F3 New Orleans

Author: Rudy

  • It’s beginning to look a lot like bridge-mas – from Russo

    Low 50s again this morning, with a nice breeze to accompany us. Unlike the A1C, no early to mid 90s R&B, but maybe there will be soon.

    Warmup (all 10x – 15x)
    – seal jacks
    – Self love
    – Grass grabbers
    – Toe touches
    – Cherry pickers
    – High knees
    – Hillbillies

    Thang
    Mosey to the bridge, where at every block it was 10 merkins, 10 squats, 10 donkey kicks

    At the bridge:
    One side – 10 crunchy frogs
    Mosey
    Other side – 10 leg raises

    Rinse and repeat, swapping mosey for Carioca, side shuffle, and back pedal intermittently.

    Back at the pad, COT, NOR, Announcements, and Prayer closed us out.

    The same good mumblechatter throughout, where Pelican and I solved the world’s business problems. You should join us for enlightenment.

    Easy come, easy go. SYITG

  • Return of the Mack – from Jose10k

    Oh, oo-o-oh, come on, ooh, yeah
    Well I tried to tell you so (yes, I did)
    But I guess you didn’t know, as I said the story goes
    Baby, now I got the flow
    ‘Cos I knew it from the start
    Baby, when you broke my heart
    That I had to come again, and show you that I’m real
    all those times I said that I love you
    (You lied to me) yes, I tried, yes, I tried
    (You lied to me) even though you know I’d die for you
    (You lied to me) yes, I cried, yes, I cried
    1-(Return of the Mack) it is
    (Return of the Mack) come on
    (Return of the Mack) oh my God
    (You know that I’ll be back) here I am
    (Return of the Mack) once again
    (Return of the Mack) pump up the world
    (Return of the Mack) watch my flow
    (You know that I’ll be back) here I go

    You got to love that 1996 r&b classic. Why do I start the backblast with this: DarkWing returned to the A1C today. After the Flu wage war with his family for over a month, the Darkwing Clan is officially healthy, so we finally have Return of the Duck.

    Warmup-SSH, grassgrabbers, merkins, squats, etc…
    The Q sheet was open, so it was sort of a brain storming type of beatdown. We started off with 11s: Squats and Merkins, followed up with round robin core with Moby stretches. COT with DarkWing praying us out. Movie night was a success, Shooter is slowly nursing injuries caused from picking a fight with the tax dollars of the city of Mandeville (God Help those Deer this weekend), and we had a BBQ sighting. Waterpik has the Q tomorrow.
    Next Friday: Back by popular demand, the celebration of the tragedy that struck the Nakatomi Plaza beatdown will occur. Come on Splash Pad, join in our remembrance of the heroics of one Mr. John McClain. SYITG

  • That’s gonna leave a mark!! – from Shooter

    With 5 PAX this gloom YHC decided to take a stroll down East causeway on a tour of our future sidewalk to be. Of course being the critic that I can often be, I expressed my comments about how we spend tax dollars here in Mandeville, as if maybe I know better. Nevertheless, as we continued to mosey turning down Monroe, YHC quickly found the elevated drain, which would quickly humble this critic as I took a plunge on to the pavement… Must admit if any of my F3 brethren ever want to trade professions any one of them would make great first responders as they quickly jumped to action in concern of my fall.. Much appreciated find gentleman!!

    Enough with my mishaps..

    Began with 10&15 IC, Hillbillies, Toe Touches, SSH, Imperial walkers, Torso twists and a wonderful stretch movement shared by Einstein the previous day.

    Our Mosey was down East causeway, up Monroe, back down through old Golden shores around and back to Monroe returning up Messina and around the horn of the park.

    Finished with Mary 15IC and some OYO exercises 💯s, Big Boys, Hello Dollies, Flutter kicks, WW1 sit-ups and some EOKs..

    Appreciate each of you for your concerns of my safety and allowing me to lead!!

    Until the next Gloom 👍🏼👊🏼✌🏼!!!

  • Operation Mystery at The Gloom – from Charmin

    The Gloom welcomed the PAX with open arms, a chilly breeze, and the distinct feeling that today’s workout would be anything but ordinary. After the obligatory disclaimer, the PAX divided into their respective groups – the Ruckers, the Runners, and the enigmatic KnOTers.

    The Thang:

    1. Ruckers’ Ruckmageddon:

    The Ruckers set off with the weight of the world on their shoulders, literally. Their backpacks filled with bricks, sandbags, paincakes, and a mysterious concoction of items designed to keep them guessing, the Ruckers marched into the shadows. Paces were swapper, rucks were shared, and we all tried keeping up with (Usain) Bolt.

