Tag: Smooth

  • MAX mobility – from Paradox

    9 men wobbled in and huddled around the gloom early at the stage today. Just 48 hours since the bodily devastation of the SV500 we needed immediate distraction, and this was provided listening to the latest chapter in the Life and Times of Cardinal.

    “I woke up Sunday and it was the strangest thing, like my whole body wasn’t moving right and everything hurt. ” Cardinal explained while poking his muscles and testing these claims.

    YHC questioned further… “were you …umm…perhaps sore?”

    “Sore? Like a boil on my skin? ” He asked, still perplexed and searching the Cardinal lexicon for this foreign term.

    YHC sighed and got ready to break the news.

    “Well, you see after you turn 30 your body slowly tries to kill you each and every day especially if you exceed your limit of physical exertion. They call this state of being sore.

    Cardinal : ..

    YHC: ..

    Cardinal : well I guess I was sore , I’ll try my best to never feel that ever again.

    And just like that Mobility Monday was born…

    Duke! get the WD40 and K tape it’s time to fix some bo Bo’s
    and roll the footage.

    Warmups

    SSH

    Abe Vigodas

    IW extra slow

    Bat Wings:

    Leave them up gosh darn it !!

    AC , CP, Seal Jacks , OHClaps, seal jacks

    MC

    Mosey to bumper with some concerned side glances that we would unearth the newly minted coupon bunker.

    Not today men, let those Koopas cool down, they still hawt from Saturday.

    We continued our series with Volume 2 of Men of Courage Mondays as today is the feast day of St Max Kolbe. A Polish priest and Franciscan friar who among many other amazing works substituted his life for another man’s during imprisonment at Auschwitz.

    So Todays Acronym was MAX:

    First , the M…the Mobility Mile

    Mosey Richmans loop and we stomped out those spicy ant devils on the way as retribution for Popeyes riddled calves.

    We ran the mile and stopped for 4 mobility stations interspersed with audible groaning, creaking, pops, clicks, sharts, Hoosker dos, hoosker donts and even a few whistling kitty chasers. It was a deep burn and we all felt better for it:

    1. ) 1 minute
    Hold side plank

    Right arm up then through

    Left side

    Right hand on hand and pull through

    Left side

    2. )1 minute: Downward dog, alternate calf stretch and Cat/Cow ( 1 minute )

    3. ) 1 minute: Plank and hip stretch , outside, inside, inside outside

    4. 1 minute Side lunge stretch with sumo squat

    As a humorous interlude YHC shared the story of looking for a St Kolbe book in Barnes and Nobles only to have the clerk think that Kobe Bryant had been canonized.

    Not yet Kobe, not yet. (he had shaq and MJ only had Pippen so….)

    YHC introduced an F3 Thibodaux classic …Basketball Jones.

    We would alternate between all levels of a squat every time we heard the word Basketball.

    I’ll give the men at home a sample :

    “Yes i was a victim of basketball Jones

    In fact I was the baddest dribbler in the whole wide world

    I loved my basketball ball.

    That basketball was like a basketball to me…”

    It went on like that for 4 minutes and YHC pulled the plug early.

    Because sometimes you just have to set a pick when you on the give and go of life.

    Today we were all victims of the basketball Jones.

    On to the ABS (the A of mAx)

    St Max Feast day is Aug 14 (today) The day of his death 8-14-41 and canonized in 1982 so we clearly had to work the COREners and look for cobwebs.

    8 bbsu

    14 crunchy frogs

    41 Freddy Merk

    82 LBCs

    This was completed in 4 corners or “7s “ formatting. Dumbledore was feeling the crunchy frogs and Goose assured him he would gain abs of steel as he advanced in the F3 school of witchcraft and wizardry.

    To finish the MAX we needed an X

    X Wings Flora

    Partner up

    100 merkins , 20 each set while P2 x wings

    200 MC (40 each set while P2 X wings)

    Great push here to ramp up the cardio on the MCs. Paradiddle barely made it out of Zone 1 but his joints will thank me when he’s still mosh pitting at 65. The pax will rest easy tonight knowing that Cardinal discovered soreness and mobility training in the same calendar year!

    COT with special intentions for Bones recovery

    Dumbledore prayed us out.

    Always a great privilege to lead you men.

    “Let us remember that love lives through sacrifice and is nourished by giving…Without sacrifice there is no love.” – St. Maximillian Kolbe

    St Max Kolbe, Pray for us!

    SYITG

    Dox

  • Endurance – from Paradox

    YHC arrived a touch early to the stage to set out a few cones on the back end of Richmans loop for a light cardio routine (rest and recovery is my thing ya know)
    . All was set, a few minutes to spare when nature called. YHC has become quite a fine purveyor of port o potty’s during my career at the stage. When demand meets supply plus IBS…well..Dr. Maught can tell you the rest of that equation this fall. I took a lovely light mosey to a very new Po’P to reread my bd notes.
    After reviewing the walls and wondering why I should call Terry for a good time (does he know we have a free men’s workout?) I hustled out to make good timing. That’s when I slipped and hit my head on the curb and the lights when out….


    Somewhere in the Wedel Sea
    during “The other expedition”

    Fierce polar winds threatened to rip our tent apart with every breath as we huddled inside for warmth. Captain Goose had called this meeting on our 400th day at sea, floating aimlessly on the pack ice.

