Tag: Cheese Steak

  • My Poor Decisions are Your Great Workout – from Glitter Balls

    Holiday parties are in full swing (’tis the season) and YHC had Friday and Saturday night engagements.

    It’s great to see friends and loved ones through the holidays and to celebrate with them. What’s not so great is how you feel after you celebrate.

    Tool voluntold me I had the Q this morning but in all honesty, I might have picked it up anyway, it’s good to exorcise the demons after a weekend of fun and frivolity.

    I’ve made it a habit in my life to find out important historical events of certain days or notable births/deaths. Fun fact, December 5 1901 is the day Walt Disney was born. I wonder what we can wring out of that.

    Warmup:

    20x SSH, Arm Circles, IW, Grass Grabbers – now the blood is moving, let’s start.

    Thang:

    5 Block Burpees OYO

    1- Partner Lunge Walks to top of ramp and runs back

    50 Walt Disney Worlds (Wide Merkin into Diamond Merkin)
    100 Block LBC
    150 Calf Raises

    2- Partner Bearcrawls to top of ramp and runs back

    50 Overhead Press
    100 Heavy Freddies
    150 Step Up

    3- Partner Bernie Sanders to gate and runs back
    50 Chest Press
    100 Curls
    150 Squats

    Mary: J-Lo, Penguins, Flutter Kicks (block above head), Big Boy Situps, Reverse Crunches, Box Cutters, Decline Shoulder Taps (probably 1 or 2 I forgot).

    COT.

    I offered up to PAX to keep in mind the holidays are a tough time for many, especially those grieving, lonely or less fortunate. While many of us are blessed with health, family and comfort, many are not and it’s important that we all hold them in our hearts and in our prayers through this time of year.

    SYITG
    -GB

  • 12° on December 1st – from Hokie

    I awaken to the sound of cold wind and regretted signing up to Q on the Lakefront

    As I got out of the car, at 0515, I was greeted by 12° air temps and blasts of cold with 120 mph winds coming off Lake Pontchartrain, so I got back in my car to wait on Pax to arrive.

    I will call my mechanic today as my car said the temperature was 46° but i know better having just been out of the car.

    As 0528 came along 8 additional pax emerged from vehicles including Chootem posting Downrange from Katy

    Rudy was heard by the Q saying something to the effect of “a nice Q might consider going to the other side of the levee”

    At 0530 nine of us moseyed up and over the levee to retreat for coverage and wind protection

    As we hid behind the levee the Disclaimer was given and we did 12 SSH to help the blood start flowing. When we stopped at 12 Q was questioned as to the rep count and YHC welcomed folks to December

    Next 12 slow Merkins

    The 9 of us then spent the next 5 minutes enjoying Bernie Sanders up the levee and run down. After 5 minutes 12 burpees

    4 more minutes of Bernie and then 12 burpees

    3 more minutes of Bernie (for a total of 12) and 12 more burpees

    We then posted on the street and YHC gave a suggestion we be courteous for those still sleeping and remain aware of our voices

    12 more burpees then lunge to next light pole and hold people’s chair waiting on six

    12 burpees and 12 side lunges then Bernie to next light pole and hold people’s chair waiting on six

    12 burpees, 12 side lunges & 12 Imperial Walkers and lunge to next light

    12 burpees, 12 side lunges & 12 Imperial Walkers, add 12 merkins and mosey to the base of Canal

    Bernie up Canal, mosey to Lakefront and 12 plank jacks

    Mosey to flag and 12 Squats will get us to 0615

  • Pole Dancing – from Rudy

    8 HIM on the shores of the lake early in the morning. The weather was nowhere near as cold as YHC expected – so of course, no surprise to see JV in his tank top, making Hawg look absolutely overdressed in his typical shortsleeve shirt. YHC was bundled for a full winter day, as were Wilson and Cheese Steak. Not sure how Cheese Steak was able to move under all of those Brother Martin layers, but that’s on him…

    YHC pulled the first backblast he could locate from his Okwata Q records – June, 2017. Appropriately titled “Leg Day at Okwata” – guess what we were gonna focus on this am?