    2. Runners’ Sprint-a-thon:

    The Runners, with their sleek running shoes and GPS watches, bolted into the distance. The route was straightforward , but somehow the Runners managed to take a detour through the local donut shop. Rumors of an impromptu coffee break spread like wildfire. Corralling the fleet wsd as effective as trying to herd cats.

    3. KnOTers’ Mystery Madness:

    Now, the KnOTers, the mysterious sect of F3, quietly appeared from the shadows. Armed with ropes, carabiners, and whatever else they keep behind the telephone pole, they set out on an unknown mission. What they do in the gloom remains a mystery, for they are like F3’s own secret agents, vanishing into thin air after the other groups have long returned.

    COT:

    The Circle of Trust brought laughter, confusion, and a sense of accomplishment. YHC, still trying to figure out where the Runners went off course, encouraged the PAX to embrace the mystery of the gloom. Sometimes the unplanned detours lead to the best stories.

    Announcements:

    “Q School” for the Runners next week – a crash course in map reading and avoiding temptation.
    The KnOTers invite you to join their secret society; inquire within.
    Ruckers, next time, check your backpacks for stealthy squirrels. They seem to enjoy hitching a ride.

    Moleskin:

    In the end, the Ruckers bore the weight, the Runners found donuts, and the KnOTers… well, who knows? The Gloom witnessed another memorable F3 beatdown, leaving the PAX with sore muscles, mysterious grins, and the anticipation of the next adventure in the shadows.

  • Peaches and Practice – from Charmin

    The night before the site Q asked who wanted to take the Q and YHC had been mulling a workout around a playlist based on the word “peaches”. Also decided to make the counts alternating 12 and 13 since that was the date (not sure if any of the PAX caught on to that).

    Started off slow with Warm -o- Rama

    Balance IW x 12 (slow 4 count forcing the pax to balance)
    Grass Grabbers x 13
    Around this time Mayhem decided to show up; apparently the train from Metairie was running late this morning.
    This resulted in a penalty of 3 burpees for everyone OYO.
    Slow vagoda’s x 12
    SSH X 13
    Balance Billies x 12 (another great balance warm up)

    Mosey over to JPAX

    17’s from post to columns, with the two exercises being Monkey humpers & SSH.
    No middle but squat every time you hear the magic word… peaches!

    Playlist consisted of Songs by Justin Bieber, Bob Schneider, Jack Black, In the Valey Below, and The Presidents of the United States of America. All the songs were title Peaches, so there was certainly time to grease the squat groove.

    Mosey back to playground pad.

    Merkin for 1 minute working on perfect form then rest for 30 seconds

    Then hang for 1 minute rest for 30 seconds

    Ended up having 2 groups that switched between these two and we did this for 7 cycles.

    Not wanting to leave the people feeling like they weren’t getting their money’s worth next up was Arm circles!!

    Forward X 12
    Seal claps X 13
    Backwards x 12
    T claps X 13
    Peaches picking and dropping silent 12 count
    MNC’s X 13

    Decided to end with some comradery with Partner shrugs for 12. Apparently Triple shift wasn’t feeling it since he didn’t have a partner.

    COT.

  • Block Time at The Gipper – from Einstein

    Cool temps this morning ~ 38 degrees. Shooter and Akbar not deterred by the cold, still wearing shorts

    warm-up: toe touch, side straddle hops, arm circles, imperial walkers, neck rolls, shoulder rolls, side stretch, shoulder thrust, smurf jacks, etc.

    thang: 3 sets of block work, each separated by a run around the block.

    mary: world’s greatest stretch, BBQ’s hip flexor stretch

    prayer: Akbar did the honors

  • El Diablo Has Fallen – from Fracsac

    With all the mumblechatter about Canary….Kannery….errr…That workout at Lasalle, YHC figured El Diablo needed some attention. Got there early, planted the flag, brought up the best Christmas playlist ever and was about to deliver the best beat down ever held in all of F3! 0530……
    KoT boyz take Wednesdays off. The Bowflex guys walk by (insert squeaky noise here) which had F3 outnumbered. Shirley someone else from F3 will show??? The lady that ran by looked like a Shirley, but no answer.
    I know what you’re thinking: did Gerard Butler post and make El Diablo the latest installment of the Has Fallen film series?
    If one runs on the track and gas is passed but nobody is around to hear it, is it still funny? These are the earth shattering questions pondered this morning in the gloom.
    Enough rambling….

