F3 New Orleans

Tag: Hokie Pokey

  • “This isn’t The Stomp!”

    YHC arrived early for round two of the Wally Run. This week seven men arrived early to stretch and begin the run. YHC announced we would complete a three-mile loop through the neighborhood and finish with some work on the track.

    The seven fearless Pax members started off down the Pontiff track. A ¼ of a mile through the run, a dark shadowy figure approached. It was as strong as an ox, sneaky as a snake, and quick as a cheetah. It was the man, the myth, the legend—it was Hawgcycle! The eight men together completed the run and finished on the track. Some incorporated sprints, others simply kept running.

    At 6:10, the wannabe Q, Rev Sox stopped running to include Mary. YHC questioned such a decision. Rev Sox said, “At The Stomp, we always do Mary at the end.” Well, Reverend Sox, “This isn’t The Stomp!” But, YHC obliged and concluded with LBCs, Flutter Kicks, and Reverse Crunches.

    T-claps to Hokey Pokey. He was hesitant to try the three-mile loop but endured and finished. T-claps to Boo Boo. He expressed multiple times that he was not a runner but he came and completed the run anyway. T-claps to Rev Sox, Pai Gow, and Hobbs for constantly sweeping the six. T-claps to Tua and Hawg –we all want to be like you when we grow-up!

    COT

    It was a pleasure to lead. Join us every Thursday at Pontiff for the Wally Run. You won’t be disappointed.

  • “Do they make men’s sports bras?”

    The answer to that question is no, but more on that in a moment.

    YHC arrived at Popeyes on this cool, crisp morning with a beatdown appropriate for individuals who would find their joy in running the following morning at the Wally Run. The temperature was 62 degrees but based on Boo Boo’s attire you would have thought it was minus 62 degrees. With the park set-up for a weekend event, the mosey to the Esplanade workout equipment would take a bit longer. At 5:28, YHC gave the disclaimer and headed out making sure not to get out of sight before 5:30 in case someone came in hot.

    Warm-Up

    No time to circle up so a warm-up on the go—

    High Knees, Butt-Kicks, Carioca Right, Carioca Left, Walking Imperial Walkers, Arm Circles as we ran. We did circle up once about halfway through for SSH, Abe Vigodas, and Seal Jacks (note: these men do not have the coordination required for Seal Jacks)

    The Thang

    At the Esplanade workout equipment we completed one minute each of the following exercises:

    Burpees, Lunges, Dips, Inch Worms, Irkins, Military Sit-Ups, Plank Jacks, LBCs, Squats, Bonnie Blairs, Leg Raises (hanging from the pull-up bars), and Imperial Squat Walkers. We completed the circuit with a 6-pack (Think 11s with pull-ups and Merkins but only totaling 6 reps)

    We completed the round and moseyed back toward the flag. Along the way we had an opportunity to encourage one of our newest Metry Pax, Mile High. Mile High has worked hard over the last couple of weeks but has made it known to everyone he is not a runner. We let him set the pace on the return mosey but not without asking, “Do they make men’s sporting bras?” They don’t, but T-claps to Mile High for sprinting to the finish.

    Mile High’s effort and the Pax response is a subtle reminder, “Leave no man behind, but leave no man where you found him!”

    COT, prayers for families and marriages associated with F3

    As always, it was a please to lead.

  • You don’t have to be perfect, just better than yesterday

    20 runners were greeted with an absolutely perfect pitch black morning at the Stomp today. The temperature hovered around 65 degrees for the entire run, and at no point did we see the sun. Thanks to Daylight Savings Time and those long Spring and Summer days, we’re treated to at least a mid-workout sunrise for most of the year. In fact, the sunrises will be back next month when Daylight Savings Time kicks in. Until then, let’s enjoy these last few chances to make our way through the dark, quiet streets of New Orleans while the city sleeps.

    About 6 months ago, some of us timed ourselves in a 1-mile at the Danger Zone. Since the DZ is no more, YHC decided to bring the time trials to The Stomp. The instructions were simple…. well, I thought they were simple at least.

