F3 New Orleans

Blog

  • Eyes on the Road! Ya Merkin Maniac!

    So on a beautiful Monday morning, YHC moseyed up to the AO and noticed no water anywhere around!  It’s been awhile since we haven’t had the sweet aroma of ducks@#t surrounding us in our beatdowns.  Maybe this is a good sign…  After disclaimer we moseyed to open field on the Calhoun side of the park for:

    Warm Up

    • Forward Arm Circles X 20 IC
    • Imperial Walkers X 20 IC
    • Reverse Arm Circles X 20 IC
    • Hillbillies X 20 IC

    Next we moseyed to Row Fitness Area

    Split into 5 Groups

    • Group 1 Catalina Wine-Mixers X 10 as the Count
    • Peter Parkers
    • Lunges
    • Parker Peters
    • Rows

    Next we…Double-backed, WHAT?, surely we were going to make the Audubon loop it’s a Monday after all.  Those PAX don’t know YHC and his general distaste of running; body-weight exercises is my JAM.  So back to the Shelter!  Through the normal shortcut route hugging the lagoon which apparently is now a construction area.  Careful running through this Men at Work zone PAX.  Can I interest anyone in a Vegamite sandwich?  Maybe after the beat down.  Think about it…

    Anyway, we finally hit our destination after much ducking and diving, but no diving ducks too dry for them.  Did I mention I like body-weight exercises?  Specifically merkins, so MERKIN MANIA it is:

    8 different merkins all done 5 count OYO as fast as you can.  On the menu:

    • Diamond Merkins
    • Merkins (the classic, it never goes out of style)
    • Staggered Merks Right
    • Staggered Merks Left
    • Wide-Arm Merks
    • Crucible Merks (these were fun)
    • Hand-Release Merks
    • Tempo Merks (why did I save these for last?)

    Next up at the Shelter, let’s get some leg work in PAX:

    • Right Leg Power Ups X15 IC
    • Dips X15 IC (Wait Dips aren’t leg work, just go with it)
    • Left Leg Power Ups X15 IC
    • Dips X 15 IC (Again?)
    • Right Leg Bulgarian Split Squats X 15 IC
    • Left Leg Bulgarian Split Squats X15 IC

    Now we’re feeling good, so let’s mosey to…the Bandstand.  That was quick!  Let’s do some 11’s.  Grab a wall, step, another PAX’s shoulders for Mike Tyson’s on the lagoon side of the bandstand starting at 10 count then up and over the bandstand and run to the first light for 1 Monkey Humper.  Run back to the lagoon side for it all to start again decreasing/increasing.  You know the drill PAX!  For those who might be wondering, a Mike Tyson is you start in a merkin position with feet against a wall or step, you squat back as first move of exercise back to merkin position and then complete a merkin.  That’s one.  Those were fun, are we seeing a merkin theme here?

    Surely we’re done, we can see the Flag (or where the Flag should be) from here?  Well, we have 3 minutes left so let’s mosey to an open field, which used to be an open pond not that long ago, for one last CoP.  Let’s do Febreze!  A new one for me, here’s how it works.  Kinda like an AB version of Jack Webb with way more Air Presses.  PAX starts with 1 Big Boy Situp and then at the top of that sit up, hold feet up six inches and do 10 Air presses.  Back down for 2 Big Boy Situps and 20 Air Presses holding those feet up the whole time.  PAX made it up to 4 Big Boy Situps and 40 Air Presses until our time was up.  Great job PAX!

    Mosey back to Flag for:

    Seaman and his new dog!  We missed you at the beat down Seaman, but happy to see you and meet your new friend.

    Count-Off

    Name-O-Rama, we had one FNG who is an artist that paints scenes of live music shows.  Think Frenchy.  What a cool gig!  After much mumblechatter, Splatter is the name.  Welcome to the PAX, Splatter!  And thanks to Brown Bag for EHing.

    Announcements

    Intentions

    Prayer

    Thanks to all the PAX for letting me lead today.  It’s truly an honor!

  • 86 Don’t Count

    Balmy spring morning at Audubon park, birds were singing and squirrels were chirping….

