Tag: Douille

  • 21 Strong

    After participating in the Tchoupitoulas Bar-A-Thon the night before with approximately a dozen other F3 Beer Champions, YHC did not want to get up and post, much less Q, at the Mothership.  However, the being held accountable part of the F3 creed sat front and center of my brain, right next to the hangover part.  YHC could not let my F3 brothers down.

    YHC was eager to see how many other Bar-A-Thon patrons would post, but that thought quickly went away upon seeing Cruiser in attendance from Houston, aka New Orleans West according to Hawg.

    With 4 shovel flags planted, YHC quietly set out some cones in the parking lot and returned to the group of 20 other men that had assembled.  The clock struck 0630, time for a disclaimer, which YHC did give contrary to what Triple Shift says……and mosey toward the Peristyle.  Some of the sprinklers were jetting out water on the already rain soaked Great lawn, so YHC was attempting to avoid it, but Rudy talked the Q into testing it.  So, circle up on the Great Lawn, but we wouldn’t be here long…..

    Warmup
    SSH IC x 31
    Hillbilly’s IC x 20
    Abe Vigodas IC x 10
    Peter Parker IC x 20
    Mountain Climber IC x 20
    Parker Peter IC x 20

    Mosey to the strategically placed cones in the parking lot. Set up to mirror a basketball court, it was time for some suicides. Start at baseline, sprint to first line, sprint back and do exercise. Sprint to Half Court, sprint back and do exercise. Sprint to third line, sprint back and do exercise. Sprint full court, sprint back and do exercise. That’s one evolution.
    First Evolution – 5 Burpees OYO upon returning to baseline each time.
    Second Evolution – 5 Eight Count Body Builders IC upon returning to baseline each time.
    Third Evolution – 5 Copperhead Squats IC upon returning to baseline each time.
    Fourth Evolution – No exercises, just sprint to each line and back retrieving the cones.

    Mosey to trees near NOMA
    Line up at the first tree, and bear crawl to third tree. Lunges IC x 10
    Bear crawl from third tree to fifth tree. At this point, Rudy indicated a large pool of standing water near tree six that the Pax should engage. Looking back, YHC may have lost a great opportunity. Maybe next time…..
    Circle Up for Jack Webb
    1 merkin, 2 air presses
    2 merkin, 4 air presses
    You get the idea
    10 merkins, 20 air presses
    Kong walk from fifth tree back to third tree, Squats IC x 10
    Duck walk from third tree back to first tree, Monkey Humpers IC x 20

    Mosey to the fountain by NOMA. The regular Cross Fitters were on the steps doing Burpees, which the Pax began to critique. YHC decided to stay off the steps this day, we don’t need a West Side Story BB……
    RL Step Ups IC x 20
    Freak nasties IC x 20
    LL Step Ups IC x 20

    Mosey to the narrow strip of grass in front of NOMA and elbow plank up in two columns.
    Pax Bridge Jumps. Last man jumps over each Pax and assumes plank position in the front. Each Pax does 3. Although there were two teams, there was no competition here, YHC just wanted to equally spread the suck around. Speaking of Suck…
    Mosey back near the standing water that continued to call to Rudy for “The Suck”

    Three minutes of the following exercise over and over again
    7 SSH
    7 Merkins
    7 Squat Jumps
    The Pax said something about it being 6, but YHC stood his ground. This day would suck that much more…..
    YHC lost count, so not sure how many rounds were completed.

    Mosey back to the road in front of NOMA and line up in the two columns again for a two column Indian Run back to the Flags. Upon arriving at the flags with one minute to spare, YHC called a sudden change and directed all back to the Great Lawn for 10 Burpees OYO to seal the deal!

    COT

    Count Off, Nam-O-Rama, Announcements, Intentions and Closed with a prayer.

    NMM

    T-Claps to our IT guy for making the F3 website easy to find and the workouts well defined. Our newest FNG found F3 by searching the web and posted at the Mothership! Welcome Catfish! I think it has something to do with the Notre Dame scam, but who knows. Ask Rudy about it.
    It was a pleasure having Cruiser from Houston post. Cruiser is an inspiration to us all, a true HIM! Cruiser, know that you and your family are always in our thoughts and prayers.
    T-Claps to Woz for leading the bible study at 8:15 post coffeeteria.

