Tag: Shuffles

  • Blame Abacus

    While determining Clown Car participants for The Foundry on Tuesday night it was realized that Abacus was listed as the Q but he has been unable to attend beatdowns lately. So after some discussion of who would Q, your resident relief Q stepped up again. Given the late timing of this I went to the Exicon for some suggestions. I found what I thought would be a good beatdown but was unsure of how much we would get through in 45 minutes. 8 PAX gathered in the ridiculously humid morning as I planned on keeping our feet dry but knew that everything else would eventually be covered in sweat.

    Warm up:

    Mosey to the track and gather in a circle. All exercises down IC.

    • SSH x 20
    • Windmills x 10
    • Self love x 10
    • Arm circles fwd/backward x 10 each
    • Peter Parker x 10
    • Parker Peter x 10

    Tha Thang:

    Following the warm-up we moseyed over to The Foundry. At that point it was time to introduce everyone to what is called the Deck of Death. I had a deck of playing cards with me and chose 4 exercises to perform. Based on the suit we would perform that exercise and the number would be the reps (jack = 11, queen = 12, king = 13, ace = 14). Here’s the breakdown:

    • Diamonds = pull ups
    • Spades = jump squats
    • Hearts = Absolution (done in 8 count cadence)
    • Clubs = side plank with leg raise; even numbers = left arm down, raise right leg, odd number = right arm down, raise left leg

    It turned out that we chose quite a bit of high numbers and face cards, particularly of diamonds and hearts (or at least it seemed). Screw Top seemed to really enjoy the side plank with leg raises so PAX suggested they heretofore be named “Screw Tops.” As was stated earlier I was unsure of how much of the deck we could complete. Thankfully Amnesty was monitoring the clock for me and we were able to get through roughly half the deck before moseying back to the flag.

    Count off, name-o-rama, announcements, intentions, sweaty ball of man.

    As always it was a pleasure and challenge leading the PAX. And if you didn’t like the beatdown selection today, blame Abacus.

  • F3 Quantum Physics

    Eighteen PAX posted this Wednesday to get their F3 fix at The Foundry. Lots of usual pleasantries exchanged as well as some chirping from the peanut gallery as the troops assembled. Nothing fancy in store, just some old and new variations of the tried and true stuff that would hopefully have everyone leaving high as a kite.

    Warmup – mosey down RM with some backpedaling and high knees to get the juices flowing. Peeled off into a field that according to Rudy was mowed, it was not, so we shifted over to some good grass for a COP including IW x20, WM x10, AC x20, LS Squat x20, Goofballs x25, Burpees x5 x5 x5. Then a mosey to….

    Thang #1 – Foundry circuit that was sure to include the original theme of The Foundry workout, improving on pullups. So we broke up into six stations, alternating upper body and lower body, with the following exercises: Pullups, Squats, Body Rows, Burpees x8 (timer), Bench Dips, Big Boy Situps. Two rounds then…

    Thang #2 – After a mosey to the backside of the track, we made our way to the open rubberized area that has seen many a F3 sweatdrops. We lined up by age and split in half, old vs young to see if millineal-ish PAX have what it takes to overtake the more experienced and seasoned PAX. This was a competitive circuit but note the scoring system was far from perfect, due to YHC’s quick and possibly vague instructions.
    Round One – Bear Crawls in one min (line to line):  Old Bucks 89, Young Bucks 60 (numbers may be skewed due to YHC’s quick explanation). Crossfit Merkins in one min: Young Bucks 261, Old Bucks 240. Backpedal/Sprint Relay: Youngs Bucks edged out the Old Bucks.

    Next we did a little test to see if time spent in F3 has a direct correlation to superior speed and strength so we split into two groups, those who have been in F3 more than a year and those less than a year.
    Round Two – Bear Crawls in one min (line to line):  F3 Veterans 94, F3 Rookies 60 (numbers skewed?…each way was one).  Crossfit Merkins in one min:  F3 Veterans 207 (w/one man down), F3 Rookies 192. Backpedal/Sprint Relay:  F3 Veterans edged out the F3 Rookies in a photo finish. 


