Tag: Abacus

  • Solid!

    It was a beautiful morning for a SOLID workout.  DISCLAIMER, let’s mosey.  On the way to the Foundry we found some grass next to a pond to warmup:

    -SSH x 30 IC

    -IW x 30 IC

    -Mt Climbers x 30 IC

    -Arm Circles x 30 IC (15 ea dir)

    -J-Lo’s x 20 IC

    Let’s head to the Foundry for three rounds:

    -WWII Sit-ups x 15 (the Timer)

    -Pull-ups

    -Dips

    -Rows

    Let’s mosey to the track for 1000m of Hades:

    -sprint 400m, walk 100m

    -sprint 200m, walk 100m

    -sprint 100m, walk 100m

    Back to the SF for some Mary:

    -LBC x 20 IC

    -Flutter-kicks x 20 IC

    -Hello Dolly’s x 20 IC

    -Penguins x 20 IC

    -Real Freddie Mercury’s x 20 IC

    -Wife Pleasers x 20 IC (I could swear I felt Rudy looking…)

    Countoff, Namerama, Announcements, Shoutouts, and a Prayer!

    It was a pleasure to lead my brothers!

  • Super Blue Blood Moon – Foundry Edition

    The Super Blue Blood Moon was to occur this morning. So I polled the men of the Foundry: begin the beat down, or watch the lunar eclipse??? They voted for both! Disclaimer, and off we go.

    We moseyed to the racetrack for a warm-up lap.
    10 burpees, run 100 meters
    10 8-count body builders, run 100 meters
    10 burpees, run 100 meters
    10 8-count body builders, run 100 meters

    Now to the warm-up COP:
    SSH x 20 IC
    IW x 20 IC
    Windmills x 10 IC
    Arm circles IC, 10 forward, 10 backward
    Mountain climbers x 20 IC

    We did 11’s across the football field, as the lunar eclipse began above our heads.
    Merkins on one side, jump squats on the other side.

    Next, a mosey down the back street to the Foundry, with BLIMPS at each light post:
    Burpees x 5
    Lunges x 10
    Imperial Walkers x 15
    Merkins x 20
    Plank Jacks x 25
    Squats x 30

    At the Foundry, 4 stations for 7 men. 3 sets total.
    10 WWII sit-ups had the count
    Body Rows
    Step Ups
    Pull-ups (Hanging knee ups to modify)

    Running short on time, we moseyed back to the flag, with the lunar eclipse 50% completed. Count-off, name-o-rama, announcements, intentions, and a prayer. Great morning, great eclipse, better men!

    Thanks for allowing me to lead.
    Walleye

  • Bear Crawl and Bicep Bonanza

    A no-frills yet solid morning was enjoyed by five men at The Uptowner on Friday.  The Q slot was empty the day before so YHC hopped on it and threw together some ideas to bring the sweat.  The focus was stretching, core work, and showing some love to the biceps.  Here’s what we did:

    Windmill x15

    Arm Circle x20

    123 Ups (not sure of official name?) x20

    Lunge Hold x45sec ea side

    Stationary Inchworm x20

    Peter Parker x20

    Low Country Crab x20

    Low Slow Squat x20

    SSH x30

     

    Grab a rock and line up approx 15yds from the paved track.  Here we completed a grueling round of Elevens:

    Rock Curl at start x1-x10

    Backward Bear Crawl to track

    Merkins x10-x1

    Forward Bear Crawl

    This brought out some grunts and groans, as well as some signature JV breathing.  Glad to report that the PAX dug deep and made it happen with very little modifications.

    Regroup and circle up for a four minute “Rotisserie Chicken” plank routine, one of Marlin’s specials.

    Then on to some more rock bonding:

    Curl x20

    Row x20

    LS Squat x20

    Curl x10

    Row x15

    Curl x10

     

    Next up, a round of Mary:

    Crunch Block Press x20

    Hello Dolly x20

    Penguins x20 (stressed good form getting shoulders off ground and reaching to front of foot)

    maybe one more???

     

    Then, shoulder press rocks as we walk back to rock pile and gather around the flag for 2-3 minutes of stretching.  T-claps to Triple Shift, our kinesiology guru, for hoping in and leading on of the stretches.  COT to seal the deal.

     

    Always a great way to start the day.

    Tool

     

     

  • The Foundry

    5 men braved the cold on this morning to better themselves.  The usual disclaimer and off we go.

