F3 New Orleans

Tag: Gabrielle

  • How does running get you swole? – from Belloq

    I knew this morning would be amazing with a temp of 47° and what felt like 100% humidity. So, I would have to extend the warm-up and keep our bodies moving today to make it enjoyable for all.
    To kick off my first Q at Swolefest, YHC started the disclaimer at exactly 5:29 in
    order to give everyone their money’s worth of a full 45 minutes. Of course, in true F3NOLA fashion, immediately there was debate if it was 5:28 or 5:29.

    The warm-up

    With my disclaimer even briefer than originally planned, I announced we would start with a mosey to begin our warmup. This was met with groans and other sounds of pleasure from those in attendance. Catfish asked, “How does running get you swole?” I should have replied that we are all already swole and needed some cardio, but I didn’t have enough coffee at that point.
    After the mosey, we started our warmup with all below IC
    SSH x 31
    Arm Circles Front X 15
    Arm Circles Back X 15
    Overhead Claps X 30
    Seal Claps X 30-something
    Moroccan Night Club X 10

    10 Burpees OYO

    YHC asked if everyone was warm and Catfish politely noted that his lower extremities were still in need of warm ups so we continued with
    Lunges IC X 20
    Low Slow Squats IC X 10 with coupon

    The Thang
    Paired off for:
    Dora 1-2-3
    100 curls
    200 Overhead Presses
    300 Rows

    When completed, we started 8-counts with coupons while waiting for the 6.

    Cool down

    Started our cool down with 10 burpees OYO
    Then with coupon we held in mid-curl until everyone had their coupons in hand we did two cycles of:
    10 Curls IC
    10 Overhead Presses IC
    10 Squats

    Mary
    Started our core with 10 flutter bricks (kicks) then 5 minutes of abs:
    Halos clockwise for 30s
    Halos counter-clockwise for 30s
    Corkscrew twist 60s
    Dynamic Plank 60s
    Chainsaw 60s
    Big Boy Sit-ups Slow controlled 60s.

    COT
    Count off, Name-O- Rama, Prayer

    As always, it is an honor and privilege to lead a workout. Thank you for sharing this morning with me.

  • America’s Pastime?

    I love baseball. I love everything about it. Because I love it so much, I have been wanting to Q a baseball inspired beatdown for a while. While 50 degrees in a sweet December gloom doesn’t necessarily lend itself to thoughts of afternoons under the blue skies, maybe the following 9 Innings of Suck will…

    Warmup:

    Short Mosey, SSH X 20 IC, Grassgrabbers X 10 IC, Windmill X 10 IC, Imperial Squat Walker X 20 IC, Forward Arm Circles X 10 IC, Reverse Arm Circles X 10 IC.

    The Thang: I had longed to trespass on the nicely turfed ballfield nearby to complete this beatdown, and in so doing each position on the field would be the location for each Inning of Suck. Since the field was locked, we settled for a nice damp, dark, unmarked field.

    Each inning started with a 50 yard jog, included the inning/position exercise, and concluded with a 50 yard sprint back to the starting spot (dugout).

    1st Inning/Pitcher: 10 Burpees OYO
    2nd Inning/Catcher: 25 Low Squats IC
    3rd Inning/1st Base: 20 Bonnie Blair OYO (2 is 1)
    4th Inning/2nd Base: 20 Side to Side Shuffles IC (groundball pickups)
    5th Inning/3rd Base: 20 Hand Release Merkins OYO
    6th Inning/Shortstop: 20 Side to Side Shuffles IC (groundball pickups)
    7th Inning/Left Field: Jack Webbs Rep Count 1-7 on the Merkins
    8th Inning/Center Field: Jack Webbs Rep Count 8-15 on the Merkins
    9th Inning/Right Field: 10 Burpees OYO…Finish Strong!

    The jogs/sprints in between innings represent getting on and off the field…never walk on a ball field…green means go!