    YHC intended to create a beatdown to recognize Armed Forces Day.  The 5 of each exercise in the suicides represented the 5 branches of our great military.  Thanks to all who serve and to our veterans.

    Thanks for posting with me today, for holding me accountable, and for making me a better husband, father, and man.

    SYITG

  • One more time up the Mountain

    After lots of smiling faces and mumble chatter along the avenue, YHC decided to quickly change the tone for the day. Brief disclaimer (if it hurts, keep doing it) then moseyed across the street.

    What’s more fun than starting your day with bear crawls?

    Bear crawled to 1st tree then crab walk back

    42 SSH then 10 Burpees

    Moseyed towards the mountain for stop at the parking garage fence: 20 calf raises

    Up the mountain: Indian Run two lines

    Top of Mountain: 10 Burpees

    Lined up facing the down ramp: 10 Merkins, 10 RTs, run down the ramp, 10 burpees, run backwards up the ramp – repeat 3 times, last time bear crawl up instead of backwards run

    After watching Brown Bag perform advanced yoga moves, moseyed down the stairs to the benches.

    Dips x20, RLSU x20, Dips x10, LLSU x20, Dips x12 & Decline Parker Peter x20

     

    With about 12 minutes, most of the PAX were ready to pack it for some mary and plankwork next to the nonchalant Jesus statue (looks like he doesn’t care there’s a better university next door).

    Not so fast…we’re back up the mountain for another indian run. Quick mary of RTs & the Real Freddie Mercury (can’t stop me now) then back to the flag.

    Count-0-rama, soft tees & prayer.

    Strong 25 today…thanks for being in that number.

     

  • Dirty McDeuce at the Birdcage

    Nice turnout at the Birdcage where the Pax was treated to a variation on the Dirty McDeuce.  But first, a disclaimer, quick mosey down oak alley, and warump COP:  SSHx25, IW x26, Burpee x10 (OYO).  Then a slow jog back down oak alley, down the jogging track to the row bars, and back to the lamppost nearest to the bandstand (approx. 500-600 m).  That would be our lap for the Dirty McDeuce, which went something like this:

    • Lamppost 1:  Merkins x10, Monkey humpers x20, Mountain climbers x20, bearcrawl to lamppost two, hard run
    • Lamppost 2: Diamond merks x10, squat jumps x30 (2-count cadence), plank jacks x20, backward bearcrawl to lamppost three, hard run
    • Lamppost 3: Wide merks x10, lunges x20, Peter Parkers x20, bearcrawl to lamppost 4, hard run
    • Lamppost 4: Merks x10, burpees x1 (OYO), Parker Peters x20, backward bearcrawl to track, hard run

    We then used the balance of our time for some Mary:

    • LBC x25
    • V-Up x15
    • Russian Twist x20
    • Dying cockroach x20
    • Hello Dolly x20
    • J-Lo x20

    Finally, wrap up with the count, name-o-rama, and prayer.

    -Mulligan

  • Sweating on a Saturday wit “EMOM” and Dem!

    EMOM and DEM (you might have to be a “yat” to get it)

    What an awesome day to luck out as a fill in Q!  26 men decided to show up at the mothership for a Sat sweat which I wasn’t sure I had prepared to deliver.  But non the less the disclaimer was given and the Pax headed out, with one FNG in our group.

    We moseyed passed the grant lawn, with a few expected mumbles, for a longer run than most might have anticipated to then circle up next to the baby foundry and warm up.

    All in cadence:

    SSH x 25

    Slow toe touches x 25

    Windmills x 15

    Mnt Climbers x 25

    Shoulder Taps x 25

    Then we broke up into 7 groups (6×4 and 1×2) in order to utilize the foundry tools (some felt it was “too” close for comfort and modified):

    2 rounds of:

    Pull ups

    Incline push ups

    Step ups

    Dips

    Jump overs

    Hangs (some added leg crunches)

    Timer was 10 burpees (Hawg continued to encourage the ensure the over head clap was “heard” for good measure of performance).

    The PAX was ready for a 3rd round but there was a plan in place and we had a lot of work to complete, so mosey back to the great lawn.

