F3 New Orleans

Category: Backblasts

  • Al Gore is an idiot

    YHC was up for his second consecutive Q in City Park. Following the fill-in Q at The Stomp and seeing that the forecast for this morning was for a chilly 34 degrees, I opted to include more running than I typically would include in a Foundry beatdown in order to keep our bodies moving and stay warm. Thankfully there was negligible wind so today actually felt warmer than yesterday. With that said, Al Gore doesn’t know anything about “global warming” when New Orleans is in a near freeze in the middle of November. 11 PAX gathered at the mythical shovelflag, disclaimer was given, and off we went.

    Warm up:

    With the weather being what it was I opted for a slightly longer warm up so we moseyed from the flag and made a full lap around the practice track. After that circle up.

    • SSH x 20 IC
    • Windmills x 10 IC
    • Grass grabbers x 15 IC
    • Arm circles fwd/rev x 10 each
    • Self love x 15 IC

    Thang #1:

    I chose for a more run based routine and found the Merkin Mile on the exicon. Run a lap (1/4 mile) then perform 25 merkins. Rinse and repeat 4 times. Total = 1 mile and 100 merkins. I also wanted to keep everyone together as much as possible so I added that once everyone’s lap and merkins were complete we would hold the aforementioned Al Gore until the 6 had completed the round.

    Thang #2:

    After that we recover walked over to the starting line on the back side of the track. Here we would do 40s. This consisted of performing 2 exercises in which you perform 30 reps of exercise 1, run the 100m, perform 10 reps of exercise 2, and run back to the start for round 1. With each round the reps would change by 5 reps. 25/15, 20/20, 15/25, and 10/30. Since we went heavy with arms/chest previously I thought a good leg burn would go over well. Exercise 1 was squat jumps and exercise 2 was single leg wife pleasers (bridges). Plank and wait for 6 when complete.

    Thang #3:

    Recover walk back over to the warm up area of the track for The Gross. I found this one on the exicon a few weeks ago and since I had some time left over (and the list of exercises still saved on my phone) I went back to the well with a slight adjustment from my previous go round. 12 reps of 12 exercises. I once again tried to even it out with 4 leg, 4 arm, and 4 core exercises.

    • Low slow squats IC
    • Jumping/Bouncing IC (don’t let heels hit the ground)
    • R side lunges
    • L side lunges
    • Floyd Mayweathers
    • Carolina dry docks
    • Diamond merkins
    • Air shoulder press
    • Flutter kicks
    • Hello dollies
    • Box cutters
    • Freddy Mercury’s

    Mosey back to the flag and plank for ~1 minute until the clock struck 6:15. Count off, name-o-rama, announcements, intentions, and sweaty ball of man. I once again challenged the PAX to think of something to be thankful for every day as Thanksgiving is approaching. As always it was a pleasure to lead.

  • 2 Legit 2 Quit

    Th first below-freezing beatdown of the season and did attendance dip at the Gip? No sir, Ronnie would’ve been proud, 12 men posted in this morning’s 27º gloom. And yes, yes, we might as well just point it out: Shooter was indeed gloveless. Not to belabor the point, but according to the man himself, he just simply doesn’t feel the cold (regardless of actual science, Hammer). This legend keeps growing and Shooter could lose a pinky one of these days. And I’m not sure what the loss of that little finger might do to one’s accuracy during bow season, just sayin’.

    Anyhow, the usual pre-thangers came in from their mile mosey and we kicked things off with: Seal jacks, imperial walkers, high knees, windmills, ssh, 10 merkins OYO, and some butt kicks.

    Then it was off to the front of the Justice Center for some quick partner work. P1 takes off across the courtyard and up the stairs to perform jump squats x10, while P2 planks in front of a bench, ascends one hand at a time into an inclined plank on the bench, does an irken, and then back down to a standard plank on the cold, cold concrete. Swaparoo, rinse and repeat.

