F3 New Orleans

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  • Back to Action at the A1C

    After 57 beatdowns, yhc had to take a break. Not because I wanted to, but work schedule forced me. That being said, it was nice to have a couple days off. With the hectic school schedule, I was ready for a beatdown. I arrived at the A1C at 4:40 ready to sweat (no, I didn’t need to add any to the jug). I got my ISI out the way, and decided to put in about 1.5 miles extra. Due to the Covid-19, I have to leave the last 5-10 minutes of the beatdown, so I made sure to add some extra time in the morning. That’s when I realized I hadn’t planned the beatdown. Oops, time to make it up on the fly. I had to pull a bushwacker. Enough of my journaling…

    Warm-up

    SSH, toe touches, torso twists, cherry pickers

    The thang: 4 corners: 7 burpees at each, 14 Mericans, 21 squats, 28 lbcs

    Then a Lt. Steve: 2 lunges followed by 1 squat, then 4 lunges followed by 2 squats etc… Hammer pointed out that it was a 2 to 1 ratio. The math teacher in me was so proud. Anyways, we did it the length of the parking garage. Hammer with his enormous stride finished well ahead of the pack.

    With 6 minutes left before I had to leave, we had enough time for burpee ball. I had to leave with Hammer finishing up.

    It was an honor to lead y’all. It was great to see Moby come out. I couldn’t have gone 57 straight if it wasn’t for y’all. Honestly, I did it because I love my F3 brothers. I’ve grown so much since joining the F3 northshore family, and I know you will continue to push me to be even better. God Bless and SYITG

  • No Peace Without War

    Like many of you, I’ve taken to reading and following David Goggins, whose story is both inspirational and at times, crushingly real. I won’t spoil any of it – the book is well worth the 20 bucks.

    One of Goggins’ guiding principles is the concept of going to war with yourself on a daily basis. He believes in challenging yourself, putting yourself in uncomfortable or impossible positions where you’ll be forced to make a decision to either quit or push through. Only by choosing to accept and push through the pain does real growth occur. This of course turns out to be a metaphor for life, where our ability to handle the difficult, the uncomfortable and the stuff no one else can do leads to true fulfillment.

    Today, as we set out on absolutely perfect morning, greeted by a breeze, temperatures in the 70’s, and a perfect sunrise, I borrowed some words of encouragement from his book. It’s only by giving more than we thought we had when we got there this morning that we grow. I think we all lived up to that today.

    Quick warmup of SSH, Hill Billies, Arm Circles and Mountain climbers, followed by a brisk run (thanks Catfish) to the base of the intersection.

    Once we arrived we partnered up for some 1. AMRAP Mary (to give the shoulders a break from Iron Pax) 2. sprints up and mosey down the levee.

    Once complete, we lined up for an Indian Run down the levee. Swept the 6, turned back for a Bataan Death March all the way back. As we got close, everyone was instructed to drop for burpees and sprint it out.

    We swept the 6 and headed back to the flag for some burpees to seal the deal as the clock struck 6:15. Moment of silence to focus on thankfulness for the present and how we could help others today. Surge led us out with the prayer for generosity.

  • Okwata 2020-09-03

    Lovely morning on the lake with 8 PAX: Quiche, Jingle Vader, Da Parish, Bongo, Surge, High Rise, Abacus, Catfish (Q).

    Started with a mosey over to the base of Canal. Warmed up with SSH, 8-counts, Peter Parker Peters, Shoulder Taps, 100s, Slow V-Ups, Catalinas, Floyds, SSH, and Imperial Squat Walkers.

    Moved to a Dora with 100 burpees, 200 merkins, and 300 flutter kicks (1 is 1). Runner ran backwards up canal to the top, duck walked across the median, then ran back. As people finished, did LBCs and dying cockraches waiting for the six.

    Moseyed back to flag zone for some monkey humpers and COT.

  • Surprise…cinder blocks!

    When the opportunity arose to step up and take the Q on Friday I jumped on it. I had signed up a bunch of Pax to Q a while back and was waiting my turn to stock the new AO with some cinder blocks! I stopped at Lowe’s on my way home from work on Thursday night and bought 12. My little Audi A4 had a hard time making it up Wisner Mountain with all the extra weight in the trunk! Even got some gloves because I figured the pax wouldn’t be ready for this.

    The thang

    Five pax showed up on this wet morning. We moseyed towards Wisner Mountain but pulled off in the grass to do a little warm up. There was some mummblecatter about how Catfish would not have approved on the length of the grass.

