With a forecast of cold temps, high winds, and rain, YHC was prepared to unleash an epic beatdown under the covered, outdoor stage at Popeyes. As luck would have it, the rain was over by 0530. Two Yutes was brave enough to battle the elements. We elected to modify to a two-mile B.L.I.M.P.S., which allowed YHC to get his daughter to school early, as she requested, to prepare for exams.
After a quick warm up of 20 SSH and the required five burpees, we were off. We stopped randomly to complete the L.I.M.P., which YHC did out of order for some reason. Back to the flag and completed the S.
COT: Name-o-rama, announcements, and prayers of gratitude. Thank you Two Yutes for braving the elements and the friendly conversation. PAX expect to see that epic beatdown in the future. It’s packed full of fun and games!
“A poker run is an organized event in which participants, usually using motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, boats, snowmobiles, horses, on foot or other means of transportation, must visit five to seven checkpoints, drawing a playing card at each one. “
YHC has previously over-estimated the PAX’s ability to listen to and understand directions. And YHC was afraid that this particular set of instructions was going to be beyond the attention span of the PAX. The PAX were warned that this was going to require attention. And all but Angie’s List seemed willing to give it a shot.
Quick warmup with some SSH (x31 – to celebrate 31 years since ND’s last National Championship. YHC promised this would be the only ND reference during the workout) and Windmills.
Then – PAX assume plank position while YHC explains the game. The more backtalk and sass, the longer we stay in plank position. Except Jingle Vader. JV apparently has some objection to Plank, so he stood in the Vertical Plank with arms crossed.
The Rules: there are 5 stations around the park. See the map. At each station there are some cards (playing cards) and a card (workout card). Each group picks a playing card, and the workout card tells you what to do (which exercise, how many reps).
Each team visits each of the stations, getting 5 cards. OK, there were other rules too. But I don’t need to go through them all here. The 3 teams (Hawg, King Kong and Bongo; Douille, Angie’s List, Jingle Vader; Catfish, Rudy, iHeart, Da Parish) each took off.
5 Stations with Legs, Planks, Merks, Abs, Burpees. Side note: drawing the Ace of Hearts and its 30 8 Count Body Builder reward kind of sucked. Thanks Catfish.
OK, its about 7:20 and everyone is back in the Great Lawn with 5 cards. Circle up for opportunities to replace cards.
Monkey Humpers: Do Monkey Humbers for longer than YHC, and your team can exchange a card. Rudy got to x40. Hawg, King Kong and Bongo tapped out after 2, and assumed the Al Gore position of shame.
Plank: Plank longer than Rudy and your team can exchange a card. Rudy got to about 90 seconds. Hawg, King Kong and Bongo tapped out after about 10 seconds.
Burpees: Everyone on your team get 10 burpees in less than a minute? Exchange 1 card. Hawg, King Kong and Bogo tapped out at exactly 9 burpees each.
NOTE: Everyone should have realized something by this point.
The Wager: Each team automatically antes 10 burpee. Winner does no burpee, losing teams pay the bet. Douille, Angie’s List and Jingle Vader call the lazy triplets at 25 Burpees. While Catfish et. al. ponder their move, Hawg announces the natural full house they pulled. Fortunately, that allowed Catfish et. al. to Fold and only pay a 15 burpee penalty.
Congrats to the winners who SWEAR they drew 3 7s and 2 10s blind.
YHC’s 4th year anniversary in F3, so what to do? Why – how about the same thing that he did for 3rd year, 2nd year and 1st year? The Q that writes itself…
YHC was joined on a gloomy, chilly Monday morning at Rock City by 13 PAX. Several had been there for previous celebrations. And one made his first ever appearance at the 4th celebration of his Fart Sacking of my first workout. Welcome, Amnesty! Conversely, thank you Bogey – not only did you drag me into this, you’ve actually been at the anniversary each year (as far as I recall, anyways…)
The Thing
Same thing again. Quick warmup before grabbing rocks and heading to the trees.
Captain Dan
With your rock, 2x Lunge, 1x Squat. Repeat, increasing reps each time. Get to the fence at the end of the field. YHC was up to 14x Lunge steps. Scantron and his legs seemed to make it in about 6x Lunge steps.
Take a seat in the People’s Chair while we patiently wait for Triple Shift to arrive. Then we patiently continue sitting waiting for Triple Shift to realize that he is also supposed to take a seat.
