Author: Timothy Richard

  • Just Another Kettlebell Q

    To quote noted literary icon Snoopy: “It was a dark and stormy [morning].” But the less than ideal weather didn’t scare away 6 men from getting after a kettle bell workout at The Old Hundred.

    The Workout: After a brief mosey and some warmups in the parking lot we hit the bus lot for the main event – Elevens. At the start we engaged a compound move consisting of a deadlifts, squats, and upright rows in a single motion; at the other end we performed the humble merkin. After completing the Eleven we returned to the parking lot and split our time alternating between exercises called out by the Pax and lunging between parking spaces. Safe to say, the exercises were varied and involved dumbbells. Ended with a ring of fire.

    COT: Check slack for announcements regarding Chili and dancing. Prayers for Hermie’s wife and Jamaica.

    This was my first time leading a kettlebell Q, and I picked it up with less than 12 hours notice. Thank you for enduring the chilly morning and my half baked workout. Its an honor to learn from you fine gentlemen everyday!

  • Welcome to the Ala(b)mo

    On this chilly October dawn 15 men bravely humored me as I converted the Alamo to a Laboratory and experimented with a previously undiscovered Four Corners formulation. Here’s how it went down:

    Warm Up: We warmed up with a mosey followed by side straddle hops, Jazzercise, deadman hangs, merkins, and a variety of wives.

    Workout 1 – Four Corners Accordion Style: The Pax splits into groups of 4. At corner 1, the first man begins with LBCs while the three remaining in the group jog to corner 2. At corner 2, the Hims complete 10 toe taps on the curb before leaving man 2 to keep tapping while 3 and 4 advance to corner 3. At corner 3, both men perform 10 squats. Man 3 keeps squating while man 4 heads to corner for 4 and performs 10 burpees. Man 4 then returns to each corner and collects his team. Upon returning to corner 1, Man 4 begins LBCs while the three other men in the group head back out and advance to a corner they had not yet completed. Repeat until each man has completed each corner. This Morning the Pax performed the Accordion Corners twice.

    Workout 2 – Meets the Fellas: Accordion Four Corners taking considerable less time than anticipated so we headed to the tennis court to Meet the Fellas. The Pax Paired off for four rounds of fitness style Rock, Paper, Scissors (RPS). Round 1 – Lunge to the center, partner clap merkins, RPS. Loser takes a lap. Round 1 – Bear Crawl to the center, partner clap squats, RPS, loser takes a lap. Round 3 – Lunge to center, partner clap WWIIIs, RPS, loser runs. Round 4 – Bear Crawl to center, partner clap merkins, RPS, loser runs.

    Workout 3 – Tennis Court Laps: At this point having severally under planned for the days event we finished the workout with about 7 minutes of laps around the tennis court. Side 1-lunge. Side 2-Kareoke. Side 3-Back pedal. Side 4-Kareoke.

    Ended with a circle of trust. Announcements: Chili at the Alamo and Father Daughter dance coming up. See Slack for details. Prayers for all preparing for RVA Marathon/Half and for all F3 men to keep coming out and getting after it.

    Thank you fine gentlemen for humoring me and the Accordion style Four Corners this morning. Its always an honor to lead you.

  • Indigenous Rings of Fire

    Eight HIMS came out to Satan’s Hill on this cool morning to end the week on a high note. After a brief mosey, we warmed up with side straddle hops, Don Quixote, Ukrainian Soldiers, and some deadman hangs.

    For the workout, took a tour of the neighborhood Indigenous Run style. After all members of the pax completed their sprint, we circled up for a Ring of Fire. After a full cycle through the Ring of Fire, we hit the pavement again for another Indigenous Run. Rinse and Repeat. When we finally returned to the clubhouse, Mudslide led us in 10 minutes of broga to take us home.

    Was it a beat down? Not all. But it was a good, full body workout to end another week.

    COT: names and numbers. Announcements: Homegrown half in 2 weeks, overnight ruck in September. Prayer requests: Teddy KGB’s daughter has surgery today; No Show bowed out of today’s workout early with a calf strain. It was an honor to lead you fine gentlemen this morning!

  • Playground or Jungle?

    “Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, it knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn’t matter whether you’re the lion or a gazelle-when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.” -Christopher McDougall

    This morning, 8 men returned to simpler times and took on some playground staples to start the day the day. But what started as innocent fun quickly turned into a battle for survival.

    After a quick mosey, the PAX warmed up with side straddle hops, deadman hangs, and cherry pickers before getting to work.

    Playground Game #1: Duck, Duck, Goose.

    You’re familiar with the rules. Form a circle, one man (“The Picker”) goes around declaring each member of the circle a duck or a goose. Once a goose is declared, the race is on. If the Picker beats the goose back to his spot, the goose becomes the Picker. If the goose prevails, the Picker seeks his next victim. For an added challenge, each member of the circle held a plank while the Picker chose his prey. Each Picker-Goose race proved exciting, with tight cornering on a wet surface making each race more unpredictable than the last. We also witnessed history as Flyboy won his first Picker-Goose race in 29 years.

    Playground Game #2: Tag

    Following the excitement of Duck, Duck, Goose, we moved to our Upper Elementary School recess days to play some Tag. The Rules were modified for an added challenge. Two men were It and the first person tagged by either It could avoid becoming It if he completed 6 burpees before a second person was tagged.

    With two Its, pack hunting mentality took over. Like lions hunting gazelle, the Its identified prey and attempted to run them down for an easy kill. While this proved effective, the Not Its devised herd movement tactics to protect themselves and wear the hunters out. It was truly a battle for survival with incredible demonstrations of athleticism as both Its and Not Its dove, pivoted, cut back, and rolled to tag or avoid tagging.

    COT: Boys of Summer Points awarded to Flyboy for breaking his 29 year slump and Warby for an incredible dive/slide to avoid a tag. Announcements: Family Friendly Workout this Saturday, Homegrown Half August 16, CSAUP in late September. Details for all can be found in Slack.

  • Satan’s Fartlek

    In Swedish, “Fartlek” loosely translates to “Speed Play.” And on this hot and humid Friday morning, 20 brave souls gathered to play with their speed, work on their explosive energy, and challenge The Hill and the Satan himself. Unfortunately, not everyone got the memo to break out their running shoes. Nevertheless, each man unlocked his inner Usain Bolt and achieved speeds previously considered unreachable.

    Warmup: Mosey up the hill and through the neighborhood. Get loose with Side Straddle Hops, Don Quixotes, and Ukrainian Soldiers.

    COP 1: Run to station 1, complete 20 merkins, 20 squats, and 20 LBCs. Sprint to station 2, complete 20 jump squats, 20 mountain climbers, and 20 Alabama Prom Dates (Roll Tide!). Jog down The Hill to station 3, complete 5 burpees and 10 merkins. Reverse course and jog up The Hill to station 2, complete 10 jump squats, 10 mountain climbers, and 10 Alabama Prom Dates. Sprint to Station 1, complete 10 merkins, 10 squats, and 10 LBCs. Run back to start. Repeat.

    COP 2: Indigenous Run to bottom of Satan’s Hill.

    Cop 3: Ring of Fire-Abs Edition

    COT: Numbers, Names, and Announcements: July 4 Convergence at Atlee High School, Homegrown Half in August, SOJ CUSUP in September.

    After four months of sweating with you fine gentlemen, it was an honor to lead to this morning. Thank you for that privilege. I look forward to leading more posts and continuing to grow with this Brotherhood.