    Since we still had time, we moseyed back towards the flag for some Extra Innings:

    Partner up for some DORA 100, 200, 300 with a “to the fourth light and back” run:
    100 Squats
    200 Floyd Mayweathers (1 is 1)
    300 LBC’s

    Back to the Flag for Count-o-rama, Name-o-rama, and COT.

    This was an amazing way for me to start my day. Merging my love of baseball (however twisted) with the opportunity to Q a PAX that shows trust, works hard, makes you laugh, encourages, and shows appreciation throughout is something I don’t take for granted. Thank you all!

  • Rockin’ at the Renaissance

    The morning was filled with heavy overcast and rain, the ideal recipe for making a downPAINment in the gloom! The Pax did not disappoint with a strong showing at NOMA. With 10 Pax ready to get to it, YHC cranked the tunes, then gave the disclaimer.

    Warmup

    • SSH IC x 31
    • Abe Vigodas IC x 10
    • grass grabbers IC x 10
    • IW IC x 15
    • AC Fwd and back x 20

    Time to get to it with EMOM

    • 10 burpees every minute on the minute x 10 minutes

    Mosey to the side of NOMA for Double shots with Jack Webb at the bar

    • 1 merkin with 2 air presses in the people’s chair on the NOMA wall
    • 2 merkins with 4 air presses and so on…
    • 10 merkins with 20 air presses in the people’s chair

    Mosey to the back of NOMA for Dora

    • Partner up
    • 100 Burpees cumulative
    • 200 Overhead claps in People’s chair cumulative
    • 300 squats cumulative
    • Pax 1 does exercise, Pax 2 bear crawls to bridge and back, flapjack

    Modify to bear crawl to bridge and run back as time was getting short. Called time once each group finished burpees

    Stay at the back of NOMA for Sunday Morning’s

    • 10 air presses, 5 donkey kicks, 1 balls to the wall with merkin
    • all Pax complete at least 5 rounds OYO

    The rain let up and some pax were dry. Finish off with

    • Superman IC x 10
    • LBC’s IC x 20

    Mosey back to the flag for COT.

    NMM

    • 10 Pax on a rainy Sunday morning is impressive
    • 3 of the Pax were under 18, solid young men!
    • Another low impact solid beat down!
    • 100% participation at coffeteria!

    SYITG

  • Lest we forget

    It was my honor to lead a great group of men this morning as we recognize, remember, and celebrate our Veterans. Whether in times of war or peace, those who have stepped up to serve our country deserve the recognition and praise of all those who call this wonderful country our home. My sincere gratitude and lots of prayers go to all the Veterans of the past, present, and future.

    Disclaimer and Mosey to Warmup:

    In Cadence: SSH X 20, Windmill X 10, Grassgrabbers X 10
    Peter Parkers X 15, Mountain Climbers X 15
    Forward Arm Circles X 10, Reverse Arm Circles X 10
    *Sufficiently lathered in the humid air…we moseyed to the train tracks and levee.

    The Thang:

    11’s consisting of 8 Count Body Builders at the bottom of the levee with Jump Squats at the top.
    Start with 10 X 8 Count BBs then to the top for 1 X Jump Squat, then
    9 and 2, 8 and 3, etc. All the way down to 1 and 10.
    *On your own: Little Baby Crunch and Little Baby Twist til the 6 finished up.

    Another mosey led us to the statue in front of the zoo for some partner work. Each group was responsible for 300 total reps completed via 5 rounds of: 20 WWII Sit Ups, 20 Merkins, 20 Bonnie Blairs. While one partner repped it out, the other partner ran a short loop in front of the Zoo. Partners switch out and pick up the count.

    To close we circled up on the field in front of the zoo for some Mary:

    In Cadence: 20 X American Hammer, 10 X Penguin, 10 X Box Cutter, 20 X Dying Cockroach, and On your own X 20 WWII Sit Ups.

    Back to the flag for some light plank work, then Count-o-rama, Name-o-rama, announcements and intentions.

