F3 New Orleans

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  • RED STICK to a Tyson Fight

    7 PAX Gathered in the gloom for a BR beatdown.  Beatdown #2 to be exact.  The goal of the beatdown was more why we do things the way we do them – and how to do them.

    Jingle Vader of course represented NOLA proud with his SOGO attire in the 44 degree gloom.

    We circled up for a quick chat – I explain how to modify if necessary, and I explain the pearls on a string concept.

    Then we ran to the cool compass in the middle of the park.  There is a cool echo effect for cadence counting.

    Here we did SSH x 15, IMP Walker squats x 15, Mtn Climbers x 15, Merks x 15

    Then we moseyed to the covered picnic tables.  Here we talked about creating workouts where no man gets left behind but also keeping the most fit guys engaged.  We did the RED HOT CHILI PEPPER.

    Left leg, Right left, irk-merks, dirk-merks.  Starting at 20 – legs descending to 16 12 8 4    Merks we did 10-8-6-4-2

    After a recovery we sprinted 70% across the field to the pull up bars.  Here we attempted to do PIMPS.  With the low numbers it was a little awkward but we got through it.  Noticed a group of 3 men training on the baseball field below – made a mental note to go and engage them but  they were gone when we finished.   P = pull ups,  I = imperial walkers M= merks   P = plank jacks and S = squats     5 pull ups was the count – then rotate.

    A short mosey over to the field.  At the football field we did…

    3 rounds with Tyson.  We would normally do 5 or more but keeping time in mind we did 3.

    Run 35 yards, 5 burpees, run 35 yards the rest of the field – 5 burpees, come back to mid-field 5 burpees, then back to the starting “endzone” 5 burpees.  A total of 20 burpees for round one.  Round 2 we did 10 line jumps, Round 3 we did 15 little baby crunches.   Called time on this at this point.

    Jingle Vader circled us up for some 6min of Mary.   We did Russian Twist x 20, Flutter x 20, Rosalita x 20, LB-twist x 20.

    We also did Superman to Boat and Y, T and W x 25.

    Then to close it out – we made every PAX practice his cadence with an exercise.

    First up was Scales x 10 LBC,  Banjo with the Hindu Squat, Worms with regular Squats, Mega-dad with Forward arm circles, and Cherry Picker with backwards arm circles. (2 variations).

    All did a good job practicing the….1.) Next exercise is …. 2.)  Starting position…move  and 3.)  In cadence …exercise.

    Closed with a ball of man.  Hoped for a successful launch of F3 Red Stick, prayed for several intentions with a focus on being better male role models for our personal communities.

    FNG – Mega – dad’s name is Dave Mustaine.  Lead singer of Megadeath’s name.  He has 4 kids so we mashed those references together for Mega-Dad.

    Cherry Picker is from the cherry region of Michigan.

    Welcome to the PAX!

    It is always a pleasure to lead.

     

     

  • Santa Claus is Coming to Town – so give it your best

    14 pax posted for our lightly-themed, give-it-your-best beatdown on this cold morning.

    We kicked off with 10 burpees… and then 9 burpees… and then we changed gears for a traditional warmup.

    20 side straddle hops IC

    20 (or so) imperial walkers IC

    15 forward arm circles then reverse and repeat IC

    back to burpees for  a set of 8 and then 7,  From this point forward any time we heard “sudden change” we stopped where we were and did 10 burpees.

    Mosey eastward along the lake front to a section of trees in a row.  I heard recently about a new challenge going around. Not sure that it will get as big as the ice bucket challenge did, but figured we should practice just in case.  It is the bear crawl challenge.   I’m not even sure how the challenge goes, but I’m sure it involves a lot of bear crawling, so we did a long bear crawl from tree to tree as a group.  Maybe 80-100 yards.

    Mosey eastward.

    Sudden change.

    Mosey eastward for a COP of Mucho Chesto.

    Mosey to a pavilion near the marina for a round of freak-nasties (how do you spell that?), step-ups, and box jumps.

