC.  Rinse and repeat.  Quick mosey up the Justice Center Stairs and back for more white line work.  Lateral hops back and forth IC 20x then People’s Chair hold for a long 10 count.  Rinse and repeat 2x for 3 total rounds.

Recovery walk to Justice Center Oak Alley where YHC stole and modified Hawg’s bear crawl fiasco from F3 NOLA’s weekend convergence.  Who says bad ideas have to die?  YHC liked Hawg’s bad idea and figured it just needed a little fine tuning.  So the PAX bear crawled to the first oak tree, lunge walked to the second, etc, etc. down Oak Alley and its 7 million oak trees.  Remember this is the St. Tammany Justice Center we are talking about here; we like trees in St. Tammany.

Mosey back to the Trailhead for what seemed like another bad idea but actually turned out to be interesting and fun, a 5 minute pretzel AMRAP.  Starting at the top of the Trailhead hill, the PAX ran to the nearby bandstand where they jumped, climbed, and otherwise got on the bandstand, then headed down either the stairs to the left or ramp to the right and back up the hill to the starting point.  This one is kinda hard to describe with any accuracy and no one should try this at home, but the thing ended up looking like a bunch of moderately physically fit middle aged men running around in the shape of a pretzel.  Blackbird lapped the field at least 57 times.  This event definitely played to his endurance sports background.

A few ten counts later and the PAX were ready to finish off the morning’s beatdown.  Desperately looking for a way to get even with Blackbird, YHC got the PAX moving with an 11…Merkins on one end and Burpees on the other.  Thankfully the buzzer rang halfway through and without too much embarrassment we packed it up with a count-o-rama, name-o-rama,and prayer.

Blackbird is on for Q next Wednesday.

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Solid effort from 3 PAX this morning.  Would have made The Gipper proud.

The Thang:

Warmup at the Covington Trailhead:  SSH, IW, torso twists, windmills, hillbillies, squat thrusts, arm circles, leg swings, lateral lunges…all 20x IC more or less with a short recess to EH a passerby runner.

Mosey to the Justice Center for a grind, power up and hold session:

1x Merkin slow count 15 seconds down and 15 seconds up, 15 seconds of plyo Merkins, then 15 second isometric Merkin. 10 count then…

1x squat slow count 15 seconds down and 15 seconds up, 100% effort sprint to and up the steps to the Justice Center entrance, then 15 second isometric squat digging our heals in and pressing against the Justice Center.

Recovery walk back down Justice Center alleyway.  Rinse and repeat.  5 total sets.  Good stuff.

Mosey back to Trailhead for Mary:  Peter Parkers, Parker Peters, jackknives both sides, then supermans, all 15x IC.

Count-o-rama, name-o-rama, and a prayer.

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So maybe EiEi fartsacked.  Or maybe he was attending the G-20 Summit and forgot to inform the PAX.  At any rate, given his lust for beatdowns and heretofore stellar reliability, the PAX was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and chalk his Q absence up to something last minute and important and just rolled on with an improvised THANG.

Warmup under the Gipper’s gaze with SSH, IW, Merkins, windmills, torso twists, and seal jacks, all 20x and in cadence.

Mosey to the Justice Center Veterans Memorial for a tabata set.  20 seconds plyo Merkins to a T stand, 10 seconds rest, 20 seconds sprint/backpedal up a small hill, 10 seconds rest.  Rinse and repeat 3 times for 4 total rounds.

Mosey to Justice Center Oak Alley where the PAX ran a burpee gauntlet.  Burpee every oak tree and, this being St. Tammany and all, there are like 17 million oak trees lined up in perfect symmetry on that grassy stretch next to the Justice Center.

Out of breath mosey to the Justice Center Parking Garage to attempt some pullups.  YHC did some reconnaissance over the long weekend and found a spot to do pullups.  Sure you have to jump to a ledge and are blind to what waits up there to greet your fingers, but this is F3 after all and if you want a bacteria and debris free environment maybe you should go to the gym and workout with your M’s personal trainer.  So the PAX got some equipment free pullups in this morning and probably improved their immune systems as well.

Mosey to the back of the Justice Center for a 10 minute AMRAP.  3 man team with one man running up the stairs and down the handicap ramp while his teammates performed box jumps up to a bench and lateral jumps over a parking barrier.  Rotate.  The PAX got in 5 rounds total before the buzzer sounded.

Mosey back to the Trailhead for Mary.  Bow pose, long flutters,and Supermans, all 20x and IC.

Count-o-rama, name-o-rama, and prayer.

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The Covington PAX gathered under the Gipper’s gaze this morning for a Cold War workout.  If you have seen or read The Hunt for Red October, you’ll know that Soviet submarine Captains frequently executed a maneuver called the Crazy Ivan to detect American subs following them.  The Captain would spin his submarine around suddenly, changing directions to gain advantage in an underwater game of chicken.

So the theme of today’s beatdown was sudden change of direction and after a brief mosey and warmup consisting of SSH, IW, Merkins, Prisoner Squats, Ariplanes, Windmills, and Seal Jacks all 20x IC, the PAX headed to the Veterans Memorial for the first Crazy Ivan.

Dividing into two teams, one teammate ran through the service flag semicircle while his teammate executed high knees in place, switching off each lap and in different directions.  The PAX hit AMRAP for 7.5 minutes, getting in 24 collective trips before the buzzer sounded.

After a few quick 10 counts, the PAX worked their way to the top of the Justice Center Parking deck where they executed the next Crazy Ivan as a 4 man team.  One man ran down the ramp at 45 degree angles, planting his outside leg and changing direction every time he approached the wall, just like a running back changing direction.  Then he ran back up in the same fashion.  Meanwhile, one teammate hopped side to side over a line on the deck, another worked a dynamic front plank position horizontally over and back over a line, and the last lunged at varied angles. All PAX changed their angles continuously while working through these exercises.  AMRAP in 10 minutes rotating through each exercise with the PAX completing a collective 2 rounds together.

Next up were lateral curb hops, first facing uphill and leading with the right foot, then facing downhill and leading with the left foot, then facing uphill leading with the left foot, and finally facing downhill and leading with the right foot.

Short 10 count, then sprint down two sets of ramps for the final hard efforts of the morning.  Mosey back to the Gipper for the count-o-rama, name-o-rama, and prayer.

Solid effort this morning.  PAX fitness improving…it’s noticable.  Thanks for letting me Q.  EiEi is up for next Wednesday at the Covington Trailhead.  Come join us and make yourself better.

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