F3 New Orleans

Category: New Orleans

  • Renaissance means Revival – from Triple Shift

    To hit my minimum requirement of two Qs a month, I had to get one in quick before January ended so I signed up for the Sunday Renaissance. With the New Year resolutions passing for many on quitting day (Jan 19th), the men of F3 NOLA yielded themselves to YHC and I didn’t want to disappoint. Time to bring out the sandbags and kettlebells for a revival of pumping iron (sand).

    YHC arrived with a few minutes before 6:30 am and a crowd was present. Along with that crowd came the subsequent mumblechatter. In fact, it was in rare form as the pax was trying their best to distract me from my mission to help these men accelerate. Enough of the chirping and I called out Burpees in cadence up to 10 and things settled down. We performed Imperial Walkers, Low Slow Squats, Open the Gate, Close the Gate, Arm Circles (forward and backward) and closed out with 10 burpees in cadence.

    THE THANG
    We would perform 5 burpees, 10 body rows (flat part of hand rails), 15 Kettlebell swings, and 20 squats then run around NOMA x 5.
    After that round of exercises, we went to the fountain for one legged glute bridges x 10 IC each leg and then Bulgarian Split Squats x 5 IC each leg
    With time running short, we went to the back of NOMA and did three Sunday Mornings.

    COT
    Countoff, Namerama, and intentions. Prayers for MacGyver’s health, Cheese Steak’s son in law and son. Thank you for the opportunity to lead!

  • Burpeepalooza 2023 (vol. 3) – from Goose

    When Enron asked YHC to switch with him and Q this morning, I asked myself the question, “Is it time for another Burpeepalooza?” and I answered myself the answer, “Why, yes. Yes it is.” Preparation required one hype GIF for the GroupMe and an hour or so of research for songs with repetitive lyrics and good burpee timing. Burpeepalooza 2023 was ready for launch, and YHC was so fired up, I woke before my alarm.

    Oh, and in case I should fail to mention it, new ground was broken last night as YHC reached across a deep, long-standing rift for the sake of a quality beatdown:
    Oontz had been showing some serious inconsistency with volume as of late, and since it would be of absolute necessity for all PAX to hear the trigger words for this beatdown regardless of loud traffic on the highway, there was no doubt about it–it was time to bring in the big guns. YHC knew down deep that BAPS (Big Ass Party Speaker, for the newer guys) was the only one who could handle this kind of weight, so late in the evening, YHC dialed up Yankee Joe. After some initial disbelief and suspicion of being punked (like that one time with JBL), YHC proved himself sincere, and YJ heartily agreed to let BAPS shine. We both shed some healthy tears afterward and slept a little more soundly.

    The warmup this morning had to be seriously substantial. After Lil’ Cuz’s Saturday butt-whoopin’, the soreness was deep and every single muscle was tight. So, given the range of motion burpees require, flexibility would be of the utmost to save the PAX’s joints for the rest of this week’s beatdowns.
    Warm-o-rama: seal jacks, windmills, imperial walkers (so sore), grass grabbers (the “three taps backward with the clap” variety), arm circles, cherry pickers, YJ-led wrist rotations (the non-yoga-demon variety), self-love, tempo merkins (3-count down and 3-count up), mountain climbers, high knees, and butt kicks. Had to cover all the bases, especially for us old guys!

    YHC then introduced the concept of the Burpeepalooza–Enron and Paradox (and the absent Fence Post) were the only ones who had done it before. It’s an entire beatdown of non-stop songs, each having a trigger word or phrase upon which a burpee is executed. Rest between (ha!).

    Here’s the list, played on shuffle so God decides if two or three (or four) hard songs get played in a row:
    “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers–burpees on “gone” and “away”
    “For God is With Us” by For King and Country–burpee on “God is with us”
    “Coconut” by Harry Nilsson–“coconut”
    “Happy” by Pharrell Williams–“Happy” (continuous burpees when they say it really fast)
    “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel–“your eyes” (backup singers count…they’re real people, too)
    “That’s the Way (I Like It)” by KC & the Sunshine Band–“I like it” (Dang.)
    “Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone–“come and get your love”
    “Have a Little Faith in Me” by John Hiatt–“have a little faith”
    “Got My Mind Set On You” by George Harrison–“set on you” (Ran out of time for this one, probably because of the ridiculously long warmup)

