F3 New Orleans

Category: Northshore

  • The dynamic duo at the A1C!

    All week I heard about the low turnout to the beatdowns, but I was positive that I could get some out to the A1C. Maybe it was the weather, maybe it was Corona, maybe it was the current state of affairs, or maybe it was my breath? It was just me at 4:45 doing laps, getting in an extra workout for the 75 hard ( which is a pain in the ass), waiting on the arrival of somebody to join me in the chill. Holy crazy BBq batman, he showed up! I knew my partner in crime, my side kick would show. The dynamic duo was back together, ready to kick butt at the A1C. It was a Tobata morning, 45 seconds of an exercise, with 15 second break. We did it round robin style (get it, Batman and Robin. I crack myself up). Merkans, leg raises, squats, lunges, scorpion kicks, lbc’s, hillbillies, and other exercises back and forth. The conversations were great, the exercises were great. And as BBQ stated, if you start with F3, your day is off to a great start. See y’all in the gloom.

    P.S-whatever your reason for not making it out to a beatdown this week, I get it and understand. However, we are stronger and better together. Let’s try and post at least once during the week men. God Bless and Happy Friday.

  • Today Grover became a man but Bushwacker was busy counting sheep!!

    Q learned a valuable lesson today, some become men while others stay snuggled in their fluffy sheets and count sheep. Missing one of my carpoolers for legitimate reasons is acceptable, however missing another because of a pre warning to bring gloves is another. Enough beating up on the Sir Wacker for now, although something tells me Cowbell will make sure to remind a certain someone of there absence. After all we can modify and intensify as one PAX Grover demonstrated this Gloom by breaking into a new world of couponing and selected a FULL coupon for this beatdown. Great job young PAX and welcome to manhood…. Maybe you could lend your old coupon to Wacker when he awakes 🤣.

    Warmarama

    10IC Good mornings, Arm circles, Air presses and SSH.

    20IC Windmills, Mummy kicks and Imperial walkers

    thang

    Gathered coupons and proceeded with 2 Indian marches over to the courthouse. Circled up for 4 exercises 20 count on all OYO curls, tri-extensions, squats and rows. Moseyed up and down the ramp returning for a round of 10 count OYO block clean and thrusters, elf on the each side and 8count bodybuilders. Up and around.

    Stretched the distance to the street where the PAX partnered up for 200 cumulative count chest presses while P2 moseyed up intensifying up each step and returning with a sprint to pickup count.

    Next up kettle swings 100 cumulative while P2 bear crawled a quarter distance then alternated shuffling up/down steps and sprinted the return. With 10 mins remaining PAX returned the same way it left Indian march back.

    Finished up with

    25 OYO Merkins (Akbar) 45 or 65 ??

    25 OYO Plank Jacks

    25 OYO 2=1 Mountain climbers

    25 OYO Donkey kick ups

    25IC LBCs and NO Cowbell crunchy frogs but 2=1 Flutter kicks.

    👏🏼👏🏼 To Grover stepping up and pushing himself with the larger coupon and after all was said and done he smiled and said “It wasn’t that bad after all.”

    The hate/hate lad prayed out the PAX on his way out into manhood 👊🏼!!

    Appreciate the opportunity to lead and sub in for Einstein with wishes of a speedy return sir!!

    Till the next Gloom 👍🏼👊🏼✌🏼!!

  • B.O.M.B.S.(Bring Out More Brethren Soon)

    YHC arrived to a ghost town at Grandmas on this Gloom. His only hope was satisfied with the always reliable, however always right on time but sometime late Cowbell. Q decided to keep it simple and stay around the corridor.

    Brief mosey around trailhead to get the blood flowing. 20IC Imperial walkers, Grass grabbers, Windmills, Cherry pickers and atm circles.

    B.O.M.B.S

    50/100/150/200/250

    Burpees, Overhead claps, Merkins, Big Boy sit-ups, and Squats with Cowbell closing with lagniappe on the Squats taking us to 300.