    4 groups (2×7 and 2×6) Attack the corners with added burpees in the center x 2

    Each group started on a corner and completed exercise and reps prescribed by the QIC – then rotate (running) to the next corner while leaving corner #1 would run to center of lawn complete 5 burpees before going to corner #2, from #2 run long side to #3, from #3 run to center of lawn complete 5 burpees before heading to #4 then run long side to #1……repeat!

    #1 20 sqt jumps

    #2 10 each arm alternating push ups for total of 20

    #3 20 V Ups

    #4 20 Shoulder taps

    NOW, Pax was well oiled and lubricated, ready to finish strong!

    EMOM – EVERY MINUTE ON THE MINUTE

    QIC was nervous as there was just 20 minutes on the clock and there was no time to waste……had the PAX assemble in groups along the benches then barked out the instructions.

    15 Box Jumps…..cross the street and wait.

    Full Sprint to third tree (designated with big branch) and back!

    Bear Crawl out…..same tree

    Kong Back…..cross the street

    10 Burpees

    Every minute on the minute – So the faster you complete each THANG the more rest you get BUT the clock never stops for an expected 20 minutes of continuous effort!

    Pax (including the QIC) may have underestimated our fitness level as the 1st round was easier than expected BUT we all figured out quickly that rounds 2 and 3 kicked out butts!  Unfortunately we were not going to have enough time to complete the 4th round so instead of cheating the PAX out of the total 60 minutes we all showed up for, the QIC quickly transition to a bit of MARY –

    20 4 count flutter kicks

    1 minute of plank

    Then we headed back to the flag with pride that we all left a lot of sweat behind for Your Emom n dem!

    Circle Up – count off

    Today we had an FNG – now known as “Wetsuit”, big shout out of respect (54 as I recall), he came and hung with the group completing our stroll through the park.  No doubt I may have missed the opportunity of a more rounded “waterpick” name but maybe Wetsuit will bring an FNG that is a water skiing dentist!

    NameOrama – Intentions and closing prayer of thanksgiving!  God Bless!

    Planting a seed – Please check your family calendars for the month of July – looking to coordinate a F2 event where we can expand our camaraderie in a NON workout atmosphere, notice I didn’t say sweat as this would be Summer in NOLA  .  I’d like to suggest a Saturday afternoon, somewhere central for a BBQ with family friendly games.  July 14, 21 or 28.  More details to come!

     

     

  • Three Years of Respect

    A PAX can sometimes be a deaf lot, such as when a Q makes a disclaimer and then starts to mosey: huh, huh, what’d he say?  Where’s he going?  Hey, wait, we’re supposed to be following him?

    After a clearly articulated, strong-voiced disclaimer at precisely 5:30:00a, YHC started the usual mosey to Walnut, as the PAX slowly caught up with lots of mumblechatter.  We continued a mosey to the front of Tulane, but past the wall and into the area with more room.  After all, some of the PAX were, shall we say, gaseous.  Warm-up:

    • SSHs 31xIC
    • Hillbillies 28xIC
    • Monkey Humpers 31xIC (always a crowd pleaser)
    • Peter Parkers 30xIC

    Mosey to old stomping grounds with a new twist suggested by Reluctant Yankee: at the corner of Calhoun and St. Charles in front of the oh-so-lovely tiers landscaping featuring an elegant cement carving that just happens to spell LOYOLA, the Pax broke up into four groups (some difficulty encountered, apparently dividing sixteen by four can sometimes be challenging in the Gloom).  Group One: mosey over to the three-floor outdoor staircase to go up and down twice (that’s 24 up each time for those who climbed steps by twos and 48 down for those not crazy enough to do same on the way down, for a total of 144 steps–or so); meanwhile, Group Two did merkins AMRAP at the corner, Group Three did squats AMRAM on the first tier and Group Four did Nolan Ryans AMRAP on the second tier.  The merks were definitely the most challenging.  Cycle through until each group has done all four stations.