    Was hoping to do a third round based on height to answer the age old question, does size really matter?   

    It was hard to base an outcome on this and it was mentioned we may have to do this again in the future with more time and a tweaked scoring system.

    Back to the flag for a COT to cap off a another fine morning in the gloom.

    Moleskin/Observations:

    1. Working in pullups in large groups is taking more creativity as the PAX grows….which seems like a good problem to have.
    2. When we lined up by age, it was good to see a healthy mix.
    3. When we lined up by time spent in F3, it was cool to see lots of newer guys, all of which seem to have a gung-ho level that meets or exceeds that of the veterans.

    Thanks for the opportunity to lead and try a few new things.

    Tool

  • Who signed up the Q and didn’t tell him?

    Okwata was missing it’s Q this AM

    We showed up in the gloom but were missing our Q who never attends Okwata and has never Q’d but was signed up for his VQ

    This group of gentleman stepped right up starting with @High Rise leading the warm up and stretches.

    Thanks to all who jumped in to lead when called upon.

    The mini H8 included running backwards up the hill, bear crawl across at the top, run down the hill with burpees, dying cockroaches, Freddie Mercuries & LBC’s at the four corners.

    Bread Sticks then lead us on levie runs with burpees & Merkins.

    We then were lead in the Motivator, aka the dance 😉 by our Birmingham guest, Ethanol. The Motivator is a deconstructed side straddle hop into 4 parts. A hop, separated legs, arms 1/2 way up, arms overhead. One of each, two of each, three of each … up to 10 of each… I imagine you will see the Motivator again.

    During The Motivator by Ethanol from Birmingham, there was a siting of Rudy & Hawg on their mosey heckling us for being a new dance Krewe.

    We then closed the exercise portion of our morning with Mary.

    Announcements included Gnarley Nutria, Summer Race Series, our Family F2 event & RED shirt pre-orders.

    We closed with our COT with intentions & gratitude!

    Thank you for allowing me to step in and step up

  • 610 Stomp #198 – Year 3

    YHC signed up for the Q at the stomp a few weeks ago for his 3 year anniversary of F3. However, said Q forgot what day it was, until he was rolling in hot. One would think a 3 year milestone would warrant a unique beat down, but nay, it was the Stomp.

    Brief disclaimer, then instructions to run 20 minutes out and back, meet back at the flag for a little extra.

    Upon returning to the flag, we completed:

    Merkins IC x 10 (20 total)

    Seal the deal with 10 Burpees OYO

    COT

    Count off, name-o-rama, intentions, closed with a prayer

    NMM
    Welcome Oops! and Nexium. Thanks for allowing me to be a part of F3 for the last 3 years, it is truly an awesome thing!

    SYITG

  • The 10 Gassers Challenge

    YHC was happy to return from his week long absence due to a family trip to Disney World. While it may be the happiest place on Earth, I feel that everyone with small kids who takes them there will agree that it’s not a vacation, it’s a trip. I’ll leave it at that.

    With that said 11 men met in the gloom on a warm, humid, yet mildly breezy morning at our usual spot. We were blocked from parking in our normal spots due to some cones and a cop car but otherwise everything seemed like a typical morning. Disclaimer was given and off we went to the track.