    Seaman will be Qing a Sunnyside on Thanksgiving Day @ 8:00am, Drew Brees Playground.

    Prayers were offered up for spoken intentions, silent intentions, and all of our Veterans.

    Gentlemen, thank you. As always, stepping up to the Flag at 5:30 finds me one way and stepping away from it at 6:15 finds me a little better.

  • Burp or Merk – ND Trivia Day

    As most of the PAX may be aware, YHC is a wee bit of an ND fan. And today’s a big day – #1 Clemson coming to town. As most of the PAX are also aware, and happy to remind YHC, Notre Dame does not exactly have a stellar record in these kinds of games. But perhaps the PAX don’t know just how abysmal the record is. They will soon learn.

    Good crowd of 16 at the Mothership. Weather is delightful – summer heat is definitely gone. Just a few orange shirts in the group (looking at you Sogo and Pop Tart). Not sure if they did that just to spite me, but I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. No other green to be seen among the PAX. I will not forget that.

    The Thang

    Mosey to the lawn in front of NOMA. Start with SSH x27. Why x27? Because 27 years ago was the last Irish victory against a #1 ranked team (ND 31 – FSU 24 in 1993).

    A few other warm ups, then lets introduce the game of “Burps or Merks”. YHC will call on a PAX to answer a question. Answer it correctly? 5 Merks for the PAX. Answer it wrong? 5 Burpees for the PAX.

    And the theme? Notre Dame’s record in the last 20 games against Top 5 competition.

    • How many wins does ND have? Lots of burpees (including doubling up b/c Side Effects repeated a previous incorrect answer) before YHC had to provide the answer: 1 win. Yes, we are 1-19 in our last 20 games. Sigh.
    • Who beat us the most in that span? More burpees until Catfish saved the day – USC has beat us 5 times.
    • Who is the 1 win against? More burpees – until Snooze tossses out the correct answer of Michigan.
    • YHC now tries to end the game to move on, but PAX keep throwing out more teams that beat us. More Merks for right answers, and more Burpees for wrong answers (no, Oklahoma has not had their way against us in this particular streak)

    Finally – enough of those burpees.

    So lets do some more burpees.

    The Current 11 Game Losing Streak

    Yes, ND is currently on an 11 game losing streak against top 5 teams. What else goes with 11? That’s right – the Route 66. 11 Lightposts with burpees. 1 at the first, 2 at the second, etc… (SOGO seemed unclear on the concept so YHC took the time to help by explaining all the way up to 11).

    The Overall Deficit in those 11 Games

    Partner up, for some modified Dora. The total score in that 11 game losing streak? YHC now forgets the actual number but its roughly Bad Guys 380, ND 160. Yes, we are more than doubled up over those 11 games. So lets Dora. 160 Monkey Humpers, 380 LBCs. The other PAX bear crawl 3 trees and run back.

    Then back to the Great Lawn.

    Something Else

    Change of Pace. This week, Sean Connery – the original 007 – passed away. A quick round of Burp or Merk to guess how many James Bond films he was in. 5 Burpees for a wrong guess, then the right answer of “7”.

    • Home Base – Dr. No, the first flick. After each other exercise, return home for 7 Dr. Ws. Thanks Side Effects for the demonstration.
    • The Exercises – around the great lawn, 6 stations for his other six JB flicks. Multiples of 7 for Diamond Merks (Diamonds are Forever), Russian Twists (From Russia with Love) and others.
    • Another quick Burp or Merk for guessing who was 2nd and 3rd in most JB appearances.

    Finally – one of YHC’s favorite time-wasting flicks: The Rock. Sean Connery crawling around under Alcatraz with Nicholas Cage. Lets bear crawl across the lawn.

    Mosey back to the flag. Its 7:30.

    NMM

    Thanks, everyone, for putting up with my never-ending ND drivel. Just hope that ND doesn’t actually win one of these games, as I may become insufferable if that were to happen.

