F3 New Orleans

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  • The return of the Quick Draw

    Unlike the intro to Jingle’s BB. No one showed up I pulled up to a very gloomy, foggy AO at 525 with one PAX waiting. That was Quick Draw. Chilling and stretching. As 530 approached we realized we were the only 2 to post the day after Christmas.
    Its funny because it has been a few weeks since Quick Draw’s last post and the guys that were asking about him – were home asleep in their beds by QD and YHC got our loop in the Skinny.

    So off we mosey’d to the pullups. At the pullups we did X 15 SSH, IMP Walkers, Peter Parkers and Pullups.

    Then we mosey’d to the golf course station and there we did FAT BOY YOGA led by Quick Draw. Some downward dog, some child pose, but the gaps were filled with Peter Parker push ups and Should Tap push ups. The killer part of this COP was plank to squat and then walking to back down to squat. Need to incorporate that in my next workout.

    Then we mosey’d to the fountain. At the fountain we did x15 derkins, incl-erkins, bulgarian split lunge, and finished off with some dips.

    Then we had a long mosey to the row bars. At the row bars we did x 15 rows, incline merks, squats and parker peters.

    We mosey’d to the flag for a 615AM finish!

    Thanks Quick Draw for not leaving me out in the gloom alone! I appreciate the push.

  • Pontiff Bucket Brigade

    WARM UP

    After posting a few times for the initial launch back in 2014 and the two anniversary convergences, I finally had my first Q…man was I nervous.  We started out in the gloom picking up eight (8) five-gallon buckets of pain for our workout and moving them to the AO.  After dropping off the buckets of pain, we did a mosey to a picnic shelter and then back to the AO.  After the mosey and hearing Rudy’s mumble chatter about the AO not being a run oriented workout, we warmed up with 20 x Side Straddle Hops, 15 x High Knees, 15 x Butt Kicks, 15 x Hacky Sacks, 15 x Eric Heidens, 15 x Imperial Squat Walkers and finished up with 15 x Plank Jacks.

     

    MAIN SET (a.k.a. Triple Shift Special)

    After warming we set up four separate stations with two (2) five-gallon buckets at each station.  With ten (10) PAX (a record at Pontiff), the numbers were off for my Triple Shift Special so we set up Two (2) stations that had three PAX each and two (2) stations that had two PAX each.  The main set for the three (3) person stations were.

    3 PAX station

    One member (timer) does a farmer’s carry with 55 lb bucket of sand 20 yards out and 20 yards back.  The other member does three (2) burpee broad jumps out and three (3) burpee broad jumps back.  The final member does AMRAP push presses with a 35 lb bucket of water (lids were sealed).  When the timer gets back, each member rotates to the next station until everyone does each exercise. The two following exercises were bent over rows and front squats.

    2 PAX Station

    One member (timer) does a farmer’s carry with a 55 lb bucket of sand 20 yards out and 20 yards back. The other member does AMRAP push presses with the 35 lb bucket of water.  Rinse and Repeat. The next exercises were bent over rows and front squats.

    After our MAIN SET, we walked to the play structure and I had technical difficulty with one of the two suspension trainers to do Body Rows but thanks to FracSac we overcame.  With two (2) Pax doing 100 body rows, the rest of the Pax were doing 100 x Wife Pleasers with shoulders on a bench and 100 x dips.  Seeing the log jam at the body row station, I changed things and substituted the 100 x body rows with 25 pull-ups for the PAX that were waiting.

     

    COOL DOWN

    Running out of time, we cut things short and went back to the AO to finish up with 20 x LBC, 10 x Swimmers, 10 x Superman with Lat Pull, 20 x Pretzel Sticks (10 each side) and 20 x Crab Jacks.

