Author: Big Tennessee

  • Just hangin’ around…

    5 faithful convened at Dogpile in the Gloom for a solid weekend beatdown.  The weather was 72 and breezy with a light rain.  It couldn’t have been any better.

    The Thang:

    Mosey from the shovel flag towards the Nickel Bridge and circle back to grassy area for COP:

    25 x SSH

    20 x Copperhead squats

    20 x Don Quixote

    10 x Merkin

    20 x Flutter Kicks

    Mosey over to the front of the Carillon for a merkin/lunge circuit.  Partner up:  one runs up the steps to top of Carillon and lunges to other side, down steps and back to start while the other one does Merkins x 20 and planks.  Repeat 3x.

    Mosey to pull up bars for Hangs:  Overhand grip, hold pull-up position for 10 count, move to full arm extension for 20 count without letting go of the bar.  x 2.  Then, same thing with underhand grip. x 2.

    Mosey to amphitheater for Ladder Climbs of the squat and incline merkin variety:

    Squats: ascending reps to 15 up 15 steps, then 15 steps back down with descending reps to 1.

    Incline merkins:  same as above

    Mosey to grass between Carillon and pull up bars for 6 MOM:

    Freddy Mercury x 20

    Box Cutter x 20

    Crossed Leg Lifts x 20 (10 on each leg)

    LBC x 20, then x 10 double time.

    Mosey almost back to flag for Ring of Fire:  merkins x 15, repeat

    Mosey to shovel flag for COT.

    MOLESKIN:

    The light rain and cooler temps today were perfect.  Summer vacations are in full swing (or fartsacks are exceptionally comfy on rainy weekends), and while we missed some of our brothers we were able to persevere.  It seemed ironic that the first thing we passed this morning was a funnel cake trailer #funnelcakesandsadclowns.  YHC noticed that mumblechatter is much more focused in a small group, and everyone participates.  Taking a page from Fudd, YHC worked this AO on the fly, which indeed facilitates some divine inspiration. You can continue to set your watch to Conspiracy’s arrival time, who joined us just in time for the last two Hangs.  Wilson read about the Hangs in a magazine while trapped in NYC (turns out he can read) and YHC got his blessing to give those a shot.  After 4 rotations it was apparent that the PAX needed to move on to the next exercise, as evident from the fact that I could no longer close my hands. #needtoworkonthegrip

    The Squat and Incline Merkin Ladders were considerably more difficult than YHC had thought they would be.  (Those hard bodies don’t come easy, boys!)  Totals for today (including COP) squats=  245, merkins/incline merkins= 335.  Strong to quite strong!

    Wilson was feeling especially chipper for the Ring of Fire and went with an ambitious 15 count x 2 despite the previous merkin load, then continued to push the rest of the PAX by overlapping reps.  Our pecs thank you, Wilson.

    Announcements:  GET A SUNDAY PAPER TOMORROW.  The article on our F3 PAX will be in there, and given that the writer had a camera I’m sure we are going to have some fun at the expense of someone’s poor form.  Also, we need a Q for August 1 at Gridiron as J’ville and Earthworm will not be available.  They have been generous in keeping the original AO alive and kicking.

    I enjoyed it men.  Aye!

    -BT

  • Old Glory comes to No Toll

    6 strong and faithful showed up for Richmond’s version of Old Glory at NoToll.  It was 77 at 0530 as the sun started to come up, a perfect start to the day.

    THE THANG:

    Mosey from shovel flag to back parking lot for brief explanation of Old Glory.  Start with a 1 mile run around the entire soccer field complex (2 laps).  Then, loops of 4 stations at the corners of the AO:

     

    Station 1:  20 x Merkins

    Station 2:  20 x Jump Squats

    Station 3:  10 x Burpees

    Station 4:  20 x WWII Situps

    Complete as many loops as possible before 6 am, then gather together for another 1 mile run around the complex.  A quick 2 MOM with 15x Russian Twists and 25x LBC.  Return to Shovel Flag for COT.

