F3 New Orleans

Tag: Thumb War

  • Embrace the Suck

    A great turnout at the Uptowner as we had 21 pax come out to enjoy another warm and humid October morning.  

    When I think back to what initially led me to F3, it was being able to have a great workout that always had a different twist; stepping out of our comfort zone to continually push ourselves to get better, and improve in areas that we may struggle or be uncomfortable with.   As I thought about how to lead this workout, I wanted to incorporate some atypical aspects into the traditional “no running” workout and challenge everyone to “embrace the suck”.  

    With that said the standard disclaimer was given and we moseyed from the flag to the football field in the middle of the track.  The warmup consisted of:

    • SSH x 20 IC
    • Arm circles (10 front and 10 back) IC
    • Windmills x 10 IC
    • Mountain Climbers x 15 IC
    • Hold the plank position after mountain climbers for 1 minute
    • Indian run around the track for 1 lap (4 groups of 5-6)

    The thang-

    All pax lined up in one end zone.  There were 3 cones spaced out (20, 40, 60 yards). 

    • Sprint to first cone and do 15 Burpees then sprint back to start line and do 20 merkins 
    • Sprint to second cone and do 10 Burpees then back to starting line for 15 merkins 
    • Sprint to third cone and do five Burpees and then back to start for 10 merkins 

    As pax finished they did some Mary waiting for the six and then did 20 LBC IC as a group.  

    Next was a crab walk from the end zone to midfield.  

    Once all pax arrived we lined up for an all-out,  everything -you- have sprint to the opposite end zone.  In the end zone we did a quick set of 20 flutter kicks IC.   

    From here the group moseyed to the playground and got back into groups of 4.  Groups 1 and 2 lined up at the “ring pull-up station” and did 1 round of AMRAP of pull-ups.  Groups 3 and 4 did 25 merkins on own, and when finished while waiting for the other pax to finish their pull-ups did squats.  Once done the groups flip-flopped

    Once everyone finished we moseyed over to the hill on the other side of Pontiff where we bear crawled over the hill and did 15 Carolina dry docks followed by a bear crawl back over the hill.  

    Moving on we moseyed to the shelter nearby where we completed the following:

    • 15 power ups each leg IC
    • 15 SLOW deep dips IC
    • 15 diamond merkins IC

    With about 5 minutes remaining we headed back for the flag for some more Mary called out by different pax.  

    Ended the workout with the COT, announcements and intentions.  Special intentions for family members battling cancer and age-related struggles and illnesses.  

    I hope everyone enjoyed this beatdown as much as I did leading it.   Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to lead as always!

  • We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Grass

    After my Okwata beatdown last week which led to many bites on several PAX I made a guarantee that we would not use the grass at UNO this morning. Thankfully our lovely website has several options for beatdown routines to be performed on asphalt and/or football field. And wouldn’t you know it the parking lot at UNO is smooth asphalt and larger than a football field. 11 PAX (and Gideon’s well trained dog) joined me in the still humid morning (no cool front yet). Disclaimer was given and off we went.

    Warm Up:

    Mosey a lap around the parking lot and circle up:

    • SSH x 20 IC
    • Windmills x 10 IC
    • Concrete grabbers x 15 IC
    • Arm circles fwd/rev x 10 each IC
    • Self love x 15 IC

    Thang #1 Quarter Pounder:

    All PAX line up at the edge of the parking lot. Thanks to Kuch for providing the tape measurer which I was able to use to mark off 25, 50, 75, and 100 yards (roughly). All PAX run 25 yards, perform 25 merkins, and run backwards to the start. Run 50 yards, perform 50 squats, and run backwards to start. Run 75 yards, perform 75 mountain climbers (1 is 1), and run backwards to start. Finally run 100 yards, perform 100 reps of any ab exercise(s) of each PAX choosing, and run backwards to the start.