    Mosey to a hidden playground and split into groups in 4 stations.  1) pull ups (10x), 2) LBCs (30x), 3) American Hammers (30x), 4) Flutter kicks (30x).  Rotate until all pax have done everything.

    Mosey back to the flag area with a couple of sudden changes on the way.

    Regroup near the flag for a holiday variant of what is usually Roxanne.  I passed the Q over to the Boss for a 4 minutes and 18 second Santa Claus is Coming to Town (his version if the best I’ve heard).  Every time we heard “he” we did 2 shoulder taps, on “Santa” we did a merkin, and on “Town” we did a plank jack.  It starts off slow, but really picks up at the end.

    Finish up with a round of LBCs, flutter kicks… and then a final 10 burpees.  This brought us to 90 total.  Next time we’ll get 100.

    In addition to various motivational quotes throughout the beatdown (maybe they were cheesy, but they helped me keep pushing on) we finished with some words said to be attributed to Mother Teresa : http://prayerfoundation.org/mother_teresa_do_it_anyway.htm

    Here’s the beautiful sunrise we finished up to:

    Proud to be able to workout with these Pax who have pushed me to do more pushups, burpees (sp?), crunches, and many other crazy exercises that I never would have done without you over the last few years.  Thanks for the motivation and inspiration to never quit and to keep getting better.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Can’t Argue With the Math

    “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.”

    -Vince Lombardi

    No man with an F3 moniker is below average because we define our average by the company we keep. But it can be especially lifting to the spirit of motivation and self-accomplishment to be considered by your peers to be above-average. As humans, the one thing we all strive for is consistency – in our work, in our ethics, in anything we deem positive in our lives. At Captain’s Cove, as we strive for the consistency in maintaining and improving our fitness, we get that much closer to excellence in fraternity and friendship. EiEi has a magical way with words and perspective that can truly open your eyes to how things are supposed to be. Captain Sparkles is a source of drive, compassion, and leadership that his every action displays like a neon sign. Shooter, by his very nature, is a best friend to everyone he meets (fatherly flaws and all;). Yet as we chase perfection, we are lapped by The Mick and Round-Up and their running crew with their 8 minute miles. We see that there are levels beyond above average and so the chase is never ending. Thanks to Shooter for pushing YHC above his average, to “Mr. Above Average” himself for pushing hard despite feeling less than optimal (and praying us IN), and to Ei for reminding us that we just can’t argue with the math!

  • Woe to him that falls alone

    Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

    Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their toil.  For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!

     

    When YHC woke up to rain, wind and 40-degree weather, I was hoping that no one would show up at my scheduled Uptowner Q.  As I pulled up into the parking area, no one was in sight, no flag was visible and I was about to pull away but I had to make a visible sweep of the AO to make sure no one was there.  As I approached the traditional location, I saw a faint lone figure standing in the rain.  It was Hawgcycle!  He didn’t want to come out either but we made the best of it.  We grabbed our big rocks and headed over to the picnic shelter by the dog park.

    WARMUP

    30 x SSH IC, 25 Copperhead Squats, 20 x Mountain climbers IC, 20 Arm Circles / 10 front and 10 back

     

    THE THANG

    Lieutenant Dan Burpees  – One burpee with rock followed by an overhead shoulder press with the rock then lunge forward 4 steps.  Two burpees with rock with an overhead shoulder press with the rock after each burpee then lunge forward 4 steps.   Three burpees with rock with an overhead shoulder press with the rock after each burpee then lunge forward 4 steps and proceed all the way up to 10.

    Legs – 30 Coppperhead Squats with rock, 10 x IC Straight leg deadlift with rock and some other leg exercises but I’ve forgotten them after a week delay in writing this back blast.

    Core Cliffhanger (Triple Shift Special) – We’ll I finally got around to using the picnic table to focus on the extension of the core (i.e. low back exercises) while making it a partner exercise.  PAX one is lying face down on a picnic table with his torso and core off the table and only his hip and legs are on the table.  PAX 2 is lying on his back at the other end of the picnic table and will hold PAX one’s legs so they don’t fall off the table and his legs are holding 6 inches off the picnic table.  PAX one performs a set number of back extensions with his arms folded at the chest and PAX two can either hold their legs up 6 inches, do a flutter kick, Hello Dolly, Rosalitas, you get the idea.

