F3 New Orleans

Tag: Yankee Joe

  • “No disciple is [allowed to be] above his teacher.” – from Goose

    8 strong for Tuesday Tuff this morning, including a highly touted FNG who both serves Tana his daily brew and is served by Yankee Joe in the classroom. Tana noticed his truck pulling in with his eagle-salesman eyes, and so we did side straddle hops as we waited for him to make a lap around the neighborhood before coming back and pulling into the parking lot. Thankfully, YJ was in the road, prepared to physically stop his truck and move it into a parking space rather than allow him to take another lap.

    Warmup consisted of the usual things YHC needs to avoid old man injuries (all 20-count; can’t risk it) plus some high knees, butt kicks, and mountain climbers to kickstart the cardio system in preparation for an all out Merkin Mile.
    Manscape, the new leader of F3 Lake Charles had called out YHC late last week with a time to beat on the Merkin Mile since YHC introduced to them earlier this month. So, unable to back down from the challenge, and seeing the opportunity to measure growth amongst the PAX, we started the morning with a Merkin Mile for time. We went all out, pushing as hard as we could, and took stock of our time so that we could return to it in the coming weeks to track improvement…and, so YHC could put the bar higher than Manscape could reach, at least for a while. Knowing him, he’ll crush it soon enough, but I’ll ride the glory till then. Or, at least I thought I would…

    YHC got off to a good start, cruising beyond the rest of the PAX to a distance that felt like a comfortable lead. But, as we began the turn up through the alley behind the townhomes, I could hear footsteps getting closer. Was it Enron with his little brother superpowers, able to push beyond normal human limitations to beat whoever’s on top? Or was it Paradox, who is superhumanly motivated by any opportunity to push YHC’s buttons? As it turns out, it had nothing to do with YHC–it was Yankee Joe, the curmudgeonly GroupMe troll who is often heard complaining about how he just can’t seem to make progress the way the rest of us seem to, how he just gets too tired too quickly because he’s so darn old. And, yet, there he went, not only passing YHC, but continually increasing the distance all the way back to the flag. His motivation became clear as FNG Parker passed me not too far behind him and stayed right on his heels for the rest of the mile. His form was impeccable, and YHC should have known something was coming when he strapped on his Ralph Macchio headband pre-run. YJ, who didn’t know he had a second gear, also didn’t know he had a third gear, apparently, and that it would only be revealed when his professorly dignity was at stake. Either that, or he’s got the supernatural capacity to pour himself out for his students and loves to have a front seat to see them at their best; though, that sounds a little dramatic.
    Regardless, YHC was proud to see all the PAX pushing harder than usual this morning, and figured they earned a couple of 10-counts before the next movement:

    Song: “Jump” by Van Halen
    Hold a version of plank for the duration, and perform a groiner to jump up (top half of a burpee) at every “jump”. First verse–high plank. Second verse–elbow/chill-cut plank. Guitar/synth solo–Mission Impossible plank (this lasted about 15 minutes).

    Next, it was on to a classic Dora 1, 2, 3. YHC realized we hadn’t done one of these in a while, whereas they used to be a staple, so it was good to get back into it. Partnered up to split duty on the following (Partner 1 chipped away at the rep totals while Parter 2 ran a lap around the sidewalk track): 100 airplanes (1:1–alternating side plank with arm up in the sky), 200 Freddy Mercurys (2:1), and 300 Apolo Onos (1:1).
    While Yankee Joe focused again on running faster than everyone else, the rest of the PAX hammered diligently away at their reps and tried not to trip each other during the Onos. With about a minute left and most of the PAX done, YHC called it for a final minute of high plank and mumblechatter before recovering for COT.

    We took a nice, long time to come up with a name for the FNG, but “French Horn” eventually took the prize. Though it doesn’t have a great, creative backstory, it sounds like a solid F3 name (random, not super flattering), so YHC couldn’t pass it up. We definitely look forward to seeing more of French Horn!

    Announcements, prayer intentions, and Tana prayed us out. Awesome morning, fellas! Thanks for being part of this amazing brotherhood!

