Author: Johnsonville

  • CircusMaximus with a Thanksgiving Skeleton Crew

    Three Redwoods posted for a special 1-hour kettlebell extravaganza on Thanksgiving. Johnsonville planted a VSF and took the Q. This is what went down:

    warmup with ssh, don quiote, scap merkins, arm circles, etc.

    waiter carry around cm

    deck of death with the following assignments —
    spades = goblet squat with a press at the top
    diamonds = merkin rows
    hearts = sit and press
    clubs = pax picks (rotating)

    during the deck of death, there were 2 intermissions where the PAX did various KB carries.

    4 minutes of mary

    Is there a better way to prepare oneself for visits by extended family members and uncomfortable discussions about politics than this?

    The temperature was fairly comfortable. Rain threatened early but never arrived (other than a very slight drizzle at times)

    In the middle of the deck of death, YHC had to duck out for a few on account of getting slightly “glutened” the evening before. White deer and Earthworm claimed that all of the high cards came out when YHC was gone. But, there were at least 14 face cards that appeared after I returned. You do the math….

    Great job, men. I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving! Jville

  • eMoms done by e(ight) Dudes

    Eight redwoods posted in the chilly darkness at #Riverrun this morning. Most waited in their cars until about 3 minutes out, and then hopped around until we got down to business. Johnsonville (YHC) planted a VSF near the SUVs and took Q. This is (very) roughly how the gloom went down:

    COP warmup near VSF (ssh, don quiote, slow squats)

    Bear crawl to front side of the parking lot for more warmup (extreme hillbillies, arm circles).

    Mosey out to James River Road. Commence 31 sets of EMOMs (i.e., “Every Minute on the Minute”) with 40 seconds “on”, 20 seconds “off.” The 1st set was a brisk run north on James River Road. The 2nd set was WWII situps. The 3rd set, and every third set after that, was burpees. I cannot begin to recreate all 31 of the exercises we did, but they included 10 sets of burpees, 4 brisk runs, merkins, wide merkins, diamond merkins, staggered merkins (right), staggered merkins (left), jump squats, box cutters, Alabama prom dates, (more) hillbillies, balls to the wall, bear crawls, crawl bears, crab walks, wall planks, plank walks, Peter Parkers, and donkey kicks. YHC, being a sort-of-benvolent-dictator, permitted every member of the PAX to pick 1 exercise along the way.

    Accounting for the brisk runs, we finished in the parking lot across from the JR football stadium. We then mosied back up to the VSF for a final COP, including 30 American Hammers and 20 Hello Dollies.

    Announcements:
    – Hardywood to lead a team to VA Beach this weekend. There are only 2 more teams from F3 RVA going out there (at least in connection with the organized launch), including Hardywood’s team, so YHC encouraged men to tag along for the fellowship and experience.
    – Special Thanksgiving Workouts: 1hr workout @ Mary [0530 Start]; and 1 hour kettlebell workout at CircusMaxumus [0700 Start]. That is a doozy of a double-dip challenge…. Who is up for it?
    – We are continuing with our “pregame” bible study series at #GridIron this Saturday and next. Those start at 0645 and last for 15 minutes. Come check it out for some 3rd F. They have been excellent.

    MOLESKIN:
    YHC’s head was spinning after this workout. Burpees are not kind to me. I don’t think we ignored any muscle groups.

    Rosie smoked everyone on the runs. I noticed that as soon as I called a run, he headed 25 yards in the other direction to give the PAX a decent lead. He nevertheless finished ~75 yards ahead. Gumbo was an all around strength leader as well. Mr. Roper has expanded his F3 participation beyond Tuesday’s #NoToll workout. He has come a long way and is steadily growing stronger.

    YHC is pleased to see more of McRib as well since he relocated. YHC is pleased to see the new-ish southsiders — Flatline, Horse & Buggy, and Chicken Parm — coming back for more F3 “fun” at #Riverrun. Keep at it. Give Rosie a reason to try harder.

