F3 New Orleans

Tag: Holy Grove

  • So this is 40… when do I get my old man strength?

    14 PAX posted for the Chamber on Monday, March 9 for a mostly perfect morning, little cool, little humid, mostly great anyway. YHC was born 40 years ago on Sunday, March 8, but was otherwise engaged on that day with a 10-year-old girls soccer tournament, so the celebration was moved to Monday.

    The plan was simple: cram in a decent workout and leave enough time for a quick ultimate frisbee match at the end. But Kuch, it’s dark, did you forget about daylight savings time? How are we going to see a damn frisbee? This is going to be the worst game ever. Why do you have such terrible ideas?

    Well, dear reader, never fear. I planned ahead:

    But first, the workout:

    Quick lap around the parking lot right into

    • SSHx20
    • Hill Billies x20
    • Windmillsx10
    • Mountain climbersx10
    • Something else x something

    Next, a quick tribute to 40. 40 burpees, 10 per minute, OYO. So you can take 6 seconds per burpee and do 40 slowly, or you can do 10 quickly and use the remaining 30 or so seconds to rest. Your call.

    Next, we hit the tires for a preview of the Ultimate Frisbee match. We separated into 2 groups of 7, each person gets 3 flips in, and sprints to the second tree and back while the next person is flipping and so on. Team Small Tire claimed more flips; Team Manly Tire claimed more, uh, manliness. After a few rounds of each, quick Indian run to the parking lot and back.

    And finally, it was time for the Ultimate Frisbee Showdown. I’d like to say Team Manly Tire dominated, but due to about 30 dropped frisbees on the goal line, the game ended in a 3-3 draw. Some on team Small Tire suggested the referee (YHC, also a member of Team Manly Tire) might have been biased and ruled Saban out of bounds when he really scored a TD, but unfortunately for Team Small Tire, those complaints were summarily overruled. A last second score sealed the tie.

    COT, Name-o-rama, and prayers of thanks for good health and for comfort and grace for those of us waging our own private battles. I know I’m healthier at 40 than I was at 30, and I know that’s because of F3, so as always, I’m truly thankful for all of you who push me to be better. – Kuch

  • Was it you, BooBoo?

    It was just like old times as seven PAX gathered to celebrate my F3 Anniversary. As some of you know, my first workout was last February on the coldest day of 2019. Today, we were greeted by 41 degree (and dropping) temperatures, but fortunately for us it was also wet – @mahatma made sure to point out the hoarfrost once the sun started to come out. I said a quick “Thank You” to whoever signed me up to Q (sideways glance at @boo-boo).

    Disclaimers and a warm up – side straddle hop, “A?” Pagodas (slow windmills), arm circles, and grass grabbers. Then it was a grab your rock and head to the hill sort of day.

    Out of consideration for the PAX, I went over the hill to check on the moisture and – uh oh – wet AND my calves cramp. It will be modifications for me. We decide it’s not TOO wet, so we begin our 11’s. First round is curls for girls, up and over the hill, merkins, and back again. I decided against making the men do sit ups in the wet grass, so for the second round of 11s we do squat presses, climb the hill and back, then big boy sit ups on the track. This takes less time than I anticipated so we finish off the lifting with 30 rows, then it’s back to the rockpile.

    @hand-grenada does the math for us: 11’s gives you 55 reps of both exercises (or some other high number).

    We finish with Mary’s, but not before cameo appearances by random joggers named @revsox and @rudy (congrats on the 100 miles!). Everyone gets to call a workout today. LBCs, dying cockroach (GET YOUR LEGS UP!), crunchy frog, v-hold, russian twist (or american hammers), gas pumps, and penguins.

    Name-O-Rama, circle of trust, I thank F3Nola for helping me to grow, then it’s off to a hot shower. In the end, thank you for pushing me to Q, BooBoo!