    He peered at us through a thick frosted beard
    “I’ll be straight with you men. We’ve got 800 miles to cover in a 20 foot life boat to save the pax we left on Fartsack island.
    There’s 9 of us and only enough provisions for 8.
    There’s also a pistol with 1 bullet left..”
    The tent door rustled open sharply and YJ popped is head in
    “What are y’all doing in here, is this an SLT meeting? Anyway I’m doing my heavy hands routine out here to stay warm if anyone wants to join” …cricket chirps…
    “Nobody?” This time even the Antarctic cricket was silent.
    He went back out and a collective sigh spread through the men.
    YHC shook his head in reply “ I’m sorry, we had to bring him, Rienzi 1 percenters funded the trip ya know “
    Captain Goose cleared his throat to re-establish order “Well it’s going to take every ounce of strength we have to save those men and…”
    YJ pops back in visibly more excited.
    “Hey I created a song called ice ice baby , it’s got a dope beat y’all come listen “ then he strutted back out.
    Across the tent, Tana pulled the last bullet from his shirt pocket, his gaze still stuck on the place YJ stood, he handed it to YHC with a nod. “Save it till we are starving but when the time comes you know what to do. Back of the head and Make sure he knows his backblasts were the best. “
    YHC racked the shell into his pistol as a single tear formed then froze in the artic gloom.
    Silence descended on the tent
    “For the pax” I said as the light faded …

    YHC regained consciousness just in time to walk up and meet 9 sea worthy men at the stage in record setting humidity. They trickled in slowly following an abnormally early Cardinal arrival (61% sleep and fresh roasted grounds works wonders, can’t wait for his Q Thursday ).
    We circled up, all smiles, and only one of us knew what was waiting in the depths of the loop.

    Duke it’s time to cross Antarctica!
    Roll the footage !

    Warmups
    The usuals with 30 IWs by request because some jerk made us coupon lunge on Saturday. Chatter was at a zero but Bone thugz was just getting warmed up! A mosey to the bumper to get started.

    YHC started a series of beatdowns today to honor men throughout history that displayed courage and leadership in the face of great adversity.
    We shall call it Memorable Men Mondays (thanks smooth)

    Today we salute you …
    Sir Ernest Shackleton
    Considered one of the last great Antarctic Explorers. Most famous for his attempt to be the first to cross Antarctica in 1914 and today we would focus on his leadership during that expedition.

    First we needed to go back in time to 1914 and you if you are going to return 109 years the only appropriate travel is Nur. Goose repeated this a few times then seemed to accept it and I fear where his next time travel Q may take us.
    So we ran backwards to the fresh paint lot into the age of exploration.

    August 1 1914 : the ship Endurance sets sail from London to South Georgia Island with 28 men aboard as the Imperial TransAntartic Expedition begins. Their goal is to make landfall on Antarctica , hike across with sled dogs, and meet up with another crew on the other side…simple right?

    28 merkins for the 28 men aboard endurance.

    From South Georgia they left land and unknown to them would not return for 497 days.

    Stuck in pack Ice only 60 miles from their land destination the Endurance began to slowly be crushed by relentless pack ice and they were forced to abandon ship and camp on the drifting ice.

    “Ice Ice Baby “ by Vanilla Ice
    Rock Balboas – Jump Knee Tucks on ice ice baby.
    The pax had trivia which would free them from the Vanilla torture.
    What Year was song released? (1990) 1 minute
    What is vanilla ice real Name- Robert Van Winkle 2 minutes
    What lawsuit did this song create – Queen Under Pressure copyright) 3 minutes
    Two minutes were gained after Goose and YJ had a classic senior moment and went with 1991.

    Indian run to the back of Richmans loop where we found YHCs full arsenal of COUS (coupons of unusual size, thanks Tap) with the coup de grace being a rowing machine YHC plucked from his brother in law several months ago in a blockbuster trade deal for sketchy discount medical care. The concrete schoolyard was ready and the pax were willing.

    At this point Shackletons crew , after watching their beloved ship be crushed by ice and sink, must traverse roughly 100 miles of unruly pack ice all in 3 life boats to the closest land , Elephant Island .

    To honor this YHC put together a circuit with various tasks to represent the varied tasks of the men of Endurance .
    Everyone found a cone and we got to work.

    Voyage 1 Circuit
    45 seconds
    Patience Camp to Elephant Island

    1 rowing – 28s/m
    2 seal jacks
    3 Med ball hammers
    4 med ball v ups
    5. mountain climber
    6. Leg raises
    7. Suicides
    8. Hickory Lunges
    9. Freddy merks

    The pax performed admirably here despite minimal directions from YHC. Bone thugs has progressed into quite a force of mumblechatter and started to find his voice as the reps piled up. Pope continues to be an unstoppable force.

    In a 5 day journey the men make it to Elephant island 1/2 starved, several with frost bite but still fighting.
    Shackleton makes the decision to put 5 men (including himself) in the James Caird, their best life boat and attempt an 800 mile trip to South Georgia Island to get help. They leave with 23 men on the island knowing that if they fail , everyone will perish.

    Voyage 2 Circuit
    60 seconds
    Elephant Island to South Georgia
    800 miles
    1. rowing
    2. SSH
    3. BBSU w ball
    4. Med ball v up
    5. Flutter kicks
    6. Apollo Onos
    7. Nur suicide
    8. KB thrusters
    9. Med ball smash

    800 miles, 17 days and a hurricane in the most feared polar sea on planet earth and the 5 men survive to arrive at South Georgia Island.
    One final task to reach help and rescue their shipmates….
    A 26 mile hike across the island (which is basically a glacier) to civilization.

    Time to hoof it.

    We left everything for a 1/2 mile sprint back to the flag.

    COT and Goose prayed us out

    T- Claps to Safety Valve for his second post after the Catan massacre. Solid work from BT as well.

