Author: Chaplain

  • Stay Positive My Friends

    The air was cold, the owl was hooting, and the time was right for another exercise adventure………Twin Team style. To the best of my knowledge, this is what transpired.

    Mosey to the front of BWES for Warm-Up:
    -Don Quixotes
    -Russian Soldiers
    -Arm Circles
    -Helicopters
    -Cherry Pickers
    -Incline Merkins
    -Alabama Prom Dates
    -LBC’s
    -Dead Man Hang

    Exercise One: Indigenous People’s Curb Crawl.
    Man in the back breaks off for 20 plank jacks. We circumnavigated the island in front of the school.

    Mosey to Twin Team Road/Hill for Exercise Two:
    Run up the hill, 2 burpees at each driveway.
    Run down, 5 WWII sit ups at each driveway.

    -Wilson’s wife for some recovery. Mosey to the James River High field hockey field.

    Exercise Three: Triple Check
    -Lunge Walk across the field, run back.
    -Flutter kicks
    -Plank Shoulder taps

    Back to the flag for numbers and names.

    Announcements: Blood drive coming up. Relay in Hanover this weekend.
    YHC took us out.

    Final Observations: It’s been awhile since I made it up Twin Team hill – that thing is a beast! Great performances by the PAX this morning. In typical fashion, Doozy dusted us going up the hill. Very impressed with Crash Test Dummy – 18 years old and posting multiple times per week. Respect to you both.

    In front of BWES there is a large boulder that says “Stay Positive.” I shamelessly used that as the theme of the workout and title of the backblast.

    Make it a great one!

  • Dynamic duo??

    Suboptimal weather conditions could not prevent the Doozy/Chaplain combo from dominating at Twin Team, and at life in general. The teenagers streaming in for early morning practice, and the random dude walking his dog can testify to my account.

    Mosey to the high school in search of shelter.

    Warm ups: Russian Soldiers, Imperial Walkers, Helicopters, Don Quixote’s, LBC’s.

    Exercise 1: 7 rounds up and down the covered sidewalk area.
    -Bear Crawl, 25 Hello Dollies
    -Plank Walk, 25 Rosalita’s
    -Crawl Bear, 25 Freddie Mercury’s
    -Flying Nun, 25 WWII’s
    -Broad Jumps, 25 Heals to Heaven
    -Fiddler Crabs, 25 LBC’s
    -Bearpies, 25 Alabama Prom Dates.

    *Might have mixed a couple of these up.

    Exercise 2: Dora
    Partner up to complete 100 Hand Release Merkins, 200 Copperhead Squats, 300 Gorilla Humpers. Alternate running up the parking lot to the light and back.

    Audibled out of my planned hill workout due to mud

    Mosey to the back of Bettie Weaver for running drills:

    Up and back – Bernie Sanders, Side Shuffles, Carioke, Butt Kicks.

    Back to the Flag for Numbers/Names/Announcements. YHC took us out in prayer.

    Enjoyed some great conversations with Doozy this morning. The weather was a little crazy, but we made it work. There are actually a lot of people rolling into James River High School at this early hour. Pretty sure seeing us Gorilla Humping was amongst the highlights of their week.

    –

  • Hangin’ with the Wall Ball Boys

    At 5:30 am, we fired up The Forge once again. 9 strong emerged from the gloom to challenge themselves and continue on a journey of self-improvement. A summary for your viewing pleasure:

    No warm up needed – started out on the grassy knolls: bear crawl up, lunge walk across, crab walk down.

    COP: No counting needed! – walking Russian Soldiers, walking helicopters, walking arm circles, walking Hillbillies, walking Lt. Dans. 20 count Alabama Prom Date oyo.

    Mosey down to the ampitheatre for the Balls to the Wall Challenge. One man runs to the bleachers while the PAX assumes the position. 25 ct. LBC’s between each set. Keep going until everyone has run.

    Mosey to west side for a triple check: Heals to Heaven, Elbow Plank, Weaving under the handrail to the tree – sorry for those who went further on the first set!

    Back towards the flag completing 2 burpees at each light pole.

    Got in some much needed stretching to close out the final 2 minutes.

    Counterama, Namearama. YHC lead us out.

    Prayers for Doublemint who was facing a challenging day. He provided some great perspective on how the group has assisted with mental strength and pushing oneself out of you comfort zone. A welcomed discussion to balance out our normal juvenile banter.

    Great work to all the PAX today – you guys killed it!

  • The Great Bear Migration of 2021

    9 SOJers embraced the soggy conditions at Huguenot Park and prepared for another epic No Toll beatdown. As always, jorts were optional; but having a good time was not. Here is how it all went down.

    Mosey to the back parking lot for COP: Don Quixotes, Helicopters, Cherry Pickers, Dead Man Hang, LBC’s – added on a few to accomodate a dry Fresh Prince. Line up for walking Russian Soldiers x2.

    Exercise 1: 3 stations: back parking lot, chain, F3 flag

    On the way out: Stop 1 -25 merkins, Stop -2, 25 WWII sit ups, Stop 3- 25 hand release merkins. run back

    Rd 2: 50 plank jacks, 50 Rosalitas, 50 two count lunges, run back

    Rd 3: 75 calf raises, 75 Alabama Prom Dates, 75 jump squats, run back

    Rd 4: 100 mountain climbers, 100 LBC’s, 100 side straddle hops, run back

    Exercise two: Using the square of the back parking lot:

    Rd 1: carioca, Bernie Sanders, carioca, Bernie Sanders

    Rd 2. High knees, Bear Crawl, High Knees, Bear Crawl.

    Rd 3. Butt kicks, Side Shuffle, Butt kicks, side shuffle.

    Mosey back to the Flag.

    Names/Numbers

    Announcements: Hardywood has established a new AO at Amelia Courthouse on Fridays.

    Prayer request: Fresh Prince’s family for the loss of his wife’s grandfather.

    YHC took us out.

    Dr. Tryhard had some entertaining documentary style commentary during the bear crawl portion of the workout – and thus, the name of the backblast.

    Everyone pushed it and had a great workout today! It was truly an honor to lead.

  • Second hand smoke

    At 5:30 am Huguenot High School welcomed an eclectic mix of Forge regulars, visitors, and a special lady smoking the chronic in her car. The stage was set for an epic beatdown that was sure to be enjoyed by all.

    Mosey to the lower circle for warmups that included the following: Don Quixotes, helicopters, cherry pickers, dead man hang, Russian Soldiers, LBC’s, hand release merkins.

    Exercise 1:
    Using the lower parking area that is divided into 3 sections:
    Broad Jump Burpees, Broad Jumps, Broad Jump Burpees.
    Turn around and complete: Plank walk, crab walk, plank walk.

    A late arriving Hardywood infused the group with energy and propelled us to the finish line.

    Exercise Two: At the base of lower grass hill: Bear Crawl up the hill, reverse bear crawl down. Repeat x 5.

    Exercise 3:

    Mosey to the big hill and partner up. Partner one does a suicide style run using 3 no parking signs as the turnaround points. Other partner does WWII sit ups.

    Audibled to 2 parking signs for the second and third set. Partners alternated between running and doing flutter kicks then hello dollies.

    Exercise 4: At the school: Rotate between Tooth Fairies, 20 count chicken peckers, 20 count dips until time was called. Back to the flag!

    Names/Numbers

    Announcements: Celebrate dry January by getting your drink on at Kindred Spirits in February. See Slack for details.

    Greenbow took us out. Specific prayers for Last Call’s MIL and all those battling COVID.

    Final Thoughts:

    It was great to have Fin stop by this morning. He is part of F3 in Greenville, NC and was in town for a couple days for a swim meet.

    Also happy that Greenbow’s comeback tour reached our neck of the woods.

    Glad we got this workout in despite all of the uptick in COVID cases. Stay safe out there!

    There’s a lot to love about being outside early in the morning: the crisp cold air and the crunching of the frost beneath our feet can be magical at times. But there is no better treat than running through a cloud of ganja smoke in route to the warm-up circle.

    It was an honor to lead!


  • Big Ballerz sighted at the Forge

    6 high flying hoop aficionados ignored the 28 degree temperatures and embraced a basketball themed beatdown. According to the PAX, the NBA draft was last night, so it all tied together nicely.

    Cold, quiet mosey to the lower circle as our bodies adjusted to the weather.
    Warm up:
    Don Quixotes, Cherry Pickers, Dead Man Hang, Russian Soldiers, LBC’s, Alabama Prom Dates .

    Exercise One: PAX count off. One man dribbles out 5 light poles, right handed out, left handed back. All others do exercises together for the duration. Rotate dribblers each time. The following exercises were completed:
    Jump Squats, Hand Release Merkins, Hold Plank, Lunges, Bear Crawl, Side LBC’s, Calf Raises, Copperhead Squats, Plank Jacks, Flutter Kicks, Ball Dippers.

    Exercise Two: Indigenous Peoples Run to the front of the school. Man in the back dribbles while weaving through the PAX, then passes to the back of the line.

    Exercise Three: Form a circle and complete WWII sit-ups while passing the ball back and forth. We stopped when the first person got to 50. Luckily Fresh Prince burned through them.

    Exercise Four: Elevens. Up and down the grass hill completing Merkins and Hello Dolly’s.

    Mosey back to the flag. Circle up and complete one minute of jump squats while passing the ball around.

    Numbers/Names

    Announcements: See Slack for details on Thanksgiving and Black Friday events.

    Prayers for those impacted by COVID.

    YHC took us out.

  • Keeping Batteau afloat

    The recently formed tag team of Goldberg and Chaplain linked up at Batteau for another Monday morning beatdown. According to eye witnesses, this is how it all went down:

    Warm up – Don Quixote’s, Russian Soldiers, Helicopters, Dean Man Hang, Cherry Pickers, Hand Release Merkins, Freddie Mercury’s

    Mosey to the sledding hill area.

    Stopped at three stations: top of hill one, bottom of hill one, top of hill two. Then run back to the start.
    Round 1: 25 each, Merkins, Plank Jacks, WWII sit-ups
    Round 2: 50 each, LBC’s, Alabama Prom Dates, Squats
    Round 3: 75 each, SS Hops, Mountain Climbers, Shoulder Tap Merkins
    Round 3: 100 each, Side LBC’s (50 per side), Monkey Humpers, Arm Circles (50 front, 50 reverse).

    Mosey to the hill of ill repute

    One man runs up the hill, then switch off. Partner does sets of Dips. Incline Merkins, Ball Dippers.

    Mosey back to the flag for 45 seconds of Hello Dollies.

    YHC took us out.

    Goldberg had some interesting perspective on the glory days of Batteau. We have both committed to getting out there next week. Hope to see some additional PAX!

  • Double Trouble

    The never before seen combo of Chaplain and Goldberg rolled into Forest Hill Park to kick the week off in style. With fears of a solo workout in the rearview, and an empty Q sheet………….the possibilities were endless. Here is how it all went down:

    COP: Don Quixotes, Russian Soldiers, Arm Circles, Helicopters. Mosey to the lower circle:

    Exercise One: Triple Triple Check
    Part one: one man does overhead press with coupon. Other runs to light pole, Bernie Sanders Back. Switch off. Next rep: squats with coupon, next rep: LBC’s with coupon.
    Part two: one man lunges to fence, carioke back. Rep one: plank with coupon on back, Rep two: one hand plank on coupon. Rep three: curls with coupon
    Part three: one man broad jumps to the end of fence and runs back. Rep one: incline merkins. Rep two: step ups. Rep three: shoulder press with coupon.

    Mosey to playground for three sets of 5 pull-ups, 25 LBC’s.

    Mosey to the sledding hill: Run up hill, 25 monkey humpers. Down and back up, 25 Alabama prom dates. I think we did about 5 rounds.

