F3 New Orleans

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  • Cold Open

    After a wrong turn by Your Humble Backseat Driver, our clown car successfully made it to the new Northshore AO 20 minutes before launch.  After a quick reconnaissance mission to see if we could get on to the field at Our Lady of the Lake (we can’t), 3 men from the South planted a very manly shovel into the cold Northshore soil for the first time.  We were quickly joined by our fellow brother Hotty Toddy and five men from God’s Country.  This AO sits right on the banks of Lake Pontchartrain and has to be one of the more scenic AOs in F3 Nation.  It’s also cold.  YHC quickly learned some additions to the standard disclaimer were necessary:  “I am not a certified lifeguard,” “I am not a professional traffic cop,” “Be wary of hypothermia”, etc…

    The Thang

    Took a short mosey and circled up a short distance from the flag, in case there were any late arrivers.  Did I mention how cold it is over here.

    Warm-up COP:  All IC –  SSH x 20; Imperial Walkers x 20; Windmills aka Don Quixotes aka Hammy Poppers x 10; Merkins x 15; Squats x 20; Peter Parkers x 20; Sumo Squats x 20; Parker Peters x 25

    EIEI asked if he should sing the song during Imperial Walkers, so I propose that all IWs on the Northshore are done while humming the The Imperial March.

    Short mosey to the lake ledge for some “Red Hot Chilli Pepper” famously named at the NOLA launch when Chong-Li led us under the bridge for a Chong-Li Special – read it here.  Seemed appropriate on the day Giving it Away.  YHC modified it like this: All IC – RLS x 16; Decline Merks x 8; LLS x 16; Incline Merks x 8; RLS x 12; Decline Merks x 6; LLS x 12; Incline Merks x 6; RLS x 9 (oops); Decline Merks x 4; LLS x 8; Incline Merks x 4; LLS x 4, Decline Merks x 2; RLS x 4; Incline Merks x 2

    Chong-Li didn’t fail.  This warmed-up the pax and the oaks were soon draped with long sleeve outer layers.  Let’s explore what is over the bridge.

    Found nice open space about 70 yards wide.  Nice spot to do battle with Tyson – Sprint 40 yards to the sidewalk, 10 reps, sprint 30 more yards to Lakeshore Drive, 10 reps, sprint back to the sidewalk, 10 reps, sprint back to the start.

    • Round 1: Squats
    • Round 2: Diamond Merkins
    • Round 3: Alternating Lunges (Left+Right = 1) 
    • Round 4: Wide Merkins
    • Round 5: Toe Raises

    Slow mosey back flagward.  Stopped half way for some Mary all IC: LBC x 20; Flutter Kicks x 20; Hello Dollys x 20; Putins x 20; Rosalitas x 20; Penguins x 20

    Mosey back to the flag for the COT

    Naked Man Moleskin

    •  Good showing by the Northshore Pax today.  T-claps to Toots for Larry Birding Round One against Tyson
    • The AO is nice and has potential.  Trees can be used for pull-ups.  We didn’t make it down to the playground or the baseball field.  That needs to be explored.
    • How many people does Amnesty know on the Northshore?  He had to have stopped and talked to at least 4 people during the workout.
    • Future FNG Chris showed up for the COT.  Seems he hasn’t made the change for daylight savings.  No name for Chris yet – you can’t just show up and get a name like Toots.  That has to be earned.
    • In true Northshore style we had mimosas and a variety of dishes involving quinoa at coffeteria.  I am proposing that coffeteria on the Northshore be called Bro Brunch.

    Thanks to the guys who came out this morning to make the Northshore stronger.  Great work.  I am looking forward to seeing this thing grow.

     

  • It’s On.

    7 men in the Okwata gloom wating on YHC as I pulled up without a moment to spare.  Like doing SSHs during the first COP it has become a custom at Okwata to run around the Mardi Gras “Fountain” to start the warm-up.  I use the quotes because it is never on.  I think it has been in full operation once since we started this AO.  So I decided we would break from tradition and head west, that is, until I pulled up to the flag.  It’s on.  Change of plans – sticking with tradition.  Disclaimer as I tie my shoe.  It’s on.

    The Thang

    We jogged around the MG Fountain in all of it’s splendor, circling up in the dry grass nearby for the Warm-up COP:  SSH x 30; IW x 30; Don Quixote’s x 15; Merkins x 15; LSS x 30…all IC.

    The beauty of the fountain was too good to leave, so instead of jogging to the planters along the lakefront, we stayed by the fountain and paired up at each bench for some Tabata.  The wooden benches by the fountain are pretty weathered, so YHC gave them a quick test before proceeding.  Tabata consists of 8 exercise sets.  Go all out for 20 seconds followed by a 10 second rest.  Today we did Decline Merks, Box Jumps, Dips, Squats, Repeato

    Mosey to the corner of Canal Blvd and Lakeshore Dr and circle up for 2 minutes of Mary:  LBC x 40; Flutters x 30; Putin x 20…al IC  followed by a quick exploratory jog up and over the levee along canal and back on the other side of the street.  A nice little lap with a hill.  Seems to be a popular route with the locals.