    Finally, up to the top of the garage for the main event: music trivia. A list of exercises was presented to the PAX, YHC would hit shuffle on a playlist, and the rules were that we would all perform said exercise until the PAX could list both the title and the artist of the song. Then on to the next exercise and next song.

    YHC, not knowing what was to come, got a bit nervous (I mean, what if that one 8 minute song happen to hit on burpees?) so I foolishly provided a safety net: if someone could list either the title or the artist, then we could stop the song halfway through.

    So, the list of exercises:
    Squats
    Burpees
    Flutter Kicks
    Mountain Climbers
    Lunges
    Merkins
    Putins

    And YHC believes this is (approximately) the order of the songs played:
    Hush – Deep Purple
    Once in a Lifetime – Talking Heads
    One on One – Hall & Oates
    Can’t Stop – Red Hot Chili Peppers
    Kickstart My Heart – Mötley Crüe
    Hey Bulldog – The Beatles
    Long Black Veil – Dave Matthews Band
    So What’Cha Want – Beastie Boys
    Working for The Weekend – Loverboy
    Hunger Strike – Temple of the Dog
    Take It on The Run – REO Speedwagon
    Ten Years Gone – Led Zeppelin
    Cum on Feel the Noise – Quiet Riot
    Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl) – Looking Glass

    Now this seems like a fairly diverse list, right? It runs the gamut from the 60’s to the 00’s, hits on a few different genres. And yet, little did any of us know the breadth of musical knowledge that our own (M.C.) Hammer possesses. Hush didn’t even make it to that first chord – Hammer heard that howl at the start – and he immediately blurted out the answer. YHC knew then that he might be in trouble, and indeed, on he went, knocking at least half of them out within the first 6 seconds of the song. He took mercy on the Q once or twice and let the PAX fend for themselves, which of course didn’t turn out too well for them. So while it wasn’t much of a beatdown, per se, it was at least enjoyable to watch Hammer’s prowess in action. Much to my amusement, it all ended with the men doing Putins to Brandy (despite Hammer knowing it was sung by Looking Glass – really???).

    We did a quick set of suicides with one partner doing the sprints and one doing Peter Parkers, then moseyed back to the flag to squeeze in some Mary. 100’s, crunchy frogs, and some big boys. COT with (g)Ringo praying us out. (And no, Ringo did not correctly guess the Beatles tune!). Thank you men for trying something new with me this morning, next time we’ll hit some deeper cuts and get at least a few burpees in!

  • Ice Cold Tabata

    16 PAX joined in despite NOLA being 31 degrees. After a quick disclaimer we got right to it.
    Warmup: Butt kicks, karaoke, Kim Jin Un through the light poles. Head to the field For some quick SSH, Windmills, Grass Grabbers.

    Head on down to the front of the zoo and surprise the PAX with some gifts (leg bans, jump ropes, ladders, tension bans.

    Tabata routine
    8 stations consisting of curls with tension bans, burpees, ladder drill, dips, derkins, jump rope, side squats, and LBCs. Routine was 30 seconds on with a 10 second break to switch. 4 cycles total

    Had a few minutes left after our routine so we jumped into some sprints and then headed back to the flag.


  • I Simply Must Go (Baby, Its Cold Outside)

    Not every man would wake up before 5am on what may be the coldest day of the year to stay on mission. Five PAX braved the early morning, pressing on towards the goal to win the prize (Phil 3:14). This is their story.

    We begin with a quick run over to the Gazebo in the center of the park for a warm up. Seems that the area in question is fenced off for the upcoming Christmas lighting display.

    Whoops.

    As I was saying, we begin with a quick run over to the Clock Tower near the road for a warm up.

    Warmup

    Side Straddle Hop x 10

    Peter Parker x 10

    Parker Peter x 10

    Smurf Jacks x 15

    Merkins x 10

    LBC x 20

    Bonnie Blairs x 10

    Mission I

    We began by alternating Bear Crawl (10 “steps”) and Lunge Walk (10 steps) across the soccer field to the running track. Upon completing the Bear Crawl/Lunge Walk, the PAX had a longer mosey on the outside running track to the West Napoleon exercise area. Along the way, we stopped to smell the roses (Roses = Burpees, Merkins, American Hammer, Big Boy Sit Ups).

