Author: The Carpenter

  • Bear-ly Alive!

    11 fighters descended into The Creek this morning (10 regulars and Flipper from deep Goochland) for a beat down worthy of a true fighter. The shovel flag was planted and the PAX went to work. If you could climb up the bell tower (cell tower that looks like a bell tower) then you would have looked down and watched this happen…

    Mosey around the church building in one direction and then reverse direction until the landing at the COP.

    COP

    5 SSHs IC, 10 burpees on your own, 20 Imperial Walkers IC, 20 Copperhead squats IC, 20 Don Quixotes IC, 20 Freddy Mercuries IC, 20 Merkins IC, Arms circles (10 big/5 small – reverso), 10 Burpees on your own, 5 SSHs IC

    Mosey to the front of the church building at the corner.

    “The Bear Went Round The Building”

    Bear crawl around the church building (1/6th mile) with stops at each corner. Corner #1 – 50 LBCs, Corner #2 – 50 two count flutter kicks, Corner #3 – 50 American Hammers, Corner #4 – 50 WWII sit-ups. Go and find the remaining “bears” and bring them home to the tree…

    Mosey to the picnic tables under the pavilion.

    Partner up – Dora 1-2-3 – 100 step-ups, 200 derkins, 300 jump squats (ended up doing ~200 jump squats due to time).

    Mosey to the flag

    Circle up. All of the PAX bear crawl in a circle until YHC calls out exercise. The exercises was 5 SSHs… Repeato

    Numerama, Namerama, Announcements

    Tea Party took us out with a prayer.

    NMS:

    The parking lot was empty 7 minutes before the workout except for Opus and Spit who arrived early to complete their daily challenge run. Chow-DAH slammed into the parking lot in his van and proceeded to do a victory tour around the perimeter. YHC was nervous that he was going to lay on the horn and wake up all of the natives in the surrounding houses. The rest rolled in at 5:28 or so and we took off running.

    The COP included the normal DaVille counting but then various languages were utilized. Spanish, French, Swahili and some other languages were uttered for counting. As always, Emoji tried to throw the PAX off with random number references but we were able to survive even without Abacus there to help us.

    Some mumble chatter fired up on Facebook last night in the DaVille message group and some had called for a bear crawl around the church building… YHC took note…

    The PAX gathered at the corner of the church building and YHC started whistling… This elicited inquisitive looks and then a groan. YHC sang, “The bears went round the building… The bears went round the building… The bears went round the building and what do you think they saw? The answer? Last night’s dinner on the ground from a splash merlot!”

    The PAX took off bear crawling and they took the challenge on directly. YHC was coming to the finish line when Chow-DAH started bringing the heat and the competitive juices started to flow. That guy is the brother that YHC never had (note: he grew up with 2 sisters and now has 4 daughters… that is why this guy needs some F3 connections). At the end, everyone rallied to help Chewy cross the finish line.

    The Dora 1-2-3 brought out some interesting action as Emoji decided to break out some John Travolta moves during the jump squats. The theme of the workout was “Bear-ly Alive!” and it was noted on Facebook later by a Restoration Church member that we should have sang “Bear-ly alive. Bear-ly alive. Ah ah ah ah… Bear-ly alive.” Emoji all but did that with his dance moves…

    Overall, the beat down went according to plan. There were numerous fart sackers and they missed out on the bear crawl fun. YHC is planning to have this workout make a comeback in the summer with crab crawls or something else…

    It was an honor to lead these men through another fight. We all need to embrace challenges in our lives and let them make us stronger. Every day starts better with a F3 beat down with brothers!

    ~ The Carpenter

    Announcements:

    Ashcreek 5K on May 20th. We are looking to fire up a BIG F3 presence. YHC has a verbal commitment for a table or booth from the organizer.  Check out the details and sign up here (indicate F3 as your team) – http://www.ashcreek5k.com

  • Embrace Challenge – 3rd F

    18 men, including 3 FNGs, fought off the fartsack for a spiritual workout in the Rise & Shine Diner side room. The men started filling the room starting at 6:15 am and all were set to go by 6:40 am when 2 kettle bell fighters completed the PAX. Here is what went down…

    Opening call to arms and prayer

    YHC shared the sixth lesson from the “7 Lessons in Manliness from the Greatest Generation”

    The Greatest Generation wasn’t the greatest despite the challenges they faced, but because of them. Today many men shirk challenge and difficult pursuits, believing that the easier life is, the happier they’ll be. But our grandfathers knew better. They knew that one cannot have the bitter without the sweet, and that true happiness comes from the overcoming the kind of challenges that build character and refine the soul. The challenges they experienced made their joy all the more sweet because it was tinged with gratitude of knowing how easily it could all have been taken away.

