Author: Purple Rain

  • 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.

  • Swung

    8 model HIMs posted to the old hundred for some KB action. Great to see everyone! I was concerned Wildcat had gotten the best of our local PAX yesterday but later reprimanded myself for such thoughts; F3 men ALWAYS rise to meet any challenge. With a choice playlist (Talking Heads, Stones, Dire Straits, Bon Jovi, etc.) and occasional mumble chatter supplying the soundtrack, this happened.

    Warmaramma: Andy Dufresne stretch straight up the middle, then right and left side stretches for the lats, helicopters, deadman hang, grass grabbers, deadman hang to right then left sides, SSHs, hold a deep squat position for a nice stretch, Wilson and Fudd’s wives, 10 slow & deep merkins, lay on your back with right then left knee held to chest, overhead triceps stretch

    The Work: Groupings of two exercises, one performed directly after the other (a superset), all with kettlebells, we performed each grouping 3x

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

    20 (10/leg) reverse lunges, 75 calf raises, repeat 3x

    20 Romanian deadlifts, 15 WWIIIs, repeat 3x

    40 one arm rows (20/side), 20 merkin pull throughs, repeat 3x

    Biceps curl 21s, 15 skull crushers, repeat 3x

    To run down the remaining 1.5 minutes, a ring of fire. Time called. BTTF. Oh. We never left the flag.

    F3rva has so much to offer; between boot camps, rucks, KB workouts, runs, and other spur of the moment activities, there is a ton of variation to keep from overtraining while torching calories and encountering HIMs. The blade stays sharp.

    Announcements: A lot happening in the world of F3rva, and it’s great to see. Field day convergence 7/4 @ Forrest Hill park. Daddy/daughter dance in early November. An upcoming family camping trip. If you see an opportunity on Slack to help out, especially in areas where your heart and skills are in alignment, reach out. Get in the game. Be a part of the rising tide which lifts all ships.

    Prayers: No requests, but there are always unspoken needs. Hermey took us out.

    Thank you everyone for turning out and putting in the work. It is always my privilege to lead such great guys!

  • Butterface

    Nine brothers showed up and put in the work, rocked out if you will. The air smelled skunky, with maybe some burned rubber mixed in there? Just trying to paint a picture folks. We stood in our circle with zero mosey for 45 minutes, but veins bulged, chests heaved, and metal was swung. PAX generally agreed the back half of the workout was more enjoyable than the front half.*

    Warmarama: Andy Dufresne stretch, lean to right and left sides to stretch the lats, helicopters, deadman hang straight right and left, hold a deep squat to stretch, SSHs, 20 in cadence merkins, lay flat on the ground and pull right then left leg into chest, Freddie Mercurys in cadence, 10 normal, 10 slow, 10 fast, 20 box cutters, 30 flutter kicks

    The Work:

    Round 1: 20 swings, 20 deadlifts, 20 reverse lunges (10/leg), repeat 3x

    Round 2: 20 single leg deadlifts (10/side), 50 calf raises, 30 American hammers, repeat 3x

    Round 3: 20 one arm rows (10/arm), 20 upright rows, 10 WWIIIs, repeat 3x

    Round 4: 21s (7 biceps curls beginning at the bottom of the movement w/ arms straight and stopping at the midpoint of the curl, followed by 7 curls beginning at the midpoint of the movement and ending at the top of the curl fully flexed, then a final 7 full ROM curls), 15 skull crushers, 20 merkin pull throughs for the first around them audible’d to 15 for 2nd and 3rd rounds, repeat 3x

    Announcement: lots of upcoming events (check slack), new AO this Saturday at Goyne Park in Chester, Daddy/daughter dance is going down, a lot going on

    Always a pleasure and honor to lead you gents!

    *credit to Heist for the punchline

  • Work the Body

    Six fearsome HIMs made the right choice and posted for a kettlebell beatdown at the Old Hundred AO. Warmups included:

    Andy Dufresne stretch w/ stretches to left and right sides for the lats, helicopters, grass grabbers/cherry pickers, hold a deep squat position, sitting hamstring stretch, lay on your back and pull right then left knee into your chest, Wilson and Fudd’s wives, Roscoe’s mom

    There was not much ab work in the KB routine today, so we included some in the warmarama:

    Freddie Mercurys with normal, quick, and slow cadences, box cutters, flutter kicks

    The Thang:

    20 KB Swings

    20 KB Squats

    20 Lunges (10/leg)

    30 Calf Raises 

    20 Single-Leg Deadlifts (10/leg)

    20 Merkin KB Pull Throughs

    10 Big Boy Sit Ups

    20 One Arm Rows (10/arm)

    20 Upright Rows

    20 Single Arm Overhead Presses (10/arm)

    20 Curls

    15 Skull Crushers

    After two rounds of the above KB routine, the PAX went for a brisk mosey around the school. I started to feel like I might toss my cookies (a “Q Spew,” per official F3 lexicon) and walked the final hundred yards back to the KB circle. Of course, the magnanimous PAX, embodying the F3 credo, circled back for me, and, my cookies having settled, we tried to complete a third round but finished about halfway through KB merkin pulls throughs.

    There was some talk afterward, how it’s nice to vary the normal F3 workouts of calisthenics + cardio with some KB training, that variation improves fitness and helps to prevent overtraining (I’m paraphrasing some here).

    Announcements:

    The F3 summer tour is in full swing. 

    Sable is launching a new ruck AO (“Ruckhenge”) tomorrow morning from 5 – 6 AM. Meeting in front of the Einstein Bagels in the parking lot of the Stony Point shopping center. See slack. A historic opportunity to post at a new AO. “Where were you when Ruckhenge launched?” Your grandchildren will want to know. 

    A general call to take care of one another. If you haven’t seen a guy in a bit, reach out, wish them well, tell them you’re thinking about them.

    Prayers:

    For Fudd’s sister Mary

    For PAX on IR

    Always a pleasure and honor to lead you guys. Until next time!

  • Ripples in a Pond

    I really enjoyed my first breaking bread experience. Faces and voices conveyed gratitude and thanks, hearty fried chicken, sides, tea and desert sated the body. My cup was also filled. Serving others, with kindness and humility, makes the world a better place. If you haven’t given breaking bread a try, you won’t regret it, and you will want to return to do it again.

  • Heart Full of Soul

    First, gratitude.

    Heist headlocked me on 1/6/23 and my first post was 1/7/23 at Rock n Roll. That day was Mudslide’s VQ, and he served then the beatdown I served you all today. I splashed merlot a couple of times, had to sit on the sidelines for a few to catch my breath. You all know the soreness after your first post.

    Today I enjoyed seeing familiar faces from the various AOs I’ve posted to over the last year, a real capstone and honor. F3 has made me so much more than I was. And you guys know what I’m talking about. Iron sharpens iron is said a lot, but it so succinctly describes what would otherwise take paragraphs, and I thank you all for your mettle and leadership.

    But that’s enough tenderness. Today we revisited Mudslide’s VQ beatdown and 24 HIM got after it, showing characteristic aggression, vigor, and wily good nature.

    Warmarama: SSHs, shawshank stretch, helicopters, dead man hang straight down then to R and L, butterfly stretch, lay on the ground and pull R then L knee to chest, merkins, LBCs, Freddie Mercurys with varied cadence

    The Thang: Mosey to the parking lot next to the playground.

    11s: Start with 1 spiderman merkin at one end of the lot, 10 WW2s at the opposite end. Proceed in the customary fashion. The parking lot is pretty long. Just sayin’.  

    Mosey to the bleachers next to the ball fields and snack shack.

    Triple Check: Timer burnies up the hill, runs around the snack shack and down the bank or stairs on the other side. Dips and crunchy frogs.

    Mega Dora: Timer runs from the big AF electric pole in the second parking lot to the first median and back. 100 merkins, 200 supermans, 300 squats, 400 single-count toe taps.

    BTTF. Partial ring of fire as time allowed. Blast merkins OYO for the final 30 seconds. Time called.

    Numbers. Names. Announcements. Hermie took us out in prayer. Many PAX gathered afterward at Starbucks to socialize, enjoy their endorphins and some caffeine. Great work today gentlemen. Thank you for the amazing turnout and for allowing me the privilege to lead.