    Mission II

    Once we arrived at the West Napoleon exercise area, the PAX were treated to alternating Pull Ups, Curls, Box Jumps, Big Boy Sit Ups and Chest Press (Curls & Chest press brought to you by cinder blocks liberated from behind the water pump wall at Pontiff). Three rounds on the circuit, pace set by Pull Ups, and a run back to the flag.

    Closing Ceremony

    Count Off, Name-o-rama, Announcements, Prayer Requests, Icy Ball O Man.

    In the end, did we break any new ground? In terms of creativity, not so much. But I’m proud to say each lionhearted man there today in 33° conditions earned the coveted John M. “Jack” Frost Award for Courage Under Cold Weather.

    Of course, the plaque for those “missing in action” today can be found in the Popeyes’s north side ladies room, right next to the feminine hygene products dispenser. Perhaps if you go in there to check it out, you’ll run into one of the handful of elderly ladies we saw on the track this morning while you were sleeping.

  • Braving the elements (Tuesday edition)


    Despite a welcoming and motivational Mumblechatter preblast, only four brave, badass souls braved the chilly, windy conditions for Tsunami.  

    After a brief disclaimer and glance around for late arrivals, we moseyed across St Charles and up into the sheltering embrace of Wolfpack Mountain. 

    Warm up (undercover), in cadence:  

    • SSH x15
    • Imperial Walkers x15
    • Squats x15
    • Merkins x15
    • Peter Parker’s x15

    Mosey across Freret to the ROTC pull-up bars for come circuit work: 

    3 small groups (2-1-1):

    5 pull ups, while others do plank jacks and jump squats 

    3 rounds 

    Mosey further into Tulane and to the edge of the Quad:

    Pair up for some Dora: 

    While partner 1 runs the length of the quad, partner 2 does exercises:

    • 50 derkins
    • 100 dips
    • 150 power ups
    • 100 dips
    • 50 derkins

    Next a long, meandering mosey to Willow and down Calhoun…several wrong turns while trapped among the dorms on the part of YHC added some distance.

    Finally back on track and over to little WPM. 

    Up the stairs to the top floor for some merkins and mary

    • Freddy Mercury x30
    • Flutters x30
    • Diamonds x20
    • Stagger merkin (L/R) x20
    • Dolly x30
    • Dying cockroach x30
    • Widearms x20

    Back to base, with a few minutes to spare so we did 15 burpees for good measure (and while waiting for Nip/Tuck, who was gingerly finishing having just returned from several weeks out with a banged up Achilles.)  Missing a few of the Tsunami regulars, but it was great having Nip/Tuck back from the DL and hope today didn’t deliver any set-backs to recovery.

    All in, we ran 3.25miles, did 100+ merkins and 100+ squats/variants, and put a solid down painment on the day. 

    Quick COT and an offer of thanks for our health and many blessings in life.

    Until next time, 

    Mariah

    Xo

    We did this shit

  • Weather Change

    Unfortunately Tool was unable to Q this morning and was a late scratch. And whenever there is a need for a Q somehow I seem to be the guy to do it. I usually welcome it as a challenge and I had never been Q for a Stomp before. So 11 lunatics joined me for a brisk morning run with a lovely breeze.

    Disclaimer was given. I chose to do something radical and gave the instruction to run 20 minutes out and 20 minutes back. The wind was mostly at our backs on the way out which allowed for a lovely run. Unfortunately the wind in face on the way back with some occasionally strong gusts made for an interesting challenge. However as you would expect all PAX powered through. I am typically among the slow runners so upon my return to the flag Belloq took the lead and had the PAX performing some 8 count absolutions which is always a crowd pleaser. Once the 6 returned a quick round of Mary was done. Countoff, name-o-rama, announcements, intentions, and sweaty ball of man.

