F3 New Orleans

Tag: Kuch

  • Sticking to the Classics

    YHC and Ya Mom n’dem learned Monday morning as they rode in the Lakeview clown car home from Rock City that Abacus would not be able to Q the Stomp today. Instead of throwing it out to the Mumblechatter in search of a Q, an idea was born: why not do everyone a solid and bring the burpees back? Who wouldn’t appreciate our generosity?

    And so, after a brief yet rambling disclaimer, 16 men set out to do the 610 Stomp our forefathers had envisioned when they created this workout many years ago: 6 minute run, 10 burpees; 3x on the way out, then turn and do it 3 times on the way back. Ya Mom n’Dem kept the time while YHC jsut tried to keep up. The Pax managed anywhere from about 4-5 miles (and however far Smooth ran) in 40+ minutes with 60 burpees thrown in for fun. Definitely a solid Tuesday.

    We closed it out with IC LBC’sx20 and IC crab cakes x15, and then 5 Turkish getups OYO. Everyone made it back to the flag in time, and we welcomed back Woz, who had a strong showing back from several months laid up with an injury. We prayed for those dealing with cancer in our F3 family and extended F3 family.

    This month I’ve tried to focus on appreciating each moment of each day, and making a concerted effort not to waste it. The basic concept is that if you do only what you have to do and what you really want to do, you will have more time to focus on those things, as opposed to procrastinating, playing on social media, or engaging in other non-productive/non-enjoyable habits we form. And so, we reminded ourselves to take advantage of today, but to also be thankful that we are able to – and to never take that for granted, because none of us is guaranteed anymore than this moment.

    Meanwhile, I’m thankful for the privilege to lead this group. – Kuch

  • Maybe we should sit around & talk about our feelings

    It was chilly, rainy & dark when I got out of bed on Saturday morning, so I was dragging my feet a little to get dressed. On the Mumblechatter, Tool & Kimchi posted messages to get the PAX motivated to get out of bed & come post. While the LV fellas (Kuch, Half Nelson, Abacus & High Rise) & myself were clown carring to the AO, we bounced some workout ideas off of each other. One idea was to avoid the rain altogether & head strait to Navarre café so that the PAX could all drink coffee & share their respective feelings with one another in lieu of working out in the cold/rain. Once I saw Mahatma arrive at the workout, I knew this option would be a tough sell, so I proceeded to commence the beatdown.

    Warmup: We mosey’d to the pavilion by CBS; circled up, and then proceeded to do the following in cadence:

    • side straddle hops – 20
    • imperial squat walkers – 20
    • plank jacks – 20
    • high knees – 20

    Next, we split into 2 groups. Group 1 moved to 1 side of the pavilion, and group 2 moved to the other side:

    Group 1:

    • 10 inchworm burpees
    • 50 big boy sit ups
    • 100 seal jacks

    Group 2:

    • 10 regular burpees
    • 50 dips on the benches
    • 200 shoulder taps

    Group 1 did their exercises in cadence, and then made sure that Group 2 was aware that they finished their exercises first. We then switched sides / exercises. For this round, Group 2 did their exercises in cadence (loudly to jab back at Group 1), and Group 2 finished first. Group 1 pointed out that Group 2 did LBC’s instead of big boy sit ups, and that’s why they finished first. This was in part (and by, in part, I mean 100%) the Q’s fault, as I mistakenly said LBC’s to Group 2 when giving the instructions for round 2.

    Next we attempted to do a long jump / inchworm burpee combo, but it was too wet/slick in the pavilion, so we shut that down and mosey’s back to the fountain. Once at the fountain, we did an interval exercise where the PAX did 1 box jump on the fountain, ran to the museum steps, bunny hopped up the steps, did 1 merkin at the top of the steps, then ran down the steps back to the fountain. Once at the fountain, the PAX did 2 box jump, ran to the museum steps, bunny hopped up the steps, did 2 merkins at the top of the steps, then ran down the steps back to the fountain. We did this until we got to 10 box jumps / 10 merkins.