    After a somewhat quiet 20-count by Cowbell, the PAX moseyed to and up the central stairwell for Wolfpack Mountain.  At the top, the PAX divided into two groups (again, apparently, some difficulty in dividing sixteen in half).  Group One moseyed down the stairway to the third floor and back up, while Group Two did some prayer chairs; then both groups flipped.  Rinse and repeat once, and then a Circle of Mary:

    • Russian Twists 20xIC
    • Flutter Kicks 20xIC
    • Penguins 20xIC
    • Hello Dollys 20xIC
    • Crunchy Frogs 20xIC
    • Dying Cockroaches 20xIC
    • LBCs 20xIC
    • Dr. Ws 10xIC (apparently, YHC was going too fast?  He thought it was easier that way.  Beware, next time he might do it oh so slow to keep the burn burning hot.  We miss you, Side Effects.)

    Mosey back down the ramp and back to the would-be flag to finish at, RY will be happy to hear, precisely at 6:15a.  A black dog and his man Sea Man were dutifully waiting, with a bemused smile as he watched 16 (or really 15, since Pony Boy had to peel off) PAX drip sweat into the sweet, dewy grass.  Count off, Name-O-Rama, and a closing COT.

    #Moleskin: YHC was, um, a bit more exhausted (Douille thought YHC might need to go to a hospital) when he finished his first BeatDown, led by Splash on the first Friday of Jazzfest in 2015.  #TClaps to all the PAX for giving YHC three years and one week of great BeatDowns.

    Jingle Vader

  • YSR– technologically challenged?

    BIG 25 person PAX for a YSR Q

    Warm up:  partner one does defensive slides while the other does jumping jacks.  Flapjack.

    Repeat with Parker Peters and Imperial Walker Squats

    Mosey to the Mountain.

    Run up and alternate between 5 burpees and abs of choice x 20.

    BLIMP and wait at TOP.

    Run down the stairs.

    At benches Left leg power up, incline merks, right leg power up, decline merks x 20

    Back to mountain and Indian Run up

    At TOP – Circle of Mary (not sure which exercises were done for Mary)

    Mosey back to the FLAG –FINISH BLIMP and Wait.

    Welcome back KOTTER to Pony Boy!

  • Tony! Toni! Tone’! or is it Trevor…..?

    On a beautiful Monday morning YHC gathered with 15 other PAX for a great start to the day.  As I walked up to the AO I noticed Seaman.  Not only did he come to wish all the other PAX a good beatdown but he brought his new dog and an FNG he EH’ed.  After introducing myself to Tony or was it Toni, maybe Tone’?, we all circled up and waited for a few PAX coming in hot.  When all were ready, I asked if there were any other FNG’s in the group besides Tony, Toni, Tone’ apparently there were none and I was quickly corrected by numerous PAX that the FNG who was there was not actually Tony or Toni or even Tone’ but Trevor.  I guess a weekend in Lafayette for International Festival de Acadiens had me a little slow.  With that, disclaimer and we moseyed to an open field by Magazine Street for:

    Warm-Up

    • Forward Arm Circles X 15
    • Reverse Arm Circles X 15
    • Hillbillies X 20
    • Imperial Walkers X20

    Next we moseyed to the levee (dodging multiple cars, what’s up with the traffic at 5:30AM?) for:

    Burp Back Mountain

    • Partner 1 does 8-Count Body Builders
    • Partner 2 runs up the hill backwards and down hill forwards X 3 then Flapjack

    Rinse and repeat until 100 Body Builders are completed.

    Next, mosey to median by Audubon Statue for:

    Rock IV aka “I must break you”

    • Rocky Balboa’s X 100 on curb 1
    • Bear Crawl forward over median to far curb for
    • Incline Merkins X 10
    • Crab Crawl forward to beginning
    • Rinse and repeat X3 alternating between forward and backward bear crawls and crab crawls

    next, mosey to Oak Alley for:

    C.L.I.M.B.

    • Crab Cake
    • Lunge
    • Iron Cross
    • Mountain Climbers
    • Burpees

    1 Crab Cake, 2 Lunges, 3 Iron Cross, 4 Mountain Climbers, 5 Burpees at first light then double up each successive light.  Carioca one way to second light, other way to third light, defensive slide one way to fourth light then other way to fifth light. Due to time constraints, we had to cut this short before the last light.

    We quickly moseyed to the flag and as it was still 6:14, 10 Nolan Ryan’s each side OYO!