  • Double Trouble

    Facing an empty Q sheet, two HIMs eschewed the fart sack for a hot potato beat down, and they didn’t go easy on themselves:

    Warmaramma:

    Mosey around the school. Shawshank stretch, deadman hang straight down left and right, helicopters, merkins, Freddie Mercurys, squats

    The Thang:

    Light post burpees – one burpee at the first light post, two burpees at the second light post, proceed until reaching ten burpees at the tenth light post

    Parking spaces – now in the parking lot of the midlothian station shopping center, we moved across ten parking spaces doing the following:

    Round 1: bear crawl across one parking space, one merkin on the line, bear crawl across the next parking space, two merkins on the line, continue until crossing ten spaces working up to ten merkins

    Round 2: following the same pattern as before, lunges across spaces and squats on the line crossing ten spaces and working up to ten squats

    Round 3: broad jump across spaces with SSHs on the line

    Round 4: sprint across one space, bernie back to start, sprint across two spaces, bernie back to start, continue across ten spaces

    Bleacher feature: 20 dips and 20 single count step ups

    Dora: runner up the hill and back, 100 squats, 200 LBCs, 300 SSHs

    Time called and BTTF.

    Numbers, names, announcements, COT

    Had a great time crushing it with Wedding Singer and enjoyed coffee afterward with the MoT crew. COT prayer focused on finding peace during the bustle of the season and being a light to our families and community.

  • No Audible

    9 intrepid HIMs gathered in the Alamo parking lot seeking a beat down, and it was served up. With the cold light of a mostly full moon triggering the PAX lycanthrope tendencies, this happened:

    Mosey to modern houses. Helicopters, deadman hang straight down, left and right, Shawshank stretch, modified hurdler stretch with left and right foot to the knee of each extended leg, butterfly stretch, copperhead squats, mosey back to parking lot

    Circle up, LBCs slow count, Freddie mercuries slow then fast count, some PAX wise guys tried messing with the cadence rep count, achieving some success

    Now, back in August, during a moment of weakness, I called an audible at the Alamo. I’ve regretted it since. Afterward, Heist and Mudslide told me, respectively, “The hard part was over,” and, “We could have finished.” With those inspiring/haunting words tumbling around in my mind over the subsequent months, I was determined to do it and finish, no audible. And so…

    Horseshoe 11s:

    The Alamo parking lot is a giant horseshoe shape; terrific! Starting with one jump squat, mosey the lot with ten Spider-Man merkins performed at the other end. Mosey back to the start and repeat, adding one jump squat and subtracting one Spider-Man merkin each round until finishing with one Spider-Man and ten jump squats. No audible, and much rejoicing. We clocked just over 3 miles today, most of it during this.

    Dora:

    Turns out I don’t know what Bobby Hurleys are. This is probably because I didn’t know (I just Googled it, thanks) who Bobby Hurley was or what he did. I’m sorry if this is sacrilege to some. I THOUGHT it was picking a pretend basketball up off the ground followed by a jump shot. For the purposes of this post, I’m calling these Bobby Hurleys.

    Timer bear crawls the length of two tennis courts to the fence then moseys back to the start

    100 Bobby Hurleys, 200 LBCs, 300 SSHs, time called.

    Announcements, prayer requests (State Farm’s feisty dog who picked a fight with a porcupine (PA) and lost, may he recover quickly), Wildcat took us out in prayer.

    Always an honor and a pleasure leading this fine bunch!

  • Rocket Fuel

    I saw NTB post a solo beat down at The Forge recently. “Pretty cool,” I thought. A different type of “test” as Rosie commented, a different mental angle on resolve and commitment. As I watched the clock inch closer to 5:30, a solo outing appeared imminent. Then headlights beamed across the asphalt and our notorious Wildcat emerged from his parked car. Who better to light the fuse of a post Yeehaw beat down? The rain had lightened up, and millions of bags of wrapped candy lay in the back of cupboards all across town. LET’S GO!

    Warmarama: Mosey around the school, reach high (Shawshank stretch?), deadman hang, helicopters, copperhead squats, merkins, slow count Freddie Mercurys

    Dora #1: Runner across the lot and back, 50 double-count KB lunges, 100 KB swings, 150 KB calf raises

    Dora #2: Runner across the lot and back, 100 merkins, 150 KB lawnmower pulls, 200 arms circles

    Dora#3: Runner across the lot and back, 50 overhead KB presses, 75 KB front raises, 100 single-count Freddie Mercurys

    Triple Check-ish: 30 KB curls, 30 KB skull crushers, 100 single-count Freddie Mercuries, lower reps to 20 and repeat KB curls and skull crushers, keep Freddie Mercurys at 100 single-count, a final run through of 20 KB curls and skull crushers, Freddie Mercurys again at 100 single-count

    Time called. Numbers. Announcements. Wildcat took us out in prayer.

    As you all know, Wildcat is a great guy and the perfect partner for a fast-paced beat down. Wasn’t my time today for a solo run. Thanks for the company, for the iron, for the faith and fellowship!