    MOLESKIN:

    YHC was looking for a good “You vs. You” workout that we could use to track our progress and took a page from the boys at Tradition in Charlotte-MECA  (Thanks, boys!).   “Old Glory” proved to be a fitting test, and I look forward to seeing our progress in the months to come.  I’ve heard many of the PAX comment that we are noticeably faster and stronger lately, and hopefully we will see that as we measure our progress.  We missed our fellow brothers who were getting beat down on the trails this morning by Sippy Cup in prep for the BRR and look forward to the next time we get to share the PAIN.

    Wilson was back with us after some R and R  in the “dry heat” of Arizona.  Welcome back!  Thankfully, Wilson’s Wife was there to keep him in check and exercising.  Honey-Do continues to post with regularity and determined resolve (and also made the suggestion to finish with Russian Twists (AYE!!)), and it was great to workout with Ricky Bobby again.  Lockjaw kept the pace on the last mile, and I learned what it’s like to chase a giraffe across the savanna as Splinter kept a “mean, mean stride” and finished strong.  Great job, men!

    In keeping with theme of measuring progress that the fellas from Tradition started, I have posted below the number of cycles each of us completed.  Hopefully, when we do this again in a month, we will see some more improvement.  It’s important to state that it’s not a race against anyone but YOURSELF with the goal of getting better, faster, stronger.

     

    F3 Name                                              6/23/15

    Splinter                                                 3.0

    Wilson                                                  3.0

    Honey-Do                                             2.5

    Ricky Bobby                                         2.5

    Lockjaw                                                2.75

    Brain Tumor                                          2.75

    Announcements:

    • Third F at TYA’s house tonight, 5-7pm.  All PAX, M’s, 2.0’s invited.  Check the backblast for address.  Rumor has it that Fudd is rounding up as many kids from the neighborhood to bring along.
    • Ricky Bobby has volunteered to Q SOT tomorrow morning.  Many folks out of town, so try to make it if you can!
    • 45MOM Thu, RAMM Friday

    It was an honor to Q today, as it always is.  Go forth and make it a great day!

    Aye!

     

     

     

     

  • A little bit of this, a little bit of that…

    11 strong men including one FNG showed up at Dogpile on a glorious spring morning to endure a BT beatdown.  Here’s how it went down:
    THE THANG
    Mosey from the shovel flag to the field in front of the Carillon.
    COP
    25 x ssh
    20 x imperial walker
    10 x merkins
    15 x copperhead squats
    Mosey to the pull up bars for a rotation of:
    5 x pull ups
    10 x dips
    15 x copperhead squat
    run around carillon, rinse and repeat 3x
    Run to Bowl Smoker for clock merkins
    5 reps at 3:00, 6:00, 9:00 and 12:00 on each side of bowl, x 2
    Mosey to amphitheater:
    Lunges up steps, stopping at every 3rd step for 5 dips
    come down to the bottom, stopping at every 3rd step for 5 dips
    Repeat
    Mosey to field in front of Carillon for a shortened form of The Beast (6 reps of 4 exercises at 6 intervals on the football field):
    Burpees
    Lunge, run, lunge, run
    Merkins
    LBCs
    Mosey to circle for 4 and a half minutes of Mary
    Boxcutters x 20
    Flutter kicks x 15 (slow for last 5)
    LBC x 20
    Freddie Mercury x 20 fast for 11-15, slow from 16-20
    COT
    Moleskin:
    Welcome to Haggis!  “If it ain’t Scottish, it’s crap!”  YHC couldn’t decide exactly what he wanted to focus on, so he threw in a little of everything.  Oddly enough, YHC had intended to minimize running and rolling around in ragweed yet managed to do a significant amount of both.
    TClaps to Swirly who continues to step up his game and again took a page from Sippy’s playbook by running to and from the AO.  Conspiracy as always held the position of Sgt at Arms admirably and kept everyone’s form in check.  He even pounded out some one-arm pushups in the Beast.  Nice work!  I believe Bleeder did some as well, although I had so much sweat in my eyes I was as blind as DK that I couldn’t see.  One of these days YHC will do a better job with time management and squeeze in an entire Beast.
    You men continue to inspire and impress with your progress, and I am honored to have gotten to lead you this morning.  Aye!