    I would encourage all southsiders to come check out #CircusMaximus on Thursdays. It is at MillsGodwin HS, which is just a quick jaunt up 288 from the Midlo area. It is a dedicated kettlebell workout, so let me know if you need me to try to track down a loaner. Alternatively, #45MOM offers a traditional bootcamp workout on Thursdays.

    Great job, men. Jville

  • All Fs Covered

    Four of the faithful met at #GridIron at 0645 on Saturday morning. Earthworm led a 15 minute “pregame”, discussing the shield of faith referenced in Ephesians 6:16. Johnonville then planted a VSF and took the Q. This is how it went down, more or less:

    Warmup COP near VSF with ssh, don quiote, imperial walkers, hillbillies, and merkins.

    Mosey to pillars. COP with standing mountain climbers and mountain climbers.

    Mosey to rusty cage.

    10x pullups OYO
    20x merkins in COP
    30x squats in COP
    rinse and repeat

    Mosey to foul line by outfield wall. Bear crawl as far as possible.
    Mosey back to rusty cage.

    10x pullups OYO
    20x merkins in COP
    30x squats in COP
    rinse and repeat

    Mosey to foul line by outfield wall. Crawl bear as far as possible.
    Mosey back to rusty cage.

    10x pullups OYO
    20x merkins in COP
    30x squats in COP
    rinse and repeat

    Mosey to foul line by outfield wall. Crab walk as far as possible.
    Mosey to wall by school’s back courtyard.

    20x donkey kicks
    20x wall planks
    10x balls to the wall.

    Mary and ring of fire.

    COT with Earthworm taking us out.
    Announcements + coffeeteria (covering 2nd F).

    Moleskin — Th foundation of this workout was inspired by the crossfit “Murph”, but we substituted some of the grind for some different flavors of grind — namely, crawls and walls.

    As always, Earthworm did a fabulous job leading our 3rd F “pregame”. There are 3 more “pregames” coming up in that series. They are:

    Nov. 19 — Helmet of Salvation
    Nov. 26 — Sward of the Word of God
    Dec. 3 — The Power of Prayer

    I believe that Cecil will be leading the first two of those and Attila the last. All are welcome.

    Nightcrawler did not seem thrilled about all of the merkins, but he excelled at that donkey kicks, getting at least 10″ higher than everyone else.

    Great job men! Jville

  • #CircusMaximus and the Kettlebell Escalator

    Three of the faithful gathered on a cool fall morning with kettlebells in hand. Johnsonville plated a VSF and took Q. This is how it went down, more or less:

    warmup with ssh, merkins, don quiotes, arm circles, and imperial walkers

    Mosey to back of parking lot.

    Kettlebell Escalator set #1 (all exercises OYO):
    10x American Hammers
    20x sit & press
    30x merkins
    40x clean & jerk (20x each arm)
    50 LBCX

    Mosey to north side of bus loop (all exercises OYO).

    Kettlebell Escalator set #2:
    10x squat & press
    20x curls (10x each arm)
    30x rows (15x each arm)
    40x single arm swings (20x each arm)
    50x mountain climbers

    Mosey to around bus loop in grassy area by VSF (all exercises OYO).

    10x burpees
    20x wall thrusts
    30x merkins
    40x figure 8s (switching direction after 20x)
    50x halos (switching direction after 25x)

    Mosey under lighted bus loading area.

    Two arm swings in cadence
    6 minutes of Mary

    COT with YHC taking us out.

    Moleskin — A number of our regulars were out today, but we had a strong showing by those who attended. We have come a long with kettlebell strength of the past 6 months or so. Many of us are ready for an upgrade. Great job, men!

    Jville

  • Blackjack at Riverrun

    Five of the faithful and two FNGs posted at RiverRun on a crisp fall morning for some gloom. McRib arrived at the last minute. Johnsonville (YHC) planted a VSF, gave a lengthy disclaimer, and commenced the following workout:

    COP warmup — SSH, Don Quiotes, Imperial Walker, arm circles

    Mosey across field behind Betty Weaver ES to large parking area across from JR football field.