    Warm up:

    • Frankenstein kicks
    • Butt kicks
    • Carioca
    • Straight leg shuffle (Kuch thought this had a different name but his argument was weak so it was overruled. I thought he was a lawyer?)
    • Closed the gate
    • Open the gate
    • Super Mario punch
    • 400m jog

    Tha Thang – The 10 Gassers Challenge:

    • Round 1: 50m at half speed, backpedal to return
    • Round 2: 50m at half speed, backpedal to return
    • Round 3: 50m at three-quarters speed, backpedal to return
    • Round 4: 50m at three-quarters speed, backpedal to return
    • Round 5: 50m at full speed, backpedal to return
    • Round 6: 100m at half speed, backpedal to return
    • Round 7: 100m at half speed, backpedal to return
    • Round 8: 100m at three-quarters speed, backpedal to return
    • Round 9: 100m at three-quarters speed, backpedal to return
    • Round 10: 100m at full speed, backpedal to return

    Static stretching (each done for 15 count):

    • Seated Hamstring stretch
    • Figure-4 piriformis stretch
    • Kneeling hip flexer stretch
    • Stand quad stretch (done with partner for balance)

    Lagniappe:

    • Mountain climbers x 10 IC into 100m full speed sprint
    • Merkins x 10 IC into 100m full speed sprint

    Mary/Plankorama:

    • Forearm planks x 30 sec
    • Side planks x 30 sec each arm
    • Single leg planks x 30 each leg
    • Alternate arm/leg forearm planks x 15 sec each

    Mosey back to the shovelflag, countorama, nameorama, announcements, intentions, and sweaty ball of man.

    Glad to be back and thankful for a safe trip. Look forward to leading the PAX for my next Q.

  • 17 – A Shoutout to War Eagle

    Why is 17 a shoutout to War Eagle? Because that’s as high as most people from Alabama can count… Okay, had to get one Bama joke out there. It’s actually the amount of National Championships their football team claims (infinite asterisks by that number of course). But still, on a day when our boy was dealing with some issues far more serious than anything even related to football rooting interests, it seemed appropriate to let him know we were thinking of him.

    Of course, this plan would have been better executed had Ya Mom’n Dem and I shown up on time. Employing perhaps the most tortured logistics one could imagine, YHC and YMnD first made a wrong turn, then after retrieving 2 cinder blocks from the pile by the field, made a lap around the park instead of just backing up to the baby foundry. So a 2-minute job took 10 and we pulled up as the PAX were running toward the track. Luckily Frac got the warmup started and we were able to jump right in.

    • SSHx31
    • IWx17
    • Peter Parkerx17
    • Parker Peterx17
    • Arm Circlesx17 (10 forward, 7 backward)

    Workout

    When YHC volunteered the clown car to take this one, he made it clear that either one of them should take it, or it was going to be a tabata and jump ropes day. And so it was. 8 stations

    • jumping rope
    • curl and press cinder blocks
    • sweat angels
    • pull-ups
    • dips
    • Angle grinders
    • burpees
    • Jump Squats ( real ones, 180 degree turn, drop down as you land and back up)

    Tunes:

    • Round 1: Calm Like a Bomb (Rage Against the Machine)
    • Round 2: Stronger (Kanye)
    • Round 3: Welcome to the Jungle
    • Round 4: This is how we do it (where I’m From) (Big Tymers)
    • Round 5: Born to Run (Bruce Springsteen)

    Little help from Tool on selecting tracks, and I tried to offer options for the #respects and the #hates.

    Quick Mosey to the Neutral Ground for Choose your Own Adventure Mary. Everyone led an exercise. The point, possibly corny, was that when we work together, we can all take a little of the load off someone’s shoulders and offer a bit of help to those who need it. War Eagle has much bigger concerns than worrying about who is taking his Q, so we’ll all share the load a little. That’s kinda what we do here at F3.

    COT, Prayers for Jonathan Serigne, War Eaglet, War Eagle’s family, and everyone else dealing with health issues. Reminder to appreciate our health and reach out to those who are less lucky. I’m lucky to be a part of this group. – Kuch

  • First Timer at Okwata

    It wasn’t how YHC planned. It just sort of happened.  Nonetheless, YHC arrived at Okwata in the Lakeview Clown Car on a bright morning, devoid of gloom, ready to lead 16 PAX.

