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  • After the Gorge – from Akbar

    YHC arrived groggy this gloom after a relaxing Easter and overindulgence of sweets. Moby Dick and Turbo Dog were waiting and we got started after some chit chat about travel, broken down cars, Elon Musk, and the upcoming Eclipse. Each of us glad that we both showed up and didn’t have to workout solo, we commenced with the warm up.

    SSH, Arm Circles, Self Love, Grass Grabbers, Toe Touches, Windmills

    Mosey to the playground for 3 sets of 5 pull ups and 10 squats.

    Head to the corner for a walking 4 corners. Just two men strolling around with a dog, catching up. At each corner: 10 Merkins, 15 Squats, 20 Abs of choice.

    Picnic tables for Freak Nasty and Dirkins x 10 IC

    Back at the court, another 4 corners, graduation to a slight jog. Stone Mountains, Crab Cakes, Scuba Steve’s, and Jump Squats.

    2 minutes left for a little Mary, and we are out.

    Marsh Madness this Saturday at the Milestone Marsh.

    SYITG,

    Akbar

  • Growing Up with Throwing Stars & Brass Knuckles – from Steve

    YHC was so sure that no one would be posting at the Splashpad this Friday that I had a contingency plan for a solo beatdown, but no actual plan if someone were to show up.

    With Akbar waiting in the parking lot and Pelican coming in soon after, plans to head to the Marsh for a murph were scrapped and it was time to wing it.

    Usual warmorama proceeded by four corners: 5x kraken burpees, 10x lunges, and 15x big boys at each corner.

    This Friday’s topic of conversation was growing up in the late 80’s, those troublemaking friends you had that for some reason had throwing stars and knives and BB guns lying around their house and no parents in sight, and just how much of a leash you should give your kids nowadays so they can still make their mistakes and learn from them. (Poll revealed that despite the unlimited access to everything these days, our particular kids are all somehow more sheltered than we were at that age.)

    Next up, a stop by the Depot, where Step Downs are finally gaining some traction with the Pax (YHC heard Akbar complaining about them Saturday). Mix of the usual, step ups, Bulgarians, step downs, jump overs, calf raises, slow squats, x10-12 IC, punctuated by some freak nasties between sets.

    Head over to the trailhead steps for a set of 11’s – merkins at bottom, Sister Mary’s up top.

    Wrapped up with a quick Mary, COT, and Pelican prayed us out, reminding us to be thankful for the gift of forgiveness. Happy Easter gents.

  • Easter at the Renni – from Fracsac

    Easter at the Renni went like this:

    5 pax showed up to get the day started right. With the flag planted and a disclaimer given warmup facing the bacon.

    On the steps of NOMA start off with the Easter Bunny’s arch enemy, the Tooth Fairy. Decline ‘mercins starting with 8 at the top step and finished with 1 at the bottom.

    Jack Webb cut in with his routine.

    One quick lap around the museum tossing the frisbee. A drop is 3 burpees.

    Stations:

    Station 1: Rows with 60 lb sandbag
    Station 2: kettle bell swings with 50 lb sandbag
    Station 3: jump rope
    Station 4 and 5: frisbee toss from ends of museum. A drop means 3 burpees for all.

    Timer was 15 rows cumulative in the beginning as the frisbee toss did not go well. Wapner said we could do better if he had a football. Since the Q never disappoints, out comes the football and still plenty of burpees.

    Back of museum for Sunday Mornings.

    1 minute left at the flag so 10 burpees IC

    COT followed by coffeteria.

    Happy Easter!

    SYITG

  • Quattro Rounndso – from Kenna Brah

    Saw some fellas in the gloom and they joined me for some fun.
    Mosey to rocks
    SSH
    MTN MAN pooper Good mornings
    open/close the gate
    Slow vagodas
    Grass grabbers
    Arm circles f/b

    Pick a rock, rifle carry to pavilion
    Set 1)
    3 rounds 5 reps:
    1) merkin with 1 4 ct mtn climber at the top, merkin with 1 Parker Peter, merkin with 1 Peter Parker
    5x
    2) merkin to bird dog 5 x
    3) LBCs

    Set 2)
    3 rounds 10 reps
    ( lost my sheet, can’t remember All details)
    With rock
    10x sumo squats
    10x row
    10x curl

    Set 3)
    3 rounds 15 reps
    Left leg step ups
    Right leg step up
    L/R single leg
    Wife pleasers

    3 rounds 20 reps
    With Rock
    Details lost 🙁

  • Easter Saturday – from Waterpik

    With the Q sheet empty mid week, YHC grabbed the Q for the beatdown on the lakefront. Temperature 54 degrees to start the workout, beautiful westher this time of the year.