    We perform the Core Cliffhanger and did 10 back extensions then flapjacked, 15 back extensions, and closed it out with another 15 back extensions.

    Time is running out and the weather sucks.  Finish off with 50 merkins.

    COT

    Countoff, Namerama, and prayers of thankfulness to God and thankfulness to my F3 brother who held me accountable that day and always keeps pushing me to be my best!

     

     

  • Captain’s Cameo

    After a brief cameo by blossoming film star, Captain Sparkles, the PAX circled up under the other shooting stars for a quick warmup:

    • 20 SSH IC
    • 20 butt kicks IC
    • 20 high knees IC
    • 1 set of 7s (Burpees and Pull-ups)

    The Thang – 5K

    5 minutes of Mary:

    • 20 LBCs IC
    • 20 Freddie Mercuries IC
    • 20 Flutter kicks IC
    • 3 one-minute planks (front, right, left)

    Thanks to Shooter for praying us out. Let’s all pray for our man Burgundy and his ankle.  Thanks for a great run, gentlemen.

  • Bring on the bowl games!

    We were joined on this cool December morning by Jiffy, returning from F3 Birmingham. Sad but true, Jiffy is a fan of the Crimson Tide. So, much of the work out was spent discussing upcoming bowl games, the college football play-offs, who deserved to be there, and who would win. Wisely, YHC did not bring up Notre Dame. Too much pain, as usual. The usual disclaimer and off we go.

     

     

    View image on Twitter

     

    We started by jogging to the track.
    Warm-Up COP:
    SSH x 20 IC
    Plank Jacks x 20 IC
    Imperial Walkers x 20 IC
    Mountain Climbers x 20 IC

    The we ran a lap around the track, stopping every 100 yards:
    10 Merkins, run 100 yards, 10 squats, run 100 yards, 10 LBC’s, run 100 yards. Plank and wait.
    During this lap, Jiffy commented that he should thank LSU for getting Alabama into the college football play-offs. Da Parish commented that most LSU fans probably don’t see it that way.

    COP #2:
    Merkins x 10 IC
    Wide Merkins x 10 IC
    Diamond Merkins x 10 IC
    Cross Fit Merkins x 10 IC

    Another lap around the track, stopping every 100 yards:
    10 Merkins, run 100 yards, 10 squats, run 100 yards, 10 LBC’s, run 100 yards. Plank and wait.

    COP #3:
    Low slow squats x 20 IC
    Lunges x 20 IC
    Tree Huggers for 20 count

    Another lap around the track, stopping every 100 yards:
    10 Merkins, run 100 yards, 10 squats, run 100 yards, 10 LBC’s, run 100 yards. Plank and wait.

    Next, mosey to the baby Foundry for some circuit training:
    5 stations for 5 men, 2 rounds
    Pull-Ups
    Body Rows
    Hanging Knee Ups
    Step Ups
    10 WWII Sit Ups was the count

    Mosey back to the flag for 4 minutes of Mary:
    Scissor kicks x 20 IC
    Dying cockroach x 20 IC
    LBT’s (Little Baby Twists) x 20 IC
    Canoes (aka Crunchy Frogs) x 10 IC

    Jog back to the flag for the finish (apologies for being 2 minutes late). Count off, Name-o-tama, announcements, and a prayer. Good luck to all teams in the bowl games. Especially the Irish. Here’s to a Music City Bowl finish, not a Sugar Bowl finish, if you know what I mean… Thanks for letting me lead.

  • Bitter in the Gloom you say, that never matters at Gipper!!