    • Bring an activity tracker
    • All run one warm-up mile together
    • Once your activity tracker makes 1 mile, run Mile 2 as hard as you can
    • Regardless, turn back at 20 minutes and run back to the flag.
    • Send me your mile 2 time

    Even with a little confusion, this mostly went off without a hitch. The purpose of the time trial is not to see who’s fastest, but see how we’re improving. Sure, it’s fun to run around in a tank top in the early morning grabbing grass and doing a few burpees, but overall, I think we all want to get a little better, faster, stronger. To that end, I’ll post your time from today if you send it to me, and I’ll tag this post with #timetrial . Search that tag next time we do this and see how you’ve improved. Here is what I have. This is not necessarily the order in which they finished:

    1. Shuffles
    2. Tua 6:47
    3. Dirty Dell 6:37
    4. Briefs
    5. Screwtop
    6. Belloq 6:51
    7. Hawg 6:40
    8. Jesus Juice 7:02
    9. Rudy
    10. Kuch 7:06
    11. Breadsticks 6:32
    12. Rev Sox 7:51
    13. Tool 8:49
    14. Woz
    15. Bongo
    16. Chips
    17. Tugboat
    18. Hokie Pokey 10:30
    19. Thumb War 8:13
    20. Gideon

    Few rounds of Mary led by different PAX, and then 5 burpees for each pax member who did not stick with the group early on. The usual formalities and a prayer for peace and stillness in our lives. Thanks for having me. – Kuch

  • All Hail Sir Shuffles! or the 7th Running of the H8

    All Hail Sir Shuffles! or the 7th Running of the H8

    On a windy Thursday by the shores of Lake Pontchartrain, history was made in F3 New Orleans.

    Triple Shift and Kuch kicked off the festivities for the H8 VII! They split the Pax up into two groups due to the great showing of 33 men to take on the challenge. Little did anyone know that someone was about the conquer the H8 as never seen before.

    YHC was the first and only one to bow out early due to struggles with his shoulder. The rest of the pack ran hard, bear crawled hard, and burpeed with everything they had through 40 minutes of pain and exhaustion. These are the men YHC is not ashamed to call his brothers.

    Then what men said could never be done……….. it happened.

    They said no one could run 100m in less than 9.6 seconds and on August 12, 2009 Bolt became the fastest man in the world at 9.58.

    They said no one could run a marathon in under 2 hours and on Saturday, October 12, 2019 Eliud Kipchoge ran a marathon in 1:59:40.

    They said no one could run 9 laps on the H8 and on Thursday, October 17, 2019 Shuffles ran 9 laps of the H8 with 30 seconds before the 40 minute mark.

    Tclaps to Shuffles for 9 and Tclaps to all of our finishers for setting the bar and giving the rest of us something to strive for. Your Fall 2019 H8 finishers: Shuffles, Breadsticks, Mahatma, Sogo, Rudy, Tua, Col Mustard, Quarterpipe, Screwtop, and Tanner.

    The Pax counted off, Name-O-Rama, Welcome to FNG Crackles, Intentions, and Prayer for the Pax

    -Rev Sox

  • The Inaugural Wally Run (aka 31 Gaser)

    After much discussion, the decision was made that Metairie needed a Thursday run-focused workout. It was unclear if the AO arose from a need for more running, a need for another beatdown in Metairie, or a pure hatred for Okwata. Nonetheless, six men appeared in the gloom at Pontiff playground for this inaugural beatdown.

    Pai Gow, Mambi, and Hobbs arrived early to complete their first PT test introduced by Boo Boo at Popeyes. Hokey Pokey assisted them in completing their merkins and situps and clocked their times for a two-mile run. Rev Sox and YHC began the work of mapping out a “traditional route” for this workout.

    After the two-mile run, four of the men continued running around the clay track. Rev Sox and YHC completed a three-mile run through the neighborhood before joining the remaining pax on the track. We all concluded with a five minute round of Mary and naming of the new AO.

    Mambi suggested something with 31 in honor of Wally Pontiff. 31 Gaser was suggested considering Mambi farted in Pai Gow’s face during situps. YHC concluded that 3 Gaser would require too much explanation and was too wordy therefore the Wally Run claimed the official name.

    Join us next Thursday at Pontiff Playground for the second installment of the Wally Run.

  • F3 Renaissance with a 610 Feel

    F3 Renaissance with a 610 Feel

    Short and sweet…. we met in front of NOMA and proceeded to the practice track stopping every 6 minutes for 10 Merkins. 60 Merkins later we were at the back of NOMA for Sunday Mornings (chair position with 10 air presses, 5 mule kicks, 1 balls to the wall with a Derkin/hand press…. repeat for 5 minutes). Close with COT lifting up Da Parish & Bellhop’s family and onto Coffeeteria at Café Navarre

  • 5 year CONVERGENCE!

    Well – 5 years later we are still going STRONG! I remember when we started thinking I don’t have time in my life for this group. After a week of beatdowns I knew that we had to commit to growing this group – it had already begun to change my life and they way I interact with people everyday. I know after a nasty 530am beatdown – that I can handle anything the day throws at me. Thanks to all the guys here in NOLA that keep things running so that we can continue to be a group. Thanks to OBT for taking time out of his life to get us going in the GLOOM! Looking forward to 5 more years of F3 in NOLA.