    Start off with the disclaimer of me not being any kind of professional and that I don’t count.  Then a mosey to the right on the track to the first running man, painted on the track, then we preformed the following:

    1-5 running men 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 burpees

    6-10 running men 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 low slow jumping squats

    11-15 running men 50, 40, 30, 20, 10 lbcs

    16-20 running men jack webs 10, 8, 6, 4, 2

    21-25 running men Nolan Ryans 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (each side)

    Then mosey to the benches dividing into 4 groups of 5:

    Group 1 20 count derkins (the count)

    Group 2 alternating step ups

    Group 3 dips

    Group 4 decline shoulder taps

    Prisoner run to the water fountain then performed:

    Global warming holding a squat position as the circle does 5 burpees

    Indian run to the pull up bars and divided into 4 groups of 5:

    Group 1 10 pull ups (the count)

    Group 2 jumping lunges

    Group 3 crossfit merkins

    Group 4 lbts

    Fast mosey to the flag and 5 additional burpees for RY, who requested them.

    Count off, name-o-rama and prayer.

     

    Thank you for letting me Q and putting up with my inability to count,

     

    86

     

     

  • CCC Training

    5 PAX gathered at Roosevelt Mall around a real shovel flag, for a final CCC Training run.  Alas, 2 of the PAX won’t be running on Saturday – but the other 3 (Bongo, Cowbell and Smooth) will be representing the 610 Stomp crew on Saturday.  Good luck to the whole F3 nation!

    Usual running route: Down the Bayou and back at your pace, be back by 6:10 for some 610 Stomp Mary.  Not surprisingly, Smooth led the way.  Hung back for some good F2 with the rest of us – then bolted to make it to the Overpass.  The rest of us got in between 4 and 5 miles.  Enjoy the cool weather running, I don’t think we’ll have this much longer.

    Finish up with a round of Mary

    • LBC x25
    • Flutter Kick x25
    • Dolly x25
    • Peter Parker x25

    Circle up for a count-off, Name-o-rama.  Intentions, remember those who are sick and ailing.  Blessings on all of the F3 men, and all participants, in the upcoming CCC race.  Run fast, run safe!

  • Circuit training

    5 pax met this morning at the trailhead, YHC stole the Q from the ailing Turtle.

    Warm up: Down Dog and hip flexor stretch

    Circuit Training:

    1. Jump rope 4 x 50
    2. Lateral band walk
    3. Forward and backward lunge with indian club swings
    4. Single leg RDL with 15lb DB
    5. Wall slides for lower trapezius

    Rinse and Repeat

    Cool down: Hamstring, Piriformis, hip adductor stretch

    COT: Name o rama, prayer.

    Thanks guys for letting me lead.

    Chewy

     

     

     

     

  • 11s or 12s. I can’t remember

    Happy Monday – 7 PAX started the week off right with an early Monday post at Rock City. Tool was apparently still recovering from a weekend of Hogging for a Great Cause, so had handed the Q to YHC.  5:30 on the dot, time to get the show on the road. Disclaimer and off down the gloomy track towards the rocks.

    Warm Up: The usual, at least kind-a

    • SSH x25
    • BAM.  Abacus rolls in hot.  Take that, Tool.  That’s a #HIM, showing up on Monday after HfC.
    • Slow Windmills x10
    • IW x24 (YHC was confused on count.  An omen of what was yet to come, I suppose)

    Go grab a rock.  Any rock.  Triple Shift – you’ve been challenged.  I don’t know where Mahatma found that thing.  But it was RIDICULOUS.

    Bring your friend to the tree line.  Peter Parker x25 (didn’t think I’d forget plank stuff, did you?)

    11s: You know what YHC thinks of with the number 11?  Yup, Notre Dame National Championships (and yes, I am painfully aware that none are within the last 30 years.  But there’s always next year.)  So lets do some 11s.

    • Merkins on the far side
    • Curls on the near side
    • “Let’s get it, Baby” says Marlin.  “Go” says YHC.

    OK, YHC forgot how to add up to 11.  Something that shouldn’t be that hard, but seemed perplexing to me.  But fortunately, the heckling of Walleye and Rev Sox straightened out the PAX and got us started correctly.

