Front Lung with elbow touch the ground – hold for 5 count – introduced by Tool at Foundry
Scorpion kicks
Star Plank – hold for 30 count
One leg lung jumps – this would need practice to be effective.
1st – Thang – Catch me if you can – run around the fountain
Pax lined up – Shoulder Press to 20 – Each Pax would count their rep out loud, once reaching 10 the Pax to their left would start, 1st Pax reaching 20 would sprint around the fountain with the next pax once reaching his 20 in chase this continued until all Pax completed 20 reps and attempted to catch the pax ahead of them.
Rinse and repeat except 20 jump squats
Mosey to the Canal St. Mountain
Pax split into 2 groups of 4 –
1st effort sprint to the top of Canal St Mnt. – do 10 Merkins walk back down same side- 10 more merkins
2nd effort sprint to the top of Canal St. Mnt – 10 Merkins walk down back side 10 more merkins
3rd effort sprint up and over to starting point. 10 Merkins
Mosey midway back – introduce new effort – All PAX got into a high plank then did a double under (both feet forward) into a jump squat (legs spreading apart like a jumping jack), transition down to a low plank with a double Peter Parker back to a high plank x 5
Mosey to levee – EMOM – 1-5 start with decline merkin x 1 – run up and over the other side there perform Prison up down (hands over head dropping to alternating knees) x 5 run up and over now decline merkins x 2 up and over then Prisoner Up down x 4 continue until the # are reversed. Key is PAX only got as much rest they earned completing the task in 1 minute before having to start again.
Mosey to flag for some Mary
All 25 x 4 count – Between each effort PAX would transition into high plank for 30 sec count
LBC
Crunch with heel touch
Crunch with legs straight up touching toes (similar to DC)
Crunch while reaching hands between legs
Straight leg scoops over head
Circle Up – Count Off – Name O – Prayer of Thanks giving
When YHC set out to plan this workout, I first considered a few exercises that I felt I could handle with little threat of splashing Merlot or generally embarrassing myself. But then it dawned on me: this is my chance to repay those who have made me so sore I can barely lift my arms the next day and reduced me to a sweating, panting mess. So at 5:30 AM, after a quick disclaimer, we set off, 12 PAX strong, to see about returning the favor to some of my F3 brothers gracious enough to appear for my VQ.
WARMUP
YHC had a few tricks up my sleeve for the warmup, but the conditions quickly caused a change of plans. So we did a more traditional warmup:
SSH, Peter Parker, Imperial Walkersx20
Run in place, high knees, butt kicks, chop feet (this was a hs wrestling warm-up that would normally include some up-downs, but YHC decided it would be unpopular to get everyone completely drenched in the first 5 minutes). Mosey to Canal blvd for
Station 1
Pair up. One partner, Bernie Sanders up the hill, while the other works on 200 Floyd Mayweathers, 100 big boy situps, and 25 burpees. Cross the street very carefully in the fog for…
Station 2
Route 55 with burpees on the way out, Merkins on the way back in. PAX instructed to begin in opposite directions on this very foggy morning so as not to collide. Mosey to the leveee for…
Station 3
What is an Okwata workout without an Indian Run? A bit of mumblechatter about how Indian Run + disperse would have been the more manly option, but at this point, I was just glad to be still moving. Maybe next time we can thrown in a Bataan Death March.
Mosey to Flag and Finish Up
Continuing the theme, I had picked out several of my least favorite exercises to share with the PAX
Planking, high, low, one arm up, other arm up for about as long as I could go
Monkey Humpersx20
Dying cockroachesx20
LBC’sx20
Flutter Kicksx20 (led by the flutter kick king, JV)
Frac Sac’s favorite exercise that I cannot remember the name ofx20
And a few rounds of burpees o/y/o to close it out.
Count-o-rama, Name-o-rama, we discussed the Crazy Ivan, prayed for Brad Brechtel, and Rudy led us in a fine prayer.
On a serious note: I’m infinitely grateful for all of you who have pushed me, made me do countless [hated] burpees, made me plank until I felt like my arms would crumble, and inflicted all other sorts of punishment that made me tougher both mentally and physically. To name all the names of those who have pushed me – especially since I’ve been back the past few months – would be like writing out the entire members list, but I’m especially grateful to Mahatma, Frac Sac, Jingle Vader, Rudy, Mambi, Abacus, Tool, Two Yutes, and too many others to name, who never spare words of encouragement and motivate me to better.