    SYITG,
    Goose

  • Mellow Monday w/ Montana – from Wiford Montana

    I often try to use the space of F3 as a place to break down my muscles in order to grow them but today, today was a day to do that but something more. This q was to be real, connect, and hopefully show that thru a group of like minded people coupled with the love, strength, and mercy of our Lord Jesus we can become strong in many facets. Not only that but when we struggle with whatever it is we have a network, a common goal, a place to grow. Mellow Monday with Montana was set to begin.
    Warm-o-Rama:
    3 stretches then we churned out a mile on rich man loop.

    The journey of Pro shop Barry:
    Leaving Vandy I was an atheist looking for only self discovery and meaning of life. Was wondering in my “dessert” discovering, I would be willing to bet I have seen more pounds of weed than every pax combined, but I can say this much like all things of the world, they have their short term gains but no matter how much of a short term pleasure they just fall short.

    1st Song: Simmer Down by Bob Marley Thruster on Simmer Down and random “Goblin Squats” through out.

    2nd Song: Exodus (all present were on the true Exodus) by Bob
    Burpees on Exodus and Movement
    68 in total

    Then YHC passed around picture of Pro shop Barry, he was 2 links of boudin away from hitting 3bills
    “Tana killed proshop Barry, he dead now”
    Picture ripped up and we talked about whatever struggle or addiction you can turn to God anytime, and shared I accepted Jesus Sept. 18 2008 centered around 2Cor. 3:3

    3rd Song: Break every Chain- Jesus Culture
    BBS or V-up on power
    Merkin on Break every chain
    Coupon swing and man makers sprinkled in

    Closed out with a quick mile ish and then COT and Dilly prayed us out

    Appreciate each one of you and great work Pax

  • “What We Obtain too Cheap, We Esteem too Lightly” – from Yankee Joe

    “Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” – Thomas Paine

    Warmarama
    – SSHs
    – Abe Vigodas (slow windmills)
    – Knoxville cherry pickers
    – Willy Mays Hayes
    – Arm circles
    – Air squats
    – Mountain Climbers

    —————————————
    Part 1: Freedom

    Earlier this week, my oldest daughter, Evelyn Grace (6 yrs old) came home with a kindergarten assignment to write two sentences with the prompt:

    “In my opinion, freedom means…”

    My wife and I were surprised by how difficult it was to explain the concept to her. Most likely because as a six year old, she only understands the dictatorship she currently is living under. But, like any warm blooded American Dad hypocrite, that got me thinking about my own opinion about the meaning of freedom. This beatdown/backblast represents my humble attempt to do just that.

    On this day in 1789, George Washington was unanimously elected as first president of our great nation. I think my intention was to create a theme, any theme, but after some time, I was simply force feeding exercises into historical contexts. It was sloppy and disingenuous. It felt too important. I was stumped.

    As I was abandoning the idea, I started thinking about our independence. I started thinking about what kind of desperate level of crazy it must have taken to, in presumably sound mind, collectively decide to take on the most powerful military (army and navy) power on earth.

    Can you imagine the scene?!?

    Ben Franklin (who was 70 at the time): “Let’s fight Britain.”

    Thomas Jefferson: “Seriously, Ben, go back to sleep.”

    (Sam Adams is off in the corner getting sloshed)

    John Hancock: “Oooh, oooh, oooh…and we can sign something???”

    —————————————–
    Mini Bootcamp Training

    – 20 Imperial Squat walkers
    – 10 triple Merkin, triple jump burpees
    – 10 P2J2s (8ct…2 plank jacks, 2 chillcut peter parker’s, 2 j-los 1:1, 2 pickle pounders = 1 rep)

    ——————————————–
    Part 2: Reality Sets In

    Of course, John Hancock would have that opportunity, and soon King George sent a 32,000 man expeditionary force to the colonies, including 30,000 Hessian mercenaries. Within a short time, the northern strongholds, including New Jersey and New York, had all been taken, and the British viewed the situation as an easily squashed uprising. Indeed, the original force of 23,000 Regulars under the command of Washington had dwindled by December 1776 to nearly 3,000 poorly trained, poorly provisioned men through desertions, disease, and expired enlistments.

    It was all but over.

    Washington, who had nothing like a stellar military record, was perhaps more importantly, an ingenious marketer and effective motivator. The consensus of his councils was that they desperately needed a victory or it would be over within weeks. In fact, the rest of the regular soldiers’ enlistments ended on December 31st.

