Category: New Orleans

  • Mission Ispossible

    Five men gathered around the VSF this gloom.  The goal for this beatdown was to break up the Pax into smaller groups, then send them out on missions to complete.  Since we had 5, we stayed together as one group for our missions.

    DISCLAIMER

    The Thang

    Mosey over to the track for a warmup COP.

    COP #1:
    20x Seal Jacks IC
    20x Plank Jacks IC
    20x SSH IC
    20x Smurf Jacks IC

    Mosey over to The Refinery for the following circuit:
    Pullups x AMRAP
    Step Ups x AMRAP
    Dips x AMRAP
    Inverted Rows x AMRAP
    Mary x 25 IC (Timer)

    We did set #1 with Mary = Putins, then set #2 with Mary = Flutter Kicks

    Enough for now, Indian Run to the fountain by NOMA, and complete this set:

    10x Box Jumps, then Frog Hop/Step Jump up to the top of NOMA… that’s one.
    We did three!

    Indian Run back to The Refinery for one more set with Mary = Real Freddie Mercury.

    Mosey back to track for a Burpee Mile.

    Four Laps around the track + 20 Burpees in 10 min.  Do your laps/burpees anyway you want. Cowbell and Duct Tape knocked out the burpees before running laps (nice!).  Tool, Walleye, and YHC chose to do 5 after each lap.  The five of us finished the Burpee Mile at 0615, and since we had a VSF, we held the COT on the inner track.  Thanks for letting me lead!

    Moleskin

    New Years is fast approaching, and more importantly, it is EH season!  Start working on you EH form like Randy Orton:

    randy orton

  • Hopkinsville Expansion???

    Pre-Thang

    It’s the day after Christmas, we’re all feeling fat, and we are nowhere near an official F3 AO.  Banjo and YHC decided to make one up a little outside the typical F3 norms i.e. invitation to a couple of female family members.  The great thing about F3 is it can be done anywhere… in a park or in a square, during Christmas time without spending a dime… even if there are a few girls, let’s give it a whirl… the goal is still to better ourselves so let’s set out to frolic like gay little elves.

    Warm-Up

    Banjo kicked off the Q-spot with a light mosey over to the Justice Center:

    • Good Mornings, Imperial Walkers, Windmills

    The Thang

    Next up is Four Corners in the Justice Center parking lot:

    • Round 1: Jump Lunge x 10
    • Round 2: Monkey Humps x 10
    • Round 3: Squat Jumps x 10

    After each round, the PAX completed a ½ Bruce Lee: 10 count on Hammers a.k.a. Putins a.k.a. Russian Twists; Dying Cockroach; LBC; Heal Touches a.k.a. Penguins; Boat-Canoe.  Apples was a little late to the game but joined in midway into Round 2.

    YHC took over the Q position with a mosey over to the playground by Sherwin Williams.  Circuit training always gets the blood flowing well.  Banjo took it easy on his sister who requested no burpees, but YHC could really give a $4:t.  5 PAX, 5 Stations, complete each station twice:

    • 10 Burpee count for rotation
    • Swing set hip slappers AMRAP
    • Dips AMRAP
    • Pull Ups AMRAP
    • Slalom ab ski jumps AMRAP

    Mosey across Little River for a DJ-Style / Dealer’s Choice Mary:

    • YHC: Pickle Pounders a.k.a. Jane Fonda’s
    • Banjo: Freddy Mercury
    • YHC’s M: Leg Raises
    • Apples: LBCs
    • Banjo’s Sister /YHC’s Aunt: 1 minute plank

    Mosey back to the start (flag was there in spirit).  PAX ended the BackBlast with #BringSallyUp.  Merikan failure inevitably overcomes the PAX.  Audible called to switch over to squats and the finished back up with Merikans.

    YHC’s M lead the PAX in some final yoga stretches.

    Stoker F3Nashville was M.I.A.

    Announcements: Apples getting married May 20th in Covington, KY.  Safe travels to everyone headed home – New Orleans, Savannah, Raleigh, and Cincinnati

  • Dora in the Foggy Florida Gloom

    YHC advised pax of lingering shoulder issue so we would be limiting about of shoulder work. Only problem was when 3 pax showed up late and CSX train came through.