    Count off and Name 0 Rama (where YHC initally forgot to give his name, etc. see note about International Fest above).  We had one FNG who is a Marine which lead some kind of way to his F3 name of Colonel Mustard.  Who just so happens to be YHC favorite Clue character.  Maybe it’s the monocle?  Who’s your favorite character????

    We ended with announcements, intentions and prayer to be safe and have a good time this JazzFest week.

    Thanks for letting me lead.

     

  • Trifecta of Anniversaries

    Rewind 3 years ago to a rainy Saturday morning in April when YHC was coaxed into coming to his first F3 workout, standing in the dark amid the mud and a bunch of dudes calling each other by goofy names.  Not exactly the best way to spend a Saturday morning but I went with the flow since my buddy Amensty assured me it would be way more fun than my usual morning jog.  Just a few minutes in, I quickly learned what a burpee was and silently cursed whoever invented it.  The rest of the workout went about the same and an hour later, after almost bailing mid-way, I was still standing, feeling a newfound sense of accomplishment.

    Three years and umpteen burpees later, there I was standing in the same spot preparing to lead 16 other men through a workout that would not only touch on the greatest hits of the past few years, but also pay homage to the NOLA Tricentennial celebration going on throughout the city.  Let’s face it, 300 reps of an exercise is way better than 3.  Weather was 60 degrees with clear skies, the optimal conditions for running around and testing the limits of our almost late model chassis.  The PAX had a good mix of guys from The World and Uptown along with a visitor, F3 Thibodaux, currently living China, previously from N.C., originally from the NO area.  Here’s what went down:

    Warmup on The Great Lawn:

    • SSH x30
    • Burpees x3
    • IW x20
    • Burpees x3  (“I see where this is going” -The Peanut Gallery)
    • Arm Circles x20
    • Burpees x3
    • Windmill x20
    • Burpees x3
    • Low Country Crab x20
    • Burpees x10 (Expect the unexpected…learned that in my first workout)

    Next up, a mosey to The Foundry for some pimping.  Here we knocked out 3 rounds of PIMPS OYO:

    • Pull Ups x5
    • IW x10
    • Merkins x15
    • Plank Jacks x20
    • Squats x25

    Mosey towards the museum and hook a left in the grass not far from the NOLA 300 sign.  This is one of 4 signs erected around town to commemorate the 300th anniversary of New Orleans.  Since the Tricentennial celebration has been in full swing the past few weeks, YHC thought we’d acknowledge that with some Dora 3-3-3.  This involved partnering up, with partner #1 running (approx 30 yds?) to the NOLA 300 sign, cranking out 3 burpees, and running back while partner #2 keeps a cumulative count of:

    • 300 Hello Dollys (single count)
    • 300 Alternating Shoulder Taps (count each tap)
    • 300 LBT

    This proved to be a circuit that kept the PAX busy for a while.  YHC often dreaded the drawn-out circuits of Dora, elevens, etc in the early days but now have a love/hate feeling when doing them….always hate when they start but smile when they’re done cause they push us more than one would typically done solo.  After this, we made our way over to the water fountain for hydration and a little planking.  From there, a mosey back towards the same area but this time we lined up along with neutral ground curb, facing the NOLA 300 sign where we knocked out:  100 Rocky Balboas OYO, bear crawl to opposite curb for 10 merkins, then backwards bear crawl back.  Rinse and repeat twice for a total of 3 rounds and 300 Rocky Balboas.  YHC heard zero mumble chatter on this so apparently/hopefully it had the PAX in a zone.

    Next up we circled up in a nearby field, this time in the shade just for Rudy, for a round of The Suck.  For those unfamiliar, it’s a fairly new circuit we’ve done a few times that always seems to bring excitement and cheers from the PAX.  The Suck consists of SSHx6, Jump Squatsx6, Merkinsx6, as many times as possible in 3 minutes, calling out your count after each circuit.  Typically this is best enjoyed with 2-3 rounds broken up by a minute of rest in between, but time was ticking and the PAX had to settle for just a single round.  T-claps to the crew for pushing hard and to those who approached the 8,9,10? mark.

