At captain Sparkles house 715 Joans st. Mandeville la. 70448. Aug. 6 1pm Hamburgers and hot dogs & refreshments will be there. Feel free to bring your M’s & 2.0’s bring bathing suits and towels. need head count please let me know how many can make it.
Blog
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Co-Q?
Since the pool now opens around 6am, Da Parish decided to keep meeting there at 5:30am for a DownPAINment before we dive in. So….Triple Shift and Da Parish (co-Q) arrived at 5:30am and kicked it off. They ran around the arena, under cover, to a fence and then back.
COP:
-SSH x 40 IC
-Merkins x 10 IC
-Squat Walkers x 20 IC
YHC (co-Q) arrived at 6am to swim and the pax were in the middle of their warmup. When done, we proceeded to swim 100m and then a 25m sprint. Rinse and repeat until time.
COT: Countoff, namerama, shoutouts and a prayer
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TRIPLE SHIFT!
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Firefighter Appreciation Day!
Well for my first Q I thought it would be appropriate since 9/11 is approaching to start it off with a stair climb. My F3 brothers did not let me down 5 of the 8 completed not only 110 floors up but also completed 110 floors down. do to Captain Sparkles mercy I relieved everyone about 40 Min. in, if they wanted they could call it quits. So me in full firefighter gear ended my climb at 65 floors. Tclaps to Shooter, Steve, Butt splice, & Grundy for completing the whole 110 floors. And Tclaps to Ocho, Night Train, Turtle for hanging tuff and completing more than half with Ocho getting close with about 100 floors. Thanks for the help with my goal. You guys are above average!!!
Captain Sparkles
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Walls With Weather
YHC woke to the rumbling sounds of thunder in the distance. Pulled up the weather app on the phone – and it looked like it might be trouble. But – Rain or Shine, the workout is on. So out of bed, and off to the races. I did make one concession to the weather, grabbing the older shoes thinking that the rains and muds of Okwata might go well with the smelly dirty footwear…
Driving to Okwata, plenty of lightning strokes brightened the sky. But no rain. Pulled in to an empty lot at 5:25 and started to wonder whether all the rest of the PAX had more sense than I. But headlights did appear in the distance, and by 5:30 our PAX party of 6 was ready to roll. Disclaimer, then mosey towards the fountain.
Quick warm-up to get the blood flowing.
- SSH x30
- Slow Windmills x15
- IW x30
Walls of Jericho: Joshua, Chapter 6. The Lord commands Joshua to march his army around the walls of Jericho for 7 days. Each day, 7 priests carry rams heads. And the 7th day will bring the downfall of the walls. Commemorate this with a 7x7x7 exercise. 7 Exercises, each done for 7 reps – all IC. Then a lap around the walls (of the Mardi Gras Fountain). Repeat 7 times. Because its what I do, all 7 exercises are planks:
- Peter Parker
- Mountain Climber
- Parker Peter
- Plank Jacks
- Floyd Mayweather
- Shoulder Taps
- Merkins
Alas, the walls of the Mardi Gras fountain remained standing. In the midst of this (around day 4, I suppose), the rains started coming down. “How refreshing”, remarked Maverick. Strange one, that Mav…. But we mosey to the House of Pain to try and find a place to finish up out of the weather.
Wall of Fire: Another from the F3 Lexicon. Everyone grab some column space for People’s Chair. 1 by 1, each PAX steps out of the chair for 5 Burpees, 10 Merkins, 15 LBCs. Then return to the chair while the next PAX takes a turn. YHC had to call for a midway shake-em-out break. But we persevered.
The lightning was starting to make for a serious show. But Mav and Cowbell repeatedly assured the PAX that the storms were at least 2 or 3 miles away. So we continued.
Iron Sharpening: To give everyone a head start on their Pull Ups challenge, we split for 3 stations:
- Pull Ups AMRAP
- Alternating Step Ups AMRAP
- 20x Dips
Two cycles of this (covering 2 or 3 serious lightning flashes).