    Lately with Thanksgiving nearing my M has been challenging the 2.0s and me to come up with something we are thankful for everyday. I challenged the PAX to do the same since despite whatever trials and tribulations we or any family may be experiencing in life we have so much to be thankful for. Looking forward to the next Q (which will be tomorrow).

  • The Day After the Tigers Defeated the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa – LSU 46 Alabama 41

    JV, Yankee, 86, Douille, and Mudbug joined YHC on a beautiful Sunday morning, the day after the Tigers defeated the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa.

    Fun Fact on the Tigers scoring 46 points on Bama

    1 – Most allowed by Alabama in Saban Era.

    2 – Most scored by LSU against Alabama in series history.

    I hope you are reading this War Eagle. “FORTY” six points!!! You’re welcome.

    The PAX circled up by one of the sideline of the soccer field and did the following warm-ups in cadence: self love x 10, windmills x 10, hill billies x 20, SSH x 20. The PAX then ran a lap around the soccer field and ended with more warm ups with the kettle bells: figure 8 between the legs x 10 in each direction OYO, halo x 10 in each direction OYO, shoulder presses x 10 IC, slow low squats x 10 IC.

    Round 1

    1. Each PAX did 100 kettle bell swings, then ran a lap around the soccer field.
    2. 100 chest presses, then ran a lap around the soccer field.
    3. 100 American Hammers, then ran a lap around the soccer field.

    The catch is whenever the PAX has to stop within the 100 reps for rest, he must runs from one end of the soccer field to the other side and back before continuing with his reps.

    Round 2

    1. 100 air squats, then ran a lap around the soccer field.
    2. 100 curls, then ran a lap around the field.
    3. 100 hello dolly, then ran a lap around the field.

    Same as round 1 about the run if the PAX has to stop within the 100 reps.

    Mary

    86 led with some V-ups and Douille led with modified Russian Twists

    COT – always an honor and grateful to lead. Thank You for pushing me on a regular basis.

    SYITG

    King Kong

  • Happy Veterans Day 11/11/19

    17 other PAX joined YHC on this sunny, clear Veterans Day at 60 degrees for a Skinny beatdown. YHC couldn’t ask for a better day. We moseyed to the band stand with the following warmups in cadence: forward arm circles x 10, backward arm circles x 10 (thank goodness Seaman was not present), windmills x 10, SSHs x 20, Imperial Walkers x 20, and MC x 20.

    The PAX then moseyed through the Oak Alley toward the running track. However, everyone stopped at every other light post in the alley and did 3 burpees. In total, each PAX did 9 burpees before arriving to the track. Everyone then jogged across Magazine Street toward the main entrance of Audubon Zoo on Magazine Street. PAX stopped at the 2nd light post. Everyone completed the BLIMPS starting at the first light post with 5 burpees, next post with 10 lunges, following post with 15 Imperial Walkers… 20 merkins…. 25 plankjacks, and 30 squats. Then ran toward the statue in front of the Zoo for some DORA 1, 2, 3.

    DORA 1, 2, 3

    Partnered up. While one PAX was doing the exercises, the other PAX ran the loop and back.

    100 – box jumps

    200 – LBCs

    300 – Plankjacks

    After the completion of DORA, the PAX moseyed to the grass field in front of Audubon Zoo for some Suicide Drills

    Suicide Drills (each cone is about 20 yards apart)

    Round 1 – sprint to the first cone and back for 10 hand-release merkins, sprint to the 2nd cone and back for 10 hand-release merkins, and sprint to the third (last cone) and back for 10 last hand-release merkins. Total = 30 merkins with about 240 yards of sprinting.

    Round 2 – same as round 1 except the exercise was big boy sit-ups.

    Round 3 – just a plain full speed sprint from one end of the field to the other end.

    Quick Round of Mary in Cadence

    flutterkicks x 20

    hello dolly x 20

    Moseyed back to the flag for COT – we had one FNG ,who is an electrician. So we named him Shocker thanks to Angie’s List. I am always grateful to have the opportunity to lead and workout with the PAX. Thank You and Happy Veterans Day.

    SYITG

    King Kong

  • 11 11 11 and Saban what?

    Veterans Day occurs on November 11 every year in the United States in honor of the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” of 1918 that signaled the end of World War I, known as Armistice Day.

    It had been a few weeks (50+) since I had last Q’d a workout and yes my Q skills were a little rusty.  I saw some new faces and some old ones.  After the disclaimer we mosey’d toward the rock pile stopping for 11 burpees on the way.

    Circle Up for the Warm UP

    S – ide Straddle Hops – IC 11

    A – rm Circles – IC 11

    B – onnie Blairs – IC 11

    A – merican Hammer IC 11

    N – olan Ryan -IC 11

    S – murf jacks – IC 11

    U – p downs  IC 11

    C – opper head squats – IC 11

    K – nerkin IC UD

    S – eal jacks I C 11

    11 Burpees OYO

    We then moved to the tree line.  Trees were larger and further apart than I remembered.

    11’s – on the tree lines starting with 1 Merkin and 10 Squats

    Then to the rock pile to retrieve a rock or block depending on personal preference. 

    The movements were done in cadence

    Rock Curls on our knees 22

    Rock Squats – 11
    Elf on the Shelf – 11 each leg

    Rock up – flutter kicks – 22ish

    Chest press – 22

    Curls – 10 IC

    11 burpees OYO

    Mosey back to the flag for some Mary

    High plank Peter Parkers – IC 11

    Low plank Peter Parkers – IC 11

    LBC – IC 22

    Pretzel Crunch – IC 11 each leg

    High plank Parker Peter – IC 11

    Low Plank Parker Peter – IC 1

    Real Freddie Mercuries – IC

    Last round Burpees 11 OYO

    Count off, name-a-rama, announcements, intentions (Marlon’s friend and all Veterans), Prayer

    Thanks for letting me lead. 

    Almost forgot War Eagle paid is bet to Tua in the form of a 100 yard bear crawl. We wish we had a camera.

  • I Believe In Miracles…

    A beautiful, clear morning with a slight chill in the air…a harbinger of the great day to come…Pre-thang got started at the usual time of 6:10. Only YHC and Zoolander, who arrived decked out in his cat burgler outfit, which he frequently dons once the weather turns. Always great to spend 2 miles catching up with Zoo…

    Upon our return, the rest of the PAX had arrived, and we started warmups…

    Descending burpee sets, beginning with 9 reps, going down to 2. In between, Sets of SSH, IW, Butt Kicks, and High Knees in cadence x 11.

    We then moseyed to the Gazebo, where we “enjoyed” 4 quarters of 11s.

    1st Quarter: Derkins/Bear Crawl/Jump Squats

    2nd Quarter: Freak Nastys/Run Backwards/Mountain Climbers

    3rd Quarter: Box Jumps/”Slider Mans” –Basically, Spider Walks/Merkins

    4th Quarter: “I Don’t Remembers” –I don’t recall /Sprints/Shoulder Taps

    The backwards run allowed our hands to thaw from the cold dew after the 1st quarter, just in time to refreeze them for Slider Mans after the half…

    We then moseyed back to base camp for some Mary, where we did American Hammers, Freddie Mercurys, Flutter Kicks, and Little Manny Crunches (We miss you Manny!) x 11. That left just enough time for a 44 second plank hold.

    For those keeping score, everything added up to 44 (even the burpees). 2 reasons: YHC’s age, but more importantly, the number of points YHC predicted LSU would score vs. Alabama. (The PAX can attest I made this prediction at the end.) Unfortunately, I was wrong. LSU put up 46!

    We then relocated to Book and Bean for F2. Most enjoyed coffee, but Zoolander and YHC enjoyed Hot Chocolate (the drink, not the band…but the band is awesome, too.) All in all, I would say Everyone’s a Winner…