    At the COT, I reminded the PAX that the Mission of F3 is to ‘Reinvigorate Male Community Leadership’.  After going over the Mission statement, I wanted to inspire the PAX and I gave them a living definition of what REAL Manhood should be:

    1. Reject Passivity
    2. Accept Responsibility
    3. Lead Courageously
    4. Invest Eternally (Expects God’s greater reward)

     

     

     

     

  • Countdown to Christmas

    YHC arrived with just one PAX waiting: Cruiser from Houston. Great to have a visitor. But really, just one other PAX? Fear not. Out of Gloom slowly crept 17 more PAX for a quite awesome showing this Christmas Tide, Rudy with his guns a blazin’. So after a Disclaimer, a PAX of 19 set off for the countdown to the Twelve Days of Christmas on this 24th of December.

    Warm Up Countoff
    Sudden Change of 12 burpees
    SSHs 24xIC
    Eric Heidens (ice skaters) 24xIC
    Bows to the King (alternating curtsies) 24xIC
    Parker Peters 24xIC
    Imperial Walkers 24xIC
    Sudden Change of 12 more burpees
    Lots of mumble chatter. Rudy, ever the observant one, seems to detect a pattern.

    Mosey to the wall of honor. The quivering excitement of every kid in anticipation of Christmas or Hannukah is, well, just exciting. How they jump up and down. It’s so infectious. YHC wanted to see if the PAX felt as excited.
    Calf Raises x24IC
    Toes Out x24IC
    Toes In x24IC
    Right Leg Only x24IC
    Left Leg Only x24IC
    Slow Lift x24IC
    The mubble chatter was deafening. Too many in the PAX were still smiling but not giddy enough, so Rinse and Repeat.

    Mosey to Roosevelt Mall for some mix and match: mashing bear crawls, duck walks and frog hops between benches with derkins, dips, erkins (incline merkins) and LBCs (feet on bench) at the benches.
    Bear Crawl to 1st bench for 12 derkins
    Duck Walk to 2nd bench for 12 dips
    Frog Hop to 3rd bench for 12 erkins
    Bear Crawl to 4th bench for 12 LBCs
    Duck Walk to 5th bench for 12 derkins
    Frog Hop to 6th bench for 12 dips
    Bear Crawl to 7th bench for 12 erkins
    Duck Walk to 8th bench for 12 LBCs
    Frog Hop to 9th bench for 12 derkins
    Bear Crawl to 10th bench for 12 dips
    Duck Walk to 11th bench for 12 erkins
    Frog Hop to 12th bench for 12 LBCs
    Missed you, Hawg. Hey, that was one animal walk for each bench exercise, cuz 3×4 always equals 12.

    Mosey back to great lawn for a closing Circle of Mary, with a theme that by now should have been obvious.
    Crunchy Frogs x12IC
    Hundreds (pulsing V-Ups), but just x12IC, not 100
    Russian Twists x12IC
    I box cutters (since you open most boxes by slicing across the botton, up the middle and across the top, this 6-count seemed more apt) x12IC
    Straight Sit-ups x12
    Twists (as in LBTs) x12IC
    Merkins x12IC
    Alternating (i.e., staggered with the right arm forward) Merkins x12IC (it was supposed to be Alternating Shoulder Taps, but YHC had a brain freeze, no blood circulating up top apparently)
    Staggered Merkins (with the left arm forward) x12IC
    Dr. Ws x6IC
    All arounds (aka Rotisserie), as the FIA PAX appeared for some eye candy through the circle o planks
    Ys (pulsing arm lifts on belly) x12IC
    For the orthographically challenged, that’s CHRISTMAS DAY. And with YHC’s apologies to the PAX for running over, we made it through all of CHRISTMAS DAY because, of course, it has 12 letters.

    Tclaps to Cruiser, 60 years young, for posting from Houston, the second Double Respect in two weeks. Way to keep us all humble and inspired. After countoff and namorama, a quick COP with the inspiration to make us all better servant leaders. Merry Christmas to all.

  • #PreBlast – Christmas Eve Eve

    What a brutal week.  Thought we’d be looking at a pre-dead week-dead week, but it was quite the opposite.  As such, I’m plagiarizing tomorrow’s workout from one about a year ago.  Will see if Amnesty posts, and if so, if he recognizes his handiwork.

    First Wolfpack Mountain Q.  Yay.