    The PAX did some heavy lifting by chewing on the following Bible verses:

    James 1:2-4

    2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

    2 Corinthians 4:8-9

    8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

    Romans 5:3-5

    3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

    Group Breakout – The PAX broke out into 3 groups at different tables. YHC threw down the challenge for the men to share from their personal experiences & struggles as opposed to talking in generalities. YHC handed out questions and the PAX got to work.

    Numberama, Namerama, Announcements.

    Abacus took us out.

    NMS:

    The Rise & Shine Diner was buzzing this morning with laughter and talking as the PAX rolled into the side room. There seemed to be a full team in place but then Mudface and Emoji rolled in with a Circus Maximus glow.  The Carpenter asked how it went and they said, “Rosie said to not tell you AND you are not allowed to read the backblast because you missed.” Good work on the fart sack punishment!

    YHC (Wild Thing) fired up the morning with a throw-down challenge to the men. He challenged the men to bring their lives to the table and share from personal experience as opposed to weak generalities. The PAX took up his challenge and fired up some impactful discussions around embracing challenges in our lives.

    Once again, the PAX realized that they were not alone in the struggles and challenges in this life. We are all struggling. We all need hope. We all are facing darkness. We all need help. We can’t fight these challenges alone and expect to win consistently. We need God and the PAX to MAN UP and STEP UP.

    This spiritual workout was one that we all needed.

  • MANNdate Launch!

    Ten enthusiastic men stormed the Washington-Henry Elementary school parking lot to fire up the first MANNdate AO located off of Mann Dr. in Mechanicsville.

    Here is what went down…

    Spit started the Q…

    COP – SSHs, Don Quixotes, Goblet squats, LBCs, Arm circles

    Mosey around the school over to the track. Pair up. Catch-me-if-you-can with one partner taking off running backwards with both kettle bells while the other does 5 burpees. Back-and-forth until two loops completed around the track.

    The Carpenter took the Q next…

    Continue with partners. One partner takes off lunging with his kettle bell in hand. The other partner does an exercise and then chases the partner. Switch and repeat until all exercises done twice. The exercises were (1) 10 swings (2) 20 presses – 10 for each arm (3) 10 situp presses. Run to the beginning and plank until everyone finished. 10 overhead presses at varying speeds.

    Mudface took the Q next…

    Continue with partners. Line up in pairs. The first pair takes off running around the track while the other pairs did (1) swings (2) halos (3) presses (4) copperhead squats. Death crawl to the next station after the running pair makes it around the track.

    Circle up for “KB ring around the rosie”

    Mosey back toward the SF…

    Emoji took the Q for the finish… 50 tricep lifts with heads on the curb.

    Numberama. Namerama. Announcements. The Carpenter took us out.

    NMS

    The troops were fired up for another new AO in Mechanicsville. The parking lot had multiple cars right after 5 am. The Carpenter didn’t follow directions and drove into the front entrance only to find that he had to exit in order to get over to the real parking lot. He then followed Helix who went into another parking lot that wasn’t connected to the real parking lot. They both eventually found the entrance off of Mann Dr. This shows that guys really don’t read instructions since it was made clear to enter from Mann Dr. and not Shady Grove Rd.

    Abacus jumped out of his car with higher energy than ever. Mumble chatter included statements like, “Did he take a Lab Rat pill this morning?” and other noteworthy quotes. Spit welcomed everyone to the start of the new AO and we were off to the races.

