Author: Opus

  • Ditch the kettlebell.

    YHC showed up super early for this one and waited for someone else to take on the kettlebell challenge today. No one did, so YHC went for a run that went something like this. Run South on Pump for as long as the sidewalk allowed. Take some side jaunts into various neighborhoods to get to 4 miles.
    See ya in the gloom!

  • Respect.

    36 Tough souls (including 3 FNG’s) showed up this morning for a little respect.

    COP —

    • IJR
    • AST Merkins
    • DQ
    • Jack Squats
    • Figure 4 reverse crunches
    • Polar Bears around the world

    Mosey to the Triangle
    Bear Crawl short side, run down hill, Benie Sanders back up hill, alphabet with legs while waiting for the 6
    Reverso — Run down hill, Bernie Sanders long side, crawl bear short side, alphabet backwards for the 6

    50 in the theater
    1st step — 5 box jumps, 5 inclined merkins, 5 dips, 5 situps with legs on steps
    2nd step — 10 of all the aforementioned exercises
    alternate between 5 and 10 all the way up.
    Modified for time — When Helix got to the top (the only one), we all finished the step we were on and met up by the top of Love Hill.

    Love Hill (or is it Hate Hill?)
    1 partner runs down to the gate and back while the other partner is doing a combo of the following exercises — Broad Jump Burpees, Lunges and Bear Crawls
    Had to finish this up early as well. Spit led some exercises while the PAX waited for the 6.

    Head back to the flag for a little Mary, which included Mountain Climbers and Smurf Jacks

    Numbers, Names, Announcements

    NMS — Thanks to everyone who came out to support YHC for his first Dogpile Q of respect. It’s been a great ride so far, gentlemen. Looking forward to many more years with you knuckleheads. Great job today by Helix finishing the steps of respect. Spit, thanks for helping keep things going during the Love hill section. Hardywood, YHC was so glad to see you today. You are such an affirming dude and I love you man. There, YHC said it. When Hardywood and Emoji embraced this morning, the sun was blotted out by the sheer magnitude of the light between these guys. What a great morning for a workout! SYITG!

    Announcements —
    1) YHC’s band is playing tonight at Marty’s Grill in Hanover starting at 9.
    2) Convergence at Tredegar Monday at 7!
    3) Puppy pile next Saturday at 7 AM.
    4) There was a run mentioned as well, but YHC doesn’t remember all the details (oldness). Can someone post in the comments, please?

  • impending doom

    Could be the name of the workout or what is about to happen on Monday.

    13 dudes showed up to take on the last Q of YHC’s quadragenarian life.

    Parking Lot Tracers

    Circle up in the wettish grass

    • arm circles
    • DQ
    • crab cakes
    • plank jack merkins
    • dying cockroach
    • ball dippers
    • diamond merkins
    • bird dogs
    • plank jack merkins

    Mosey over to the Wall
    5 DKs, bear crawl to sidewalk, jump to basketball courts, run one suicide, jump to sidewalk, bear crawl to wall, 5 DK’s, wait for 6
    10 DK’s, crab crawl to sidewalk, lunge to courts, run one suicide, lunge, crab crawl, 10 DK’s
    15 DK’s, bear crawl, jump, one suicide, jump, bear crawl, 15 DK’s

    10 stump merkins OYO

    Mosey to tennis courts for Dora
    Run around the court
    100 merkins
    200 flutterkicks single count
    300 SSH

    Back to the flag for a few minutes of Mary
    tempo merkins, american hammers

    Numbers, Names, Announcements

    YHC took us out.

    NMS — Well, YHC has mixed feelings about the upcoming day of demise. On the one hand, 50 is a largish number. On the other hand, YHC looks at Emoji and is like ” Hey 50 ain’t so bad!” It was a great morning with only a smattering of mumblechatter. Welcome to Corned Beef! Hope to see you again soon in the gloom. Loved the cooler weather this morning and the bright skies. Fun times!

    Announcements — Summer Tour is coming up — sign up on the Google Doc– was a lot of tun last year to hit different AO’s in the summer. Looking forward to trying to finish the whole thing this time around.

    New AO coming soon to the Daville area — Thursdays at Mechanicsville Elementary. Details to come.






  • Date your mate month!

    Welcome to May!
    6 righteous dudes started May off on the right foot.

    Over the head carry around the loop into COP

    • arm circles
    • SSH
    • DQ
    • mountain climbers
    • LBC’s
    • shoulder tap merkins
    • KB swings
    • bob and weaves
    • wonderbra
    • kb windmills

    Date your mate — Alternating wheelbarrows for half a loop. 25 PLT’s and 25 jumpovers

    Finish the second half of loop with lunges, then do 5 renegade rows and pass your bell to your partner, who was planking. Switch back and forth 2x an arm.

    LAZY DORA —
    100 2ct kb american hammers whilst partner is holding 6 inches
    150 overhead presses whilst partner is holding helix squat
    200 round the worlds whilst partner is planking

    Mary time —
    halos, figure 8’s, squat curls, imperial kb walkers, straight arm sits

    Numbers, names, Announcements

    NMS — I love May! It is National Dental Health Month (so everyone was supposed to be smiling during the workout this morning. That didn’t happen. Emoji would have done it, just saying.) It’s also Correct your Posture Month so what better way to spend it than working on your core! Finally it is Date your Mate month! That is what we focused on this morning. Spending quality time with your mate doing Partner leg tosses and Jump overs and KB handoffs. Try that with your M. She would love that. Peace, Opus!