    Next, the PAX mosey’d to the side of the museum & proceeded to do the following:

    • Group 1 – people’s chair on the wall
    • Group 2 – 200 Rocky Balboas (timer)

    Once Group 2 finished the Rocky Balboas, we switched and had Group 1 do the Rocky Balboas & Group 2 lean against the wall to do the people’s chair. At one point, Rudy questioned Mahatma’s cadence technique while he was leading Group 2 in doing the Rocky Balboas, but ultimately the math checked out & we proceeded on with the workout

    Next, we mosey’d to the grass & did the following:

    • Lunge walk / inchworm burpee combo from Tree 0 to Tree 1 & back
    • Bear Crawl from Tree 0 to Tree 2; do 31 squats (not sure where the number 31 came from, it just felt like the right amount); and then Bear Crawl back

    Lastly, we headed back to the fountain & did the following in cadence:

    • Irkins – 21
    • Dips – 16
    • Left leg high knee step up – 21
    • Right leg high knee step up – 21
    • Dirkins – 16
    • Plank jacks on museum steps – 31 (there’s that 31 again for no particular reason. Classic)

    Once completed, we mosey’d to the flag for the count off, name-o-rama, announcements, intentions & prayer. Thanks for posting on Saturday morning, fellas. I enjoyed it!

  • A Little H8 to Start off your Thursday

    14 Pax set off into a mild, dry gloom that looked more like midnight than morning to find a good warm-up spot and get a little practice in for the upcoming H8. YHC was initially excited about not having to warm up in Surge’s favorite intersection, but the weeds were a little high, and we found ourselves back in the familiar intersection oval for warm-ups, consisting of:

    • Arm Circles
    • Hill Billies
    • SSH
    • Parker Peter

    After the warm-up, we were back to everyone’s favorite Okwata exercises: levees and burpees and burpees and levees, and a few merkins thrown in.

    Exercise 1: Sprint up the levee, jog down, 10 Burpees. Sprint back up the levee, jog down, 10 Burpees, 25 merkins, Plank and Wait.

    Exercise 2: Indian Run where the sprinter drops for 3 Merkins before sprinting to the front. Rudy claims Jesus Juice almost passed me on a sprint despite the 3 merkins, but I think we should all consider the source. Although Indian runs are not necessarily part of the H8 (or at all part of it), I do hate them.

    Exercise 3: Sprint up the levee, 5 Turk and Burps; jog down, 5 T&B; jog back up, 5 T&B; jog back down, 5 T&B. A little controversy about the form for these, so below is a demonstration of the Turkish Get-Up that I at least attempt to follow. It’s a great exercise for any workout, and worth practicing on your form. Start light if you do; a 10-lb kettlebell should be plenty at first.

    Exercise 4: At Okwata, there is always time for running backwards up a levee, and this workout was no exception, so we did a couple rounds of Bernie Sanders, planked and waited for the 6, and then moseyed back to the flag, where we got in a few LBC’s as the clock struck 6:15.

    We wished Jesus Juice a happy 35th, and welcomed Edible Arrangements from F3 Nashville. We prayed for some of our F3 brothers who are going through some tough times right now, and we recognized how thankful we are that we were able to come together this morning for a workout.

    I’m also thankful for the opportunity to lead this group. -Kuch

  • Don’t Say B.O.M.B.S in an airplane…

    But saying B.O.M.B.S at Popeyes means a great beatdown.

    Warm-Up

    Hillbillies X 20

    Mountain Climbers X 20

    SSH X 20

    Peter Parker X 20

    Arm Circles X  20 (10 forward, 10 backwards)

    Abe Vigodas X 10

    The Thang

    Today, YHC decided to consult the F3 Exicon for an optimal beatdown. The best beatdowns are those where you are intentionally pushed by the man beside you so partner up for B.O.M.B.S.

    As a group/pair complete the following:

    Burpees X 50

    Overhand Claps X 100

    Merkins X 150

    Big Boy Sit-Ups X 200

    Squats X 250

    1st PAX runs to the corner of the walking path while the 2nd PAX works on the exercises.

    Two observations from Popeyes this morning. First, at some point during a week Rev Sox must complain about a workout–today was that day. Second, Popeyes is the only AO where a real chicken may join the workout. They are friendly, resilient, and completely harmess so just keep working.