    SV 500 on Aug 12!
    Jambalaya tickets for sale

    NMM
    I stumbled upon this incredible story this summer and it blew me away. The perseverance through obstacles, the mounting intensity, and the odds looking worse and worse at every turn will have you on the edge of your seat. It has my highest reading recommendation. ( See links below) .
    The ability of Shackleton to have the men buy into giving everything they had to save the man next to them or the ones left behind was simply incredible.

    Clearly we don’t face anything even in this stratosphere on a day to day basis but it did remind me of the men in my own life. The ones ready to empty the tank when the cause is great and the glory not our own.
    Grateful to be surrounded by you gents, nobody id rather be in the boat with.

    https://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/127307/?refId=40886&detailsLocale=US&refId=41464&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7-y_mZW6gAMVcwetBh0rIgy7EAQYASABEgL8EPD_BwE

    Epilogue

    “The Other Expedition”

    It was day 497 at sea for the 9 men who had left Fartsack island to find help.
    The provisions gone , the boat held together in tatters, most men with blackened toes and fingers.
    8 souls crumpled into the bottom of the boat clinging to life….

    All but one continued to row.

    The one they had saved the bullet for.

    Scientist would later spend decades trying to explain how this man single-handedly saved his crew. Some say it was years of his heavy hands routines. Others say that the only manuscript of his backblasts were in that boat and he knew the world needed them.
    But only the men of F3 Thibodaux knew
    , it was the chatter , all he ever needed was the chatter.

    “Ice Ice Baby” Joe whispered as he peered into the sky and led the boat to land.
    His pax were safe and the chatter would live on.

    SYITG
    Dox

  • 80 Miles to Sante Fe – from Paradox

    What comes to mind when you think of the absolute cutting edge of human performance? Ultra marathons, Saturdiddles, special ops training, Cardinal crab walking … I’m talking the outer limits of human capabilities here. Well men I have a new challenging feat of strength to add to this pantheon of greatness. A rigorous 5 day crucible that tests the mind, body, spirit, and even Rouses endless supply of 100% juice capri suns.

    Some only live through it to tell the tale…
    That’s how I found myself shoulder to shoulder with Econoline this week at 8:15am on a casual Tuesday in the Chackbay Catholic center, awaiting our first rotation of children.
    There we stood at the game station like 2 young hobbits awaiting 10,000 orcs at Helms deep. (Jk jk your children are all angels )
    It was about to begin…
    The great battle of our time..
    Being group leaders at…
    VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

    Duke put down that snack pack and roll the footage . It’s VBS week!

    Warmup
    The usuals with spikes of chatter with Tanas gigi arrival and Gooses wearing a crosscut necklace of cloth but mostly silent focus on preserving precious oxygen with furtive glances at YHCs entire cone collection in the big field being guarded by BAPs. Sooooon….

    To kickoff the shenanigans YHC explained the similarities between VBS stations and F3 and that we would train as group leaders today to get a taste of the action.

    Opening ceremony

    Needs to be high energy , get the blood pumping but also you need to run full speed backwards because you forgot your 2.0 shoes and he has not a care in the world of being barefoot in public.

    Indian run around the big loop with Nur to the front to take us to the Chimney.

    Game Station #1
    Hula Hoop Relay race

    Break into 3 teams
    1 team mate does hula hop to and around cone
    Rest of Team does 4 merkins, 4 sqats , 4 SSH , 4 BBSU (4x4x4x4 (tM)
    Until all complete and must slide the hula hoop down the line.
    Enron clearly ignored the PDF and instructional video YHC sent him about the 4x4x4x4 and he still had questions. Ya hate to see that from the self proclaimed smartest man in the room.
    In the end Team Goose took the title and gifted the losers with 25 monkey humpers, in an unrelated note we now cannot go within 100 feet of the St Joe carpool pickup line.

    To the tennis court

    Every great VBS must have catchy songs that get implanted into your brain and this week we talked with the kids a lot about listening to God for your call…

    Music Station #1
    “Call me maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen
    1 Merkin on “maybe” and “baby “
    Holding plank in a circle of pax and Pass the Hula Hoop with hands and feet.
    if it’s on you during call me maybe then you do 3 merkins.
    The pax got pretty good at passing that hula at lightning speed and WetTap has even adopted this as his on call theme song.

    Arts and Crafts Station #1

    Another vital part of VBS is a crafting station and no craft session is complete without rock paper and scissors. Pax paired up for escalating rounds of Rochamburpee with 2 more burpees for the loser each round till we reached 12. Not sure how everyone faired here but it seemed like burpees were enjoyed by all.

    Mosey to the Thunder dome

    Music Station #2
    Over the past 2 years selecting “F3 songs” has become a cherished pastime at YHCs house. There’s no definitive criteria but you know a really good one when you hear it. YHC recently stumbled upon the #SWT (Ronnie would later figure out this was Songs With Triggers) channel of f3 slack and uncovered an absolute gem.
    I needed a song to represent this weeks teaching of finding a quiet place to pray and it just so happened that Dean Summerwind had provided directions to a quiet lake where we could park just 80 miles from Santa Fe.

    “Parked by the Lake “
    Dean Summerwind
    Hold Al Gore with
    Bonnie Blair’s on “Parked”
    Tin Soldiers on “Santa Fe”
    Squats on “Lake”

    I hope it met Popeyes high expectations. It will be added to my F3 Song Hall of Fame as Diddle proclaimed it both right and just.

    Game Station #2
    Duck- Duck Goose
    Pax plank up in a circle facing outward. One pax selects a “Goose” by running around and tapping them on the head while the pax knock out plank related exercises (Merkin, plank jacks, MCs)
    The real honker himself got us started and we had Some close battles here with the Dawson 2.0s showing some serious evasive maneuvers.