    Warmup consisting of seal jacks hill Billies, side straddle hops, wind mills.

    Mosey to the shaft for the main thing. On today’s menu was 11’s. derkins, reverse merkins, stone mountains on one side and Superman’s, sister mary Catherine’s, and rower sit ups on the other.

    Rinse and repeat with some speed work, burpees and rocky balboas on the seawall in between the sets of 11’s.

    Enjoy Easter with your families, men!

  • The non 10K – from Fracsac

    YHC has been nursing a foot injury back to health, so CCC10k was out of the question. Lucky for YHC 4 other pax passed on the run as well.

    A little challenging to get into the park, but it worked out.

    Disclaimer given then mosey to the peristyle for a regular warmup. Lots of confused runners parked trying to figure out how to get to buses.

    Move to great lawn and do some Jack Webbs.

    Did BLIMPS on the corners of the great lawn with bear crawls on the short lengths.

    Handed off to Thumb War and that included a trip to the fountain to grab some rocks. Made our way to Pop Bandstand for some coupon work. We saw curls, OH press, Sumo squats and Thrusters.

    Squints took the helm and brought a round of Mary and some inch worms with ‘mericans that had the pax gasping for air.

    Return the rocks and head to COT. Wait, there’s a minute left so 10 burpees IC.

    CoT followed by coffeteria

    SYITG

  • Superunknown – from Paradox

    During two previous Goose masterminded Holy Thursday beatdowns the pax explored themes of shared suffering and the seemingly chaotic nature of events leading up to Christ Passion.
    (See F3 Archives for these fine works of Goose et al:
    2023’s “ You Don’t Got This Bro” 2022’s “ Holy Thursday : Plenty of Material to Work With”

    YHC re-read these seminal works in preparation for Thursday and was drawn toward the Garden of Gethsemane, more specifically the time period directly after Jesus is captured and before his trial. Wondering what the disciples may have been feeling at that time…lost, scattered, dejected, confused. Everything they had worked towards all up in the air.
    Everything unknown
    You might even say Superunknown …

    Duke!! Roll the footage and fetch ABs dusty CD case from the barn ! No, not the Shania Twain.
    Grab the one with the most angsty album cover, you can’t go wrong !!

    10 pax strong on a fine cool morning at the Den.
    Pumped to see McDreamy back for round 2 andddd Valve even showed enough respect to think he needed a warmup today !

    Warmup

    Some coupon dispersement then we got down to the usual business of YHCs mind wandering while the cadence stacks up at random numbers.
    Is it difficult to chatter with Ronnie AND keep the cadence , sure , but a beatdown is all about pushing through our perceived norms. Goose took the lead stepping out of his comfort zone and showing us a few arm circle karate moves that had us all buying tickets to Diamond Dawson’s Judy Chop Seminar.

    Self Love was left to chance as we got a warm up mosey around the civic center to make sure the legs were primed.

    Thang 1

    Multitasking

    There’s a lot going on during Holy Thursday but today’s primary theme would be the disciples experience in the Garden of Gethsemane. So we start with a symbolic run showing: A) the responsibility they carried being the disciples of Christ and B) the multitasking and chaotic nature of the events of this week .

    Coupon Indian Run to the Garden

    Last man drop off for 3thrusters
    When he passes you in line you do 3 OHP.
    Chatter seemed reduced to minimal questions about where we were going and grumbles about the logistics of running with coupons and Cardinals facial expressions of “how dare you” .
    All except Pope of course . You could put a baby grand on that kids back and he would still be smiling and correcting YHCs LOTR quotes. I know I’m a broken record here but watching him pass us all up in the last 2 years has been amazing.

    We made it safely to the St Francis Garden courtyard and the pax were clearly hungry for Garden themed trivia so we dove in.

    Correct Answer – 3 manmakers
    Incorrect Answer- 6 manmakers

    1.) NYTimes ranked this flavor of Sun Chips as # out of 10.
    (A: Garden Salsa)

    *If you bring French Onion in this house prepare to walk home.