    Post-Thang

    Mosey to the wall at the entrance of the dog park.

    Dips X 25 in cadence

    Irkins X 20 OYO

    Dips X 15 in cadence

    Irkins X 10 OYO

    Mosey Back to the Flag

    Counterama

    Namerama – Welcome FNG – Darkwing Duck (He is a private investigator by trade.)

    COT

    -prayers for those fighting cancer

    As always, it was a pleasure to lead. SYITG.

  • 43 going on 44

    23 PAX posted in the the dark at Rock City. The effects of the time change were felt as I tried to wake up and get ready to make the trek to Metairie. It was still so dark I could barely see who all had shown up in the dark gloom. At 5:30 The announcement and disclaimer were given and off we moseyed to the grassy area near the rocks for Warm-up.

    Warm-Up

    SSH x 20, Hillbillies x 20, Moroccan Night Clubs x 15, Fwd Arm Circles x 15 Rev. Arm Circles x 15, Mountain Climbers x 20

    THANG1 :

    Grab a Rock – Form 2 lines on the path, walk path around to the hill doing Left, Right, Center with Rock above head (don’t rest it on your shoulder!)

    THANG 2

    Dora 1, 2, 3 First stop at the Hill – Partner up –

    100 Thrusters combined while PAX 2 goes over the hill and back, flapjack. Plank and wait for the 6

    Mosey to the large field with your rock

    200 Curls for the Girls combined while PAX 2 runs to tree line and back. LBC and wait for the 6

    300 Chest Press combined while PAX 2 runs tree line and back. LBT and wait for the 6.

    THANG 3

    Circle up for a Merkin wave. Plank up, Q starts with 10 alternating arm rock push ups, next person starts on second rep and goes around. With 23 PAX there was lots of mumble chatter about the length of time planking.

    6 MINUTES OF MARY

    LBC’s x 43 – (My last beat down at age 43)

    Flutter Kicks x 15, Penguins x 20, Dying Cockroach x 20, American Hammer x 15

    Put up your rock and Mosey back to the flag.

    COT

    Count-o-rama, Name-o-rama, No FNG’s, Very disappointing because I love naming people and then hearing about it the next day. Announcements: Sunnyside for 2.0’s March 17 at Audubon Park – Drew Brees Playground. F2 at Wrong Iron March 21st 6:30 PM. Special Intentions, & Prayed it out with a sweaty ball of man, still in the pitch black darkness.

    Always and honor and pleasure to lead this group of High Impact Men that motivate and drive me everyday to be the best I can be.

    SYITG

  • Surge’s B-Day Q

    YHC turned 51 and wanted to celebrate F3 style. Okwata provided a beautiful sunrise and a light breeze. First, DISCLAIMER and then

    Mosey to the Center of the Universe for the warm-up: SSHx51, Abe Vigoda x10, Sun Gods 10f/10b, Peter Parker x20, Parker Peter x20, Imperial Walker x20, Concrete Grabbers x10

    Mosey to the levee for an 11 with burpees (descending) and low slow squats (ascending)

    Mosey to the seawall for a Hurricane Hoedown looking out over Okwata and the beautiful sunrise

    Mosey up and over the levee and back to the flag for some bonus Mary: American Hammer x20, Freddie Mercuries x20, LBCs x20 (courtesy of Kuch).

    Count off, Nameorama, Announcements, Intentions, Prayer

    The PAX had a F3 guest from North Carolina. YHC thinks he was impressed with our hill (aka, levee) and how we used it a lot. Thank you for a great birthday start. Teach me to be generous!

  • It’s all about Grip strength

    After the long Mardi Gras season, I think everyone in NOLA is a bit off their game the day after Fat Tuesday….but 5 PAX strong showed up on a cold Ash Wednesday to kick start our morning. Answering the call to fill in for Hawg I showed up with only a minimal plan in mind….we weren’t going to get wet!

    Warm – mosey to the covered pavilion circle up and get the blood flowing.