    A short mosey to the first COP:
    SSH x 20 IC
    Imperial Walkers x 20 IC
    Low Slow Squats x 20 IC
    Windmills x 10 IC
    Arm Circles IC, 10 Forward, 10 Backward

    Route 66 down Roosevelt Mall, stopping at each park bench.
    Start with 5 dips, increase 1 dip per bench, ending at 16.

    Mosey to the Baby Foundry. 5 stations for 5 men. 2 rounds.
    1. 10 burpees has the count
    2. Pull-ups
    3. Body rows
    4. Hanging knee ups
    5. WWII sit ups

    Next we Indian Run to the fountain in front of NOMA.
    Box jumps x 10
    Incline Merkins x 10
    Box jumps x 10
    Dips x 10
    Run down Esplanade and back
    Left leg step ups x 10
    Decline Merkins x 10
    Right leg step ups x 10
    Dips x 10

    Indian run back to Roosevelt Mall for some Mary:
    LBC’s x 20 IC
    Flutter kicks x 20 IC
    Hello Dolly x 20 IC
    American Hammer x 20 IC
    Then we mosey back to the flag, stopping at each light post for 5 squats.

    Back at the flag, count off, name-o-rama, announcements, intentions, and a prayer.
    Thank you for letting me lead!
    Walleye

  • The 4 Horseman at Okwata

    Okwata just doesn’t get enough respect. Let me clarify that statement; Jingle Vader posts to Okwata quite often, so it gets lots of Respect, so it’s the other kind of respect it lacks. YHC read the informative email from our NOLA Nantan at the beginning of the week where, once again, Okwata lacked a Q. Has Okwata not shown enough love? Do we need to bring the H8 back early? YHC was reviewing his own schedule last night and saw an opportunity to post to Okwata. Upon checking the Q sheet and seeing a vacancy, YHC dropped his name in the slot.
    YHC arrived at the AO with 3 minutes to spare, and none other than JV was awaiting. As YHC informed JV that the Q slot was now taken, Mahatma joined us. YHC gave the disclaimer in the 44 degrees weather with a wind chill that brought it down a few more degrees. Time to get warm……

    The Thang

    Mosey to the fountain, which is where Abacus joined us. Our mosey around the fountain included a carioca to the left, then to the right. Circle up on the green space in front of the fountain.
    SSH IC x 31
    Imperial Squat Walkers IC x 10
    Arm Circles IC x 20 (10 FWD, 10 BWD)
    Abe Vigodas IC x 10

    Double Shots with Jack Webb at the Barre
    1 merkin, then 2 air presses in peoples chair against the fence around the fountain
    2 merkins,then 4 air presses in peoples chair
    3 merkins,then 6 air presses in peoples chair
    Continue the pattern…..
    10 merkins, then 20 air presses in peoples chair

    Mosey to the House of Pain (HOP), taking the levee route to get there for some stations

    Station 1 – Bear crawl from HOP up the levee and complete 5 burpees, run back down (timer)
    Station 2 – Dips AMRAP
    Station 3 – Step ups AMRAP
    Station 4 – Pull ups AMRAP
    Rinse and Repeat

    Mosey to Canal and Lakeshore Drive for Four Corners, where the Pax does an exercise IC then runs to next corner.

    Corner 1 – Catalina Wine Mixers IC x 10
    Corner 2 – Monket Humpers IC x 20
    Corner 3 – Merkins IC x 30
    Corner 4 – Squats IC x 40
    Return to Corner 1 – 10 double merkin Burpees OYO

    Mosey back to VSF for Mary
    Flutter Kicks IC x 20
    Hello Dolly IC x 20
    Sudden Change – 10 Burpees OYO
    LBC’s IC x 20
    Tin Snips IC x 20
    Sudden Change – Mosey back to levee for:

    Quadraphilia!
    Always facing Okwata, run backwards up the levee, and run back down, and that equates to 1.
    Repeat 5 times OYO.

    Mosey back to VSF

    COT
    Count off, name-o-rama, announcements, intentions, and ended with a prayer to the Sky Q.

    NMM
    Abacus is becoming a regular at Okwata, which is outstanding. This was the first time Mahatma joined us at Okwata, and of course JV is one of our staples.
    Thanks for joining me today. There are plenty of opportunities to sign up for Q, so take a look and see what you can do.
    Baton Rouge Launch is this Saturday. It’s going to be a good one, so go if you can. Mothership is on as usual, so post there if you can’t make it to BR.
    Thanks for posting with me today!

    SYITG!

     

  • Defrosting the pipes

    In case you didn’t notice, it was a bit nippy last week.  The PAX count was correspondingly a bit low.  The plumbers will now be gainfully employed in overdrive for a few weeks.  So it’s time to get back to work.  The THANG.

