F3 New Orleans

Tag: Cardinal

  • Uncultured Swine – from Goose

    Four uncultured swine joined YHC in the muddy pig pen of Schriever Park for a lesson in classic America. After a warmup of mud straddle hops and other favorites, we moseyed to the mini Thunderdome for our first piece.

    Aaron Copland was an American composer whose famous music has been used in movies and commercials aplenty, but not before they stood on their own as powerful, moving experiences of what makes America great.

    The first would be “Fanfare for the Common Man” during which partners took turns doing step up merkins on the picnic tables (plank, up to bench, merkin, up to top, merkin, down to bench, merkin, down to ground, merkin) and plank jacks. Flapjack after each up-down.

    The second would be “Rodeo” (made famous by the “Beef, it’s what’s for dinner” commercials in the early 90’s), during which partner 1 did Super Marios (box jump onto bench, and then onto table top) and partner 2 did Imperial Walkers. Switch after every rep.

    The third piece was “Appalachian Spring”, which is a tune now used for a number of different hymns and other songs. For the duration, partner 1 did 10 Big Boy Situps and partner 2 did LBC’s while waiting for him to finish, then flapjack.

    After this last Copland piece, YHC led the PAX on a mosey to the tennis courts, Anker speaker and phone still in hand, which caused more than one PAX to boldly claim to know what was coming next. But, we all know what happens when you assume…you get your ass kicked for the duration of the 1812 Overture (about 15 and a half minutes).
    Although the 1812 Overture was written by a Russian for Russian reasons, it’s been commandeered by the US of A for use in Independence Day fireworks displays, Caddyshack, V for Vendetta, and paper towel commercials. We used it for a seemingly unending 4 corners routine.
    Each corner of the tennis court was assigned a different exercise, and reps started at 1 per corner for the first go round and ascended by 1 every other time around. Corner 1: burpees, Corner 2: air presses, Corner 3: squats, Corner 4: heels to heaven. Anker’s quality was vilified as it worked hard to compete with the highway traffic and the feelings of being ganged up on, but in the end, partially due to Enron’s slow mosey, the last note sounded just as we completed the tenth round. T-claps to all the PAX for pushing hard to stay together as a unified group for the whole thing!

    Though shoes were soaked and muddy, the rest of the PAX’s clothes had not yet been dipped in the mire, so YHC saw fit to remedy that with some Mary around the flag. Cardinal protested verbally and physically with some interesting wife pleaser modifications, but all performed these last exercises with courage and strength. And, though we walked away muddy, YHC thought he saw the slightest glint of a new-found depth, of cultured dignity, in the PAX’s faces as we emptied the parking lot.

    Thanks for joining me in the gloom and the mud, fellas, and for putting up with my BS!

    SYITG,
    Goose

  • Flowers by Moby? Never heard of it… – from Paradox

    `YHC got the nod from Coach Goose in the dugout on Wednesday afternoon. Fresh legs were needed from the Q bullpen. Bring in the middle reliever. We all know this pitcher. His fastball, high 60s and fading. His curve, non-existent. Some chin music to establish the zone, sure. But YHCs changeup? Deadly effective and enough to get you to the closer. YHC took a jog to the mound with JBL at my side and a Flower up my sleeve.

    Warmup:

    SSH while Cardinal sauntered up then we got to business with an attempt at 21’s. YHC’s cadence was off from the start, and it cost the PAX 5 burpees. Enron continues to struggle with rhythm-based exercises and salsa classes have been recommended. The warmup dAscended into chaos from here. Justifications for 21s failure were cast out and the knives had to be sharpened before we even hit 5:35a. YHC attempted to restore order with some windmills and grass grabbers and then the mumble chatter returned with a vengeance when Moroccan squats were followed by a sketchy cadenced Motivator. We needed a bumper mosey to right the ship and Yankee Joe ominously predicted only more pain and confusion.

    Warmup song: “Supernatural” by Ben Rector. Burpees on Supernatural and Moroccan squats on the rest of the song. The Pax had settled in now and those Moroccan squats even had a few Shakira shimmies. On to the main event.