    • 10 Greg Louganis 
    • 10 low slow squat
    • 10 side lung
    • 20 SSH
    • 10 ea leg scorpion kick 
    • 10 

    Move over to the railing 10 each leg step ups

    Mosey to the center of the park area, circle up for push up ring of fire x 5 then mosey along the running path, stopped at street crossing 5 burpees on your own.  Mosey to the outdoor gym near W. Napoleon.  QIC has been reading the Iron Sharpens Iron chatter and this month Triple Shift has made an emphasis of “grip strength” by performing a Flexed Arm Hang – we started with a 1 minute effort; taking a 1 minute rest then 4 30 sec hangs with 20-30 sec reset in between.  A lot tougher than it may sound, so if you haven’t made an effort to grip the bar yet…..get some!

    Then…While at the gym we broke up into 5 stations – 5 low hang pull ups was the timer, incline merkins, box jumps, dips and elevated leg lifts (again this was harder than it looked).

    Mosey up the running track to the edge of the lake – lined up for some core work: 20 flutter kicks, 10 scoops, 20 more elevated flutter kicks on elbows.

    Mosey back towards the gym, lined up on the side of the track, line of jump squats x 5 x 5.  Rev Sox helped move this along.

    Mosey back towards the start….Oh QIC decided Indian run was best but didn’t communicate completely……It got worked out, last man did 3 push ups then ran to the front and so on.

    Stopped at parking lot, found some measuring points (parking spaces) lunged to one side of parking area performed 10 merkins, bear crawled back did 5 burpees.

    Mosey again – stopped at light poles (3 were in a row before crossing the bridge to the starting point) 10 merkins, 10 jump squats, 10 Catalina Wine Mixers.

    Mosey again – well to the bottom of the bridge – lunged walk up and over.

    Meet at the edge of the lake – another push up ring of fire except this time it was a catch me if you can around the outer parameter of the pavilion.  Kuch put up a good push which got everyone else behind him motivated. 

    Mosey to the starting point – 2 minutes of plank.

    COT – We push our selves to improve both physically and spiritually as solid men that lead.  I’m blessed to have been given the chance to be in a position today to be a part of the Popeyes PAX….Thanks. 

  • End of February, end of RRR

    Gloomy morning at Okwata. Last day of February, last day of 2019 RRR and YHC’s legs are definitely feeling it. Been a great month – getting pushed by all the PAX to pull a Forest Gump and just keep running.

    And as 5:30 approaches, out of the gloom emerge Kuch and Ya Mom’N’Dem – 2 PAX who have been pushing and inspiring me all month. Running to the workouts, running home. Way to go guys!

    Disclaimer given, and off we go – looking for a rare patch of dry ground in the swamplands of Okwata.

    Warm Up

    Circle up at the foot of Canal Street. Typical Warmup, as YHC is a bit of a creature of habit. As Triple Shift noted – all exercises in cadence x28 (28th day of February. SSH, Hillbilly, Peter Parker (“Stay here” yells frac, so we may as well stay here), Shoulder Taps (“stay here” the Pax grumbles, so YHC obliges), Parker Peter. Recover

    But wait – no warmup is complete without burpees. So we’ll do a Burpee Box: run the canal St loop with 7 burpees at each corner (28 total burpees). If you finish, sweep the 6 and join them for their burpees as well. Mahatma quickly identifies that the name of the game is “stay together”. But he and Cowbell sprint off anyway, earning the opportunity to sweep and pick up two more sets of burpees. Nice work!

    Animal Crossing

    A few rounds of mosey up the levee, animal walk across, and mosey back down the levee. First its Bear Crawls, then Crab Walks, then Duck Walks. Each time, plank at the bottom for the 6. Make room for the sandal-footed hippie who decided to disrupt the workout on his run to nowhere.

    Route 66

    Across the street. Route 66 with Merkins. Go. Certain unnamed PAX reached lightpole #10 and became confused with what to do next. Ole Miss apparently does not cover counting when numbers exceed fingers.

    Cirlce of Time / Benches

    Back across the street to one of the underutilized areas of Okwata – the circle of 8 benches. A PAX of 17 made this a bit crowded, but we’ll make do. Partner up at each bench. We’ll go clockwise around. PAX noted that it was wet. Quite wet. Shoes will be wet. But – no griping allowed. Persevere. Accelerate. Own It.