    Warm Up:

    • SSH x 30 IC
    • IW x 30 IC
    • Arm Circles x 30 IC (15 each direction)
    • Parker Peters x 20 IC

    Mosey to the the Hill and Indian Run to the top.  11’s from the top ramp: run down one level and do 10 x Merkins; run back to the top and do 1 x LBC.  Continue until numbers reverse.

    Mosey downhill and head to ROTC zone.

    • Left Leg Step Ups x 20 IC
    • Dips x 15 IC
    • Right Leg Step Ups x 20 IC

    Mosey to front lawn of Loyola for Mary.

    • LBC x 20 IC
    • LBT x 20 IC
    • Hello Dolly x 20 IC
    • Flutter Kicks x 20 IC
    • J-Lo’s x 15 IC
    • Superman hold and rest x 3

    Mosey back to flag.

    This will be the last 2016 installment of prostrations.  Today’s focus on things to be grateful for – a good thing to think about as Christmas is upon us.

    I prostrate in gratitude for coming to…

    • see the beauty of this world.
    • know the wonders of all life forms.
    • hear the pure beauty of the birds’ singing.
    • know the spiritual sound of the wind.
    • hear the bubbling music of the streams.
    • see the beauty of a shimmering rainbow.
    • see that true peace of mind comes from being in harmony with nature.

    Amen.

    Merry Christmas and happy holidays, everyone!

  • 8 Pax & The Hulk

    The Thang

    A group of eight gathered around the shovel flag in the relatively warm(er) gloom weather.  As the clock struck 0530, YHC gave the DISCLAIMER and was about to take off with a quick mosey, but then we saw it from a distance…looked something like this….

    hulk

    It was running at us…. the Pax was curious, so we had to do 25x SSH IC to see what it was…. turned out it was just JV showing up in classy attire:

    Displaying 20161222_062042.jpg

    Anyway..now we can mosey… so around the fountain and over to a grass patch.

    COP #1 (sorry Rudy, I mean #2)

    25x Seal Jacks IC
    20x Shoulder Taps IC (hold plank position, tap hand to opposite shoulder)
    10x Shoulder Tap Merkins IC (same as above, just add a merkin when you put you hand down)
    30x Monkey Humpers IC
    10x Arm Circles IC (Forward, then Backward)

    Mosey over to the Canal Street Track

    BLIMPS – OYO
    Burpees x 5
    Lunges x 10 each leg
    Imperial Walkers x 15 each leg
    Merkins x 20
    Plank Jacks x 25
    Squats x 30

    Pax ran a lap around the Canal Street track (up, across the crest, down, back across to the start) before each exercise.  Some of the Pax even did a Lagniappe Lap at the end!

    Mosey back over to the pullup bars, and partnered up.

    Dora 0.5 – 1 – 1.5: A goal rep count for each group of two Pax using a cumulative rep count.

    0.5: 50 x Pullups / recover with Flutter Kicks until pullup Pax is done,
    1.0: 100 x Merkins / recover with an up & back levee sprint; flapjack when levee Pax returns.
    1.5: 150 x Seismic Squats IC (no partners, we did this one together).  A Seismic Squat is a low Squat Hold, and do little squats in cadence.  These sucked!

    Circled up around the flag shout-outs and a prayer.  Thanks for letting me lead!

    Moleskin

    Triple Shifts VQ is tomorrow at the Uptowner.  Come post to show him some love!

    Merry Christmas everyone!