    Its quite humbling, and inspiring to watch this group. You guys are STRONG. Thank you for pushing. SOGO: I heard the “Way To Go Rudy” as you ran back to the center after the Diamond Merks. Those little encouraging words and pushes are what keep me going. I’d encourage all of the PAX to remember that – push, and ENCOURAGE. Remember – leave no man behind, but LEAVE NO MAN WHERE YOU FOUND HIM.

    Prayers especially for Hokie’s Mom. May God be with her, with the whole family, as they start this next journey.

  • Us Against H8!

    Conditions: Humid, 74 degrees, Humidity 95%, Wind 8mph from ENE

    Warm-up:  Mosey from the flag to the start.  Warm-up on your own.  No time for SSH or Grass Grabbers or J-Los, we’ve got work to do.

    The Thang:  The H8!  F3 NOLA’s overly complicated, semi-annual, feat of strength.  The stick by which our fitness is measured.    

    Each lap consists of running south to the top of the levee, crossing canal (bear crawling the neutral ground), running south to the bottom of the levee, cross canal and run north to the top of the levee, cross canal (bear crawling the neutral ground), running north down the levee and back across canal to the starting point.  At the starting point you do a descending burp and merk pyramid starting at 8 (burpee with 8 hand release merkins, burpee with 7 hand release merkins, …, burpee with 1 hand release merkin)

    At the end of the 2nd lap the burp and merk pyramid starts at 7, etc.

    The goal is to complete 8 laps in 40 minutes.  According to MapMyRun, each loop is approximately 0.4 miles.  Therefore, to conquer the H8! you will have to do the following in 40 minutes:

    • Run over 3 Miles of Hills
    • 550 Yards of Bear Crawls
    • 36 Burpees
    • 120 Merkins

    NMM

    • The construction at the south base of the levee caused for a slight re-route.  The H8! Committee did a good job of ensuring that the change was slight and the overall distance was not affected so that this fall’s running of the H8! Is considered official. 
    • T-claps to all of the guys coming out for the first time.  I think Heart-A-Quake, Mama’s Pride, Undertaker, Disclaimer, Bieber, Bartman, Catfish, Big Easy, Snooze were all first timers. 
    • I didn’t keep a record of who made it and who didn’t.  I am pretty sure the success rate was just north of 50%.  That’s really good, especially for having so many new guys.  Our fitness continues to accelerate.

    One of the core principles of F3 is that it is open to all men.  But just proclaiming that you are open to all men doesn’t cut it.  We have to be intentional about making sure that we are welcoming to all men and that we are not unintentionally excluding anyone.  There are lots of things that can make men different from one another, but most of them have nothing to do with what F3 is about.  I just mean to say that participating in an F3 workout has nothing to do with what race you are, or what your financial situation is, or what religion you are, etc.  (Side note:  I do think it’s important to think about those things and make sure that we are not being unintentionally exclusive because of the make-up of our Pax.  My point is just that the core principles of F3 workouts could apply to anyone, anywhere).  One thing that does have a lot to do with F3 is fitness level.  That’s why diverse fitness levels have to be considered when planning every workout.  It is important that the guys that have a high level of fitness are getting smoked and it is important the that guys on the lower end of the fitness spectrum are staying with the group and are not being left behind on their own.  I would like to think that we are pretty good across F3 NOLA at making sure that each work out feels like a team event, that we all have a goal of getting better and that we are supporting each other to reach that goal, no matter what our current fitness level is. 

    One of the complaints that I have heard about the Iron Pax Challenge is that it is not consistent with F3 in that way; that it puts the focus on the individual and even worse, ranks the individuals.  Some men  that aren’t at the top feel a sense of embarrassment or shame that they aren’t comparable to the guys at the top. You could make the same argument about the H8!  There’s certainly a sense of completing it and not completing it. 

    Personally I think competition like this is really important.  If you want to run faster, you have to run with faster guys.  In order to accelerate our fitness, we need to be in the back of the pack striving to get to the front.  I enjoy competition and I think it plays an important role in growth.  But I also think that it is important that we work hard to keep the sense of comradery and teamwork that all F3 workouts have.  The H8! Is something we all want to conquer and that we want to help each man conquer. 

