Tag: War Eagle

  • Monday Audible – from Mahatma

    After a disappointing Super Bowl game where Go-Devil lead another Rams team to a victory influenced by ref throwing yellow flags this time I was so looking forward to throwing rocks at RC. Yet for some strange reason just before hitting the I-10 ramp there was a thought to check the Q schedule (as I very seldom check emails on Sunday or early Monday, if in fact reminders are still sent) as to who was leading…….damn an Audible was just called as I see Mahatma was signed up to Q the scrum! Mindset changed now I had to floor it to make that journey to the “rough” side of Metry!
    Burning rubber I enter the stadium parking lot to see 3 silhouettes standing in the wet grass scratching their head as if to be wondering if they had to call an audible for Qing amongst themselves yet as my truck comes to a stop and my shoes hit the deck……game on!

    Quick disclaimer and a short mosey to the play set a short warm up ensued:
    25 SSH
    10 Mnt Man Poopers
    10 Side Lunge
    10 Imperial Walkers
    10 Peter Parker / Parker Peters
    All got on the parallel dip bar – 5 count
    Same for the monkey bars – 5 pull ups

    Mosey to the Performing Arts Bldg
    Ascend to the “skybox” and pair up for a mini DORA:
    50 Merkins
    100 jump sqts
    150 dips
    Flip / Flop
    Timer was to run down the ramp to the street and around to ascend the stairs back to the sky box. Max reps 25 then hold plank to wait – until we got to dips max out reps while partner was running.
    Once complete we moseyed back down to the benches in front of the PA center 2 rounds of box jumps, decline , incline merkins , step up dips and split sqts.
    Mosey to the parking lot for 5/11 (1 less then 66). 5 merkins at each lamp post X 11 with some form of made up animal movement between each post. When completed we moseyed back to the start. YHC grabbed his phone (hey this is Metry – NOT NOLA so leaving your phone on the curb is not a risk)!

    Line up for an Indian run back to the play set finisher 2 rounds of 5 dead hang pull ups (assisted if needed) then 5 parallel bar dips.

    5 minutes of Mary:
    Gas Pumpers
    Big Boy Sit Ups
    Baby T’s
    And real scuba kicks

    Back to the flag for COT

  • All Day Baby……#2 – from Mahatma

    All Day Baby…..(it may take that long to read this thing)
    There is so much diversity in our Pax that if you stick around long enough you’ll learn something not only about various beatdowns but yourself as well!

    This leads us to the gloom of today…..
    YHC had an idea for incorporating a recent Rudy based beatdown and lore from recent grow rucks (and past military experiences) all designed to make a physically and mentally uncomfortable environment while pushing beyond a comfort zone.

    Short disclaimer then mosey to the great lawn circle up for a quick warm up of SSH, windmills, grass grabers, side lunges and self love.

    Then line up for craw-daddy’s where you start in a plank position bar crawl approx 10 yds perform 2 merkins and 2 double unders bear crawl another 10 yds then 4 and 4, bc then 6 and 6, bc then 8 and 8 now hold plank for the 6.

    We are getting warm now! Oh look hear 5 blocks set up in a line – all pax line up in plank position shoulder to shoulder on the left of the blocks now side step plank across and over until the last pax completes the line HOLD plank once complete we went back the other direction!

    Now warmed up the morning mission is given out pax divided into 4 groups 3 of 3 and 1 of 4 (Diddy Kong was the muscle of this group). Each group was to carry a block overhead at all time – if for any reason the block was lowered below eye level then the that team of pax had to do 3 burpees with instructions given we headed out for our objective – YHC left some additional blocks by the Stomp’s starting point to be retrieved – along the way YHC would have the groups stop for some varied exercises (blocks must be maintained in the overhead position). See a need for some change at some point YHC had PAX circle up and instructed that the blocks over head could be lowered yet there was some hesitancy by a few pax that thoughts this might be some evil trick to have them do burpees – not the case yet Rudy even requested YHC to make some ridiculous statement “Simon Says”. It was left up to his judgement to follow or not. From here we were close to a 1/2 point – so we pushed on – Once at the Stomp teams now retrieved 2 additional blocks that had to be farmer carried back with 1 Pax still keeping the other block over head. YHC realized he under estimated the strength of Vagabond and his gang as they seemingly toyed with their overhead block holding it with one hand while the rest of us grunted and mentally pushed through YET karma had her way when during an exchange their block dropped and so did they giving 3 punish burpees.