    Announcements — Good luck to Mudface, Chewie and No Idea on their Rugged Maniac this weekend. I think Wheelie is also running this but not with the other three. Good luck to him as well!

    Field Day at Dogpile on May 11th — be there or be square — sounds like it should be a blast!

    Possible new AO at Mechanicsville Elementary School! Details to come!

  • Une Patate Chaude

    Hot potato morning — 9 showed up for some home fries with some catchup. 🙂

    Labrat kicks it off with Parking Lot Tracers

    Handoff to Bulkhead for the COP
    SSH, DQ, LBC’s, IW, Hand Release Merkins

    Spike steals the Q — run to the back hill for some 11’s
    1 Burpee, Bernie Sanders up the hill, 10 WW2’s
    you know the drill for the rest.

    Yardsale — a little fartlek. Run to lights on the right. First person there starts doing an exercise, everyone else does it when they arrive. Exercises included JumpSquats, Burpees, 6 inches, people’s chair

    Helix — Run to a numbered square. Helix asks for the number of parking spot and creates magic exercises for that number. Spot 86 — 8+6 = 14 burpees. Spot 36 = 36 flutterkicks

    Opus — finish in a circle with 4 merkin ring of fire. still time left? do 5 more — time is up.

    Numbers, names, announcements

    NMS — Q sheet became open last night. Phonics suggested hot potato. Great idea! YHC loves the hot potato because of the random nature of it. Plus, everyone brings their A game to lead! Bernie Sanders killed us this morning!

    Announcements — Puppy pile this Saturday — bring your 2.0’s. If you don’t have any 2.0’s, it’s kind of creepy to show up at Puppy pile.
    Ghost Flag at The Forge this Thursday!
    Field Day — May 11 at Dogpile! Should be a blast!

    Opus

  • Good Friday or Great Friday

    10 really good guys came out this morning for a good friday beatdown.

    Here is what happened…

    Run around the church, one length as a backwards run.

    Circle up for the COP

    • Everyone in the circle, sideways bear crawl around the circle to the right. At the Q’s call, do 5 merkins. Repeat one more time to the right, then do the same thing going back to the left.
    • Copperhead Squats
    • SSH
    • Jack Squats
    • Tempo Merkins
    • Diamond Merkins
    • Arm circles
    • LBC’s
    • Pistol Squats

    Head to the Pavilion for the next set of exercises —
    1 box jump, 1 inclined merkin on benches
    increase by ones up to 5 of each
    run to the road and back, wait for the 6

    Repeato on the box jump inclined merkin combo
    crab walk to the curb and back

    Third time repeato
    skip to the loop at the entrance to the church and plank for the 6

    Triple check
    Bear Crawl the loop, jump squats and flutterkicks were what was in order for the triple check.

    Wind sprints FTW

    Circle up for a few SSH

    Names, Numbers, Announcements, YHC took us out

    NMS — YHC wrote in the FB group about today being a good friday workout. Emoji responded that it would be a great friday workout. Made YHC smile! Thanks Emoji.
    Emoji also said this morning before the workout that if Jesus could go through what he went through on Good Friday, we could withstand a few SSH. Agreed.
    Three. Jonah. Three days in the depths of the whale. Triune God. Three tempations for the Christ. Three times denied by a friend. Three days in the depth of the tomb. Resurrection. Three times of affirmation of love for the denier.
    Where are you on this holy day? A doubter? That’s ok. Jesus can work with that. A sinner? Um yeah, aren’t we all? A seeker? Keep searching. Wherever you are, Jesus meets you there. “While we were still sinners, Jesus came to give his life for us.” Good news for a good Friday.

    Opus



  • Love Shack

    6 showed up today to take on the challenge of the Creek. 6 survived.
    COP went like this —

    • SSH
    • IW’s
    • Jack Squats
    • Reverse Merkins
    • Diamond Merkins
    • WW1 situps
    • dying cockroach
    • travoltas
    • freddies
    • toe taps
    • uneven merkins on curb

    LOVE SHACK — merkin on each Love Shack in the song. Verses included plank Jacks, Mountain Climbers, various planks, side planks, etc.

    Parking Lot Tracers

    4 corners of the shack —
    10 american hammers
    10 am ham, 20 jump squats
    10 am ham, 20 jump squats, 30 SSH
    10 am ham, 20 jump squats, 30 SSH, 40 Merkins
    30 SSH, 20 jump squats, 10 am ham
    20 jump squats, 10 am ham
    10 am ham

    catch me if you can
    one runs backwards, the other does 3 burpees and catches up with the other, ad infinitum

    gimme shelter — 5 skull crushers each side, 5 box jumps
    10 skull crushers each side, 10 box jumps

    tunnel of love

    Mary — 10 crunches, 10 heels to heaven, 10 something else…

    NMS — Stairway to Heaven, Highway to Hell, Love Shack. All have described different points of my YHC’s relationship with his M. The Stairway to Heaven part was where YHC thought that his M could do no wrong and where life was always hunky dory. An unrealistic fantasy expectation. Highway to hell represents the times when life’s stressors and craziness spiral couples into Relationship Hell. Lack of trust, focus, intimacy, etc. The Love Shack represents the building we make as married couples. It’s not a mansion. It’s a shack held together by Love. Plain and simple — nothing fancy or showy. Just plain love and commitment. That’s it, baby. See you all in the gloom.

