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  • Skinny – Da Block is HOT!!!

    Pre-Thang

    After the Week 2 – Iron 34Pax Challenge less than one week ago at the Birdcage, YHC was supposed to hide those cinder blocks with the help of the PAX.  However, Hawgcycle decided to use them for the same challenge at the Uptowner on Friday.  Therefore, the PAX loaded them back on Mahatma’s truck and off they went. YHC needed to find a way to bring those blocks back to Audubon Park.  Doing that during the day would be too suspicious.  Therefore, YHC had to incorporate another workout with the blocks so that the PAX could hide them after a morning beat down.  YHC needs to find a new home for those blocks soon.  They can’t be living in Mahatma’s truck forever.  Why not Skinny?  Because the Skinny usually involves more running around the park with exercises in between at some workout stations, YHC wanted to incorporate a cinder block workout focusing more on the legs, core, and cardio.  So Skinny…  28 PAX met up on a wet Monday morning.  At 5:30, YHC gave his standard disclaimer and off the PAX.

     

    Warm-ups

    Moseyed around the parking lot in front of the Audubon Clubhouse and back to the field next to the F3 flags and did the following in cadence:

    SSH x 20

    Windmills x 10

    Forward Arm Circles x 10

    Backward Arm Circles x 10

    Hill Billies x 20

    Plank Jacks x 20

    Overhand Claps x 10

     

    Da Block is Hot

    Grabbed the hot blocks off Mahatma’s truck and moseyed to the Band Stand.  Circled up and did the following exercises in cadence:

    Chest Presses x 20

    Leg Raises with Block in arms extended Chest Press position x 10

    Slow Goblet Squats with Block x 10

    Walking to the first light post at the Oak Alley, YHC gave instructions on a modified BLIMPS workout with the blocks.  The PAX was holding on to his block while he was running between the light posts for the entire BLIMPS.  OYO – At the first light post, 5 Burpees with a thruster over the head (5 man makers).  Ran to the 2nd light post and performed 10 Lunges on each leg while holding onto the block.  Ran to the 3rd post and properly executed 15 Imperial Walkers on each leg while holding onto the block.  Moseyed to the 4th post – 20 Merkins.  To the 5th post…. 25 Chest Presses with the block.  To the last light post… 30 Squats while holding onto the block.

     

    Da Block is Hot..Hot

    Before YHC could give instructions for the next exercise, Reluctant Yankee had decided to modify his workout by “accidentally” dropping his block and breaking it in half.  That’s one way to modify….  The PAX reused the Oak Alley for the following exercises OYO.  The PAX left his block by the first light post then…

    1 – Ran to the 2nd light post and back and performed 30 Block Jump Overs, Ran to the 3rd post and back to the 1st post…. 20 Block Jump Overs, Ran to the 4th post and back to the 1st post… 10 Block Jump Overs

    2 – Ran to the 2nd light post and back and performed 30 Squats with the block, Ran to the 3rd post and back to the 1st post… 20 Squats with the block, Ran to the 4th post and back to the first post… 10 Squats with the block

    3 – Ran to the 2nd light post and back… 30 Leg Raises with block in arms extended chest press position.  Ran to the 3rd post and back to the 1st post… 20 Leg Raises in the same position.  Ran to the 4th post and back to the 1st post… 10 Leg Raises in the same position.

     

    Da Block is Hot….Hot..Hot

    Time to hide those cinder blocks, but YHC couldn’t make it that easy.  YHC had asked Mahatma to Q the group in 2 lines and led the group by shouting “overhead, right shoulder (not resting on the shoulder), left shoulder” as the group dodging cars on Magazine Street toward the fountain.  YHC could only imagine what the drivers were thinking witnessing 28 guys with cinder blocks over their heads at 6:12 a.m. crossing Magazine Street.  Not weird at all.  Very shortly, the PAX made it to the fountain and hid them by the bushes.  The PAX then moseyed back to the flag for the COT at 6:16 a.m.