  • Merkinfest 2015

    A strong and dedicated PAX of 18 showed up at NoToll on this beautiful morning for a little modified push-a-rama.

    THE THANG:

    COP

    SSH x 21

    Don Quixote x 25

    LBC x 30

    Merkins x 10

    Copperhead Squat x 20

     

    Mosey to parking lot for 4 Corners (x2).  The pace was determined by the lead group doing Squerkins.

    Squerkins x 10 (alternate positions during second loop)

    Squats AMRAP

    Military Merkins x 10 (alternate exercise on second loop)

    LBC AMRAP

    Mosey to soccer field for the Merkin Ladder.  Start at x 20 and descend to x1 with 50 yd sprints between Launch and Target Points.

     

    Congregate in the middle of the soccer field for 7MOM:

    Box Cutters x 20

    Freddy Mercury x 25 alternating pace

    LBC x 30

     

    Ring of Fire:

    One round of 7 merkins

    COT

    MOLESKIN:

    It was good to Q for you men this morning, although I almost smoked myself demonstrating the Side Straddle Stork Hop at the start, which is a near impossible exercise;)  TYA is truly a beast!  The PAX had lots of energy this morning, no doubt empowered by a strong turnout that included some familiar faces (good to see you Iron Curtain!) and an eager FNG.  Welcome, Quickdraw!

    YHC tried to get his creative juices flowing with some new exercises.  I think the squerkins went well, although we could have definitely done more for more PAIN.  The military merkins were a bit of a clown show at the start, but I think they have potential.  We may have to try an entire workout of sparingly used obscure exercises to test our collective mettle.

    Admittedly, YHC almost thought he bit off more than he could chew with the Merkin Ladder, but the PAX performed so well and was so eager for more that it was fitting to finish with merkins again in the Ring of Fire.  Much mumblechatter could be heard, most in the form of verbal appreciation from the PAX for the gift of merkins.  “Thank you sir, may I have another!”  One can only wonder how excited Don Draper, er Fudd, would have been.  Hopefully, he is giving those Greeks all they can handle.  On a final note, JVille turned on the jets and sprinted to the COT.  YHC and Toga gave chase to no avail.  Deceptively fast and a strong runner, good to have him on the BRR team.

    Upcoming events:

    Workouts at SOT tomorrow, 45MOM on Thursday and Friday, Dogpile and Gridiron on Saturday.

    The Rugged Maniac is this Saturday, May 2.  Today is the last day to register, and the team is mostly filled.  However, if you are feeling it, contact JVille immediately.

    Until next time, AYE!

     

     

     

     

     

  • A Couple of DD Twins and a Six Pack

    Sounds pretty good, huh?

    7 Faithful posted for yet another crunchy workout at Gridiron, 4 of whom had started their day with a light jog at #Dogpile to prep for their real workout!

    The Thang

    Mosey from the shovel flag around the baseball field to the infield of the track for COP:

    19 x SSH

    15 x Imperial Walkers

    14 x Slow Deep Squats

    10 x Merkins

    20 x LBC

     

    Mosey to track (which had one lane partially cleared of snow) for 800 Indian Run

    Mosey down hill to parking lot for runs from end to end:

    First Run: Lunge first half, run second half to the end of the lot, 10 x squats, run backwards halfway and lunge to end.  Plank until everyone finishes.

    Second Run: same as above, but replace squats with 10 x Merkins

    Mosey to bleachers on soccer field for Lindsays (40’s) with Dips and Merkins ( x 30/10, 25/15, 20/20, 15/25, 10/30).

    Mosey to football field for a short Beast:

    Burpees 6 x 6, LBCs 6 x 6, Merkins 6×6, Squats 6 x 6

    Finish with 6 Minutes of Mary: LBC x 20, Freddy Mercury x 15, Flutter Kicks x 15, Wilson’s Wife’s Cross-Legged leg lift x 10 each leg.

    COT

    Moleskin:

    YHC, Earthworm and Wedding Singer were greeted with a beautiful sunrise along with some balmy double-digit temps.  Public schools have been out due to the snow all week, and so our AO canvas was almost untouched, making for some tricky footing.  Indian Runs on single-track surrounded by ice can be a dangerous endeavor, although YHC feels we did an admirable job prepping for the arrival of our first 6 Pack PAX member Lugnut.

