Category: Backblasts

  • Fuzzy Balls

    22 PAX strong on the Mandeville Lakefront. 23 if you count Brat who joined us for a little foreplay as he works his way off injured reserve. Brat, an officer with the NOPD, injured himself successfully tackling and arresting a bad guy. The PAX’s consensus is that he should use a Tazer next time Indiana Jones style or perhaps transfer to a Northshore police agency where a polite request to stop, issued with an English accent, is all that is required to apprehend a criminal.

    Kicked things off with warmup of seal jacks, toe touches, SSHs, imperial walkers, merkins, and Jane Fondas. We then divided into three teams, and YHC retrieved his bag and revealed his fuzzy balls.

    Each team received a fuzzy tennis ball (yes, YHC had three) and instructions to race with it about a half mile west along the Lakefront to the Shaft. To begin, there were only three rules: first, you cannot run if you are holding the ball; second, no pass backs-you cannot receive a pass back from the man you just passed to; and third, the entire team had to stop dead and perform five burpees every time the ball touched the ground before proceeding. Then Cowbell whipped a legal pad out of his briefcase and starting asking questions and for clarification on a few items so we ended up with a few more rules. No wonder you guys don’t get anything done on the Southshore.

    Circled up upon arrival at the Shaft for T merkins and alternating Supermans..

    Back to the races with another tennis ball sprint further westward along the Lakefront to the playground where we circled up for prisoner squats, hand release merkins and crab cakes.

    Raced back eastward with our fuzzy balls to the Shaft for a third COP consisting of a merkin wave, lunges, Supermans, arm circles, overhead hand claps, and air presses.

    One final race back to the shovel flag, wrapping things up with some Mary…single leg raises, scuba Steves and a 60 second plank.

    Countorama, nameorama and Phoenix prayed us out on the way to the coffeeteria.

    Thanks for letting me lead, guys, and thanks for competing so earnestly in the silly tennis ball game.

  • Sandy Returns

    A Grundy beatdown in 2019 wouldn’t be complete unless Sandy showed up. And showed up she did. But let’s warm up first.

    Warmup included, Seal Jacks, Butt Kicks, High Knees, and Nolan Ryans. All of them were in cadence.

    We then moseyed to the parking garage to meet up with the aforementioned Sandy who was conveniently waiting in the Grundymobile.

    We showed her the usual respect and did a planking tunnel of love and pulled her through with our right arms up the first ramp. We then pulled her through our legs down the straightaway to the other ramp. We rinsed and repeated up the second ramp pulling through with our left arms.

    On the top we partnered up and did catch me if you can with three laps for each team. Turbo decided to make YHC’s first backpedal extra long. Thanks man…

    We then got in some of my PT and did some core work while one PAX took a band and in a squat shuffled left and right up the straightaway. We did that for every PAX while switching the exercise in between.

    After a Indian run on the roof we left Sandy behind and went to the Justice center benches. We did a Steve classic with some step ups and freak nasties in cadence.

    We moseyed back to the flag and concluding with a count off and COT with prayer.

    Thanks for letting me lead!

  • I think I can. I think I can. I think I can…

    YHC has longed dreamed of making it around the entire Lafreniere Park walking track in one workout. Two Yutes, Boo Boo, and Darkwing Duck emerged form the gloom to assist in my attempt to make it around the park.

    5:30 Disclaimer and mosey to the beginning of the walking track.

    The Thang

    The goal–Route 66 around the park stopping at each light pole.

    1st exercise: SS. When you pass a bench do as many dips as possible until you complete 66

    2nd exercise: Mountain Climbers

    3rd exercise: Imperial Walkers. Those who have completed dips begin working on 66 Irkins

    4th exercise: Peter Parkers

    5th exercise: detour form the route and complete 20 pull-ups OYO

    6th exercise: Back to Route 66 – Squats

    7th exercise: Merkins

    8th exercise: Overhand Claps

    At last, the dream of making it around the park in one workout died. It was not meant to be this day. A mosey through the park back to the flag two minutes late.

    Count-off, Name-o-rama, COT

  • Blue Angel Dropped B.O.M.B.S

    YHC has been out of the Qing game for a while trying to finish off another semester of PhD work. So when the opportunity came to Q The Foundry it was a no brainer. YHC has a habit of showing up extra early the mornings of Q to scout out the AO and make sure everything is in place for the beatdown ahead. Around 5:25, Screw Top and his band of misfits emerged from the gloom followed by a gentleman wearing a Jesuit blue shirt introducing himself with a “normal” name like John or something like that. Clearly, we had an FNG joining us this morning without the PAX member who EH’d him. (No worries, Walleye, we took care of him).