    This crew was impressive–the mumblechatter continued to be witty and there were no visible signs of discouragement. Muscles were zapped, oxygen was in low supply in the mugginess, and there were some unfulfilled promises of merlot splashing (puking), but spirits remained high as the burpee count continued to quietly climb.
    All said and done, if all triggers resulted in burpees, the count was 245, a record for Thibodaux Burpeepaloozas! And even if some were skipped, most if not all of the PAX did over 200 burpees in 45 minutes! This would have sounded like an impossible feat if this number was shared at 5:29am, but because we were suffering together, distracted by listening for the triggers, and not counting to see how many we had done and how many more we felt like we could rationally do, our bodies outshone even our highest expectations. T-claps especially to the guys who had never done this before and were blindsided this morning!
    COT followed, and we discussed the mistake of trying to measure how much you have left in the tank, both during exercise and throughout our day with family, etc. We can always do more if we live for the person/people around us rather than constantly trying to measure “how much more of this I can take.”
    Q assignments for the rest of the week were finalized, prayer intentions were shared, and YJ prayed us out. It was an honor to get through that with you fellas this morning!

    SYITG (See You in the Gloom),
    Goose

  • F’n A.L.A.R.M.S. Blaring – from Mayhem

    YHC arrived early to assess the grounds and avoid a train delay. Committed to keeping the PAX off the hill and out of the grass for the most part.

    Flag planted by @Fracsac, disclaimer given, mosey halfway to the rocks. Warmup location reminiscent of where @Mahatma took us my first day ever posting 11/28/22.

    Warmup included SSH, AV, GG, Arm Circles, Reverse Arm Circles, PP, PP. 10 burpees OYO. No clubbin’ to @Charmin’s dismay.

    Mosey to the rock pile. Medium rock selected and head to the parking lot.

    Three rounds of A.L.A.R.M.S. ensued (Arms, Legs, Abs, Run, Merkins, SSH):

    Round 1
    A – 50 curls with rock
    L – 50 squats with rock
    A – 100 LBCs
    R – 250yd run (one PAX brought the rock)
    M – 25 merkins
    S – 25 SSH

    Round 2
    A – 50 shoulder press with rock
    L – 30 lunges with rock, 2 is 1
    A – 100 flutter kicks, 2 is 1
    R – 250yd run (one PAX brought the rock)
    M – 25 merkins
    S – 25 SSH

    Round 3
    A – 30 triceps with rock
    L – 50 calf raises with rock
    A – 50 big boy sit-ups
    R – 250yd run (one PAX brought the rock)
    M – 25 merkins
    S – 25 SSH

    Return the rocks, penguins, one-legged wife pleasers. Mosey to the flag for CoT.

    @Fracsac reminded @Kenna Brah not to forget to set his ALARM in the future. To which @Kenna Brah decided to give YHC an ‘F’ for Q… “F’n A.L.A.R.M.S. Blaring”

    Let’s all keep @Macgyver in our thoughts and prayers.

    Thanks for posting with me! My 2nd Q and 17th post in 2023!

    SYITG!

  • Roller Derby – from Vagabond

    Pax split into tag teams of 4 and competed to bear crawl pushing two 5 gallon water jugs around the perimeter of the great lawn. Did 100 big bois. Pax choice of exercises with rocks. 6 mins of jump rope.

  • No Mercy Struggle – from Lil Cuz

    YHC woke up a little earlier with a little extra excitement, he had been called up to the Big Show, The Peltch. There was talk the night before of Spiderman getting into a blood feud with Cobra Kai and classic 80’s fade away to black with “Candle in the Wind” by Elton John playing in the background. YHC had other plans in mind.

    You see, most of the Thibodaux Pax has started Exodus 90 and this has gotten YHC thinking about the struggle of life and how struggling is always easier with a big group of brothers surrounding you. The perfect song came to mind for a beatdown and the No Mercy Struggle was born.

    Typical Warm-ups with a quickened cadence to prepare everyone and especially YHC for what we were about to undertake: SSH, Windmills, Arm Circles (FW and BW), Cherry Pickers, High Knees and Butt Kicks.

    Thang 1:
    Brother Isaiah – Struggler

    Catalina Wine Mixer for duration of the song and Burpees for every “Struggle; Struggler; Struggling”. This proved to be a great start as this was way harder than anticipated and song was cut at the solo which saved the pax from my approximation of around 45 more burpees. Give or take.

