Category: New Orleans

  • Murph Prep

    Murph Prep

    Fifteen men gathered around 3 shovel flags, disclaimer, and let’s mosey to the track.  Two laps and hit the outdoor gym.  As we grow and build up to a full  Murph, we modified.  After the two laps, begin the pull-ups, merkins and squats.  Four sets of 5 pull-ups, 10 merkins and 15 squats is 1 round.  Run one lap after each round.  After the fifth round, run two laps to get the 2 miles.

    TClaps to the few who completed it.  TClaps to the pax who worked hard to grow and improve.

    Back at the Shovel Flags, countoff , namerama, announcements, shoutouts and a prayer.

  • 11 from Heck

    Okwata started with a beautiful moonrise and gentle breeze and then quickly went to CSAUP.

    After the disclaimer, the PAX moseyed to the Center of the Universe for the warm-up: SSH x 25, Abe Vigoda x 15, Imperial Walkers x 25, Peter Parkers x 20, Parker Peters x 20, Sun Gods x 10 (each direction). The PAX then moseyed to the bottom of the levee for the THANG.

    The THANG was an 11 using one-side of the levee: Merkins at the top (descending) and LBCs at the bottom (ascending). To achieve full CSAUP status, YHC directed the PAX to Quadrofeelia (a.k.a. Bernie Sanders) up the levee and Bear Crawl down the levee during the 11. After this, YHC needed O2, so Two Youths gave the PAX a twenty-count.

    Next, the PAX moseyed to the seawall in front of the MG fountain for a Hurricane Hoedown. YHC was so spent the PAX DJ-ed the cadence. Then, the PAX DJ-ed some additional MARY: Sweat Angels, Dying Cockroach, Real Freddie Mercury, and more LBCs.

    The PAX moseyed then to the virtual flag for the COT. Count Off. Nameorama. Announcements. Intentions. Prayer. Lord, teach me to be generous. . . .

    Moleskin: It was a great effort from the PAX today. YHC was beat after the 11. The PAX also stepped up to help YHC with cadence and then MARY. Future Qs sharpening. Fellowship. Teamwork. You name it.

  • Call to the Post

    Growing up in the Bluegrass state, the first Saturday in May was always a holy day of obligation for YHC. Now in New Orleans with Jazzfest, my faith has evolved. But today the PAX indulged YHC in some Kentucky Derby minutiae.

    WARM UP – Slow mosey to WWI Memorial and Oval (the paddock) – and circle up.

    • Windmills IC x 20  
    • SSH IC x 25 (There are 25 3 year olds in the Derby this year)
    • Imperial Walkers IC x 25
    • Turfgrabbers IC x 10
    • More stretching

    Then slow mosey on the track to the fork in the path to Prytania St. From there around the track down to Magazine is 10 furlongs, or 1.25 miles – the length of the Derby. Thoroughbreds run that distance in the most exciting 2 minutes in sports. PAX self-divided into 3 groups based on speed.  The steady group left first, while two speedier groups did freddy mercury for one minute. Second group left after one minute while the last group did LBCs for one minute.  Then last group took off. Despite a solid AYG showing from the PAX, the event was decidedly less exciting then the Derby.
    Reconvened at Magazine St.  LBCs and Planks until all the PAX arrived.

    THANG#2 Mosey toward the parking area near the flag for The Triple Crown. PAX pair up, while one exercises, the other makes a loop around the parking lot.

    • 75 (1875 first year of the Derby)  Burpees
    • 91 lunges (2 is 1) (91-1 are the the longest odds of a Derby Winner – Donerail in 1913)
    • 150 Muhammad Ali s, the Louisville Legend (aka, floyd mayweathers) (150,000 of your closest friends attend the Derby every year)

    YHC modified the Muhammad Alis as time was running out. Quick mosey to the Flag, Counterama, Name-o-rama, Announcements and Intentions.


  • Stiffler’s Mom gets a boost

    Well the ISI challenge brought a record crew to Colisseum Square run.  10 PAX headed out after finding the correct starting spot (bigger round fountain on the uptown side of the park.)  Headed down to Melpomene then up to St.Charles for a run in the Neutral Ground.  Fast group made it to Napoleon (others turned earlier) then down to Magazine and back to the start.  Lead group paced at 8:10 mile with the last 2 miles under 8!  At the imaginary flag- misordered name-o-rama and countoff and then a prayer for charity.  Great morning!