    THANG – FLORA with a FLOWER

    Round 1
    P1- 50 Coupon Overhead press in sets of 10 . P2 holding decline plank with legs on coupon.
    Song: “Flower” by Moby- Decline Merkins- Sally Up (up merkin position) Sally Down (decline mission impossible). This set the tone of intensity and these HIMs were locked in for a battle.

    Round 2
    P2- 100 Coupon Swings- sets of 25 swapping with P2 doing incline plank on the coupon
    Song: “Flower” by Moby- Sally Up (coupon squat up), Sally Down (deep squat hold). At this point the odorous rat of repetition was in the air and still PAX effort increased.

    Round 3
    P1- 150 coupon chest presses in in sets of 30 swapping with P2 who held side planks (swap sides on each set)
    Song: “Flower” by Moby- Sally Up/Down- Leg Raises. The OG Moby exercise felt strangely comforting and a calm in the storm before the finisher.

    Round 4
    P1 200 Coupon flutter kicks (1 is 1) in sets of 40 while P2 holds 6 inch coupon leg raise and then swap.
    Song: “Flower” by Moby- Sally Up (coupon OHP) then back to chest on Sally Down. Now the gig was up and the lyrics locked in. Still no quit in these pax.

    By the time round 2 hit Cardinal was adding “I’ve never heard this song” on cue and the effort to push through these was impressive. Strong work.

    COT and Goose prayed us out

    Thanks for letting me lead fellas. Hope you enjoyed the changeup.

    SV burger ticket sales this weekend at St. Thomas. Two week countdown till the cookout and race day. Check out the link on slack or groupMe for more info.

    Sign up your team and let’s get those sponsorships locked down.
    SYITG.

    Paradox

  • Bleepin’ Progress! – from Goose

    Four PAX made their mark in the swampy grass at Schriever Park this morning as the initial side straddle hops squished deep ruts around the flag. But, if YHC is gonna get up at 5am to go jump in the mud, I’m grateful it’s with these HIMs.

    After a briefer warmup than normal, we moseyed to the mini Thunderdome to get really warm with a classic: “Baba O’Reilly” by the Who; Imperial Walkers for the duration in rhythm with the 5 minute song. That one doesn’t seem to get any easier.

    Now that the legs were warm, we moseyed to the tennis courts for the continuation of the dreaded Bleep Test saga. This time the PAX was challenged to push for two more lengths than last week’s max out, and YHC promised we’d only do it once this time for maximum effort. It was Elmer’s first time, though his superhuman effort (despite PTSD from his middle school experience) really changed the dynamic and pushed Cardinal and YHC to do more than we probably would have otherwise. Nice work, Elmer’s!

    Stayed on the tennis court for some figure 8’s. PAX started at one corner, and in a single file(ish) line, bear crawled and side shuffled a figure 8 pattern (up to the net, across, up to the opposite baseline, across, back to the net, across, back to the baseline, and across back to the start). Vertical lines were bear crawls, and horizontal lines were side shuffles for round 1, all facing forward, which meant it was crawl bears for the trips back toward the baseline. Round 2 was the same principal, but with crab walks, carioca, and walk crabs. Cardinal dominated, per usual, with all things crab walk, and an F3 Olympics was discussed as a way to showcase this natural dominance. (Research is being done into what anatomical anomaly gives him such an advantage, or whether performance enhancing drugs or genetic grafting with a crab are involved.)

    Next, we finished with some Dora 123 utilizing the bleachers and the dry, spongy surface of the playground. While Partner 1 hammered away at 100 Big Boy Situps, 200 Leg Raises, and 300 LBC’s, Partner 2 ran to the bleachers and ran up and down them for the first set, 5 box jumps for the second set, and 5 derkins for the third set. We had to stop at 150 LBC’s for time and so that representatives from the Terrebonne Parish Parks and Rec Dept. didn’t come after us for the muddy rut we were digging between the playground and the bleachers.