    At about the same time, another propaganda machine kicked into high gear. Thomas Paine, the author of Common Sense, wrote a letter to the public called the American Crisis. It, along with the small victories in early 1777, are credited with turning the tide of morale and public support of fighting for independence.

    December 23, 1776

    THESE are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.

    Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value.

    Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.

    Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to TAX) but “to BIND us in ALL CASES WHATSOEVER” and if being bound in that manner, is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth. Even the expression is impious; for so unlimited a power can belong only to God.

    —————————————–
    The Thang:

    – P1 Chillcut peter parker’s (aim for 50); P2 block and bear to marker (30 yards), rifle carry back; flapjack
    – P1 & P2 spiderman crawl to marker; crawl bear back
    —
    – P1 J-Lo’s (aim for 50); P2 murderbunny to marker, redrum return; flapjack
    – P1 & P2 sprint (one with coupon, other with bricks); flapjack

    ————————————–
    Part 3: We Must Go On?

    A couple of days later on Christmas night, Washington took 2,400 men at three launch points across the Delaware. The temperature was below freezing, and by 11 pm when the crossing began in earnest, a straight up blizzard began with wind chills with estimated subzero temperatures. It took eleven hours to cross and the mission was four hours behind schedule.

    Washington later wrote, “…As I was certain there was no making a retreat without being discovered and harassed on repassing the River, I determined to push on at all Events.”

    The Thang:

    – P1 thrusters (aim for 25); P2 brick butterfly walk; flying brick nuns back; flapjack

    ——————————–
    Part 4: One More Month

    On December 31st, 1776, only a week after the surprise attack and subsequent victory in Trenton over the Hessian force, Washington’s meager army was at the end of its enlistment period. The following day, the vast majority of his soldiers had the right to go home to their families and farms. However, Washington and his war council had deliberated for days following Trenton and had made the fateful decision to press whatever little advantage they add against the British forces. On that December 31st morning, Washington appealed to his troops:

    “My brave fellows, you have done all I asked you to do, and more than can be reasonably expected; but your country is at stake, your wives, your houses and all that you hold dear. You have worn yourselves out with fatigues and hardships, but we know not how to spare you. If you will consent to stay one month longer, you will render that service to the cause of liberty, and to your country, which you probably can never do under any other circumstances.”

    ——————————-
    The Last Thangs:

    Song: Run Away – The Real McCoys
    – Hillbilly squat walkers, burpee on “run away”
    – Approx. 40 burpees

    Song: Jump Around – House of Pain
    – Plank jacks, merkin on “jump”
    – Approx. 40 merkins

    Song: We Built This City – Starship
    – Lbc’s, Freddie’s, hello Dolly’s, leg lifts, flutters, etc.
    – V-ups on “we built this city”

    COT and the PAX excitedly welcomed MAFAT and Ponzi to the beautiful chaos. Goose prayed us out.

    Let us always remember the multitude of blessings and freedoms we enjoy delivered to us by the multitude of sacrifices and hardships endured before us.