    The 4 DD’s arrived just as the Lindsays (in honor of our sidelined brother Jville) got underway, and the crew looked refreshed after their morning of coffee and donuts.  When asked how he felt about being on the final leg of the 6 Pack, I believe Lugnut was heard to say he was ready to do it again.  Way to post, Lugnut!  Always the element of style, Chum Bucket added capri socks to his capri pant winter workout ensemble.

    Not a whole lot of talking during the Beast, which YHC has yet to fully be able to complete before running out of time; something to work on.   Mother Nature has truly tested this PAX this week, and I’m happy to report that we didn’t back down.  We have attacked it with Swirly-esque tenacity.  Also, be on the lookout for musically-themed Q from Wilson sometime soon, but there’s a chance that’s “only in my dreams.”

    Upcoming workouts:

    Tue: NoToll 0530

    Wed: Swift Creek Middle (The Truth?) 0530

    Thur: 45MOM 0530

    Charge on! -BT

  • “BeastMode” Waxing Nostalgic

    Aye!

    16 Faithful and one FNG posted at #45MOM to enjoy a crisp and refreshing Gloom mixed with a little bit of pain and glorious suffering.  The PAX was strong!

    The Thang:

    Mosey to the center of the soccer field that borders Cary for a warm-up COP:

    SSH x 20, Windmills x 20, Slow Deep Squat x 15, Merkins x 15, LBC x 20, all in cadence.  Mosey to the Chin-up station to begin the “Toga Circuit.”

    The circuit consists of 4 teams at 4 stations: chin-ups x10, pull-ups x10, dips x10, Derkins x10.  Each team runs to next station once exercise is completed.  Repeat x 3.

    Mosey back to soccer field for “The Beast.”  Merkins x 36, Deep Squats x 36, Lunges x 36 (18 each leg), LBC x 36

    1 full Suicide sprint on soccer field, then run back to shovel flag for COT.

    Moleskin:

    Welcome, FNG Viral!  We hope that you enjoyed the AO and look forward to seeing you back again, and again, and again.  Much like Swirly, who continues to earn the Gold Star for attendance since his first post.  YHC was in a nostalgic state of mind as he planned the workout, longing to challenge the PAX with a “ProBowl” highlight reel of proven past workouts.  The day started with a spirited pre-post smacktalk session about the Super Bowl.  The PAX has a loud (albeit very, very small) representation committed to the Patriots.  The anti-Pats are quite verbose as well, which set a perfect stage for all to get into “Beast Mode”(partially named for Wilson’s favorite NFL player).

    The topic of nicknames came up a few times, and there are several classics that live in infamy and/or the #fartsack (#Stifler’sMom, #InaBox).  YHC and TYA determined that while we love them, the #M just don’t understand the significance of a good nickname.

     

    Toga was particularly energized this morning.  Maybe it was the fresh air or the use of his Circuit namesake.  Maybe it was the inability of the QIC to properly administer the Beast (x 42 Merkins?), and maybe it actually wasn’t Toga at all, but some other #PAX member named #TheHeckler from a distant, yet unheard of F3 Nomad region that likes to run fast with Wilson and blast out pull-ups.  It was pretty dark out there in the gloom, after all.  We’ll borrow Donor Kebab’s baby Bjorn and saddle him with Conspiracy next time.

    I enjoyed leading you today, men.  I’m looking forward to a 4-mile ride in a grocery cart powered by #BleederRacing tomorrow at RAMM.  See you in the Gloom.

    –  Brain Tumor

    Announcements:

    RAMM: 5:30am tomorrow morning                                                                                                         Dogpile: 6am Saturday                                                                                                               GridIron: 7am Saturday

    –  Get commitments to Johnsonville re: Rugged Maniac (May 2) by Saturday                                       –   Group leaving this Sunday morning @ 5am sharp from Daily Grind to hike “The Priest.”  Contact       Johnsonville.  Will be back in time for Super Bowl.                                                                             –  Hardywood 4Miler on April 26.  Register under “F3 Richmond” if interested.