Author: Purple Rain

  • My bells are cold

    Is there anything better than hefting a frozen kettlebell outside with your buddies, listening to dope music, seeing clouds of your own breath in front of your face each time you exhale? Probably yes, a lot of things. But so what? It’s still amazing. And so we had an amazing workout this morning. Anyone reading this who doesn’t like working out during the cold months? Don’t be like that, it’s great. Say goodbye to sweating! Did you know you can buy clothes to warm your body in just about any kind of weather? You may even shed layers after you begin doing hard stuff. Do it. You’ll love it (Cookie). Anyway, we did this:

    Run around the school, various stretches

    20 swings, 20 single leg lunges (10/leg), 20 single leg deadlifts (10/leg), repeat 3x

    75 calf raises, 20 Alabama prom dates, 20 Romanian deadlifts, repeat 3x

    20 upright rows, 20 overhead presses, 15 merkin pull throughs, repeat 3x

    20 skull crushers, 30 bent over rows (15/arm), 21s, repeat 3x

    Great time this morning fellas. It’s always an honor for me to lead you, so thanks!

  • Cookie is judging you

    I’ve Q’d here a bit and thought I’d wing it this morning. And I did, but it started off kind of slow. Still, I feel some serious soreness coming already. Toward the end we gained steam. There’s something about kettlebells that doesn’t feel like running but still feels like I put in serious work. Am I crazy? Probably.

    Thanks to trailblazers like Hermey I feel empowered to leave this truncated back last. We had a haphazard, run-free OYO warmup. Then 3x of the following:

    Swings, goblet squats, single leg deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, WW3s, calf raises, upright rows, single arm rows, merkin pull throughs, overhead press, skull crushers, curls

    Running down the clock, PAX choice for misc ab exercises. Time.

    Chili cook off this Sunday. Come and hang out with the fams. That’s all we want. Bring a perfunctory item if it makes you feel better. Bring chili if you have game like that. Prayers, for all of us. YHC took us out.

    It is always an honor to lead you guys.

  • Somebody give that man a mic

    8 adventurous HIMs pulled into the lot this morning eager for a kettlebell beatdown. Hermey supplied a diverse playlist played at high volume, but that’s how the old hundred crew likes it. We’re a non-conformist bunch, save for the common yearning for muscle-splitting, pulse pounding beatdowns where we’re all slinging weight. Never mind the school zoning, weight was slung. Here’s what appeared on the menu:

    Lap around the school, SSHs, Andy Dufresne stretch, dead man hang, grass grabbers, OYO helicopters, rotator cuff stretch, hold a deep squat, cobra and downward dog stretches, HRMs, 30 Freddie Mercurys w/ variable cadence

    20 swings, 20 goblet squats, 20 single leg deadlifts (10/leg), repeat x3

    20 Romanian deadlifts, 20 upright rows, 75 calf raises, repeat 3x

    15 WWIIIs, 20 overhead press, 20 skull crushers, repeat 3x

    30 one arm rows (15/arm), 20 curls, 20 around the worlds (10 each direction), repeat 3x

    With some time left on the clock we went around the circle of PAX for a “name the exercise and the rep count” thing. The best I can recall: goblet squats, American Hammers, flutter kicks, merkin pull throughs, not sure what to call the last one, you pick the KB up off the ground with one hand and then press it overhead, sort of like the snatch maybe? Go ahead and make jokes. It’s okay. 

    Names, numbers. 

    Daddy/daughter dance this weekend (rsvp on slack), VQ week next week (let’s show up in an overwhelming display of support). 

    Hermey took us out. 

    Way to push fellas. Always a pleasure to lead you guys.

  • Gentlemen’s Dentistry

    Four dudes, their circadian rhythms mysteriously aligned and peaked this morning, slung weights around and brewed up some of the most cerebral and stimulating conversations. Nary a man ran, but here’s what we did do:

    SSH, Andy Dufresne, KB helicopters, dead man hang, hold a deep squat, merkins, cobra and downward dog

    20 thrusters, 20 reverse lunges (10/leg), 20 single leg deadlifts (10/leg), repeat 3x

    20 Alabama prom dates, 15 WWIIIs, 75 calf raises, repeat 3x

    20 Romanian deadlifts, 20 upright rows, 20 overhead presses, repeat 3x

    20 curls, 15 skull crushers, 30 lawnmower pulls (15/arm), repeat 3x

    Hermey took us out.

    Old Hundred never disappoints and we’ve been laughing all day. Thanks guys, makes slinging kettlebells around seem fun almost. My honor to lead, see you next time.

  • No thanks, I’d like to live.

