Author: The Carpenter

  • Just Like ESPN (Almost…)

    10 men stormed into #TheCreek on a crisp morning at 5:30 AM. The GLOOM was deep without a doubt! Abacus buried the shovel flag, and YHC (The Carpenter) fired up the troops for fast-paced Q. The theme for the Q was “Just Like ESPN (Almost).” The PAX tackled almost all of the exercises in sets of 20 while wondering how ESPN had anything to do with the challenge.

    THE THANG

    Mosey around the parking lot with a sharp turn away from the entrance back toward the bell tower. The PAX stopped where they left off last week in the grass behind the DUMPSTER.

    COP

    20 SSH, 20 Imperial Walkers, 20 SSH, 20 Hillbillies, 20 SSH, 20 Arm Rotations, 20 SSH, 20 American Hammers, 20 SSH

    Mosey to the picnic area.

    20 step-ups on the picnic table seats. Sprint around the church building. 20 step ups.

    Hallelujahs – Sprint around the church building with hands in the air. 20 step ups hallelujah-style with hands up!

    Partner up and do 3 Hail Mary sets on the picnic table flap jacking between partners.

    20s for 20

    Mosey across the field and located a corner.

    Exercises moving through each corner of the field for a total of 20 minutes:

    1. 20 jump squats
    2. 20 merkins
    3. 20 world war II sit-ups
    4. 20 dips

    Mosey to the flag at the edge of the parking lot.

    End Of The Show

    20 SSHs with crowd cheers!

    COT, Numberama, Namerama…

    FNG was named Toothbrush because Guppie saw him brushing his teeth in his truck before the start. Guppie couldn’t believe that someone would brush his teeth in a truck in a parking lot at 5:28 AM! Guppie has a lot to say for 13 year old… YHC took us out with a prayer and call to love and lead this day.

    MOLESKIN:

    This was the second Q for YHC after getting some (much-deserved) heat for not stepping up from The Creek and DaVille. 10 men, including a FNG (Toothbrush) and a guest from Raleigh (Fluoride) arrived in waves. The energy was high and the cool fall air appears to be igniting a higher level of engagement.

    There was some pre-workout theatrics as Chapstick forgot his gloves. YardSale (his Dad) drove off at 5:22 AM to get them and the PAX wondered if he would make it back. Abacus showed up with his normal fire in his eyes but then realized that he wasn’t going to Q because YHC had signed up on the spreadsheet. Abacus and Guppie (his son) had set up a full Q with cones and a full line-up of exercises. Abacus pocketed the Q for another morning. Yardsale rolled back into the parking lot at 5:29 AM in dramatic fashion to a cheering crew!

    YHC reminded the PAX the basic idea that F3 is a you-vs-you workout. Shortcuts do not do you any favors. If someone is ahead of you, then do not cut short your reps in order to keep up. Work harder so that you get stronger so you won’t have to do that in the (near) future. “The workouts don’t get easier but you will get stronger!” C’mon, MAN!

    There was a good level of mumble chatter throughout the morning as the team got to work. The Hallelujahs running added a twist to the normal sprints around the church building at The Creek. Spit took the lead and showed how committing to 3-4 F3 workouts per week can up the game!

    The PAX stopped in the middle of the field and looked up at the stars for a very short respite. Sometimes we need to look up in order to look forward and (re)engage with facing life’s challenges. The brief glance up set up the 20s for 20 throw down in the field.

    Guppie and Abacus lapped some of the PAX in their aggressive attacking of the “20s for 20” exercises in the field. They are a strong and competitive father/son combo. YardSale gave the “Thank you, Carpenter. Give me another!” part way through the “20s for 20” that showed that he was in for a good fight (against himself in F3 style). Toothbrush shared that he was about to throw up in the field. THAT is the goal, brothers! A splash merlot makes everything better but he was able to hold it in (this time).

    It was also noted the SSH total was 120 and it looks like YHC wants to increase that number with every Q (45 minutes of SSH…?)

    ESPN’s “30 for 30” documentary films was the inspiration for today’s Q. We went with “20 for 20” today but the PAX showed that they could step up to a “30 for 30” beat down in the very near future. we were just like ESPN (almost) today. Stay tuned for this possibility at The Creek or DaVille in the weeks ahead…

    The Carpenter

    Aye!!!

  • Road to the White House

    15 men stormed into the Atlee High School parking lot in the 83 degree heat at 5:30 AM. The GLOOM was hot and humid for sure! The theme for the workout was “Road to the White House.” This road is a race with many stops, bumps and turns along the way. You have to compete to win and victory requires vigilance. In this workout, the fight was against yourself.

    THANG

    COP

    Mosey over to the basketball court. Lab Rat poked fun at The Carpenter due to his first Q and that prompted The Carpenter to turn up the heat on the workout.

    101 SSH (as opposed to the original plan of 50), 15 Merkins, 20 Don Quixotes, 15 arm circles

    Mosey to the main road.

    Campaign this!

    Run the campaign by going from stop to stop on the campaign trail. The trail is from the edge of the parking lot to the far gate. Run and stop at every light (15 lights total) along the way to do 5 merkins. Celebrate at the gate with 20 burpees and then plank up to wait. Run the campaign back by running and stopping at every light (15 lights total) to do either 5 incline merkins or 5 decline merkins. Finish at the starting point by doing 50 LBCs and plank up.

    Mosey over to the bus loop.

    Battleground States

    Fight for the battleground states – Virginia, Ohio, Florida, North Carolina

    Runs the bus loop while stopping to fight (yourself) in the battleground state for votes.

    • First stop – Virginia – 10 jump squats
    • Second stop – Ohio – 20 werkins
    • Third stop – Florida – 20 dips
    • Last stop – North Carolina – 30 2 count mountain climbers

    Mosey to the flag in front of Chickahominy Middle School.

    Final campaign stretch

    Partner up at the flag pole. Carry your partner as far as possible then switch. Stagger until reach the parking lot and then run to the shovel flag.

    Vote Count

    20 count American hammers

    20 count flutter kicks

    30 count Alabama prom date

    Ring of fire – plank and hold while each person runs around the ring.

    Finish with the COT. The Carpenter took us out (“There is only one July 26th, 2016. Today is a gift that only comes once. May we go out and be all that God has called us to be with His strength”).

    MOLESKIN:

    Happy Birthday to Lab Rat’s son.

    This was the first Q for The Carpenter and he came with a election year theme. The men did not declare party affiliation. They put their energy into the workout instead.

    6 men rolled into the parking lot in a van together. Others showed up on their bikes or cars. The rally cry was issued as everyone came together. The COP seemingly started like a normal DaVille start. Lab Rat issued some commentary on The Carpenter’s talking and that triggered some competition. It had been reported that a workout in Florence, SC featured 100 SSHs. The Carpenter decided to beat that number by 1 and led 101 SSHs as a start. The chatter grew as the PAX ran over to the road.

    The PAX engaged in a strong run with merkins. Psycho arrived late and ran to the back of the high school to find everyone. He could have turned around and went home but persevered to find the crew. Lab Rat continued to talk all along the way. He must have enjoyed not Q’ing the morning. As always, Abacus brought enthusiasm and the heat. Once again, Furball and Loogie did fought through the workout and pushed through.

    The team cranked through the heat and humidity for a solid workout. They all achieved a swim workout through the humidity along with the workout.

    We continue to pray for Emoji’s wife as she undergoes chemotherapy. In addition, the team is looking to make a strong presence at the Reese Strong 5K on Saturday, September 17th (http://www.reesestrong.org/reesestrong-5k/).

    The Carpenter Out!