    5:30 – Disclaimer and we were off heading towards the City Park office.

    Warm-Up:

    SSH, Mountain Climbers, Hillbillies, Windmills, Arm Circles.

    The Thang

    Mosey to the Foundry. Along the way, the FNG became quite interested in each of our names. “I bet you aren’t an Auburn fan.” YHC knew then we had a genius on our hands

    B.O.M.B.S

    Partner up. As a pair complete the following as one PAX member runs to the track and back:

    Burpees X 50

    Overhand Claps X 100

    Merkins X150

    Big Boy Sit-Ups X 200

    Squats X 250

    Post-Thang

    Mosey to the beginning of the Roosevelt Mall. At the first bench complete 5 dips, 2nd bench 10 dips…carry on till you get to 40. Mosey back to the flag.

    Our FNG competed like a champion. Turns out he served in the Air Force, flys for FedEx and had a royal blue shirt. He throughly enjoyed supporting the Navy and proudly accepted the name Blue Angel.

    COT

    *Sorry for the delay in writing the backblast. As always it was a pleasure to lead this great group of men.

  • Dirty Dozen at the Mothership

    A post following the Tchoupitoulas Bar-A-Thon is never easy, but 3 committed Pax (Sogo, YHC and Heisenberg) made it to bring the total Pax to a dozen. With the clock hitting 0630, time for the brief disclaimer, and then a mosey to the Great Lawn for……

    Warmup

    SSH IC x 31
    Hillbillies IC x 20
    Abe Vigodas IC x 10
    Arm Circles IC x 20
    Grass Grabbers IC x 10
    Peter Parkers IC x 20
    Mountain Climbers IC x 20
    Parker Peters IC x 20

    Thang 1

    Dirty Mac Deuce…..
    Round 1
    Merkins IC x 12
    Squats IC x 12
    Flutter Kicks IC x 12
    Do a Lap around the Great Lawn

    Round 2
    Shoulder Taps IC x 12
    Lunges IC x 12
    Hello Dolly IC x 12
    Do a lap around the Great Lawn

    Round 3
    Floyd Mayweathers IC x 12
    Side Lunges IC x 12
    Dying Cockroach IC x 12
    Do a lap around the Great Lawn

    Round 4
    Diamond Merkins IC x 12
    Monkey Humpers IC x 12
    Tin Snips IC x 12
    Do a lap around the Great Lawn


    If anyone really knows this guy, you know that Catalina Wine Mixers usually make it into the DMD, but we were doing the exercises on the brick path, and YHC does not like the feel of elbows on brick. Knowing the Pax was itching to do this exercise, YHC moved the Pax to the grass where we performed Catalina Wine Mixers IC x 10. With the crowd back under control, time to mosey to the NOMA fountain.

    Thang 2
    Right leg step ups IC x 15
    Dips IC x 15
    Left Leg step ups IC x 15
    Derkins IC x 10

    Thang 3
    Mini Dora 1…2….3
    Count off, 1 and 3 partner up, 2 and 4, 5 and 7, etc.
    Burpees x 50
    Squats x 100
    LBC x 150
    1 Pax starts exercise, Pax 2 runs the circle around NOMA

    Thang 4
    Mosey to the Tree line for some “Embrace the Suck!”
    3 minutes of 6 x SSH, 6 x Merkins, 6 x Bobby Hurleys (over and over)
    During the exercise, Shorty recommended renaming the Bobby Hurleys to Zions. Shorty doesn’t post much and rarely has good ideas. At least he fixed one of those issues today……
    Rinse and Repeat for 3 minutes of 6 x SSH, 6 x merkins, and 6 x Zions!

    Mosey back to the VSF for the COT
    Announcements, Intentions, closed with prayer.

    NMM

    It looks like Smooth is leaving us soon with an awesome adventure to Spain! Good luck and come back and visit. Send us a photo of the shovel flag when you start the F3 there…..

    Speaking of shovel flags, where are they? Someone must has several in their trunk……..

    Glad to see Quick Draw back! Kotter!

    YHC got the selfie, minus Hawg and Dax. Thanks for posting with me today, and for allowing me to be part of such a great organization. Coffeteria after at Cafe Navarre was awesome as always!

    SYITG


  • Get out of bed sleepy head!