Getting to lead an F3 workout of such a strong group is a honor, and I hope I was able to deliver. It means a lot that so many of you showed up for my VQ, and I look forward to doing it again soon.
With the PAX carrying an obvious naughty designation from Kris Kringle himself, we proceeded to find our first of three lumps of coal at the corner of CalhounSt. and St.Charles Ave. The PAX broke into 3 groups and did the exercises listed below. The groups rotated through each station, and the Burpee group had the count.
Burpees – 20 (count)
Lunges
LBCs
The PAX moseyed from there to the big mountain, where we gathered into 3 lines, and did an Indian run to level 4 where our second lump of coal was waiting. Each line was assigned the following exercises, the burpee group had the count, and the groups rotated through each station.
Burpees – 20 (count)
Low Slow Squats
American Hammers
Once complete, the PAX formed 3 lines again and completed an Indian run to the top of the mountain where lump of coal number three was discovered. The following exercises where completed in the same fashion as previous stations. Santa gave the winey PAX a break with only 15 burpees.
Burpees – 15 (count)
Al Gores
Flutter kicks
The PAX went down to the benches via the stairwell where we did the following:
Incline Merkins – 20
Right and Left leg step ups – 15 each
The PAX moseyed back to the flag for some brief stretching before announcements, name-o-Rama, and a prayer. We welcomed one FNG, Tom Patrias, who is now referred to as Mudbug!
A good showing considering the fine turnout and time we all had at Urban South Brewery and Christmas party last night! Thanks to all that brought or cooked food!
A quick disclaimer and off we go to the fountain for typical warm up:
Running exercises: butt kicks, high knees, carioca, etc around the fountain
IW x (21)
Happy Jack X (20)
Mountain Climbers X (20)
Peter Parkers X (25)
Arm Circles X (30)
Off to the levee for an 11 using the entire levee for the exercise. Merkins on the north side, plank jacks on the south side.
Mosey down to Canal blvd. via of a group Indian run, and then to the Lakefront area.
Last time I was at Dave and Busters I was fortunate (and good enough) to earn enough tickets to earn an “exercise dice”. All the exercises similar to our normal routines, so now the opportunity to put it to use and “Roll the Bones”. Each PAX got their chance for a roll and took ownership in the beat down, some in cadence some on our own. Here are some of the exercises if I recall we were busy with, but not limited to:
Burpees — (20)
Squats (25)
Lunges — (30)
Plank (1) minute
Crunches — (30)
Dips (15)
Burpees — (20)
Lunges (30)
etc.
Mosey back over to the flag, for some final Mary:
Leg Throws with partners (10) each
Plank ~ 1 minute or so
Normal countoff, namearama, announcements, intention, COT.
6 dedicated men posted in the gloom on a chilly 39 degree Wednesday morning. YHC was listed as the Q, so the Shovel Flag was planted, the disclaimer was given, and then….
Mosey to the track for the Warmup
SSH IC x 31
IW IC x 15
Arm Circles – 10 Fwd, 10 Bwd
Abe Vigodas IC x 10
Grass Grabbers IC x 10
Catch Me if You Can – Partner Up
Pax 1 – Run Backwards on the track
Pax 2 – 5 Burpees then sprint to catch partner
Flap Jack until each Pax does 20 Burpees
Four Corners At the start, sprint straightaway to first corner Catalina Wine Mixers IC x 10 Mosey to corner 2 Partner Decline Merkins – Pax 1 holds Pax 2 feet off the deck while in Squat position – Pax 2 does 10 Merkins – Flapjack Sprint straightaway to corner 3 Merkins IC x 10 Mosey to corner 4 Diamond Merkins IC x 10
Mosey to Foundry, stopping at each lightpole for 5 jump lunges Stations Station 1 – Pullups AMRAP Station 2 – WW2 Situps AMRAP Station 3 – Run to bike track, 3 burpees and run back (timer) Rinse and Repeat
Find a pull up bar, and hang so your feet are not touching the deck. Hang for 1 minute. This was a great test of grip strength, and one we will see again.
Mosey back to the flag for Mary Flutter Kicks IC x 15 Tin Snips IC x 10 Hello Dolly IC x 15
Count off, Name-o-rama, Announcements, Intentions, and closed with a prayer to the Sky Q. Thanks for posting with me today! SYITG!