    Today the pre-run started with about 20 PAX for a run down BAYOU ST JOHN. Beautiful weather, cool air and a crisp breeze. We ran 12 min out and 12 min back so that we could arrive in time for the fun.

    KUCH – has a been a great EH’er and a nice addition to F3 NOLA. Kuch started the party off with a WARM UP circle. SSH, Imp Walkers, Arm Circles, Peter Parkers, Merks.

    Then we divided up by 5 count into teams. We did 5 burpees, 5 Lunges, 5 Merkins, 5 Squats, 5 Plank Jacks. Bear Crawl across the lawn. Run back. KUCH did an excellent job getting the teams set quickly

    5 reps. We ran out of time and had to call it after 3 reps. No team won due to the shortened KUCH set. Kuch represented NOLA well – with a pretty gnarly start to a celebratory event.

    2nd set with DURACELL – FROM BATON ROUGE

    Duracell brought out 2 coupons. 40lb cinderblocks. 2 PAX ran to the center and did 3 thrusters. We went two different directions. A slow starter but once the PAX got the hang out this one – this was a solid beatdown. Duracell had to do about 15 exercises in cadence to 20. Exercises ranged from a regular plank, to shoulder taps, to merk variations to squat/lunge variations. The highlight of this section was Mathlete’s 2.0-Bear getting that cinderblock in the right position and up. Duracell represented the RED STICK well.

    THIGHS FROM THE WANK- 3rd quarter. We started with a solid mosey over the to the lawn in by the museum. Upon arrival we see that Thighs has organized with some printed out signs a 15 min beatdown that is going to suck. At each sign there was an exercise- PAX had to complete 20 reps the first time through, 15 reps the 2nd time through. (Possible 3rd time for the fastest pax members). Exercises were:

    1. Bonnie Blaires
    2. Diamond Merks
    3. Reverse Crunches aka Gaspumps
    4. Bobby Hurleys
    5. Merkin Toe Touches (need to incorporate this more in my Qs)
    6. Freddie Mercs

    RUN back to the start line and do this again. Thighs had the teams organized in a way by street names. Due to 75 PAX that didn’t quite workout but Thighs quickly modified and let the teams fall where they were. A good quick call. Thighs demonstrated that there is nothing easy about the WANK. Those guys are tough! Great turnout by the WB.

    STEVE FROM THE NORTHSHORE- FINISHED OFF The PAX back on the great lawn. Each pax got a partner.

    You had to do your partners age in burpees, your partners weight in LBCS, and your partners months in F3 in Freddies.

    Steve had a few minutes left so he finished with some Peter parkers, and some American Hammer.

    After a 75 PAX NAME O RAMA, NUMBERRAMA – Hokey POkey finished us off with an awesome prayer!

    After the whole beatdown we gathered at Cafe Du Monde for a 5 year celebration party. Tclaps to Rudy, Tool and Gabrielle for making that happen. There were eggs, bacon, sausage, grits, biscuits, beignets and plenty of coffee!

    Thanks to our awesome Qs! IT is NOT easy to Q 75 PAX!

    So blessed to be a part of this group- cheers to 5 more years of F3 NOLA!

  • Mother of a Mothership

    Warm-up (24s) – Arm circles, Windmills, Imperial walkers, Grass Grabbers

    Thang 1 – PAX paired up, PAX A – Does Inch Worm to third tree and sprints back while PAX B does any static hold he chooses till partner returns. Pax flips roles, then starts new rounds – Lunges, NEar Crawls, Broad jumps.

    RECOVER

    After that, PAX serpentine runs in and out of the trees on the Great lawn jumping up on the memorial and then to the peristyle.

    Thang 2 – Divide the PAx again into A/B. A’s Run out and back behind peristyle jumping up and downstairs for 5 rounds while B’s do dips. Once 5 rounds done, PAX flips roles.

    If that wasn’t fun enough all PAX circle up under the roof of peristyle and perform static hold squats for 30 s and 10 more while reaching ahead. Do that 3x with 30 sec recovery.
    We then side shuffle clockwise and on my command slap the ground and reverse direction. Do that till we can’t stand it anymore. Recover.
    Q’s challenge – HandStand Holds if you can if you can’t, then anything sort of upside-down like a Pike Plank, or push your feet up the columns and hold.