    Arts and craft Station #2
    – color our ABCs
    PAX on our six with legs up to spell out VACATION BIBLE SCHOOOL (those Os are just too fun)

    Mosey to big field and as we turned the corner BAPS was seen and one pax yelled “is Jeaux here?”
    A simple question but it nearly derailed me as I couldn’t shake the image of YJ crouched in his van with binoculars and 1980s spy equipment writing down notes and mumbling “I knew it” .
    I composed myself and we arrived safely at the Grand Finale.

    Every VBS ends with a grand finale Friday where you showcase everything you learned through the week. So YHC unveiled the ultimate VBS obstacle course
    We split into two teams started some SSH and each team let one pax into the race at a time until they got to the minefield.
    BAPS provided “the final countdown” and We raced through..

    1. Dizzy bat
    2. Lunges
    3. Merkin minefield with CrawlBears (5 merkins if you knock down a cone)
    4. Broad jump burpees
    5. Suicide Trifecta (Nur, Run, Carioca)
    We grabbed our ever growing pile of gear and moseyed back to the flag for people’s choice Mary to represent your kids showing you all the stuff they learned during the week.
    Dr Ws, Penguins, Fred Merk, fire hydrants , WW1 sit-ups with Yote till the buzzer.

    Count o Rama, NamoRama
    GiGi found a new home with Ronnie and the Animal went back to the Goose nest with concerns that Crosscut was on his last microfiber.

    COT with continued prayers for the St Pierre family
    Goose prayed us out

    NMM

    YHC has a special place in his heart for VBS. Growing up it was always the mark of deep summer and where the seeds of my faith were first planted. (It’s where I picked up a love for relay races and obstacle courses!)
    It’s also a great reminder to me to search for simple yet profound truths and to strive for a childlike faith. Grateful for the men of F3 as we help each other walk a straighter path.

    PPS (Pickleteria PostScript) sponsored by Joola

    Following the beatdown several Pax gathered at the thunderDome for the first ever Pickleteria . Tana and Dilly graciously provided the pickleGear and all the fixings for Americas fastest growing game. In a thrilling opening match Team Dawson narrowly took down Threat Level Midnight 11-2. Acting manager of TLM Ronnie Lillich was optimistic for the teams growth during the post match interview: “Dox has a floppy wrist, plain and simple,I was carrying him. His mind was boggled about the kitchen and he lost his composure”. Sounds like TLM is going through a “rebuilding year” but a lot of league experts say Dox had a dollar store paddle. Ya hate to pickle with that.
    Well , It’s safe to say that the pickle fever has spread rapidly and the only question left is ..same time next week?

    SYITG
    Dox

  • Base-human-ball-man Game – from Goose

    YHC was feeling a little bit in a rut trying to come up with new ideas for the Peltch, but after some late night brainstorming, it seemed a good time for a couple of risky ideas.
    First, the warmups–usual suspects with unusually low mumblechatter, though YHC has noticed that it may be a trend on mornings where he’s Q-ing. It’s an interesting psychological phenomenon–not sure if it’s coming from dread, high count volume expectations, or short shorts and white thighs. Thankfully, Yankee and Dox were happy to intentionally inject some wittiness to wake things up a bit.

    We then grabbed coupons (most of us) and lined up for an Indian run to the Thunderdome. Sprinting to the front of the line with an awkward coupon seemed a unique challenge–the first of the day.

    Once under the dome of thunder, YHC paired with JBL and introduced a song off the first CD ever purchased for my first CD capable jambox back in ’96. Coupons were laid long-ways on the ground, and we would do Dox’s jump-switch-touch things for the duration, a two-footed hop over the coupon on every “on my way” and a genuflection for every “momabadeesay-moobadeeyah”. The song, “Send Me on My Way” is over four minutes long, which felt a little undoable with these exercises, so YHC offered to shave a minute off if anyone could guess the artist. YJ came through (like we all knew he would) with Rusted Root, and it was three and a half minutes of leg torture. YHC was grateful we did this first while we still had energy.

    Next, we hauled the coupons to the area next to the running track over by the cornhole set. YHC was looking for a partner exercise where the partners would compete so as to push the performance a bit. So, we settled on having one partner run the loop (1/2 mile) while partner two tried to complete 100 tricep curls/presses before they got back. Loser did 15 man-makers and winner did 15 big boy situps. A couple of interesting observations:
    1. 100 seemed like a lot on paper, but with the variety of runners/pressers, it was just right. And flippin’ hard.
    2. Pope is getting to be a bit ridiculous–he was ahead of Dilly by a good margin, and I found myself extremely grateful that he was in the first crew and I was in the second.
    3. Just about everyone split the difference on the man-makers with their partners. This is a good bunch of dudes.
    4. Running half a mile sucks worse than doing 100 tricep presses.

    After a 10-count or two, we headed over to the closest baseball field for the main event: base-man, or base-human, or baseball-man, or man-ball (should probably scratch that last one after YJ’s recently shared childhood baseball story). We dropped blocks at each base and then split into two teams. For the first inning, one player from Team 1 was the ball, and one player from team two was the base runner. The ball had to run to the center field fence before running back to try to get a runner out. Runners had to complete a coupon exercise before they could step on the bag and be safe. (Cardinal, you may want to read that last sentence a few more times.) Form also was important, and specific specs were given for each exercise. (Cardinal, you may want to read that last sentence a few more times.)
    YHC designed this game specifically with Cardinal in mind knowing that competition brings out the Red Hulk in him. He did not disappoint. YHC is tempted to include competitions in every Q just to see what a ripped Cardinal might look like, cuz that dude will push harder and do more reps than the rest of the group combined without even thinking about it if there’s something on the line.