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go….except City Park. YHC took extra care and effort to create a Map My Run Route for a Christmas 610 Stomp. This route would take the PAX down Roosevelt Mall and Lelong Dr and along the City Park Walking path next to the small lagoon so that we could witness the lights and celebration of the Holiday Season. I have attached a few photos below of the sites witnessed this morning.
Here are the lights at the corner of City Park Ave and CarroltonHere are the lights hanging in the trees as we crossed Anseman Ave near the City Park Ave. EntranceThe PAX mid stride as we admired the lights in the Peristyle Here’s me taking a selfie directly in front of the Celebration in the Oaks entrance. The rear view of the Botanical Gardens. Aren’t they magnificent?
The PAX reached the flag and then turned around to sweep the 6. As a team, we entered the practice track for 1 lap and circled up for some Mary (IC)
LBC x 24
Penguins x 24
Wife Pleasers x 24
Flutter Kick x 24
Dying Cockroach x 24
Plank (Center, Left, Right)
Merkins x 12
Mosey Back to the flag for Counterama, Namerama, and COT. Today YHC requested that we keep request intentions in our hearts and speak those intentions of thanks to the Sky Q for the fortunes we have received. Thank you for the opportunity to lead. SYITM
NMM – YHC has contacted City Park via a public tweet and requested that the lights be turned on from 0515 till sunrise. Now, we play the waiting game.
Being inspired by Yankee’s gentle reminder to post our backblasts, I went looking through my phone notes hoping I had written everything down. Luckily I never delete anything and found my notes at the bottom of a grocery list.
We started with the circle. I forgot to write these numbers down so the circle reps might be a little off.
Secure Shells(A little IT humor) x 30
Windmill x 30
Peter Parkers x 30
Mountain Climbers x 30
Imperial Walkers x 30
Then we did an Indian run to the top of the mountain.
At the top of the mountain we partnered up and took turns running all the way down the stairs and then back up and doing the following:
Burpees x 50
Jump Lunges x 100
Real Freddy Merucrys x 200
Next we moved to the benches for some rapid fire dips and incline m’rcans. We started with 12 of each back to back with no break and the intent was to work our way down to 1 reducing by 1 each time. Turns out this is ridiculously hard so once we got to 8 we reduced by 2 each time.
Once done we stayed at the bench for some step-ups and then moseyed back to the flag for a little bit of mary.
After the mary we did name-o-rama and and honored Ron Jeremy by naming the FNG Hedgehog.
28 PAX ignored the threat of rain and made it out The Mothership this Sat. We lucked out with a “calm before the storm” as the the guys assmebled and prepared for takeoff. YHC wanted to mix things up with an old school City Park history tour as part of the workout, similar to a few beatbowns circa 2015. The night before had the forecast looking nasty, so the plan was to stay close to cover and hone in on a few of the iconic landmarks right there in the original part of the park. The 1300 acre park was established in 1854 and has lots of history, great architecture, nature, wildlife, and of course trees….home to one of the largest collection of live oaks in the world. Generations of New Orleans residents and visitors alike have enjoyed the park so it only seemed fitting to pay homage to a few things that make it a great place. As the clock struck 5:30 we discussed the plan for the day, followed by the disclaimer, then off to….
First stop, The Peristyle, built in 1907 to have outdoor dances and concerts for the “well heeled” New Orleanians….some chatter from Rudy about Jingle Vader being in that category. Using the year as the rep count, we started with Imperial Walkers x19 and Windmills x7.
Then an ugly mosey around The Casino Building with some doubt from the PAX before going up and over Popp Bandstand for Stop #2 on the nearby grass.
With 12 granite columns and topped with a bronze dome, Popp Bandstand was named for is benefactor, John F. Popp, and is a replica of the Temple of Love in Versailles. In 1916, Popp made a donation to the park to build the Popp Bandstand which was completed in 1917. The Spanish Mission Revival-style “Casino” building opened in 1913 as a place that sold refreshments. Because of that, the City Park legend says that the building originally was called a cantina, using the Spanish word for a place where food and drinks are served. In a 2008 Times-Picayune story, City Park Executive Director Beau Bassich said he believed the New Orleans dialect colloquialized the word into “casina.” However, 1913 newspaper articles do use the word “casino” to describe the new building, explaining it will be “the amusement center of the park,” though there is no mention of gambling.