  • An attack of the FartSack Virus

    With a delightful temperature of around 45 and the wind blowing a tad over 20 or 25 mph or so and waves spewing sea cucumbers and other detritus over the seawall, the diligent PAX were few in the gloom this morning. YHC can only rationally deduce that all the other PAX had electronic gizmos that were collectively hacked with a virulent strain of a corona virus variant, the FartSack Virus. [Ludites rule!] While some local news reporter was parked across the way, no doubt waiting for Hawgcycle to tell him where Jim Cantore or some bicycling science teacher at Country Day might be found, the PAX wondered who was the Q? Where was the Q? So two seconds to 5:30, YHC became the first Q: Ready Teddy, Okey Dokey, yada yada yada, and so on. Q1 (JV): The PAX quickly moseyed over the levee for quieter environs for a warmup. SSHs 20xIC, Imperial Walkers 20xIC, Low Slow Squats 20xIC, Grass Grabbers 20xIC and Windmills 20xIC. The PAX then moseyed on the street over to the Canal Street hump. For the first round of four: mosey up the levee for 20 merkins, then mosey down for 20 dying cockroaches (2-is-1); rinse and repeat but with only 15; then rinse and repeat again but with only 10; and finally rinse and repeat with only 5. Over to the grass for some Jack Webb up to 12 (should have gone to 14 to outdo Catfish—next time!).

    Q2 (Holy Grove): back to the Canal Street hump. Bernie Sanders up, SSHs till the 6 arrives, mosey down and then SSHs till the 6 arrives; rinse and repeat three more times. #TClaps to Q2 for the words of encouragement to Q1, whose quads were dying. Then to the grass for two rounds of static V-Up folds for 30 seconds each.

    Q3 (Bongo): it still being RRR month, time for a mosey along the levee towards Landry’s and then back to the flag, with an occasional pause for a round of burpees along the way.

    A minute to spare, Q1 (JV) sealed the deal with 10 burpees. Intentions for Sheetrock’s daughter, Holy Grove’s dad and general praise. Thanks, gents, JV

  • And it all started with a big bang, BANG!

    On a cool and windy morning 8 men gathered on Ash Wednesday. What a better way to kick off Lent than to get a good beatdown in while still adding on miles for the Run Ranger Run tally. Disclaimer was given (sorta, got to work on that) and off we went.

    Warm up:

    Mosey over to the warm up area of the practice track and circle up.

    • SSH x 20 IC
    • Windmills x 10 IC
    • Grass grabbers x 15 IC
    • Self love x 15 IC
    • Arm circles fwd/rev x 10 each IC

    Tha Thang:

    Well today’s instructions were brief. A few months ago I was the Q for a Foundry beatdown where we did The Cooper. Well I wanted to do it again but this time I opted to up the intensity and the PAX was given the instructions on the Sheldon Cooper. Audible groans could be heard. I presume out of excitement.

    Start off with a lap around the track. Then when back at the warm-up area do 10 burpees, 10 squats, 10 merkins, and 10 big boy sit ups. Another lap around and all exercises done with 9 reps. And so on, and so on until all 10 laps were completed. Instructions were also given that if all 10 laps were completed to continue with the routine but starting back at 10 reps for the exercises until time was called. A minimum of 2.5 miles were run by all PAX.

    Gather back at the warm-up area for some stretching that was well received (this time for real).

    Mosey back to the invisible flag, count off, name-o-rama, announcements, intentions, and COT. Looking forward to the next time.

  • Rainy, Windy, and Gaseous

    Despite the weather 8 brave souls made it out to Okwata. PAX ran across lakeshore dr closer to the water to get a quick warm up in. Started off with SSH x 20, 30 secs. of high knees, Squats x 20, Annie’s x 20 (new on the menu…for us at least), arm circles, merkins x 20. Mosied back across the street towards the Mardi Gras fountain and got 4 teams of 2. Teams split a workout of Burpees x 50, Goblin humpers x 100, Peter Parker x 150, Merkins x 200, Imperial walkers x 250. One man does the workout while one man runs a lap around the fountain then switched roles. Once all 4 teams were finished with imperial walkers Q advised the PAX to get on their six and bust out Penguins x 300 in cadence. After 150, Q decided to use the remaining 150 on Hello Dollies x 50, Flutter kicks x 50 and finished it off with a HolyGrove choice of some ab busting “V” deal that left the PAX feeling the burn. With a few minutes remaining everyone ran back to the flag for count-o-rama, etc. CoT was especially important on this day. Q took this opportunity to thank his brothers and HIM for continued thoughts and prayers during this current time. We all have been or know someone going through rough times whether its with a family member, job, or anything in between. Let’s not ever underestimate how powerful it is when we stand behind our brothers in their time of hardship. AMEN!