    Team 1 (YHC’s team) seemed to be stacked with talent, and they made a solid showing at the top of the first inning only allowing one or two runs. Then, Team 1 became the base runners, and the momentum started to shift pretty dern quick. I don’t remember who got the first out, but Pope came through with a surprising double play, and to say we didn’t recover after that is an understatement. Next inning, Team 2 pretty much used the bases as a non-stop carousel despite some close calls and Cardinal questioning YHC’s identity as a member of a morally upright society and making a vague reference to YJ’s next visit to the Confessional. I think the final score was Team 2: something in the teens, Team 1: 1. Team 1 may have made a comeback, but time ran out, so we had to head back to the flag.

    We had just enough time for some slow, tortuous Mary that consisted of 6 in holds punctuated by occasional leg raises; high, slow flutter kicks; and Little Manny Crunches (hold for 3-count at the top).

    COT and Cardinal prayed us out due to some heavy stuff happening in the community (needed a heavy hitter on that prayer, for sure).

    It was an awesome morning, and YHC is grateful that you men showed up and played along.

    SYTIG,
    Goose

  • The Centenarian Decathlon – from Paradox

    YHC has been in a rather melancholic mood recently and asking the deeper , heavy hitting questions about this life ?

    Am I original? Yeahhhh
    Am I the only one? Yeahhh
    Am I sexual ? Yeahhh
    Am I everything thing you need? You better rock your body now…
    *record scratch***
    ***looks in the mirror and slaps face ***

    (No no no !
    That’s not it !
    That’s YJs Monday beatdown playlist with the Backstreet Boys still plaguing your mind
    Let it go Dox , keep your composure
    Focus , you’re better than this
    Do it for Tana, he’s alone out there in the rep wilderness and needs this blast )

    Ok ok I’m back but seriously the question here is what can I do for the years I’m allowed on this planet to be the most functional
    Can health span truly = lifespan?

    Well, 8 High impact men beat the darkness at the stage Tuesday morning to answer the above.

    This framework YHC picked up from a longevity expert Dr Peter Attia (see links below for more elegant explanations)
    But it boils down to imagining your most important tasks at 100 years old and reverse engineering the training for our own personal decathlon. So YHC polled the pax audience via text the day before and built a list of everyone’s “must be able to do at 100” list.

    But here’s the catch .. sure you can do those things now but we need to be able to compensate for age related decline.
    So for example you can all pick up a 20 lb toddler now and raise them over your head like Simba. But for the next 4 decades you could lose 7-8 percent of your muscle strength/decade (perhaps more if you have a roaring water problem) : so today you need to be able to lift ….let’s say a 40 lb coupon overhead roughly 50 times. Makes sense? You see where this is heading

    Duke get the footage and Medicare part D we got new indications baby !

    Warmup
    Standard issue warmups welcoming back Goose and Pope fresh from NC adventures and extra time to nurse a few tight arms from YJs zombie crawls and Lil cuzs pull-up palooza.

    Bumper mosey

    Da List

    #1 get up from lying down un aided
    #2 climb stairs

    Song : I Don’t Need Your Rocking Chair – George Jones
    Wake up , Climb Stairs

    BBSU into box jump
    Back into bed with 1 Merkin increase each rep
    That bird poop on the stage never smelled better.

    #3 Coordination to play with great grandkids and #4 Driving )
    Indian Run with frisbee
    Last man does 5 gas pumps
    If Frisbee miss , all pax 7 jump squats

    YHC will confess here that I’m very bad at frisbee and expected atleast 5-6 drops. Little did I know smooth and Goldilocks are semi pro frisbee weekend warriors. YHC had so little faith in an overthrown pass that I had halted the run to smugly handout squats. Goldilocks turned on the #jets and the seminarian house will be getting PED testing very soon.

    #5 Pick up great grandchildren and #6 Swim

    WIPE OUT
    Flora
    P1 10 Thrusters to complete 100
    P2 Flutter kicks

    The chatter subsided significantly after opening the thrusters …

    LIVE ON A PRAYER

    Travel – 20 coupon curl each to complete 80 as a partner pair
    P2 – Genuflections

    ITS THE CLIMB #8
    #9 GOLF with my FRIENDS

    100 Apolo Onos (to get the ball out of the hole ) – sets of 10
    Coupon Dance Steps fast as you can go (simulate climbing )

    Fantastic group effort to finish these out and I don’t know if I was motivated more by Goose or Miley Cyrus but we finished real strong.

    …Grand Finale

    GIVE ME SOME LOVING #10

    It was here YHC revealed that Smooth had answered the penultimate question with his usual stunning word efficiency

    What is the single most important activity to still be doing at 100 ??

    Pickle Pounders!

    Song : Give me Some loving
    Plank reaches on Song
    2 Merkins on Glad
    Pickle Pounders on Give and loving
    All I can say here is that somewhere in North Carolina ole Kilmer is smiling and that there could be some HR classes Goose has to attend for being an upstanding HOA member present at this musical debauchery.

    COT and Lox prayed us out

    Animal given to the Pope for carrying YHC through the thrusters and still counting them all.

    The Tanaversary is Thursday
    The hype is building…

    Great morning striving alongside you men keeping our physical and spiritual health sharp.

    Keep it 100

    SYITG

    Dox

    https://peterattiamd.com/how-to-train-for-the-centenarian-decathlon/

  • Run to the Father – from Paradox

    9 strong at the stage and ya know dat bayou summer is in full swing when it’s a balmy 81 before you even slip on your mudgears. YHC rolled back in (after forgetting JBL on the charger) to a steadily growing group of Pax bolstered by a fresh wave of our seminarian Pax getting back in dat action.
    The promises had been free flowing in the preBlast groupme with commitments of all shapes and sizes. Hopeful commits, repeat HC fartsack offenders, cardinal fanning flames, Even a brand new “FC”. That’s a frog commit, when pickleball says Jump , you say how high?
    Ya really really hate to see it but we pushed forward.