    Warm up with mumblechatter:

    • SSHs ICx25
    • Frankensteins ICx25
    • Low Slow Squats ICx25
    • Mountain Climbers ICx25

    A rock for each man and mosey to the track for a steady plan:

    • Overhead press ICx20
    • Curls ICx20
    • Rows ICx20
    • Squats ICx20

    Mosey around the track, stopping each quarter, first to do 20 merks, then 15, then 10 and closing out with 5.  Rinse and repeat the rock circle with ICx15.  Mosey around the track in the other direction, again with 20, then 15, then 10 and finally 5 merks at each quarter.

    Time for a break on our sixes for 10 Russian Twists with the rock and then back to a rinse and repeat the rock circle with ICx10.  Mosey around the track in the original direction: same drill: 20, 15, 10, 5.  Close out the track work with a final rinse and repeat of the rock circle with ICx5.

    Mosey back towards the rock pile for a few minutes of Mary:

    • Russian Twists with rock ICx20
    • Flutter kicks with rock ICx20
    • Hello Dollys with rock ICx20
    • Rosalita with rock ICx20
    • LBCs with rock ICx20
    • Low plank sans rock 1 minute

    Return rocks and mosey back to the virtual flag for countoff, Namorama, announcements, intentions and thanks to Sky Q.  T-Claps to Mahatma for leaving us in the dust.  Keep the heat going, Jingle Vader

  • F3 – Frozen Foundry Fools

    What do you do when you sign up in advance to Q a workout then wake up to 22 degree temp, stiff north wind, and ground covered in ice?  Do you back out…do you call it off…blame it on the frozen car doors or icy windshield…maybe claim one of your kids is sick???  Well, those thoughts may have crossed YHC’s mind on Wednesday but knew the backlash and guilt that would result.  So, after adding a few extra layers and spending 10 minutes getting the vehicle drive-able, YHC rolled up to the meeting spot for the Foundry in City Park to find a few other manly men looking to get their F3 fix.  Needless to say, we were the only souls around which had me questioning our sanity and this whole “rain or shine” policy from headquarters.  After exchanging the usual pleasantries to offset the unpleasant conditions, we quickly got things going and blood pumping.  The goal was to be safe, avoid slipping on ice, keep feet and hands dry, and dodge hypothermia.  Here’s what we did:

    Mosey down Roosevelt Mall with pit stop for the pre-thang:

    SSH x30, Arm Circle x20, IPW x20, Windmill x15, Lunge Hold/Stretch 45sec R&L

    Then proceed to the front of the museum (near front door) in hopes of getting out of the wind and having enough light to avoid any black ice.  Once there, we partnered up for Dora 1-2-3 with the timer being PAX#2 running down to the sculpture pond, knocking out 5 side steps, then run back up while other PAX kept a cumulative count of:

    Dips x100

    Inclined Shoulder Taps x200

    People’s Chair with Air Press x300

    At this point, it was time to man up and face the brunt of the wind again so what better way to do that than a mosey over to the banks of the Big Lake and gaze upon the newly installed, illuminated 300 Year sign that is part of the New Orleans Tricentennial celebration.  The original plan called for a few things but since time was ticking we instead cranked out 30 Burpees, one for each decade.  YHC got a funny look from an unnamed PAX but we made it happen.

    Mosey back towards the flag and regroup on Roosevelt Mall to knock out Dips x10 and Inclined Merkins x10 on three separate benches of your choosing in route to base.  One minute left for post-workout stretching, led by Walleye, our muscle and bone guru.

    COT to seal the deal.  T-claps to those who came out in the elements and also, t-claps to those who wanted to come out but made the right call by not driving further distances on the icy roads.  Rumor is the Birdcage had a handful of guys that were able to post as well.

    Side Note:  Several of us have recently talked about the importance of stretching after or at the end of our timed F3 workouts.  It’s something many of us forget about or think may not be macho enough to do during a workout they lead.  YHC has recently been dealing with Achilles tendinitis which is alleviated by lots of stretching.  We should plan on doing it more in order to avoid injury and/or turning into old dudes.

    Thanks for letting me lead.

    Tool

     

     

  • Crochet Visor, Sans Gloves

    There are many reasons Hawgcycle is one of my heroes. He leads by example, he pushes himself and everyone around him to be better, Iron Sharpens Iron, he provides words of inspiration, he is a literary genius (just read the Tough Mudder backblast), and so on. Today, it is because he showed up in the gloom with a Crochet Visor and no gloves in 33 degree coldness to hoist some rocks. Gotta love the guy.