    SYITG,
    Yankee Joe

  • Stage Record – from Enron

    With anticipation building of what could be a new Stage record for attendance, YHC nervously arrived in the impossible-to-see foggy gloom to a surprise of multiple pairs of headlights awaiting. Tuesdays have not normally been highly attended, but all the stars had finally aligned to have a “hard commit” (no one ever fartsacks a hard commit) of 11 PAX on the GroupMe. Seeing 4 standing and waiting at 5:20, things were looking up for the record, especially with the surprise arrival of Paradox, aka POOX, and Wilford Montana. The types of compromises and promises that were made to their M’s are unknown, but their presence was welcomed. Vehicles continued to appear along with the arrival of Goose with 300 pounds of coupons in the back of his truck. YHC quickly unloaded one of his 2.0’s dry erase board, as well as additional coupons in set up for what was to come. As 5:30 arrived, a new record had been set. 12 PAX at the stage; this moment will go down in F3 Thibodaux history (which is honestly why this backblast is being forced).
    Warmup:
    SSH, AC, Cherry Pickers, grass grabbers (with the clap) Windmills, Self-Love, IW, Mountain Climbers and a large group bumper mosey.
    YHC can honestly say that nerves set it during the warmup as leading a large group comes with more Q-dreniline than expected. Counts may have been quicker than usual; mumble chatter was heard in the background regarding the cadence. Nothing out of the norm for Yankee Joe and Paradox and their shenanigans.
    Thang 1 and only 1: Modified Jerf
    A short synopsis/speech was given to instruct all the newer guys on the history of the “Jerf”. A combination of a Murph and a Bruce Lee with a twist from Yankee Joe. Quickly named the Jerf back in September/October by a group of PAX attempting to complete one per off-beatdown day. YHC had some new modifications and additions for today’s TuesdayTuff©. All were presented on the previously mentioned dry-erase easel. The following were completed in order, AMRAP, throughout the next 35 minutes. Although, one exercise was voted out and erased after each completed round. After 5 exercises were eliminated (5 rounds), YHC started to add one back on each round. Exercises are as follows:
    20 Coupon Curls
    20 Coupon Presses
    10 Yard Bear Crawl (this could not be eliminated along with the Crab walk as this was a mode of transportation)
    10 Merkins (eliminated 3rd)
    30 LBCS
    10 Yard Crab Walk (back to coupons)
    10 Merkins
    50 Freddy Mercury’s (1=1)
    20 Skull Crushers (eliminated 1st and also added back later as 10)
    20 Leg Raises (eliminated 2nd and added back later as 10)
    30 Squats (eliminated 4th)

    COT and Goose prayed us out. It was truly an honor to be able to lead this larger group of men today. Hopefully this is a sign of continued growth in our region.
    SYITG,
    Enron

  • Basketball Jones – from Paradox

    7 pax entered the Lions Den as a light mist fell around the feet of Aslan(d) . During a recent conversation with Goose YHC got worked up into a full lather about the endless potential the Den has for a basketball beatdown. But first there were a few questions to consider:

    1. Could we work our body , work our body , but make sure we don’t hurt nobody ?
    2. Could the DJ turn it up but make sure he dont burn it up?
    3. Can we set a pick at the free throw line of life?
    4. Will a basketball under our pillow improve our sleep ?

    Certainly 5:30 was early to consider deep philosophy but I knew 7 HIgh impact fellows who could help me find the answers…

    Roll that bean footage Duke !

    Warmup
    Standard issue type where YJ talks to his neighbor in stream of consciousness and Enron has form questions.
    SSH , IW , WM, AC , CP

    Run Cajun Run Mosey to the Bball court then we got down to business.

    In December 1891 Dr James Naismith invented an indoor game to keep athletes in peek condition during winter. With a peach basket and a soccer ball he changed the landscape of American sports. Today we will honor his achievement and learn how to earn our respect on the court.

    Anker Tribute

    Basketball Jones by Cheech and Chong
    This may be my all time favorite F3 song to date. The mixture of pain and laughter was beautiful.
    3 modes :
    Plank up- merkins on basket ball
    Al gore – squats on basketballs
    LBC- crunch on basketball

    NBA Trivia
    Add 5 burpees if wrong
    Bobby Hurleys /MakTars then a court suicide each round
    1/2…6/12 in Jack Webb format

    1. Most NBA champ player?
    Bill Russel
    2. How many referees during NBA game ? 4
    3. Shaq shoe size ? 23
    4. First WNBA player to dunk in a game? Brittany Griner
    5. First MVP by unanimous vote , Steph Curry
    6. All time leading scorer in men’s college basketball-pistol Pete

    We only did 1 set of penalty burpees thanks to our man AOL who, on top of being our IT guy , is also an actual walking computer of NBA knowledge. With quiet strength he put the team on his back and saved us from burpees before we could debate ourselves into more pain. Well done!

    Song:
    Space Jam By Quad City DJs

    YHC Continues to be impressed by YJs knowledge of 80s/90s hip hop . Was he accused of insider trading during the preBlast riddle? That’s a matter for my legal team. But by my calculations YJ would have been 18 years old when the song was out and obviously formed him into the baller he is today so all is forgiven.

    Side shuffle , slap floor on jam, jump shot on Jam
    YHC shared a special moment with Enron as we locked gazes during side shuffle until the slick court mud almost took my life. Tana added several interpretive dance moves that kept our minds off the burning legs. .

    To the main event

    F3 Knockout
    Standard knockout rules with a 5 burpee buy in
    3 strikes and you are out for good.
    This led to the showdown that no one saw coming but we all needed….