    Duke! run back home and get the footage. Your still a good boy!

    Warmup
    A respectable set of the usuals with extra care for the lower back.
    The newest fad injury in F3 Thib is a tight back (although YJ will say he’s been doing it before it was mainstream) and after getting nuked by the diddle list on Saturday we all needed some careful grass grabbers.

    The Thang

    YHC decided that directly after Fathers day was a good time to cover the parable of the prodigal son. So many perspectives to reflect on from this amazing parable but today YHC wanted to focus on the contrasting emotions and inner turmoil of the father/son. YHC Just needed a good canvas for this medium and during a recent downRange vacation post YHC was introduced to the total brutality of a Jack Webb medley (shout out to HouseCall). It felt like a great way to express the conflicting inner emotions of the parable all while pondering if Thibodaux has any oxygen in the atmosphere.

    First we had to take the inheritance and run away. We formed up in a Indian run with a last man Drop off – 10 Carolina dry docks facing away , see your family getting farther away.
    We jammed to Ghetto Cowboy while we counted our inheritance cash followed by a choice Goose selection of Ford Econoline and all was right in the world…

    Feeling pretty good about ourselves with endless money we stopped for Jack Webb #1
    Merkins and Air Raises up to 10/20
    The son beats his chest while the father prays “why?”

    We moseyed on starting to feel the strain of responsibility but still depending on ourselves we ditched our van and set out on foot looking for love in all the wrong places.
    100ish yard Lunge to DJ Snake/Bieber “Just let me Love You “
    Are you a Beliber now Cardinal ?

    We continued forward in a Jello Mosey
    There is now a famine in the land, times are tough. But the son still depends on himself.
    We headed for the pig pen to get in the slop. (Perfectly placed port o potty)

    Jack Webb #2
    Captain Thor
    BBSU/American Hammers (3 count)
    The son is pulling himself up (BBSU) while the father continues wrestling with his absence (hammers)

    Time to Run Home
    No money
    No love
    No friends
    Deep in the slop just hoping for a bite of the pig food.
    The crucial moment of uncertainty. I will return to be my fathers servant , but will he accept me ?

    Air Squats/Mountain climbers
    1 squat and 2 MC to depict the son running to the Father who was not only waiting but fervently seeking him daily.

    Run Back home w guidance
    Pair up and one pax run while guiding is partner in Nur.

    Back Home
    Song
    – Run to the Father -Matt Maher
    We held Tipper Gores on the song (atleast initially) with jump tuck on Run and Merkins on Again.
    Legs got reallll wobbly.

    Animal shirt awarded to Goldilocks! Back to back posts and this man is in pretty good shape if you are taking notes at home. Stay golden brother.

    COT and Diddle prayed us out

    Great effort across the board and awesome to have Goldilocks and Econoline in the mix. Grateful to be alongside you men today and always a privilege to lead.

    YHC is often reminded of the repetitive nature of the “returning to the Father “ portion of this parable. So easy to get bogged down the moment we return to the ole pig pen especially when you have been there sooo much the pigs know you by name. But there is such deep consolation of knowing that even as we tire in repetitive sin our Fathers endless mercy is always waiting.

    SYITG
    Paradox

  • DAT DAWG – from Paradox

    7 dawgs at the stage today on a relatively cool May morning.

    We had a smooth purebred Pit always ready to roll. A local German shepherd with a huge litter of puppies brought in the coups. A young French bulldog living the summer lyfe and looking for a fight. An aged and scholarly golden retriever who can still retrieve after he gets his paws stretched. A north La bred bull mastiff who showed up purely for raw steak and Merkins. Rounded out by a greyhound who ran all the way from his kennel in Bourg. A variety of breeds from far and wide but today they were all looking to be Dat Dawg ….

    Duke! stop trying to recreate sweat stains and get the footage!!

    YHC recently saw F3 Nola’s Hawgcycle (still a mystery how to pronounce this) post that his daughter would be following in his shoeless footsteps and raising money for the Special Olympics by running 1 mile a day for 2023. If you had asked a 12 year old YHC to run a single mile I would have had a hard time penciling you in my booked schedule of Cheetos and GoldenEye so I was floored by this effort and knew we had to rally our bayou pax to support.

    Thus DAT DAWG was born …

    Warmup

    The usuals with some extra reps after an intense Diddle VQ yesterday.

    Like any veteran Dawg, ole Jeaux could smell the intensity in the air. A prolonged warmup , a call for BAPS, surrounded by Dox cones. I could see him working through his Rolodex of fartsack excuses but it was too late .

    We grabbed coupons and headed to the Junkyard.

    YHC explained todays cause and that we would pledge $ for each lap completed.

    YHC then took the pax through a tour of the rough 1/2 mile long obstacle course:

    10 coupon curls , run to next cone
    10 big boys Nur to next cone
    10 merkins bearcrawl the pylon thingys and then roughly 60 yard stretch then more pylons. If a car passes you gotta bark (Merkin) . 10 more merkins on the other side. Run to stage.
    10 box jumps and karaoke to bumper
    1 suicide then sprint to junkyard
    10 burpees then mark your territory (chalk )

    Format: Most Laps complete OR the pax in the lead at the end of 30 minutes would be declared ..

    DAT DAWG.