    OK, YHC also forgot to tell people to BRING THE ROCK WITH YOU.  Several PAX grumbled as they returned to the starting line.  But finally, we were off – Back and forth.

    Plank for the 6, with some Parker Peter IC.

    11s: You know what else YHC saw with the number 11 yesterday?  ND Women’s Lacrosse upset #1 Syracuse 11-10.  So lets do another round of 11s.

    • Squat Jumps on the far side
    • Lunges on the near side
    • Rocks in the middle.  11 shoulder presses each time you run past your friend.
    • Halfway through, a Q-dible: change to 11 rows each time you run past your friend.

    Plank for the 6, with some MC IC.

    Mary: Circle up for a few mins of Mary

    • LBC x25
    • Flutter Kick x25
    • Penguin x25

    Return the rocks and mosey back to the flag.

    At the flag, when given the choice – Bogey selected that we close with 11 burpees.  So 11 burpees it is.

    Finish with Count-off, Name-o-Rama.  Quality group of gentlemen I’m proud to start the week off right with. Props to Hand-Grenada who has jumped into Pontiff F3 with both feet, quickly becoming a regular at Rock City and The Uptowner.

    Finish with our intentions (especially those who are sick and undergoing surgery), and a prayer for the graces of God to be with us today.

  • Minute Merkins are Harder Than I Thought

    A Pax of 6 arrived at the Uptowner for a morning of exercise without running. The usual disclaimer and off we go. The plan for today was Tabata with 60 seconds of exercise, and 10 seconds of rest. As it turns out, 60 seconds of exercise is harder than I thought.

    Warm-up COP:
    SSH x 20 IC
    Imperial Walkers x 20 IC
    Peter Parkers x 20 IC
    Low Slow Squats x 20 IC
    Windmills x 10 IC
    Arm Circles 20 Forward, 20 Backward
    Mountain Climbers x 20 IC

    We mosey 20 feet for the first Tabata:
    Merkins for 60 seconds, focus on form
    WWII Sit Ups for 60 seconds
    Planks for 60 seconds
    Squats for 60 seconds
    3 rounds total

    Grab a rock, a big rock
    Chest press for 60 seconds. At this point, I conceded that 60 seconds is a long time. So we went back to In Cadence.
    Curls x 10 IC
    Rows x 10 IC
    Repeat for 3 rounds.

    Circle up for some Mary.
    LBC’s x 20 IC
    Flutter Kicks x 20 IC
    American Hammer x 20 IC
    Crunchy Frogs x 20 IC
    Dying Cockroach x 20 IC
    Box Cutters x 20 IC

    We returned our rocks, and had just enough time for more exercise with a smaller rock.
    Biceps curls into shoulder press x 20 IC.

    Final circle for count-off, name-o-rama, announcements, intentions, and a prayer. Thank you for letting me lead.

    Walleye

  • Name change?

    That was the question of the morning at the Milestone Marsh.  YHC told the Pax to mosey on over to the”Workout”Equipment and Bushwacker, who pretty much does a play-by-play broadcast during every beatdown, opined that it was really “children’s play” equipment.  And, truthfully, he is probably correct.  But, I have a better question to ponder…Is it too late to rename Bushwacker, “Jim Henderson”, the F3 play-by-play announcer????  I think it would suit him well.

    Warmup

    20 SSH, BK, HK, WM, GM all IC

    Thang:

    we broke into two groups and alternated excercises across basketball court.

    group 1: plank, reverse plank, plankjack, burpees, hand release merkins, squats

    group 2: run the length of basketball court, line drills, lunge walks, bear crawls, run backwards, shuffle sideways.

    mosey to “workout equipment”

    pullups, hand release merkins, freak nasties.

    reverse “australian” pullups.

    Mary:

    FK, HD, Rosalitas, putins, feet to heaven, leg raises, LBCs, more FK, more putin.

    countarama, nameorama, thanks to the Bushhhhwacker for praying us out

    Thanks guys for making me a better man and getting off the the great start to the week.