Here we circled up using 1917 and 1913 to inspire the rep count for Peter Parkers x19, Low Slow Squats x17, Mountain Climbers x19 and Arm Circles x13.
Then we recaped the age of the park, 164 years, with a Plank Merkin circle where all PAX held a high plank while merkins were cranked out individually in a clockwise manner up to 164 total.
Then a mosey over the stone bridge towards City Park Ave for a meandering jog through the oldest grove of mature live oak tress the world. We made sure to recognize the two oldest ones by looping around McDonough Oak and then, after some doubt from the PAX about my navagation ability, made our way to the Ansmen Oak, both of which are approx 800 years old. Here we circled up for an 8 round burpee countdown, one round for each century…Burpees x8,x7,x6,x5,x4,x3,x2,…x8 for the crowdpleaser! More about City Park trees here: http://neworleanscitypark.com/in-the-park/trees-in-city-park
Then a mosey over the Ansmen Bridge, one of 9 built by the WPA, and back to The Peristyle where we lined up on one side for a partner circuit. This included 8 rounds of PAX #1 performing the specified exercise across the Peristyle and back (timer) while PAX #2 stayed put with a stationary exercise.
1)Inchworm & Wall Sit
2) Bearcrawl fwd/bwd & Balls to the Wall
3) Duck Walk & Declined Plank
4) Crab Walk fwd/bwd & Wall Sit
5) Lunge Walk & LBC
6) Kong & Balls to the Wall
7) Fiddler Crab & Flutter Kicks
8) Lateral Lunge & Wall Sit
Next up, we couldn’t leave out the adjacent Great Lawn that has hosted countless hours of F3 beatdowns. Built in 2010, the Goldring/Woldenberg Great Lawn is enjoyed by many and has seen a slew of picnics, concerts, yoga classes, and side straddle hops over the past 8 years. So we moseyed a quick loop to the Great Lawn and back to the nearby benches for a partner circuit of: PAX #1 Dips x20 OYO while PAX#2 runs to GL for Merkins x10 and back. Rinse and repeat for 3 rounds total follwed by a “victory lap” around the GL topped off with planking to wait for the six.
Still some time left for a few more history lessons so over to the rear of The Peristyle to gaze upon the banks of Bayou Metairie. Although it is now a landlocked lagoon, Bayou Metairie was originally a natural waterway spanning from Bayou St. John to the swampy area near what is now Old Metairie, essentially following the path of current day Metairie Rd. Once used by the Native Americans and early settlers, the banks of the bayou gradually formed the Metairie Ridge which provided high ground for ground transportation and later development of homes.
Since we didn’t have a year to use for rep count, we shifted our focus to 1946, the year of the first City Park Big Bass Rodeo, which is the oldest freshwater fishing rodeo in the country. At this point YHC had to alter the planned exercises and went with the first thing that came to mind, burpees, which really seemed to excite the PAX and peanut gallery, given the initial silence of disbelief followed by some grumbling and the “we already did enough burpees” comments. So PAX#1 knocked out Burpees x19 while PAX #2 held a wall sit on the ledge along Bayou Metairie, which had an awkward slope not conducive to said exercise. Then partner plank slaps, aka patty cake, holding a high plank and alternating hand slaps up to 46.
Nearing the end of our hour, we had just enough time remaining to circle up under The Persistyle for some themed Mary. YHC breifly talked about the various projects completed by the WPA (Works Progress Administration) in the 1930’s throughout City Park, including Tad Gormley Stadium, nine concrete bridges, a golf course, several art deco conrete benches, and Roosevelt Mall. In 1937, President Franklin Roosevelt came in town for the dedication ceremony. Pics below and more info at: http://neworleanscitypark.com/in-the-park/works-progress-administration-in-new-orleans-city-park
In this undated archival photo, President Roosevelt chats with New Orleanian Paul Alfred Montreuil, 7, at the dedication of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Mall in City Park. Also pictured: Marcel G. Montreuil, park superintendent; George Grundmann, chairman of the dedication committee and vice president of the park board; and James H. Crutcher, administrator of the WPA in Louisiana.