    Goose vs Cardinal

    The young calf vs the old bull

    Priest vs Administration

    Man vs Man for all to witness

    A battle for bragging rights at the Office of Parish support. It was all in the table.
    Cardinal hung tough early with some defensive strategy but in the end Goose found his shot and took the title home.

    Mosey back to Aslan(d) for COT and Ronnie prayed us out.

    A great privilege to lead you men and have some fun to start the day. If you find yourself afflicted with the basketball Jones , well…now you know the cure.

    SYITG
    PDOX

  • Burpeepalooza 2023 (vol. 3) – from Goose

    When Enron asked YHC to switch with him and Q this morning, I asked myself the question, “Is it time for another Burpeepalooza?” and I answered myself the answer, “Why, yes. Yes it is.” Preparation required one hype GIF for the GroupMe and an hour or so of research for songs with repetitive lyrics and good burpee timing. Burpeepalooza 2023 was ready for launch, and YHC was so fired up, I woke before my alarm.

    Oh, and in case I should fail to mention it, new ground was broken last night as YHC reached across a deep, long-standing rift for the sake of a quality beatdown:
    Oontz had been showing some serious inconsistency with volume as of late, and since it would be of absolute necessity for all PAX to hear the trigger words for this beatdown regardless of loud traffic on the highway, there was no doubt about it–it was time to bring in the big guns. YHC knew down deep that BAPS (Big Ass Party Speaker, for the newer guys) was the only one who could handle this kind of weight, so late in the evening, YHC dialed up Yankee Joe. After some initial disbelief and suspicion of being punked (like that one time with JBL), YHC proved himself sincere, and YJ heartily agreed to let BAPS shine. We both shed some healthy tears afterward and slept a little more soundly.

    The warmup this morning had to be seriously substantial. After Lil’ Cuz’s Saturday butt-whoopin’, the soreness was deep and every single muscle was tight. So, given the range of motion burpees require, flexibility would be of the utmost to save the PAX’s joints for the rest of this week’s beatdowns.
    Warm-o-rama: seal jacks, windmills, imperial walkers (so sore), grass grabbers (the “three taps backward with the clap” variety), arm circles, cherry pickers, YJ-led wrist rotations (the non-yoga-demon variety), self-love, tempo merkins (3-count down and 3-count up), mountain climbers, high knees, and butt kicks. Had to cover all the bases, especially for us old guys!

    YHC then introduced the concept of the Burpeepalooza–Enron and Paradox (and the absent Fence Post) were the only ones who had done it before. It’s an entire beatdown of non-stop songs, each having a trigger word or phrase upon which a burpee is executed. Rest between (ha!).

    Here’s the list, played on shuffle so God decides if two or three (or four) hard songs get played in a row:
    “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers–burpees on “gone” and “away”
    “For God is With Us” by For King and Country–burpee on “God is with us”
    “Coconut” by Harry Nilsson–“coconut”
    “Happy” by Pharrell Williams–“Happy” (continuous burpees when they say it really fast)
    “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel–“your eyes” (backup singers count…they’re real people, too)
    “That’s the Way (I Like It)” by KC & the Sunshine Band–“I like it” (Dang.)
    “Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone–“come and get your love”
    “Have a Little Faith in Me” by John Hiatt–“have a little faith”
    “Got My Mind Set On You” by George Harrison–“set on you” (Ran out of time for this one, probably because of the ridiculously long warmup)

    This crew was impressive–the mumblechatter continued to be witty and there were no visible signs of discouragement. Muscles were zapped, oxygen was in low supply in the mugginess, and there were some unfulfilled promises of merlot splashing (puking), but spirits remained high as the burpee count continued to quietly climb.
    All said and done, if all triggers resulted in burpees, the count was 245, a record for Thibodaux Burpeepaloozas! And even if some were skipped, most if not all of the PAX did over 200 burpees in 45 minutes! This would have sounded like an impossible feat if this number was shared at 5:29am, but because we were suffering together, distracted by listening for the triggers, and not counting to see how many we had done and how many more we felt like we could rationally do, our bodies outshone even our highest expectations. T-claps especially to the guys who had never done this before and were blindsided this morning!
    COT followed, and we discussed the mistake of trying to measure how much you have left in the tank, both during exercise and throughout our day with family, etc. We can always do more if we live for the person/people around us rather than constantly trying to measure “how much more of this I can take.”
    Q assignments for the rest of the week were finalized, prayer intentions were shared, and YJ prayed us out. It was an honor to get through that with you fellas this morning!