    SYITG

  • ADVENTure Wreath 2: Cawn all Ye Faithful – from Paradox

    Here at F3 on da Bayou traditions abound new and old
    And you’ll need more than Frozen grass and dank gloves to scare the bold
    We’ve got Journeys to Bethlehem with starry coupon skies while Santa Valve and his McLevens ignore your cries
    Frozen war stories on Tap at the Peltch with a sweet smell of Air biscuits no freshener can squelch
    Smooths at the stage so the cheetahs can roam as We wait on the porch for #Tanacomehome
    The ageless wonders of Rienzi plan beatdowns where shoes are nice and you know Diddles making his list and checking it twice.
    Thus yHC found his old beatdown with all four candles and added some new flames to prevent love handles.

    Duke! Too early for eggnog !
    roll the bean footage!!

    9 pax rolled in ready for ADVENTure with Pope and Goose helping YHC put the finishing touches on the lazer light cawnz.
    Even an illusion of warmth was appreciated at a brisk 36 degrees!

    F3 Thibodaux lore dictates an ADVENTure wreath (TM) to have 4 components :
    1: Heavy Coupon work
    2: Matt Mahers Advent of Christmas Album( highly recommended)
    3: Pyrotechnics
    4 : 1 pax complaining about cold grass

    We had 1-3 all ready to go but YHC was concerned about #4 until our local clergymen arrived a tad late. There…now we have all 4!!
    let’s get after it

    Standard Warmup where we actually have to raise our core temperature and maybe the first beatdown of the year without bug spray. We couldn’t give Wet Tap the sweet victory of groans from Saturdays Iron Tap Challenge so we suffered in cold silence during the regular fare plus heavy MCs.

    Bumper Mosey where I complimented Valves neck gaiter and he silently asked me to never speak again. It’s ok we are in a “rough patch “ but nothing a Panera gift card can’t fix.

    Field update *
    Continued Coupon Vandalism was discovered at the bumper!!
    Two more coupon soldiers lost in senseless violence RIP

    As Q during this discovery I’ve compiled a list of ppl most likely to harm an F3 coupon ..

    Top Suspect list :
    -CrossFit CrabTrap
    -Cardinal
    -CrossFit HomeBrew
    -Cardinal
    -Thib Regional Wellness Center
    -Cardinal
    -some misguided youths

    Investigation pending …

    Back at the stage before launching into the wreath we had to
    1. Clear our heart
    2 make straight the path

    Cawns were lined up on the far side of the stage and Pax were split into teams. Goal was to run to cawns, 3 burpees , Nur back and put your cawns in a skrait line
    It was during this explanation that YHCs vernacular hit 9.8 Homers on the redneck meter and only Gooses deep beatdown knowledge could translate what was about to happen. (Cone=Comb=Cawn)
    Ended up 14-14 tie and our path was nice and strait. Sorry they didn’t have your fancy “speech therapy” at the Homer dollar general.

    Da main Thang

    Setup: 4 cones spread out on picnic tables and one larger in center lit by an assortment of family flashlights and headlamps. This works best if your 2.0s ask why you are taking their headlamp and you explain to them it’s to keep your friends out of the fartsack. Shortly followed by an invite from your M to consider p90x again.

    Rifle Carry to first corner

    1st week – Hope/Prophecy candle
    “Hope for Everyone “ Matt Maher (Advent of Christmas )
    Hold coupon chest level w high knees
    Goblet sqat on “Hope “
    YHC hoped the goblet squats will cure genetic no acetol but maybe next year.

    Partner up for 100 thrusters
    P1 Heels to Heaven
    10 Thrusters each round then flip flop

    Rifle carry to next cone

    2nd week – Peace
    Bethlehem candle

    1st corner , 2 donkey kicks 4 merkins
    rifle carry to next cone and increase by 2:4 until complete with 8 DK/16 merkins
    This explanation was met with so much silence and eye contact avoidance YHC felt like the Salvation Army bell ringer at Walmart.

    A few 10 counts later

    Rifle carry to next corner

    Week 3
    Joy/Shepard Candle

    Leave the 99 , save the 1 .

    Start in circle
    Send 1 pax to the stage for 10 step ups and he selects an ab exercise while he is gone. AMRAP till he returns.
    several ab exercises while taking turns rescuing the 1
    Highlighted by JLos and WW3 sit-ups (Yote has started an unstoppable trend…smh)

    Rifle carry to next corner

    Week 4 Love/ Angel candle
    “He Shall reign Forevermore” Matt Maher
    Coupon hops And Burpees on Reign
    Great prep for skiiing season.

    Finished up at the Purity Candle
    With Mary
    Leg raises, LBCs, AHs

    COT and Lox prayed us out

    Grateful for you guys and the stability that God provides with our brotherhood.

    Wrapped up with a solemn sweeping of the remnants of our inanimate coupon brethren.
    Good night sweet coupon princes.
    You calloused our hands but softened our hearts.