    Moseyed back to the flag for COT and prayer led by Elmer’s. Great appreciation for the brotherhood this morning and the willingness to truly take ownership of the common suffering.

    SYITG,
    Goose

  • The Life of St. Vincent de Paul – from Paradox

    Bright morning sun, fresh cut grass and a few buried treasures met 10 PAX Saturday at the Peltch. The hype for the St. Vincent 500 is steadily building so YHC decided to give the PAX a history beatdown and honor the life of this great Saint.

    Standard issue warmup with some added flare. What/who is a Nancy Kerrigan? Still a mystery. During a recent beatdown intervention YHC was confronted by none other than Enron (Et tu, Brute?) about doing backwards arm circles during the time that is not clearly designated for either forward or backward arm circles. Strong opinions were laid on the table. An entire life’s work of beatdown warmups were questioned. Lines were drawn in the sand. In the end YHC acknowledged the error in his ways and gave into the authorities. Henceforth Q designates forward or backward AC. So let it be written.

    Enough Tom Foolery, to the beatdown..

    THANG 1 -The Early Life

    St. Vincent de Paul was born in a peasant village in rural France on 4/24/1581.
    PAX partnered up to get some monkey bar hang time while the partner knocked out 4 burpees, flap jack, followed by 24 LBCs, flap jack ,followed by 81 SSH. Flap jack. Tons of mumblechatter about the health attributes of a dead hang. Yankee Joe assured us his shoulder joints had actual cob webbs and Cardinal hung bravely from the short bar with worldclass form. We were all better for it. Coyote could still be hanging if he wanted to. The joint laxity is strong with 2.0s.

    A short mosey to the ball field where we continued to contemplate the hard work that St. Vincent learned while helping his family tend farm animals and plow fields. Staying in partner groups in wheelbarrow format we worked a small plot of land then had to flip the equipment for partner leg raises. Partners then swapped and one was the plow while the other provided the manpower. This was completed during the length of the classic from Jason Aldean “Amarillo Sky”. Team Goose with an impressive display of teamwork here as the 2.0s took a leg each to help Pops plow his field. Tclaps

    Mosey to the cornhole zone for a musical interlude. St. Vincent’s parents noticed his intelligence, and after many sacrifices were able to send him to study for the priesthood. After excelling in school, he was ordained as a priest at the age of 19. Due to the law at the time, he could not perform duties as a parish priest until 24 so he decided to pursue degrees in canon law and theology. Becoming a theology Rockstar was his goal but this was also a time of great spiritual turmoil for the young priest.

    PAX listened to “Party Rock” and performed Imperial walkers during the intro, seal claps on “claps” and then a cluster of
    Bonnie Blairs during the chorus. Earmuffs were applied as YHC could not find the nonexplicit version.

    Thang 2 -Seven Seas and “The Mission”

    After completing his education St. Vincent was eager to serve as a priest and put his years of learning into practice. God had other plans. He was captured by pirates and eventually sold into slavery. Through a span of 2 years he was traded from ship to ship. Instead of despair, St. Vincent used this time to learn alchemy, navigations, and continue the discernment process to find what God truly had planned for him.

    JBL played “Around the World” by Daft Punk while PAX completed around the world lunges and Moroccan night clubs during the short breaks.

    Next we headed for the seven seas. A preset course of cones directed us into stations of “treasure” on the crest of each wave. PAX started with 4x4x4 (merkins, mountain climbers SSH) as a single pax was fed into the ocean at a time. Crest stations included kettlebell OHP x10, heavy bar OHP x10 and dumbbell flies x10 while trough stations involved 5 merkins. Run between cones.

    St. Vincent eventually converted his own slave master to Christianity and won his release returning to France where he began the Congregation of the Mission and Daughters of Charity. Above all else his mission was to “be Christ among the poor “and to “see Christ among the poor”. He spent the next 30 plus years serving the poor and “left behind” population of France and allocating resources to provide for organizations to continue this work.