Jack Webb
1x Merkin (hand on rock), 2x Shoulder Presses (with Rock). Start increasing. Up to 8x/16x. PAX humored YHC by following his slower-than-you cadence. But everyone powered through…
Circle of Abs and Pull Ups
Circle up for some ab work. While one group of 3-4 ran off to the playground to get 10 Pull Ups in, the rest of the group did some ab work. Box cutters, Flutters, Dollys and Penguins while everyone got their pull ups. Marlin gave a 20 count in his head. The rest of us waited in silence.
Start heading towards home by Lieutenent Danning back to where we started.
Bloom Where You’re Planted
Lets run through some reps without putting the rock down. Shoulder Press, Curl, Row. x12, x10, x8, x6, x4, x2. YHC did need to take a break.
Back to the Flag, still had time for 10 Burpees OYO. PAX – we are getting faster. Previous years, we’ve not had time for EXTRA work at the end.
Monkey humpers Grass grabbers arm circles Self love Imperial walkers
Moseyed to first tree of the “second set” and lined up tree to tree.
Bear crawled to each tree of the “second set” – performed 5 merkins at each tree of the “second set” for a total of 6 sets of trees or 30 merkins. Plank and wait for the six. Lunge walked back to the first tree of the “second set” – performed 15 squats at each tree Al gore and wait for the six.
RINSE AND REPEAT then…
Moseyed to the track where we broke up into two columns and…
Bataan death marched – 2 burpees for the caboose – for one lap around the track. End at the warm up section where we circled-up for freddy mercuries, lbc’s, flutter kicks.
Another Bataan death march lap then big boy sit ups, American hammers and penguins at the warm-up area.
One more death march lap then….
5 monkey humpers to finish up.
Moseyed to the flag at 6:15 where we had count-off, name-o-rama, announcements, intentions and prayer.
Thanks for the opportunity to lead.
PAX: BRIEFS, UNDERTAKER, YA MOM AND DEM, BREADTICKS, BOO BOO, ABACUS, RUDY, TOOL, SHEETROCK, DIRTY DELL, SCREWTOP, GAINES, MMMBOP
Warm-up: Jog to the Rock Pile; SSH x 20; Peter
Parkers x 20; Low Slow Squats x 20; Parker Peters x 20; Windmills x 10; Dying
Cockroaches x 20; Arm Circles x 20; 8-count Body Builders x 12
The Thang:
Grab a Rock and Circle Up for a progression of Shoulder
Presses, Curls, Rows, and Squats. 10
reps the first round, straight into 8 reps the 2nd round, then 6, 4,
and 2. No breaks to put down the rock.
Take your rocks to the track for some Poker.
Prior to the workout, the Bogé helped me strategically place a bench roughly 30 yards from the end line. We divided up into 4 teams of 3. One man bear crawled to the bench, retrieved a playing card from the deck and jogged back to his team, this continued until each team had a hand of 5 cards. While one team member was bear crawling to get the next card, the other two team members performed 20 perfect merkins and planked.
5 Card Stud-ish – Each team was allowed to discard one card and draw again. That way everyone got to bear crawl
twice. Each team could fold or
play. The penalty for folding was 10
burpees. The penalty for playing and
losing was 15 burpees. Tua, Hand
Grenada, and Scantron won the first hand with three of a kind (Jokers
wild). They shuffled the deck while the
rest of us did burpees.
5 Card Draw – Hand is dealt with bear crawls again. This time rock chest presses in lieu of merkins. As many as you can until the bear returns. Each team was allowed to discard as many cards as they like, with a penalty of 5 eight count body builders for each discard. Each team member ran to the bench, discarded, paid the penalty, drew to a full hand and ran back. Same penalties for folding and losing. Rudy, Tanner, and the Undertaker won with a straight.
Grab the rocks and
head back to the rock pile and on to the flag for COT.
NMM
Not sure that Marlin checked the weather. He looked underdressed for temps in the
40s. Looked like he had no more than 3
layers on.
Scantron made up for Marlin’s lack of
clothing.
Kenna Brah was appropriately shamed for being
late, but Marlin not so much.
I was 100% positive that Hand Grenada, Tua, and
Scantron were going to stack the deck after their first victory. I was ashamed of myself after seeing how bad their
second hand was.
I blame my mistrust of Hand Grenada on my
raising. Being from Arkansas, you
develop a superiority complex and automatically think you’ve been cheated if
someone from Mississippi beats you. The
fact that we are 49th in every meaningful ranking is ingrained in us
from an early age and celebrated at every opportunity. Hopefully time spent with Hand Grenada will
chip away at this deep rooted prejudice.