    Notes:

    -Merkins , bearcrawl , merkins continues to be a recipe for success and YJ had such an accurate bark impression I had to double check it wasn’t an actual wild dog.
    -Horn broke another Coupon and is 1 away from joining TreeRoot in the bayou. RIP
    -Several pax pushing the limit of cardio exertion , it was beautiful.
    -BAPs brought the absolute thunder.
    -Ole hC Tana got caught in a late Pickle fartsack and one hateth to lay eyes on such a thing.

    When the dust settled at 5:59 to no one’s surprise Goose was charging up 4.5 laps with Ronnie close on his heels.
    Both displaying beastly inner DAWG.

    YHC called it and presented Goose with the first DAT DAWG chain. (Must see pics)

    It will serve as our “break in case of charitable event “ trophy. If the chips are down or a worthy cause is in need then you can call on DAT DAWG for fast support.

    In all we completed 26 laps of DAT DAWG as a PAX and raised a nice chunk for an excellent cause.

    COT and dat ole dawg Yankee Jeaux prayed us out.

    An honor to lead this pack of Dawgs today .

    SYITG

    Dox

  • Show and Tell – from Paradox

    Have you ever seen an erupting volcano as the sun rises? How about a man changing a baby diaper while his friends surround him doing coupon curls? Still no? Surely you’ve seen a priest sprint on a malfunctioning treadmill then? A smoothly operated food fight? Hmmm seems like you should really re-evaluate your bucket list. Wellll 5 pax gathered on an especially humid bayou morning and were ready to give their best performances and embrace their talents.

    Duke, get the footage but you can’t use words!!

    Warm up

    Standard warmup and we have reached the humidity level of…checks notes…swamp butt after imperial walkers. Hello Summer.
    Bumper stop sign mosey discussing all things fireman’s fair. I’ll get those boudin egg rolls next year , I promise.

    BigBoyORiley

    Took the F3 traditional IW and swapped out for big boys for the whole song . Goose again provided QIC wisdom by bringing Yoda Mat and it only took two minutes of Baba for YHC and Tap to be clinging on it sideways like Rose and Jack at the end of Titanic. “I’ll never let go Tap !! “

    The 2.0 Remix

    Introduced a new segment due to my daughter really sharing in the creative beatdown process recently. (Never been more proud. ) After 2 years of hearing her old man say “this would be a great F3 song “ she has tuned her own ears to catch pain inducing jamz. During a recent Nintendo Wiii Dance session we heard Fatboy slims “JinGoLoBa” and she knew it was certified platinum pain. So courtesy of Evelynn the pax did coupon quick steps with air raises on all versions of JinGoLoBa. This heated up quickly and checked both my indicators of a good F3 song: Cardinal hated it and Goose questioned its origins so he could prevent future occurrences. Thus cementing 2.0 Remix as a mainstay in YHC beatdowns. Bring the pain DJ E!

    The Main Thang a Lang

    F3 Cranium

    Been tinkering in the beatdown lab with versions of this and gave it a try today.

    1 pax pick from bag
    3 options in bag:
    Charades, Pictionary , hum a tune

    Pax do curls or big boys for 30 seconds
    1 pax performs while we guess with 30 seconds on clock
    Correct – we move on with track mosey in between each round
    Incorrect – 10 burpees

    We witnessed….

    An Erupting Goose volcano
    A smooth Lifeguard
    Cardinal on a Treadmill (a first ?)
    Failed Black hole (attempted picture)
    Tap Applying sunscreen
    Food fight
    Goose Walking in Sunshine (tune )
    Taps Lions in the Jungle (tune )

    Prolly missing a few but I was impressed with the pax charade skills. The humidity zapped any hope of Pictionary so we can literally not go back to the drawing board but charades and hum that tune provided sufficient work. Highlights were Gooses volcano face looking just like one of his 2.0s having a tantrum and Smooths most laid back food fight in the history of food fights. Overall some great performances to distract us from the monotonous big boys and curls.

    Wrapped up with Proud Mary
    Big boys on Rolling
    Assorted Abs on rest

    COT and Tap prayed us out.

    Grateful for the men that makeup F3 and to start the week with equal parts fun and hard work .

    NMM

    During the recent Monsoon 5k one of our distraction conversations was about personality tests and Goose told us about a recent leadership consultation where the different types of working genius are all broken down. (6 types of Working Genius , see link below) . It made me think about playing cranium as a kid and how even early on you can see people’s God given talents flow naturally. It lead to my own reflection of how to use my own strengths for service but also when to recognize that I’ve waded into the waters of my own weaknesses. I’ll leave you with that as todays pax challenge: embrace your God given strengths, recognize your weaknesses and put them both forward for service.

    SYITG
    Paradox

    https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/6typesofworkinggenius

    https://www.workinggenius.com

    May Challenge Estimate rep totals :
    2 miles run
    100 curls
    200 big boys

  • On the Road Again – from Paradox

    Well Im running down the road trying to loosen my load , I got 7 Pax on my mind. 4 that wanna own me, 2 that wanna stone me and one says he’s a friend of mine!

    Come on Yankeeeeee, don’t say maybe!

    I gotta know if His sweet love is gonna Save me!

    We may lose and we may win
    But we will never be here again
    So let’s warm up , mountain climbin in and take it easy…

    Duke! Get the footage and plug Bucees into the gps
    It’s time to hit the road. (Jack)

    Today YHC wanted to kickoff the Easter season through one of my favorite resurrection stories : The Road to Emmaus
    It gives such a different perspective from two disciples heading home from Jerusalem and highlights many of YHCs struggles like expectations and contentment.

    7 strong at the stage with really fine cool spring weather, perfect for making music with my friends.