  • Jazz fest stomp

    Im over a week late so apologies if I missed anyone or got their name wrong. We mixed it up this morning. We stayed together for the most part for the first half and had some jazz fest artists’ music playing in the background. After disclaimer, we did some quick active stretching. Then it was a “blue” Indian run to where esplanade ends (or begins depending on how you look at it). We circled up and did a few more exercises then it was all out sprint down esplanade to dog park across from Santa Fe restaurant. From there we cut over toward the fairgrounds mixing in some exercises with sprints until the entrance to the jazz fest. It was on your own back to the flag following the same way we came. About 5.0k distance covered in honor of the 50th fest. A little bit of time for some stretching then the circle up for name o Rama, intentions, and announcements. Fun work out this am. Thanks screwtop for the pic.

  • These are a few of my favorite things

    14 Pax including 1 FNG posted in the gloom at City Park next to the imaginary flag.

    The QIC (YHC) was commemorating a belated birthday Q (first Q in over a year), and thought it would be fun to do a few of his favorite things. But first, a quick mosey to the grassy neutral ground for a little warm-up COP.

    • SSH – in cadence x 20
    • Hillbillies – in cadence x 15
    • Self Love – ic x 10
    • Merkins – ic x 10
    • Slow Windmills – ic x 10 (or was it 15?)
    • 10 Burpees on your own

    Then the Pax followed a slightly lost Q to “the Refinery” – a bit farther away than YHC remembered for some simple exercises in groups.

    • Burpess x 10 for the count
    • jump the snake
    • pull ups
    • dips
    • knee ups

    And with all that out of the way, the fun was about to begin. Mosey over to the big grassy area next to the water – it was nicely lit by the construction lights at the Children’s Museum. Pax put on a show for the construction fellas.

    First: Tabata!! (20 seconds on, 10 seconds off x 8)
    Exercises: mountain climbers, burpees, squat jumps, lunges, and repeat.

    Now that the PAX was nicely lathered up, some more fun was to come: Animal movements! Out about 10 yards and back, 5 burpees then the next movement.
    Movements: bear crawl, frog jumps, crab walk, shoulder rolls (followed by dizzy burpees)

    There was some mumble chatter about this time, especially about prickers and dizziness. YHC was having a blast.

    On to the climax of the morning – mosey to the track for … 1000 meters of Hades!!
    Run/sprint 400m, walk 100m
    Run/sprint 200m, walk 100m
    Spring 100m, walk 100m

    By now, we had run out of time for anything besides the short mosey back to the imaginary flag and the COT where we named SlowJo.

    Happy birthday to me.

  • Inverted BLIMP Pyramids. Or something like that.

    Man, what a beautiful Saturday morning in April. It’s really one of the best months of the year in NOLA. 20 men gathered on this beautiful day for some F3. The usual disclaimer and off we go.

    We moseyed to the great lawn, unusually soggy and muddy on this day, for the warm-up COP:

    • SSH x 20 IC
    • Peter Parkers x 20 IC
    • Abe Vigodas x 10 IC
    • Arm Circles 10 Forward, 10 Backward IC
    • Hill Billies x 20 IC
    • Mountain Climbers x 20 IC

    Next a short jog to the front of NOMA where we crossed paths with the MuscleShip, on their turf. Here YHC distastefully lead the Mothership pax in 10 Monkey Humpers in the general direction of the MuscleShip pax. Sorry @Abacus, not very tasteful of this Q. I do apologize.

    Then we lined up for an inverted BLIMP pyramid along the tree line, or something like that. Exercise, then run to the next tree.

    • 5 Burpees
    • 10 Lunges each leg
    • 15 Imperial Walkers each leg
    • 20 Merkins
    • 25 Plank Jacks
    • 30 Squats
    • 30 Squats
    • 25 Plank Jacks
    • 20 Merkins
    • 15 Imperial Walkers each leg
    • 10 Lunger each leg
    • 5 Burpees

    We moseyed to the end of Lelong Drive for the next COP:

    • Side lunges x 10 IC
    • Low slow squats x 20 IC
    • Tree Huggers x 10 IC

    Then travelled back down the opposite side of Lelong Drive, heading back toward NOMA, with animals on parade. Parade for 6 trees, doing a different animal at each tree. Then a Route 66 back to NOMA, stopping at each street light for 5 jump lunges with each leg.