     

    View image on Twitter

    6 men braved the cold temperatures today to get stronger. As we discussed the heart-breaking ending to the Saints season, the men trickled in. The usual disclaimer and off we go.

    Warm-Up COP:

    SSH x 30 IC
    Imperial Walkers x 20 IC
    Mountain Climbers x 20 IC
    Arm Circles x 10 Forward, 10 Backward IC
    Windmills x 10 IC
    Plank Jacks x 20 IC

    Grab a Rock! We each grabbed a rock of our own choosing. And once again, Triple Shift grabbed the ol’ 51 pounder. #Respect #WayToLead

    We moseyed over to the field between the 2 tree lines for our entire workout. As the temperature was 33 degrees, YHC did not feel like running too far.

    Exercise 1: quick fire rock circuits, run-to-rest in between. Let it be noted, Hawg hoisted a frozen rock for all of these exercises without gloves, and never once dropped the rock early. Respect.

    Rock Shoulder Press x 10 IC
    Rock Biceps Curls x 10 IC
    Rock Rows x 10 IC
    Rock Squats x 10 IC
    Rock Chest Press x 10 IC

    Run to the parking lot (50 yards) and back

    Rock Shoulder Press x 10 IC
    Rock Biceps Curls x 10 IC
    Rock Rows x 10 IC
    Rock Squats x 10 IC
    Rock Chest Press x 10 IC

    Run to the parking lot (50 yards) and back

    Rock Shoulder Press x 10 IC
    Rock Biceps Curls x 10 IC
    Rock Rows x 10 IC
    Rock Squats x 10 IC
    Rock Chest Press x 10 IC

    Run to the parking lot (50 yards) and back

    Rock Shoulder Press x 10 IC
    Rock Biceps Curls x 10 IC
    Rock Rows x 10 IC
    Rock Squats x 10 IC
    Rock Chest Press x 10 IC

    Run to the parking lot (50 yards) and back

    Exercise 2:
    Rock lunges across the field, 50 yards, to the groans and huffs of the PAX.

    Exercise 3:
    8-count body builders x 10 IC
    8-count rock press x 10 IC
    Left side lunge with rock chest press x 10 IC
    Right side lunge with rock chest press x 10 IC

    Exercise 4:
    Rock lunges across the field, 50 yards, to the music of more groans.

    Mary COP:
    Flutter Kicks x 20 IC
    LBC’s x 20 IC
    Hello Dolly x 20 IC
    American Hammer x 20 IC

    We returned our beloved rocks to the rock pile, and ran back to the flag to finish just in the nick of time. Count off, Name-o-rama, announcements, intentions, and a prayer. Special shout out to Abacus for killing it since he joined F3. Thank you for allowing me to lead. Stay warm out there this week!

    Walleye

  • Rolling Fog at Okwata

    YHC received the bad news from Surge that he was ill, and would not be posting. This was surely a sign of that dreaded day, the day where YHC would be a Pax of one. SPOILER ALERT: He wasn’t! YHC woke up to an annoying rain, one that would obviously keep others away from posting to one of the greatest AO’s of the region, so no need to even head out the door. But wait, what is that? Ah, it’s the DRP, the same one that JV chose last week when he headed to the Uptowner. YHC arrived at the AO with 3 minutes to spare, and who was waiting? None other than JV, or so it seemed. We’ll get to that in a bit. YHC planted the Shovel Flag and it was on! Walleye pulls up just before the clock struck 0530, just in time to hear the Disclaimer. Lucky for us, the rain stopped, but the heavy fog rolled in. As we moseyed toward the mardi gras fountain, we could see an image in the gloom. Abacus! His first post to Okwata, and he was waiting at the mardi gras fountain, as he could not see the other Pax through the fog. That makes three men joining YHC to celebrate this day with a solid beat down. Three men of F3 joined YHC to celebrate his Trifecta Q! It was going to be a good day!

    Mosey around the fountain, carioca left, then right. Circle up in front of the fountain.