    Split 6 columns with 5 Donkey kickoffs performed followed by Bear crawls to each column R/R x6. Closed with Mary 20IC LBCs, Flutters, 100s and Crunchy frogs then 10 Merkins OYO to close.

    Appreciate the post Cowbell and not having the Q go it alone on this Gloom! YHC closed with COT.

    Till the Gipper 👍🏼👊🏼✌🏼!!

  • New Year’s Day

    16 men arrived at the top of the A1C, some still waking up from late night festivities. 7:00 o’clock and the workout started. SSH, grass grabbers, ic, 20, then 21….get it?!?!? Self love, t stretches (ackbar and Bushwacker favs) . We moseyed to the corner for the repeat of the first F3 beatdown. Our motification was the lap, down the stairs and then up through the parking garage. Then we did a Dora, meridians, squats, and lbcs 100, 200, 300 while partner two pick pocketed across the parking lot, and jogged back (a waterpik created exercise). Then we finished with some Mary, no crunchy frogs cowbell. COT then turbo prayed us out. Then off to bbqs for a great breakfast and a great F2 opportunity. Thanks for allowing me to lead on such a beautiful morning.

  • Good numbers at the Scramble with lots of regulars out and a Southshore visitor to boot!!

    YHC arrived on this Gloom with 2 shovels planted and another streaming across the parking lot ready to be planted. In the darkness a glow of Jose10k and his neon shirt reflected back at the Q, as if I were staring in the mirror or Steve had made the fastest quarantine in the COVID 2020 era to close the year.. There were no special plans for the day, however I knew once I saw Gideon from the Southshore my mind quickly kicked in and doubled up a previous agenda laid out by Waterpik a few weeks back. Instructions were simple following a slight warmup of 10IC Grass grabbers, Windmills, Toe Touches, SSH, Butt kicks and high knees. PAX was required to complete a 100 Merkins, 100 Mountain climbers 2:1, and 100 Jump squats along the 5k standard route done in any rep of variety chosen by each PAX. Returned with a few mins to close 10IC Crunchy frogs, flutter kicks and 100s..

    Appreciate another year shared with the F3 brethren and the accountability each of you bring to the beatdowns.

    Grateful to Gideon for his post and sharing great perspective on what each of us as leaders in our community brings. How we should continually be looking for opportunities to share with other men that are out there as sad clowns and just need that little push of encouragement to get out in the Gloom and will certainly become better men for doing so..

    Q closed us out with COT!

    Until BBQs southern breakfast 👍🏼👊🏼✌🏼!!!


  • No Crunchy Frogs for You, Cowbell

    YHC has nothing against Crunchy Frogs. In fact, YHC likes Crunchy Frogs…a lot. Crunchy Frogs, however, were not on this morning’s agenda. So no Crunchy Frogs for you, Cowbell.

    What was on the agenda was a warmup of Reverse Lunges, Merkins, Mountain Climbers, and Imperial Walkers, all 10x IC, followed by a 5 minute AMRAP session using the same four exercises. Most of the PAX got through five complete rounds before the buzzer sounded and then we each grabbed 2 coupons from the Gipper stash and Farmer Walked our way over to the boatyard.

    Five cones were waiting at the boatyard, the starting line cone and then cones 10, 15, 20 and 25 yards out. Each PAX grabbed himself a lane and then we got to work.

    First set: Farmer Carry to Cone 2, Back Pedal to Cone 1, Sprint to Cone 2, Farmer Carry to Cone 3, Back Pedal to Cone 1, Sprit to Cone 3, Farmer Carry to Cone 4, Back Pedal to Cone 1, Sprint to Cone 4, Farmer Carry to Cone 5, Back Pedal to Cone 1, Sprint to Cone 5, then Farmer Carry the two coupons back to Cone 1. Finish off the set with 10 coupon Manmakers.

    Second set: rinse and repeat with Farmer Carries, Backwards Lunges, Forward Lunges capped off by 10 Coupon Swings.