    We used these same 7 stations for “St. Vincent Webb’s” which consisted of increasing merkins x1 and air presses x2 until 7 merkins and 14 air presses were achieved. On the way back we did LBC x2 and American Hammers x4 in increasing fashion until 14 lbcs and 28 American hammers were complete.
    A mosey back to flag to complete the last segment of St. Vincent’s life. While afflicted with painful sores on his lower extremities St. Vincent was bound to a chair or bed until his death. He did not let this hamper his mission. He completed thousands of letters to the aristocracy of France and utilized these resources to provide for the poor and needy.

    Special round of Mary where we completed no leg movement core exercises. Penguins, big boy situps, Nolan Ryans, scuba steves and Australian sweat angels.
    COT and Prayer

    **Post Beatdown extra curriculars: encore version of “Party Rock” was completed while picking up cones and YHC accessories. Some say Enrons dance moves changed the course of Thibodaux history. Others were less enthused.

    Thanks for letting me lead fellas. As always I had a ball creating and attempting to execute this one. Excited to serve this community and continue the mission of St. Vincent de Paul through our upcoming fundraiser.

    Sign up your team for the SV500 and lets get those sponsorships locked down.

    SYITG
    Paradox

  • Humility is a Moving Target – from Goose

    Storm clouds threatened as 6 PAX gathered in the muggly gloom for YHC’s third and somewhat wonky attempt at a beatdown. Nevertheless, the theme was true and the PAX was hungry. Said theme revolved around gratitude and humility.

    Warmup:
    The norm with an added deep hip flexor pulses (thing yoga crescent lunch with a hint of wife pleasers)

    Thang 1: Psalm 30:6-7
    We all too often, during the good times, can become complacent and thus tempted to push Him aside and “take over the reins.” Even in the tougher times, we are eager to “do it ourselves.” This is self-will run riot. To remind us of this awesome show of humility on the part of King David…
    PAX completed a set of worst worst merkins (6 ct each in slow cadence) with an additional 6 ct of full extended push-ups to fire up the core. (30 total); Lunged 15 yards; Round of mucho leg-o, 5 ct each of narrow squats, normal squats, wide squats, jump squats, and bonnie blair’s (30 total); Bear crawl 15 yards back to starting marker (15 + 15 = 30)

    Thang 2: Highway to Hell
    YHC spoke of a time when he took matters into his own hands, ignored all of the signs (literal and otherwise), and…well…destroyed a minivan and his pride. It was a powerful moment in humility (and certainly gratitude). With free will, we certainly must “drive,” but we also must pay attention to the signs and guideposts.

    PAX was treated to BOSÉ and an effortless demonstration of musical elysium to the tune of “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC. PAX did J-Lo’s throughout, dropping down for scuba steve’s during the chorus.

    Thang 3: Matthew the Egyptian (Matt 18:20)
    Part of YHC’s immense gratitude for the Thibodaux PAX could not be better summarized than Matt 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

    PAX lined up and completed a long series of “walk like an egyptian,” in which the entire PAX low lunged and held, while twisting core to the side of the front knee. The last PAX completed 5 LBC’s, bolted to the front of the line; the entire PAX then lunged to the opposite leg with opposite core twist. PAX completed 18 held lunges for a duration of 5 1/2 minutes. (In retrospect, the thang would work better with a larger PAX and clearer instructions from YHC)

    Thang 4: Illusion of Control
    To really break through our need for control in this life, we have to push through to a place where it (control) ceases to exist. In this case, muscle failure.
    PAX did merkins (OYO) until failure. Enron, Goose, and Paradox scorched YHC’s failure point of 32

    Next, PAX did squats until failure. Cardinal and Montana showed off some impressive stamina and eventually YHC had to call it for sake of time (next time, it will be bonnie blairs!).

    Next, freddie mercury’s and finally back to regular merkins under cadence; when YHC failed, Goose picked up the count with Goose and Paradox putting on a showcase of Dad strength.