    New territory provides new possibilities and new questions. The sound of a rabid dog barking on the other side of the fence from the field raised questions of the need for a potential kettle bell run (away from the dogs). The PAX went to work and knocked out the exercises with intensity. The biggest challenge was finding a way to create a circle. The PAX couldn’t make one simply by sitting down so we had to rework it. We then launched into the “kb ring around the rosie.” There were some clear blockage points where 4, 5 even 6 kettle bells piled up… No names will be shared here but we will be watching this closely in the future…

    This morning was an encouraging launch of another AO with a lot of promise. Every post fights off the Sad Clown in us. Let’s keep posting. Let’s keep fighting. Let’s keep building strength together.

    Announcements

    • Extra kettle bells and weights were provided Bleeder. Donations can go to him to help feed the homeless.
    • Ashcreek 5K in Mechanicsville (neighborhood next The Creek) on May 20th. F3 will be fielding a big team and securing a booth to get the word out. Register here – https://www.raceit.com/Register/?event=39341. The race website is here – http://www.ashcreek5k.com.

     

     

     

  • Inauguration Perspiration

    23 fighters arrived on the scene to be inaugurated into a beat down that was well worth the alarm clock and pain. The shovel flag was planted, fist bumps were exchanged, side bumps were given and this is how it went down…

    Mosey around the church building to get the blood flowing. The PAX circled up to get inaugurated and we launched into the morning’s work.

    COP – The first “100 Days” Warmup

    All IC – 100 SSHs, 20 Imperial Walkers, 20 Mountain Climbers, 20 Copperhead Squats, 20 Don Quixote, 20 Hillbillies

    Get To Work, F3 PAX…

    Partner up – One set ran to the far side of the parking lot.

    Each group did the following: 50 LBCs, Broad jump burpees to the middle of the parking lot, lunges to the far side of the parking lot, 50 LBCs and plank up. Repeat going the other way.

    Bipartisan Beat Down

    Meet in the middle of the parking lot and then do 100 LBCs, Bear crawl to the far side of the parking lot, 100 LBCs and plank up.

    Leadership in the Dark

    Mosey to the field. Find your partner in the dark and get to work. 200 merkins total. One partner did the merkins while the other ran across the field to the road and back. Continued until all 200 merkins done. LBCs until everyone was finished.

    Bipartisan Repeat

    Mosey back to the parking lot and meet in the middle. Do 50 LBCs, Crab crawl to the far side of the parking lot, 50 LBCs. Continue to do LBCs until everyone finished.

    100 Day Finish Line

    Mosey to the flag. 100 SSHs IC…

    Numberama, Namerama, Announcements.

    Psycho took us out.

    Moleskin

    There is only one January 20th, 2017 and today is inauguration day. This day called for some perspiration from the PAX – some “inauguration perspiration.”

    As is always the case, The Creek’s parking lot was buzzing by 5:20 am. Some of the PAX have bought into the intense side bumps that greet guys as they roll out of their cars. Nobody got hurt today but we can’t promise that in the future…

    23 guys ranging from age 8 to age 60 launched out into the workout with reckless abandon. The YHC wanted to find a new warmup location since we have been settling into the same location. We blazed a trail through the normal spots and circled the church building.

    We circled up and the stragglers make there way to team. YHC shared how it was inauguration day – OUR inauguration day. He said, “Repeat after me using your F3 name… I, <insert name here>, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of the F3 PAX and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the right to receive a F3 BEAT DOWN!” He followed up with, “you have been inaugurated. Now it is time for your first 100 days. 100 days of PAIN!”

    The PAX got right to work with YHC’s favorite discipline of the 100 SSHs. The Creek and Daville are growing in strength with this fun-filled adventure of SSHs. Emoji kept trying to throw everyone off by yelling out numbers that were way ahead of the pace (e.g. yelling 39 when we were at 9 or 99 when we were at 49). This has become an Emoji special. The rest of the workout included exercises of 100 or sets that added up to 100.

    YHC demo’d a broad jump burpee and Abacus seemed to be impressed with the broad jump. Abacus is not easily impressed. Chow-DAH chimed in and said that it must be the year of the FROG in the Chinese calendar. (Note: YHC is 51% Chinese. He is technically 1/3 Chinese according to his middle school friends in Jersey because he was good in math, horrible in ping pong and never took karate – that description probably wouldn’t fly in our culture today but it is still true).