  • The Wis

    The Wis

    Conditions

    Overcast, 63 F, Feels like 63 F, Humidity 90%, Wind 8 mph from the South

    The Thang

    27 Pax tried a new route today, crossed the Cabrini Bridge and then went over and back on the Wisner overpass.  We ended up on the back side of the track and ran laps for the 6.  Distance ended up being about 3.5 to get to the track.

    NMM

    • T-claps to the Ruckers that got started at 4 am and got in close to 8 miles – Hokie, Gideon, and Thumbwar
    • Good to see SFx this morning.  He also rucked.  Will rucking become a thing in NOLA? 
    • I like that this route involves the Wisner Bridge, but it’s a little short.  Maybe next time we do it we will add another small loop that involves the Bridge a second time. 

  • Time Trials at the Stomp

    Since we do all this damn running anyway, we might as well see how we’re doing, right? There is some good research that suggests setting real goals and regularly tracking progress increases our chances for success. So let’s do it. Today: a 5k

    Of course, there is also the matter of a beautiful hammer adorned in freedom and f3 stickers that we would like to hang on to. Perhaps the “men of the Wally run” or the weekend crew will actually bring it out to the Stomp for all to enjoy next time.

    In no particular order, here are the times submitted to me and a list of the PAX who have not submitted a time yet, in the event they decide to:

    1. Shuffles: 18:47
    2. Briefs 24:57
    3. High Rise 28:37
    4. Jesus Juice 24:58
    5. Rev Sox 26:06
    6. Shorty: 25:24
    7. Kuch: 24:55
    8. Da Parish 29:56
    9. Boo Boo 29:10
    10. Belloq 24:05
    11. Rudy 24:10
    12. Catfish 21:20
    13. Screwtop 22:07
    14. Blowfish 28:30
    15. Tool 28:30
    16. Sheetrock 23:30
    17. Tugboat 38:08 (3.04 miles)
    18. Mahatma
    19. War Eagle
    20. Bongo
    21. Breadsticks 22:07
    22. Holygrove
    23. Frac Sac

    We will revisit this challenge post RRR and see if we got any faster.

    Thanks, as always, for allowing me to lead a workout in a group full of leaders. – Kuch

  • Its 40, not 400

    A few weeks ago, YHC saw a backblast referencing a “traditional Okwata workout” that involved the levee and some exercises. As the children’s game of telephone illustrates, as word gets passed from one PAX to another, sometimes the message gets tweaked as it gets passed along. And looking at the calendar, YHC realized it had been exactly 1 full year since some brave okwata souls (looking at you JV, FracSac, mmmBop and Surge) survived a freezing cold day for the last (and 6th) running of the 40. A whole new troupe of PAX has arrived since then and had never had the pleasure of listening to me babble aimlessly while running back and forth and back and forth over the levee. So – lets do it!

    Quick disclaimer (actually, upon reflection – I think I forgot the disclaimer), then off. Breadsticks, speaking on behalf of all of Lakeview, pleaded to steer clear of the grass and the ants. YHC, speaking on behalf of YHC, thought for a minute and led the PAX to the grass, ants and levee. (Fortunately – I think the ants were sleeping).

    Circle up for SSH, IW, and some stretching to get warmed up. Then explain the background and premise. Background – inspired by U2 “40” which YHC still claims is the best closing song for a concert ever. The PAX, led by Kuch, wondered who this “U2” was, and claim never to have heard such a song. Kids today. But – we’re going over the levee 40 times. 10 exercises, each in 4 sets – going over the levee between each set. 40 trips over the levee, 40 exercise sets.

    And the best part – YHC gets to throw in 40 Facts and Figures. And to clarify for Ya Mom’n’Dem: YHC does not vouch for the accuracy of any said facts and figures. All have been googled, and located on at least one website. So there’s that.

    Today’s 10 exercises:

    Irish Jackasses: Thanks, Screw Top, for a nice new addition! These really suck when combined with running over a levee. Maybe next time, ST ought to show up.