YHC had the seriously dumb though that “hey, maybe the storm has passed” based on about a 2 minute break without lightning. So decides to head to the top of the levee for some Quadrophelia. Right as we get to the top (as Milkman is already pressed to the ground to try and become as small as possible), one more massive lightning stroke is enough to convince YHC to call the session to a close 10 mins early.
Circle up in the HOP for Count-off, Name-o-rama, and our closing prayer. Lord, please bring blessings on those who care for the sick. Thanksgiving for the rains that bring life for all of us. See to the needs of the Farmers and Food Preparers who feed us all.
Hope to see you all tonight – 6:30 on the Greenway Circle outside Bayou Beer Garden for an F2 workout and social.
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Three Peaks, Three Miles
I’m always looking for a little variety in my F3 Q’s and I’ve often thought we’ve only scratched the surface as far as what fun and excitement may be found on the Loyola and Tulane campus. Fun in the 41 year-old, 530 am, healthy lifestyle kind of way. Lest a mind or two went elsewhere. So for this particular Friday we took and diffent path and hit new terrain including a distant mountain.
Warm-up: at the flag stretch our hammys and our quads. Display poor balance. Let’s Mosey.
Our mosey took us through the Tulane campus across Freret and to what appears to be the Tulane quad. Grass isn’t as nice as Loyola but still a comfortable place for a COP:
- SSH IC X 20
- IW Squats X 20
- Monkey Humpers X 20
- Bear crawl across the lawn
Mosey again heading across Willow to the parking garage near Yulman stadium. Mount Greewave if you will.
OYO to the top with 10 Burpees then plank and wait. Stairs to the bottom and to our delight the open air stairwell had a nice little breeze.
Mosey over to Calhoun street for a nice straightaway to the Loyola campus and Wolfpack hill. OYO to the summit and 20 lunges at the top. Stairs to the bottom- AC in this stairwell, even better.
Mosey to the original high altitude implement, Wolfpack Mountain. Again OYO to the summit. 30 LBCs as your prize. T-claps to Hawg for sweeping the 6 and to the Pax for finishing the job.
Mosey back to the flag. I realized one of the reasons I enjoy the running as it gives a nice opportunity to chat with the Pax. I learned that despite his very beachy persona that Sandbar is originally from Kentucky and that he works for the smallest Federal agency (some acronymly named coastal preservation group). Good F2.
Count off, namorama, announcements. I prayed for the courage to see through the many challenges we face. A workout can be a metaphor for life and and much like the group is stronger than the individual, we are stronger with God.
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Finish Together
Last month I filled in some Q spots that remained open. One such slot was this morning and I thought Fracsac should take it. He didn’t check the Q list….and I didn’t inform him, so I took it. Next man up!
T-claps to Fracsac for posting in Charlotte. Way to Represent Brother!
DISCLAIMER and let’s mosey. Along the way we were reminded that you might stumble and fall, but we leave no man behind.
COP:
-SSH x 30 IC
-IW x 30 IC
-Mtn Climbers x 30 IC
-Arm Circles x 30 IC (15 ea. dir.)
-J-Lo’s x 20 IC
Mosey to the Foundry for 7…no wait…8 stations in the circuit (good job finding us DP)
-10 burpees the timer
-pullups
-dips
-box jumps/step ups
-single leg pistol squat (thanks Triple Shift for showing us a weakness)
-rows
-traverse Monkey Bars
-LSS with a short hold at the bottom
Rinse and Repeat…water break and time for one more round. Mosey to the VSF.
COT: Countoff, Namerama, Announcements, Shoutouts, and a Prayer
It was truly a pleasure, thanks for allowing me to lead.
CHALLENGE: Cowbell and myself are 30 pullups into our 100 for the day. If you’ve taken on the Challenge, report results in the GroupMe because Iron Sharpens Iron
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Lafitte’s Plunge Time Change(ish)
Lafitte’s Plunge DTG will still be meeting at 0530 at the UNO Aquatic Center. HOWEVER, we will not be in the pool until closer to 0600.