    Thang #2 Dominoes:

    All PAX line up on the curb in a side plank position with left hand in air. PAX member on the farthest right end of the line rotates into a high plank position and performs 5 merkins. He then holds the high plank while the next PAX performs 5 merkins, and so on, and so on until the PAX member on the farthest left end of the line performs 5 merkins. He then immediately performs another 5 merkins and then rotates into a side plank with right had in air. The merkins and side planks continue until the man who started it off completes his 5 merkins.

    Round 2: flapjack and start from opposite end of the line to even out the amount of time spent in right side plank and left side plank.

    Thang #3 Leg Wrecker:

    PAX is split up into 2 groups lines up on either side of the short side of the parking lot. Group 1 performs Lt Dan’s (1 squat and 2 lunges) across the parking lot while Group 2 holds an Al Gore. Flapjack once Group 1 completes the trek across the parking lot.

    Thang #4 The Gross:

    Seeing as how everyone in F3 NOLA should be familiar with Mardi Gras we should also know what a gross is. It’s a dozen dozen. So the gross consists of 12 exercises of 12 reps (some IC and some not). I opted to split it up evenly into 4 upper body, 4 lower body, and 4 abs.

    • Floyd Mayweathers
    • Low Slow Squats
    • Flutter Kicks
    • Carolina Dry Docks
    • Calf Raises
    • Hello Dollies
    • Overhead hand clap/DJ Jubilees (T-claps to Kuch for this name suggestion; as in “East coast where you at? Let me get a hand clap!)
    • R Side Lunges
    • Box Cutters
    • Diamond Merkins
    • L Side Lunges
    • Freddy Mercury’s

    Cool down with another lap around the parking lot and some static stretching.

    Count off, Name-o-rama, Announcements, Intentions, and Sweaty ball of man. Thoughts and prayers were offered up for Da Parish’s cousin Jonathan Serigne (F3 name Bellhop) and his family. May he rest in eternal peace.

  • End of IronPax Mondays… Start of Fall

    My quasi virgin Q came in the form of a Week 4 IronPax Challenge Beatdown called “Sugar’s Pick Your Poison” at UNO’s Chamber of Horrors. Tclaps to Kuch and Belloq for getting our AO ready.

    At approximately 5:20 AM, YHC kicked things off to the sounds of Earth, Wind & Fire “September”. My highlight of the workout was Kuch’s beatdown of 2 Coupons that weren’t regulation. The Pax of 7 completed this leg intense 3 rounds workout in an average time of 52 mins. and 45 secs.

    We wrapped things up with CoT and a Prayer of Generosity.

    Enjoyed the opportunity to lead my first Q and participate in my first IPC.

    Looking forward to my first traditional Q!

  • Can I get some more legs…..?

    So, YHC was happy to finish the 9/11 memorial on Friday at Wolfpack Mountain.  100+ Flights of stairs, 30# in rucksack.  For the PAX doing this with backpacks and weights it took us approximately 50 minutes to complete.  It was the least we could do to honor the first responders who made the ultimate sacrifice that day.

    Later at Coffeetaria my legs were already feeling the effects of all the stairs and weights.  YHC joked at his Q at Mothership the following day YCH was going to do an upperbody only beatdown.  The PAX can decide how that turned out.

    On to the beatdown!

    Mosey to Peristyle for Warm Up

    • IW IC X20
    • Alternating Open Gates IC X20
    • Toy soldiers IC X20
    • Self Love IC X15

    Mosey to street in front of Storyland for Indian Run to Fountain

    At Fountain circle up for Red Hot Chili Pepper:

    • Right Leg Step Ups x 16; Decline Merkins x 8; Left Leg Step Ups x 16; Incline Merkins x 8
    • Right Leg Step Ups x 12; Decline Merkins x 6; Left Leg Step Ups x 12; Incline Merkins x 6
    • Right Leg Step Ups x 8; Decline Merkins x 4; Left Leg Step Ups x 8; Incline Merkins x 4
    • Right Leg Step Ups x 4; Decline Merkins x 2; Left Leg Step Ups x 4; Incline Merkins x2

    Let’s grab some water to stay hydrated.