     

    COT

    Count-O-Rama 28PAX, Name-O-Rama with three FNGs & one PAX from Greenville, announcements, intentions.  Welcome Fire Marshall Bill (Greenville), Ducky (FNG), Pep-Toe (FNG), and Brexit (FNG).  Thank You all again for the opportunity to lead.  SYITG

    King Kong

     

  • Mea Culpa Can Be Hell

    YHC did a no-show the prior Saturday.  He was in Oregon, and neglected to check that he was the Q.  Bad pax, bad pax.  Thank the Sky-Q that Rudy wasn’t there to remind everyone.  Tclaps Rudy for your fartsackery.  So when 86 called out for a switcheroo Q, YHC had but one option: to Q.  YHC needed some punishment, so that meant the same for the rest of the PAX.  Just think of it as a #DownPainMent.  About six or so of the PAX broke off for the Iron Challenge on the Great Lawn.  The rest of the PAX moseyed little farther up the Great Lawn for:

    First Circle of Pain:

    • Side Straddle Hops: 20xIC
    • Hillbillies: 20xIC
    • Around The World (or Daft Punk), in a kinda tribute to Side Effects: 12ishxICish (YHC was looking like Cowbell, there)
    • Merkins: 20xIC
    • Mountain Climbers: 20xIC
    • Peter Parkers: 20xIC

    Mosey to Tool’s Wall of Pain:

    • Calf Raises: 20xIC
    • Calf Raises with toes pointed out (or in, because your YHC said one but did the other): 20xIC
    • Calf Raises the opposite way (toes pointed in, or out, because your YHC was reminded that he got it backwards): 20xIC
    • Left Leg Dips (bring left leg to the ground): 20xIC
    • Right Leg Digs (bring right leg to the ground, obviously): 20xIC
    • Monkey Humpers (on the ground, not the wall): 20xIC

    Mosey to the Mini-Foundry and split up into several groups.  AMRAP for dips, burpees, leg lifts, big boy situps, pull ups, and steps up with a mosey aways away and back for the timer.  Rotate around until each group has done each.  Then a slow mosey to the beginning of Roosevelt Mall for a better tribute to Side Effects: Route 66.  The PAX split into two groups, one up one side of the mall and the other up the other.  At the first bench do either one erkin or one derkin or one LBC (but a real-ass LBC not a half-ass LBC), then mosey to the next bench for two, then to the third bench for three, etc. to the eleventh bench for eleven–for a total of 66.  After some water, mosey back to the Great Lawn for

    Circle of Mary:

    • Dying Cockroaches: 20xIC
    • Flutter Kicks: 20xIC
    • Real Freddy Mercuries (or is it Mercurys?): 20xIC
    • Hello Dollys (or is it Dollies): 20xIC
    • Putins: 20xIC
    • Rosalitas: 20xIC
    • Box Cutters: 20xIC

    It was getting late and Triple Shift was moseying like the Q, so no time for Dr W.  Sorry, I promise it for my next Q.  Mosey back to the flag for COT.  Tclaps for two FNGs.  It’s not us old farts who keep F3 going, it’s the steady flow of FNGs who keep it fresh and inviting.  I followed the logic for how we named Colonial: he lives in River Ridge, or it is Harahan?  [Sorry, YHC doesn’t venture deep into Jefferson Parish.]  So of course the defunct Colonial County Club in the middle fit perfectly.  How we got to Phoebes was a little more circuitous: the FNG is a physical therapist, so someone suggested Phoebe from Friends, whereupon the FNG reminded that she is a massage therapist, whereupon the PAX then went down too many rabbit holes for YHC’s oxygen-deprived brain to follow for other names, so he opted for Phoebes.  [The AMA is conducting a study to correlate the lack of oxygen after a post with the gnarlier an F# name, but the results should be obvious: the less oxygen, the better the name.]

    Jingle Vader

  • Muggy Monday

    A guy messes up once, and he gets no sympathy.  I suppose it’s a good think to keep one accountable.  Thanks, Rudy.  So at exactly 5:30:00.00, YHC gave an excellently excellent disclaimer, and the PAX was off.

    First Circle of Pain:

    • SSHs 30xIC
    • Don Quixotes 20xIC
    • Hill Billies 30xIC
    • Peter Parkers 20xIC
    • Parker Peters 20xIC

    The PAX get Rox, as big or little as you’d like.  Then mosey to the track.

    Second Circle of Pain:

    Line up in an earth circle (TClaps to Babyface for reminding us that a line on earth is of course a circle) for some suicides.  Mosey with you rock about 25 yards and then 10 burpees and return to 20 merkins; then mosey 50 yards for 10 burpees and return for 20 merkins; then mosey 75 yards for 10 burpees and return for 20 merkins; and finish with 100 yards for 10 burpees and return for 20 merkins.