    Started with a light mosey around parking lot to field. Circled up for a few warm-up exercises. All were 15 IC.

    • SSH
    • cotton pickers
    • Moroccan Nightclub

    YHC had pax pair up for a little Dora 1-2-3. 1 Pax exercised while other ran to end of field and back.

    • 100 Big Boy Situps
    • 200 Sumo Squats (no leg lift)
    • 300 Imperial Walkers (counting only 1 leg)

    10 burps were then completed for 1st late pax member. Then with same partner completed 2nd round of Dora. This time the run was only 1/2 the distance but run there forward, run back backwards.

    • 100 Mountain Climbers
    • 200 Supermans
    • 300 Skaters (counting each leg)

    Then Pax completed 2nd set of 10 burpees for late pax. We then moseyed to pavilion for 3rd round of burpees. Then mosey to Virtual Flag (Thanks Drone!!) for last set of burpees. We completed to w/o with 10 slow cotton pickers IC to stretch as well as various other stretches.

    This morning YHC admitted that he has not been reading his bible lately. Looking at todays reading plan from church, I read part of what it was. It was John 3:16-17.

    YHC ended all with continued prayer requests for OTC and family, continued healing in Lifo and PUD, travel protection for those that are traveling, for Toxic’s M, and others that were unspoken. We ended with prayer and a few went for 2nd F coffeteria at Panera.

    Announcements – will check with Drone about serving next Friday, Barker Birthday Bash Thursday night, 2nd F lunch in January.

    To those pax that are traveling be safe. We miss you. (Except Jumanji)

  • A Pocket Full of Singles

    The Pax is fully aware I am trying to get as many miles in as possible lately.  After I gave the disclaimer they became worried that we were heading out of the park on the 610 stomp route.  No worries, I found another way to get in the mileage.

    The Thang

    After moseying to the Foundry, we partnered up for the following sets:

    • 10 partner assisted pull-ups
    • 20 box jumps
    • 30 Derkins
    • 20 Pole Dancers
    • 10 Burpees

    The exercises could be done in any order.  Once complete, the pair runs to the Refinery and does the same set of exercises.  Once you finish there, run back and do the same at the Foundry, etc. etc. and so forth.  Partners had to stay together, but the race was on to see which pair could complete the most sets.  In the end, everyone completed 4, but Bubba and Kim-Chi were the first to finish.

    We headed back to the flag for COT where we prayed for special intentions, loved ones, and peace.

    Moleskin

    Contrary to popular opinion, pole dancers are no fun.

     

  • 610 Stomp #70

    Nothing fancy about this one.  YHC needs to lose some weight, so I’ve been trying to get some miles in.  Straight out and back along the bayou route as far as you can go in 45 minutes.  This also allowed the YHC, Tool, and Rudy to get some miles in against Shorty in this month’s Extra Mile Challenge (Sorry we can’t figure out the app Fracsac).  Rudy and YHC ran together and logged 5.7 miles (to the street on the other side of the I-10 overpass and back).

  • Giving the Pax the Finger

    YHC is an idiot.  I’m a bleeder and at least once per year, I slice my finger chopping some sort of vegetable.  It’s one of the reasons I don’t eat that many vegetables.  This year it happened slicing beets the Tuesday before I was scheduled to Q Okwata.  I would show you a picture, but I can’t figure out how (good thing Rudy took over as COMZ Q).  Anyway, strict doctor’s orders not to use a keyboard for two weeks, hence the late backblast.  I really wanted to get it out sooner, but infection could have set in and I could have died of dysentery.  So here we are, almost two weeks late.

    The Thang

    Mosey around the fountain and circle up in the muck for the warm-up COP.   It evolved into a half-circle.  I was worried it might be an intervention – What had I done?  I knew I had at least 3 really stupid exercises planned, but how did they find out?  I didn’t write them down anywhere…Am I that predictable?..It must have been the bear crawl route 66…, ah, nevermind it was just the majority of Pax concerned about getting their feet wet and opting for the concrete – pansies.  I may not remember all of the exercises that we did, but I do remember we never got into plank.  I think it went something like this:  SSH x 30; Imperial Walkers x 25; Don Quixotes x 20; Good Mornings x 15; Hillbillies x 25; Seal Jacks x 30

    Then YHC decided to try out a new exercise called the Daft Punk from the exicon.  I chose it for many reasons:  1. It was leg day.  2.  I saw it on the good Reverend’s tweeter feed as he showed the world his weinke prior to his VQ.  3. My 6 year old likes to listen to that band while getting ready for school in the mornings.