- From 5:30-6 there will be a DownPAINment
- From 6-6:45 there will be a swim. If you are coming for 5:30, bring your shoes and work out gear.
- PAX can come for 5:30 or 6 and leave at any time (6:15 or 6:45). For this reason, COT will be at or around 6:00, prior to the swim.
Just a heads up, UNO does have showers and lockers available, bring your own lock and toiletries
If you have any questions, holla via GroupMe. If you wish to Q, we are always in need, please sign up.
YHC,
Da Parish
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Troubled Waters Benchmarks of Fitness
4:45am: my curly headed 4 year old opened my bedroom door, creeped to my side of the room, crawled up and laid his head on my chest to snuggle in for the rest of his night’s sleep. Struggling with “how best” to be a good father to this little guy, I waited and thought about whether I dismount the fartsack and disappoint the little guy or to get up, get out and get going. This thought battle raged through 2 snooze settings, and finally, I did get up, get out of the bed and get going to the AO. I wasn’t even sure I did the right thing, but there is ALWAYS a reason to lay in bed. As I’m writing, I can’t quite find the word to describe laying in bed to satisfy the perceived needs of a sleeping child…quick break from this BB to…
***peruse the lexicon for a clever term for this phenomenon…sure enough***
“KNOX ROLL: Any act or omission by a Presbyterian (or anyone with a Justifier) so weak and kittenish that it would cause John Knox to roll over in his grave and moan in despair.”
(In case you’re wondering why John Knox is the standard for weak actions, here’s what’s left of St. Andrew’s Cathedral after he got finished preaching. Also, he weighed about 120# soaking wet…)
So, deciding not to shame the legacy of the “Iron Reformer”, I headed out to the AO, and instantly glad of my choice, I see Kimchi, by himself in the parking lot. Nobody wants to beat their own self down.
Disclaimer, Brief Warmup
15 Front – Center – Back Stretches
15 SSH IC
Lunge stretch each side
Mosy to the playstation
Butt kicks, 50 yards
High knees, 50 yards
Sprint 50 yards
In order to test our level of fitness, we need to be able to do the same work and measure the results against previous results. August is bringing a new day and new Iron Sharpens Iron Challenge, so these benchmarks will be repeated at the end of the month.
Benchmarks
6 Rounds for Time
10 Merkins
10 Big Boy Situps
10 Squats
- Torque: 4:14
- Kimchi: 4:19
As providence would have it, a man I’ve been EH’ing for several months, (who has been at the AO with other people walking and generally, fitness-ing) walked right by us. We asked if he’d like to join, and he was happy to. So, adding his benchmarks
Max Set of
Merkins
- Torque: 70
- Kimchi: 44
- FNG: 40
Pullups
- Torque: 11
- Kimchi: 4
- FNG: 5
Plank
- Torque: 1:45
- Kimchi: 1:12
- FNG: 2:05
Mosy to the levee for some real work
Quadraphilia
4 Rounds starting from the top of the levee, always facing the same direction
4 Burpees at the bottom of the levee
4 Star Jumps at the top
Mary
To the playground next door
20 IC Hello Dolly
20 IC LBC’s
10 IC Leg Lifts
15 IC Alternating Knee Raises
Mosy to the Virtual Shovel Flag:
Countarama, Namearama, Prayer of gratitude for His faithfulness, for Disciple’s willing to share what the Lord is doing in His life. Water break after at the back of the truck. Thanks for letting me lead. It’s always an honor.
Moleskine:
- Hanging Mary work is so much more demoralizing than exercisez on your 6. J/s.
- These workouts will be repeated, so Mathlete, Terabyte, Joe Dirt, Chipper and Nih are politely requested to complete them on their own.
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Wait, What? Who?
YHC pulled out onto Metairie Rd this early am hoping to get out to Roosevelt Mall a few minutes early to stretch these aging, tightening hammies. No such luck, though. Having forgot about the dreaded intersection closure at Canal and City Park Avenue, YHC started on the lengthy detour and pushed the pedal down to try and arrive on time.