    Dirty McDeuce:  3 – 12 rep exercises all IC (upper, lower, core) followed by a Canal Levee Lap.  Repeat 4 times.

    • 1st set: – Merkins, Sumo Squats Elbow,  Peter Parkers – Lap
    • 2nd set – Diamond Merkins, Lunges, Elbow Parker Peters – Lap
    • 3rd set – Wide Merkins, Toe Raises, Plank Jacks – Lap
    • 4th set – Carolina Dry Dock, Squats, Hello Dolly

    Called an audible and ran along the levee back to the flag instead of making the last Canal Levee Lap.  This gave us time for some Quadraphilia, although it was only about a minute and a half (if that).

    Back to the flag for announcements and shout out.  T-claps to the PAX today – strong showing at Okwata, even without some of the usual suspects.  Wolf kottered after taking a break for the birth of his child.  Congratulations are in order and T-claps for getting back on the horse.  Also good to see Boudreaux hitting his third workout of the week – #RhodeIslandStrong.  And finally T-claps to Tool for bringing the Northshore flag.  Seemed appropriate to plant it on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain this morning.

     

  • Crawfish Guts or Potholes in the Darkness

    Well at 445 AM I read my text that Mr Awesome had a late night and needed a late notice sub for the workout.  I’m in — sorry to the PAX for a last minute Q – I had to come up with a plan quick.

    13 PAX in the GLOOM and Cavalier came in super hot– Wicked Witch of the West style that made 14.

    Disclaimer and we were off!

    Ran to OAK ALLEY for our first Circle of Pain.

    The warmup –

    In cadence:  Side Straddle Hops x 25, Lunge Jumps x 20, Monkey Humps x 15, Flutter kicks x 20

    Line up:  Bear Crawl to the first light post.     Burpee Broad Jump to the 2nd light post  – Finish with a sprint to the track.

    Mosey’d to the Birdwatcher aka John James Audubon Statue.  The tomatoes did a fly-by checking out the fellas.

    Right leg step ups x 20, Incline Merks x 12, Left Leg Step Ups x 20, Decline Peter Parkers x 20  **Doh!  Forgot to do Dips!  I hate it when I do that.

    Ran to the Hill. Debated cool band names as we ran in the gloom. Potholes in the Darkness won.  It was total vampire weather this AM.   The scent of crawfish guts was powerful and foul.  It hurt to breathe for this 1/4 mile.   We got to the Hill and we did 10 burpees on one side and 20 Peter Parkers on the other.  X 2

    Mosey’d back to the Soccer field.  Used the Goal for Peek a Boo pull ups AMRAP –as many reps as possible.  2 lines – walking plank as the line moved closer to the soccer goal.

    After we got through the line.  We circled up for 6 MOM.

    In Cadence (IC) Parker Peters x 22, Hello Dolly x 22, Russian Twist x 22, Leg Ups x 20, Shoulder Tap Merks x 20, Iron Cross x 23

    Run back to the FLAG at your fastest pace.

    Got the FLAG for the COT.  Bogey asked to focus on being better humans to the people we love and to the people we work with!    Please forgive the hastily prepared workout.  Hopefully you got something good out it.

    Tclaps to Bogey for stepping up to lead prayer!

    Tclaps to El Wire for EH’ing a new guy – welcome Ribbit…Now I wish I would have named him – Crawfish Guts or Pothole or Potholes in the Darkness (PITD) although Ribbit is pretty good.

     

     

  • Qwest West – A F3F Scholarship Opportunity

    F3 Qwests West: May 17 –  May 30
    An Amazing Opportunity for the F3 College Pax

    Through a F3Foundation grant, Qwest West, Inc. and F3Foundation have joined forces to offer a full, needs-based scholarship to a deserving F3 college male to join the Qwest West, May 17-30.

    The Qwest West gathers young adults (18-22+) across denominational and collegial lines for a Maymester spiritual journey in the American West.  It’s a camping road trip -F3 style!  Using AOs like the Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion, and Yosemite, Qwest West helps students scale new heights in faith, spirituality, and leadership.

    Think communion, fitness, fellowship, hikes, campfires, COTs, BOM/Ws, worship services, and foot washings.  And very few burpees.  Check it out at www.qwestwest.org and http://youtu.be/s3g2tzV6Jng

    The F3 Qwests West scholarship is open to college-age males.  Applicants should be active F3 pax and have demonstrable financial need.  Interested applicants should apply ASAP by emailing Seeker (John Cook jcook@qwestwest.org) indicating interest in the F3 Qwests West scholarship and requesting a Qwest West application form.

