F3 New Orleans

Tag: The Gipper

  • Easter is Coming

    Having conquered the trail on their trip to the Olympic Park in Conyers, Georgia, a trio of Ragnarians returned to The Gipper this morning for a beat down. Expecting a running adverse Q named Maverick, the PAX were crestfallen to learn that Maverick had taken ill and had roped YHC into “running” the show. Not sure what got into him, but YHC took mercy on the Ragnarians and uncharacteristically kept the running to a relative minimum while focusing on agility, strength and balance instead.

    After a warmup of Imperial Squat Walkers (10x IC), Seal Jacks (20x IC), Windmills (10x IC), Imperial Walkers (20x IC), Toe Touches (10x IC), and SSHs (20x IC), the PAX moseyed over to the Justice Center.

    With a starting line about 30 yards from the Justice Center stairs, the PAX executed the following agility sequences flawlessly: run there and back at 60%; run there at 70% and return walking down the stairs backwards with a back pedal back to the starting line; backpedal there and run 70% back to the start; crossover run there and back both directions; carioca there and bunny hop each stair to the top of the stairs then bunny hop down and carioca back; repeat facing the other direction; shuffle ten yards, reverse direction shuffle for five and then run at 95% to the top of the stairs; and finally repeat facing the opposite direction with a 100% run. (YHC didn’t say there would be NO running, just “not that much”).

    Recovery walk to the side of the Justice Center to partner up for wheelbarrows…out for 20 yards or so then switch up and return.

    Mosey to the front of the Justice Center and circle up for: T Merkins, Nolan Ryans each side, long slow flutter kicks, copperhead Merkins, dynamic side hip planks each side, Freddy Mercury’s, Merkins, jackknives each side and finally A-B-C-D abs, all 10x IC.

    Mosey to Bedrock on our way back to the Shovel Flag for some coupon work. Partner up for torso twists with the coupon one direction for 10x OYO, then opposite direction 10x OYO, then over unders 5x OYO each direction, then rinse and repeat the torso twists.

    Final mosey to The Gipper for the Causeway sobriety balance challenge. A good parlor trick as it is much harder than it appears.

    Countorama, nameorama, and Einstein prayed us out.

    Thanks for letting me lead this morning guys and here’s hoping Maverick, Coconuts, Tanked Up! and Moby Dick conquer their respective illnesses and injuries so they can return to The Gipper soon.

  • AKA, Patiently-Waiting Penny

    For the nearly three years that we’ve been coming to the Justice Center parking garage, she has been there.  Waiting, presumably, to clock in across the street.  But why two hours before?  Where does she come from?  What is she doing on her phone for two hours?  And why the heck does she leave her car running even in the greatest of weather?

    These questions and many more may never be answered.  And that is as it should be.  For Patiently Waiting Penny (AKA, Smartphone Stalking Suzie, Carbon Monoxide Camille, Facebooking Fanny) is an enigma and should remain one – something for the PAX to ponder as we  shuffle backwards up the parking ramp.  As such, a portion of today’s beatdown was dedicated to our most ardent, yet involuntary, fan.

    Warmorama: 

    Arm circles x15, toe touches x15, IW’s x15, Abe Vigodas x10, air presses x25, SSH’s x20, all IC.

    The Thang:

    Started with a mosey to the Taj, to do a riff on last week’s parking garage exercise: the pax is divided in two, with each half headed in opposing directions around the building.  Bunny hop the east/west sides, bear crawl north/south.  At the meeting point on the opposite side, we did 8-count bodybuilders 10x.  Head back the same way, and did another 8-count exercise, absolution.

    Next up, mosey to the bottom of the parking garage for a SCOP (semi-circle of pain): The Penny.  The Penny consists of the stupidest and most awkward-looking exercises in the exicon.  These are the exercises that are not suitable for the public eye.  But of course, with the amount of time Patiently-Waiting Penny has already put in with the Pax, she is practically one of us.  So we opened our circle to her and performed the following:

    • Goofballs x20 IC
    • Smurf Jacks x20 IC
    • Star Jacks x20 IC (look out PAX, YHC has a new favorite!)
    • Howling Monkeys (each man performs 10X IC monkey humpers while the PAX holds their ankles)
    • Wife Pleasers x20 IC
    • Hello Dollies x20 IC
    • Rosalitas x20 IC
    • Pattycake Merkins x20 OYO

    Having amused YHC, we moseyed (then sprinted) up to the top, where we then began a Bataan Death March.  Well, more of a Bataan Death Loop as we circled until each man got his burpees and sprints in.  Then a short Indian run back to the flag for…

    Mary:  Crunchy frogs, flutter kicks, and Freddie Mercuries, all x20 IC

    COT and Shooter prayed us out.  Thank you gentlemen for the push and for indulging me today’s lead –  I appreciate it!