    A twelve pack of admirable HIMs transformed a Seattle grunge-type of morning into a launch pad for an awesome weekend. Overcast, decent temps, the school year in full swing, we got after it. 7 sharp!  

    Short mosey to the basketball court. 

    Circle up. SSHs, 10 arm circles forward and 10 backward, 10 copperhead squats, Andy Dufresne, dead man hang, merkins, 30 Freddie Mercurys w/ variable cadence, 10 hello Dollys, cobra and downward dog, recover 

    Indigenous run (man in back = 2 squats) to the parking lot across from the dog park. 

    Running back and forth across the width of the lot, 11s. Jump squats and spiderman pushups. Next! 

    Mosey to the ball field where we did indigenous chain smokers. Man in front bear crawls. From foul line to foul line. 

    Mosey to the far end of the lot, enter the woods, approach the exercise equipment. Triple check time. Runner to the gate and back, pullups, dips. 

    Mosey out of the woods to the nearest parking lot. First to 50 at each corner of the lot, winner calls next exercise: squats, LBCs, something like Lt. Dans but w/o the squat (we couldn’t remember the name of this exercise), merkins, shoulder taps, mountain climbers, I know there are three or four more exercises I’m leaving out. We smoked it until the clock ran out. Time called. 

    Names. Numbers. Announcements. Father/daughter dance at the beginning of November. VQ week coming up in early November. Check slack for the rest. McRib took us out. Prayers for those impacted by Helene. For the family of Six Shooter’s co-worker, left behind by an untimely death. 

    Great effort this morning fellas. I was feeling a little ho-hum about the day when I woke up, but after the beatdown, I felt my positivity returning. Posting for an F3 beatdown usually has that effect on me. Thanks for joining me guys! Hope you all enjoyed the menu. It is always an honor to lead you.

  • I can’t make it easy enough for you to not bitc#

    Four bros assembled in the morning mist to get after it. I was in a mellow Q mood after an aerator had its way with me yesterday, and the PAX abided, but with some welcome resistance. So with much mumble chatter and a dash of vinegar…

    Helicopters OYO, Andy Dufresne, dead man hang, merkins, downward dog and cobra

    20 swings, 20 goblet squats, 20 single leg deadlifts (10/leg), repeat 3x

    10 WWIIIs, 50 single count American hammers, 75 calf raises, repeat 3x

    20 upright rows, 20 skull crushers, biceps 21s, repeat 3x

    20 overhead presses, 30 one arm rows (15/arm), repeat 3x

    Time called. The old hundred is a hidden gem of an AO, a special place where calories, according to certain wearable tech devices, evaporate, despite a seemingly casual atmosphere. Don’t ever change old hundred. As someone totally unqualified to offer any opinion on exercise and fitness, I recommend mixing up your weekly regimen of boot camps with runs, rucks, kettlebells, and other unusual shit. Your body in ten years, maybe next week, will thank you for the variation.

    Names and numbers. Hermey took us out. Prayers for Dumar’s dad who I understand is doing well, for brothers on IR, for Wildcat’s hip, and all things unspoken.

    Until next time. It is always an honor to lead you.

  • Raging Hormones

    I think the back blast title is self-explanatory. Men and women of a certain age, ah, well, we had a fun morning with sprawling conversations covering many topics. Like our F3 brethren at other AOs we also saw the UFO, staring slack-jawed while interstellar travelers approached our blue marble. UFO sightings are now a shrug and carry on with your day-type experience here in 2024.  

    We did eventually get around to working out. 

    Warmarama: 

    Helicopters in cadence, rotator cuff stretches, Andy Dufresne, dead man hang, hold a deep squat, downward dog and cobra stretch

    The Work: 

    20 KB swings, 20 goblet squats, 20 single leg deadlifts (10/leg), repeat 3x

    20 Romanian deadlifts, 20 upright rows, 75 calf raises, repeat 3x

    20 merkin pull throughs, 30 – 40 one arm rows (15 – 20/arm), 50 single-count American hammers, repeat 3x

    20 overhead presses, 15 skull crushers, biceps 21s, repeat 3x

    Time called. 

    Kegger at Heist’s pad tonight from 8 until the cops show up. But please leave by 9:30. BYOB. F3RVA 10-year anniversary convergence bootcamp at the Dogpile AO on 9/21 from 7-8 AM. New AOs popping up all over, thanks to the male community leadership bubbling up from the F3RVA headwaters. Sign up to lead one of them on the Q sheet, or at least head over to The Deep, Green Mile, Goyne Hard, or Ruckhenge to receive a beatdown. 

    YHC took us out. 

    Thanks guys for a fun morning. As always, it’s my honor to lead you. 