    The transition from the parking lot to the field always messes everyone up because it is pitch dark. The change from the bright parking lot lights to nothing causes an unpredictable vertigo-like response that can mess with the senses. That provides a perfect opportunity to trick the body even more! The PAX ran through the field in the dark and YHC witnessed numerous near collisions. Beautiful.

    The PAX rolled back toward the parking lot and YHC had a slower ending in mind before Abacus or someone who sounded like Abacus said something like, “Really? Already? That’s it…” That prompted YHC to run back another set of the parking lot exercise with the crab crawl. It was quite a scene to see 23 men take off across the parking lot like a bunch of scared crabs in a Maryland crab hunt (whatever that means).

    The final set of 100 SSHs was not greeted with enthusiasm. YHC was wondering if this would break the crew but everyone pushed hard to the end.

    The old adage, “The workouts do not get easier BUT you will get stronger” undergirded today’s fun fest at The Creek.

    A final highlight came when we brought it in. We huddled up and stood there awkwardly for 10 seconds. Everyone looked up and YHC said, “Look around. Look at us. We are crazy enough to do this and we are better for it. This is a gift. Now, go and find at least one other man who needs to get out of the fart sack and have his sad clown syndrome killed at the root!” Psycho took us out with a bold prayer and we all launched into our day.

    It is an honor to have lead this crew of fighters this morning. We all are facing life’s challenges. The good news is that we do not have to face them ALONE. We have God’s help if we look to Him and we have one another for support, encouragement and accountability. Let’s keep it rolling!

    The Carpenter

     

  • The Snowdown Throwdown!

    13 PAX drove over snow and ice in order to slam into the Atlee High School parking lot this morning for Daville. The PAX gathered for some quick hellos and then the fun began. YHC instructed the PAX to grab a big ball of ice or snow and then mosey over to the bus loop.  Here is how it went down…

    Snowdown Warmup

    The PAX slammed the snow & ice balls to ground.

    100 SSHs, 2 minutes of LBCs, 10 Don Quixotes, 10/5 arm circles forward & backward.

    Mosey over to the field.

    Snow Pyramid (Igloo?)

    Line up in front of the goal posts.

    1 burpee, 2 merkins, 3 wwII sit-ups, 4 jump squats – run across the field to the other goal post.

    5 burpees, 6 merkins, 7, WWII sit-ups, 8 jump squats – run backwards across the field to the goal post.

    9 burpees, 10 merkins, 11 WWII sit-ups, 12 jump squats – run back across the field.

    13 burpees, 14 merkins, 15 WWII sit-ups, 16 jump squats

    Touchdown Al Gore until everyone finished.

    5 pull-ups on the goal post or the pull-up bars on the far side of the field.

    Mosey on the road around to the gate. LBCs until everyone caught up.

    Snow Crunch

    Run the (icy) road that loops back to the far side of the high school. Stop and do 10 LBCs at every other light post.

    Mosey back to the flag. 10 SSHs… Number-rama, Name-a-rama, COT.

    SPIT took us out.

    6 gathered for coffeeteria at the Starbucks in Kroger afterwards.

    Moleskin

    Most of the PAX stayed in their cars until the final seconds before the beginning of the festivities. YHC called for each man to grab a large ice or snow ball and run with it. The mumble chatter wondered if we were going to carry these ice balls for the whole workout. That question was answered after the PAX circled up for the initial exercises.

    The theme of this workout was “The Snowdown Throwdown.” YHC did not want to hide from the snow and ice. We were destined to attack and tackle the snow and ice head on. Why not show who is boss by smashing ice balls into the ground? That is what we did with vengeance.

    The bone-chilling cold was starting to take root after the throw down so YHC decided to fire up 100 SSHs to take care of that issue. Problem solved! Groans went up as YHC called for 2 minutes of LBCs on the snow. Many groaned as the 2 minutes seemed to last forever. One voice exclaimed, “Did you say 2 minutes or 2 hours?” YHC’s response? “You just wait…”

    The run over to the track and field provided a preview of the icy challenge as many tried to avoid the black ice, white ice, green ice, any ice… The transition to the snowy field was somewhat welcomed in contrast to the ice. The PAX tackled the exercises in style, including sprints across the football field. The lone lacrosse goal in the field almost captured some as we sprinted for the touchdown but no injuries were reported. Pull-ups on the goal post brought laughter and multiple Christmas Story references of “don’t put your tongue on that bar…” Slightly awkward but appropriate for the moment…

    The PAX smashed the full loop around the three schools with LBCs on the icy road. Some took the wiser route of running on the sidewalk while others fought through the challenge of running on ice.