    Deadline for applying is Tuesday, April 26.  Preference will be given to early applicants who meet the scholarship criteria.  Contact Seeker with questions.

    Grateful Tclaps to F3Foundation and Qwest West for providing this wonderful opportunity to the F3Nation!

  • 610 Stomp #33

    A light crowd today…guess the thoroughbreds stayed in the stable, fartsacking… (that’s right, I’m calling you out).
    Four real men, YHC included- ;-), showed up to improve and grow. Plant the flag, Disclaimer and let’s step. This time we pushed through and skipped the stops. We made it a Tempo run. As we started, we had an Aggie take off like he was being chased by a Bengal Tiger. Yep, caught him. It was a beautiful morning for a hard run. When all four finished, we sealed the deal with 10 burpees, Countoff, namerama, announcements, shoutouts, and a prayer. See you at the Birdcage tomorrow with Mr. Awesome…always a severe beatdown.

  • A Trip to NOMA

    Here’s what we did.  Sorry for the short BB, but time is of the essence.

    DISCLAIMER

    The Thang

    COP #1 (Warmup)

    20 IC x Seal Jacks
    20 IC x Imperial Walkers
    20 IC x Peter Parkers
    20 IC x SSH
    20 IC x Hillbillies
    20 IC x Parker Peters

    Mosey over to a ledge, and line up.

    COP #2

    15 IC x Channing Tatums (a.k.a. Right Leg Stepup)
    10 OYO x Right Leg Ledge Squats
    20 IC x Low Slow Dips
    15 IC x Tanning Chatums (a.k.a. Left Leg Stepup)
    10 OYO x Left Leg Ledge Squats
    20 IC x Regular Dips

    Mosey to NOMA, and partner up for the next few exercises.

    Dora 1-2-3: Pax 1 performs AMRAP to hit the exercise goal while Pax 2 performs hop up to the top of NOMA, and runs back.  Flap jack until goal is met by the teams.

    100 reps: Merkins
    200 reps: Hip Slappers
    300 reps: Squats

    I don’t think the Pax will visit NOMA again after this one.  Mosey over to the #Foundry.  Exercise progression as follows:

    Pax planks up for the guy ahead of him to finish his pullups, then follow the leader:
    10 x Pullups
    10 x Dips
    10 x Full Sit-up
    10 x Chest Pulls
    Monkey Bar over to the Plank Line

    Only had time for one round thru.  Hand off to Chewy for some #Qtraining. Tclaps for leading!

    COP #3:

    10 IC x Overhead, Straight Arm Air Squats
    10 IC x Right Leg Side Lift Kicks
    10 IC x Left Leg Side Lift Kicks
    10 IC x High Plank Shoulder Pulses (works them cobra back muscles)
    10 IC x Superman (On Stomach) Overhead Arm Lifts
    10 IC x Superman Side Arm Lifts
    10 IC x Superman Close Side Arm Lifts

    Times up… back to the flag for Nameorama, Shoutouts, and prayer.

  • Hello Lamppost

    Seven men arrived in the gloom, ready for a Monday beatdown at the Skinny.  YHC decided to skip the usual loop around the park to spend some quality time under the lampposts.  But first, let’s head over to the bandstand for warmup:

    SSH x25, Hillbillies x25, LSS x25, MC x25

    Short trip from there to lamppost alley for: burpee broad jump, bear crawl, b/w bear crawl, b/w Jameis

    Mosey OYO to row bars, stopping at each lamppost (3 total) for five sets of SSH x5 + burpee.  Don’t be alarmed by the shadowy figure (Nip/Tuck) suddenly appearing at lamppost no. 3, doing some SSH and burpees, then vanishing into the darkness.

    At the row bars, the PAX split into two groups to alternate exercises:

    • Rows x20 / plank jacks
    • Rows x15 / jump lunges

    Mosey down the rock path to the lampposts for merkincides, starting with 15 merkins and progressively working our way down to 10.  Tclaps to El Wire for leading the pack and doing an extra lap to put the rest of us to shame.

    Mosey OYO to monkey bars, stopping at each lamppost (3 total) for IW w/ squats x20.  Split into three stations:

    • Burpees x8 / pull ups / Russian twists

    Then finally back to the flag for some Mary: DC x25, HD x25, PP x25, FK x25, LBC x25

    Wrap things up with the count, name-o-rama, and prayer.

    -Mulligan

  • Beatdown from the Founding Fathers of Notre Dame

    8 timely men, and 2 rollin’ in hot, made for 10 PAX eagerly waiting today’s Notre Dame history lesson.  But first, thank you for the reminder JV – My Disclaimer, and then we are off

    The Warmup

    SSH x25, IW x25, DQ x25, PP x25 (and no mention of Notre Dame yet).

    Then get your rock.  Feel free to go big.