    As we were 1/2 way back Snooze all of as sudden remembered he had leave 15 minutes early putting his team of YHC and Frac to ponder the thought of carrying the blocks solo! Well YHC being selfish attempted to push the pace apparently giving the impression he was looking past his teammate Frac but with all the chirping from the normal suspects of Bogy and Rudy (maybe War Eagle too but he often got sidetracked as many millennials do looking at text on his phone while he was supposed to be working). Anyway YHC knew Fracs strength to carry on!

    Back at the great lawn we finished the adventure with some individual block exercises (and complaining) closing with some more block over block plank trains and 10 man makers.

    As we returned to the flag YHC requested the blocks be returned to his truck where Rudy was defiant until he he heard “Simon Says”.

    COT – prayers of gratitude and humility for serving others. Also recognizing the strength of joy in others as Tool is prepping for an 18 year birthday celebration for Speed-Racer.

    God Bless

  • The 12 Days of FITmas (El Diablo edition) – from Bolt

    With a couple PAX keying off my self-promoting post offering the Bolt 3M guarantee, 7 PAX joined YHC in the gloom for a peek at what’s in my sack, like good little boys anxious for their gifts! Upon the disclaimer we moseyed to the goal line where we circled up for the warmup. At some point during the warmup War Eagle and Rougarou snuck in as if I didn’t see them—COAL for you; those who are late do not get fruit cup!

    Warmup IC: SSH (25), Abe SLOWgodas(10), arm circles forward/back, tclaps, MNC (all 20x), self love (15); Toy soldiers, Hillbillies (20x), Grumbling from Rudy about the length of warmup (hey, Rapper’s Delight is 7+ minutes—my Q, bro!)

    YHC explained each day of Fitmas would be performed alternating between the 50 and goal line via mosey (Day 1) and each day represented a different exercise and the corresponding number of reps matching the day of Fitmas, followed by each previous days’ exercises/reps. As PAX completed their mosey to the 50/goal line to await the six they were treated to milk and cookies, if milk and cookies were, in fact, SSH which allowed all PAX to open the next day’s gift from their Q together.

    Day 1: Mosey
    Day 2: Diamond merkins
    Day3: Shoulder Taps (2:1)
    Day 4: Reverse Lunges (2:1)
    Day 5: Burpees
    Day 6: Squats
    Day 7: Merkins
    Day 8: Big Boy sit-ups
    Day 9: Flutter Kicks
    Day 10: LBCs
    Day 11: Plank Jacks
    Day 12: Mtn. Climbers (2:1)

    Mosey to the bleachers and celebrate the eight crazy nights of Hanukkah with what else? Up and down a Merkin ladder of course, rungs one through eight adding a rep on the way up and decreasing a rep on the way down.

    Mosey to flag and circle up for Mary: 20 LBCs, 25 dying cockroaches, 30 penguins, 35 LBT. Don’t think I didn’t notice some unnamed PAX NOT performing reps at various points and Bogey even gave me a little side eye that I could only interpret as, “You gotta be Fitmas-ing kidding me!?” as he took a breather—or four…

    COT; honored to lead this group of fine men and thankful for each of you for pushing me—forward is the direction we go!

  • Battle Frisburpee 2.0 – from Fast Tax

    Battle Frisburpee 2.0
    It was a pleasantly coolish morning at the Uptowner as seven PAX arrived to close out the week. After a quick disclaimer, and ignoring PAX questions regarding any Battle Frisburpee rules changes, we moseyed to the field for warm ups:
    o Grass Grabbers
    o Bat Wings w/ MNC
    o Skydiving Snow Angels

    Unwilling to jump right into the highly anticipated main event, YHC kicked things off with 50 yds of Welsh Dragons:
    While remaining in plank position, PAX bear crawls forward 5 yds, do 1 merkin, 1 plank jack, and tap the BACK of each shoulder 1 time (YHC did forget this part). Repeat adding 1 rep to each exercise each 5 yds – bear crawl forward 5 yds, do 2 merkins, 2 plank jacks, 2 sets of back of shoulder taps… etc. We continued until we got to 10 reps each (50 yds), holding plank for rest of PAX to finish, then mosey back to the middle of the field.