    Cross Fit Merkins: Or Clap merkins, for those (Shuffles) who thing Cross Fit is for sissies.

    Big Boy Situps: Jingle Vader notices that YHC was doing these in the downhill direction on the first set. Noted, and corrected.

    Bobby Hurleys (Or Squat Jumps for those who don’t know who Bobby Hurley is, which apparently is most of the LVCC)

    Low Country Crabs: If only Yankee ever made it to Okwata

    Shuffles, a 20 count por favor

    Box Cutters: YHC kept plenty of distance from Triple Shift. That’s a longer story for yet another day. Jingle Vader plays the role of Triple Shift (again) in critiquing the shape of YHC’s boxes.

    Imperial Squat Walker: PAX stage a revolt, so YHC caves and lowers the count from 10 IC to 5 IC (10 Squats) out of fear. Still plenty of squats to burn the calves

    Catalina Wine Mixers: Way out in front, YHC saw Holy Grove and Triple Shift absolutely killing it. YHC was happy to be able to stay in front of Shorty, though. Maybe if Shorty showed up a little more regularly.

    American Hammer: Shorty and Surge thankful to get one useful fact for the day, as we talked about Hulk Hogan vs Iron Sheik (HH was Bacchus 40)

    8 Count Body Builders: JV chooses this exercise to round out the day.

    Finish at 6:14. Sheetrock does his best SOGO impression and finds a pothole on the run back to the flag – but keeps his balance and lives to fight another day. 5 Burpees OYO

    Circle up at the end. RRR coming soon, find a team and get signed up. Run. Run. Run. Prayers offered – we remember all of those intentions then finish with Psalm 40 (the inspiration behind the inspiration)

    Thanks for letting me lead, and until the next 40!

  • Good Morning Burpees In the Cold

    It’s been a little while since YHC Q’d the 610 Stomp, so it was time to bring back a crowd pleaser:  Good Morning Burpees!    

    14 Men stood ready to take on the challenge, including 1 FNG, courtesy of DaParish EH!

    The clock hit 0530, time to give a disclaimer, then:

    Simple Instructions:  Run the traditional route and say Good Morning to everyone you see (30 feet between groups).  If they say Good Morning back, only do 5 Burpees.  If they don’t say Good Morning….10 Burpees.  If anyone pesters for a “Good Morning” then 15 Burpees.

    YHC probably picked a bad morning for this, as there were few pedestrians out and about on such a cold day.  YHC and DaParish did not come across anyone until on the way back, which accounted for around 30 burpees.

    COT, Countoff, Name-o-rama, announcements, intentions, closed with a prayer to the Sky Q…

    Welcome Blowfish!  Now that’s a great name!

    SYITG

  • The Day After

    LSU 45 – Clemson 28. And it seemed like it could have been much much worse than that.

    Tuesday morning, YHC expected a lighter-than-normal crowd at the Stomp, as many PAX would undoubtedly still be sleeping off the after-effects of The Stomping. And YHC wasn’t disappointed. OK, maybe a bit disappointed but not surprised.

    In the pea-soup, 8 hardy PAX arrived for their morning workout. 7 Regulars and 1 out of towner (welcome, 49er from Kentucky – and Thanks Hokie Pokey for shuttling another Hokie around!)

    30 Minute run down the typical route. 15 mins out and 15 mins back. Then lets get to the track. Holygrove bravely takes off with Shuffles and Catfish – I suspect he quickly regretted that decision. Eventually YHC caught up to him, and enjoyed the rest of the run – thanks for the F2 along the way! And thanks to Woz for pacing and pushing us!

    At the track for some speed work. But first – a brief recollection of this remarkable season

    • First 15-0 Season
    • Second Heisman Trophy Winner
    • Fourth National Championship

    Yup, 1-2-4. Sounds like a Ladder. So – lets finish up with the Sprint Ladder. 100, 200, 400, 200, 100 yard sprints. In between each, 100yd mosey/walk to recover.

    Back to the track for COT – prayers for discipline for all of us in facing our challenges, and for Mr. Holygrove (Alvin) in particular during his recovery.