    The Daft Punk is a 12 count series of lunges that starts with the right leg forward, side, and back and ends with the left leg going back, side, and forward.  It blew Cowbell’s mind.  Watching Cowbell struggle through this exercise became the best reason to do the Daft Punk.  We kept going until Cowbell made through one complete series.  I’m not sure how many that was.  Probably 15 times.

    Next we moseyed to the benches by the fountain for the Fireman’s Fountain.  7 Pax line up on the benches.  Half (or I should say, roughly half) do squats while the others do lunges.  As many as you can do while one of the Pax fireman carries another around the fountain.  When the fireman gets back everyone shifted down a spot on the bench rotation and the man on the end ran around the fountain and prepared to carry the fireman.  This continued until everyone got to play the fireman.  We had a couple of modifications due to poor size pairings and epic failures, but other than that it was more successful than YHC imagined it would be.

    Next we moseyed to the levee for “I Can’t Drive 55.”  The title to that stupid song seemed a fitting title for this stupid idea.  Run over the levee and do 50 Monkey Humpers on the other side, run back and do 5 calf raises.  Go back over the levee and do 45 Monkey Humpers, come back and do 10 calf raises.  Similar to 11s, but everything adds to 55.

    In the end, everyone did 275 monkey humpers and calf raises for a PAX total of 2475 (Thanks to Shorty and JV for the math on that one).

    This left us just enough time to do about a minute and half of Quadraphilia, before sprinting back to the flag for our COT where we fellowshipped and prayed.

    -Hawg

  • Jacks and Blimps

    Weather: A balmy 70 degrees.  Humid.  Foggy.  Damp.  Just delightful day-after-Christmas weather.  PAX start appearing in the gloom, ready to pay the piper for the Christmas food and beverage indulgences.  Clock strikes 5:30 (on the Q’s notoriously inaccurate watch), so after the disclaimer – we’re off to find the rocks.

    COP: Jacks warm up

    • SSH x25
    • Seal Jack x25
    • Smurf Jack x25

    Then Plank-o-Rama

    • Peter Parker x25
    • Mountain Climber x25
    • Parker Peter x25
    • Plan Jack x25

    Back to our feet for arm circles (each way x15).  Then find a rock suitable for short moseying.

    The Playground: Partner up – 8 PAX, so 4 groups of 2.

    • Station 1: Burpees
    • Station 2: Uneven-bar rows
    • Station 3: Swerkins (like Derkins, but with your feet in the swing)
    • Station 4: Pull-ups

    Burpees are the counter, everything else is AMRAP.  Each round, everyone rotates through all 4 stations.  Round 1: 12 burpee timer.  Round 2: 10 burpee timer.  Round 3: 8 burpee timer.

    Grab your lonely rock.  We really are going to use them.

    The Field: BLIMPS.  Field isn’t measured for football, but using Bogey approximation method (“the lightpost, then the bench, then the possum over by the shrubbery), we lined up for rock-BLIMPS.

    • Goal Line: 5 Burpees
    • 1st Light Post: 10 Lunge sets (with Rock)
    • Edge of the Circle: 15 IW sets (with Rock)
    • Other Edge of the Circle: 20 Murcans (one hand on rock, switch at 10)
    • Other Light Post: 25 Plank Jacks (hands on rock)
    • Other Goal Post: 30 Squats (with Rock)

    Dang, now we’re all the way at the other end of the field.  We’d better start back.  So turn around and repeat.

    Mosey back to the rock pile to return our friend then horses back to the virtual flag.

    Due to YHC mis-calculations, we end up back at VF 90 seconds early.  So everyone ON YOUR 6.  Russian Twist till the cows come home.

    Finish Up: Count-off, Name-o-Rama, and close with our prayers.  Ask for God’s blessings on the downtrodden, addicted and lonely throughout the holiday season, and for safety, health and happiness for all of our families.

    Thanks for the opportunity to lead.

  • 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.