    PAX finished with a strong session of Mary, big boy sit-ups, zombie crunches, supermans, scuba steve’s, etc. – all 30 ct. For the final exercise, yet to be named (our research team is madly combing through the Exicon literature), PAX got into superman position, but with hands behind head and toes grounded. Then lifted entire torso up to the left; returned to start position, still hovering, then lifted the torso up to right; returned to hover. PAX completed 10 count with a low country chorus of Gollum-like mumble(grunting).

    COT and Montana prayed us out. Grateful for the opportunity to serve. Will sharpen up transitions for next time.

    The storm never materialized.

    SYITG,

    Yankee Joe

  • July 11–A Big Day – from Goose

    5 PAX gathered on a warm Monday morning, not knowing it was a big day, which would require a big beatdown. First, July 11 is the 40th anniversary of YHC’s baptism, which started it all. Second, it’s the Feast of St. Benedict, who not only is the father of monasticism, but his monasteries were responsible for preserving western civilization after the fall of Rome. Lots to celebrate!

    Warmup: the usual suspects

    Thang 1: March 21, 547
    Benedict died on that date, just like God told him he would. PAX completed continuous rounds of the following for 3 minutes and 21 seconds: 5 merkins, 4 burpees, 7 squats

    Thang 2: Rule of Life
    Benedict was asked to write a rule of life for the first monastic community–he did such a good job, they tried to kill him twice. Cupid would provide the same experience for us.
    Song–Cupid Shuffle; follow his rules: plank for the duration, move around in a circle for every “to the right” or “to the left”, plank jacks for every “kick”, mountain climbers for every “walk it by yourself”, and hand-release merkin for every “down, down, do yo thang”.

    Thang 3: Death
    Baptism is choosing to enter into death with Christ so to rise with Him. So, we entered into a modified Bataan Death Crawl: Partnered up, and P1 started bear crawling around the perimeter of the field while P2 did 5 burpees and ran to catch up to P1, and they switched. Butt slaps, punches, etc. were encouraged.

    Thang 4: Resurrection
    Song–“Christ is Risen”, by Matt Maher: hold Al Gore for the duration, and jump squat on every “risen”, “awake”, and “rise”. The quads burned with the fire of purification.

    Thang 4: “We will run and not grow weary.”
    PAX moseyed the short loop, sprinting every third street light. Paradox kept YHC honest on maximum effort, and Montana impressively showed some serious afterburners toward the end of his third ever beatdown (and self-reportedly, the third time he’s ever exercised in his life).

    Back to the flag for 7 minutes of substantial Mary, COT, and Yankee Joe prayed us out. Many thanks for an awesome beatdown, fellas!

    SYITG,
    Goose

  • A New AO? What the BLEEP?? – from Goose

    After Lumen Christi told us their retreat schedule was getting too packed to let a bunch of rowdy, burpeeing, snake biting, HIMs run around the otherwise quiet and reflective property every Tuesday morning, YHC made a quick hunt for a solution. The first choice was Schriever Park, and after making a visit on the way home from work, it was clear that it had great potential: playground equipment, benches galore, bleachers, baseball field, large fields of grass, and tennis courts. So, at 6am, 5 PAX hesitatingly made their way through the gate and into a new frontier. It doesn’t have an F3 name yet, but it certainly delivered this morning, and all were in agreement that we’d be back next Tuesday. (A little PTSD always keeps you coming back!)

    Warmup: When YHC didn’t start with SSH, the PAX had to pick their brains up off the grass, but it was premeditated; it was necessary. After starting with windmills and going through the rest of the usual routines, this time including high knees and butt kicks, YHC revealed that we’d be finishing with 29’s. It’s like 21’s, but today is Cardinal’s last day to be 29, so the theme was set.

    29’s: PAX do 29 SSH in cadence, but only the first 7 are counted out loud. Then, the rest are completed in silence, but if all the PAX didn’t stop exactly on 29, there would be a 10 burpee penalty. With 5 PAX, YHC was sure there would be burpees, especially with Enron’s tendencies with numbers. But, in one of the cleanest, most dramatic endings YHC has ever seen, all PAX stopped dead at exactly the same time. It was beautiful. It was inspiring. And we felt really good about ourselves for the last time that morning.

    Bleacher crawl merkins:
    Moseyed over to the baseball bleachers where all PAX crawled up one bleacher at a time completing three merkins (irkins) on each. Then, turned around and did the same thing coming down (headfirst, so three derkins on each).

    “29 Ways”:
    Moseyed to the Thunderdome 2.0 (smaller covered pavilion, but reminiscent of the large one at The Peltch). Played the song “29 Ways” by Marc Cohn, a favorite of YHC’s growing up and perfect for the day’s theme: 6 inch hold for the duration, leg raises on every “29”, and Hello Dollies for every “door” and “more”. This definitely ranks in the top 5 hardest songs this crew has done.

    BLEEP Test:
    YHC hadn’t heard of this until digging through the Exicon last night, but it seems like it’s a generally well known fitness routine/performance test. Using a Bleep Test app that beeps at shorter and shorter intervals over time, the PAX lined up on the tennis court and ran to a line 20 meters away at every beep. Anyone who couldn’t make it to the line before the next beep was “out” and had to complete continuous rounds of 29 squats, 29 air presses, and 29 toe touches until there was only one PAX remaining.
    The first few beeps were easy enough and gave the PAX plenty of time for a quick breath between runs, but that didn’t last long. It became clear pretty quickly that speed wasn’t what was needed for victory–it was oxygen. So, after one round, YHC reset the timer and lined us up for a second–there’s only one way to get better at this!
    We discussed future plans for all PAX to PR, then test again a few weeks/months later to mark improvement. Ought to be fun!

    29 burnout:
    Moseyed back to the Thunderdome 2.0, and in cadence, completed the following on the picnic tables: 29 L Leg stepups, 29 Freak Nasties, 29 R Leg stepups, 29 Irkins, 29 alternating stepups, and 29 Derkins.

    Moseyed to the flag for some Mary: 29 LBC’s IC, 29 Penguins IC, and 29 Big Boy Situps OYO (because Cardinal will be a big boy tomorrow!).

    COT and prayer with gratitude for a cool new AO, and on our way out, a walking couple stopped us to ask who we were. The guy was a Marine and law enforcement vet, and he was fired up to see us out there. Turns out, he’s also a pastor at a local Baptist church, and the likelihood is high that he’ll be FNG-ing soon, hopefully with some of his congregation to follow!

    Thanks for following my lead, guys, and for grinding it out today!
    SYITG,
    Goose

  • “A Friggin’ Long Time” – from Goose

    The number 40 is clearly a big deal–it shows up in some of the most important events in Scripture, and it’s a turning point in the lives of most people. So, this day being that turning point for YHC, I decided to take a dive into some of those important events and make at least one of the PAX puke in the process.
    If you translate the number 40 from the original Hebrew, it technically means “a friggin’ long time,” as in, “It rained for a friggin’ long time,” or, “The Israelites were in the desert for a friggin’ long time.” Hence, the theme of the following routines (after a warmup of the usual, including suggestions of a more efficient combination of some of the favorite exercises, such as “Moroccan Self-Love,” the image of which continues to make YHC laugh out loud at inopportune times, like in church the next day):

    Noah’s Ark:
    YHC decided to honor a few of the animals who took that famous ride, and the PAX lined up in the outfield to do 40 steps forward and 40 steps backward of the following:
    bear crawls, crab walks, duck walks, and inchworm merkins.
    Backward duck walks burned, and backward inchworm merkins required more coordination than most of the PAX could muster, but they will definitely be used again in the future.

