F3 New Orleans

Tag: The Gipper

  • 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!

  • May Day

    At the zenith of the Cold War, the Soviet Union and its satellite states held May Day parades every May 1st to demonstrate their military might for the Free World to contemplate. Fortunately for those of us old enough to remember school time nuclear war drills in which we learned laughably to take shelter under our desks, the threat never materialized. That didn’t stop the Northshore Cold Warriors from celebrating May Day this morning, however.

    After a warmup of Seal Jacks, Good Mornings, SSHs, Windmills and Imperial Walker Squats, the PAX mosied over to Bedrock for

    19 Romanian Deadlifts with a nice sized rock

    then to the Justice Center for

    19 Bulgarian Split Squats each leg and 89 Russian Twists IC

    all to celebrate 1989, the year the Berlin Wall crumbled.

    The PAX then mosied to the front of the Justice Center to partner up for some BOMBS; that is, 50 burpees, 100 OH hand claps, 150 merkins, 200 big boy sit ups, and 250 air squats…one partner performing exercises while the other ran up the ramp and down the stairs to relieve his partner.

    Appropriately, the PAX finishing first performed isometric Wall sits instead of planks.

    Next, we made our way to the Veterans Memorial for a plank parade, lateral plank walking the Memorial semi circle there and back.

    Back to The Gipper, who certainly played his part in the collapse of the Evil Empire, to close things out with a countorama, nameorama and prayer.

    Happy May Day men and God Bless America!

  • Gipper It

    It was said that Ronal Reagan loved jelly beans, and kept a jar of them on his desk in the oval office.

    Strolling up to the A.O., looking up at the statue of R.R., one has to wonder if all of the carnuaba wax in those jelly beans contibuted to….

    Anyways, it was a beautiful post-Easter day to work off the candy consumption. And here is how it went:

    Warm-up: all 20xIC; toe-touches, good mornings, imperial walkers, arm circles, ss hops, high knees, seal jacks, butt kicks, smurf jacks

    Mosey to justice center parking

    Lunge walk, backwards halfway, then sprint the other half…repeat to the upper deck.

    For the main event: we did 10 burpees, 10 merkins, 10 sit-ups, sprint 300 feet. Repeat in decending order 9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1. For a total of 55 burpees, 55 merkins, 55 sit-ups, and 9 sprints.

    Mosey to the N.E. corner of the upper deck, do an exercise-then run a loop across the deck-down the stairs-then up the ramp – repeat four times.

    Mosey back to the flag. Moby strolls up with his pet cat

    Bush Wacker prays us out.

    And, welcome Cowbell, hope you enjoy the Northshore PAX

    postscript; Jelly Belly makes an interesting assortment of flavored jelly beans – even a coconut one.

  • Easter is Coming

    Having conquered the trail on their trip to the Olympic Park in Conyers, Georgia, a trio of Ragnarians returned to The Gipper this morning for a beat down. Expecting a running adverse Q named Maverick, the PAX were crestfallen to learn that Maverick had taken ill and had roped YHC into “running” the show. Not sure what got into him, but YHC took mercy on the Ragnarians and uncharacteristically kept the running to a relative minimum while focusing on agility, strength and balance instead.

    After a warmup of Imperial Squat Walkers (10x IC), Seal Jacks (20x IC), Windmills (10x IC), Imperial Walkers (20x IC), Toe Touches (10x IC), and SSHs (20x IC), the PAX moseyed over to the Justice Center.

    With a starting line about 30 yards from the Justice Center stairs, the PAX executed the following agility sequences flawlessly: run there and back at 60%; run there at 70% and return walking down the stairs backwards with a back pedal back to the starting line; backpedal there and run 70% back to the start; crossover run there and back both directions; carioca there and bunny hop each stair to the top of the stairs then bunny hop down and carioca back; repeat facing the other direction; shuffle ten yards, reverse direction shuffle for five and then run at 95% to the top of the stairs; and finally repeat facing the opposite direction with a 100% run. (YHC didn’t say there would be NO running, just “not that much”).

    Recovery walk to the side of the Justice Center to partner up for wheelbarrows…out for 20 yards or so then switch up and return.

    Mosey to the front of the Justice Center and circle up for: T Merkins, Nolan Ryans each side, long slow flutter kicks, copperhead Merkins, dynamic side hip planks each side, Freddy Mercury’s, Merkins, jackknives each side and finally A-B-C-D abs, all 10x IC.