    Third set: rinse and repeat with Overhead Coupon Carry, Reverse Bear Crawls, Forward Bear Crawls, capped off by 10 Coupon Thrusters.

    Fourth set: rinse and repeat with Farmer Carries, Carioca both directions, capped off by 10 Coupon Merkins.

    Final set: Sprint and Back Pedal with no coupons.

    Farmer Carry back to the Shovel Flag for Mary: American Hammers, Nolan Ryans, Wife Pleasers, all 15x IC followed by 30 long seconds of a six inch hold. No Crunchy Frogs for you, Cowbell!

    Countorama, nameorama and The Hammer prayed us out. Thanks for letting me lead guys.

    NMM:

    We haven’t bear crawled long distances at The Gipper in a while. It was time.

    It was great to have a visitor from F3 Phoenix. Choo Choo is in shape and had no problem with the beat down. Nice to be reminded that F3 extends beyond our region.

    New Year’s Day beatdown at the A1C AO 0700 followed by a big Southern breakfast courtesy of BBQ’s M. Come and get you some. Let BBQ know you’re coming so there are enough grits for your big appetite.

  • Intensify to Modify: Pickaxe’s First Q

    It was a frigid morning along the lakefront the 2nd day of Christmas. While 9 year old Pickaxe, in his, ahem, first Q of his young F3 career, did not give a Tujague’s recipe for the crawfish caught in Arabi (Uptown Chalmette if you’re from Da Parish), he did come bearing gifts, 12 in fact. However, these were ones we COULD wait to open, as each contained 2 various and sundry exercises for the PAX, one on the foray out, one on the way back.

    Prethang:

    Pickaxe and his dad, The Hammer, forsook the traditional 2 mile pre-thang in order to lay the 12 gifts with great care along the 1/2 mile path to the beach. The 12 packages came in different colors: red, silver, and gold. This would be important, as Pickaxe instructed the color of each package determined the number of repetitions for the exercised contained therein, as well as the mode of transportation to the next box. The directive was as follows:

    Gold: 10 reps/each exercise, Karaoke to next box

    Red: 20 reps/each exercise, sprint to next box

    Silver: 30 reps/each exercise, bear crawl to next box.

    Full Disclosure: When assisting Pickaxe with laying out the gifts, The Hammer was only thinking of the challenges on the way out. As such, the way out brought a long (read: 200 yard) sprint followed by a short bear crawl. On the way back, however, that meant a 200 yard bear crawl. As Pickaxe would say, “Intensify to Modify”.

    Each member of the PAX would take turns opening the gifts, then calling out the exercise they “unwrapped”, there being 24 in total, covering upper body, lower body, and core. A particularly tough gauntlet was a series of 30 8 count bodybuilders, with a bear crawl leading to 20 burpees, followed by a long sprint. Pickaxe insisted the exercises were blindly placed in each box so that he knew not the order, nor the quantity. This series caused some to question the 9 year old. Intensify to modify.

    When the PAX returned to the flag, we circled up for Mary, finishing up with Hello Dollies, Freddy Mercuries, 100s, and a Mission Impossible plank (SIDENOTE: The series/movies should be named Mission Improbable, not Impossible. Think about it. If true, it would’ve been a single episode series, and the ending would not have been a happy one.)

    COT, then Russo prayed us out. Pickaxe is grateful to have had the opportunity to lead, and his dad is grateful to befriend a group of men that would give him the opportunity to do so. Merry Christmas, God Bless, and SYITG!

  • Twas the Gloom Before Christmas

    Twas the gloom before Christmas and all through the hood

    the scramblers were gathered though the weather was not good.

    The shovel flag was planted at the AO with care

    in hopes that the Q would eventually be there.