    Next, mosey around NOMA to first bench at start of Roosevelt Mall for a little Route 66:

    • Body Bag Builders which is a 8-count body builder with a mountain climber thrown in start at 1 rep at 1st bench upping 1 rep at each succeeding bench up to 11 Benches for a total of 66 reps.

    Mosey to Practice Track for Dirty McDeuce:

    • Wide Merks X12 I/C
    • Total Lunges X12 I/C
    • Gas Pumps X12 I/C

    1 lap around Practice Track

    • Right Leg Up X12 I/C
    • Speed Skaters X12 I/C
    • Hundreds X12 I/C

    1 lap around Practice Track

    • Left Leg Up X12 I/C
    • Monkey Humpers X12 I/C
    • Toe Taps X12 I/C

    1 lap around Practice Track

    Running out of time so going to have to cut the Dirty McDeuce short.  Mosey back to flag.

    Count-off, name-o-rama, announcements, and prayer. 

    Thanks for letting me lead!

  • Watch your head

    Four PAX decided to participate in the second week of the Iron PAX 2019 Challenge on a hot and humid Monday morning. After the disclaimer, we took on the challenge.


    “Meatloaf’s massacre”

    4 rounds for time (Elapsed Time Scoring) Round 1:

    *10 Manmakers

    *20 Overhead Presses

    *30 Kettlebell Swings

    *40 Goblet Squats

    *50 Incline Block Merkins

    **1600 Meter Run
    **Rinse and repeat for rounds 2,3 and 4 with the following modification: decrease run 400 meters for each subsequent round. Round 2 was 1200m, round 3 was 800m and round 4 was 400m

    I was eager to take on this week’s challenge and tackle what I thought would be the toughest part of the challenge, the Manmakers. The very first rep produced a painful result for me when my coupon hit the front part of my hairline which left a knot on my head for a week. 
    From there I proceeded a little more carefully. We all completed the challenge, encouraging each other along the way.
    Results: Belloq 56:24, Thumb War 56:38, Tool   59:30, High Rise  62:04
    Thank you for the opportunity to lead this challenge. 

  • The Killer Burpees

    We had a nice breeze Monday morning when we arrived at the UNO Human Performance Center for the newly dubbed Chamber of Horrors. The instructions were simple – do the Iron Pax week 1 challenge, consisting of an aggregate 150 yards of broad jumping, 150 yards of bear crawling, 150 burpees, 150 big boy situps, and 150 Bonnie Blairs. The challenge itself was anything but simple. Everyone rose to the occasion anyway, and we all completed it in under 40 minutes. Breadsticks paced us at right around 31 minutes.

    When I first began F3, I could not do a burpee. Rather, worse, I did not even know how to do a burpee. First, I did something of a squat thrust, completely omitting the merkin and the jump. In fact, I thought the guys jumping and clapping after each rep were taking a victory lap on me or something. Look at me, this is so easy I’m gonna let you know each time I complete one by jumping and clapping for myself. I thought my squat thrusts were pretty damn good, even if I could only do about 5 of them before exhaustion.

    Then, I found out the jump portion was not optional. This makes a lot of sense in hindsight, and my only defense is that I function at something less than optimal mental processing at 5:30 in the morning, especially before I got used to it. Squat thrust + jump. Okay fine, I can do this, but I don’t have to like it.

    Then I noticed the merkin part. Ohhhhhhh. When guys around me are generally saying to no one in particular “watch your form on those burpees”, they’re totally talking to me, right? Damn.

    Since then, I have made burpee form something of a personal crusade. It’s funny how you can take something you’re bad at, and really focus on it, and all of a sudden, it’s not so bad anymore. You crack the code. By paying careful attention to each step AND committing to yourself to never do 9 when 10 is called, to never cheat on form, and to never accept less than your best, you can improve.