    There are a couple of quotes that have stuck with me from the book “Run the Mile You are In:  Finding God in Every Step” by Ryan Hall, the American Record Holder in the half-marathon and the fastest American to ever run the Boston Marathon (2:04).  He said “Competition can be a beautiful thing if we are focused on making ourselves and others better and are not concerned about how we stack up with everyone else…..this is why comparisons in athletics and in life are so fruitless.  When we compare, we miss the joy of the journey as well as the joy of the achievement.”     

    Let’s make sure we keep pushing ourselves and each other, without compromising the joy of the journey.  A common motto at an F3 work out is that it’s “You against You”, and that is very true.  But it is also true that it is “Us against H8!”

  • 6 Year Anniversary (10-14-2020) – The Birdcage

    Woke up early to this beautiful, cool, dry morning to setup the field in front of Audubon Zoo with our F3 flags. Then I moseyed to our usual Birdcage COT spot to meet up with 45 other PAX to celebrate F3Nola’s 6 year anniversary. Before the disclaimer, I told the PAX that this is our actual anniversary date, and The Birdcage was our very first weekday AO. We then headed over to the field in front of Audubon Zoo with our warmup exercises in cadence. To honor our 6 year anniversary, we started the day with 6 burpees OYO.

    1.) SSHs x 20

    2.) Windmills x 10

    3.) Self Love x 10

    4.) Imperial Walkers x 20

    5.) Peter Parker, Parker Peter, MCs x 15

    We divided the PAX in 2 groups in the middle of the field. One group was facing the Zoo while the other was facing Magazine Street. Each group had their own marker to reach to (which was about 50 feet away).

    Round 1 – moseyed to the marker and did 10 hand release merkins. Then moseyed back to the middle of the field and went back out to marker to do 15 hand release merkins. Then moseyed back to the middle of the field and went back to the marker to finish off with 20 hand release merkins. Then converged back to the middle of the field to wait for the Six (SSHs until the Six was done).

    Round 2 – similar routine as round 1 except we did 10, 15, and 20 big boy situps.

    Round 3 – similar to round 1 except we did 10, 15, and 20 jump lunges. Also, instead of running, we were side hopping.

    Round 4 – similar to round 1 except we did 10, 15, and 20 leg raises.

    Round 5 – similar to round 3 except we did 10, 15, and 20 squats.

    Round 6 – similar to round 1 except we bear crawled to the marker and moseyed back to the middle of the field with 20, 40, and 60 overhead air presses in between.

    Round 7 – similar to round 6 except we bunny hopped to the marker and moseyed back to the middle of the field with 5, 10, and 15 burpees in between.

    At some point during the workout, we saw a shooting star with a crescent moon in the backgound.

    Round of Mary

    We did the following in cadence:

    1.) American Hammers x 20

    2.) LBCs x 20

    3.) Hello Dolly x 20

    4.) Low Country Crabs x 10 (Yankee’s lead)

    5.) Dying Cockroach x 20 (Hawgcycle’s lead)

    COT

    We finished the beatdown with COT. Announcements and prayers. Someone mentioned Bogey is buying for everyone who shows up at the Deutsches Haus tonight. We thank Sky Q for giving us the strength everyday so that we can do this on a regular basis. Always grateful to be out in the AM with the PAX and hopeful for many years of this.

    Few of us had some F2 coffee at PJ’s on Magazine. Always entertaining conversations with the PAX. SYITG

  • Gettin’ that Bruce Pack (WPM 2020-10-08)

    Another fine day at the mountain with 22 PAX: Bieber, Angie’s List, Peppa, 86, Squeal, Apostle, Tube Steak, Seaman, Gabrielle, Hawgcycle, NipTuck, Landing Strip, Moana, Bones, Mr. Peabody, Brushburn, Willie, Tinkles, El Wire, Flaming Lips, Bad Moon, Catfish (Q).