    The PAX nestled snug in their running attire

    while visions of coffee warmed them like fire

    Hammer and Pik donned their bright Christmas socks,

    Cowbell’s brains were a’dangling in his tiny shorts frocked

    With puddles abound there arose such a splatter

    We sprang from city hall like the rain didn’t matter

    Away down Massena Pik flew like a flash

    and along the route helped out by picking up trash

    With bright yellow shoes on his feet down below,

    Shooter’s pace was quite comfortable, easy and slow.

    When what to my wondering eyes did appear,

    but miniature Steve with his eyes all a’blear.

    With little young Cowbell so lively and quick

    running beside aforementioned Waterpik.

    More rapid than eagles Hammer then came,

    and talking and shouting Wacker called them by name:

    “Now, Shooter! now, Russo! now Hammer and Steve!

    On, Cowbell! on, Waterpik! a 5k we’ll achieve!

    To the top of the pier! And around the loop!

    Now dash away guys, but watch out for dog poop!”

    Now upon returning from our drizzle-soaked lark

    we closed with an indian run round the park.

    At COT Q spoke to those gathered round

    inspiring words with a Christmasy sound.

    Then away we all flew, coffeteria bound

    but Liz’s was closed, and Waffle House we found

    doesn’t close for Christmas or Covid, to do so

    would deprive us of Christmas Eve coffee with Russo.

    Then as soon we sat to discuss things with candor

    who should walk in but our buddy Zoolander.

    And I heard him exclaim as I walked out the door

    Merry Christmas to all and F3 ever more!

  • It really did happen.

    You guys will do whatever it takes to keep a guy on the straight and narrow.  Looking back at my one and only backblast (VQ on 11/14), it was late just like this one.  A little headlocking and friendly ribbing may just be the encouragement some of us need. I know I do.  So without further ado, see below for Bird’s yoga inspired Q – it actually did happen Wacker! 

    0510 – Q posts with computer, yoga mats, speaker and phone in tow in preparation for said event.  Borrowed yoga mats courtesy of Bayou Yoga studio, which if I’m not doing some craziness with you guys ITG is where I might be otherwise on an early morning.  Oh who am I kidding, if I don’t show I’m probably still in bed at 5:15!  Actually, I do enjoy the yoga, although I’m not sure if my illicit affair is with the yoga studio or F3 – depends on who you ask I guess. 

    Shortly after distributing yoga mats and various props arrive the following members of PAX: Shooter, The Pelican, Steve, and Zoolander. 

    0515 – Chilly morning, albeit not as bad as the forecasted high 30 temps.  The combination of cold temps, yoga, and those of you who aren’t so flexible could have been a recipe for disaster!  Cold temps abated with a quick warm up consisting of high knees, butt kicks, side straddle hops, seal jacks, torso twists, windmills, mountain climbers, and merkins (10 each IC). 

    0520 – Just to ensure all the sensitive areas were good and warm, PAX took a quick run to the tunnel – gotta remember a headlamp next time for the spooky, dark forest in the turn northward.  Eventually, the light of the tunnel approaches and PAX regroups with a plank a ten count merkins in cadence before the return run. 

    0530 – PAX regroups on stage where yoga mats are spread.  Shooter was the only one who got the memo about bringing a mat, but it was some sort of blanket from south of the border – not your typical yoga attire.  Speaking of which, thankfully there were no yoga pants to be seen either.

    After circling up for the upcoming spiritual experience, Q reminds PAX that yoga should be done with intention, gratitude, and purpose.  One of the nice thing about the practice is that it allows the space for thinking about those things.  Did I mention I’m grateful for the PAX?  I am. 