    Imitating the new hot Uptown workout, apparently popularized by Willie, the PAX began with speed walk (turn those hips!) to the top of the Levee. From there, a quick warmup of the usuals.

    Thang 1: BLIMP ladder. 5 Burpees on top of the levee, run down for 5 BBSU, then run back up. Round 2: 5 Burpees, 10 Lunges, …. Keep adding through the rest of the I – M – P – S cycle.

    Thang 2: Quadrophelia – the full 4 minutes worth!

    People’s Lunge Walk along the top of the levee. We all lunge walk while the PAX from the back speed walks to the front. One cycle through got us to the House of Pain

    Thang 3: 2 rotations of Step Ups, Squats, Pull Ups and a run up the levee with burpees at the top (our timer).

    Thang 4: Calves needed some work. Run across the road to see if we could find someplace to do it – and Voila, a new Okwata exercise has been born. The Pole Dancers. Come on out to see and experience. The glory of 8 PAX pole dancing in the sunrise – a sight to behold!

    Mosey back to the flag for some last rounds of Mary – including Wife Pleasers and Monkey Humpers.

    COT – thank you, Frac, for sharing your story of learning patience from F3. May all of us learn from your example. And may we all be examples of patience to those around us.

  • A VQ Begins A 39th Trip Around the Sun – from Glitter Balls

    5:20am – 41 degrees. All but 5 of the cinder blocks are missing under the ramp.

    Off to a great start. Dispatch PAX to the Wisner Bridge cache and start setting up for VQ. Forget speaker.

    Putting the “V” in this “VQ” right off the bat.

    Let’s start while 2 heroic PAX are retrieving more blocks.

    The Thang:

    Warmup – 20x SSH, 20x IW, 15x Mountain Climbers, 15x Peter Parker, 1x “Get Cinder Blocks from Kuch’s Car”.

    Partner Sets –

    Set 1 – 50x Block Burpees, 100x Curls, 150x Rows – partner rifle carries block to top of ramp and back.

    Set 2 – 50x Block 8-Count Body-Builders, 100 Squats, 150 Block LBCs – partner runs to end of Museum landing and back.

    Set 3 – Both Partners together split 150 Step-ups, 200 1 Legged Wife Pleasers (w/ block).

    Mary – Skullcrushers, Heavy Mercury’s, Mountain Climbers, Flutter Kicks.

    6:15am – COT, Announcments, Intentions, Prayer, Fist Bumps.

    My 10th week of F3, my 10th week of Swolefest. To say this has been transformative is an understatement and I thank each an every man I’ve met and had push me over these 2.5 months time.

    Today was my birthday and I wanted to Q to kick off my last run of the 30’s strong, and as I said, begin a year wherein I walk into the doctor’s office at 40 and CHALLENGE them to test me!

    A big thank you to Kuch for always sending out that PM text to the LVCC and keeping us focused and engaged with each other. See ya’ll for my 11th Swolefest in 2 weeks, taking the family to go see the Mouse in Orlando for the holiday.

  • Another Q, Another Stupid Idea (The Reprise) – from Hawgcycle

    Conditions: Cool and a little windy. The lake was choppy

    Pax: Abacus, Cheese Steak, Cyber Cajun, Glitter Balls, YHC, Jesus Juice, JV, Kuch, Mahatma, Ralph Machio (Charlotte)

    Today’s classic Okwata beatdown was a reprisal from March 3rd, 2016. The Original workout was attended by Griswold, Tool, and YHC.

    The Thang

    Warm up COP – SSH x 30; IW x 30; DQ x 15; LSS x 30

    We then moseyed to the levee. From the top of the levee we completed a set of Quadraphiia* – four minutes of running down the levee forward and back up backwards. YHC got in 10 trips, which is better than the 8 I did in 2016.

    From there we moseyed along the top of the levee stopping to do a set of Jack Webbs – escalator from 1 to 10, merkins followed by air presses.