    Mosey to Bedrock on our way back to the Shovel Flag for some coupon work. Partner up for torso twists with the coupon one direction for 10x OYO, then opposite direction 10x OYO, then over unders 5x OYO each direction, then rinse and repeat the torso twists.

    Final mosey to The Gipper for the Causeway sobriety balance challenge. A good parlor trick as it is much harder than it appears.

    Countorama, nameorama, and Einstein prayed us out.

    Thanks for letting me lead this morning guys and here’s hoping Maverick, Coconuts, Tanked Up! and Moby Dick conquer their respective illnesses and injuries so they can return to The Gipper soon.

  • AKA, Patiently-Waiting Penny

    For the nearly three years that we’ve been coming to the Justice Center parking garage, she has been there.  Waiting, presumably, to clock in across the street.  But why two hours before?  Where does she come from?  What is she doing on her phone for two hours?  And why the heck does she leave her car running even in the greatest of weather?

    These questions and many more may never be answered.  And that is as it should be.  For Patiently Waiting Penny (AKA, Smartphone Stalking Suzie, Carbon Monoxide Camille, Facebooking Fanny) is an enigma and should remain one – something for the PAX to ponder as we  shuffle backwards up the parking ramp.  As such, a portion of today’s beatdown was dedicated to our most ardent, yet involuntary, fan.

    Warmorama: 

    Arm circles x15, toe touches x15, IW’s x15, Abe Vigodas x10, air presses x25, SSH’s x20, all IC.

    The Thang:

    Started with a mosey to the Taj, to do a riff on last week’s parking garage exercise: the pax is divided in two, with each half headed in opposing directions around the building.  Bunny hop the east/west sides, bear crawl north/south.  At the meeting point on the opposite side, we did 8-count bodybuilders 10x.  Head back the same way, and did another 8-count exercise, absolution.

    Next up, mosey to the bottom of the parking garage for a SCOP (semi-circle of pain): The Penny.  The Penny consists of the stupidest and most awkward-looking exercises in the exicon.  These are the exercises that are not suitable for the public eye.  But of course, with the amount of time Patiently-Waiting Penny has already put in with the Pax, she is practically one of us.  So we opened our circle to her and performed the following:

    • Goofballs x20 IC
    • Smurf Jacks x20 IC
    • Star Jacks x20 IC (look out PAX, YHC has a new favorite!)
    • Howling Monkeys (each man performs 10X IC monkey humpers while the PAX holds their ankles)
    • Wife Pleasers x20 IC
    • Hello Dollies x20 IC
    • Rosalitas x20 IC
    • Pattycake Merkins x20 OYO

    Having amused YHC, we moseyed (then sprinted) up to the top, where we then began a Bataan Death March.  Well, more of a Bataan Death Loop as we circled until each man got his burpees and sprints in.  Then a short Indian run back to the flag for…

    Mary:  Crunchy frogs, flutter kicks, and Freddie Mercuries, all x20 IC

    COT and Shooter prayed us out.  Thank you gentlemen for the push and for indulging me today’s lead –  I appreciate it!

  • I Am Groot-er!!!

    YHC walked up to the flag and waited for the overachievers to make their way back from their run, and as that infamous group rolled in there was one notable absentee. Shooter was not among the Mandeville crew and he was the one that was supposed to be the Q!

    It turns out that Shooter had one great reason to be out. His daughter was in the hospital about to make Shooter a grandpa!!! Grandpa Shooter, or what I would like to call him “Grooter”! I hope all is well in the family my friend.

    With the Q understandably out, we all chipped in for a round robin beatdown!

    Warmup

    Bushwacker picked up the torch first and warmed us up with some different items all IC

    Toe Touches
    Cherry pickers
    High Knees
    Butt Kicks
    Scorpion Kicks

    Bushwacker threw down the torch and Steve picked it up and we moseyed to the Justice center stairs

    The Thang

    Steve pulled out his favorite bag of tricks starting with 11’s. Bottom of the stairs was erkens, and top of the stairs was derkens.

    We then did a series of moves all IC to 12.

    Step ups (both right and left leg)
    Freak Nasties
    Albanian Split Squats (both right and left leg)
    Freak Nasties

    Turbo was next and he had some diabolical plans in the tank. We moseyed to the top of the parking garage and partnered up for a series where we traveled to opposite sides of the garage (either in side plank crawls, lunges, crab walks, or bear crawls) and went down to the bottom of the stairs and back up until you met your partner back up top.