    Warmup
    The usuals and a bumper mosey with mild to moderate chatter including Tana (welcome back Kotter) in full blown insubordination and Kilo wasting no time tweaking the Qs transitions after missing roughly the last 97 beat downs. The man has clearly been keeping his knives sharp during the layoff. Even a seasoned Q questioner like Goose could respect the effort. T-claps. Most other notable chatter surrounding the incredible confirmation cookout for two of our pax last night and the unbridled power of 50 plus kids.

    To set the stage and mindset of these disciples we got started with a little F3 classic Flowers by Moby
    They brought Christ up and then down and they thought he left them to weap and moan….
    Alternate squats and Leg Raise.
    Always a joy Moby.

    Mosey to the yet to be named Finance Office lot where we tested out the fresh pavement with our first Gospel trivia.

    How many miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus?
    The pax overshot at 14 and paid with 10 oyo burpees

    A little trivia interlude with “On the Road Again “ by Willie Nelson.
    Rocky Balboas on parking bumper during song , burpee on Road . Ronnie with a JBL sponsored BreakOut Performance hitting some groovy rhythm looking like a young Travolta out there. Must have been a few drops of Jucifer left in the tank.

    Second trivia round where pax correctly guessed the Gospel of Luke and reduced the reps to 5 burpees .

    Mosey To Corner of Richmans loop

    Trivia 3 where YJ quickly answered Cleopas as the named disciple and not to be confused with YHCs uncle Clofas who always lets you know that “he knows his rights “

    For the remainder of the beatdown we ran the “big track “ with intermittent excerpts from the Road to Emmaus as our ten counts.
    We completed dry docks, Australian angels , and SSH in increasing fashion on the corners.

    Lastly, hopefully inspired by the disciples revelation, we made an all out push for the flag in running fashion as we left our own beatdown expectations behind. Great effort to push through the pain together here.

    Goose handed down the coveted Animal shirt and YHC is already doing hallway merkins to make sure the threads are peak strain on Thursday.

    COT and Kilo prayed us out.

    Tremendous gratitude for all God is providing in this community .

    NMM

    Sometimes YHC really pumps up my own expectations and discontent leading to further chaos and an endless search for the “greener pasture “. The story of the road to Emmaus always reminds me of how we can look back and see what God placed all around us even when we were too busy to see it unfold.

    With our own plans the sounds of our own wheels can drive us crazy! So lighten up while you still can. Don’t even try to understand. Just find a place to make a stand and take it easyyyyy!

    That’s all I have to say about that

    See y’all on that gloomy Road

    Dox

  • Dare You to Move – from Paradox

    F3 Thibodaux tradition dictates that the Holy Week beatdowns crank the intensity on a few levels. On Saturday YHC jumped on an empty Q slot , laid a blueprint, and when I took a step back it was …well, we’ll just say it was a little too heavy. I thought “well I’ll just let that simmer and maybe the lightness will find a way.”
    I then talked with Cardinal (our EH specialist) on Sunday who told me about a new potential FNG he knows from the office of parish support.
    “This guy is perfect “ he said. “He checks all the boxes, Lives in the settlement , natural leader, strong faith, tall and used to be athletic. Was actually in the NBA D league until he had 47 kids. Best known for telling guys who fouled out that he would pray for them. His wife says he just needs some friends and a hobby ya know”

    Perfect ! This is just what we need for Monday. So I routed our warmup mosey to his house and we took a 0.8 mile run to start the beatdown , dropped off the F3 Thibodaux FNG brochure and patted our selves on the back . Mission accomplished!

    Just remember that ole saying kids …Hell hath no fury like a Yankee Jeaux scorned !

    Duke!! It’s Holy Week
    Roll the footage !

    Abbreviated warmup so we had time for our mission.

    Thang 1
    Leave Jerusalem-Then Return

    After returning from a successful FNG visit we Moseyed to Richman Loop on the straight away

    Return with our burdens , shoulder them together

    1 Pax lunge walk with ole hickory to a cone about 20 yards apart
    Rest of Pax mosey ahead to next cone to begin an exercise with lunge as timer.

    SSH
    Merkins
    Coupon OHP
    Med Ball Slams

    Solid cardio/muscle mix here and the Temple cleansing slamball is the best therapy on the market.
    We discussed Whoop/F3 partnerships and Enron showed us all proper Ole Hickory lunge form. A bold move with sheriff Form present but no sirens needed today.

    Mosey back to Stage with our burdens for a few songs to get us in the right mind for Holy Week.

    While I’m waiting -John Waller
    Donkey Kicks in waiting
    Plank for rest

    Dare you to move -switch foot
    Step ups
    Incline merkins on Dare

    COT and Enron Prayed Us Out

    Special intentions for the family of the local officer killed in the line of duty.

    NMM

    Roughly 20 months ago I was home from the wellness center telling my M I was once again “done with the gym”
    I couldn’t sit in an air conditioned building on the treadmill another minute watching reruns of Supernatural then do two reps of bench press and head home. I could do the workout DVDs again but that felt stale. Just so much missing . I was really stuck.

    Fast forward to April 3 2023

    At 5:15 this morning I met 4 other men while wearing a women’s small tank top after enlisting another man to also wear women’s clothing so we could run to another man’s house and enshrine him as King FartSack (which is only humorous because he’s our fearless leader and directly or indirectly he EH’d us all and never misses) plant a sign, take selfies and run back and that was a “warmup”!

    All these men I consider brothers who would be there for me or my family at moments notice.
    All this , from one of these men who made a single phone call to share this gift. This small gesture , a phone call and an invite, truly changed the course of my life and
    I’m constantly reminded that we have these opportunities daily. One smile, one invite, one shared story can be the spark for someone’s dwindling fire.
    The task for myself and our pax this week is to lean into the gospels message, let it transform you and let God lead you into those opportunities for connection and service.

    Dare you to move

    SYITG
    PDox