    And so if I’m a bit of a burpee nazi with others sometimes, please accept my apologies. I wish someone had more directly told me that I was not doing burpees correctly early on in my F3 career. This is the form I at least attempt to emulate at all times:

    Chest all the way to the ground; everything hits at once. Back straight.

    If you ever see me doing them wrong or dogging them or you think I’m cutting a corner, please return the favor. Don’t let me get away with cheating myself, and I won’t let you get away with cheating yourself. Deal?

    Afterwards, we gave prayers of thanks for all we have, and enjoyed a coffeeteria at Starbucks on Harrison.

  • I Get by With a Little Help from My 2nd F

    T-Claps to Heisenberg and his EH of YHC 3 years ago on this day. The Gloom was a hot one when YHC arrived at the Peristyle with a yeti and absolutely no idea what he was getting in to.  Bubba was the Q and brought the Pax up the loop for a hot, no shade, warm up.   When then traveled to the bridge outside Cabrini for a merkin/plank jack ladder.   YHC was the six all morning and the words of encouragement (although they fell on deaf ears b/c I didn’t know what FNG was but nonetheless) were reassuring.   A silver-haired man in a UGA shirt moseyed back w/ YHC to a large COT; without him being there, YHC would’ve gotten back in the truck and went home.   In the COT, Heisenberg tried to push the Rolling Elvi correlation in the FNG naming ceremony; but the Bogey only heard “Chalmette” thus Da Parish was brought into the F3 Nation.  YHC wants to thank all the PAX that were there that day; b/c I found my new gym, and later did I learn how much more F3 truly is.

    YHC loves the new gym.  There are no dues; but the only payment is the downpainment and the opportunity to Q.  The best way to pay back what you are given is to be a leader.   That is why every year, YHC marks the calendar for August 27 as the QIC.  Without Yankee, Bubba, Heisenberg; that first day would’ve been a terrible experience with no return.   A F3 Beatdown is not complete without all 3 F’s; Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith.

    The Thang

    Run the traditional 610 Stomp Route up the Bayou.   Every 6 minutes turn around and run back to the 6 and complete 10 Burpees together, LNMB. 

    Thank you Belloq, Jesus Juice, and Uncle Si for the F2 during the run; and thank you F3 for the opportunity to lead.

    Your Humble Correspondent,

    Da Parish

    Molesking – On 8/27/16 YHC weighed 258.5 lbs, 29% Body Fat and 34.1 BMI

                               8/27/17 – 234.2, 24.8%, 30.9 BMI

                               8/27/18 – 246.3, 29.8%, 325

                               9/27/19 – 246ish

  • Preseason at Da Chamber

    12 PAX were greeted with the perfect mix warm, muggy, and damp conditions at the new UNO site on Monday. Ideal setting to sweat out the celebratory weekend beers from a kinda-stellar Saints preseason victory on Sat followed by our little league dudes lighting it up in Williamsport on Sunday. YHC encountered Belloq upon arrival where we gazed upon the intramural fields at UNO, recalling our time spent out there mid-90’s playing sports for our respective fraternities, oftentimes with a cold beverage in one hand and football in the other. Yes, those were some glory days, but I think it’s safe to say we’re probably both in better shape now than we were then, at least we’d find out in the next 45 min. Perhaps our real glory days still lie ahead?

    YHC stepped in to Q the day before, filling in for Holy Grove who originally stepped up to help lead, but is on IR and hopefully will be back in the fold soon. Quick warmup included paying a little homage to the Easbank All-Stars for playing strong, displaying great teamwork, and making Louisiana proud. Scores = rep counts. YHC is no ESPN commentator but did my best with a recap of the LLBWS:

    SW/LA vs W/Hawaii    2-5      2 SSH- 5 Burpees

    LA vs NW/Oregon    3-2         3 WM- 2 Burpees

    LA vs MW/Minnesota  10-0    10 AC

    LA vs MA/New Jersey   4-1      4 Side Lunge-1 Burpees

    LA vs SE/Virginia   10-0             10 PP

    LA vs W/Hawaii   9-5  (US Final)     9 IW- 5Burpess

    LA vs Carribean Region 8-0 (LLBWS Final)    8 GG

    Next up, time to pay some even greater respect to Staff Sergeant Edwardo Loredo by knocking out the Loredo Workout, a Crossfit favorite and the “preseason” workout for the F3 Iron Pax Challenge.