    SYITG (See You in the Gloom),
    Goose

  • F3 Thibodaux’s Tribute to Cardinal F3 Knoxville – from Yankee Joe

    A few days ago, Goose posted the tragic story of F3 Knoxville’s Cardinal. In his first VQ, Cardinal (Taylor Phelps, 36) collapsed five burpees into the beatdown. Those were his last. He passed away a few hours later. Across the nation and abroad, an outpouring of love, support, money (approx. $108,000), and of course, tribute beatdowns started rolling in. As a journalist, Matt Crossman wrote, “Out of tragedy came a tidal wave of support. Out of grief came a groundswell of grace.”

    If you’ve ever designed a beatdown, you are familiar with the excitement, anxiety, and time that goes into planning each minute; a juggling act, balancing the needs of rigor, creativity, and the safety of the PAX. Designing your VQ is in many ways, a rite of passage. It is a liberating, empowering, and fulfilling experience. To that end, it is no surprise that Cardinal was so excited that he had shared his plans with other PAX as well as his wife, Andrea. In fact, we learned that Andrea even laminated the page he would use for the Q.

    The men of F3 Thibodaux wanted to do their part and offer up our prayers, our pain, and our exhaustion. 5 PAX showed up to the new Lion’s Den AO on crisp 44 degree morning. Following the lead of other PAX, we knelt for a moment of silence after the fifth burpee when Cardinal collapsed. We held that silence for 30 seconds; we could have held it for 30 minutes.

    Indeed, as we were suffering through the second set of 15 burpees (burpees 45 – 60), Goose gave us reminders not to take a break. He said, “Cardinal’s wife doesn’t get to take a break.” We all kicked it into a higher gear.

    To Andrea: If for some remote reason, you ever read this tribute, please know that we are praying for you and your family. We will keep your husband’s memory.

    To Cardinal Junior: We want you to know that the men of F3 Thibodaux stand by you and Evie ALWAYS as your friends and brothers. We stand by your side in the gloom. Keep fighting the good fight.

    Warm-up
    15 Side Straddles Hops, 10 Tempo Merkins, 10 Flutter Kicks Double Count, 10 Little Baby Arm Circles Forward, 10 Little Baby Arm Circles Backward, 10 Hallelujahs, 10 Knoxville Cherry Pickers, 20 sec Sampson Hold, 10 Willie Mays Hayes
    _______________

    The Thang

    5-Burpees
    5-Big Boys
    5-Heels to Heaven
    Run approx 160 meters (from Aslan to Playground and back)
    Repeat set
    (Burpee counter: 10)

    10-Burpees
    10-Little Baby Crunches
    10-Mt. Climbers Double Count
    Run approx 160 meters (from Aslan to Playground and back)
    Repeat set
    (Burpee counter: 30)

    15-Burpees
    15-Air Squats
    15-Freddy Mercury’s
    Run approx 160 meters (from Aslan to Playground and back)
    Repeat set
    (Burpee counter: 60)

    20-Burpees
    Run approx 160 meters (from Aslan to Playground and back)
    Repeat set
    (Burpee counter: 100)

    Rocky Top (version by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band)
    Hillbilly Walkers; burpee for every Rocky Top (18 burpees)
    (Final Burpee counter: 118)

    5MOM

    COT with fist bump and each PAX saying hospital name, age, and Cardinal.

    F3 Thibodaux’s own Cardinal prayed us out.

    Cardinal Knoxville’s M, Andrea posted in response to the deluge of support, “He [Taylor] had been happier than I had seen him in so long when he found you guys. Thank you for making his last days bright.”

    I think we can all relate to this experience and sentiment.

    Make sure to tell your people you love them today.