    Hillbillies x 20

    Grass Grabbers x 10

    Peter Parkers x 20

    We moseyed on to the base of the mountain. Started things out with 10 burpees before heading up. At the top of the mountain exercises were:

    Decline Merkins x 15

    Low Slow Squats x 15

    Merkins x 15

    Moseyed to the other side of the mountain and around the road underneath the bridge. I had seen what looked like to me a whole bunch of pull up bars. To the not F3 person these were just the beams that held up the bridge. We congregated here for 10 pull-ups OYO. We then started to mosey back to the base of the mountain when we stumbled upon these 12 cinderblocks under the bridge! There was conveniently 5 pairs of gloves to hold these cinderblocks with! We each grabbed a cinderblock and headed to the base of the mountain. Exercise that followed was quite painful:

    Ascending Manmakers up the mountain. At every other line we did a manmaker but increased the block press each time (kinda like Jack Webbs). First line, one manmaker plus two block presses

    Second line, two manmakers plus four block presses

    And so on, all the way up to ten manmakers plus twenty block presses.

    Needless to say we needed a breather after this. We walked our blocks back down to the base of the mountain. Next, we did squats with our blocks up the mountain in the same ascending fashion:

    First line, one squat

    Second line, two squats

    Third line, three squats… all the way up.

    Time was running out so we walked our blocks back to their storing place and moseyed back over the mountain all the way to the pavillion.

    Circled up for count off, namorama, announcements, and prayer.

    Intense workout, good company.

    Appreciate the opportunity to lead.

    The AO is stocked with 12 blocks if anyone is interested in using them for any future Q’s!

  • The Inaugural Roast on the Coast!

    Completely Stupid and Utterly Pointless: where else in our lives can we embrace that motto and it actually makes you a better person?

    When COVID scuttled our plans for the Hood to Coast the wheels started turning on an alternative event that we could pull off locally. A combination of Yankee, myself, Nip Tuck, Cowbell, and others started talking of what we could do and someone mentioned running to the Florabama as a half-joke. From there things evolved, and true to F3 form, the group found a way to make it happen. The group evolved over time as we lost some guys to volley ball injuries and others to COVID concerns but other guys stepped up. We wound up with a solid mix of Northshore and Southshore, running elites and grinders, barely-out-of-hate range to respect-respect range, F3 old timers and relative newbies. What we arrived at was a group of guys willing to step out of their comfort zones and try something different. No one knew exactly how it would go or what to expect but everyone did know that no man is left behind and that together we can accomplish what we set our mind to. What could go wrong? Who knows but also who cares? This group was willing to take that risk and reap the rewards.

    When the dual hurricanes formed we knew our run was at risk but we were prepared to be nimble and modify as needed. Fortunately (for reasons much more important than our run) we were spared the worst from the storms and we were able to depart Audubon park at 2:00 on Thursday. Car 1 kicked us off with Roots leading the charge. Car 1 consisted of Roots, Bushwacker, Catfish, and Cavalier. Car 2 was Bad Moon, Cowbell, Nip Tuck, and 86. Car 3 was Tinkles, Tanked Up, Steve, and Gideon.

    Nip Tuck charted our course and he laid out the 36 leg route. The leg highlights:

    • Leg 1 Roots: Run through the heart of good old Nola
    • Leg 2 Bushwacker: (Armstrong park to gentilly walmart)-broken sidewalks felt like a trail run through pot smoke-filled humid jungles of vietnam
    • Leg 3 Catfish: Danziger Bridge / chef highway / old gentilly road (aka the beast meets the east)
    • Leg 4 Cavalier: 4:15 pm. Rainy, cool, fast paced through the lovely New Orleans East
    • Leg 5 Bad moon: leg 5 was my swamp-horsefly-sweat-a-thon
    • Leg 6 Cowbell: chef menteur thru Venetian isles- horseflys and humidity with a good mix of road kill
    • Leg 7 Nip Tuck: fish camps, nutria and rabbits en route to Fort Pike
    • Leg 8 86: Rigolets Bridge “Teddy Bears, Busted Tanning Beds and Such”
    • Leg 9 Tinkles: Mosquito breeding grounds and narrow bridges on LA/MS border
    • Leg 10 Tanked Up: Mississippi woods- deliverance in the dark
    • Leg 11 Steve: torrential rain and the wrong pair of socks gave me a generous blister the size of Mississippi before even getting to mile 2.
    • Leg 12 Gideon: Midnight run on a two foot sidewalk with crashing waves through a thunderstorm gifted by the last bands of Hurricane Laura. Screaming at the moon with adrenaline.
    • Leg 13 Roots: vehicle one surviving the torrential rain and darkness on MS Coast (and 3 hours of quality sleep at the Quality Inn)
    • Leg 14 Bushwacker: (pass christian to long beach) – skies opened up half way through and a passing car deluged me with a waterfall
    • Leg 15 Catfish: ms gulf coast, long beach to gulfport. 
    • Leg 16 Cavalier: 1:37 am beautiful rainy morning along the MS Gulfcoast
    • Leg 17 Bad Moon: generous amounts of rain with a tailwind…my soggiest run but favorite
    • Leg 18 Cowbell: Biloxi to ocean springs- early morning rain over the Biloxi bridge made for a super enjoyable run
    • Leg 19 Nip Tuck: Drizzle dark but good sidewalks leaving Gulfport through the neighborhoods. 
    • Leg 20 86: Oceans Springs High School”My Kingdom for a Shoulder”
    • Leg 21 Tinkles: beat the heat for a sunrise run across the Pascagoula River
    • Leg 22 Tanked Up: Pascagoula coast, central town area and hot 🥵
    • Leg 23 Steve: it was either guardian angels or the Hickson aliens of Pascagoula that dropped a bottle of Dasani from the heavens right when needed in the unbearable heat.
    • Leg 24 Gideon: Death Valley. 100+deg heat index on black top highway with no shoulder. Crossed the border into Alabama, and possibly the valley of Death. 7miles. Survived only thanks to Car 3’s help.
    • Leg 25 Roots: Grateful to finish in Bayou La Batre after dodging 18 wheelers on the highway and suffering though the blistering heat
    • Leg 26 Bushwacker: (bayou labatre)- the blaze was on! And the joys of being finished we’re immeasurable
    • Leg 27 Catfish: out of the pine woods of to the base of the dauphin island bridge (cedar point)
    • Leg 28 Cavalier: 2:12 pm. Rain dance work, lucky to have the rain for the first half of a hot 6 miler across the bridge to Dauphin Island
    • Leg 29 Bad Moon: Final leg a combo of Death Valley heat and full sun  made me miss the rain and wet shoes
    • Leg 30 Cowbell: Fort Morgan- brutally hot  but a surprise from my fan club on the side of the road helped push me through the “roast”
    • Leg 31 Nip Tuck:  find your own route through the wildlife refuge, beach and gated neighborhood!
    • Leg 32 86: W Beach Road/Lee Callaway Bridge”Dude Where’s My Support Vehicle?”
    • Leg 33 Tinkles: Highlights of Gulfshores: Alvin’s Island, Surf Style, Hooters, Seas and Suds. Feels great to be finished
    • Leg 34 Tanked Up: Sprint on  Perdido Beach road, Perdido. Gazing  at the wonders of the sea and condos !
    • Leg 35 Steve: with the sun setting behind me and familiar landmarks such as the Orange Beach Publix, this 5k provided much needed relief and an opportunity to turn on the speed.
    • Leg 36 Gideon: The Final Countdown. Sweet release. The victory lap. Cool running into the evening. The energy and honor of bringing it home made it a light run. Proud to close it out for such an impressive group of brothers.

    Bushwacker nicely broke down our experience into round 1, 2, and 3. Round 1 was the race, round 2 the after party, and round 3 was Saturday out on the water. Before we could close the book on round 1 we wanted to finish with a COT. The Florabama parking lot provided the perfect location to get together. We attracted a group of onlookers which included a drunk grandfather in an upside down Waffle House Visor, a cougar in a sequined skirt and sash reading ‘trophy wife’ (made us wonder what type of trophy that is!), and a guy who could of otherwise been our peer (including a trailing line of kids) though could only mutter to us ‘you boys going to get some p….. this weekend?’. It set up a surreal background about which directions life can take and for me it made me all that more thankful for the positive influence of F3.

    Gideon had the awesome idea of customized medals that we all got for finishing the race. During the medal ceremony named an award for each individual signifying their contributions to the group. We had a fun time with this. The winners are:

    • Bushwacker: The Sticky Icky Award
    • Catfish: The Banana-Whacker Award
    • Tinkles: The Coldest Cucumber Award
    • Tanked Up: The Pony Boy Award
    • Nip Tuck: The Cartographer Award
    • Gideon: The Lazarus Award
    • 86: The No Shoulders Award
    • Roots: The High Noon Award
    • Bad Moon: The Swcheatty Award
    • Steve: The Gump Award
    • Cavalier: The Rain Dance Award
    • Cowbell: The What Hurricane? Award

    Round 2 and round 3 will have to be the subject of another backblast but needless to say the fun rivaled that of round 1. Thanks to the social hosts and boat captains for making all of that happen.

    There has been much discussion about what is next for the Roast on the Coast. I think its a start of a tradition and every F3 pax should consider joining the next iteration. Talk to any of the participants and hear some great 1st hand accounts.

    So Completely Stupid and Utterly Pointless? Of course it was in concept but in reality proved to be significant and impactful! Thanks to each of you for making F3 what it is and for making this kind of event possible. Much Love!

  • Walking on Sunshine

    To commerorate the 15th anniversary of Katrina, as well as the recent tragedy of Hurricane Laura, YHC crafted a beatdown that was not designed to be finished within the allotted time. The indomitable human spirit, however, persevered, and several beasts completed the task.

    We began by saying the Pledge of Allegiance, which will always begin any beatdown Q’d by YHC, and I would encourage all of us to, when Q’ing, take the 30 seconds to unite our hearts as Americans. Regardless of our views, when we can unite as Americans, we can overcome anything.

    Warm-o-rama:

    SSH x 20

    IW x 20

    Windmills x 10

    Way Backs x 10 (Intensified versions of toe touches, with a fully extended reach back upon returning to an upright position — suggested by none other than our newest PAX, my beloved son Pickaxe.

    We then moseyed to Noah’s Ark (a fitting venue for the date). Upon arrival, we paired up, with one partner running approximately halfway down Noah’s Ark while the other did burpees. Each partner took a turn, and once Partner 2 returned, they each completed 50 burpees, starting from the lowest number completed by a partner (i.e. Partner 1 does 15, and Partner 2 does 13, then they each do 37 more to get to 50 apiece. Thus Partner 1 does a little bit more). This initial exercise was designed not to be fair, but to emphasize we give our best even when things are not, and we always pick up our brothers.

    We then broke into a series of high repetition exercises with our partners:

    Cumulative:

    250 Bulgarian Split Squats

    Partner 1: BSS on the seawall

    Partner 2: Run Noah’s Ark

    500 Shoulder Taps

    Partner 1: STs

    Partner 2: Lunge Walk to/from street

    750 LBCs

    Partner 1: LBC

    Partner 2: Crab Walk to street ( I meant Bear Walk, but was told I said Crab Walk –subconciously wanting to intensify), run backwards from street

    1000 SSHs

    Partner 1: SSH

    Partner 2: Run around Noah’s Ark

    A couple of things: ANY exercise, no matter how simple, is HARD after 400 reps. Two, I’m so proud of our young PAX, ranging in age from 9-16 for hanging w/ the old folks. They manifest far greater maturity and composure than I did at that age (or now). One of the great things about F3 is that, when you show up, you are treated as an equal, regardless of age or ability. No one is above, and no one is beneath. We require not equal gifts, but equal sacrifice. Keep up the great work, gentleman, you inspire YHC!

    As stated earlier, a couple of teams finished the beatdown as Rx’d. Amazing.

    We moseyed back to the flag for COT, and welcomed 9 year old Pickaxe to the group. I have on good sourcing that as soon as he got home, he jumped into his parents’ bed and started telling his mother all about the “beatdown”. When Mrs. Hammer asked if he liked it, he responded, “Mom, nobody likes a beatdown, but you push through it.” Pickaxe also wants to make every beatdown every day of the week, even before school, and he is ready for next Saturday. I am so proud of him for coming, and I am humbled by the way each of you inspired him.

    Lastly, as I was running on the lakefront Friday evening, after the rain (intentional nod to the Nelson song), I saw a beautiful rainbow in its full arch. Such ugly weather produced something so profoundly beautiful. I was reminded that is also true in our own lives. In Katrina, we saw the worst of nature, but after, we also saw and experienced some of the best of humanity. People serving other people. We will see that with Laura as well. I am seeing that in my own life, and I hope, when the storms come, you all see it in yours as well. You just have to look.

    Except Jose’s Gallon Sweat Jug. There’s nothing beautiful about that.

  • New Blood @ da View

    Our PAX honored with 4 new HIMs, some new to f3, one is an alum (Woodstock). Thanks to our raving fans Door Dash and Papa Smurf for reaching out to this crew. They are already a PAX to themselves lead by WingNut. We hope to see more of these guys.