    • Right Leg Step Up x20 (everyone). Lunge Walk clockwise to the next bench.
    • Left Leg Step Up x20. Lunge Walk clockwise.
    • Monkey Humpers x25. Lunge Walk clockwise
    • Low Slow Squats x20. (this was to be Box Jumps – but the dampness and crowds seemed to make that a bad idea. So improvise…). Lunge Walk clockwise.
    • Dips x20. Bear Crawl clockwise
    • Incline Merks x20. Bear Crawl
    • Regular Merks x20, with the whole group throwing in extras to motivate the rest of the PAX. YHC shoulders are feeling the burn. Bear Crawl onward.
    • Derkins. AMRAP. YHC has a clock. Go. Much grumbling and groaning ensured. 1:10 of derkins.

    A soggy group of PAX gathered up and moseyed back to the flag, where we got in a last round of LBC x28

    And with that, we wrap up the end of February. 2.3 miles earned for RRR. Close out with intentions (several PAX praying for close friends and family suffering with illness). And then prayers – as always YHC asks for the grace of God’s wisdom to use the gift of a day in service of Him, and in service of his family and friends.

    Then – as a little bit of lagniappe, Team Okwata (cowbell, mahatma, kuch, ya mom’n’dem, rudy) took off on one last 2 mile run to celebrate the end of RRR. Thanks for the month – for the inspiration, and for the F2.

  • We’re up all night to get War Eagle a little culture

    [5:25 AM, City Park, on a wet gray morning]

    War Eagle: What is that thingamabob in your hand, Kuch?

    Kuch: That’s a bluetooth speaker. It plays music.

    War Eagle: Where I’m from, dancing is outlawed and the only music allowed is people singing Sweet Home Alabama.

    Thus, it became clear to YHC that some music would be important to War Eagle’s continuing New Orleans education. So after a quick disclaimer, off we set to find a dry spot to warm up and moseyed up Roosevelt Mall to an intersection. Only the day before, I’d been humiliated around this very spot as I attempted to sprint to the finish ahead of Cowbell and Hawg at the Stomp, only to have them “jog” right by me. Cowbell was a little late today and did not reach the mosey spot until after we had already warmed up, so I will call it even.

    Warm-up – all x20 or so

    • Arm Circles
    • Hill Billies
    • Windwills
    • Parker Peter
    • Some hip stretches
    • Mosey back down Roosevelt Mall to the far side of the track for the workout

    First Tune of the Day – Tubthumping by Chumbawamba

    • “I get knocked down, but I get up again” = burpee
    • Everything else = SSH

    We started getting a little sloppy on the SSH, so we did some in cadence. When we finished, one lap around the outside of the track to maximize those RRR miles.

    Second Tune of the Day – Get Lucky by Daft Punk

    • “We’re up all night to get Lucky” = airsquat
    • Everything else = Al Gore

    Again we got a little sloppy, and there was a bit of mumblechatter about whether YHC had thought this one through all the way. Instead of acknowledging that this might actually have been a pretty terrible idea, penalty burpees were handed out. When War Eagle critiqued YHC’s form on the penalty burpees, more penalty burpees were issued. Mumblechatter died down a bit after that. Another lap around the track, and T-claps to Cowbell, Smooth, War Eagle, & YaMom & Dem who took it upon themselves to sweep the six each time. I have been the six, and I know what it feels like to have people push you. Knowing you are not out there by yourself while everyone else moves on is a big deal, so kudos guys.

    Third Tune of the Day – Flower (the Sally song) by Moby

    Only one thing to do here, and that’s up and down merkins holding it at the top and bottom. Another lap around the outside with some more sweeping from the fast crew.

    Fourth Tune of the Day – Proud Mary

    What else would you do to Proud Mary other than some Mary? So we got down on the wet ground and alternated 10 lbc’s and 10 flutter kicks IC, one after the next, till the song ended.