    6 Rounds For Time:

    • 24 Air Squats
    • 24 Push-ups
    • 24 Walking Lunges
    • 400m Run

    Given the rainy forecast, YHC mapped this out to be done near the overhang at the front entrance to the UNO HPC Building, aka Chamber of Horrors, using the parking lot as our 400M lap, verified by Google. As the PAX started churning away, there were some pros and cons with our site. Pros included lots of dry pavement and a steady flow of puzzled student athletes tricking in the building for training. Cons included a rather slippery sidewalk for the walking lunges (hindering form for some) and what appeared to be a rather long 400M lap, despite what Google said. Anyway, we plowed through and several PAX pushed extra hard. T-claps to Shorty and Shuffles for blasting out of the gate and setting the bar…and t-claps to several others that YHC saw digging deep. All PAX managed to finish before the bell rang, with times ranging from 27:48 to 36:ish minutes.

    Great job knocking out a not-so-pleasant WOD. September is going to be a looooong month, especially if one opts to do the Iron Pax workouts multiple times per week. Hopefully we’ll all be faster and stronger come October….the H8 should be chump change. We capped things off with a COT. Afterwards we officially named the AO “Chamber of Horrors” which is the old nickname for the adjacent HPC building which has seen many a sweaty athletes and students alike for the past 50 years.

    NMM:

    1. It’s nice to have dry-ish feet.
    2. Pop Tart killed it and is filling Smooth’s shoes as a front runner.
    3. T-claps to Shorty for knowing when to listen to your body/stomach and throw in the towel. With other PAX recently going down or feeling ill mid-workout, a new addition to the Lexicon has been proposed by Da Parish…..Kenny Rogers (verb?) – Knowing when to hold em and when to fold em.
    4. T-claps to the PAX for posting and supporting the new AO. We pay back F3 not only by leading workouts, but by continuing to grow and spread the footprint…just like several guys did here when they kicked things off in NOLA.
    5. “U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Edwardo Loredo, 34, of Houston, Texas, assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was killed on June 24, 2010 in Jelewar, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He is survived by his wife, First Sergeant Jennifer Loredo; his daughter, Laura Isabelle; his stepdaughter, Alexis; and his son, Eduardo Enrique.”

    Thanks for the opportunity to lead and the motivation to keeping getting out in the gloom.

    Tool

  • It’s about that time for….

    A disclaimer? No, that’s just what we have to do at the beginning of these beatdowns.  So, with a disclaimer, we are off!

    Mosey to lawn in front of Loyola for warm up with a little help from my friends!

    • Alternating Open Gates IC X20
    • Imperial Walkers with help from Gideon IC X20
    • Kim Jong Uns aka Supreme Leaders IC X20’s
    • Low Slow Squats with help from Thumb Wars IC X20
    • Olivia Newton John’s IC X20 (brought these PAX-pleasers from the Fly Q)

    Nice job Triple Shift for suggesting Co-Q’s to newish PAX to help them get acclimated to leading.  I think it will pay off. 

    Mosey to bottom of Mountain for:

    Here it is…It’s been awhile…Yes it’s time for…Indian Run to top of Mountain!  PAX form 3 lines and up we go!  Can’t remember last time we did this at WPM.  6 floors, Incline run with sprints, 80 plus degrees with Heat Index in the 90’s.  We got this PAX!  Let’s GO!

    Ok.  That was tough. 