    SYITG,

    Yankee Joe

  • Tuesday Two Mile – from Enron

    YHC arrived in the chilly gloom to no awaiting vehicles. Per the prior evenings chatter on the GroupMe, there was no good indication of how many PAX to expect. Thankfully, about 5 minutes before 5:30 a familiar rumble of Goose’s truck’s mud tires came humming down the neighborhood streets. The TuesdayTuff®©™ beatdown began with only Goose and YHC participating. Shortly after there was some back-and-forth chatter about who was expected to be there, when all the sudden that familiar older gentleman in a minivan made his appearance just as the warmups started. Goose and YHC were delighted to add Yankee Joe to the mix of what was planned to be a run-heavy morning.
    Warmup:
    SSH, AC, Cherry Pickers (slow according to Goose), Windmills, Self-Love, IW, Mountain Climbers
    Thang 1: Merkin Mile (25 Merkins every .25 miles while running around rich man’s loop)
    Thang 2: Core Mile (100 LBCs at .25, 75 Freddie Mercury’s at .50, 50 Leg Raises at .75, and 25 BBSU at mile 2)
    Thang 3: ATMs (3 rounds total with 30 squats in between each round)
    15 Alternating shoulder taps (2 is 1)
    10 Tempo Merkins
    10 Merkins

    Finished with 1 quick mosey lap around the stage field before a few minutes of Mary

    Mary:
    YHC decided to add a little friendly competition to the end of the workout today. The winner would get to select what we did next in our Mary session.
    Competition: Who can hold 6 inches the longest.
    After over 2 minutes, Goose was the only survivor left holding his legs in the air. He informed us that to be able to hold for that long you must focus on something entirely different than what you were doing. This did not seem possible to YHC due to the pain and figured this was just another one of Goose’s mind games, no pun intended.
    Finished out with some pickle pounders and J-Lo’s.
    COT and Goose prayed us out. Enjoyed the longer run and the chatter of male vs. female movies, plots, and dialogues along the way.
    SYITG,
    Enron

  • NEW AO NAMED IN THIBODAUX! / A Transportation Exhibition – from Goats in the Machine

    YHC arrived at the at 5:25 to eight (8) PAX, including and FNG, parked and waiting near the flag poles in front of the Civic Center as instructed. An Additional Pax, Goose, was spotted parking in the wrong location as well displaying a level of tardiness that is typically only seen by YHC. It was latter discovered that he was delayed due to an uncontrollable urge to craft a fudge pop. YHC began the Beatdown with 10 PAX (including myself) at 5:32.

    It was 64 degrees, dry air, and highly saturated grounds. The concrete was still moist and had puddles colleting in low spots from the previous night’s rain.

    Warm-O-Rama
    SSH, Imperial Walkers, Wind Mills, Arm stretching, High Knees, Butt Kicks, Mosey to Basketball Court
    YHC’s cadence was miserable as usual

    THANG 1 – “The Long BLACK Train”
    This THANG was designed with the intention of showcasing various means of F3 Transport. The PAX lined up at mid-court. The Pax used the following methods to transport themselves between mid-court and the bassline in succession: Bear crawls, Lunges, Alligator Merkin Crawl, Crab Walk, and Kicking walks (AKA Waling Ray Finkel). I’m a sucker for a good acronym. During each round and in between “transports” the Pax performed reps of an exercise called by YHC.

    Round 1= BBSU (10 reps per transport, 50 total for the round)
    Round 2=Squats (10 reps per transport, 50 total for the round)
    Round 3 =Shoulder Taps (10 reps per transport, 50 total for the round)
    Round 4 = Burpees (5 reps per transport, 25 total for the round)
    Round 5 = Monkey Humpers (10 reps per transport, 50 total for the round)

    Pax then did an Indian-Run back to Aslan, a concrete Lion statue, and then to the bottom of the berm at the water reservoir.

    THANG 2 – Price is Right – Kelly Bluebook Used Car Edition
    The PAX separated into two (2) teams. YHC listed a year make and model for a vehicle. The following was assumed: 20k miles, good condition, base model, standard equipment, white exterior color. The team closest to the KBB value with out going over wins the round. The loosing team sprinted up the berm performed 5 burpees and sprinted back. the winning team sprinted up the berm and back. Followed by 3 burpees at the bottom.