    Out of tunes to play, we Indian ran back down the track to the exit, where we moseyed to the flag for a minute or two of planking. Next time, we will get to Thunderstruck…

    As always, thanks for letting me lead. It’s a privilege. F3 has stripped me of my excuses, and forced me to accept being uncomfortable. When we started RRR 4 weeks ago, I didn’t think I could run more than 2 days in a row, I thought I needed more sleep, thought my knee needed more rest and my shin splints and my back would keep me from ever running any real distance again and so on. As we close in on the end of this challenge, I know that I have vastly exceeded what I thought I was capable of just a month ago. For that, I can only thank all of you who set a constant example of hard work, dedication and consistency. SYITG – Kuch

  • King Kong Escaped Audubon and Found His Way to Rock City

    Filled with excitement, YHC grabbed his passport this morning and went on a Metry field trip to Q his very first Rock City. YHC got to the AO about 15 minutes early and spotted Kuch, YourMomandDem, High Rise, and Abacus getting a head start by running a lap around the park to get some miles for the Run Ranger Run. T-claps for that!!! 22 strong Pax showed up on a cool, dry, windy Monday. YHC gave his standard disclaimer and told the Pax to mosey to the rocks, to pick up a decent size rock and mosey straight to the middle of the football field. Mumblechatter from Rudy telling YHC that Metry folks don’t lift up the rocks before warm-ups. Well… too bad. Off went the Pax.

    Warm-ups

    Circled up in the middle of the football field and did the following in cadence

    SSHs x 20

    Windmills x 10

    Hill Billies x 20 (YHC was trying to stay focus with his cadence count while Rudy was doing Imperial Walkers instead. Rudy claimed that Pax in Metry don’t do Hill Billies.)

    Seal Jacks x 20

    The Thang

    Pax lined up in the middle of the football field with their rocks facing the field goal. Pax did the following exercises in the following sequences without stopping except in the middle of the workout where Mahatma gave us a 20 count.

    Moseyed toward the field goal and performed 10 slow merkins IC.

    Moseyed back to the middle to the rocks and performed 10 manmakers OYO.

    Moseyed toward the other field goal and performed 20 plankjacks IC.

    Ran back to the middle and performed 15 low slow squats with the rock IC.

    Ran back toward the field goal and did 10 Cat Wine Mixer IC.

    Ran back to the middle and performed 15 thrusters OYO.

    Jogged toward the other field goal and did 20 Peter Parker IC.

    Jogged back to the middle and did 15 rows IC

    Jogged to the field goal and did 10 genuflects IC x 2 (10 on each leg).

    Moseyed back to the middle and muscled up another 10 manmakers OYO.

    Moseyed toward the other field goal and did 20 Parker Peter IC.

    Moseyed back to the middle and did 20 chest press IC. (With a serious tone, Mahatma said to the Q “lets do 100 of these,” and YHC knew that was not going to happen.)

    Ran to the field goal and did 15 lunges IC.

    Ran back toward the middle and muscled up another 15 thrusters OYO.

    Ran to the other field goal and lined up by the goal posts and bear crawled back to the middle and ended with last 10 manmakers OYO.

    To sum up the workout, Pax did 20 merkins, 30 manmakers, 30 thrusters, 40 plank jacks, 40 Peter Parkers, 40 Parker Peters, 15 low slow squats with the rock, 30 rows, 40 chest presses, 10 Cat. Wine Mixers, 20 Genuflects, 30 lunges, and about 1.6 miles of running in between.

    Round of Mary

    Everyone stayed in the middle of the football field and did the following exercises in cadence:

    LBCs x 20

    Flutterkicks x 15

    Hello Dolly x 15

    Dying Cockroach x 20

    Brought our beloved rocks back to their home and moseyed to the flag. While waiting for the Six, Pax planked and did 5 Nolan Ryan IC on each side.

    COT

    Ended the day with Count O Rama, Name O Rama, announcements and intentions. No FNGs. We prayed for all the mentioned intentions and also a safe Mardi Gras season for all of us. YHC is very grateful to be able to lead the workout. Always an honor to workout with my F3 brothers. Thank You for accepting an Uptowner at a Metry AO. SYITG.

    King Kong