     

  • Merry Christmas beats FESTIVUS

    “Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son. I reached for the last one they had, but so did another man. As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way” …Frank Costanza

    Well.. today, the PAX had no festivus pole, no airing of grievances, but we did have feats of strength, and we did find another (F3) way…

    warmup
    20xIC side straddle hops
    20xIC windmills
    20xIC imperial walkers
    20xIC squats
    20xIC arm rotators
    20xIC toe touches
    20xIC hillbillys
    20xIC sealjacks

    mosey – jog to the school board building (Taj Mahal) parking lot
    run the parking spaces, yellow line to yellow line crossing over right-to-left
    10xIC leg swings left to right, right leg
    10xIC leg swings left to right, left leg
    run the parking lot spaces, yellow line to yellow line crossing over left-to-right
    10xIC leg swings front to back, right leg
    10xIC leg swings front to back, left leg

     
    mosey – to the front of the St. Tammany Courthouse
    lunge walk to the first set of benches, 10 merkins
    lunge walk to the second set of benches, 10 derkins
    lunge walk to the third set of benches, 10 irkins
    run up the steps, through the facade, around and down the block to starting point
    … and repeat

    mosey – to the back of the St. Tammany Parish Courthouse Annex parking garage,
    run backwards half up the first floor ramp
    turn and sprint up rest of the way
    jog across the second floor ramp
    run backwards up third floor ramp
    turn and sprint up rest of the way

     

    feats of strength
    on the top deck of the parking garage
    The PAX spelled out a giant Merry Christmas, leaving a trail of sweat and puke that could be seen from outer space.
    with each of member of the PAX taking a letter, choosing the exercise, tracing the letter(in cursive), with the rest of the PAX following in Indian fashion, until it was his turn for the next letter. We did letters in bear crawl, crab crawl, lunges, skips, hops, box jump, etc. Ended with a burpee exclamation point!

     
    mosey – back to the trail head

     

    no mary – the clock ran out

     

    count-o-rama

     

    prayer; safe travels & Merry Christmases all around

     

    dismissal

     

     

     

  • PRE BLAST The F3 Darby Challenge Feb 1-28

    Think you can run 565 miles #notanotherBRRx2?  What if you had a month #notovernight?  What if you could do it on a bike #gears?  Want to try and help those that have deployed more times in the past 15 years than any other unit #tipofthespear?  Then welcome to the F3 Darby Challenge.

     

    The F3 Darby Challenge is F3 Nation’s contribution to Run Ranger Run, an event to be held this upcoming February (2017) throughout the country.  Run Ranger Run is GallantFew’s annual fundraiser, and it is the collective goal to raise as many funds as possible to do the work we do to transition veterans to civilian life and benefit the communities they live in.  Don’t care about history, purpose or why and just want to know how to participate just scroll to the bottom. #justsignmeup.

     

    The History:

    One of the GallantFew’s core programs is the Darby Project.  The Darby Project’s mission is “to facilitate a successful transition for Army Ranger veterans from active military service to a civilian life filled with hope and purpose.”  Rangers have been at the forefront of every major conflict since their advent in the Revolutionary War.  Major battles include:

     

    Normandy – Rangers scale the cliffs at Point-Du-Hoc to eliminate German coastal guns that threaten the success of the Normandy invasion.

     

    Philippines – The Great Raid.  6th Ranger Battalion infiltrates 30 miles behind Japanese lines to rescue 500 POWs sent to a prison camp after the Bataan Death March in 1941.

     

    Vietnam – Rangers conduct deep reconnaissance missions, often without support, to seek and report on troop movements.

     

    Battle of Mogadishu – Black Hawk Down.  Rangers, along with other special operations units, conduct a daylight raid that turns into the largest firefight since the Vietnam War.  At the end of the raid the following day, elements of the assault units are forced to exfil on foot an entire mile in full gear under fire, soon dubbed the Mogadishu Mile.

     

    Objective Rhino – Rangers conduct a daring nighttime jump in the early days of Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) to seize an airfield and destroy local al-Qaeda elements.

     

    Haditha Dam – Rangers assault and secure the strategically important Haditha Dam (Iraq) and hold for 9 days while repelling multiple attacks from much larger, elite Iraqi
    armored forces.

     

    Since the events of September 11, 2001, the Ranger Regiment has deployed more than any other unit in the U.S. military, with some Rangers being down range for over 15 deployments.

     

    The Purpose:

    GallantFew’s mission is to prevent veteran isolation by connecting new veterans with hometown veteran mentors, thereby facilitating a peaceful, successful transition from military service to a civilian life filled with hope and purpose.