Rolling in hot at 5:28, what sight greets YHC? Something strange. Mystifying. Baffling. Is that Cowbell? And Shorty? Whoa….. And Roots? Will wonders never cease? StubHub and Tool also waiting for me, along with one FNG – apparently, he goes by the name “El Wire” and only posts in this strange foreign world called “Uptown”. Welcome to our part of the world, stranger. Started the Disclaimer when I was startled by the sound of squealing brakes as Hawg pulled in. Restarted the disclaimer.
8 PAX took off on the normal Rudy Route. 15 minutes out, 15 minutes back. The lead pack finished close to 4 miles. Nice work, Wire/Shorty/Cowbell!
Back at the track, settle in on our 6s for a little ab work waiting on the 6. LBC x30, then slow Flutters x15.
3 laps of Sprint the straightaway (100m) and mosey the curves. Total of 6 sprints. Then just for chuckles finish with 1 more sprint.
Circle up for one more round of slow Flutters (at which point YHC sorta lost count while EH’ing a friend to join us in the circle).
Mosey back to the dual flags, and close the deal with 10 OYO burpees.
Countoff, Name-o-rama (perhaps the fastest FNG naming ever, as Shortly blurts out “Detour”. Done). Close with prayer asking for wisdom and guidance, and blessings upon all of us in our quest to be better leaders.
Gentlemen of the Stomp: thank you for letting me lead. And thank you for pushing me to move farther and faster each day.
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The Corps
Being the Virgin Q for YHC OCHO, YHC wanted to create a workout something that hasn’t been focused on as the primary group – the core.
PAX: Shooter, Butt Splice, Steve, Grundy, Night Train, Turtle, Captain Sparkle, and YHC…OCHO the Q. (BTW, YHC really appreciated many of the guys coming out for this.)
WU: started promptly at 0500 with SSH, Toe Touches, Imperial Walkers, Windmills, LBCs (OYO), and Merkins. All were done in cadence for 10 reps.
First evolution: Paired up and Partner A did 10 GetUps (or 20 situps alt) while partner B holds partner A’s feet while simultaneously performing zebra kicks until partner A completes the set. Switch roles. Afterwards partner A holds a superman while partner B hops over for 15 reps (1 rep = left & right hop). switch roles. Rinse and repeat for 3 rounds.
Second evolution: DUCK DUCK BEARCRAWL – Triathalon version. PAX circles up and first person bearcrawls around the circle to switch out with the next member until every member has performed one rotation around. Meanwhile the PAX in the circle perform flutter kicks until every member has taken 1 rotation. rest for 20 count. Same deal again but now with 1/2 table top leg raises. rest for 20 count. Same deal again but now with freddy….something…(bicycles). 20 count rest.
We introduced military cadence songs at this point to shift focus away from the task and to keep up morale for the workout due to how taxing the exercise can be.
Third Evolution: PLANK LINE WEIGHT DRAG. Still in the cirlce, 2.5 lbs weight bags were distributed (one per person) and then all given to Shooter in a pile. PAX then all planked up in the circle while Shooter began to pass one weight bag through the whole circle until it arrived back to him at a time for all eight bags. Grundy suggested the last one we should pass without letting it touch the floor and YHC suggested 5 burpees should it touch…Captain Sparkle so kindly dropped the bag to initiate the 5 burpees. Next round was the same exercise but on a one arm side plank until 4 bags were passed through and then we all switched the side plank to the other side and passed the last 4 bags. 5 burpees after.
Military cadence songs kept up in this evolution as well due to the constant hold of the exercise, the best of which, came from Grundy about his 90 year old grandma and her passionate affinity for PT. We all shared a few laughs and got through the exercise together.
Closed at 0545 with countarama, nameorama, with a BOM prayer for Turtle’s grandmother and a call to all to show up tomorrow (5.5 hours from now…) to Captain Sparkle’s virgin Q for which he requested all to arrive at 0500, with ruck sacks or weights, and a stomach full of carbs from the night before……
YHC feels honored to have served his virgin Q and looks forward to many more.