    2.) First appearing in Orlando Florida , this restaurant chain has grapes as a part of its logo.
    (A: Olive Garden )

    ***Bonus***
    What 3 dishes make up YHCs favorite meal at Olive Garden, the Tour of Italy?
    (A: Lasagna- Fetuccini Alfredo – Chicken Parmesan)
    That’s right , y’all knew YHC was cultured but were you expecting that level of class? Doubtful.
    Pretty sure Goose said Spaghetti instead of Fett Alfredo but YHC knew what song was coming up and let the grace flow early.

    3.) Famed Showman PT Barnums alleged last words were “how were the receipts at “blank” , this famed venue
    (A: Madison Square Garden)

    The PAX had successfully figured out YHCs “garden” answers and made the rest look like Enron on Jeopardy with the category “early 2000 gutter rap” …Childs play.

    Flawless 3/3 from the Pax and the 9 manmakers were just the appetizer at this garden party.

    This Lenten season YHC has been thinking and praying with some difficult things God can sometimes ask us to do in waiting. As men we often want to see Problem A and fix it with Solution B. Part of our nature can be jumping into action. Patience is likely YHCs most ignored virtue but getting to know a lot of our pax more closely over the last few years has revealed how much work God can do in our waiting.

    This next bit wouldn’t be pretty but the intensity had to be ratcheted as we approach Sunday.

    Song:
    “While I’m Waiting “
    Goose introduced most of us to this song a few years back and it’s been a top 10 on YHCs playlist since. Just a solid reminder that waiting doesn’t put us into carbon freeze, but that we can still service and worship in that state.

    Hold “Al Goosies “ – Al Gore with a Coupon
    With Coupon Goosies on “Waiting and Wait”
    Coupon Goosies are a coupon lunches and a goblet squat.

    Somehow regular Goosies look a little nicer no

    Next we ventured a little deeper into the garden.

    “ Could you not stand watch with me ?”

    P1 100 HR merkins 10 at a time – p2 *Hold Coupon Press w Leg Raises

    P1 100 Goblet Sqats 10 at a time
    P2 *Coupon Side Reach Hold

    *Both Clinically proven to reduce drowsiness in gardens.

    And now the mob comes for Jesus in the garden and he’s captured.
    Has to be one of the darkest times so far in all of the disciples times together. Tough to fathom it. When mere words will not suffice in a beatdown it’s JBLs turn . YHC wanted a song here to fully represent the mood at the time immediately following the events at the garden. I needed a SOUND some how related to a GARDEN. I needed a melancholic mood like your whole Son had just gone black …

    90s grunge don’t fail me now!!

    Song : Blackout Sun by SoundGarden

    Challenge:
    Name this Song, Album, lead singer , year released.
    Each correct would take 30 seconds off.

    Slow Mountain Climbers
    Merkins on Black Hole Sun
    Side Reach in “won’t you come”

    Lead Singer – Chris Cornell
    Album – SuperUnknown
    Year released 1994
    (More on this later)

    Mosey to Bball court

    At this point all the disciples react in different ways . Some pray, some run, some fight but all are tested in their own way.
    So we would have a test of our own as a symbol of the increasing pressure as we approach the cruxifixction.

    The Test

    EMOM Timer
    3 burpees (drop to pray)
    1 court run (run back and forth)
    3 Thrusters (draw your sword)
    -increase 1 rep each round until you cannot beat the timer

    We made it to the round of seven reps.

    Coupon Mosey to Flag in relative silence.
    Mission accomplished

    Counting and Naming

    Announced BK500 is on the books for Sept 28.

    Start considering business sponsors and have an obligatory sit down with your previous SV500 partner about the seriousness of your relationship.

    COT and Popeye prayed us out

    Thanks for following along with me. As always it’s a privilege to lead.