     

     

  • Slow & Steady Up The Mountain

    “It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” – Sir Edmund Percival Hillary

    12 men were ready to go at 5:30. After a brief stop on the lush Loyola grass, 10 MCs & 10 MCMs, we headed to the base of the mountain:

    Two Line Indian Run to the 3rd level – nice of El Wire, YSR & Yank to join us – followed by 10 MCM (3rd floor)

    SSH Jumps up the mountain followed by 10 Burpees

    Lunge Indian Run then 10 MCMs (4th floor)

    Plank Broad Jumps then 10 Burpees

    Slalom Al Gores then 10 MCMs (5th Floor)

    Indian Run Bear Crawls while LBCing then 10 Burpees

    Slalom Al Gores then 10 MCMs (6th Floor)

    Indian Run Backwards Crab Walks

    Lastly after a quick peek at the skyline we finished with 10 Burpees (top floor)

    2 minutes to spare, down the stairs and back to the flag

    Count-off, name-o-rama & some brief thanks

    Good times…

     

  • Mastering the 8-Count

    Warm Up: Toe Touches, Good Mornings, Windmills, SSH’s, Toy Soldiers, Seal Jacks, Sister MK’s, all IC at or around 20x.

    The Thang:

    Mosey East towards the Lakefront playground, hitting a series of 8-count exercises at each cross street:

    1st 20x 8-Count Bodybuilders

    2nd 15x 8-Count Absolutions

    3rd 10x 8-Count Bodybuilders, 10x 8-Count Absolution

    So the F3 Nation website or – the more frequently visited – Grundy Audited Database (GAD for short) says that a wise Q will introduce the 8-count cadence for the exercise known as Absolution, but then “instruct the PAX to do the exercise OYO, lest he give the impression of weakness.”  Well, YHC has never been accused of being wise and this group of men has certainly already seen me act weak (ahem… the high-pitched squeal as Captain Sparkles emerges from the bushes), so… time to forget one’s pride and school the Q in mastering the 8-count!

    The thing is, the 8-count isn’t actually that difficult.  So really, this was more of an excuse to wreck the PAX early on, which seemed to have worked.  (At the very least, it wrecked this here Q.)

    A few 10-counts later, we arrived at the playground and split into partners for a little routine up the tallest “hill” in Old Mandeville.  These sort of rigorous elevation changes would be good training for those running the Blue Ridge Relay this fall.  Here’s what we did:

    P1 does squats, P2 run-walks (aka, lunge walks) up to the swingset pad and back.  Flapjack.

    P1 does merkins, P2 bear crawls up and back.  A little slippery this morning.

    P1 does lunges, P2 frog jumps up and back.

    And finally, P1 does Freak Nasties, P2 does an 80% sprint around the perimeter.

    A few more 10-counts sprinkled throughout, and we’re onward to the back of the baseball field, which had a lot of action for 0700.  Gearing up for an early morning game, the PAX got to watch some kids practice their swings, and also witness the slowest-ever flag raise while we planked up and one by one (or two by two, I suppose) hit the pull-up bars for 8 pull-ups.  The 2nd round was 4 pull ups, and the flag had still only made it to half mast.  Did a round of 25x IC Mountain Climbers, but still didn’t get to see that flag hit the top.  Oh well, can’t plank forever.  Time for an Indian Run back to the flag.

    T-Claps to Low Nays who overcame the strong urge to splash some merlot and made it back to the flag for some Mary: (all IC) Flutter Kicks x20, Leg Raises x 15, Putins x20, Jane Fondas/QuickPulses/Heel-to-Knees x20 each leg.

    Countdown, nameorama, announcements (Sign up for the Classic!  Sign up to Q!), and The Manny led us out in prayer.  Thank you guys for the push to be a better man, and for a truly great start to the weekend.

  • Solo I Roll-O

    I came

    I saw (no other PAX)

    I rolled

    On my own, I did the half route of 3.2 miles. Without the obscenely slow Shooter or Steve weighing me down, I was able to keep a respectable 8.17/minute mile pace. Crescent City Classic immortality, here I come!

    Ben Todd

    37

    Bush WACKA!