    COP warmup — hillbillies, scap merkins, LBCs

    Blackjack as follows —
    — start beneath light near corner of parking lot
    — run clockwise around lot to light near next corner. Plank until all are together. Do 20 merkins and 1 crabcake.
    — run clockwise around lot to light near next corner. Plank until all are together. Do 19 merkins and 2 crabcakes.
    — rinse and repeat until you get to 1 merkin and 20 crabcakes.
    — at about the 10/11 mark YHC recommended that the PAX replace crabcakes with LBCs.

    Line up along parking lines for Ark Loader as follows:
    — lunge about 35 yards to parking spaces several rows over
    — karaoke back
    — opposite karaoke back
    — bunny hop back
    — single leg side hops

    Mosey back to VSF. COP flutter kicks until time ran out.

    Number-rama, name-a-rama, announcements, COT with YHC taking us out.

    MOLESKIN —

    Welcome FNG ChickenParm and FNG Karaoke. Welcome back out HorseandBuggy. Welcome to Riverrun McRib. It was great having you guys out!

    This was not a particularly easy workout for FNGs because of the high reps, but everyone pushed through. In my defense, Rosie suggested this workout while we were driving to VA Beach on Saturday. It is Rosie’s fault! Hopefully chests and shoulders will not be too sore tomorrow.

    By my count, we did 210 merkins this morning.

    Have a grat day! Jville

    PS – “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” 1 Peter 5:6

    PS# #2 – Here is the upcoming schedule for supporting F3HamptonRoads —
    11/12 — Charleston (The word on the street is that they need more support team numbers. Please consider posting down there this weekend if you can. We were back by noon.)
    11/19 — Team Swirly (with Bleeder and TYA on crew — and others)
    11/26 — Team Hardywood (crew TBD) [THANKSGIVING WEEKEND]
    12/3– Charlotte/Raleigh/Charleston
    12/10 — Team Rosie (crew TBD). This is the big handoff.

  • Building a Foundation

    It was a chilly but awesome morning at Gridiron. It was a foundational day, just getting back to basics. We continue to build our minds, bodies and spirits. The PAX started with a look at 1 Corinthians 3:11 and building of a firm foundation in a faithful and perfect God. After studying about the “Footwear of Gospel Readiness,” we were off to build upon our foundation of physical strength.

    The Thang:
    25 SSH IC
    25 DQ IC
    25 Helicopters IC
    20 Freddy Mercuries IC
    10 Merkins IC
    30 second Hollow Hold
    25 Crab Cakes IC

    Mosey to the grassy knoll for 10 minutes of Burpees

    Mosey to the nearest pavilion for 20/20’s
    20 Dips OYO
    20 Right Leg Step-Ups OYO
    20 Dips OYO
    20 Left Leg Step-Ups OYO

    Mosey to the playground:
    10 Pull-ups
    15 Monkey Humpers
    10 Pull-ups

    Mosey to another pavilion for more 20/20’s
    20 Dips OYO
    20 Right Leg Step-Ups OYO
    20 Dips OYO
    20 Left Leg Step-Ups OYO
    25 PLTs (rinse and repeat for a total of 50)

    Mosey to the football field:

    100 yard Merkin Challenge friendly Beast with Merkins, Squats, Merkins, Monkey Humpers, LBCs and Merkins

    Triple Check: Wall Sit at press box, APDs, Kareoke across football field and back

    COT: Counterama and Namerama; Earthworm took us out with a great closing prayer of thankfulness.

    For the record, this QIC rules that the burpees do count in the Merkin Challenge. The Gridiron contingency easily approached 200 this morning. Strong showing by the PAX, especially Chum Bucket. He had the best form throughout the day, and led the charge on many exercises. YHC was grateful for that since I was battling a cold and sleep deprivation.