    Third Circle of Pain (in a PAX-centric and not Q-centric circle):

    • 20 overhead lifts
    • 20 curls
    • 20 row
    • 20 squats
    • 20 benchpresses

    Rinse and repeat with a cycle of 13, and then rinse and repeat again with a cycle of 7.  Mosey back to the rock pile.  Tclaps to Bogey for his well aimed splash of Rudy from a good 10 yards away.

    Circle of Mary (if six minutes of Mary can do wonders, imagine what 3 minutes of Mary can do!):

    • LBCs x50
    • Dying Cockroaches x25

    Mosey back to the virtual flag for a countoff, name-o-rama, lots of prayers, and praise for a glorious morning.  Shalom, namaste and pax vobiscum, Jingle Vader

  • Drowning in Pools of Iron Sweat and Tears

    Some of us have the God-given ability to sweat rivulettes of salty, man-musky, liquid WORK. For others, to reach such epic proportions of perspiration it requires a beatdown from above…or at least a little further north – say, South Carolina and the Iron PAX Challenge. As a disclaimer, there was a Monday modification called by YHC shortly after beginning. Instead of 50 reps of varying exercises after the BBJOs, we previewers of this weeks challenge reduced the number to 25.

    WARM-O-RAMA

    15xs IC:

    Toe Touches

    Forward Arm Circles (golfballx5, basketballx5, beachballx5)

    Same in reverse

    Windmills

    THANG

    This weeks Iron PAX Challenge (with slight modification):

    15 down to 1 Burpee Block Jump Overs, each set followed by 25 reps of a rotating choice of hand release merkins, goblet squats, and leg raises with coupon in extended chest press position, followed by broad jumping out 10 yards and back 10 yards….AMRAP for 30 minutes! Pre-administered T Claps to Shooter (the sweetest sweatiest swamp beast this side of the Marsh) who will be leading Covingtons finest and subjecting himself to the full version at the Gipper wednesday.

    MARY (kinda)

    Coconuts took the reigns, sharing duties with The Wackiest Wacker (nod to our absent brother Steve) for his VQ! With little time and less energy remaining at the Marsh, the PAX eagerly anticipated some time on our sixes, only to be lead to the playground. Alas, Coconuts was to bring it proper for his first time in the lead.

    While the PAX planked, each man individually did 1 pull up. After all had accomplished this, each man returned to the monkey bars for 2, then 3, and, running out of time, 2 more before wearily returning to center court for COT

    Many thanks to Shooter for praying us out, with special intentions for our own Captain Sparkles.

    Congrats to the weekday-warrior Coconuts for poppin his F3 cherry! We look forward to following your lead often.

  • Friday FunDay

    Warm up: 5 Minutes

    Wolfpack Mountain: 12 sets

    Run the straight aways and completed the following sets at the flats.

    • 5 Burpees
    • 10 Mercants
    • 15 Jump Squats
    • 20 LBC’s

    Total: 60 Burpees, 120 Mercants, 180 Jump Squats, 240 LBC’s

    Benches:

    • 28 Dips
    • 28 Decline Mercants

    Football Up Downs:

    Finished off with 5 football style up downs

     

    Great effort from all who attended. Tough workout but a great way to lead us into the weekend!

     

     

  • Can You Feel The LOVE?

    We were all FNGs once…BUT….IF….you’ve been an F3 Northshore FNG recently, making your first post at the most logical AO, the Mandeville Lakefront, you’ve experienced some extreme H8 from on-Q-high.  Of course, I would never mention any Qs by name…but a few nicknames come to mind: Turbo (extreme H8), Maverick (he called it “a sampling” of H8), and who could forget Bushwacker and his “animal planet” on what had to be the longest set of city blocks in all of Mandeville (I attribute my slow typing to the blisters on my fingers from bear crawling).  And, there may have been another obstacle course beatdown sprinkled somewhere in there, but YHC cant remember that one very well.  To make a long story short, there seems to have been some sort of Challenge or Race at each Saturday morning beatdown this summer.   So YHC figured with all this H8, it was time for some LOVE.  So here’s how it went:

    Warmarama

    SSH, Imperial Walkers, High Knees, Butt Kicks.  x 15 all IC.  Then off we go for some fun and games.  Mosey to the Great Lawn…

    Thang:

    45 Minute game of Ultimate Frisbee with some school yard smack talkin’ mixed in.  It was awesome!  YHC felt like a kid out there.  Raise your hand if you’ve said, “Losers walk” in the last 30 years.    The game went great–we had some diving catches, some nice throws, some blocked passes and deflections.  Even Chris Berman and Tom Jackson would have been impressed if they had seen the full speed, Sportscenter-esque collision between Assets and TankedUp.    Relieved that no one was “Jacked Up” after the collision, YHC called “next point wins.”  With a quick score by the Shirts (the Skins fell asleep because the rest of the game was such a blowout), it was time to mosey back to the Flag for some Mary:

    Flutter Kicks, Hello Dollys, Putins, Rower Sit-ups, and Leg Raises.

    Countarama, Namorama, and YHC prayed us out.

    Thanks for the opportunity to lead, men.  I appreciate it.

  • Birdcage – Week 2 – The Iron 34PAX Challenge

    Pre-Thang

    After YHC’s first visit at Okwata’s H4 Challenge, YHC discussed with Tool and Mahatma-Ice about the possibility of bringing a Rock City type of workout to Birdcage with cinder blocks.  Of course… with their support, YHC was able to get the goods (28 blocks at 28 lbs and 4 blocks at 19 lbs) from Tool and loaded them up onto Mahatma’s truck.

    Meanwhile, on Sunday, Reluctant Yankee sent out Week 2 IronPax Challenge, which incorporates exercises with cinder blocks.  What are the chances??? With many personal texts and mumblechatter convincing the Q to facilitate the challenge (a lot of passive aggressiveness), YHC finally decided to forgo his planned Q with the blocks and went with the challenge.

     

    The Challenge

    Thanks for many PAX help at 5 a.m. to mark the 25 yard distance and unloading all 32 blocks onto the field, YHC was able to start the disclaimer on time at 5:30 a.m. and off we go…. Unfortunately, YHC didn’t get enough blocks for the challenge.  YHC underestimated his popularity… didn’t expect to see 34 PAX and thought 32 blocks were more than enough.

    Actual Week 2 Iron Pax Challenge – accumulated Rep scoring

    4 sets x 8 minutes – perform as many reps as possible in 8 minutes.  After 25 reps, must run 25 yards out and back.  Rinse and repeat until 8 minutes is up.  Rest 2 minutes between sets.

    Set 1 – Thrusters with cinder block

    Set 2 – Curls with cinder block

    Set 3 – KB Swings with cinder block

    Set 4 – ManMaker with cinder block

    Total Score = Set 1 Reps + Set 2 Reps + Set 3 Reps + Set 4 Reps

     

    COT

    Count-O-Rama 34 PAX, Name-O-Rama with one FNG & one PAX from Tallahassee, announcements, intentions.  A record day at Birdcage with 34 PAX participating a heck of the challenge.  Welcome Iron Horse (Tallahassee) and Sinner Bloq$ (FNG) because he’s a pastor working out with cinder blocks.  How fitting???

     

    NMM

    T-Claps to everyone making the challenge possible at Birdcage.  Tool – supplying the blocks.  Mahatma-Ice – picking up the blocks with his truck.  Yankee – measuring the 25 yard distance at 5 a.m.  Hawgcycle, Candy Land, Gabrielle, Medulla, Angie’s List, Willie – help unloading off the truck to the field in the Gloom.

    Thank You all again for the opportunity to facilitate the challenge.  SYITG

    King Kong

     

    Standings – YHC didn’t get everyone’s reps because some modified the challenge, 4 PAX were using the 19 lbs blocks instead of the 28 lbs, or YHC just didn’t do a good job collecting everyone’s score.  Whatever the reason, this is the list:

    Rev-It – 325

    Seaman -625

    I Love You Man – 425

    Douille – 375 (left early)

    Iron Horse – 609

    Angie’s List – 502

    Bartman – 500

    Gabrielle – 583

    Willie – 558

    Rev Sox – 468

    Tinkles – 489

    Medulla – 455

    Quarter Pipe – 456

    Mahatma-Ice – 805

    Saban – 655

    Sinner Bloq$ (FNG) – 655

    Peaches – 475

    Hawgcycle – 592

    Reluctant Yankee – 445

    El Wire – 505

    Mariah – 495

    Chiquita – 415

    Candy Land – 325

  • Smuckers

    There were no FNGs at The Gipper this morning.  If there had been, YHC would have named the first one Smuckers.  Because his arms and legs and the rest of his body for that matter would have felt like jelly.  F3 Greenwood must have it in for the rest of us.  Last week’s IronPAXChallenge workout was tough, but our South Carolina brothers turned the volume up to 11 this week.  What a workout.