    The History Lesson

    Heading over to the lawn, looks to be about 50 yards from the fence.  Line up and learn about the famed fathers who founded and shaped Notre Dame with a String of Fire.  With each priest, repeat all exercises from the prior priests then add the new one.  Then sprint to the fence and back, then plank and wait for the 6 (which seemed to be your humble Q most of the time).  Then add the next priest.

    1. Blessed Basil Moreau:  Founder of the Congregation of the Holy Cross.  5 Burpees for Basil
    2. Father Edward Sorin: Founded Notre Dame in 1842.  10 Rock Squats for Sorin
    3. Father Andrew Morrissey:  An early president who tended the mission of educating catholic young men.  15 Military Presses for Morrissey
    4. Father William Corby: Chaplain for the Irish Brigade in the Civil War, then became president at ND.  20 Curls for Corby
    5. Father Thomas Walsh: Rebuilt the University after the fire. 25 Bench Presses for Walsh (try as I might, I couldn’t get the name/exercise to match on this one…)
    6. Father Patrick Dillon: Entered the priesthood at 12, the first Irish president of ND, died of illness at 28.  30 Hello Dolly for Dillon
    7. Father John Zahm: A VP for 10 years, a strong proponent of science and knowledge.  Repeat all exercises – but replace the sprint with a Rock Zahmbie Walk to the Fence.  OK, that was longer than it looked.

    The Great Fire

    In 1879, the University burned to the ground.

    “The fire was my fault. I came here as a young man and founded a university which I named after the Mother of God. Now she had to burn it to the ground to show me that I dreamed too small a dream. Tomorrow we will begin again and build it bigger

    — Father Sorin

    We commemorate the great fire with the Bear Crawl Ring of Fire.

    • Bear crawl in the circle till Q says Stop.  Plank and wait
    • Q starts with 5 Murkins.  PAX to the right goes next.  And round the circle it goes, plank when not your turn.
    • Repeat x3

    Alas, we were running out of time for the “Lets Rebuild it” round of exercises.  Save that for the next history lesson.

    Mary

    In honor of Notre Dame (“Our Mother”), we proceeded for several rounds of Mary.  With each round, 2 pax ran off to the gym for 10 Pull Ups.  Repeat until everyone had their chance at the pull up bars

    • LBC x30
    • Russian Twist x20
    • Flutter Kick x30
    • Freddie Mercury x30
    • Dr. W x15

    Return our rocks, sprint back to the flag

    Closing

    Count-off, Name-o-rama, callouts for health for colleagues of Marlin and Amnesty.  Close prayer of thanks for the day, statement of hope that we use the gift of the day such that our God will be proud of us, and close with St. Ignatius prayer for Generosity (Lord, teach me to be generous)

    Thank you all for letting me be your humble Q for today.

     

  • Running Fools

    “Many a false step was made by standing still.” – Fortune cookie

    Nine men gathered this morning with heavy rain looming. No time for standing still, we had a mountain to climb. Quick discussion about a topless acupuncturist, the disclaimer then mosey:

    Tulane lawn for a warm-up COP: SSH x25, Hillbillies x20, Peter Parkers x20

    Mosey to the mountain for a single file Indian Run to the top:

    BLIMPS – starting with five count burpees then going up by five intertwined with a run down the slope then backwards up the slope. Cowbell joined us right before the S after a good bit of searching and help from a kind stranger.

    After BLIMPS, down the stairs then back up to the top on the other side (all 7 flights Amnesty) for a COP of wet mary:

    Dying Cockroach x21, Flutter kicks x20, Alt side up x20, Hello Dolly x20 then 15 cross-fit merkins to finish

    Mosey down the mountain to the benches:

    Dips x21, RLSU x25, Incline Merkins x20, LLSU x25, Derkins (fastest cadence as possible) x10

    Mosey back to the flag area: Count off, Name-o-rama and prayer

     

     

  • What’s one more bullet to a dead man….

    Started out harmless enough….

    25 Each Side Straddle Hops/Squats/Plankjacks, 15&15 Arm Circles

    Then to the need without the want….

    21’s – 21 Merkins followed by 21 Sit ups, then 20 Merkins followed by 20 Sit ups, Wash, rinse, repeat, down to 18.  then 20 monkey humpers.  Back to the Merkins/Sit ups combo down to 12.  20 more Monkey Humpers.  Merkins/Sit ups combo down to 5.  20 more Monkey Humpers.  Merkins/Sit Ups down to 1.  Whew!  Tires me out just typing it.

    But wait, there’s more…..

    Quick trip to the levee, and it was mostly dry.                                                                                      Team up gents – one guy runs across the levee and does 10 squats and back while his teammate does Burpees, does Burpees, does Burpees.  Now switch it up until both team members do 20 squats in total.

    Back to base for 20 plankjacks and some announcements and a short prayer.