    We continue to hear mumble chatter from White Deer. His loudest (and signature) protest did not come from his mouth as we warmed up with Freddy Mercuries. If you know White Deer, you know what body part did his “talking.” White Deer’s greatest contribution to the workout continues to be his ongoing headlock of Emu. It is great to see Emu becoming a Gridiron regular. He is pushing himself and growing stronger. He is a valued member of the PAX.

    Thanks to Earthworm for his continued fingerprints on our study of the “Armor of God” pre-game. Despite being on the DL, I am thankful to see him on Saturday mornings. F3 is about more than fitness, and his leadership and participation in all facets of the PAX experience sets a great example for all of us.

    What should our foundation be?
    1 Corinthians 3:11
    11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

    Attila

  • Plenty of Lightage at CM and Plenty of Gloom

    Six of the faithful gathered at #CircusMaximus, all (eventually) having kettlebells in hand. Parking lot lights were shining bright this morning. There were some yawns in the PAX a the outset due to the exquisite late-night World Series finale. We quickly got down to business with Johnsonville (YHC) at Q, and this is how things went down, more or less:

    COP warmups (SSH, merkins, arm circles, don quiotes, waiter carry across parking lot and back)
    Ciabatta single arm swings. Waiter carry across parking lot and back.
    Ciabatta merkin rows. Waiter carry part way ’round CM.
    Ciabatta clean and jerk. Plank series. Waiter carry to top of CM near Pump Rd.
    Ciabatta goblet squats. Plank series. Waiter carry around front of school.
    Ciabatta halos. Waiter carry to sidewalk by top of CM.
    Ciabatta sit and press.

    Plank in a line, heads near feet.
    Variation of native American run along sidewalk toward VSF, except last member of PAX does death crawl with kettlebell to front of plank line. Rinse and repeat until Q says otherwise.

    MOLESKIN:

    Many are taking on the merkin challenge. We did 30x in warmup. We also did merkins rows, but since they were OYO, counts varied.

    Atilla texted YHC after the World Series game expressing regrets that he could not function on only 4 hours sleep. Atilla is carrying Q at #GridIron on Saturday plus leading our 3rd F pre-game beforehand. Atilla rarely misses a #CM or a #GridIron. He gets a pass this time, and probably next.

    FlipPhone has not yet invested in a kettlebell of his own. He has been borrowing one from WhiteDeer and DonerKebab, as needed. Several weeks ago, neither WhiteDeer or DonerKebab posted, and FlipPhone was relegated to body weight exercises while the PAX slogged through kettlebell sequences. FlipPhone phoned YHC at about 4am this morning (no doubt using his actual flip phone) to see if a loaner kettlebell would be available. Luckily, YHC silenced his bedside mobile phone in a flash before Mrs. Johnsonville could devolve into Joseph Stalin mode. FlipPhone has now been given a kettlebell for keeps, and all is well.

    COT with YHC taking us out.

    It was a pleasure to lead this morning. No one who bothered to post slacked off in the least.

    Announcements:
    — Team Toga is headed to VA Beach this Saturday. We have good numbers for the ride down, but we also have room if you want to take a field trip. Consider joining Team Swirly and/or Team Hardywood in the weeks to come. We need to make sure each workout is fully supported.
    — PLEASE CONTINUE TO HEADLOCK IN VA BEACH / HAMPTON / NORFOLK IF THE OPPORTUNITY PRESENTS ITSELF.
    — Many races are coming up, and there is plenty of time to train. See TYA if you want to be involved in another team race. See TYA or Chum Bucket if you want to do the Bel Monte endurance race (50m/50k/25k options).

  • Merkan Mile and a new Lazy Dory Variation

    Four of the faithful posted in pitch blackness this morning at #SOT. There was a chill in the air, and all waited in their cars until the appointed time. Johnsonville (YHC) planted a SF and took Q. Here is how it went down, more or less:

    Mosey to soccer field inside track. Squint to see anything at all.