If you enjoyed the Round of Poker, go to the
Mothership on Saturday. It’s likely Rudy
will steal my idea.
After LSU spanked Arkansas and the Saints squeaked out win
in the final seconds of the game, 17 men appeared out of the gloom on a frigid
Monday morning. After the standard disclaimer, they were off to the rock pile
for a warmup.
Warmup
SSH (x20), Hillbillies (x20), Arm circles- 10 forward and 10
backward, Grass grabbers (x10), Peter parkers (x20), Abe Vigodas (x15)
The Thang
The PAX counted off by 1s & 2s and split into two lines
to complete an Indian Run of BLIMPS around the asphalt track as follows: 5
burpees OYO at the start, 10 lunges in cadence at the hill, 15 Imperial walkers
at the first metal building, 20 Merkins in cadence at the first parking lot, 25
plank jacks in cadence at the second parking lot, and 30 Squats in cadence at
the flag. Mosey back to the rock pile.
Bogey, with his much appreciated wit, was noticeably silent throughout this part
of the workout. I recall hearing a
comment about “three in the tube” during the Indian Run, but that’s about it.
With Rudy in the group, YHC knew he would be chastised if we
didn’t play with rocks at “Rock City!” The PAX were instructed to grab a medium-sized
rock and mosey to the first tree line between the two baseballs fields for 11s
using said rock. YHC felt we have been
neglecting our triceps so triceps extensions were the pain of choice. PAX were instructed to begin with one
extension, mosey with rock to the opposing tree line for curls, then mosey with
rock back to the first tree line, and so on.
Once 11s were complete, the PAX returned to the rock pile
for five minutes of Mary. Still little word from Bogey, although he denied it!
For our final act, PAX were instructed to dig deep and give
the last of what was left in the tank for a full sprint to the flag. With one minute remaining, a leg stretch was
completed.
COT: Name-o-rama,
announcements, intentions, and a prayer.
Give thanks for all that we have.
Somehow YHC was able to mostly stifle Rudy’s complaints and Bogey’s witty
commentary. What gives?! The Sound of Silence can be eerie.
Thank you F3 for the opportunity to lead a group
of leaders! Thank you PAX for being great followers. It’s always an honor.
With a significant drop in air temperature and increase in
wind, six men appeared from the gloom to sacrifice a piece of themselves in
honor of another local hero warrior. Chief
Petty Officer Jacques J. Fontan served in United States Navy from 1989-2005. He was born in NOLA and a graduate of Brother
Martin High School. Amnesty knew CPO
Fontan and shared some memories of his life.
CPO Fontan served in the Cold War, Persian Gulf, War on Terrorism, and
Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom). He was the platoon Chief Petty
Officer of SEAL Team 10.
CPO Fontan was KIA on 28 June 2005 while leading a quick
reaction force sent to reinforce a SEAL recon team engaged in a fierce
firefight against a numerically superior anti-coalition militia. As their
helicopter hovered for a quick-rope insertion, they were hit by a RPG. CPO Fontan was awarded a Bronze Star for
heroic combat achievement during Operation Red Wings (part of the popular book
and movie Lone Survivor).
The standard disclaimer was given and a short mosey to the traditional
Uptowner warmup area.
Warmup x28: SSH,
Imperial Walkers, Mountain Climbers, Arm Circles (forward and backward),
Windmills, and Peter Parkers
Thang
The PAX formed a line for an Indian Run on the one-mile
asphalt track. At the first parking lot
the PAX stopped for incline merkins x28.
At the second parking lot the PAX stopped for decline merkins x28, definitely
a struggle. At the first metal building
the PAX stopped for uphill walking lunges using the ramp, another crowd
pleaser! Once back at the rock pile, PAX completed dips x28 using the concrete
wall at the pumps.
Next PAX grabbed a rock for several rounds of curls, lunge
with a twist, and triceps extensions, all x28. Amnesty suggested more leg
work. YHC likes to believe he is a man
of the people, so Bulgarian split-leg lunges were performed. Rocks were returned and a round-robin of Mary
finished off the beatdown.
COT: Name-o-rama,
announcements, intentions, and a prayer.
Special intentions were given for CPO Fontan’s soul and comfort for his
family.
It’s always an honor to lead a group of leaders
and even more special to honor someone who gave all of his tomorrows for our
today. May we never take a second of our
lives for granted.