    Warmup – Bat wings @ 10 a piece on a 4 count, Hill Billies @ 15, Abe Vigodas @ 20 , Grass Grabbers @ 20

    Start with some fun – @revsox showed us this game last week, you setup a target unknown to the PAX, then divied into two teams and kick baseballs one at a time around till you find the target and get your team’s ball into that target. We took this over the levee and back and down the bike path. It was fun and a good team game.

    Now the beatdown – 11’s across the Bay of Pigs. Squats-Merkins, on last leg , 20 Rocky Balboas, every 2 squares.

    End with COT, prayer.

  • Honoring the Nine Fallen

    Ten men came to Pontiff to honor nine fallen service members who perished in a training accident on July 27, 2020.

    Warmup

    After the standard F3 disclaimer, a mosey to the rock pile for a warmup all in cadence x27: SSH, IW, MC, GG, and PJ

    Thang

    After the warmup, the PAX selected a rock and moseyed to the 50-yard line of the football field for the following nine exercises x27, all in cadence, with a sprint to opposing goal lines between exercises:

    Round 1- Overhead presses 1:1

    Round 2-Jump Squats- 1:1

    Round 3- Curls 1:1

    Round 4- Dying Cockroaches 2:1

    Round 5- Squat Presses 1:1

    Round 6- Diamond Merkins 1:1

    Round 7- Chest Presses 2:1

    Round 8- Prisoner Lunges 2:1

    Round 9- Rows 2:1

    After completing the above, PAX circled for what YHC calls a RING OF NAPALM:

    PAX held Al Gore while the lead PAX began 2 is 1 Bonnie Blairs, which eventually became 4-count Bonnie Blairs.  At the fifth exercise, the next PAX in the circuit began his ten exercises.

    PAX held leg lifts, while the lead PAX began 4-count observations.  At the fifth exercise, the next PAX in the circuit began his ten exercises.

    PAX held the plank of their choice while the lead PAX began 2 is 1 T-pushups.  At the fifth exercise, the next PAX in the circuit began his ten exercises. 

    Upon completion, PAX moseyed back to the rock pile to return the rocks, then back to the flag. 

    COT: Announcements, intentions, prayer, and named the FNG (Short-n-Sweet). Mahatma led the group in the pledge of allegiance.  Thanks to Vagabond for a grand flag!

  • Rennaissance 2020-08-23

    8 PAX at the Renaissance this fine morning: Tool, Abacus. Fracsac Heisenburn, Dax, Hokie, Chips, and Catfish (Q).

    Started in front of the museum with Abe Vigodas, Grass Grabbers, and SSH. Got in some imperial walkers, then down to faces for Peter Parkers, Plank Jacks, Mountain Climbers, and Parker Peters. Back to feet for Imperial Squat Walkers, then Body Bag Builders to finish the warmup.

    Set up at the base of the steps for nickels and dimes, museum step style. PAX bunny hopped up the steps, 5 burpees at the top, then back down for 10 hand-release merkins. Planked and waited for the six, then went right into three rounds of a Blades of Steel ring of fire (Blades of Steel = plank position, tighten shoulder blades to bring them together while arms stay straight).

    Ran a lap around the museum, then re-convened around the fountain for 20 box jumps (OYO), then irkins, then 10 more box jumps, then dips. Circled up for a round of Leg Webbs (Squats and Lunges in a 1:2 ratio), up to nine.

    Back to the museum for Sunday Mornings (5 rounds), then back to the front to finish with 8-counts. Back to flag for COT.

  • The View @ The Joy- IPC Week 0

    Sunday Fracsack and myself set out to mark 400 meters for week 0 of IPC. Hopefully the city of Kenner has a power washer because several more lines were painted than needed.

    10 Pax(including 2 FNGs) eagerly awaited the start of week 0. With the clock indicating 0530, a brief disclaimer was given, and a warmup began.

    Warmup

    • Side straddle hop x 20
    • Abe Vigodas x 15
    • Imperial Walkers x 15
    • Grass grabbers x 15
    • Chinook x 15
    • Self love x 15

    Once warmup was complete the IPC was explained and the workout exercises were demonstrated.

    Da Thang

    Completed 4 time and timed

    • Squats x 50
    • BB situps x 40
    • Merkins x 30
    • Bonnie Blair x 20
    • Burpee x 10
    • 400 meter run

    After this we circled up for count-o-rama and name-o-rama. 2 FNGs were given their F3 names: Wingnut and The Joy. Hokie Pokie did a wonderful job at inviting the new F3 members in and explaining F3 and what it’s all about.

    Was really impressed with everyone and their times. FracSack rocked it. Looking forward to week 1.