    Warmup

    SSH IC x 31
    Imperial Squat Walkers IC x 15
    Sun Gods IC x 20 (10 FWD, 10 BWD)

    Double Shots with Jack Webb at the Barre (an Okwata favorite)

    1 merkin followed by 2 air presses in the peoples chair against the barre
    2 merkins…..4 air presses…..
    3 merkins…..6 air presses….
    so forth and so on….
    10 merkins…..20 air presses in the peoples chair against the barre

    Mosey to the intersection of Canal and Lakeshore Drive for:

    Four Corners

    Corner #1 – 10 Burpees OYO
    Mosey south on Canal across the levee to the corner of Canal and Amethyst St
    Amethyst is a variety of quartz, is a semiprecious stone, and is the birthstone for February. Now you know…..
    Corner #2 – Catalina Wine Mixers IC x 10
    A short mosey west to the other corner of Amethyst and Canal.
    Corner #3 – To emphasize the merkin during the burpee, YHC decided to add the double merkin burpee. 5 Double merkin burpees OYO! That went so well that YHC added 5 more! For those of you that struggle with arithmetic, that would be 10 total double merkin burpees!
    Mosey north to Canal and Lakeshore Drive
    Corner #4 – 8 Count Body Builders IC x 10
    Since we need to complete the box, return to start point.
    Back at Corner #1 – merkins IC x 10 (4 count)

    Mosey to Stonehenge, aka the circle of benches.

    Grab a bench

    LL step ups IC x 10
    Jump Squats IC x 10
    RL step ups IC x 10
    Copperhead Squats IC x 10 (Low slow squat)
    YHC needed one more leg exercise, and had a mental block. Calling out for ideas, Walleye suggested alternating lunge jumps. Yes, that would finish off this evolution nicely!
    Alternating Lunge Jumps IC x 10

    Mosey back to Canal St and to the top of the levee.

    OYO evolution

    5 double merkin burpees, bear crawl across the median, finish with 5 double merkin burpees.

    Mosey back to the flag for:

    Mary
    Flutter Kicks IC x 15
    Hello Dolly IC x 15
    Tin Snips IC x 15
    Russian Twist (Putin) IC x 15

    0615, time called, DownPainment complete!

    COT

    Count off, name-o-rama, announcements, end with a prayer to the Sky Q. We still kept Shorty’s M in our thoughts.

    Read the emails to see what’s going on. Lots of good stuff. What does this weeks Stomp, Foundry, Okwata, and Uptowner AO’s all have in common? Join me tomorrow for the Superfecta!

    NMM

    Want to see a Q take a pie in the face? Not this guy, but join us for the Mothership when Mahatma makes his VQ and gets a pie in the face from his LSU/Notre Dame bet lost to Rudy!

  • Rock City Trifecta

    Solid showing on Monday at Pontiff, despite the rain.  Eight men braved the iffy forecast to get the usual fix of F3 at Rock City.  The scheduled Q was out with the flu (or maybe Saints game hangover???) so a few of us stepped in to sub.  Here’s what went down:

    Mosey to the rock pile, grab a rock, and head to the pavilion for cover.

    Round 1, courtesy of Tool:

    Warm-up consisting of IPW x25, Peter Parker x25, Arm Circles x20, Windmill x15, Hacky Sack x15, LS Squat x15

    Rock Curl x20, RLSU x20, Rock Curl x20, LLSU x20

    Then, a round of the yet to be named “sucky” circuit previously done a few times, but we altered it a bit.  Three minutes of as many rounds of the following exercises OYO:  SSH x6, Squat Rock Press x6, Bench Dips x6.  Call out your count after each round.  I think a few guys made it to 6 or 7.  Rest with a countdown, then rinse and repeat.  YHC forgot his watch and was fumbling with Marlin space-age apparatus so the timing may have been off.  Either way it was good stuff.  I’m thinking original mix of SSH, Squat Jumps, and Merkins is the way to go on that circuit.

    Round 2, courtesy of Triple Shift:

    Pair up for PAX #1 to knock out Back Extensions x20 hanging off of table while PAX #2 holds #1’s feet and Flutter Kicks.  Flip Flop, then rinse and repeat with Hello Dollies on the second round.  This seemed to use muscles that YHC didn’t know he had.

    Rock Web – ascending reps of Merkin x1 and Rock Press x2, increasing the count by 1/2 each time until x10/x20 is reached.  This was a doozy and proved to be a challenge to all.  T-claps to Rudy and other PAX for finishing strong and doing full reps.

    Round 3, courtesy of JV, who was eager to share some new exercises picked up at during his recent post at a F3 AO in North Carolina.

    Monkey Humper x20?

    “Go at it” with Hindu Planks(??) x20

    Wife Pleaser x20

    Good thing no one else was around to witness 8 grown men in these motions, in particular the second one.

    Time was up so back to the flag.

    COT to seal the deal.  T-claps to Abacus on his second post and his quest to get back in shape after a 10yr hiatus from physical activity.  YHC can’t recall much else other than the fact that he was the youngest PAX there.  Not a bad morning for a bunch of almost old dudes.

    Tool