    We had fun this morning for sure. The large amount of running may not have been universally embraced by all but it kept us moving.

    I couldn’t have been prouder of this team and the commitment to getting stronger together.

  • Not-So-Secret Santa!

    17 PAX, including 2 FNGs, showed up to fight (you vs. you) this morning and didn’t use the cold weather as an excuse to embrace their pillows in the fart sack. YHC planted the shovel flag that Spit brought to the festivities and the PAX launched out into the mission of discipline and pain.

    THANG

    Mosey around the field to the far corner and then back to the parking lot.

    50 SSHs

    20 LBCs

    20 Don Quixotes

    10 Arm circles, 5 large – reverso

    50 SSHs + 5 more SSHs

    20 Helicopters

    20 Imperial Walkers

    Secret Santa

    Partner up and prepare. YHC said, “Repeat after me…”

    – “Merry Christmas”

    – “I am your not-so-secret Santa”

    – “I have a gift for you”

    – “It is a BEATDOWN!”  

    1 partner ran around the building while the other exercises and rotate until done. Help with the others until everyone has finished the work.

    – 50 Burpees

    – 100 Merkins

    – 200 two count American Hammers

    – 200 two count Mountain Climbers

    – 100 Merkins

    – 50 Burpees

    Mosey back to the shovel flag and circle up

    – 20 Copperhead Squats

    – 20 Freddy Mercuries

    – 20 American Hammers

    – 15 Flutter Kicks

    – 50 SSHs

     

    Announcements:

    – Hampton Roads – Rosie is leading a trip down tomorrow. Check out the preblast for information

    – 3rd F experiment at Rise & Shine Diner fired up yesterday morning and will meet again this coming Thursday.

     

    NNM

    Strong work this morning by the PAX. The 27 degree weather increased the intensity and sense of shared challenge. We were missing some normal guys due to travel and fart sacking but a strong team stormed the parking lot and got to work. The mumble chatter was minimal due to heavy breathing that could be seen due to the frigid air. There was notable encouragement during each transition from the exercise to the run during the Secret Santa gift “exchange.”

    The loudest laughter came when YHC asked the PAX to repeat after him and they said to their partners, “I have a gift for you… It is a BEATDOWN!” The gift was given and given with intensity.

    Spit burned through the runs around the building in between exercises and continues to excel. Nobody gave up and everyone pushed through challenge together. Opus continues to take no prisoners with his commitment and improvement. He leads music at an elementary school by day but he is a becoming a beast in the mornings!

    Two FNGs came to play and they brought their A-game for sure. Small Mouth (FNG) had heard about F3 but had hurt his back right before it launched. He drove 30 minutes to engage in the workout. That is dedication to discipline! Spare (FNG) was EH’d by Mudface at the Beer & Hymns gathering last night at Center of the Universe brewery where Chow-DAH led the music with his notable guitar and singing skills.

    There are all kinds of connections and opportunities right in front of us if we keep our eyes open. The SadClown Syndrome better be scared because we are taking it to it hard. This race is a marathon, not a sprint, and we need one another to keep pushing forward one day at a time. Our wives, children, friends, co-workers, neighbors, communities of faith and strangers in need can be impacted eternally as we continue to engage and reject passivity as men.

    Let’s keep pressing on!

    The Carpenter

     

     

  • 3rd F Experiment – Rise Up!

    24 men stormed out of their beds to participate in a 3rd F experiment at the Rise & Shine Diner at 6:30 am. Most of the crowd were guys from the DaVille area. Some of them have engaged in 1st F workouts while others are actively considering joining us in the gloom.

    Here is what went down this morning:

    YHC (Wild Thing) opened up with a call to arms and challenged the men to embrace a vision of teaming up as men to fight the battles of their lives. He shared from Luke 2 in the Bible and described how the shepherds didn’t keep the good news of God to themselves but they went and shared it. YHC challenged the men to go out and share the good news of how they are being impacted by meetings like this one. He invited The Carpenter to share.