    For your reference:
     2015 Honda Acord LX = $13,744
     2016 Mercedes-Benz C Class 300 = $16,633
     2019 Honda Odyssey LX = $22, 751
     2019 Toyota RAV4 LE= $23,026
     2022 Ford XLT Crew Cab = $43,277

    COT

    Count Off & Name-O-Rama : 10 PAX

    Announcements :
    -Coyote Birthday Q @ the Perch on Saturday.
    -Welcome “AOL,” an IT professional
    -The Name of the Civic Center AO was declared “The Lions Den.” This named is derived from the before mentioned concrete statue , Aslan, that happened to be located near our shovel flag. “Narnia” was thrown out as an option, but Mother Goose informed us that is was too juvenile and feminine. @Goose Please look into getting the new AO added to the Backblast Database.

    Intentions: Thanksgiving for Enron’s new 2.5, Family of a deceased neighbor, Extended Family Strife

    Cardinal Prayed us out.

    It was a blast exploring the new AO with these men. YHC can’t wait participate in the creative beatdowns to come!

    Sincerely,
    GITM

  • Sticky Bricks – from Goose

    Four strong for Tuesday Tuff this morning with beautiful weather and the deep desire to get after it. Enron was early, which gave YHC a chance for some QT; then Paradiddle, who can’t resist increasingly difficult physical challenges, pulled in after driving 3.5 hours from Bourg. He was followed shortly by Yankee Joe, who immediately began what has been and will continue to be an endless stream of wife-prompted apologies for arguing with Enron about how his last name is pronounced.

    Warmup of the usual interrupted by giggling over Enron’s witty Hamburglar comment on the GroupMe channel. (Even when Goats does correct a typo, it’s still unintelligible).

    In honor of the last five Tuesdays, we started with a Merkin Mile, but this time we did 10 Spider-Man merkins every quarter mile (pull one knee up in Peter Parker position while simultaneously going down for a merkin, alternate).

    Toward the last quarter mile, the plan was to grab a brick from the ever-present pile near one of the many houses under construction, but YHC’s mind was scrambling for a new plan when we found that the bricks had recently been removed! Disappointment and resignation were just settling in when we came across another brick pile just two houses down. (And there may have been another three or four more that we passed on the way back.) So, we meticulously picked out two bricks apiece, hefting, squeezing, and sniffing them to make sure we got the best ones, and moseyed with them back to the flag to finish the Spidey Merks and give fitting tribute to our fallen comrade.

    Song: “Lady” by Styx.
    YHC shared some intimate information about high school life, which may have included singing this song with my friend at the top of our lungs in his Dodge Neon (with an 8-ball on the stick shift) with tears streaming down our faces and dreams of one day singing this to the woman of our dreams. (I mean, you obviously have practice for something like that.) So, though there wasn’t much singing, we did passionate Side Straddle Hops for the duration of the song and burpees with full feeling for every “Lady”.

    Then, it was time to pick them bricks up and follow YHC to the bumper area for some 7’s (it’s like 11’s…but 7). We found a couple of lines in the street that were far enough apart, and then at one end we started with 6 big boy situps (with bricks), moved via brick-sliders to the other end, 1 squat jump (with bricks), and then walking butterflies with bricks back to the start for 5 situps, etc. The bricks didn’t slide quite as easily as last time, but Enron still managed to sprint-push his, leaving two flaming red streaks behind him. Paradiddle and YHC weren’t too far behind him, but Yankee Joe’s bricks seemed to be a little stickier. He never gave up, though, which was impressive, and we left some awesome tracks that YHC slowly, proudly passed on the way to work this morning. (I almost leaned out my window and flagged the guy behind me down to tell him all about it.)

    We had to get the bricks back to the pile, so it was Indian Run time. While the PAX ran in line, pumping those bricks in Heavy Hand curls, the last guy stopped for three brick burpees before catching up. Once the bricks were deposited, it was regular Indian Run back to the flag for 7MOM (7 minutes of Mary).
    -20 flutters, 50 LBC’s IC, The Alphabet (upper case), static wife pleasers (20 IC), quick-pulsing wife pleasers (waited for a car to get close to execute, 20 IC), and J-Lo’s (20 IC).

    It was an awesome morning, and YHC is super grateful to be joined by men who appreciate the opportunity to suffer and grow together. COT with discussion of Coyote’s Q coming Saturday, and Paradiddle prayed us out. We had some super solid conversation afterward, and YHC left grateful to God for what He’s provided through F3.

    SYTIG,
    Goose