     

    GallantFew does this by creating and supporting a nationwide network of successfully transitioned veterans that engage locally with new veterans with the same military background now going through transition, and by motivating communities all over the nation to take responsibility for veterans returning; welcoming, connecting, and including.

     

    GallantFew believes this will prevent veteran unemployment, homelessness, and suicide.

     

    As part of the GallantFew, the Darby Project is a network of networks that synchronizes the efforts of veteran support organizations to lead revolutionary transition services for the elite Army Rangers!  We are not waiting for the next war to figure this out.

     

    Three Pillars of The Darby Project:

     

    1. RESILIENCE: Educate active duty Rangers still serving of the programs available to them now and after leaving the service.
    2. REINTEGRATION: Coordinate Ranger education programs and available resources before the Ranger exits active duty.
    3. REDIRECTION: Provide assistance to those Ranger veterans and families that need additional care and assistance after Rangers have entered civilian life.

     

    Why F3?:

    Why not.  The Darby Project is headed up by one of our own, Bryce Mahoney (aka Darby #realoriginal), who served in 3rd Ranger Battalion.  During his time as a Ranger, Darby deployed 4 times to the Middle East.  The mission of the GallantFew and the Darby Project ties into the F3 mission of reinvigorating male community leadership.  What better way than to help to integrate proven leaders, whose motto is Sua Sponte (referring to the Rangers’ ability to accomplish tasks with little to no prompting), into our communities.

     

     

    What is the Event?

    A team of up to ten individuals will pledge to walk, run and/or ride bicycles a combined total of 565 miles in the month of February (usually 28 days). Teams may be formed from anywhere in the world and your miles can be logged from the comfort of your own home.

     

    What Can I Do?

    There are 3 ways to participate:

     

    1. Join the F3 Nation team. Register at Team F3Nation..  There are currently 8 spots left on the team.  Don’t make Darby and Coop Dog do all 565 miles by themselves #Icantfeelmyquads
    2. Form your own Team: Think you can do more than the F3 Nation team?  Form your own team in your region or sub-region.  Use your BRR or Palmetto 200 team #yourealreadyrunning.  Team with the most donations raised will receive a one-of-a-kind F3/Darby Project Challenge Coin.
    3. Donate to a team. Whether it’s the Nation team or one of the regional teams that you support the funds all go to the same great cause.  If you are interested in donating go here RunRangerRun2017 and make sure to select your team.

     

    Questions

    For more information on the GallantFew and the Darby Project visit https://gallantfew.org/ or https://darbyproject.org/.

     

    Still have questions email [Bryce Mahoney] at [Bryce.mahoney@darbyproject.org].

     

  • Rock Out With Your Block Out

    Despite being the middle of December, the PAX was met with a summer-like temperature and long sleeves were nowhere to be found.  Many Saturday regulars trickled in along with a few new faces including Einstein from the Northshore and two FNGs courtesy of Triple Shift.  The PAX started with a dozen but quickly grew to 15 when a few not-so-punctual guys rolled in hot.  This was YHC’s first Saturday Q in five months so several ideas had been brewing which were narrowed down to another cinder block showdown.  After the disclaimer, we were off in a mosey to the Great Lawn for the Warmup, all in cadence:

    SSH x30, Windmill x20, Arm Circle x20, Peter Parker x20, Plank Jack x20, Low Country Crab (or Crab Cakes?) x20

    Mosey over to the field across from the Big Foundry where YHC had his truck positioned with a pallet of cinder blocks.  This block party would be limited to the half sized variety (18lbs) since inventory was low on the full sizes blocks.  The smaller blocks allowed a different mix of exercises which meant YHC was new to some of these.  Each PAX grabbed a block and circled up for the following:

    COP #1:

    Elf on the Shelf R-L x20

    Squat Block Swing x20

    Merkin w/RH on block x20

    Elf on the Shelf L-R x20

    Squat Block Swing x20

    Merkin w/LH on block x20

    Going by the soreness in YHC back as he types this, the demostrated form could have used some improvement.  Sorry for any tweaked muscles cause by this.