    Killer idea there Turbo!

    Next YHC took the final leg and took us back to the Justice center where we did a yet to be named sequence where you cover a distance by taking two lunges forward and one lunge back. Tough stuff.

    We moseyed back to the flag for a quick 20 IC reverse crunches. We circled up and Bushwacker closed us out.

    Great job everyone!

  • Shooter Blanks

    YHC cannot remember the last time Shooter fartsacked a Gipper beat down. In fact, it just may be that today was the first time. The PAX nevertheless had to press on in the not so gloomy Gloom, wondering what Shooter was up to early this Spring Equinox morning.

    With some trepidation, YHC rolled out on a mosey in an unaccustomed direction at the opening bell. Trepidation because we were sure to miss those PAX who typically roll in hot. Not to mention any names but let’s just say we didn’t want to miss those PAX whose names rhyme with Bundy and Baverick. They fartsacked by all appearances but, if not, they hopefully will post their own back blast(s) to fill the rest of us in on their activities.

    Enough about fartsacking. The beat down went like this:

    Mosey to the St Tammany Parish WWI memorial for our warmup of SSHs, woodchoppers, overhead hand claps and good mornings, all IC 10-15x.

    Mosey to Christ Episcopal Church for a set of 7s. Bobby Hurleys on one side, butt kicks on the other, separated by bear crawls one direction and crab walks on the return.

    Short mosey to the entrance to Bogue Falaya Park for some sprinting and change of direction drills that looked like this:

    Round 1: sprint 10 yards, backpedal 10 yards, then sprint 20 yards

    Round 2: backpedal 10 yards, sprint 10 yards, then backpedal 20 yards

    Round 3: shuffle 10 yards, shuffle back to the start line 10 yards, then turn and sprint 20 yards

    Round 4: rinse and repeat Round 3 facing the opposite direction

    Round 5: rinse and repeat Round 1; last round best round

    Then the PAX moseyed to the Columbia Street Landing for a plank-a-thon: merkins, Peter Parkers, Parker Peters, plank jacks, right arm high, left arm high, shoulder taps, right arm high, left arm high, then one arm pulses each arm before heading back towards the Trailhead on a mosey

    Sudden change on the way

    Then the PAX closed out the beat down with Mary consisting of dynamic side planks, straight legged jackknives, dynamic back plank, and flutter kicks.

    Countorama, nameorama and Barely Legal prayed us out to start the day.

    Thanks for letting me lead guys. YHC always appreciates you playing along with the monkey business.

  • Sub freezing Super 21

    YHC arrived at the Gipper with an entire workout planned with my girlfriend Sandy. But since the temperature was a balmy 30 degrees with high humidity, the mandeville usuals took a well deserved day off. With only 5 men by the time 6AM rolled around, the Q had to call an audible and save the original beatdown for another date. I got an earful from Sandy in the car on the way back about dragging her out of bed. She might hit the ice cream extra hard and put on another 5 pounds.

    After a warmup of seal Jacks, arm circles, high knees, and butt kicks we moved on to the beatdown.

    With the original workout scrapped, YHC called upon an old faithful workout you can summon in a pinch. A super 21!!!

    Start 1 rep each of Merkins, Plank Jack’s, Shoulder Taps (2 count), and LBCs and do a lap around the perimeter of the gipper. Upon returning you do 2 reps of all of those exercises and then take another lap. Rinse and repeat until you get to 21 reps of each exercise. Blackjack!

    That workout always gets the blood flowing and somehow we were all breaking a sweat in that freezing temperature. After we finished we had a few minutes left where we did some leg work and then some mary.

    We circled it up and Jose 10katie closed us out.

    It’s an honor to lead gentlemen. Thanks for being a continual reminder of what it looks like to seize each new day.

    Over and out. Grundy

  • Pre-thang, Shme-thang

    As the clock runs out on February, YHC happily bids adieu to RRR and all pre-thangs associated with it. With only a day left, the Gipper’s 1 mile run wasn’t terrible, but some secret, John-Hancock-related activity beforehand did leave us a bit behind schedule and, at 0601, we were rightfully greeted back at the flag with a, “Nice of you men to show up.”