    Whenever I sign up to Q or when someone signs me up to Q (Fracsac, Hawgcycle, Tool, et. al., there is always a nervous energy that starts to build up until the morning of the beatdown. I’m not exactly sure what causes that. Maybe its leading the PAX, maybe its the unspoken expectations of a great workout, maybe its the work that will be required, or maybe its the bean burrito I ate the night before. Well, whatever it is, the date on the calendar doesn’t move no matter what happens the day before. I can’t let my F3 brothers down!

    DISCLAIMER AND WARM UP

    Arrive at the virtual flag in front of NOMA, give the disclaimer and then take off to the coupon pile by Tad Gormley. Man, that is far! Maybe we can move the AO to the baby foundry to be more centrally located to the coupons, but I digress. We arrive at the coupon pile and break the pax up into groups of three (3). 2 pax members grab one coupon each and the other pax member grabs two coupons as we head to the field next to Roosevelt mall. Circle up for a warmup of 20 SSH, 20 Hacky Sacks, 20 High Knees and 20 Butt Kicks, and 20 J-Lows all IC.

    THE THANG

    Line up in groups of three facing the sidewalk of Roosevelt Mall and perform the following exercises.

    PAX 1 (Timer) – Farmers carry two coupons to the sidewalk and back (25 yards). PAX 2 – Burpee broad jump three (3) times out and three (3) times back. PAX 3 – Thrusters with coupon. 2 rounds

    PAX 1 (Timer) – Farmers carry two coupons to the sidewalk and back (25 yards). PAX 2 – Lunge walk with coupon overhead five (5) times out and five times (5) back. PAX 3 – WW2 situps with coupon. 2 rounds

    PAX 1 (Timer) – Farmers carry two coupons to the sidewalk and back (25 yards). PAX 2 – Side lunge with coupon five (5) times out and five times (5) back. PAX 3 – Sundial – plank walk in a circle with feet on a coupon. 2 rounds

    THANG TWO (2)

    Absolution x 10 IC, Angle Grinder x 10 IC and A.L.A.R.M. (Shoulder press, lunge, LBC, run to the sidewalk and back, and mountain climbers all with a coupon.

    Put the coupons back, headed back to the virtual flag and was incensed that the Mothership crew was tresspassing and, of course, mumblechatter ensued :-). With a few minutes left, we do some mobility to cool down.

    COUNTOFF, NAMERAMA and CIRCLE OF TRUST

    So honored to lead such a great group of men. Prayed for Rudy’s father, for the safety of Amanda Eller (she is the niece of my mentor and is the missing woman in Hawaii) and that we would positively impact others by being involved and virtuous.

  • Warming up at the Knoll, BR

    Had our howdys and the disclaimer.

    Had a good workout this morning. Began with a long set or warmups near the flag location. Then ran a mosey half way around our usual track, ending at the sundial. Did a variety of more exercises at the sundial. Mosey’ed to the top of the hill where we ran a plethora of runs up and down the hill towards the creek. Did merkins at the bottom and burpees at the top, all in ever decreasing numbers. Ran 5 laps up and down. Moseyed to the soccer field and did suicides to the 25 did merkins, 50 did situps, 75 did something else and 100 did squats. Mosey’ed back towards the flag location exercise bars foundry. Divided up into pairs. Did 100 pull ups or 100 situps in pairs. Chatted with the other group that starts out there at the foundry.

    Did a bunch of Marys and Jane Fondas there at the flag location. Finished up with our call for needs and then ending prayer. Everyone had places to go this morning so no coffeerama. Worms

  • A-B-C, Easy as 1-2-3 1

    Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to Me, Happy Birthday to Da Parish, Happy Birthday to me.   YHC is not sure who started this tradition of Qing a PAX special day, but the gloom was not the first thing I wanted to greet on the first day of my 37th year.   But alas, I put my name on the spreadsheet, as I do every year. 

    The Thang

    • A – Abe Vigoda
    • B – Burpee
    • C – Catalina Wine Mixer
    • D – dying cockroach
    • E – E2K (elbow to knee)
    • F – Floyd Mayweather
    • G – Goofball
    • H – Hurpees (burpee with hand release merkin)
    • I – Imperial Walkers
    • J – J Lo’s
    • K – Knerkin (knuckle merkin) 
    • L – LBFCs (LBC’s while flutter kicking)
    • M – Monkey Humpers
    • N – Nolan Ryan’s
    • OP- Partner up for overhead claps+people’s chair & plank jacks
    • Q – quad stretch + hamstring stretch
    • R – Rosalita (while we listen to Bruce Springsteen’s Rosalita)
    • S – Seal Jack’s
    • T – Travoltas (while we listened to the BeeJee’s Staying Alive) 
    • U – Up Straddle Hop (1 legged SSH)
    • V – V Ups
    • W – Wife Pleasers
    • X – X Lunges (I just made this up.  2 forward & 2 reverse lunges forming an X),  
    • Y – Y’s (a higher than normal air press)
    • Z – Zombie crawl back to the flag.