    Exodus:
    After being freed from Egypt, crossing the Red Sea on dry land, their enemies being completely destroyed, being fed miraculously every morning and evening, led by a pillar of fire by night and cloud by day, the Israelites struggled to have faith that God could lead them to inhabit the land He promised. After sending a group of spies to reconnoiter the land, they came back with a report, that despite the land being amazing, it would be impossible to take because of the large race of people living there. Because of their lack of faith and obstinance, they then had to take a roundabout route that took them 40 years to complete before faithful men finally led them to conquer and inhabit the land.
    Moseyed to the lower field, and after an explanation of the meaning and origins of the word “reconnoiter” and a challenge from Paradox to Enron to read a book every now and then, the PAX partnered up for the following:
    Partner 1–run to the outfield fence (from the outside) and do 20 squat jumps (squatting behind the city walls and leaping up to take a peek at what’s inside).
    Partner 2–chilly jacks until partner returns with news from all the reconnoitering.
    Once both partners have completed the squat jumps, it was an Indian Run to the Thunderdome, which was right behind us, but, of course, we had to take a roundabout route to the street and around the front entrance of the park first.

    Temptation of Jesus in the Desert:
    After eating nothing for 40 days and 40 nights (“a friggin’ long time”), Jesus was very hungry, and after this exercise, the PAX would be very winded. 10 burpees EMOM for 4 minutes = 40 quick burpees. YHC had originally considered more, but was grateful for only 40 after the previous exercises and in the thick humidity. Yankee Joe took this opportunity to “boot” for the first time that day (literal translation = “reconnoiter the inside of a toilet bowl”), which reminded him of his college days, and after which he jumped right back in with renewed vigor.

    40 Days between Easter and Ascension:
    During the time period after the Resurrection and before the Ascension, a few of the apostles went fishing, caught nothing, and after being directed by a mysterious person on shore (Jesus) to throw their nets on the other side of the boat, they hauled in 153 large fish. So, after moseying to the chimney, we used the letters in the word FISH, to complete 40 reps of the following:
    Frogs (Crunchy variety): OYO, 1 is 1
    Imperial Walkers: IC, 2:1
    Squats: OYO
    Hand-release Merkins: OYO (x33 to add up to 153)

    Barnabas:
    June 11 is also the feast day of the Apostle Barnabas. Though not one of the original 12, he was Paul’s main companion for most of his journeys, many of which ended in some rough treatment. So, the PAX partnered up again for three rounds of partner carries, 20 yards out, flapjack, and 20 yards back (40):
    1. Fireman’s Carry (over the shoulders)
    2. Wheelbarrow
    3. Partner Drag (wrap around from behind, heels dragging)
    Paradox claims to have a clear path to heaven now that he’s carried a priest (Cardinal) on his shoulders.

    40 Finisher:
    YHC took it right up to the limit with nine rounds of Tabata, 40 seconds work, 20 seconds rest:
    flutter kicks, squats, merkins, LBC’s, lunges (front to back), shoulder tap merkins, hello dollies, side lunges, and Maktars.
    Time got away from YHC, and we started the run back to the flag at 7:30. The PAX assumed the 40 theme was being taken to the extreme with a 7:40 finish, but despite YHC’s birthday priveleges, breaking protocol (on purpose) is prohibited.

    COT and Cardinal prayed us out.
    YHC was surprised by a gift from the PAX presented by Paradox: a gift-wrapped, monogrammed coupon! I’m not sure whether to mount it over the mantle or to use it exclusively at all following beatdowns, but I was deeply touched and continue to be grateful that these men are willing to stay the path of hard growth with me week after week. The brotherhood is deep and much appreciated, gents!
    P.S. Heck of a job, Yankee Joe! He may have “booted” multiple times, but in returning today after having been out for months, he pushed through and finished strong, and YHC is honored to now be a member of the 40-and-over club with him.

    SYITG,
    Goose

  • We saw the sign – from Percleator

    Warmuparama
    SSH, AV, AC FW/BW, CP, High knees butt kicks, IW, grass grabbers

    First thang: catch me if you can
    One lap around green at the chimney, partner performed 15 Freddie Mercurys while other partner bear crawled, catch up to partner and switch places. Second lap was lunge walk paired with 5 burpees