  • I Am Groot-er!!!

    YHC walked up to the flag and waited for the overachievers to make their way back from their run, and as that infamous group rolled in there was one notable absentee. Shooter was not among the Mandeville crew and he was the one that was supposed to be the Q!

    It turns out that Shooter had one great reason to be out. His daughter was in the hospital about to make Shooter a grandpa!!! Grandpa Shooter, or what I would like to call him “Grooter”! I hope all is well in the family my friend.

    With the Q understandably out, we all chipped in for a round robin beatdown!

    Warmup

    Bushwacker picked up the torch first and warmed us up with some different items all IC

    Toe Touches
    Cherry pickers
    High Knees
    Butt Kicks
    Scorpion Kicks

    Bushwacker threw down the torch and Steve picked it up and we moseyed to the Justice center stairs

    The Thang

    Steve pulled out his favorite bag of tricks starting with 11’s. Bottom of the stairs was erkens, and top of the stairs was derkens.

    We then did a series of moves all IC to 12.

    Step ups (both right and left leg)
    Freak Nasties
    Albanian Split Squats (both right and left leg)
    Freak Nasties

    Turbo was next and he had some diabolical plans in the tank. We moseyed to the top of the parking garage and partnered up for a series where we traveled to opposite sides of the garage (either in side plank crawls, lunges, crab walks, or bear crawls) and went down to the bottom of the stairs and back up until you met your partner back up top.

    Killer idea there Turbo!

    Next YHC took the final leg and took us back to the Justice center where we did a yet to be named sequence where you cover a distance by taking two lunges forward and one lunge back. Tough stuff.

    We moseyed back to the flag for a quick 20 IC reverse crunches. We circled up and Bushwacker closed us out.

    Great job everyone!

  • Shooter Blanks

    YHC cannot remember the last time Shooter fartsacked a Gipper beat down. In fact, it just may be that today was the first time. The PAX nevertheless had to press on in the not so gloomy Gloom, wondering what Shooter was up to early this Spring Equinox morning.

    With some trepidation, YHC rolled out on a mosey in an unaccustomed direction at the opening bell. Trepidation because we were sure to miss those PAX who typically roll in hot. Not to mention any names but let’s just say we didn’t want to miss those PAX whose names rhyme with Bundy and Baverick. They fartsacked by all appearances but, if not, they hopefully will post their own back blast(s) to fill the rest of us in on their activities.

    Enough about fartsacking. The beat down went like this:

    Mosey to the St Tammany Parish WWI memorial for our warmup of SSHs, woodchoppers, overhead hand claps and good mornings, all IC 10-15x.

    Mosey to Christ Episcopal Church for a set of 7s. Bobby Hurleys on one side, butt kicks on the other, separated by bear crawls one direction and crab walks on the return.

    Short mosey to the entrance to Bogue Falaya Park for some sprinting and change of direction drills that looked like this:

    Round 1: sprint 10 yards, backpedal 10 yards, then sprint 20 yards

    Round 2: backpedal 10 yards, sprint 10 yards, then backpedal 20 yards

    Round 3: shuffle 10 yards, shuffle back to the start line 10 yards, then turn and sprint 20 yards

    Round 4: rinse and repeat Round 3 facing the opposite direction

    Round 5: rinse and repeat Round 1; last round best round

    Then the PAX moseyed to the Columbia Street Landing for a plank-a-thon: merkins, Peter Parkers, Parker Peters, plank jacks, right arm high, left arm high, shoulder taps, right arm high, left arm high, then one arm pulses each arm before heading back towards the Trailhead on a mosey

    Sudden change on the way

    Then the PAX closed out the beat down with Mary consisting of dynamic side planks, straight legged jackknives, dynamic back plank, and flutter kicks.

    Countorama, nameorama and Barely Legal prayed us out to start the day.

    Thanks for letting me lead guys. YHC always appreciates you playing along with the monkey business.