    Thanks were given to the Sky Q for the ability to better ourselves this morning and give strength & patience to those who need it. Closed with the serenity prayer.

    Thank you for the opportunity to lead, SYITG,

    Da Parish, age 36

     

  • Party at Okwata

    There was excitement oozing from GroupMe yesterday in anticipation of the party at Okwata. Bones was trying to draw the uptown crowd in. The lakeview clown car(s) all showed up! 16 Pax joined YHC on the lakefront to celebrate the day a legend was born. Brief disclaimer, then a mosey around the mardi gras fountain with butt kicks, high knees, and carioca.

    Circle up on the grassy area for a warmup.

    SSH IC x 49 – Hokie Pokie figured it out……
    Abe Vigodas IC x 10
    Arm Circles IC x 20
    Grass Grabbers IC x 15
    Peter parker IC x 20
    Mountain Climbers IC x 20
    Parker Peter IC x 20

    Party favor 1

    Mosey to the top of the levee for a disperse Indian Run. Last pax runs to the front and yells disperse and an exercise. Pax disperse either side of the levee, complete 3 of the exercise, and run back up the levee back in formation. YHC called it a little over half way through as time was a concern. Regular Indian run to a clear spot for:

    Catalina Wine Mixers IC x 10 (Crowd pleaser)
    Disperse Indian Run is a challenge with 17 Pax. But no complaints here!

    Party favor 2

    Mosey back to a drier area for a little Shock and Awe (Happy Birthday to Me!)
    SSH IC x 6
    10 Burpees OYO
    SSH IC x 6
    9 Burpees OYO
    SSH IC x 6
    8 Burpees OYO
    ……..
    ……..
    SSH IC x 6
    2 Burpees OYO
    SSH IC x 6
    10 Burpees OYO (cause we don’t do 1 Burpee)
    Nobody commented on the odd 6 SSH. YHC let an extra slide by the first time, but there was no chance of letting anyone actually know. So 6 SSH’s it was throughout…….

    Mary
    Tin Snips IC x 15
    Flutter Kicks IC x 20


    Party favor 3

    Mosey back to the levee for :
    Quadraphilia with 5 burpees at the top of the levee each time up. Completed approximately 5 minutes of this horrible evolution before time was up

    Mosey back to the virtual shovel flag for countoff, name-o-rama, announcements, intentions, and closed out with a prayer to the Sky Q.

    NMM

    Thank you for showing up in force this morning and celebrating my birthday with me. A legend was born this day. That’s right, YHC shares a birthday with Janet Jackson………

    Bar-a-thon tomorrow night!!!

    ISI point!

    SYITG




  • Foundry McDeuce

    13 men arrived at the Foundry on a really beautiful May morning. Clear skies, cool, sun rising. Days like this really make you appreciate the beauty in the world, and make getting out of bed worth it. Enjoy it while it lasts fellas, because the heat is coming. A disclaimer and off we go.

    We mosey to the track for the warm-up COP: SSH x 20 IC, IW x 20 IC, Windmills x 10 IC, Arm Circles 10 forward 10 backward IC, J-Lo’s x 10 IC, Mountain Climbers x 10 IC.

    We stayed at the track for a Dirty McDeuce. 3 exercises with a 12 count (1 arm, 1 leg, 1 core), then a 400m lap around the track.

    • Round 1: Merkins, Squats, LBC’s
    • Round 2: Right leg cross-over Merkins, Side Lunges, Flutter Kicks
    • Round 3: Left leg cross-over Merkins, Jump Lunges, Hello Dolly
    • Round 4: Teepee Merkins, Monkey Humpers, American Hammer

    Next we moseyed to the Foundry, stopping at each Light post for 5 Merkins. At the Foundry, 4 stations for circuit work.

    • Round 1: Body Rows, Step-ups, Pull-ups, 15 WWII sit ups (the count)
    • Round 2: Body Rows, Dips, Hanging knee ups, 20 Squats (the count)

    We mosey back to the track for a 200m sprint, then mosey on to the flag for count-off, name-o-rama, announcements, intentions, and a prayer. Days like this are really what it’s all about. A beautiful crisp day spect with friends trying to make ourselves better. Thank you guys.

    Walleye