Our WPA and FDR themed Mary consisted of:
W – Weezey Jeffersons x10IC
P – Pickle Pounders x15IC
A – American Hammer x20IC
F – Flutter Kicks x20IC
D – Dying Cockroach x15IC
R – name??? exotic exercise led by Triple Shift x25IC
Moseyed back to the flag with some rain for added bonus. Capped things off with a COT and announcements. T-claps to War Eagle for stepping up to lead the prayer. He’s a pro at that stuff and much more eloquent in that field than YHC.
NMM – Thanks to the PAX for bearing with my non-professional tour guide ability and abbreviated history tidbits throughout the morning. As always, the peanut gallery led by Rudy and others kept it entertaining. T-claps to Mahatma and others for the occasional motivational cheers and USMC grunts to keep the PAX in high gear. Several guys asked for links (http://neworleanscitypark.com/in-the-park) to some of the City Park history in so I included several in this backblast, which may be one of the longest in F3 history….sorry for the long read, if you made it this far. My wife asked if I was writing a book.
“The American Dream means giving it your all, trying your hardest, accomplishing something. And then I’d add to that, giving something back. No definition of a successful life can do anything but include serving others.” -George H.W. Bush
The air was crisp and chilly on Wednesday at The Foundry, just the way we like it. Perfect conditions for paying homage to the 41st President of the United States on this national day of mourning. Regardless of one’s political beliefs, it was hard to not have respect for the guy and the days he spent as a leader of our country. With that being said, we read a few of #41’s quotes before takeoff. YHC also mentioned that he sifted through some of the Northshore’s backblasts to get some inspiration for the day. With The Crazy Ivan race coming up in January, us Southshore guys need to make sure we can meet or exceed the physical and mental fortitude of our brothers across the lake. Without further ado, the disclaimer was recited and off we moseyed down Roosevelt Mall.
Warmup (with a Northshore twist):
Good Mornings x10
Finkle Kicks x10R x10L (these were ugly, as expected)
Arm Circle x10F x10R
Lateral Lunge x10
Scorpion Kicks x10L x10R (a tad lackluster)
Forward Lunge w/forearm to ground x5L x5R (good stretching here!)
SSH x41 to cap it off for pres #41
Foundry:
This would be a circuit found in a Northshore backblast called 3-6-9 which consisted of:
3 Pullups, 6 Merkins, 9 Squats every minute on the minute (EMOM) for 10 rounds. At first, this seemed a tad too easy but it got the juices flowing a few rounds in. After round 5, we circled up for a tribute to G.H.W.B. with a plank/merkins circle counting up to 41, then holding a low plank for 41 seconds in silence, then another plank/merkin circle up to 41, topped off with Flutter Kicks x41IC and LBC x41IC. Finished with rounds 6-10 with some good mumble chatter to boot. Looking back, YHC feels certain the Southshore PAX can handle that circuit with 4-8-12 or even 5-10-15…we’ll see.
The Track:
After a mosey for the foundry to the practice track, we circled up for some burpees in honor of George H. W. Bush, stressing good form that would make him proud. We knocked them out in chunks, x10 x10 x10 x11 for 41 total. YHC was hoping for a lap around the track but it was time to mosey back to base.
COT:
The usual announcements of upcoming events and Christmas party/workout next week. A few more words about #41 before ending with a prayer.
Good way to start the day. Thanks for the opportunity to lead.
It was a chilly morning at the Stomp, where 8 veteran Pax posted to get a little running in. YHC posted in sleeveless F3 Garb, in preparation for the upcoming Crazy Ivan! Based upon the outer layers the rest of the pax wore, one would think it was literally freezing outside! Rudy posted today, still upset he missed Walleye’s Notre Dame themed beat down. He was dressed in full winter attire, and he’s faster than me. YHC is, after all, the fastest slow guy in F3 Nation. So YHC got to thinking….is there anything Rudy and I have in common? First, we both belong to F3, which makes us both leaders. Beyond that, not sure. Oh wait! As of about 5 minutes ago, we did have one other thing in common: neither of us started a Back Blast for the last 610 Stomp we Q’d! Badada Boom!
0530…A brief disclaimer….simple instructions given to run 20 minutes out and 20 minutes back on the regular route….lots of mumble chatter! Just another day at the Stomp!
Back at the shovel flags, a little Mary:
Flutter Kicks IC x 20 followed by Hello Dolly IC x 20
10 Burpees OYO to seal the deal!
COT
Countoff, name-o-rama, announcements, intentions, and ended with a prayer to the Sky Q!