    Thinking that PAX needed some warmup to their Frisbee throwing skills before the main event, YHC selected GO FETCH as the next thang:
    One pax throws a frisbee. All PAX sprint in that direction until frisbee lands. When it lands, all PAX stop and then lunge-walk until they get to the frisbee. First PAXD there gets to throw the Frisbee, rinse and repeat except change out lunge-walk with bear crawl, crab-walk and walk-crab, which YHC apparently got backwards…

    With 25 minutes to go, it was time for BATTLE FRISBURPEE.
    Even though YHC posted the rules on at least three different sites/channels/threads, a reminder of the rules (and a few added clarifications), was still requested by PAX in attendance.

    The revised complete rules are produced at the end of this Backblast.

    With that out of the way YHC will finish the tale…
    Team 1 (shirts): Bogie, Boo-Boo, MacGyver, and Fast Tax
    Team 2 (skins): Scantron, War Eagle, Bolt, and Fast Tax
    Since we had an odd number, YHC switched teams halfway through.

    The battle was close and hard fought with a score of 0-0 at the half. With the transition of Fast Tax to Team 2, the game took a decidedly more one-sided and aggressive (War Eagle) turn. Boo-Boo perfected the slow burpee on top of the Frisbee, while War Eagle demonstrated what full contact Battle Frisburpee could look like. YHC accidentally exhibited where not to throw the ball at an opposing player after which Bogey revealed the depths of his tenor – sorry Bogie. Team 2 pulled ahead and closed out the game 2-0.

    With game over we headed to COT for name-o-rama, announcements, intentions, and prayer.
    Followed by Coffeteria at PJs.
    Thanks for the fellowship! SYITG

    Battle Frisburpee – The Concept:
    A blend of ultimate Frisbee, soccer, and dodgeball, with an emphasis on individual burpee punishment, played running the width of a football field (sideline to sideline) as the length and the 5 and 20 yard lines as the left and right boundaries. Each side’s goal begins at the sideline and has a depth of 5 yards in from the corresponding end. This equates to a field 160 yds from end to end, excluding a 5 yd end zone on each side, and a width of 15 yards (or more if more than 10 players). The Goalie Box extends from the back of the end zone to the sideline plus 5 yards in, or 10 yards deep in total.

    Battle Frisburpee – The Rules:
    To score, a PAX must catch the Frisbee in the opposing team’s end zone (duh).
    When a team scores, the entire opposing team must do 3 burpees.
    If the Frisbee is dropped, i.e. thrown but not caught, the last person it touches (usually the one throwing it or the one who muffed the catch) must immediately drop and do 3 burpees. The Frisbee is still “live” and is treated as a fumble, any nearby PAX from either team can pick it up and resume play.

    If the Frisbee goes out of bounds, the last person it touches (usually the one throwing it or whoever it hits on the way out) must immediately drop and do 3 burpees. The Frisbee is “dead” and is treated like a soccer ball that went out of bounds, i.e. the opposing team now stands at the spot it went out and immediately resumes play (without waiting for burpees to be completed).

    If either of the player’s feet or any part of the Frisbee itself crosses the boundary, it is deemed out of bounds (clarification provided for Frac’s sake).

    Each team must appoint a “Baller” to act as a goalie of sorts. The Baller must stay in the Goalie Box if they are holding the ball and can throw the dodgeball at any approaching opposing team member, whether that person is holding a Frisbee or not. A player hit with the ball, must immediately drop the Frisbee, if carrying one, and do 3 burpees. The Frisbee is still “live” and can be picked up immediately by anyone else.

    The player is only “hit” if the ball doesn’t touch the ground first.

    The Baller is the only one who can throw the ball at an opposing player and the Baller must throw only from the Goalie Box.