    The Carpenter followed up by sharing about the men’s group called MANera that recently moved to this new location. This men’s group had grown to a weekly gathering of 40-50 men years ago but never planted a new one. The men had engaged in topics that helped them in their marriages, parenting, leadership and faith that led to concrete action steps. He shared how the 3rd F could be the way to resurrect and expand these kinds of discussions and action steps. He also shared about the SadClown Syndrome and how F3 is like targeted chemotherapy to kill it off. As SadClowns, we are all smiling on the outside while sad (or dying) on the inside. We need to rise up!

    YHC then opened up the floor for input on how this 3rd F gathering can be impactful. 

    • Abacus fired up the discussion with a hard-hitting challenge to the men in the room. He shared how the meetings need to focus on topics that truly challenge men. He described how the physical workouts push our physical bodies but we also need to push our hearts & minds.
    • Another man shared about how he needed a place to know that he was not alone with his struggles.
    • Another man shared the idea of bringing in experts to talk on topics and then have the men engage in discussions around those topics.
    • The men then entered into a spirited debate about how to go about doing this. Some wanted lighter topics that allowed for more men to check out the group. Others wanted hard-hitting topics that would go right to the gut of the problem. The attack plan will be determined as we experiment.
    • Earthworm shared about what he has implemented with GridIron. He shared about the 15 pre-game devotion that he led and how it began with his leadership but is not mostly led by other men. He also shared about Ben Franklin’s idea for engaging business leaders and how we can follow a similar pattern for bringing in experts to push us in our thinking and action.

    Abacus followed up with the idea of having different men “Q” this spiritual 3rd F “AO” and to let them decide on the format and content. This would be like the physical workouts but these would be spiritual workouts. Abacus volunteered to Q next Thursday’s spiritual workout. At least two other men expressed an interest in stepping up to Q in the coming weeks. One man shared that he would like to start a new 3rd F AO in the near future.

    The group agreed that we need both physical and spiritual workouts to grow as men in our leadership and faith. The current F3 guys saw the value of adding in spiritual workouts (3rd F). The other guys heard about the value for adding in physical workouts (1st F). Over all of this, the men saw the potential for 2nd F opportunities to bring the groups together to build up the camaraderie toward both.

    Stay tuned for what can come from all of this…

    Something is happening here that can add gasoline to the F3 fire through 3rd F discussions that lead to concrete action.

    We all want to kill the SadClown Syndrome in our lives.

    We need more than the workouts. We need God’s help and each other. If a man leaves “the herd” then he will become dead meat.

    We are in this together!

     

  • Preblast: 3rd F – Rise Up!

    The PAX has been killing it with the physical workouts but we think that it is time to RISE UP and engage in some spiritual workouts as well.

    1 Timothy 4:8 in the Bible states, “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things,holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”

    We need BOTH physical AND spiritual training if we want to see true change in our lives.

    We will be seeking to provide some tools to help men attack the SadClown Syndrome and improve our marriages, parenting, leadership and overall life. We can’t face life’s challenges alone and we need more. We need God’s help to attack and overcome our struggles (and we all have battles we are fighting or avoiding).

    F3’s mission is, “to plan, serve and grow men’s small workout groups, in order to reinvigorate male community leadership.” We want to build upon the foundation of the first two F’s and light up the 3rd F in a way that not even Charlotte has figured out!

    How will we do this?

    This first spiritual workout will meet at Rise & Shine Diner (10372 Leadbetter Rd
    Ashland, VA 23005) at 6:30 am for one hour of hard-hitting conversations and action steps. We will take this Thursday morning to discuss what this can be and what we want to attack together. No doubt, we want this to be a lot more than a cute Bible study or an intellectual exercise. We want to see our lives impacted and changed!

    We will be looking to start other spiritual workouts with additional spiritual Qs that challenge us to go deeper with our faith in God and with one another. It is time to rise up!

    Are you IN? Decide now to SHOW UP and see how a spiritual workout can build on the physical workouts.

    The Carpenter – with inspiration from Abacus, Wild Thing and Spit!