  • Sub freezing Super 21

    YHC arrived at the Gipper with an entire workout planned with my girlfriend Sandy. But since the temperature was a balmy 30 degrees with high humidity, the mandeville usuals took a well deserved day off. With only 5 men by the time 6AM rolled around, the Q had to call an audible and save the original beatdown for another date. I got an earful from Sandy in the car on the way back about dragging her out of bed. She might hit the ice cream extra hard and put on another 5 pounds.

    After a warmup of seal Jacks, arm circles, high knees, and butt kicks we moved on to the beatdown.

    With the original workout scrapped, YHC called upon an old faithful workout you can summon in a pinch. A super 21!!!

    Start 1 rep each of Merkins, Plank Jack’s, Shoulder Taps (2 count), and LBCs and do a lap around the perimeter of the gipper. Upon returning you do 2 reps of all of those exercises and then take another lap. Rinse and repeat until you get to 21 reps of each exercise. Blackjack!

    That workout always gets the blood flowing and somehow we were all breaking a sweat in that freezing temperature. After we finished we had a few minutes left where we did some leg work and then some mary.

    We circled it up and Jose 10katie closed us out.

    It’s an honor to lead gentlemen. Thanks for being a continual reminder of what it looks like to seize each new day.

    Over and out. Grundy

  • Pre-thang, Shme-thang

    As the clock runs out on February, YHC happily bids adieu to RRR and all pre-thangs associated with it. With only a day left, the Gipper’s 1 mile run wasn’t terrible, but some secret, John-Hancock-related activity beforehand did leave us a bit behind schedule and, at 0601, we were rightfully greeted back at the flag with a, “Nice of you men to show up.”

    In an attempt to retroactively ‘respect the time,’ YHC took it upon himself (myself? this YHC thing continues to confuse me…) to pack in as much into the remaining 44 minutes as possible. That said, we quickly jumped into…

    Warmorama: Abe Vigodas, Good Mornings, ISW’s, all 10x IC, 20 OYO merkins, and SSH 25x IC.

    The Thang: Then a quick mosey over to the back of the courthouse for an AMRAP routine: 10x merkins, 10x freak nasties, up the stairs, 10x groiners, then run the perimeter of the courthouse parking lot to the start to begin again. About 10 mins later, onto the second portion of today’s thang…

    The Bruce Lee. YHC has never seen Bruce Lee’s most famous movie, Enter The Dragon, but I have seen The Way of the Dragon, which features an epic fight between Bruce and a young Chuck Norris, with Rome as the backdrop and a small kitten as the sole spectator. There’s a lot to love in this fight sequence, including a weirdly prolonged moment of both men removing their shirts, a moment where Bruce rips out a handful of Chuck’s chest hair, and some crazy push-ins on the aforementioned cat. Oh, and there’s also some of the best martial arts in there as well. Anyhow, Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris never met Turbo Tax, so to call this one of the best fights ever may be a tad premature. But it’s pretty good nonetheless.

    So the Bruce Lee. Wacker introduced us to this a while back and, as YHC wanted nothing to do with legs, core seemed like the only decent substitute. 10x IC of Putins, Leg Raises, LBC’s, Heel Touches, Crunchy Frogs, and 100’s. 30 seconds rest between sets, we went 4 rounds.

    Mosey up the parking garage to do the fastest Burp-back Mountain on record. Partner up, partner 1 backpedaling the ramp and jogging back down, while partner 2 starts on the cumulative burpees until they reach 50x.

    Back to the flag right in time for countoff, announcement of Tanked Up’s upcoming birthday, and Ringo prayed us out. Thank you men for following my lead and helping to make us all better and stronger!

  • What the Bleep

    What the Bleep

    CONDITIONS

    Weather.com predicted a 100% chance of rain, but the conditions are always cozy in the “Hall of Justice” parking structure. #ThanksParishTaxPayers

    DISCLAIMER

    YHC forgot the disclaimer. I don’t remember any major injuries, so I think it’s a “no harm, no foul” situation. #Don’tSueMyMalpracticeInsuranceHasLapsed

    THE WARM UP

    All exercises done IC, or in cadence-ish. YHC’s counts were so far off, it was a miracle the assembled PAX didn’t disband then and there.