    The regular assembly of men minus 1 (Moby) at the Gipper showed on this bitter cold Gloom. Moby did show face on the AO in the end as we missed you Brother and wish you a speedy recovery.. Men fashioning the appropriate attire of jump suits, beanies, gloves etc. would surly help the YHC to get the blood flowing and perspiration dripping. Well at least one may have thought, but as always when I lead the Gipper crew one can’t help but notice in the end that these men will gobble up whatever you throw at them and ask for seconds.. 👊

    warmarama

    20 IC GM 5merkins, 20 IC WM 5merkins, 20 IC BK 5merkins, 20 IC HK 5merkins, 20 SSH 5merkins.

    the thang

    Moseyed to the Taj Mahal upon arrival utilized the parking post for some toe taps to 10 sprint across to other side and 10 PJ R/R, 10 Squats sprint across and 10 Lunges R/R, 20 LBCs sprint across 20 MC. Mosey to the flag in front for 4 mins of plank front, left, right, and back with the PAX circled up calling a count to 60 with each position. Mosey to the parking garage and partner up man at the bottom does IW while other man lunge walks forward halfway up the ramp at which point the lunge wall reverses for the other half backwards and the other man does Hillbillies. Upon partner reaching the second floor we continued to partner with a man doing pull-ups on the rats ledge while the other sprints halfway across then Caricoas the other half and sprints back half and Caricoas other side half. Next partner does 8 man bodybuilders while the other back pedals half and then turns and sprints back pedals half and then sprints to return. Moseyed to the courthouse staying partnered one did Freak nasties while the other Rockeyed to the top dropping for 15 Merkins and the partner at the bottom switching to box jumps on the benches R/R. Moseyed to the flag for some Mary, all IC to 20 FK, Hello dollies, and Rosalitas.

    Count off, announcements, COD

    Appreciate Tanked up (Franky C) 👋👋 praying us out..

     

    Always motivated by the can do of you men at the Gipper..

    Thanks for the lead

  • Osso Buco!

    Boy, the calves are tender today! It was an honor and pleasure to lead Tuesday’s workout at Grandmother’s House. We wasted no time getting to the warmup this December morning:

    20 Windmills IC
    5 Burpees
    20 Imperial Walkers IC
    5 Burpees
    20 SSH IC
    5 Burpees
    20 Butt kicks IC
    5 Burpees
    20 High knees IC
    5 Burpees
    Arm circles IC
    5 Burpees
    Planks (front, right, left, back) 60 seconds each

    Mosey to Bridge

    10 Merkins
    High knee Carioca down
    10 Merkins
    Lunge walk under bridge
    10 Merkins
    High knee Carioca up
    10 Merkins

    Rinse and repeat (other side)

    Sprint down
    Lunge walk under bridge
    Sprint up
    Backwards sprint down
    Lunge walk under bridge
    Backward sprint up

    Mosey to stairs

    5x up and down stairs
    20 LBCs IC
    Calf lifts up stairs, increasing by one on each step (up to 24 on last step).  Osso Buco!
    20 right side crunches IC
    3x stairs facing right
    20 left side crunches IC
    3x stairs facing left

    Circle up. Many thanks to Shooter for praying us our. I appreciate the great workout and the opportunity to lead.

  • Mondays Belong To The Go-Getters

    “Mondays belong to the go-getters”  -quote from Google

    No better way to start the week than a workout at Rock City, unless you’re allergic to rocks then you can go to Audubon where I’m told they occasionally break a sweat.  Seven veteran F3 gurus posted in the heart of Old Metry  where we were greeted with frigid yet pleasant conditions, perfect for sharpening some iron.  YHC assumed the rocks would be extra cold so he planned on working in a mix of various exercises as to keep the PAX’s blood flowing and hopefully avoid frostbite to the hands.

    Disclaimer then the customary mosey toward the rock pile and the warmup COP:

    SSH x20, Hacky Sack x10, Arm Circles x20, Windmills x10, Inchworm x20, Goofballs x20 (these were extra goofy, T-claps Bogey!)