  • Karate Kid

    Nineteen men spanning five decades of ages stormed the parking lot to post at The Creek along with one FNG. The Carpenter (YHC) planted the shovel flag (thanks to Toga!) and the PAX took off running across the field into the dark to begin the workout.

    The THANG:

    COP warmup: Merkins IC x20, SSH IC x60, Arm Circles IC x10 large/x5 small reverso, Merkins IC x20, Copperhead Squats IC x10, SSH IC x20, Merkins IC x20, Copperhead Squats IC x10, SSH IC x20.

    Mosey back to the parking lot near the corner of the church building.

    Run from the Cobra Kai
    Catch Me If You Can – Partner up.
    First partner does 20 Merkins while the second partner takes off around the church building. The second partner stopped to do 10 Merkins at the halfway point. If the first partner catches the second partner, then the second partner does 20 Burpees. If the first partner doesn’t catch the second partner, then he does 10 Burpees.

    Repeat, switching roles.

    Training with Miaygi
    Mosey to the pavilion and locate a picnic table bench.
    10 Merkins, 10 Incline Merkins, 10 Derkins, Plank until everyone is done, 30 SSHs IC
    Repeat 3x

    The Tournament
    Mosey back to parking lot. Line up opposite one another with half the men on one side of the parking lot and half the men on the other side. Step toward your partner. Bow. Do an exercise. Rotate down one person to face a new opponent. Repeat.
    Here were the exercises:
    5 Burpees, 20 Merkins, 20 American Hammers, 12 Imperial Walkers, 10 WWII Sit-Ups, Crab crawl to the edge of the parking/Bear crawl back to the original position.

    The final exercise was “Daniel-Sons” (think of Daniel Larusso on the beach and then the final move in the tournament against Johnny Lawrence). Do as many as you can. The last two going faced off against each other and continued until finished.

    Mosey to the SF.

    Merkins IC x20, SSH IC x30

    COT
    Updates shared – 190 Merkins today (for the November challenge) and 190 SSHs to match them…
    YHC took us out

    Moleskin:

    YHC rolled into the parking lot at 5:20 am and saw 10 men already circled up and ready to go. Cars continued to pile into the lot. Two Boston Red Sox fans met for the first time (Chow-DAH and a FNG now known as Tea Party). They were surprised to see a man get out of his truck who looked like Rob Gronkowski. It was actually a F3 returner named Hoss. Ratio was also back and he opened his mouth with some immediate trash talk to YHC (no surprise here!).

    The theme of the morning was Karate Kid (1984 version). The PAX didn’t realize that they had automatically been signed up to The Creek dojo with The Carpenter as the Sensei. The Carpenter’s Dad has a similar look to Miyagi so everything kind of fit together…

    The mumble chatter was loud due to the normal enthusiasts (Emoji, Abacus). The COP warmup was as close to the surrounding houses as we could get. The loud counting hopefully woke up some fart sackers and peaked the interest of sad clowns all around The Creek area…

    YHC brought out “Catch Me If You Can” but reframed it in light of Daniel Larusso’s running away from the Cobra Kai. The Merkins partway around the church building simulated Daniel’s attempt to climb the fence before being pulled down. Unfortunately for the PAX, there was no Miyagi to save them from the burpees and intense sprints.

    The Tournament provided ample opportunities for Karate Kid quotes to be shared. The PAX shouted out, “Sweep the leg, Johnny,” “Put him in a body bag,” “Mercy is for the weak, when you are on the streets…,” “Squash like grape,” and the singing of “You’re the Best Around.”

    The “Daniel-Son” exercise ended up looking more like a Russian dance or Irish jig than a karate tournament fight. Spit and Toga outlasted Chapstick by 3 seconds and they were anointed the two finalists. The PAX circled up and cheered them on as they went head-to-head on the final exercise. Toga pulled out the victory and cheers erupted!

    The announcements included updates on the F3 Hampton Roads expansion.

    Ratio shared about his wife’s friend who has been battling bladder cancer and is now on hospice. He asked for prayers for her, her family and his wife (close friend). Emoji shared about his wife’s chemotherapy and recent struggles as she finishes up the treatments this month.