    Disclaimer issued and a quick mosey to warmup:

    SSH x 15 IC
    Hill Billies x 15 IC
    Arm Circles x 15 IC
    Mountain Climbers x 15 IC

    The Workout

    Run up the levee at Canal, sprint across the grass median, run back down, complete 5 burpees. Rinse and repeat with 4 burpees down to 0 burpees.

    YHC wasn’t thrilled with the sprinting effort, so penalty Bernies were issued. Two rounds of the above with Bernies up the hill, with sets of 5 and 4 burpees respectively. 

    Part 2

    Mosey to benches, 16 PAX, 2 per bench:

    Floyd Mayweather x 20 
    Low Slow Squats x 20
    LBC x 20
    Merkins x 20
    Lunges x 20
    Dips x 20
    Step ups x 20
    Derkins x 20

    Repeat for 10 each

    At 6:11 we moseyed back for the usual formalities.  Thanks to all who came out to my VQ and gave me the opportunity to lead. 

  • The DZ Demands a Sacrifice

    8 PAX gathered for a sprint workout at the track. YHC has been wanting to break out the jump ropes for a while, but today was the first time we had enough ropes (4) and a small enough crew to put them to use. First though, a warm-up consisting of a lap around the track with: moseying, high knees, butt kicks, Super Marios, carioca, open the gate, and of course, close the gate (this is not a barn).

    Afterwards, we circled up to complete the warm-up with

    • 20 mountain climbers IC
    • 20 scorpion kicks IC (10 each leg)
    • 1 minute of static stretching on OYO

    The workout – 1st Exercise

    Divide into 2 groups.

    We did this circuit 4 times with a very brisk 20-second count in between round 2 and 3 from Double J.

    The jump ropes will be back, guys, so I suggest a little practice. This one costs 10 bucks and we used two of them without incident today. Might wanna invest in that jump rope form before the penalty burpees begin (j/k…. or am I?) https://smile.amazon.com/Survival-Cross-Jump-Rope-International/dp/B00LGXE5NS/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=speed+rope&qid=1559585099&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

    During this circuit, The Wiz injured his calf, and has been hobbling around since. Hoping that’s a short term thing – it’s been really cool having a founding member back in action with us.

    2nd Exercise

    The Danger Zone requires a bit of downtime to catch your breath with all the sprinting, so we hit the abs early with some Mary IC

    • Flutter Kicks x20
    • LBC’s x 20
    • American Hammers x 15
    • Penguins x 20
    • Hello Dolly’s x 15
    • Low Country Crabs x20

    PAX were encouraged to squeeze their abs, keep their form, make every rep count.

    3rd Exercise

    Fastest Quarter Mile – Go! I’ll add your times as you send them to me. Here is what I have for finishing place as best I can remember:

    1. Jesus Juice – 1:16
    2. Screw Top – 1:17
    3. Kuch – 1:30
    4. Shuffles
    5. The Undertaker
    6. Half Nelson – 1:55
    7. Quiche – 1:59

    (The Wiz – DNP due to injury)

    Mosey back to the flag to close with some static stretching and the usual formalities. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to be a leader today. – Kuch

  • Creating Some Steam

    After traveling for 2 weeks hitting AOs in Houston and Phoenix, I was looking forward to being back with my local brothers. After Saturday’s beat down, QIC was reviewing the sign up sheet and saw a need…..so on this balmy morning of gloom it’s time to create some steam!

    After disclaimer given – mosey off to warm up! Pax ran to the block pile each Pax grabbed two then headed to field and circled up:

    • Toe Touch and Hold 3 count x 10
    • Side lung left and right x 10
    • Peter Parkers x 10
    • Scorpion Kicks Right and Left x 10
    • With Block Overhead Press x 20
    • With Block Low Slow Toe Hoover hold 10 count x 10

    Pax separated into 4 groups then each group headed to starting point form a line; one arm bear crawl block drag across the field Left Arm Out then Right Arm Back – Aprox 4 yards each way.