    A Dox of Chocolate:

    YHC has no idea what Chris Cornell had in mind when he wrote “Blackout Sun”. So a Google search was done and not much more was revealed. Some general reviews online that the song conjured up “disillusionment” , “feelings of discomfort”, “relentless heat” and “concealed darkness”. If nothing else this definitely fit the tone that YHC wanted to strike that the disciples may have felt in the garden. What I did find was an interview of the band explaining the song could be interpreted at the disgression of the audience, so I’ll give it a swing.
    My first thought was that, having been released in 1994, this song would have been a hit in the developing teen years of our pax’s 40 North club. So I imagined that motley crew playing this song…garage band style in ‘94. They would have a vague band name like “Sack of Fart” and people would debate for years if the flatulence in question was plural. Obviously Goose as baritone lead singer biding his time for a solo career. HoneySuckle on bass guitars with a “save the bees, save the world “ headband. AB as the smoky genius drummer. YJ is the quintessential band manger cutting deals and trying to figure out the “vibe” on the next record. Popeye drives the tour bus and does the pyrotechnics. WetTap as mosh pit director and occasional saxophone accompaniment. All wearing JNCo jeans with long hair and ironic sleeveless shirts . Those kids are going places they just don’t know it.

    Ok ok my first thought got carried away, it happens. But my second thought. My second thought was of the repeated line in the chorus of Blackout Sun. “Won’t you come?” It was an invitation of sorts. It reminded me that every year as we begin Holy Week we are invited to enter in to the experiences surrounding Christ’s passion. That for a moment we can put ourselves into the anguish and suffering. Into the deep prayer. Into the darkness felt by the disciples. And if we can go there then we can also begin to feel the immense and unconditional love that comes with the sacrifice. And see that no amount of chaos or despair can refute that love but that He meets us in it and works with us through it. The hope being that each year we are challenged to go a layer deeper and accept this invitation.

    “Won’t you come?”

    SYITG
    Paradox

  • Wolfpack Mountain 2024-05-30 – from Catfish

    Wolfpack 2024-03-28
    Lovely conditions with a slight chill to the air. Started it up by moseying over to the Tulane lawn for a warmup:
    • Abe Vigodas x 10 (in cadence)
    • Grass Grabbers x 10 (in cadence)
    • Side Straddle Hop x 20 (in cadence)
    • 10 burpees OYO
    • Peter Parkers x 20 (in cadence)
    • Plank Walk x 20 (in cadence)
    • 8-counts x 10 (in cadence)

    Moseyed to the base of the mountain. Lined up for an Indian run to the top. At the top did a Dora 1-2-3 with 100 burpees, 200 jump squats, and 300 flutter kicks (2 is 1). Non-exercising partner ran all the way down the nearby stairwell, across to the other stairwell, and all the way back up. Got in some LBTs, penguins, and Big Boys (all x20 in cadence) while waiting for the six.

    Moseyed back down the stairs to the flag zone. Got in another set of 10 8-counts (in cadence), then went for CoT. Coffee at PJ’s as usual afterwards.

  • Wolfpack Mountain 2024-05-30 – from Catfish

    Wolfpack 2024-03-28
    Lovely conditions with a slight chill to the air. Started it up by moseying over to the Tulane lawn for a warmup:
    • Abe Vigodas x 10 (in cadence)
    • Grass Grabbers x 10 (in cadence)
    • Side Straddle Hop x 20 (in cadence)
    • 10 burpees OYO
    • Peter Parkers x 20 (in cadence)
    • Plank Walk x 20 (in cadence)
    • 8-counts x 10 (in cadence)

    Moseyed to the base of the mountain. Lined up for an Indian run to the top. At the top did a Dora 1-2-3 with 100 burpees, 200 jump squats, and 300 flutter kicks (2 is 1). Non-exercising partner ran all the way down the nearby stairwell, across to the other stairwell, and all the way back up. Got in some LBTs, penguins, and Big Boys (all x20 in cadence) while waiting for the six.

    Moseyed back down the stairs to the flag zone. Got in another set of 10 8-counts (in cadence), then went for CoT. Coffee at PJ’s as usual afterwards.

  • Keeping the Lights on the A1c – from Mobydick

    Short and sweet. Just me and Turbodog. Kept simple stretches to warm up then take to the stairs. 25 minutes of down one corner run to the other corner of the garage up the stairs and walk back to the other stairs. Got in about 6 trips and bearky 500 stairs. Knocked out 50 freak nasties and a few stretches and a cool down walk around the top and called good. Pretty much knew it was going to be just me cause the gipper regulars all had something else to do. Reflected on the years F3 has added to my life when Noted we are soon to celebrate 10 years on the Northshore. 7 of those have reshaped my life. Thanks yall