    Back at NOMA, pair up for 2 rounds of Merkin ladders. One pax does a Merkin ladder up the steps of NOMA, 8 Merkins at the bottom to 1 at the top, while the other pax does alternating step-ups at the fountain. 2 rounds.

    Mosey to the baby foundry. Each pax does 10 pull-ups, 10 dips. 2 rounds.

    Mosey to the fence at Tad Gormley stadium for calf raises. Regular calf raises x 20 IC, toe-in calf raises x 20 IC, toe-out calf raises x 20 IC.

    Finally mosey back to the flag for some hamstring stretches before the finish. Count-off, name-o-rama, intentions, and a prayer. Welcome to our FNG, Donatello. Thank you for letting me lead.

  • “F3 Has Changed My Life”

    In a feat only New Orleans can accomplish, the PAX arrived to a cool yet muggy morning at 5:30 today. The sun might even have been peeking through the clouds as we set off into the humid air for a run. With the H8 last week, the new sprint workout, and the general level of intensity at the workouts lately, YHC thought a simple run this morning – no burpees, no sprints, no Mary – would be a nice change of pace. And so, that is what we did.

    One of the nice things about a run is that it gives you time to talk. I personally got to run with several different PAX and catch up on all the latest. Among those I was able to run with was Steinbrenner from F3 Memphis, who is in town for a convention. We traded some war stories, learned we were both former high school wrestlers with a tendency to eat an entire large bag of chips in one sitting, and talked about the myriad ways F3 had affected our lives. Somewhere along the way, he looked me in the face and said “F3 has changed my life”.

    Later I went to lunch with a friend, and we were joined by another PAX member from this morning, Briefs. Briefs is new within the last month or so, but you wouldn’t know it from the workouts. As we were walking out of the restaurant and chatting about the run this morning, he looked me in the eye and said “F3 has changed my life.”

    They say good things come in threes, and it is F THREE, so I will say this much: F3 has changed my life. I think the myriad ways in which this statement is accurate are well known to all of us, and to suggest it’s only a physical change would be silly.

    So thanks to all of you for that, as well as the opportunity to lead this morning.

  • Tsunami

    A balmy morning greeted us on the final day of April 2019.

    8 Pax gathered for a leg workout on the Mountain.

    We ran up the stairs to the top of Wolfpack Mountain for a warmup:

    25 Sidestraddle Hops, 10 Grass Grabbers, 10 Windmills, 20 Peter Parkers.

    Then it was on to the M-I-L-F-S workout.

    We began by running down the stairs to the 1st floor and then back to the top of the Mountain. At the top 50 monkey humper’s were enthusiastically performed.

    Back down the stairs to the 2nd floor and up to the top for 50 imperial walkers.

    Back down the stairs to the 3rd floor and up to the top for 50 lunges.

    We continued this with 50 Freddy Mercury’s and finally 50 shoulder tap murkins.

    With energy to spare, Quarterpipe went for a solo bear crawl while the rest of the pax sucked wind. Strong!

    Then it was time for Dora 1-2-3.

    50 Burpees, 100 Plank Jacks and 150 LBCs.

    Next a circle of Mary:

    15 WW2 Situps, 20 Penguins, 20 Hello Dollies, 20 Low Country Crabs, and 20 American Hammers (lead by Doullie).

    Finally down the stairs to the benches for 20 dips and 15 durkins.

  • Retirement? We don’t need no stinking retirement!

    Due to a weekend of crawfish, second-lines, retirement party, and jazzfest, the fearless Q had lost his voice. So after a quick warmup of side-straddle hops, windmills, and imperial walkers, the silent, but deadly workout began. The circuit order was drawn in chalk on the ground of the picnic area. Pax would complete an exercise, take a lap (appx .25 miles per lap), then start the next exercise at their own pace.

    Total run length: 2.4 miles.

    Jump squats – 50

    Stacked foot, staggered hand muricans – 25 per side

    R+L leg step ups – 25x per side

    Dips – 50

    Burpees – 25

    Box Jumps – 25

    Decline muricans – 25

    Power ups – 25 per side

    With 10 minutes remaining, we started a Mary at the flag with 2xPAX at a time doing pull-ups instead of Mary for the duration of the exercise. Mary exercises included, american hammer, hello dolly, hello rosalita, box cutters, LBCs, V ups, and penguins.

    Overhead at the end “never regret a workout, but that was a TOUGH one.” As always, it was a pleasure to lead!