    You’re 5000 candles in the wind..

    SYITG
    PDox

  • Trio trekking to the Tunnel – from Shooter

    Knowing that Jose10k would not be making a post on this Gloom, YHC decided to incorporate an old common destination.. So after a brief warmup of a loop around Granny’s followed by SSH, Imperial walkers, Grass grabbers, Cherry pickers and arm circles (mix of 10IC & 15IC) we moseyed to the Tunnel.. Squats 300, Chest press 200 (with boulder of a coupon) and Shoulder press 100 (boulder) cumulative count. PAX 1 would do exercise while other two PAX utilized the ramps and flats for sprinting, Carioca, back pedal and Mosey..

    Returned to AO with 6 mins of Mary.
    15IC American Hammers, Penguin’s, Hello Dollies, Little Manny Crunches. 50 💯s and 10 on your own Nolan Ryan’s each side followed by a close out chill cut plank..

    Appreciate you both Russo and Bird for the post and until the next Gloom 👍🏼👊🏼✌🏼!!!

  • Long Way to Mexico – from Honeysuckle

    On a crisp, end-of-fall morning, 8 brave PAX plus YHC temporarily exited the gloom to embark on a journey. Yankee Joe arrived early to provide the wattage needed to blast some tunes several nautical miles. But first, warmarama.

    Side straddle hops

    Windmills

    Willie Mays Hayes

    Arm circles ahead

    Arm circles astern

    Cherry pickers

    Toy soldiers

    Imperial Walkers

    First thang

    Mosey to the first light post in Rich Man’s Loop. There was some confusion (mainly by YHC) as to which was the first light post, but we eventually found one. From here, a slight modification on the four running directions was explained. Run to the next post, nur back to the previous post, carioca left or right back to the next post, carioca the other way to the next post. So, the run+nur would get you back to where you started, but you would move forward two posts with the carioca pair. This was to be done only in the loop, and thereafter the rest of the mile would be a run. In the home stretch, YHC tried to catch Goose and Pope, but they were in top form this morning and easily smoked YHC on the way back to the stage.

    Second thang

    As the PAX carried coupons to the field outside of the track area, the sight of pre-placed cones may have been a bit disheartening. YHC explained that the first thang was reminiscent of a sailing technique when going into the wind was needed. Going straight ahead gets you nowhere, but tacking from side to side is effective.

    America’s Best knew right away that Christopher Cross was involved in this beatdown. YHC fears that he has monitoring devices placed in YHC’s house to know this.

    But yes, that is where YHC’s mind went also, to “Sailing” by Christopher Cross, which is arguably the origin of Yacht Rock. Another Christopher Cross classic, “Ride Like the Wind” would be the focus of the second thang. The PAX would join Christopher on the journey to the border of Mexico.

    It was sort of the night

    Our bodies were sort of weak due to the tacking mile

    We were on the run, at least we were a few minutes before

    We maybe had time to speak, but maybe our breath didn’t catch up yet

    So, yes, the PAX had a lot in common with Christopher Cross. From the Stage, it would be a roughly 12 hour journey to the border of Mexico. So the exercise was to count down from 12 4×4’s (standing to plank, 4 merkins, 4 mountain climbers, back to standing), then murder bunny to the cones on the other side of the field, do 10 each of Goblet Squats, Curls, and Thrusters. Rifle carry back, then do 11 4×4’s. The 4×4’s would decrease, like the remaining time to the border of Mexico. But everything else stays the same.

    YHC greatly underestimated the difficulty of this series of exercises, so after two rounds of 4×4’s, they were converted to burpees. Which helped, but honestly not a lot. The PAX truly had about 25 minutes of shared suffering, down to the wire. We did not really make it close to the border of Mexico, but YHC likes to think that Christopher did. And he seemed to need to get there much more urgently than we did.

    YHC often thinks about Michael McDonald’s amazing backup vocals in this song (and several others, but this one in particular). The song would have been good if it was just Christopher Cross and no backups, but having Michael McDonald backing up just really puts it over the top as a classic. The PAX today experienced an analogous event, with BAPs being the Christopher Cross of speakers today, and AB’s Wu-King serving as Michael McDonald. The PAX did need the Yacht Rock to keep going so that we could keep going.

    Announcements, Intentions, and Goldilox prayed us out.

    YHC much appreciates the PAX today for pushing through these exercises with YHC. Safety Valve graciously suggested, well practical begged, YHC host a future beatdown devoted to getting to Mexico. So everyone can look forward to that day, and maybe start thinking ahead as to why they can’t attend.

    SYITG,

    Honeysuckle