    The PAX pulled in and YHC took us out. Ratio was overtaken by the moment and started to cry. The whole PAX surrounded our brother and encouraged him after the prayer.

    F3 is a LOT more than just a workout. We are a band of brothers who are in the battle together. We are fighting more than burpees and derkins. We are all facing life’s challenges but we do not have to face them alone. We can face them together. We need to stay with the pack and fight our sad clown tendencies on all fronts!

    Game over… The Carpenter is OUT!

  • Triple Threat

    14 men spanning five decades stormed into the Atlee High School parking lot in the gloom for a triple helping of a beatdown that went something like this:

    THANG

    Threat #1 – Spit started as Q

    Parking lot chasers

    COP:

    SSH x25, Invisible Jumprope x15, Don Quixote x15, LBC’s x25, Flutter Kicks x15, Freddie Mercuries x 15, Arm circles 5 large 5 small reverse, 20 Merkins on your own

    Threat #2 – Emoji took over the Q

    Mosey over to the bus loop and then around the bus loop.

    Run 10 steps forward, 10 steps backward between 4 stations around the bus loop

    1. Merkins x20
    2. Jump squats x20
    3. WWII sit-ups x20
    4. Dips x20

    Repeat for a total of 3x.

    Threat #3 – The Carpenter took over the Q

    Theme: Reliving Middle School

    Mosey halfway around Chickahominy Middle School to the tennis courts. Partner up. 1 person runs around the middle school while the other exercises.

    1. Sixth grade – bear crawl from the tennis court fence to the net and back (repeat until the partner finishes the loop around the middle school).
    2. Seventh grade – crab crawl from the tennis court fence to the net and back (repeat until the partner finishes the loop around the middle school).
    3. Eighth grade – SSHs (repeat until the partner finishes the loop around the middle school).
    4. Early AP classes – SSHs (repeat until the partner finishes the loop around the middle school).

    Mosey back to the flag.

    COT: Abacus took us out.

    Moleskin:

    The Q listing on the spreadsheet was empty until yesterday so Spit, Emoji and The Carpenter stepped into the gap. Emoji had never served as QIC before so this was a perfect way to give him some experience and set up his soon to be full VQ. Right, Emoji???

    The mumble chatter was quiet at first during the COP but that changed with the ever-present DaVille counting method. Abacus started the madness of counting 1 instead of 11 and then following that pattern for the subsequent numbers way back in March. It has continued to this day… Emoji has enjoyed throwing out random numbers to add more confusion to the PAX but also laughter. The PAX was engaged by the end of Spit’s part of the Q.

    Emoji then took us to the famous bus loop where we almost got run over by a police car a few months ago in the dark. The lights were on so that was not a problem this time. Emoji introduced a wrinkle into the loop by calling for running 10 steps forward and then 10 steps backward and repeat between stations. Cries of “Vertigo!” were going up around the PAX as the twists and turns added to the challenge.

    The Carpenter led the PAX around to the back of the middle school where Chapstick mumbled, “Oh, are we only going to run around the school.” That called for an increase in the pain so instead of doing the original “nicer” exercises, The Carpenter called for bear crawls and crab crawls along with his favorite SSHs. The sounds of bear moaning (whatever that means) could be heard as the approximate 1/3 – 1/2 mile loop around the middle school did not lend to a quick run by the partners as the others exercises.

    Spike, Phonics and Anchovy took off running and took no prisoners as they sped around the school. The others played catch up and even watched Spike and Phonics loop the whole PAX. Very impressive!

    Helix brought his son and the FNG was named Hatrick in light of his love of hockey. The Helix / Hatrick combination adds yet another father/son combo out here at DaVille and The Creek. Yardsale/Chapstick and Abacus/Guppy have showed up together. There is rumor that a father/son FNG combo is debuting at The Creek on Friday. This is a fine way to teach the next generation to engage in self-discipline in a “you vs. you” way! Way to go men.

    Ironically, the three QICs today only have daughters (The Carpenter has 4 daughters, Emoji has 2 daughters and Spit has 1 daughter) so they cannot participate in the father/son combo. It looks like the QICs need to get to work…

    – Triple Threat (Spit, Emoji, The Carpenter) out!