With the Iron PAX Challenge underway, 16 men came out of the
gloom to honor a local warrior hero who gave his life in defense of freedom. Army
Specialist First Class Marcus “Marc” Muralles was born in the NOLA area. He was a member of the 3rd Ranger
BTN, KIA on 28 June 2005 while responding to a call for help by a four-man SEAL
Team in eastern Afghanistan, which was later named Operation Red Wings (the story behind the popular book and movie
Lone Survivor). SFC Muralles was
scheduled to return home a few days after his death to celebrate his daughter’s
10th birthday. He was posthumously awarded
a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with Valor,
and Combat Action Badge.
SFC’s family said that SFC Muralles lived every aspect of
his life by the Night Stalker’s Creed.
After the standard disclaimer, the PAX moseyed to the
traditional Uptowner warmup area.
Warmup x28: SSH,
Arm Circles, IW, Abe Vigodas, and Mountain Climbers
Thang:
The PAX grabbed a rock and moseyed to the track/football
field for a lap around the quarter-mile track.
Then they broke up into small groups for the following x28, with a ¼ mile
lap around the track after each exercise (for a total of 1.5 miles): Burpees,
Curls, Squat Presses, WWII sit-ups, Full Extension Pull-ups, and Merkins.
Everyone pushed hard and completed the beatdown. Once complete, the PAX cheered on and
encouraged our F3 brothers who were completing the IPC.
COT: Name-o-rama,
announcements, intentions, and a prayer.
Special intentions were given for SFC Muralles’s soul and comfort for
his family. We welcomed FNG Slow Tax (Fast Tax’s youngest son), FNG Jessup, and
another FNG.
It’s always an honor to lead a group of leaders
and even more special to honor someone who sacrificed themselves so we can
sleep soundly at night. May the fallen
never be forgotten, and may we never take a second of our lives for granted.
Our curiosity had us gather near some type of Rock ‘n Roll
Series race starting at the Peristyle.
Triple Shift said it started at 6:30. I think he was trying to get a
free t-shirt and some post race pastries.
YHC gave a well thought out disclaimer and we headed toward NOMA
The Thang
In the aforementioned disclaimer, YHC had warned the pax
that we would attempt to get in some miles and that if a pax member was not
interested in running miles they could peel off and join the Muscleship. Apparently the Mothership pax came ready to
run.
Warm-up: Hillbillies x 20; Low slow squats x 20;
Merkins (IC) x 10; BTW
Foundry: The
Democratic Convention – Pax 1 with a Bernies Sanders; Pax 2 holds Al Gore. Flapjack when Pax 1 falls off the monkey
bars. Did roughly 3 rounds
Football Field: Ten rounds of Tyson – Sprint 50 yards, do
10 reps of exercise, Sprint 50 yards, do 10 reps of exercise, Sprint 50 yards,
do 10 reps of exercise, Sprint 50 yards.
Round 1 – Burpees
Round 2 – Jump Squats
Round 3 – Diamond Merkins
Round 4 – Dying Cockroach
Round 5 – Sumo Squats
Round 6 – Wide Merkins
Round 7 – LBT
Round 8 – Bonnie Blairs
Round 9 – Carolina Dry Docks
Round 10 – 8 Count Body Builders
Hustle back to flag
NMM
A lot of talk about the blistering 9:30 minute mosey pace we started with. My reputation for speed precedes me.
BTW was NSFW
All agreed that the greatness of the football field we used for 10 Rounds of Tyson was well worth the long run to get there (and back).
Ten Rounds of Tyson was introduced at the F3 NOLA launch by Chung-Li. We did 5 rounds that day I think. To my knowledge this was the first time that the full 10 rounds were completed in NOLA
I was afraid that some pax might quit on me if I called out burpees for Round 10. The Body Builders were well received.
Conditions were prefect at the Skinny…extra gloomy with lots
of fog, cool temps, reports of poor air quality & a visitor named Uptown Girl.
After a half-hearted disclaimer by the Q (you know my name), we moseyed to the Bandstand.
1st COP:
SSH x34 – tribute to the Saints win & Mr. Slye having to
take the greyhound home.
MC x20, HB x20, PP x20, ISW x20, PP x20
Off to the track stopping by the row bars:
5 groups – 10 burpees were the count (even on Monday)
Rows, Burpees, Plank
Jacks, Merkins & Squats – 1 rotation the back to track for a two-line Indian
run
Stopping halfway to the benches a little sudden change: 10
burpees (Book of Revit be damned)
Back to the track for more Indian run to the benches:
