Author: Faceplant

  • Swift Moves at the Country Club

    The Thang

    A familiar Tabata format — six rounds, 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, with a lap around the track between each round.

    Round 1:

    Stretching to get things moving.

    Round 2:

    Curls & Overhead Press

    Round 3:

    Burpees & Weighted Squats

    Round 4:

    Kettlebell Swings & Triceps

    Round 5:

    Lunges with Weights & Curls (again)

    Round 6:

    Mary – Flutter Kicks, LBCs, Box Cutters

    Extra Credit:

    We were so fast and efficient this morning we even had time for a cool down stretch. Very important to keep ok stretching!

    Consistent work from the group. The running between rounds kept everyone honest. Great to have Bone Thugs out with us running again!

    Mumble Chatter

    Plenty of conversation this morning, covering everything from Taylor Swift’s new album, and scary AI. Birthday party themes also got some airtime, along with important advice on getting gifts for your spouse. Good energy and steady chatter throughout.

    Announcements

    YHC is involved with a local charity called Little Hands, it is the only organization in Central Virginia solely dedicated to providing essentials to economically disadvantaged young children in the first years of their lives. This October I’m supporting them by collecting diapers (not used diapers) for their annual diaper drive. Over October I’ll be posting on Slack what workouts I’ll be attending and if you are up for supporting I’ll collect the diapers and deliver them to Little Hands. Here’s a link to the diaper drive if you don’t know what kind of diapers to buy and just want to give monetarily: https://secure.qgiv.com/event/thebigdiaperdrive/account/2127565/

    YHC took us out.

  • St. Christopher’s Country Club – Monday Tabata Edition

    YHC showed up with a half-baked plan and a timer app, which is really all you need for a Tabata morning. Six rounds, 40 seconds on, 20 seconds off, rinse and repeat with one lap between each round and two laps for the finale:

    The Thang (40 on / 20 off x 6 rounds):

    1. Stretching (because we’re old).
    2. Curls & Overhead Press.
    3. Burpees & Weighted Squats.
    4. Kettlebell Swings & Triceps.
    5. Lunges with Weights & (yes) More Curls.
    6. Mary to finish (allegedly core work).

    Meanwhile, the St. Chris Track Club was circling the oval in the opposite direction. Way to go guys and girls.

  • RAMM – Simple Directions

    Out-and-back on Grove toward VCU. 23 minutes out, 22 minutes back. Simple directions, even I could remember them. But you have to do a negative split so keep the pace in mind.

    The Groups:

    • The Sixes (Splinter, Marv, Sippy Cup, Garbage Plate): Made it all the way to Belvedere. Probably the furthest any RAMM has ever gone. At this rate, they’ll be in New Kent by the holidays.
    • The Fives (YHC, Splinter, Chippendale, Saab): Nearly hit VCU. Topics of conversation included traffic signals, diverging diamonds, roundabouts, and the delicate social differences between “butt dial” and “booty call.” Productive, as always.
    • The Fours (Gumbo and Hitchhiker): Kept it steady. Gumbo gets extra credit since he ran from home.

    Observations:

    • The Sixes returned huffing, puffing, and looking like they’d just wrestled a bear, but they liked it.
    • Saab’s favorite shirt remains in France. RIP. His Garmin keeps it company.

    Announcements:

    • F3RVA’s 11-year anniversary is around the corner. Check Slack for details you’ll immediately forget.

    Prayers:

    • For Marv’s dad, as he recovers from a hospital stay.
    • For TYA, recovering from an infection caused by a literal splinter (not Splinter the human).

    YHC took us out.

  • Faceplant loves a good dice game

    The Thang:
    YHC rolled in right on time at 0530 to find Salt Lick and an FNG ready to roll. With just the three of us and no set Q, we decided to go with a hot potato.

    Salt Lick started things off strong by retrieving a multi-sided dice loaded with exercises—like the Wheel of Misfortune, but more unpredictable. We moseyed to the Tuckahoe Shopping Center, where the dice got rolling. Literally.

    Each roll brought something new: karaoke’s, bear crawls, crawl bears, slow moseys—and the crowd favorite (or least favorite?)—broad jump burpees, which Salt Lick apparently willed into existence with a prayer.

    YHC took the reins next and we moseyed over to Third Church for some timer-style work:

    • One ran a lap around the lot while the other two did core work.
    • Round 1: LBCs and WWIIs
    • Round 2: Leg Raises and Rosalitas
    • Round 3: Carolina Dry Docks and Squats

    From there, we headed back toward the flag, but added a twist—rolling the dice every time we passed an SUV. (Spoiler: there are a lot of SUVs in Tuckahoe.)

    Wrapped things up with 5 Minutes of Mary, including some solid stretching to finish strong.

    COT:

    • Welcomed our newest FNG—Plus One to the PAX!
    • Prayers for Salt Lick’s daughter.
    • Salt Lick took us out.

    Naked Moleskin:
    Small but mighty crew this morning. The dice didn’t disappoint, How did Salt Lick know that YHC’s favorite workouts are those with a game of chance. Great way to start the day. Welcome again to Plus One—hope to see you back out there soon!

  • Picklewashed ⛈️

    Conditions:

    Uninspiring rain. Just enough to ruin things, not enough to cancel life entirely.

    The Scene:

    YHC talked The Firm — a future brother-in-law and current F3 brother — into meeting at Forest Hill Park for a little early-morning pickleball. He agreed, likely trying to secure his spot at future holiday tables.

    The Plan:

    High-intensity pickleball. Friendly trash talk. Maybe some subtle flexing. The usual.

    The Reality:

    No one else showed up. Just the two of us, a stack of unused paddles, and a healthy amount of puddles. Turns out pickleballs don’t bounce in the rain. Physics wins again.

    The Pivot:

    Abandon the courts, hit the trails. Knocked out 3 miles through Forest Hill Park. Not fast, not slow — a classic “we’re doing this because we said we would” pace. Good conversation, no major injuries, minimal complaining. Success, by F3 standards.

    Notable Quote:

    The Firm, mid-run: “I’ll be back — I want to beat Oyster and Bodos at pickleball.”

    Revenge-based fitness. We support it.

    Moleskine:

    Sometimes the gloom gives you 2v0 court time. Sometimes it gives you 3 miles of muddy trail bonding with your future brother in law. Either way, you take what the morning gives you and call it a win.

    SYITG,

    —YHC

  • Country Club Calisthenics

    Possibly the highest turnout yet at SCCC, and the track was “closed for construction.”. Undeterred, we pivoted and found ourselves on a grass field so pristine it made Augusta look like a cow pasture. No divots were left behind—scout’s honor.

    The Thang:
    Improvised but effective. We kept it moving and made the most of the country club turf.

    • Warm-Up Lap (to admire the landscaping)
    • 6 Rounds of TABATA (20 sec on / 10 sec off)
      • Round 1: Stretching
      • Round 2: Curls & overhead press
      • Round 3: Triceps Extensions & Kettlebell Swings
      • Round 4: Lunges & squats
      • Round 5: I forgets
      • Round 6: Mary (Flutter Kicks, LBCs, American Hammers)
    • Lap between each round
    • 2 Victory Laps to close it out

    Mumble Chatter:
    The facilities at St. Christopher’s got rave reviews—manicured fields, and a general air of “we don’t belong here, but we’re not leaving.” Much discussion centered around the recent globe-trotting adventures of Mr. Water Bottle, who may or may not be scouting international AO expansions.

    Hitchhiker arrived exactly when expected, which is to say, right on time. Glad to have two new-comers to SCCC join us 1-800 and Garbage Plate!!

    COT:
    Gratitude for the good things we have to be thankful for and to pass on some good to others.

    Announcements:

    • Keep an eye on the track status. If it’s still “under construction” next week, we may need to bring sand wedges.
    • Mr. Water Bottle’s travel blog coming soon?

    SYITG,
    YHC

  • Foursome for SCCC

    A strong foursome posted at SCCC this morning. We came prepared—with weights, not clubs, though some swings were involved. The conversation quickly turned spiritual. Specifically, the kind of spiritual discipline where you give up desserts for 40 days, only to replace them with mild regret when YHC ate almost an entire coffee cake Easter morning.

    Hitch arrived right on time, which is to say, exactly when we expected him to. And with that, we began.

    The Thang:

    6 rounds of TABATA (20 sec on / 10 sec off)
    1 lap between each round, and 2 laps at the end because we apparently hate ourselves just enough.

    • Round 1: Stretching
    • Round 2: Curls & Squats
    • Round 3: Triceps & Kettlebell Swings
    • Round 4: Lunges & Overhead Presses
    • Round 5: Lawn Mowers (alternating arms)
    • Round 6: Mary

    Followed by two laps.

    Mumble Chatter:

    OBT and YHC discovered we go to the same church. We’ve never seen each other there, likely because we sit in our assigned seats. These are unofficial, yet strictly observed. Shuffling seats is frowned upon and potentially heretical.

    Also, in breaking news (to YHC at least), the Pope has passed away. YHC lives under a rock and doesn’t listen to the news.

    Announcements:

    📽️ “Join or Die” Film Screening
    OBT is moderating a discussion after a screening of Join or Die, which is not a lighthearted rom-com in case you were looking for a date night option.
    🗓️ April 28
    📍 Byrd Theatre
    🎟️ Info here: https://www.richmonder.org/join-us-for-a-movie-night-at-the-byrd/

    🪖 CSAUP – May 2/3
    Looking to ruin your weekend in the name of fitness? Great. Sign up.
    See EF Hutton if you want to join a WestHoe team. He’s accepting applications..

  • it’s all relative

    Age is relative, sometimes you’re feeling young and sometimes you’re feeling old, and sometimes you’re old and then TYA shows up and then you’re young again. The PAX was greeted by the local RAMM gears biker gang. The Bloods and Crips have red and blue respectively, while this particular gang had their hi-vis yellow. As the bikes circled ominously the pax stood their ground.

    when it came to routes, there was none, no one had picked up the Q, but YHC was feeling inspired and wanted to do the route of our grandfather’s as I believe Marv had put it. So it was out and back on Grove. Some rain, some walked some rain really fast some walked really fast and there was even a lone rucker out there.

    Moleskin: YHC enjoyed running for the first part with bootleg, and caught up on all things, travel and mental health related, including an in-depth conversation about coffee and caffeine. On the way back YHC was able to run part of the way with an old familiar face, LugNut. YHC got to catch up on all things car racing related, and learned why younger car racers are better than older car racers, my theory was that an older car racer would be better because they have more experience – but experience also comes with caution, so a younger car racer is more likely to be more daring, and that’s what may win the race.

    announcements:

    See OBT for information on a panel he’s moderating and the screening of an inspiring movie.

    Go to the bridge, check it out. It’s really worth it. Such an awesome experience.

    century classic is coming up the weekend of May 2nd. See EF Hutton if you want to join a team of reigning champions.

    YHC took us out

  • SCCC but make it more

    Conditions: Absolutely perfect

    This morning, the Saint Christopher’s Country Club was buzzing with action as we worked through a Tabata-heavy beatdown with plenty of Hot Laps to keep the heart rate up. It was great to see a strong turnout, including some returners, and even a couple of random runners who seemed harmless enough.

    The Thang:

    Tabata #1: Alternating squats & stretching ➡️Hot Lap #1

    Tabata #2: Alternating curls & overhead presses ➡️Hot Lap #2

    Tabata #3: Alternating kettlebell swings & triceps ➡️ Hot Lap #3

    Tabata #4: Alternating presses & rows ➡️Hot Lap #4

    Tabata #5: Burpees & guessing game ➡️ Hot Lap #5

    Tabata #6: 4 Minutes of Mary ➡️ Hot Laps #6 & 7

    Lots of discussion about the Valentines Day monthly challenge as we pushed through the work, and we were excited to welcome back SCOBY. Also in attendance was our friend Handshake, who brought the most unique weight of the morning a half cinderblock straight from his front yard.

    One of the highlights of the morning was an unexpected Christmas gift exchange between OBT and Hitchhiker. Hitchhiker had been patiently waiting for a free kettlebell to appear on Facebook Marketplace for over a month. The elves were generous, and OBT came through with a kettlebell delivery. There was much rejoicing.

    Side Note, Beyoncé did not pay for the SCCC track and field. Perhaps this is the Knowles of note for which the field is named after: https://hereditary.us/members_details?id=6207d0d950f6e33bc169fddd&utm_source=chatgpt.com

    COT:

    Prayers for the family of Sarah Crandall Bayliss Thompson and for OBT’s friend’s family.

    YHC took us out.

    Great work, fellas

  • Tabata Tales with Faceplant

    The Thang:

    The gloom greeted us at Saint Christopher’s track with surprisingly pleasant weather—YHC came prepared to sweat, though it was nowhere near cold enough to use that as an excuse. A mysterious huddle of folks on the field caught our attention as we warmed up. OBT, ever the observant one, suggested it might be Seal Team… though their half-hearted effort could’ve been mistaken for interpretive stretching.

    We launched into YHC’s favorite combo workout: Tabata and track laps. It’s part cardio, part strength, and all misery fun!

    • First Four Tabata Rounds:

    • Two alternating exercises in each round. YHC led with precision, and varying levels of grace.

    • In between rounds, a lap around the track kept us honest (for those of you that don’t know it Hitchhiker has been holding out on us for a while. He is a speed demon on the track. No one can keep up with him.).

    • Final Tabata Round:

    • A round of Mary with an ab-focused arsenal led by YHC and OBT. Planks, crunches, flutters—you name it, we groaned through it.

    • Grand Finale:

    • Two laps around the track to cap it off.

    Mumblechatter Highlights:

    No F3 workout is complete without some quality chatter. Today’s conversation topics included:

    • Music podcasts (OBT used to host one!).

    • LEGO robotics competitions and the national dominance of Mary Mumford’s team

    • Harrisburg, VA, and JMU lore.

    • Live music gigs and the best of Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach.

    • Cycling challenges—because apparently the track laps weren’t enough cardio talk.

    Announcements:

    • The Bridge this weekend: OBT and Upchuck are heading down Saturday. First-timers are encouraged to experience this impactful event. Don’t miss it.

    Final Thoughts:

    Thanks to OBT and Hitchhiker for showing up strong and making it a solid morning in the gloom. Until next time!

    SYITG,

    Faceplant