    The Baller can leave the Goalie Box to retrieve the ball or teammates can retrieve for him. The opposing team cannot interfere with the retrieval of the ball.
    At any time, the Baller can elect to act as a player and run down the field but he must leave the ball in the Goalie Box, thus leaving the Goalie Box unguarded.

    If the Baller accidentally throws the ball at an opposing player’s family jewels, the hit player gets a free pass on burpees. (For Bogie)

    A player carrying the Frisbee can throw the Frisbee at an opposing player (that is guarding too closely) resulting in that player having to immediately drop and do 3 burpees.

  • Remembering Pearl Harbor on this 80th anniversary of December 18, 1941 – from Hokie

    On this day we welcomed Triple Shift, War Eagle, Short Bus, T-Square, McGyver and Netflix to remember and honor Pearl Harbor … on December 7, 1941, the residents of Honolulu, Hawaii, awoke to the sound gun fire. At 8 a.m. that morning, Japanese planes flew over Pearl Harbor – the U.S. Naval base located just outside the Honolulu – and dropped bombs on the harbor and the surrounding airfields. More than 1,500 crewmen died and two battleships sank to the bottom of the harbor. USS Arizona (BB-39) and USS Oklahoma (BB-37)

    The Warm Up on this 80th anniversary… 80 reps
    20 Imperial Walkers
    20 Side Straddle Hops
    10 Slow Vagodas
    15 Forward Arm Circles
    15 Backwards Arm Circles

    The Thang

    B.O.M.B.S. – 12 reps at 7 Stations with 19.41 yards (12.07.1941) of Mode of Transportation between the 7 stations

    7 Stations with 12 reps at each station as we moseyed down the mall. At end, do shoulder TAPS waiting on the six

    President Franklin D Roosevelt said, “December 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”

    B – Bicep Curls | 19.41 yards of Rifle carries with coupons between each station
    The attack killed 2,403 service members and wounded 1,178 more, and sank or destroyed six U.S. ships,. They also destroyed 169 U.S. Navy and Army Air Corps planes. The Japanese losses included 29 aircraft, in addition to five midget submarines, and 129 attackers were killed and one taken prisoner

    O – Overhead Press | 19.41 yards of Lunges with coupon between each station
    USS California
    A number of other boats were sunk in the attack, but later recovered and repaired.
    M – Merkins ~ Staggered | 19.41 yards with mosey carry coupon any way you want
    USS West Virginia
    USS West Virginia (BB-48) was sunk by six torpedoes and two bombs during the attack on Pearl Harbor, but in May 1942, was salvaged from the seabed by draining the water from the hull.
    B – Burpees | 19.41 yards with mosey carrying coupon on shoulders like a ruck carry
    USS Cassin and USS Downes
    USS Cassin (DD-372) and USS Downes (DD-375) were Mahan-class destroyers. The two destroyers were in dry-dock at Pearl Harbor during the attack, when an incendiary bomb ignited fuel tanks on Downes. Cassin slipped from her keel blocks and rested against Downes which were both destroyed by uncontrollable fires. Both ships were considered lost, but their machinery and equipment were salvaged and sent to Mare Island Navy Yard where entirely new ships were built around the salvaged material and given the wrecked ships’ names and hull numbers.
    S – Squats | due to time… we stayed and did 80 squats on the 80th anniversary

    USS Oglala
    USS Oglala (ID-1255/CM-4/ARG-1) was a minelayer and was the flagship of the Pacific Fleet Mine Force. Japanese torpedo planes of the first attack surge hit the cruiser with a single torpedo, and Oglala rapidly took on water and sank. She was later salvaged in 1942 and continued service until 1965 (after being redesignated as an internal combustion engine repair ship ARG-1).

    COT
    Discussion on December 18th and whether event was purely social or workout included
    1st mention of crazy Ivan… date to be confirmed (speculated as January 15th)

    Thank you for opportunity to pay respect to all those who have served and do serve.

  • Time Killer with the River Stones – from Rudy

    10 PAX, including 1 FNG (welcome Slab!) and 1 Kotter (good to see you back, Spawning!), at the Mothership on a uncomfortably warm and humid December morning. YHC sporting Jesuit gear in hopes of inspiring any Jays in the crowd. But seems that the regular Jays crowd must be sleeping in to get ready for a big day of tailgating. But the PAX who were present were in for a good start to Championship Saturday.