    • Split jacks X15
    • Toe touches X10
    • Abe Vigodas X10
    • Ray Finkles X10
    • Steve Earles Copper head squat finished with hill billy X 10

    THE THANG PART 1: Bleeping beep test


    After warming-up the PAX moseyed to the parking garage at the “Hall of Justice.” Lo, and behold, the magical, beatdown elves had already set up cones precisely 20 meters apart, so it was only natural for the PAX to test themselves against that grueling, gym class, fitness benchmark: the beep test, a.k.a the bleep test a.k.a the multi-stage fitness test, or in F3 lingo, Highlander.

    9 PAX lined up and started running, as the sadistic, electronic tones of the test app, beeped faster and faster. The PAX did fantastic and displayed the fitness levels and VO2 maxes of a bunch of doped up Lance Armstrongs. Whenever a PAX bowed out of the beep test, they kept getting stronger by doing sequences of merkins, squats and LBC’s.
    TClaps to Turbo who was the last bleeping man standing after the rounds of the test had progressed well into double-digits.

    We all know, Turbo could have kept racing the beeps all morning, but he threw in the towel to give the PAX a break from doing Merkins.

    THE THANG PART 2: Play that funky music till you die

    Since the speaker was already set up for the beep test, PAX hung around for three consecutive music driven workout routines.

    • “Bodies” by Drowning Pool 3:21 – Plank through song with donkey kicks and merkins mixed in
    • “Baba O’Riley” by the Who 5:00 – Imperial Walkers for what feels like a lifetime
    • “Tubthumping” by Chumbawumba 3:33 – SSH plus 27 burpees
    Rumor has it that Einstien sure plays a mean, pin ball.

    MOLESKIN

    Well done, F3 bros. Props to Bushwhacker for helping the PAX to clean up the parking garage, because our brother knows that “every day is earth day.” #CaptainCore.

    CountORama, NameORama, and COT

    YHC prayed us out.

    Thanks F3-bros, for the fellowship, the beatdowns and for being willing to follow my lead.

  • Sweat Angels Back in Full Force!

    “The night was hot, wait no, the night, the night was humid. The night was humid, no wait, hot, hot. The night was hot. The night was hot and wet, wet and hot. The night was wet and hot, hot and wet, wet and hot; that’s humid. The night was humid.”

    -Larry Donner (Billy Crystal), Throw Momma from the Train

    Image result for THROW MOMMA from the train the night was humid

    The gloom of February 6th showed us that, as colossal as the beatdown may have been, Spring ( with an identity crisis of Summer) has reared its humid head a little early for this guy’s taste. And with it came the fluttering of mighty sweat-angel wings! So bring your towels and changes of shirts, grab an extra water or 2, and don’t forget your A-game because it’s time to perspire like a proper PAX preposterously early in the AM!

    PRETHANG

    10 minutes early, 6 road warriors gathered to run a mighty mile , and wave good morning to Steve’s brother-in-law’s house.

    WARMUP

    All IC x20:

    Alternating Air Presses

    Bent Arm Lateral Shoulder Raises

    Torso Twists

    Imperial Walkers

    High Knees

    SSHTHANG

    PAX mosied to the front of the court house for:

    Jump Squat Holds – In a circle, Q counted off as the PAX did 10 jump squats followed by 10 seconds of Al Gores. Each PAX took a turn, lowering the rep/second count by 1

    Jonny Drama – Using handrails for stability on the steps, PAX did 25 negative calf raises

    Mosied to the parking garage and all the way to the top level and did 20 Jackees – burpees with a SSH at the end

    Mosied back to the bottom and did…

    San Antonio Shuffle (x10) – left leg lunge, right leg lunge, burpee with a plank jack

    Mosied back to the top for 12, 8, and 4…

    SSH Jumps – Starting in chair position, SSH with a squat

    MARY

    Mosied back down and onward to home base where the Wacker of Abs lead this hardcore group of F3 brothers in:

    LMCs (Little Manny Crunches) – Like an LBC, but hold the crunch for a three count. 50 reps at varied pace of cadence

    James Bonds – On your 6, leaning back slightly, feet off the ground hold your hands together like you’re holding a gun out in front of you. Hold for 10 seconds, turn to the right, middle, left, middle

    Reach-Through Mid-sit ups (for lack of a better name) – on your back, knees bent, feet on the ground, hands reach forward between your knees. More than a crunch – less than a sit up

    Plank 30 seconds, Chill Cut Plank 30 seconds, Mission Impossible Plank 30 seconds, Plank 30 seconds, 10 IC of a nameless exercise in which from plank position reach right hand to outside of left knee, then left hand to outside of right knee.