    COP #2:

    Pair up in a line for:

    PAX #1 grab both blocks and lunge walk while farmer’s carrying the blocks to the designated palmetto tree aka “Arecaceae” or whatever the Yale guy said (50yds away?), crank out 10 burpees, and farmer’s carry back (no lunge).  PAX#2 run to foundry, crank out 10 pullups, and run back.  Flip flop, plank and wait for the six.

    Repeat circuit for round 2 with farmer’s carry (no lunge) with block lift there and back with 10 burpees in the middle.  Flip flop with run and pullups.  The forearms were feeling it at this point.

    COP#3:

    Circle up for:

    All PAX shoulder press block while one person drops for a burpee going around counting up to 45 (15 PAX, 3 rounds totaling 45 burpees).  This had some shoulders screaming.

    Repeat circle with block curls and burpees counting up to 45.  T-claps to Bubba for pushing hard and displaying a very intense game face.

    COP#4 w/Mary:

    Russian Twists w/block x20 IC

    Flutter Kick (holding block 6″ above sternum) x20 IC

    Cockroach Crunch Block Press Supreme x20 IC

    Wife Pleasers w/ feet on block x20 IC

    Hello Dolly (w/ block 6″ up) x20 IC + x5 for surprise lagniappe

     

    Mosey over to the the Museum ledge with a few minutes left for COP #5:

    Dips x20 IC, Box Jumps x10 OYO, Dips x10 IC

    Mosey back to the flag where we knocked out an abbreviated version of the plank routine known as “The Rotisserie Chicken” (compliments of Marlin).  Finished one minute in to overtime.

    Note that Hawg pulled a LIFO (Last In, First Out) and ducked out….guess he wasn’t up for any small talk that morning.

    Solid COP including a rather thorough naming process for the two FNGs.  YHC thanked the PAX for keeping me on track the past six months as my son w/special needs was away from home and our family went through a whirlwind of events.  The morning workouts are a good form of therapy for such things and helped YHC stay healthy both mentally and physically.  Thanks for the prayer intentions throughout that time.  My son is now back home and doing better.  Also prayed for Mason, those battling cancer, and the many less fortunate children not just locally but throughout the world.  T-claps to the guys who stuck around for some F2 coffee and our favorite waiter Mike.

    Thanks for letting me lead and sorry again for any sore muscles.

    Tool

     

     

     

  • Uptowner 12/16

    YHC joined with Triple Shift and Duct Tape for a good ole no-frills uptowner.

    Disclaimer and begin.

    Warm Up COP

    IC
    SSH x 30 (HVAC joined mid-stream)
    Don Quixote x15
    Peter Parker x 15
    Mountain Climber x15
    Parker Peter x 15
    Arm Circle x 15 one-way and then 15 the other way.

    Grab a big rock so you can chest press and make it count. Also grab smaller rock for rock lunges.

    Lunge Rock 11’s

    Start 10 Rock chest press one side, then 8 overhead rock lunges, then one curl. Increase curls and decrease presses always equal 11.

    Take big rock to bleachers.

    All IC

    15 shoulder presses.
    15 curls
    15 bleacher press
    20 calf raises.
    Repeat

    Send big rock home.

    Mary
    Lunge Rock Twists x15
    Russian Rock Twists x15
    Roll -Up Rock Extensions x15
    End with Dolly-Flutter-Rosita Combo 15 each.

    Send your little Rock home.

    In COT, Hawg made his appearance. Rudy even told me next day he was in the area. So, maybe count him too?

    Solid work-out to lead into weekend!

  • Opposite Way Monday

    YHC, Amnesty, Triple Shift, and Rudy found themselves on the wrong side of the tracks this morning and were delayed by the train. Just when we were about to circle up and plank and wait for the train, it passed and we ran to the flag about 5 minutes late with warm-ups already proceeding.

    This backblast is very overdue by a week, and I can’t remember much of what we did. Let’s just say we ran opposite way around Pontiff doing various work-outs on the way, all without touching a rock!