    Next Same Groups lined up for relay – Pax 1 farmer carry 2 blocks across the field while Pax 2 bear crawled behind, Pax 3 farmer carry while Pax 4 bear crawled – swap rolls on the way back.

    Next relay same groups (now with penalty incurred by last place team) Pax 1&2 on one side Pax 3&4 on the other.  Pax 1 ran with block overhead to other end of field while all other Pax overhead pressed blocks, Pax 3 ran the opposite direction while others in group continued to press, then Pax 2 ran, then pax 4.  All ran with block overhead and others in group pressing.

    Next relay same run across the field – this time all in group curling

    Next relay same run across the field – this time all chest pressing

    Now groups 1&2 combined (group of 8) with 3&4 combined (group of 9) – one block each group with passed via Indian Plank across the field approx. 80 yards – team 1&2 losing team 5 burpees.

    Same teams switch sides – this time it was a photo finish – but team 1&2 redeemed themselves with 3&4 doing 7 burpees and 3 to 1&2 for the oh so close win!

    Return our blocks – Mosey back to the flag – 1 minute stretch!

    COT – F3 is a true brotherhood in that our spirit is carried over to all states and cities and I’m grateful to the ability to workout on the road.  It was nice to have Redeye from The Woodlands TX join us for the beatdown as I’ve gotten many with their group while on the road. 

    Thanks for the opportunity to lead!    

  • Loose as a Goose

    It’s always stimulating to start of the week with an F3 beatdown first thing Monday morning. So when 5:30am hit, I issued the disclaimer and we set off to mosey to the track Once at the track, we did a dynamic stretching warmup that consisted of:

    • High knees
    • Butt kicks
    • Open the gate
    • Close the gate
    • Karaoke (30 yards out, 30 yards back)

    Following the dynamic stretching, each PAX did some individual static stretching on their own to get loose. Once everyone was loose as a Goose (Top Gun Danger Zone reference), we began with some ladder / sprint combos:

    • 1) High knees through the ladder, then 50 meter sprint. Mosey back
    • 2) Butt kicks through the ladder, then 50 meter sprint. Mosey back
    • 3) Squat jumps through the ladder, then 50 meter sprint. Mosey back
    • 4) Sideways in & out’s through the ladder, then 50 meter sprint. Mosey back 
    • 5) Sideways in & out’s through the ladder on the other side, then 50 meter sprint. Mosey back

    We took a brief 20 count break, then we proceed to do the same thing except we did 100 meter sprints:

    • 1) High knees through the ladder, then 100 meter sprint. Mosey back
    • 2) Butt kicks through the ladder, then 100 meter sprint. Mosey back
    • 3) Squat jumps through the ladder, then 100 meter sprint. Mosey back
    • 4) Sideways in & out’s through the ladder, then 100 meter sprint. Mosey back
    • 5) Sideways in & out’s through the ladder on the other side, then 100 meter sprint. Mosey back

    After this, we mosey’d to the middle of the track for some mary. We circled up, and then each member of the PAX had to lead a mary exercise in cadence using a 15 count. Screw Top & Smooth (if my memory serves me correctly) harnessed their inner Double J & decided to have us do some merkins instead of a mary exercise. Fortunately, though, no penalty burpees were issued for not following directions.

    Once every member of the PAX had finished counting off their exercise, we did some line drills. There were 5 drains along the inside part of the track, so we partnered up and then sprinted back & forth to each of the 5 drains. The first set of sprints was from shortest to longest (we began with the closest drain & ended with the drain that was furthest away). The next set of sprints was from longest to shortest (we began with the last drain & ended with the drain that was closest).

    After this, we took a brief 20 count break & then we ended with a 100 meter sprint and then a mosey around the track. Back at that flag, High Rise led us in some static stretching & then we did the count-off & prayer. I forgot the name-o-rama (was operating on 2 hours of sleep that morning), so we did the name-o-rama after the prayer was over just & then called it a day. Thanks for the opportunity to lead, fellas, and my apologies for the terrible Top Gun Goose joke above!