    As we started to make our way back to the flag, there was just enough time to pay homage to one last anniversary.  It just so happened to be YHC’s 17th wedding anniversary so what better way to celebrate than 17 burpees.  The commemoration of me losing my bachelorhood was followed by a mosey back to base where we called it a morning.

    COT included YHC thanking the PAX for pushing me over the past 3 years to become stronger, faster, healthier, and a better leader.  I’ve reaped many more benefits from this than I did jogging on my own.  Prayed for safe travels for Thibodaux, Mahatma’s two youngest sons, and a few other things YHC was too woozy to recall.

    Moleskin:  I often recall something I read a few years ago in a backblast from a fellow PAX in South Carolina (?) that hit his one year mark of posting with F3.  Among many other things, he said something along the lines of, “…I used to think my glory days were behind me but I now realize they are yet to come.”  I’ll have to try to dig that out of the archives.  It was a cool and inspiring post.

    Thanks for the opportunity to lead, and most of all thanks for all the great beatdowns over the past few years.

    Tool

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Glorious Monday in April Beatdown

    Great group of 20 PAX showed up in the gloom this morning. By the look of the group, I knew they could handle some running. We bolted for a quick warmup and circle time before doing 11s between light posts on the Audubon Park track. The 11s included burpees and squat jumps. After that piece, FNG (Suzanne Sommers) told Yankee, “Wow, that was a great workout!”. Yankee told him that was just our warmup.

    We proceeded to the fountain via Indian Run. On the benches, we did right/left leg step ups, dips and incline ‘mercans. After those we did some defensive slides over to the golf course green. By that point, we’d eaten up most of our time, so did a quick round of LBCs and leg lifts. We proceeded to Indian Run back to the flag, clocking our finish at 6:17.

  • The Three Mountains

    A record large group of PAX (28!) gathered at the AO in the refreshingly cool morning gloom.

    YHC bumbled the disclaimer,  and we set off on a mosey across St. Charles, toward the traditional Wolfpack mountain.

    At the base of Wolfpack, the PAX divided into two groups for parallel Indian runs to the top.  Pax kept a swift pace and YHC noted the 4 FNGs hitting the afterburners on the upslope switchbacks. Who were these guys?

    Quick summit and we headed down the stairs to West Rd (the alley behind and under Wolfpack). On West Rd. the PAX did prisoner run, followed by karoake run left and right up to Freret st. The PAX reassembled for another mosey up McAllister to the Tulane quad.

    Warm up COP

    SSH x20 IC, 5 burpees OYO, Imperial Walkers x20, 10 merks OYO, Peter Parkers x20 IC, 5 burpees OYO

    Mosey on up McAllister past Aron Residences (former address of YHC-much water under that bridge) to the 2nd mountain. The PAX lined up for a parallel Indian run again.  YHC noted the trespassing signs forbid biking, skateboarding and rollerblading, but no mention of running.  We press on with haste. At the top the lead PAX did LBCs until the arrival of the 6. Mid – LBC, El Wire philosophically mused (as he is apt to do), what is the name of this mountain? YHC suggested “sugar mountain” in honor of the former Sugar Bowl that formerly stood on the very spot. However, on the decline mosey through the stairwell some PAX noted that near the gloomy bottom, a trespasser, probably wearing roller blades, had left a pile of human stain in a corner.  In honor of that discovery, YHC posits “Sugar Loaf” as the appropriate name for the mountain.

    At the bottom, PAX assembled for a mosey back down McAlister to pullup bars between ROTC and the law school. Immediately, plans were trashed however, as the good folk who maintain and improve the campus had replaced the grassy berm and retaining wall with a bike parking lot. Nonetheless the PAX divided into 6 groups between the ribbon racks and rotated between pullups, plankjacks, burpees, merkins, low slow squats, and something else YHC can’t remember.  Pullups had the count of 7.

    Mosey to the last mountain.  Also unnamed.  The other garage on the other campus.  Again, 2 parallel Indian runs to the top. Down the stairs and slow mosey to the flag.

    COP, countoff and name-o-rama.  The 4 speedster FNGs were EHd were Walleye’s ortho bros.  Promptly named by the PAX – eh, B, Gooooooooooal, and Windowlicker – it all made sense at the time!

    Thanks for the opportunity.