    Took a brief mosey around the block and circled up on the usual lawn for a warmup – SSH, Goofballs, Peter Parker, Mountain Climbers, Parker Peters, and Imperial Walkers. Moseyed over to the base of the mountain.

    First Level – Did some Nickels and Dimes with 5 low jump squats, 10 bonnies (2 is 1), and SSH waiting for the end of the minute. 5 rounds, then ran up to level 3, forwards on the flats, backwards up the inclines. Plank jacks waiting for the six.

    Third Level – Did a round of Bruce Lee – American Hammer, Leg Raises, LBCs, Penguins, Crunchy Frog, 100s. 30 Reps for all cadence exercises (everything except 100s). Ran up to level 5, forwards on the flats, backwards up the inclines.

    Fifth Level – Nickels and Dimes again with 5 Burpees, 10 hand-release Merkins, and Shoulder Taps waiting for the minute. Did 3 rounds, then ran to the top, forwards on the flats, backwards up the inclines.

    The Top – Monkey Humpers for the peak. Back down the stairs to the base, then to the flag. 7 burpees OYO for the finish. COT, Coffeeteria @ PJ’s.

    Always a pleasure at the mountain, and glad to finally get a set of Bruce Lees in!

  • AO on Astroturf at Avenger Field

    Gloomy and wet, but nice and cool at 5:30am. Pre-workout recon confirmed that Avenger Field was unsecured and open for business.

    Mosey to and Warm up at the Labyrinth:

    • Side straddle hop
    • Grass grabbers
    • Pagodas
    • Bat Wing (forward, reverse, overhead, seal claps, Moroccan night club)

    Mosey to Avenger Field and mudless astroturf for:

    Corner work out (x2):

    • 25 Squats
    • 50 Merkins
    • 75 Bonnie Blairs
    • 100 Shoulder taps

    LBCs to six, then 15 count

    Move to half field/outfield for suicides (across outfield).

    • Round One – Run to each crossing line and do three Merkins at each line, run back then run to next line.
    • Round Two – Crab walk to each crossing line, two Burpees at line, bear crawl back, then crab walk to next line.
    • Round Three – Lunge walk to each line, five squats, Lunge walk back, then lunge walk to next line.

    Mosey back to flag. Count, Name-o-Rama, Announcements (PJ’s, Q-Source), Intentions (thoughts and prayers for Bartman’s wife and baby), Sky-Q and gratitude.

  • 4 Years of F3 and You Could Look Like Me

    4 Years of F3 and You Could Look Like Me

    Four years ago in the gloom of the Peristyle, YHC was EHed by Heisenberg to check out this men’s only fitness group. Bubba’s Beatdown was all it took to keep YHC coming back for more. What better way to celebrate my anniversary than to recycle my first Q, which was at Okwata. Thank you to all of the PAX that posted today.

    W/U

    • SSH x 30
    • IW x 15
    • HB x 15
    • AC x 10 x 10
    • Peter Parker x 15
    • Parker Peter x 15
    • Self Love

    The Thang – Mosey to Canal blvd and partner up. PAX 1 will AMRAP while PAX 2 runs up Canal, bear crawl the median, and back down Canal. Switch.

    • Plank Jacks
    • Tempo Merkins – 2 count up, 2 count down
    • Step Ups
    • Dips

    Mosey back to the Lakefront area across from the fountain and circle up for the Lazy Q. Each PAX step into the middle and call an exercise to be performed for 22 Reps.

    Counterama, Namerama

    Announcements – Register for the IronPax Challenge. Pay attention to Mumble Chatter and emails for information regarding recovery efforts for our neighbors in Southwest Louisiana who are suffering from Hurricane Laura.

    NMM – Takeaways from today’s beatdown were not announced but included awareness or PTSD and Mission 22, a organization dedicated to Post Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury, substance abuse and all of the issues veterans are facing today.