    Knowing that we’d be pressed for time and anticipating the severity of the challenge before us, YHC kept the pre-game festivities to a minimum.  After a few SSHs, Seal Jacks, Copperhead Squats and Arm Circles, the PAX walked to their 26.6 lb cinder blocks like prisoners to the gallows.  Brief instructions and it was game time:  8 minutes of Thrusters, Swings, Manmakers, and Curls…50 yard run after every 25 reps…AMRAP for each exercise…2 minutes of rest between exercises.

    So simple yet so brutal.

    Countorama, nameorama and a prayer.  Then YHC gave the guys the rest of the day off from work.  Hey, they earned it.

    Thanks for letting me lead guys.  We need to come up with a challenge involving alligators and send it in the direction of the Carolinas.

     

  • Give me a ‘B’

    I seem to get stuck on repeating the same exercises between Q’s so in preparation for Monday’s Skinny I figured I’d consult the F3 website for some new ideas.  There are plenty. I didn’t have to go past the ‘B’s until I found a couple and after hearing of the eminent meteor shower I knew the Pax may be distracted and I didn’t want to put too much excitement into one beatdown.

    Warm up:

    • SSH X 20
    • Smurf Jack X 20
    • Plank Jack X 20
    • Star Gazers (Penguins) X 30 (No meteors seen ☹️)

    Mosey to row bars for 4 stations:

    • Burpees X 10 as the count
    • Rows
    • Squats
    • Lunges

    Black Snake from the row bars to the fountain.  White Snake may be trademarked or perhaps it’s a shorter version of the Black Snake?  We went full size.  It’s a Indian Run though the runner weaves through the line.  It took some coordination and a slower speed to maintain the proper spacing.  Perhaps a nice addition to the line running options.

    Benches at the fountain:

    • RLSU X 20
    • Dips X 20
    • LLSU X 20
    • Derkins X 10, Shoulder Taps X 10, Derkins X 10

    Progressive Burpee Run 1-5 increasing at each jogging man icon.  Thinking of social activism would it be a bad idea if those jogging men were to be adorned with an F3 sticker?  Hmm.

    Mary on the golf course.  Was to be our next star gazing opportunity but it was too dark, El Wire sharted, and there was a bird loudly dying in a tree so the mood just wasn’t right.

    • LBC X 20
    • Dying cockroach X 20
    • Breakdance Merkin X 5: In summary on the up motion you bring the right arm off the ground and rotate to lateral plank position and kick the left leg forward.  In the down motion rotate back to neutral position and go chest to ground.  Repeat this time with left arm and right leg. This is a slow 4 count (down, up, down, up).  This one may not stick but should be tried again before shelving.

    Two Column Indian Run to pull-up bars for 4 stations:

    • Burpees X 5 for the ciunr
    • Pull ups
    • Al Gore
    • Werkins

    Free Run back to the flag.  1 minute of plank work to run out the clock.

    Count off to 16, Name-o-Rama.  Announcement about upcoming Saints Run for those not invited to be on the BRR team but like to run anyway.  There will be a selfie opportunity with the new male Saintsation. Speaking of trying new things and men that dance, Colonel Mustard announced his try out for the 610 stompers and his appreciation of the well wishes from the Pax.  On the serious side I offered thanks to God for the courage to try new things.  Thanks for the opportunity to lead.

     

  • 49 +1 =

    To celebrate becoming worthy of respect, YHC took the Q on his birthday.   After a questionable disclaimer we headed out.  The thang – 15 minutes out and back down Bayou St. John. returning to the track for speed work.    YHC had the pleasure of running alongside GRT IronHorse from Jacksonville Fla.  Some of the PAX were a bit tardy on the return so there was ample time for planking. Next on the agenda was speed work.   We did a total of 10 50 yard sprints across the football field with very little rest between the last 2 rounds.  Fairly gassed we returned to the shovel flag for 49 flutter kicks as YHC didn’t technically become worthy of respect until later in the day.   We closed with a count,  name-o-rama, intentions and a prayer.   YHC is thankful to have F3 and certainly a better man because of it.