    At top, partner up for B.O.M.B.S. All below counts are cumulative.  PAX one runs down top ramp and back to top running backwards while PAX two completes exercises.  Flapjack till reps are complete.

    • 50 Burpees
    • 100 OH Press in People’s Chair
    • 150 Merkins
    • 200 Big Boy Sit-Ups  (had to modify these to 150 because they were taking some time)
    • 250 Squats (modified these to 200)

    Got some comments on mumblechatter about butt-burn from the Big Boy Sit-Ups.  I call that Character Building!  My job is done.

    Down stairs and mosey to Bench’s for:

    • Bulgarian Split Squats L IC X15
    • Dips IC X20
    • Bulgarian Split Squats R IC X15

    Time is running short.  Mosey back to flag for count-off, name-o-rama, intentions and prayer.

  • Maiden Voyage

    Eager to mark our territory with a trail of sweat, 14 PAX, aka privateers, gathered this Monday for a maiden voyage in the uncharted waters of northern 70122, and area deep with nautical history.  This would be a test run to check out the area and also see what interests there may be in establishing a new AO.  As the clock neared 5:30, it was encouraging to see a mix of guys, coming from near and far, that all wanted to be in that number.  Before we set sail, YHC mentioned that this workout would be somewhat of an exploratory mission and perhaps a work-in-progress as we bounced around.  The disclaimer came next followed by the annual recitation of a crude yet useful nugget from the F3 Lexicon that is something we should strive to avoid:  Whiskey Dicking (verb) – “Half stepping through a workout or other event.  More generally, execution of anything without sufficient zeal”…recently updated to read “Tentative execution of a task”.  Basically, try to give it your all and make the most out of the next 45 minutes.  Here’s what we did:

    Quick “capri lap” around the parking lot with a COP in the nearby field for a warmup of IW, Phelps, WM, AC, Toy Soilders, LSS.  

    Then we kept it close for any lost latecomers with a continuation of the warmup, getting in a diamond formation for Burpees x20, Bench/Bleacher Dips x15, Jump Squats x10, Tire Flips x5.  This circuit would hopefully be repeated later on but no dice.  

    From there, we moseyed into the heart of UNO’s campus, with a stop to plank for the six followed by 10 Merkins.  T-claps to Kuch and Gideon who YHC overheard discuss trying to nudge a guy back out in the gloom…#HIM!  We ended the mosey near an area officially named “the lazy river” by Gabrielle which is adjacent to a few tall sets of stairs leading up to the amphitheater hill.  Here we dropped anchor for the first round of Dora, partnering up for 100 crossfit/hand-release Merkins while PAX#2 ran a lap up and down the stairs and hill.  Pull anchor up…

    Northerly mosey to the concrete planters in front of the Alumni Building for the second round of Dora.  T-claps to Holy Grove and others for pushing hard then sweeping the six. Partner up with someone different (swinger style) for Inclined Hip Slappers x200 while PAX#2 run to the top of the levee and back.  Some groans and panting were heard on this one.    

    From here we changed course back towards harbor, stopping in front of The UC for the third round of Dora.  Original plans called for a stair running loop but time was ticking and we had to wing it with LBC x300 (in sets of 50) which PAX#2 held a low squat #ISI.  We had to cut this a tad short and hightail it across the field to the flag.  Shout out to HG and JJ for kicking it in high gear on the final run.  Total distance covered was approx 2.17 miles.  YHC’s goal of scoping out the area was accomplished but the run/plank time squeezed out some of the circuit work.   

    Finished things off with a COT.  Next two workouts in that location (NW corner of Leon C. Simon and Elysian Fields) will be 8/26 and 9/9.  Input and Qs are welcome so please chime in and/or step up.  Hopefully this AO takes off, in turn further growing the footprint of F3 and having a positive impact on more men.  T-claps to Gideon for the nudge and pledge to help get this going.  

    Thanks for the opportunity to lead. 

    Tool