    Final bonus – MINI Q session – each member is called to the center and does their favorite exercise for 30 seconds or 30 reps. We didn’t finish everyone before the bell rang.

    Mosey back to flag for announcements, intentions and BOM. Sad news about Bellhop and FNG’s situation. Encouraged each other had hearty prayer and we’re done.

  • Roulette wheel at Popeye

    Random counts because the Q just felt like it and it was funny to watch. The weather was beautiful, almost crisp.

    Imperial walkers 14 @ 4 count

    Abe Vigoda 16 @ 4 count

    Side shuffles

    Runner Stretch

    Bat wings 21x 4 count

    Push up side plank reach 5/side

    To Gazeeba circle run 4x

    Bear Crawl-Sit-ups combo ¼ round then 12 sit-ups 4 circles

    30 count down 

    Hanging leg/knee Raises. OYO, 25 total

    Push up then move in circle

    Lunge around the gazeebo Jump down/up stairs. 4x around

    Inchsworms 21x pushups at bottom

    Supine Bridge holds 40 count 5x

    Skaters 20/side

  • Failing Upwards

    These warm, thick, moist ( I said it) Southern mornings seem to stretch in front of and behind us without variation. It’s unmistakable. That feeling, the transition, of stepping from your front door (that sweet clean cool conditioned air) into the physical force of warm jell-o that is the south. A low level of perma-sweat is the accepted norm. Under these conditions 20 men (one FNG) met, with great enthusiasm, in the gloom of City Park.

    YHC was looking forward to his Second Q. He even planned out a few maneuvers he thought might be fun and thought of how to map out the days work. However, today’s BB is not a story of great triumph, it is one of progress.

    To start YHC forgot about the disclaimer momentarily, so some men did think I was a professional and did not know that they could modify. Second, YHC bumbled through the lead-in to each warm-up exercise, giving a variation for each, which opened the door to chatter amidst the ranks. As Q, variation can lead to chatter, chatter, can lead to dissent, dissent can lead to mutiny. A fair warning for any who might take the mantle as future Q. But not to worry, YHC was open to input, heard the people and adjusted accordingly.

    The THANG

    Warm Up in Peristyle (…to the best of recollection)
    x10 Arm circle fwd/bck
    x10 Hill Bill
    x20 Peter Parker
    x20 Parker Peter
    x15 jump jack
    Then everyone pick a column x3sets of Sunday Mornings:
    People’s chair w/ x10 jack web
    Donkey kicks x5
    Balls to wall, count to 10
    (three movements = 1 set)

    Line up – Mosey/Indian run to practice track
    Partner up
    1. Catch me if you can – Partner runs ahead backwards while other partner drops for 5 burpees, sprint to catch, alternate, 400m
    Cont. w/ Partner – following cumulative
    2. 100 Merkins – Sets of 10, partner holds plank while other partner completes set, alternate to total
    3. 200 LBCs – Sets of 20, partner holds legs raised while other completes set, alternate to total
    4. 300 Squats – Sets of 30, partner holds squat while other completes set, alternate to total

    At this juncture YHC had two ideas of what he wanted to do, but was a little uncertain of time. Opting to start a mosey back to the Great Lawn, he lost a little control of the group, who, like cats when not given explicit direction, had a mind of their own. This led to a different route back, which altered timeline. YHC takes full responsibility for this fork in the road, which was a result of indecision. Once outside my comfort zone, I turned to a wisened veteran, Screwtop for a tip on a next workout, he advised 4 corners. Since YHC wanted to keep momentum and control, he jumped on idea, announced to group, and tasked 4 individuals with deciding on a movement for each corner. However, in haste, I was not clear about time spent at each corner, or much of anything, so it turned in to everyone being responsible for their own time in 4 corners.

    While this was not the smoothest F3 beatdown that many know and love, I feel like there was plenty of sweat and ready-to-be-done’ness’ by the end of our hour to say it was a successful day nonetheless.

    My lesson – don’t go in to a Q with too many ideas of what to accomplish. Pick your workouts. Keep it simple. And stick to your plan. Any time allowed to think about what to do next, gives rise to chaos. Anarchy. (Don’t look into applying this reminder to life… it might lead to improvement). Also, the older I get I find myself abiding the principle, “If you haven’t failed at doing something, and gone back to it to keep doing it, are you even invested in it?”


    I appreciate the patience of all while I had a growth Q and want to thank the spirit of F3 for keeping it fun for all. Veterans stepped up, tclaps to those who did, and ultimately this group is about camaraderie, practicing leadership, and pushing each other to be better all around. I am excited to step up to another Q in the near future, and tighten up the execution then.