    Mosey to the Great Lawn to get started. SHOOT. Didn’t take too long for YHC to get confused about the plan. Quick pivot – lets mosey over towards the Fountain for a quick warmup. SSH, IW, and some back stretches. Bat Wings – but much to FracSac’s dismay, YHC cut off before we got to the Dancing Night Clubs. We’ve got to get moving.

    Grab a Stone and head to the Great Lawn.

    The Thang: 12 step ladder. Starting at the path on one end, there are 11 trees down the lawn. Each round, we will add one more tree and exercise to the circuit. Carry the rock from tree to tree. Most exercises used the rock. But even if it didn’t, you were on the hook to haul it along.

    + At the sidewalk, start with 1 8-Count Body Builder (thanks Hawg, for the demonstration to our FNG. YHC forgot about that).
    + Add 2 Block Burpees at the first Tree.
    + Add 3 Thrusters at the next tree.
    + 4 Curl-Presses. YHC had a total brain fart on this. There was something planned for 4, but YHC could not remember. PAX held a plank for about a minute while YHC tried in vain to recall. War Eagle suggested Curl-Presses instead, so that works. These had been planned for 7, so this gave YHC a few more rounds to remember.
    + 5 Big Boy situps
    + 6 Squats
    + 7 Cross-over Merkins. THIS WAS WHAT SUPPOSED TO BE AT 4. YHC remembered just in the nick of time.
    + 8 American Hammers
    + 9 Rows (Hawg gracefully corrected PAX form. Many thanks)
    + 10 Lunges
    + 11 Flutter Kicks – HOLD THAT ROCK OVER YOUR HEAD
    + 12 Burpees at the far sidewalk.

    YHC had estimated that this was going to take about 30 minutes. So we had another exercise planned. But it was now 7:26. So lets hustle the rocks back to their resting place and get back to the (virtual) flag.

    Finish up with COT – named our FNG Slab (he runs Kitchen Depot on Airline). War Eagle then took us home.

    YHC noticed that these river stones offer a much different challenge than Rock City. They are smooth, lacking finger holds. It pushes different muscles to carry the rock for nearly an hour without those finger holds. My forearms were sore for the rest of the weekend. I will be using these again!

  • Bringing the Wood (-en toothpick) – from Rudy

    El Diablo Bringing the Wood. Thanks to Thumb War for inspiring Hawg to start a new tradition! The El Diablo bat was to make its first appearance this fine morning. From here on out – 30 El Diablo workouts, including 5 Qs, will get your name etched on this fine bat.

    The PAX were all anxious to see The Wood. The anticipation. The anxiety. The desire to be like Reggie Bush, bringing That Wood to El Diablo. YHC had the Q, so Hawg who was allegedly travelling delivered the wood the night before.

    YHC took one look at the Wood, and suspected there would be problems. And as the PAX gathered in the gloom, YHC was right. “Where’s the Bat?” asked Scantron. “Wait, is that it?” sez Bogey. “That looks like a Toothpick” mocked Bolt. And on and on it went. YHC had to deflect criticism, happily throwing Hawg under the bus – “Hey, don’t hate the messenger.”

    But anyway, this is our Wood (or Wood-let, or Wooden Toothpick). Whatever, lets get started.

    Quick Warmup, then all the PAX grab one of the presents that YHC had delivered to the football field. A Log, a Bag o’ Rocks, A workout rope, dumbbells (not the War Eagle kind), medicine ball, etc.. All in, some 10 toys were available. But alas – there were 16 of us (counting the late arriving Triple Shift). So make do with some other exercises (burpees – what else would FracSac pick, 8 counts, etc…). One good addition – balancing on a basketball for derkins. Challenge both the upper body and core to stay on that ball.

    The Thang: one PAX (“it”) runs a lap with the bat above their head. (shortly modified to half a lap in the interest of time). Everyone else is doing their exercise with their thing. Then we rotate. Everyone got a chance with all of the toys, and everyone got to run once with the glorious bat. FastTax had an interesting take on “Thruster” that looked strangely like a “Squat”.