     

    Grab a rock and mosey out to the track.  Circle up for:

    Curls x20

    Lunge x20 (without rock…had to give the hands a chance to thaw out)

    Shoulder Press x20

    Row x20

    Lunge x20

    8 Count Rock Builder x10 (curl, squat,curl, press….which YHC botched up a time or two)

     

    Next up, a lap around the track, running the turns and backpedaling the straightaways.  Wait, there’s more…a pitstop for Dips x20 at the benches on each side.  Once back, grab your rock for 8 Count Rock Builders x10 OYO.  Rinse and repeat.

    Next up would be a new circuit to try out, courtesy of Men’s Health.  This would include 3 exercises (SSH, Squat Jumps, Merkins), 6 reps of each OYO, as many rounds as you can in 3 minutes.  YHC thought it would help with accountability to call out your count at the end of each round.  There would be a 60 sec rest period in between each round.  As we started round one, it became apparent this would be a doosey.  Rounds 2 and 3 got even tougher but the PAX dug deep and made it happen.  T-claps to those in beast mode that “lapped” YHC.  We completed (3) 3-minute rounds and it was time to head back to base.  Hawg (and others?) seemed intrigued by this workout and implied we may have to do it again in the future.  Men’s Health calls it The Lean Traveler Workout (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CYLd7nmpAI) but I’m sure we can come up with something cooler if it makes a reappearance.  I’m sure some would be content if we never did it again.

    Grab your rocks, start walking back, and as an added bonus (yes, there’s more) crank out rock curls and/or shoulder presses on the way back to the rock pile.  T-claps to the manly PAX that kept their rocks moving.  Mosey to the flag to call it a morning.

    COT to seal the deal.

    Announcements included:

    F3 Baton Rouge is getting up and running.  We need guys to post on Sat mornings there (7am Highland Road Park) for the near future.  It is on the eastern side of BR and only an hour or so from NOLA.  Spread the word with any friends and family up that way.

    F3 Christmas Party on Dec 19th.  Be there or be square.

    Need Q’s for upcoming workouts.

    Moleskin:

    -YHC was the youngest one out there today.  Where were all the young bucks this am?

    -The seven PAX that posted are all F3 veterans….we need some new blood in the mix.  Gotta keep the FNGs coming out.

     

    Thanks for the opportunity to lead.

    Tool

     

     

     

     

     

  • Here, There, and Everywhere…TABATA!

    “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

    Can you be thankful when it’s 5am, 35 degrees out, and you’re being lead randomly about old mandeville without much of a clue as to your next move? You can when you’re you’re with with your F3 brothers. The trails we blaze take us, as indirectly as possible, to all the successes we endeavor to achieve. We come out for ourselves, for our brothers, and for all of the men who will follow. I was thankful for Captain Sparkles and Pelican, and I hope they were thankful for me in the frigid gloom.

    The Thang

    It was a tabata run-around this AM as we started out with 4 sets of SSH/30 seconds with 10 seconds rest in between each. The first mosey took us from the marsh to the lake front where we did another 4 set tabata, this time with 2 sets of merkins and 2 of burpees. By the way, the already thankful PAX was awed by the natural beauty of the clear star-light sky, which graced us with a shooting star (add that to the plethora I’ve seen since joining F3 in August). We proceeded back to the marsh and hit another 4 sets, 2 of IW and 2 of butt kickers. Onward to the trace to visit the trail head (recently christened “Grandmother’s House”) for 2 sets of LBCs and 2  Freddy Mercuries,  then 2 squats ans 2 alternating lunges.  Upon final descent back into the marsh, we nailed some planks, left planks, right planks and back to the beautiful planks we started with.

    The Outro

    We counted off, sounded off, and showed respect to each man braving the cold. Reflecting on our reasons to be out there and our thankfulness for said reasons, said brothers, we closed out in anticipation of what this beautiful day held for each of us.

    Lagniappe

    With the mileage tally for the beatdown sitting at and uneven 1.82 miles(or there-abouts), YHC joined Captain Sparkles, who will NEVER settle for mediocrity, on a little bonus mosey to round our total to an even 3 miles. Thanks, Cap, for always leading by example!