    Thang 2: No Mercy Mile

    Pax begin at mid point of front stretch on a standard track.
    Jog to turn 1
    Bear crawl (1st and 3rd Round), Spiderman Crawl (2nd and 4th Round) to turn 2.
    Jog to mid point on back stretch. Do 25 merkins.
    Jog to turn 3
    Lunge (1st and 3rd Round), Flying Nun(2nd and 4th Round) to turn 4.
    Jog to starting point perform 25 squats.
    Rinse & Repeat three more times.

    The Spiderman Crawls proved to be much harder than I had expected and the pax suffered through a half turn before YHC called back to bear crawl. Great job fellas! YHC did not have the heart to make the pax suffer through another go of it on the 4th round.

    When complete we have bear crawled 400 yards, lunged 400 yards, performed 100 merkins and squats all while completing 1 mile.

    Thang 3:
    Brother Isaiah – Firelight

    Mary Workouts for duration of song called out by YHC:
    – Flutter Kicks
    – Freddie Mercs
    – Dolphin Hops – I can still hear the groans – Those were for you Dox. Get Better! Make sure to ask your wife for a scrip. Given she is a doctor and all .Word is so is your Mother in Law. Dude…how lucky are you!
    – High Plank
    – Low Plank
    – LBC’s to end of the song.

    Mercy has come in a reminder in this song that we are made for something better:

    You come in stillness, when I am helpless
    And show me the love, the Lover who loves me in my brokenness
    I’m just a poor child, but I’m a Father’s son
    And in my weakness, I’m still your chosen one, yeah yeah
    Such a mystery, but it’s my destiny

    Cause I was made for glory, I was made for freedom
    Called to be light and to live in a Kingdom

    To finish we did Potluck Mary while the baseball team looked ever so envious of our struggle and wanting to join the best FREE MEN’S WORKOUT around.

    It was a complete Honor to struggle with you fellas this morning and I thank God everyday for the gift he has given me in you men.

    SYITG,
    Cuz

  • 32 days ago was my 55th Birthday! – from Triple Shift

    It’s been 32 days since I turned 55 on December 24th, 2022 and I had the Q for Mothership. With a crazy 27 degrees and super windy, I was humbled to have Rudy, Fracsac, Heisenberg, Catfish and Hokie come out to my workout. I don’t remember my entire workout because it happened 32 days ago, but I do remember going by the Botanical Garden entrance to get out the wind to warm up and then headed to the front of NOMA where I did some sort of routine that involved elevating everyone’s heart rate with body rows, burpees, lunges, merkins, and other exercises. After that, everything gets fuzzy but laughter and mumblechatter were plentiful and in rare form. Thank you for making my Double Nickel Q one to remember….or not.

  • 3/5/7/9….100 Burpees for MABA – from Triple Shift

    I finally completed my 8 block (An F3 goal setting tool to increase your health, relationships, faith, and leadership) and I committed to Qing at least twice a month so with only 2 weeks left in January, I had to get on it so I signed up for Okwata. Here is the link if you want more info on the 8 Block.

    With the weather a cold 48 degrees and 15 mph wind, it was brisk to say the least and I was hoping no one would show up so I could go back home. Alas, that didn’t happen which I am thankful that JV, Fracsac, and Cheese Steak showed up to hold me accountable.

    We headed to the House of Pain with a 50 lb. sandbag and a 35 lb. kettlebell while doing our best to keep our feet dry. Start off with the Warmorama. 20 SSH, 10 Tempo LLS, 10 Tempo Merkins, 10 Self Love, 10 Open the Gate and 10 Close the Gate all done IC. Now that we are all warm, we proceed to the main event.
    10 – 2 minute rounds which consist of 3 pull ups, 5 burpees, 7 squats (with or without the weights) and 9 glute bridges.
    Proceeded by
    4 – 2 minute rounds of 5 burpees, 10 froggers, and 10 Bulgarian Split Squats (each leg)

    Busted out another 40 burpees at the end to get an even 100 for MABA!

    COT – Prayers of gratitude for F3 and the health we have to make a positive difference in this broken world. Being weak, sickly and in poor health is not a good condition to be in if you desire to help others.

  • Dora 1-2-3 on 1/23 – from Rudy

    YHC has Q for 3rd time in rapid succession. Much grumbling ensued. I think I offered a fake promise of No Burpees. But I had every intention of burpeeing through the morning. Disclaimer and head to the field for warm up. Immediately Charmin starts with “Waaah! I want Rocks!” Quick warm up, then time to get busy.