    COT

    Count Off/Name-o-rama

    Maverick prayed us out and into a productive and positively influential day.

    Thanks for following my lead through the toils of shirt-soaking physical fitness in the gloom! It is my sincere hope that you all found prodigious amounts of value at The Gipper today.

    Image result for sweat angels

  • You down with O.P.P.!!!

    I know what you late 30, early 40 F3 brethren who use to listen to Naughty by Nature are thinking.. However, let’s keep this PG13 and call it “Other Positive People”, “Old People Power”, “Obvious Pure Perspiration”, or simply makeup your own acronym of sorts and roll with it..

    Prethang

    YHC and Steve arrived 1 min late for the prethang as we stopped at every red light along 190, which will soon have additional lights to impede our journey north to the Gipper from Ole Mandeville. If you listen to 43 feet F3 podcast, one must agree as Dredd has stated in the past of this PULMAN. Turning these lights to blink yellow until after a reasonable flow of traffic begins to mount would be one suggestion, attention to any traffic light engineers in the audience.. Uoon arrival Moby informs us the PAX has already begun so we Mosey to catch-up as they make the halfway turn.

    Warmup

    All IC to 15 Imperial walkers, Hillbillies, Butt kicks, SSH, Mummy kicks and Toe Touches..

    Thang

    Inspired by talking with Gabrielle (#KrazyIvan VictoryMember) at the Barly Oak at Saturday’s F2 Q decides to keep the workout with all partner routines. PAX Mosey’s to the Taj Mahal for the O.P.P. This consists of P1 holding arm chair doing overhead claps, while P2 does Plank Jacks to 20. Partners switch and then on to the next Peter Parker’s followed by Parker Peters. Up the ladder and down the ladder then R/R… Q has a proud moment noticing Turbo has begun to perspire.. Whenever, I lead this is certainly a goal of mine which rarely is achieved so 👏🏻 to the man above for the 70 degree 100% humidity Gloom which surly assisted with this task.. Upon completion we journey to the justice center for B.O.M.B.S, (50 Burpees, 100 Overhead claps, 150 Merkins, 200 Big Boy sit-ups 😩, 250 Squats) keeping count cumulative while P1 did exercise P2 moseyed up the stairs and down the ramp. This was pulled from another PAX who seemingly never gets tired Tanked up, but also who fortunately the Q paired up with 😬.. Trying hard as I may to gas this animal it is with great disappointment that I fail… With Steve, Ringo, Einstein and Barely Legal pushing the Q on the run up the stairs and down the ramps, YHC quickly realizes that no matter how much better he thinks he his there is always room to improve.. Appreciate the push Brother’s!!

    With time quickly aproaching first team that finished assisted the other team with completion of the counts to respect the time. Moseyed to the flag to close.

    countarama, namarama, COT

    Tanked up prayed us out with thoughts of striving to always be difference makers and light to those in darkness!! Appreciate you Tanked up (#wolverine)

    Always enjoy the beatdown and F2 with the PAX at the Gipper!!!

    Thanks for following my lead!!

    Till the next Gloom 👊🏻👍🏻✌🏻!!!

  • Yes, but before you were Grandma’s boys….

    like a day before…you were Good Ole Boys. See proof below.

    good ole boys doing air presses
    circa Jan 09, 2019 6:00am


    Conditions: dawn-ish, cool, wind – 2 knots out of the northwest

    Disclaimer: Ich bin kein…

    Warmup: all 20xIC; side straddle hops, toe touches, imperial walkers, good mornings, arm circles, smurf jacks, ice-skater hops, hill-billys, lunges, squats, air-presses(maybe)

    Mosey to the Taj-Mahal : ladder run; frontward, backwards and laterals

    Then circle-up by the US flag, for bear-crawling, crab-crawling, and inch-worming, mixed in with various exercises of choice

    Mosey to the Justice Center parking garage, top deck, for sprints.

    Mosey back to the trail-head for three minutes of Mary

    Bushwacker leads us out with a prayer. RIP our Southshore F3 brother Terabyte

    Thanks for letting me lead. A good time was had by all who “showed-up.” Although some(one) didn’t get off the bus.