    COP warm ups with SSHs, Imperial Walkers, Scap Merkins, Hillbillies, Low Slow Squats, Flutter Kicks, and LBCs. Ala Rosie, do burpee ladder between sets, starting with one and increasing to seven.

    Mosey onto track. Merkan mile pausing after each set of 25x Merkans for plank variations and to regroup.

    Native American run along sidewalk to basketball courts.

    Pair up for Lazy Dora variation with each pair doing 100x merkans, 200x LBCs, and 300x squats. Instead of running or planking, the non-exercising partner did crab-cakes.

    COT with YHC taking us out.

    Announcements:
    — PLEASE HEADLOCK MEN IN VIRGINIA BEACH AND OTHER AREAS OF TIDEWATER Send names and email addresses to HamptonRoads@f3nation.com.
    — If you are willing to take a VA Beach road trip, then talk to Toga, Bleeder/TYA, Hardywood, or Rosie to get a spot on their teams.

    Moleskin:

    This was a tough workout, and men attacked it with no complaints and good form. Wilson attempted a little bit of mumble chatter, but the PAX was not about to be distracted from their gloom.

    It is good at SOT to always move away from the parking area as fast as possible to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. We did that this morning, and did not returneto the SF until the very end.

    Great job this morning! Jville

  • F3 Tidewater Expansion — HEADLOCKS NEEDED

    ********************************************************

    FOLLOW UP on 10/17/2016: Dreamliner reports that he has received only 1 contact from F3Richmond.

    I am hoping that you all have been reaching out to guys in the Virginia Beach, Hampton, Newport News area, but have just not gotten around to sending their contact info to HamptonRoads@f3nation.com. Please continue to headlock men for the Hampton Roads expansion.

    Once you contact someone (unless they hang up on your or tell you definitively to f*** off), then please send their contact info to HamptonRoads@f3nation.com.

    ********************************************************

    ORIGINAL MESSAGE FROM 10/02/2016:

    If you have posted to F3 workouts around Richmond lately, I am sure you know that F3Richmond is working with F3Nation to expand into Tidewater. For the 6 weeks commencing on Nov 5, F3Richmond and other F3 regions will send teams to Mount Trashmore in Virginia Beach to run 0700 Saturday workouts. F3Richmond is covering four of those six workouts. More on that below.

    Sending teams of men several hours away to run a few 1 hour workouts is pretty easy. The really hard part — and the really important part — is getting the word out. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO TO SUPPORT F3’s EXPANSION INTO TIDEWATER IS TO HEADLOCK EVERY POTENTIAL SAD CLOWN YOU KNOW IN TIDEWATER RIGHT NOW. The plan is to quickly expand into Hampton, so please include men from both sides of the tunnels!

    There are no hard and fast “how to headlock” rules. However, the F3Nation expansion gurus suggest (i) calling contacts and telling them about F3 and the launch, (ii) telling them that you will email them some info, and (iii) following up with an email containing the following:

    (a) The flier announcing the launch (contact me at flbiggs@kbbplc.com if you need a copy);

    (b) Links to the main F3 website (http://f3nation.com/), the intro videos on F3’s main site (https://vimeo.com/156581438 and https://vimeo.com/143444379), and the top 5 excuses men give not to attend an F3 workout; and

    (c) A link to TYA’s supurb backblast from last week as an example of what this community is about.

    Finally, please send names and email addresses of all potential contacts to Tyler Hudson at HamptonRoads@f3nation.com so we can update potential PAX members on important info (like the twitter page and web site once they are set up).

    Please start headlocking now — don’t wait.