    First yoga series consisted of:

    • Child’s pose
    • Table, right-arm up, twist under, breath
    • Table, left arm up, twist under, breath
    • Bird dog, right arm out, left leg up, knee to elbow five times
    • Bird dog, left arm out, right leg up, knee to elbow five times
    • Table to bear pose to down dog
    • 10 Down dog pushups (aka Carolina Dry Docks)
    • Repeat 1x

    Second yoga series consisted of:

    • Two rounds of sun salutation A (i.e., forward fold, halfway left, plank to chataranga, up dog, down dog, jump or step to hands)

    Third yoga series consisted of:

    • Sun Salutation A
    • Right leg up to runners lunge
    • Rise to crescent
    • Twisting crescent
    • Hands to hear center and bend forward to hook elbows on knee (twisting lunge)
    • Open arms
    • Twisting crescent
    • Crescent
    • Repeat 1x

    Fourth yoga series consisted of:

    • Sun Salutation A
    • Right leg up to runners lunge
    • Warrior 1
    • Warrior 2
    • Reverse warrior
    • Right angle pose (bind encouraged)
    • There was a bunch of stuff I had planned after that that I forgot that will save for next time
    • Warrior 2
    • Warrior 1
    • Repeat 1X

    Fifth yoga series consisted of:

    Honestly gents, it’s been so long since the Q (it actually did happen Wacker) that I’ve gotten a little fuzzy on what happened next, but there was some yogi squat action, lizard lunging, and flying into configurations inspired by birds of sorted varieties.  Zoolander covered a few of them.  I can’t even remember if we did a little meditating at the end or did a shavasana, but I do recall some focused breathing – cool are in through the nostrils, arm air out through the nostrils – and the obligatory namaste.  For those of you who’ve gotten this far, a little Wikipedia explaining a shavasana – if we didn’t do it last time, we will the next time. 

    Shavasana (Sanskrit: शवासन; IAST: śavāsana), Corpse Pose, or Mrtasana,[1] is an asana in hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise, often used for relaxation at the end of a session. It is the usual pose for the practice of yoga nidra meditation.  Shavasana is intended to rejuvenate the body, mind, and spirit. In the pose, the breath deepens, and the stress of the day is released. The yogi forgets all other thoughts and surrenders any psychological effort. While in Savasana, yogis slip into blissful neutrality and reflect on the practice.[7] Comfort is essential in the pose; the slightest point of discomfort can be endlessly distracting. Shavasana is a good way to reduce stress and tension.[8]

    Namaste ended the practice and brought the PAX back from oblivion into the present moment.  Following a few quick announcements (last week was a busy one!), Steve led us in prayer. 

    A quick afterthought…yoga isn’t something you do as a one off.  Like anything, to get good at it and realize the benefits, one has to practice.  PAX performed admirably considering yoga isn’t in the regular lineup of F3 beatdowns.  Looking forward to rotating this in on occasion and adding flexibility to the list of qualities that describe such a fine group of men. 

    Glad to be with you all,

    Bird

  • Pumpkin Spice Latte

    All these holiday drinks…peppermint mocha, hot buttered rum, eggnog…anyway, inspired by recent coupon beatdowns, YHC had the idea to add a little SPICE to today’s beatdown by adding something new. After all, its the holidays and YHC likes the holiday drinks. So, desperately rummaging through the garage hoping to find a new crazy coupon, YHC settled on an old punching bag. Not nearly as manly as Moby’s chain or as rock solid as Hogsbreath’s cinder block RUCK carry, the punching bag served it’s purpose.

    With temperatures in the low 40s, YHC led the PAX through a longer warmup consisting of a mosey to the 4 corners around the Marsh with exercises at each corner. Squats, Merkins, Smurf Jacks, Flutter Kicks, Hello Dolly’s, Bear Crawl, Lunge Walk, Jog Backwards, Shuffle to each side.

    Thang

    3 Tabata Sets (30 secs, 10 secs Rest)

    The exercises were Burpees, Thrusters w/ cinder Block Coupon, Jack webbs w/ coupon, Curls w/ Punching Bag. The PAX alternated through each exercise during the 10s rest period, so each man did the exercises 3x.

    Mosey around the Block again to cool down before the closing out with some Mary: crunchy frogs, 100s, Putins, Freddy Mercs.

    Thanks, Men, for another great year for the F3 Northshore PAX. I am so grateful to be a part of such a great group of men. And I look forward to many more to come.