    Mosey to thunderdome for thang 2:
    YHC has noticed a lack of a certain genre of music for beatdowns. It’s hard to name this category but the closest thing might be “meme songs” or a “torture track”. Its the kind of song that is fun at first (in a slightly ironic sense) but will wear on you with time.
    Song 1: What’s up by Four Non Blondes
    Squats for the duration of the song. YHC called out tempo. Started out with slow 4 count squats (4 counts down 4 counts up) at different points in song YHC called out 2 and 2 count, 3 and 1, then into singles. YHC got excited and called out jump squats before the song hit its climax.
    Song 2: The sign by Ace of Base
    Start with crunchy frogs. When song changes to verse do mountain climbers, chorus do Australian sweat angels, for breakdown section back to crunchy frogs and repeat until end of song.
    YHC is of the belief that an hour of this song on repeat qualifies as cruel and unusual. No man could retain his sanity in that scenario.

    Last thang: BOMBS
    Team up 50 burpees
    75 Overhead claps from people’s chair
    100 Mercans
    150 Big Boys
    200 Squats
    The PAX pushed hard and almost finished but YHC called it and got back to flag a couple minutes late.

    Sadly no time for Mary.
    COT and Kilo sprayed us out

    Thank you for the opportunity to lead, always a pleasure with you guys
    SYITG

  • 35s and 5/19s – Birthday Beatdown – from Enron

    YHC rolled up to the stage only to be greeted with 35th Birthday wishes from Percleator, Cardinal, and Paradox. I instructed them that we would need to unload not only bricks, but hoping that Goose would arrive soon, coupons as well. As Goose arrived, dangerously close to 5:30, the work began. YHC instructed the PAX that todays beatdown would be inspired by his newly acquired age, 35, or birthdate 05/19/87.

    PAX: Enron, Cardinal, Goose, Paradox, Perclator

    Warmup: the usual plus a couple with a mosey to the bumper then to the stop sign afterwards – SSH, WM, AC, Cherry Pickers, Grass Grabbers, IW

    Thang 1 and only 1: Grab bag 35s or 5/19/87s
    YHC picked up the “birthday” gift bag after quickly informing the PAX that he took some ridicule from his wife for using a Christmas decorated bag in the Birthday Beatdown. Appealing to Cardinals love of chance games, the following exercises were placed on strips of paper and placed in the bag. PAX took turns pulling the “gifts”, reading aloud, and then the group performing that gift. Most of the exercises were done on your own rep timing. This took the entire rest of the beatdown.
    35 Merkins
    5 Burpees 19 Squats 87 Night Clubs
    35 Yard Bear Crawl
    35 Yard Sprint
    35 Yard Crab Walk
    35 Yard Mosey
    35 Second Break
    35 Second Break
    35 Brick Shoulder Tap
    35 Dying Brick Roaches
    35 Coupon Curls
    35 Bonnie Blairs
    35 Squat Jumps
    5 Squat Jumps & 19 Coupon Curls 87 Self Love
    35 SSH
    35 Brick Butterflies
    35 Floyd Mayweathers with Bricks
    35 Big Boy Situps
    5 Blockies 19 Freak Nastys
    35 Coupon Presses
    35 Imperial Walkers
    35 Grass Grabbers
    5 Merkins 19 Freddie Mercuries 2=1
    35 Burpees
    35 Yard Coupon Carry
    35 Brick Moroccan Night Clubs
    5 Box Jumps 19 Incline Merkins
    5 Step Ups 2=1 19 Box Jumps
    35 Skull Crushers
    35 Curls
    35 Butt Kicks
    35 High Knees
    35 Wind Mills
    5 – 8 Ct Body Builders 19 Big Boy Situps
    35 Monkey Humpers
    35 Yard Mosey
    5 Squat Jumps – 19 Overhead Presses
    35 Wife Pleasers
    35 second Plank
    35 Second Al Gore
    35 Apolo Ohno’s 1=1
    35 Penguins 2=1
    35 LBCs
    35 Leg Raises
    35 Flutter Kicks =1
    Dealers Choice
    Dealers Choice
    Dealers Choice
    Dealers Choice

    COT and Goose prayed us out. It was a great experience getting to celebrate with these guys today. Thanks for the birthday wishes.

    Till next time in the Gloom,

    Enron