    Now, back to the launch schedule. As noted above, teams from Richmond will run 4 of the 6 workouts. Teams from Charlotte, Raleigh, and/or Charleston will run the other 2. We will cover 11/5, 11/19, 11/26, and 12/10. I have appointed the following men as team leaders on the associated dates:

    11/5 — Team Toga (with Splinter Lab Rat on crew — and others)
    11/12 — Charlotte/Raleigh/Charleston
    11/19 — Team Swirly (with Bleeder and TYA on crew — and others)
    11/26 — Team Hardywood (with HoneyDo on crew — and others) [THANKSGIVING WEEKEND]
    12/3– Charlotte/Raleigh/Charleston
    12/10 — Team Rosie (with Johnsonville on crew — and others)

    We need at least 1 full clown car on each team. Two clown cars are even better. Thus, I encourage you to join one or more of these teams by contacting the applicable team leader (or, alternatively, contacting me and I will work to place you).

    The team leaders will have full discretion to run the workouts. They may keep Q for themselves for the entire 1 hour or hand it off. If you are really chomping at the bit to share Q, then talk to the applicable team leader. I understand that Mount Trashmore is an epic AO, and I cannot wait to check it out.

    As with all launches, F3Nation wants each team to discuss and stress some core F3 tenets (e.g., open to all faiths or no faith, COT, etc.). I will work with team leaders to make sure those basics are known and understood. I am asking team leaders and their crews to hang out down there for coffee after workouts.

    Thank you for your support of this effort. I have no doubt that if we can do our part and get the word out, then the Tidewater launch will be a success and F3Richmond will enjoy huge benefits from a strong neighboring region.

    Please do not hesitate to email me or pull me aside after a workout if you have questions.

    Thanks! Johnsonville

  • They are just Sit-Ups, right?

    Eight of the faithful posted to #CircusMaximus on a damp, cool autumn morning. Rosie planted DonerKebab’s shovel flag, and YHC (Johnsonville) took Q just minutes after arriving, Weinke in hand (but only faint light to read by). This is how the thang when down, more or less:

    COP warmups including SSH, DonQuiote, Plank Series, and ScapMerkins ….

    Mosey behind school under the single orange flood light for COP:
    6 Merkin Row Body Builders OYO
    Forties (Sit up KB presses / Flutter Kicks)

    Mosey south behind school to the wet field hockey field for COP:
    6 Merkin Row Body Builders OYO
    Forties (Goblet Squats / Freddie Mercs)

    Mosey around north side of school to staff parking lot at front entrance:
    3 Merkin Row Body Builders OYO
    Forties (Russian KB Twists / Pole Smokers)

    Mosey back to SF.

    COT (Atilla taking us out with heartfelt prayers)

    Moleskin:

    There was not a lot mumble chatter this morning, but we worked through some deep gloom. Doing 10 sit-ups with KB presses at the top is not that bad. Doing 30, followed by multiple sets of more, is just plain hard. But, F3 is about sharpening steel, not about comfort.

    After last week’s soaking at the convergence, some of the PAX seemed a bit reluctant to get down in the wet grass. We pushed through that.

    The remainder of the workout was not easy either. During the COT, YHC found himself in a “flat-line” state of consciousness. Thank you, Atilla, for taking us out with spiritual leadership (and saving me from having to struggle to form words)!

    “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” 1 John 4:7

    Have a great day! Johnsonville

    Announcements —
    —> 2.0 friendly workout at #GridIron this week
    —> 6 part (weekly) 3rd F bible devotional series starts at 0645 at #GridIron. Earthworm leading this week. Need other leaders. Topic/materials have been prepared.
    —> Tidewater Expansion starts 11/5 and continues into Dec. Toga is the team leader on 11/5. I am part of his crew and plan to drive a 2nd car, if needed. If you want to road trip that day, talk to Toga or me. This is a worthy project. It is a great way to give something back to the F3 community and should, if successful, contribute to F3Richmond’s continued growth.
    —> Please remember that the #SundayTrail run remains open to F3 Friends, whether male or female. I will continue to offer a short option for those who are not ready to take on the full 7ish miles. That short option can be as short as needed to accommodate anyone.