    Head back to the flag for American Hammers x 20 and Rosalita’s x 10.

    Numberama/Namarama. YHC took us out.

    It was great working with Goldberg this morning. Don’t get out to Batteau very often – enjoyed the scenery and the company.

  • Curb Appeal

    10 members of the Huguenot High School JV boy’s fitness team arrived on a campus for another 5:30 am practice. 70 degree temperatures ensured that everyone would be putting forth MAXIMUM EFFORT. With each drop of sweat hitting the pavement, our popularity and social status was sure to grow.

    Warmarama:
    Mosey to the lower circle for an abbreviated warm up consisting of:
    Don Quixote’s
    Helicopters
    Cherry Pickers
    Alabama Prom Dates
    Jog back to the bottom of the hill.

    Incline Curb Crawl: Pax lined up on the curb in plank position and begin working their way up hill. Man in the back breaks off and does 2 burpees, then runs to the front of the line. We stopped at a light pole and reversed down the hill. Sorry for those who got double burpee’d at the switch point!

    Mount Chaplain Descent
    First rep: run down the grass portions, Bernie Sanders across parking lots. At the bottom, complete 50 squats then push yourself (fast mosey?) back to the top.
    Second rep: repeat with Carioca right on parking areas, 50 calf raises at the bottom.
    Third rep: repeat with Carioca left on parking areas, 50 1 count lunges at the bottom.

    Props to Fresh Prince for extending the bottom of the mountain all the way to the rail. Seemed to work better. DTH and Hardywood led WWII sit ups, hand release merkins and flutter kicks while the PAX made their way up the hills.

    Circuit: 15 reps of Jerkins, 15 dips, tooth fairy up the staircase, then jog back around. Pax rotated between the exercises until time was called.

    Lot of wide ranging mumble chatter this morning. Topics included stilettos, vegan barbeques ( aka “Woke Smoke”) and one PAX member’s early modeling career (a dream deferred??). We were educated on the birthday of the Navy and Virginia’s own Thomas Jefferson’s role. DTH has begun composing old time country tunes (I left my heart on Mount Chaplain……..) A swoled up Bone Thugs reminded Cooper who the true Alpha of the group is.


    Announcements:
    Shoe drive continues with SOJ appearing to dominate.
    Beer mile at the Carillion on Saturday – seek Slack for details
    Congrats to Doozy on his work related success.

    YHC took us out in prayer.

  • The Forge stays lit

    2 heavily sterilized, social distance warriors broke free from the confines of home to enjoy another epic beatdown at The Forge. With plenty of elbow room and no one on the Q sheet, the possibilities were endless. Here’s how it all went down:

    Mosey to the lower circle

    COP

    Snuff  facilitated the warm-up.  As best as I can remember we did Side Straddle Hops, Don Quixote’s, Arm Circles, WWII sit ups, American Hammers, Merkins, Lunge around the circle. I am probably missing a couple.

    The Thang:

    Hot potato passed to YHC. Mosey to the bottom of the hill.  Partner one runs up to the first parking sign and back. Other partner: flutter kicks. Snuff recommended 2 burpees at the top of each hill. Rd 2 – run to second sign, partner does LBC’s. Rd 3: WWII sit ups and furthest sign .

    Pt. 2, Snuff decided on  Bear crawling in between each light around the large traffic circle. At the various lights we completed the following (10 count): Box Cutters, Lt. Dan’s, Copperhead squats, Rosalita’s, Mt. Climbers, Jerkins, one other.

    Mosey back to the amphitheater. Chaplain recommends Partnering up: Combine for 100 Incline Merkins, 200 SSH’s, and 300 flutter kicks. Partner box jumps up the amphitheater,  10 dips on the picnic table, then runs back around the perimeter.

    Mosey back to the flag.

    Prayers for everyone in the group. Hoping we can support one another, and our community, through these challenging times.

    It was a great to have Snuff co-Qing this morning. He has been killing it since joining the group not too long ago.