    In an attempt to retroactively ‘respect the time,’ YHC took it upon himself (myself? this YHC thing continues to confuse me…) to pack in as much into the remaining 44 minutes as possible. That said, we quickly jumped into…

    Warmorama: Abe Vigodas, Good Mornings, ISW’s, all 10x IC, 20 OYO merkins, and SSH 25x IC.

    The Thang: Then a quick mosey over to the back of the courthouse for an AMRAP routine: 10x merkins, 10x freak nasties, up the stairs, 10x groiners, then run the perimeter of the courthouse parking lot to the start to begin again. About 10 mins later, onto the second portion of today’s thang…

    The Bruce Lee. YHC has never seen Bruce Lee’s most famous movie, Enter The Dragon, but I have seen The Way of the Dragon, which features an epic fight between Bruce and a young Chuck Norris, with Rome as the backdrop and a small kitten as the sole spectator. There’s a lot to love in this fight sequence, including a weirdly prolonged moment of both men removing their shirts, a moment where Bruce rips out a handful of Chuck’s chest hair, and some crazy push-ins on the aforementioned cat. Oh, and there’s also some of the best martial arts in there as well. Anyhow, Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris never met Turbo Tax, so to call this one of the best fights ever may be a tad premature. But it’s pretty good nonetheless.

    So the Bruce Lee. Wacker introduced us to this a while back and, as YHC wanted nothing to do with legs, core seemed like the only decent substitute. 10x IC of Putins, Leg Raises, LBC’s, Heel Touches, Crunchy Frogs, and 100’s. 30 seconds rest between sets, we went 4 rounds.

    Mosey up the parking garage to do the fastest Burp-back Mountain on record. Partner up, partner 1 backpedaling the ramp and jogging back down, while partner 2 starts on the cumulative burpees until they reach 50x.

    Back to the flag right in time for countoff, announcement of Tanked Up’s upcoming birthday, and Ringo prayed us out. Thank you men for following my lead and helping to make us all better and stronger!

  • What the Bleep

    What the Bleep

    CONDITIONS

    Weather.com predicted a 100% chance of rain, but the conditions are always cozy in the “Hall of Justice” parking structure. #ThanksParishTaxPayers

    DISCLAIMER

    YHC forgot the disclaimer. I don’t remember any major injuries, so I think it’s a “no harm, no foul” situation. #Don’tSueMyMalpracticeInsuranceHasLapsed

    THE WARM UP

    All exercises done IC, or in cadence-ish. YHC’s counts were so far off, it was a miracle the assembled PAX didn’t disband then and there.

    • Split jacks X15
    • Toe touches X10
    • Abe Vigodas X10
    • Ray Finkles X10
    • Steve Earles Copper head squat finished with hill billy X 10

    THE THANG PART 1: Bleeping beep test


    After warming-up the PAX moseyed to the parking garage at the “Hall of Justice.” Lo, and behold, the magical, beatdown elves had already set up cones precisely 20 meters apart, so it was only natural for the PAX to test themselves against that grueling, gym class, fitness benchmark: the beep test, a.k.a the bleep test a.k.a the multi-stage fitness test, or in F3 lingo, Highlander.

    9 PAX lined up and started running, as the sadistic, electronic tones of the test app, beeped faster and faster. The PAX did fantastic and displayed the fitness levels and VO2 maxes of a bunch of doped up Lance Armstrongs. Whenever a PAX bowed out of the beep test, they kept getting stronger by doing sequences of merkins, squats and LBC’s.
    TClaps to Turbo who was the last bleeping man standing after the rounds of the test had progressed well into double-digits.

    We all know, Turbo could have kept racing the beeps all morning, but he threw in the towel to give the PAX a break from doing Merkins.

    THE THANG PART 2: Play that funky music till you die

    Since the speaker was already set up for the beep test, PAX hung around for three consecutive music driven workout routines.

    • “Bodies” by Drowning Pool 3:21 – Plank through song with donkey kicks and merkins mixed in
    • “Baba O’Riley” by the Who 5:00 – Imperial Walkers for what feels like a lifetime
    • “Tubthumping” by Chumbawumba 3:33 – SSH plus 27 burpees
    Rumor has it that Einstien sure plays a mean, pin ball.

    MOLESKIN

    Well done, F3 bros. Props to Bushwhacker for helping the PAX to clean up the parking garage, because our brother knows that “every day is earth day.” #CaptainCore.

    CountORama, NameORama, and COT

    YHC prayed us out.

    Thanks F3-bros, for the fellowship, the beatdowns and for being willing to follow my lead.