  • Bourbon Muscles

    Five men of steel seized the morning, and thus the day. Sixty minutes is a long time to do hard stuff, and it went something like this. 

    Warmarama:

    Andy Dufresne (center, R & L), dead man hang (center, R & L), helicopters, 10 HRMs, merkins in cadence, 30 variable cadence Freddie Mercurys, cobra stretch and downward dog

    The Nitty Gritty: 

    The following movements were completed crossing the width of the basketball court and back again:

    Broad jump burpees, lunges, inchworms, crab walk, bear crawl over and crawl bear back

    Next up, an indigenous people’s run about ¾ of the way around the entire park, man in back does three burpees and sprints to the front. Ended our run at the concession stand, for…

    This awful thing Big Rig does! 

    Dora. 100 stiletto squats, 200 jump squats, 300 monkey humpers. Timer bernies up the steep hill next to the ball field, runs across the deck behind the concession stand, descends the stairs, and relieves their ailing partner. 

    Mosey into the woods for a group exercise bank. While the PAX is getting after it, one PAX member at a time does 10 pullups then rejoins the group, at which point another PAX member goes for 10 pullups.

    1000 LBCs

    500 dips. During the dips, pullups were replaced with a bear crawl. 

    Mosey back to the parking lot. Two rounds of a merkin ring of fire. Finished up with 100 heels to heaven. Time called. 

    Nice intimate group this morning. We tried to remember all the various upcoming F3 events, dates, times, places. After failing to recount many details, we summed it up as check slack. But there is a lot going on, which is awesome. 

    YHC took us out. 

    Thanks for joining me gentlemen. It is always an honor to lead you.

  • Crowdsourcing

    Seven dudes, seven kettlebells, one parking lot, a Fitbit showing 5:30. You know what time it is!

    Mosey around the school, sans kettlebells. Circle up for:

    Andy Dufresne straight up, R then L, helicopters in cadence, dead man hang straight down, R then L, hold a deep squat, 20 merkins in cadence, Fudd and Wilson’s wives, in plank position R foot to R hand and hold, reverso, Freddie Mercurys w/ variable cadence

    YHC hit the easy button and let the PAX decide today’s workout. 

    The parking lot has 4 corners. Corner 1 = upper body, corner 2 = lower body, corner 3 = core, corner 4 = wildcard, PAX rifle carried their kettlebells between corners. The PAX chose the following exercises: 

    Corner 1 = Overhead press, merkins, clean and press, lawnmower pulls

    Corner 2 = Single-leg deadlifts, goblet squats, single-leg calf raises, Romanian deadlifts 

    Corner 3 = Plank pull throughs, swings, WWIIIs, lay on back with feet together and raised 6” off the ground and perform 25 chest presses

    Corner 4 = Curls, skull crushers, American hammers, burpees 

    Some time still on the clock. Circle up to bank reps, everyone’s reps count toward the group total. We did 200 curls, 200 skull crushers, and 200 swings. OYO stretching for another minute or two before time called.  

    Hermey took us out. 

    Lots of good mumble chatter. If you plan to go to Busch Gardens, a chat with Heist or Tzatziki will help you make the most of your visit. OC gives the best gifts; ask him if you need ideas. Hermey likes to fish. Boberry answered your prayers and is bringing IronPAX back next month. Lots going on. Check Slack. Get in on the action. Thank you all for showing up and putting out. Always an honor for me to lead. 

  • 6 Hard Men

    5:30 and we’re off! Quick mosey round the school. Nice intimate group today, good chatter, good vibes, high humidity. An eclectic playlist and some serious work going on. But first…

    Andy Dufresne, straight up, over to the R then L, helicopters in cadence, grass grabbers in cadence, dead man hang, straight down, to the R then L, hold a deep squat and maybe bounce a little bit, butterfly stretch, lie on back R leg held to chest then L leg, 10 merkins in cadence, the wives stretches

    The Work:

    All of the following 4 blocks of 3 exercise pairings performed in sequence and repeated through 3x with KBs.

    20 swings, 20 squats, 20 single leg deadlifts (10/leg)

    50 single count American hammers, 20 Romanian deadlifts, 75 calf raises

    20 upright rows, 20 bent over rows (10/arm), 20 WWIIIs

    20 merkin pull throughs, 15 skull crushers, 21s

    Time called.

    Crabgrass VQ @ Satan’s Hill this Friday. Shirts (check slack) up for preorder celebrating 10 years of F3rva. 10 year convergence 9/20. Too many other things to mention. Check slack!

    I really appreciate these guys, their resolve to show up and do hard things. It’s inspiring to see. And it’s always an honor and privilege to lead. Prayers giving thanks for our blessings, and for the opportunity to gather in fitness, fellowship and faith.