    OPUS

  • Highway to Hell

    7 lucky gentlemen showed up for a 70 degree sunny manndate beatdown. The COP went like this

    • Smurf Jacks
    • Tempo Merkins
    • Alternating Shoulder Taps
    • Something else I can’t remember
    • Travoltas

    AC/DC song
    — during the chorus, do renegade rows
    — verses do KB swings, deadlifts, and around the worlds

    THE BEAST

    1) bob and weave
    2) halos
    3) squat curl press
    4) standing kb crunches
    5) kb jump squats
    6) regular burpees

    NMS — Happy Anniversary to me! YHC and his M have been hitched for 20 years and dated for three years prior to the hitching part. How can two people stay together so long? We have gone through our share of great stuff and our share of hell as well. And yet, YHC feels like the rough patches have actually made us stronger as a couple. Instead of tearing us apart, the hard times have brought us closer together. True intimacy in any relationship comes through shared experiences, even the really difficult ones.
    Thank you to my F3 friends who have helped make YHC strong enough to get through this latest crazy time in our marriage. YHC could not have done it without your support and prayers.
    Blessings,
    Opus

  • Stairway to Heaven

    On this day in history in 1971, Led Zeppelin performed their iconic hit “Stairway to Heaven” live in England.
    In honor of this historic day, the COP was done with the song as accompaniment to YHC’s cadence. 12 cherubic men showed up to take on this celestial beatdown.

    • arm circles
    • don quizotes
    • copperhead squats
    • helicopters
    • imperial walkers
    • Alternating shoulder taps
    • american hammers

    Mosey round to the back of Cool Spring where the bus loop is. On the way do 5 merkins every other light post (or so).

    LOVE LOOP —
    One partner runs the full loop and then heads back towards the partner who is doing frog jump burpees, then lunges, then bear crawl. Finish up and do booyah merkins till the PAX is done. Hang out and do some Flutterkicks in Vinny’s honor.

    Fartlek back —
    Slow jog until one of the PAX members calls out a spot to run to — sprint to that spot. First one there gets to choose the exercise the PAX does until the 6 arrives. Repeato until we are back to the flag. Exercises included were WW2 situps, merkins, SSH, and one more YHC does not remember right now.

    NMS —
    Sometimes relationships feel like a stairway to heaven. Other times not so much. This morning celebrated the good times, the times when all is going right, nothing can upset the apple cart, so on and so forth. YHC and his M celebrate 20 years this Wednesday — some of our times together have been like heaven. Some not as much. That will be the theme tomorrow at Manndate!
    Other than that, sprinting was fun. And watching really fast people was also fun. Carpenter killed it on the last sprint. Nice work!
    BTW, If you want to hear a really good cover of Stairway, check out the band Heart playing it at Kennedy Center Honors. It really cooks.
    SYITG!

  • “Why are We Doing This??!!”

    7 rugged dudes (including one 2.0) came out to see what the first workout at the creek was going to be like.

    Hallelujah run around the church

    COP — arm circles
    hillbillies
    helicopters
    jack squats
    plank jack shoulder taps

    Curb Toe Taps —
    30 seconds on, 30 seconds rest
    40 seconds on, 20 seconds rest
    50 seconds on, 10 seconds rest
    1 minute on

    CMIYC —
    One person bear crawls the loop, the other does 5 burpees and runs to catch up.  Switcho until the loop is done.

    To the shelter for

    Triple Checks —
    1) derkins, bench situps, one person runs to touch a car
    2) donkey kicks off bench, dips and run the length of the driveway and back

    15 skull crushers (IC) each side.
    Then 10 skull crushers a little faster each side

    Back to the Flag for a little Mary

    Merkin round the world —
    1 merkin each, then 2, then 3 then 4 — all do 5 together

    Numbers, Names, Emoji took us out!

    YHC heard the above quote from Fife this morning — don’t think it was aimed directly at YHC, but just in general.  There are mornings that YHC asks the same question.  Why are we doing this?  Is it for the muscles that we are shaping?  For the endurance and stamina that is growing?  For the endorphin rush?  YHC thinks it is so much more than that — it’s about the camaraderie, the shared experiences, the struggle, and as my friend Miley so thoughtfully put it — “It’s the Climb!”
    YHC’s M is about to undergo a major surgery that will challenge our family’s fortitude and endurance.  F3 has given YHC the ability to push through things, to endure and to come out on the other side better for it.  Thanks for all the support and drive you have given YHC through the years.
    Why are we doing this?  You know why.  Keep doing it and invite your friends!

    Peace

    Opus