    January 23rd. 1st month, 23rd day. what else has those numbers? RIGHT – Dora! Count-off to find your partner, then to the sidelines. 100 burpees, 200 merkins, 300 squats. PAX 2 runs back and forth across the field.

    Finished up right on 6am, lets get over to the rocks. Time for…. Yup, another Dora 123! Different partner. 100 Shoulder Presses, 200 Curls, 300 Flutter Kicks. PAX 2 is holding their rock up while PAX1 completes 10/20/30 reps.

    Back to the flag with 3 mins to spare for some Mary. PAX disputes that Scantron’s choice of J-Lo counts as Mary, but we did it anyway.

    CoT with War Eagle praying us out.

  • F3 Thibodaux’s Tribute to Cardinal F3 Knoxville – from Yankee Joe

    A few days ago, Goose posted the tragic story of F3 Knoxville’s Cardinal. In his first VQ, Cardinal (Taylor Phelps, 36) collapsed five burpees into the beatdown. Those were his last. He passed away a few hours later. Across the nation and abroad, an outpouring of love, support, money (approx. $108,000), and of course, tribute beatdowns started rolling in. As a journalist, Matt Crossman wrote, “Out of tragedy came a tidal wave of support. Out of grief came a groundswell of grace.”

    If you’ve ever designed a beatdown, you are familiar with the excitement, anxiety, and time that goes into planning each minute; a juggling act, balancing the needs of rigor, creativity, and the safety of the PAX. Designing your VQ is in many ways, a rite of passage. It is a liberating, empowering, and fulfilling experience. To that end, it is no surprise that Cardinal was so excited that he had shared his plans with other PAX as well as his wife, Andrea. In fact, we learned that Andrea even laminated the page he would use for the Q.

    The men of F3 Thibodaux wanted to do their part and offer up our prayers, our pain, and our exhaustion. 5 PAX showed up to the new Lion’s Den AO on crisp 44 degree morning. Following the lead of other PAX, we knelt for a moment of silence after the fifth burpee when Cardinal collapsed. We held that silence for 30 seconds; we could have held it for 30 minutes.

    Indeed, as we were suffering through the second set of 15 burpees (burpees 45 – 60), Goose gave us reminders not to take a break. He said, “Cardinal’s wife doesn’t get to take a break.” We all kicked it into a higher gear.

    To Andrea: If for some remote reason, you ever read this tribute, please know that we are praying for you and your family. We will keep your husband’s memory.

    To Cardinal Junior: We want you to know that the men of F3 Thibodaux stand by you and Evie ALWAYS as your friends and brothers. We stand by your side in the gloom. Keep fighting the good fight.

    Warm-up
    15 Side Straddles Hops, 10 Tempo Merkins, 10 Flutter Kicks Double Count, 10 Little Baby Arm Circles Forward, 10 Little Baby Arm Circles Backward, 10 Hallelujahs, 10 Knoxville Cherry Pickers, 20 sec Sampson Hold, 10 Willie Mays Hayes
    _______________

    The Thang

    5-Burpees
    5-Big Boys
    5-Heels to Heaven
    Run approx 160 meters (from Aslan to Playground and back)
    Repeat set
    (Burpee counter: 10)

    10-Burpees
    10-Little Baby Crunches
    10-Mt. Climbers Double Count
    Run approx 160 meters (from Aslan to Playground and back)
    Repeat set
    (Burpee counter: 30)

    15-Burpees
    15-Air Squats
    15-Freddy Mercury’s
    Run approx 160 meters (from Aslan to Playground and back)
    Repeat set
    (Burpee counter: 60)

    20-Burpees
    Run approx 160 meters (from Aslan to Playground and back)
    Repeat set
    (Burpee counter: 100)

    Rocky Top (version by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band)
    Hillbilly Walkers; burpee for every Rocky Top (18 burpees)
    (Final Burpee counter: 118)

    5MOM

    COT with fist bump and each PAX saying hospital name, age, and Cardinal.

    F3 Thibodaux’s own Cardinal prayed us out.

    Cardinal Knoxville’s M, Andrea posted in response to the deluge of support, “He [Taylor] had been happier than I had seen him in so long when he found you guys. Thank you for making his last days bright.”

    I think we can all relate to this experience and sentiment.

    Make sure to tell your people you love them today.

    SYITG,

    Yankee Joe