    Still had time for a Brian Kelly inspired game of “Turncoats and Traitors”. Groups of 3 – one PAX sprint backwards across the football field. The other two start with 2 burpees (later 1 burpee, later 1 8 ct) then sprint to catch the traitor. If they caught him, the traitor did burpees. Otherwise, the chasers did burpees. Or maybe everyone did burpees. Depends on how YHC felt at the moment. So everyone got to be a traitor and get chased down. Good times. Enjoy your coach, LSU.

    COT – 16 PAX welcomed the bat. Great seeing everyone in the glom, and welcome to Downhiller from Birmingham. Thanks for letting me try some new things – look forward to June 22nd, 2022 (the 30th El Diablo workout from now) to see who may be first to get their name on the bat.

  • The Arrival of Christmas Spirit – from War Eagle

    YHC arrived early to the beautifully lit Huey P Long Ave in Gretna. I had promised an arrival of Christmas spirit, so with a funny Christmas sweater and elf hat, YHC along with 8 other HIMs disappeared into the gloom.

    We mosey a few blocks for a traditional-ish warmup:

    Abe Vigodas
    Mahatma Smurfs
    Hillbillies
    SSH
    Arm Circles
    Moroccan Night Clubs (for Frac)

    On to the Gretna Christmas tree for a distribution of presents…

    Each year, my M surprises me with the 12 days of Christmas.

    I thought I would share the love with my own version of the 12 days of Christmas starting at the Christmas tree a sign read, “Bear Crawl” to the next sign.

    The second sign read:

    2-Burpees
    1-Bear Crawl

    The signs continued down the mall. The final sign read:

    12 – 12 count Body Builders
    11 – American Hammers (both sides)
    10 – 8-Count Body Builders
    9 – Mountain Climbers (2=1)
    8 – Squats
    7 – SSH
    6 – LBCs (4-count)
    5 – Merkins
    4 – Lunges (Alternating)
    3 – Leg Lifts
    2 – Burpees
    1 – Bear Crawl

    We mosey back to the flag for a round of Lazy Bois

    COT

    Prayers for those with cancer

  • Looking for Amnesty. Again. – from Rudy

    Also known as “Waiting for Amnesty” (for 6 years now).

    6 years ago, I got dragged out to Rock City by Heisenberg and Bogey. On that fateful day, Amnesty was supposed to be Q – and before I understood what “Lexicon” even meant, I started learning about the “Fartsack”. Since then, it has become an annual event to replay that first workout:

    Looking for Amnesty

    And today, 6 PAX joined YHC for “Looking for Amnesty, Part 6”.

    Disclaimer – YHC botched it again. “Dont push yourself, …. ” Rogaurou took that advice to heart, making sure to find an even smaller rock than normal. Hand Grenada used that as a reason to continue his never ending stream of Irish-envy smack talk. Oh, how YHC hopes that the Rebs face the Irish one day soon…

    Off to the railroad tracks first. Just a quick few minutes trying to squat and hold balance. YHC has made teeny barely discernable improvements. And so will continue using the rails even while Boo Boo seemed scared of the approaching train.

    The Thang: Quick warmup of an assortment of exercises. Then grab a rock and head to the “Flag Football field” (so it was called 6 years ago, and apparently never so referred to again since).

    Lieutenant Dan’s. Thanks to War Eagle for reminding me how this exercise works. 1 Lunge, 2 Squat. 2 Lunge, 4 Squat. Keep increasing by 1 Lunge/2 Squat until the fence is reached. YHC was last to the fence after getting up to 11 lunges. Scantron’s seemed to stride the entire length in about 5 steps.

    At the other end, some Mary while 2 PAX at a time ran off to get in some pull ups. LBCs, Flutters, Wife Pleasers, Cockroaches.

    Then time to head back down the field with Lt. Dan again. Most PAX started with 1/2, 2/4, etc.. Mahatma showed up the group by picking up where he left off. 12/24, 13/26, …

    At other end, knock out some lifts and calf raises, then rifle carry the rocks back to home and mosey back to the flag.

    COT: count off, name-o-rama, announcements. Intentions. Thanks for another great year, gentlement! See you next year for more Lt Dans.