    After the Jack Webbs we moseyed to the bottom of the hill for some Mary: LBC x 40; Penguin x 20; Elbow Plank Jacks* x 20; Dying Cockroach x 20; Elbow Peter Parkers* x 15; Flutter Kicks x 20.

    *This may be the first time I have done Elbow Plank Jacks and Elbow PP (chuckle) since 2016. Why do we not do these more often?

    We followed Mary up with 10 hill sprints – sprint to the top of the hill and recovery jog back down, everyone stays together.

    Mosey to the water’s edge for some arm work. 20 dips followed by another bad idea by YHC – decline merkins on the steps leading into Lake Pontchartrain x 9. Kuch and I did the in the lake, everyone else chose the planters. We followed that with Incline Merkins a safe distance from the water x 10 and Squats x 20. YHC gave everyone a second chance at the Lake Merkins. Participation was 80% this time. #MakingMemories. This is where the 2016 workout ended. We are apparently much more efficient 6 years later. We still had 15 minutes left.

    Mosey to the discarded street sign with the concrete base. One man bear crawls up and down the levee as the timer. One many does rows with the street sign. The third man leads the others in an ab exercise. Rotate through until all have bear crawled and rowed.

    Mosey to the flag. One minute remaining for 11 8-count body builders.

    NMM
    • Good lesson from 2016 about doing the important things first. You don’t want to waste a bunch of time doing arm circles at the beginning of the workout and then only have 30 seconds for Quadraphilia at the end (see last week’s Q). We got a solid 4 minutes in for Quadraphilia this morning because we made it first.
    • There are two things that make me think it’s been a good workout. Someone pukes or JV drops an F-bomb. No one puked today, but JV dropped an F-bomb 9 minutes in. I could not be prouder.
    • I’ve been doing Jack Webbs for 8 years. I still don’t understand how air can be so heavy.
    • We really should do Peter Parkers from our elbows more often.
    • Guys were really pushing it on the levee sprints. We should probably do more explosive exercises where we have time to recover. This was a good one.
    • When YHC had the original bad idea of doing decline merkins on the steps to Lake Pontchartrain, the Lake was calm. Today, the sea was a little angry. It was so much better this time. I will never forget the image of 8 guys to my side doing decline merkins while the lake was washing up and over them. Top 5 Okwata memory for sure. Could easily be #1.

  • Pax on a rope – from Mahatma

    A cool crisp Autumn morning along the lake front of NOLA where 10 pax (none in yoga pants) showed up for a beatdown. Disclaimer given

    Head towards the field in front fountain
    Warm up
    X 10
    Mnt Man Poopers
    X 20
    SSH
    X5
    AbVagoda
    Grassgrabbers
    X5
    Fwd
    Back
    Arm Circle
    X10
    Good mornings

    YHC brought just enough rope for 10 pax – holding with 2 hands overhead we started at a walking pace then with a level of confidence picked it up to a slow mosey as we ascended the levee transitioning to an Indian run towards our destination that only YHC knew.

    Once arrived we dropped the rope and descended the levee lining up along the bottom.
    1771 – 1+7 up and over 7+1 up and over repeat with numbers ascending and descending now 2+6 up and over 6+2 continuing until there is a reverse order 7117 yet always added the total number of reps = 8
    V-Ups and Jump Squats
    So 1 VU + 7 JS then up and over 7 VP + 1 JS (or you could do 1JS + 7VU same thing). The reps change as outlined above always = 8
    When pax finished we did Mary until the 6 joined and finished through the reps YHC had on his mind.

    Then line up with the rope Indian run to the starting spot of the “H8”. 2 teams of 5 – race – as a group pax complete 5 hand release merkins run to the top of the levee cross over to center bear crawl across run down the other side to opposite side corner 5 more hand release merkins (these will be done at all corners) back up cross over bear crawl across the middle back down finishing HS merkins at the corners.

    YHC had planned for a looser punishment yet it was skipped (some may say b/c YHC was on the loosing team yet there was a plan).

    Align at the base of the levee – “7”
    6 merkins 1 double under then 5 merkins 2 double under so on.

    Now grab the rope for overhead mosey to the “house of pain” (this was our recovery)

    Partner up – YHC did a bad job of assigning a rotation yet we seemed to figure it out.
    Pull Ups
    Dips
    Incline Merkins
    Timer – run to top of levee 2 burpees run down

    Looking at the time YHC put in an old school “Okwata rite” – Quadrophilia! We only went 2 rounds which brought about some sad protest that YHC didn’t plan well enough for the full 4 minute effect…..this will be adjusted as arm circles won’t ever make a future beatdown of this YHC!

    COT – be aware as to “lost sheep”. Are we in the 99 who should be encouraging and praying for the 1 or are we at times the 1?

  • No Mama’s Pride? Surprise, Surprise – from Rudy

    Someone (won’t name names, except I already did) seems to be developing a reputation for skipping Qs. And I’d been looking forward to his Q – as he does seem to have a reputation for being an Angry Q when he does show up! Maybe one day soon….

    (Note: your humble IT coordinator resists the allegations that the failed Q signup is a technology problem. YHC believes this would represent a case of PICNIC.)

    So at 530, the 6 PAX (including a rollin’ in hot Hawg) got started with YHC making stuff up.

    Saban, Glitter Balls, Cheese Steak, Jingle Vader, Hawg and I – great mix of old school and new blood! In fact, YHC is absolutely thrilled to realize that GLITTER BALLS IS A TECH GUY! YHC HAS FOUND HIS REPLACEMENT! WOO HOO!!!

    The Thang:
    At the fountain, rotate through 3 rounds of Dips/Irkins/Derkins/Sit Ups/Step Ups with a timer running a lap around the fountain.

    Hawg wants some levee work – so up to the top, and over to the house of pain.

    1 pair down to the house for 5 pull ups each, bernie sanders back up. 1 pair down the levee for 10 squats, bernie sanders back up. 3rd pair just burpees up top. Rotate through each 3 times.

    Then just some forward/backward running up and over the levee for about 6 minutes just to kill some time.

    Back to the flag for some round robin Mary finishing spot on 615 with Cheese Steaks Leg Lift kinda cadence..

    COT: Yesterday, YHC’s church group talked at length about intentionality in our thoughts, words and actions, and how easy it is for us to lose that intentionality through the day when fighting off the gazillion daily distractions. Today, YHC asks for inspiration and guidance to retain that intentionality, and strive to be an example to those around me.

    Remember – H8! next week, then Convergence on the 22nd!

  • No Q at 0610 – from Hokie

    As of 0610 there was no Q so YHC thought of how to help those getting ready for the Grand Canyon Rim 2 Rim

    After disclaimer & traditional Warmorama we went to The Bacon for steps & more step ups

    5 minutes step ups
    10 burpees
    Lap of NOMA
    Burpess waiting on 6
    1 minute recovery

    Rinse and repeat for 4 minutes, 3 minutes, 2 minutes & 1 minute of step ups

    Lunge to green box
    Mosey to back of NOMA for Sunday mornings

  • Back to the 40 – from Rudy

    Stop me if you’ve heard this before (as most of you have). The levee was strangely dry, given how much water was covering the roads. YHC was prepared to find something else to do, expecting much grumbling about wet grass and such. But no – lets do this. Had to modify parking spot, due to Lakeshore drive closures. So circle up on top of the levee at Canal for a quick High Rise led warmup while we waited for the final stragglers to locate us.

    Then 8 PAX (including Dreamliner, DR from Virginia) hit the levee for the traditional 40. 10 exercises, 4 sets, back and forth over the levee. Usual exercises (Lunges, Squat Jumps, Merkins, Carolina Dry Docks, Plank Walk, Peter Parker, Parter Peker, Situps, Dying Cockroaches, and finishing with everyone’s favorite – BURPEES). Some new mixins including bernie sanders up the levee while doing lunges. That may take 2 weeks for my quads to recover.

    Belloq joined us for the COT – hope you continue recovering, brother. Look forward to you being back with us in the gloom!