Category: Richmond, VA

  • GTE Training Under the Log

    Seven steel-swolt studs answered the call to GTE-train under the log and speed ruck the hills. Our FNG loved it so much he’s joining us for GrowRuck! 🔥💪

    The THANG:    Exit our beloved AO The Forge and bee line for YHC’s house, taking the woods trial loop all the way around, caught on the game trail camera, and into YHC’s back yard where we discovered a handsome 12’ spruce log “, freshly washed by the rain. Safe-lift instructions were provided for four PAX to lift and shoulder the behemoth. March around the perimeter of the property, switching out PAX half-way around, and return the log to the shed area. Take off for a speed-ruck around the neighborhood, hitting all the big hills, sometimes in Bernie, and stopping periodically for squats to keep everyone together. At one point YHC made a wrong turn and we ended up in a culdesac, and coined the term CulDeSquats. Our FNG is the older brother of Figo, named Hugo, and also loves soccer, so was given the nickname HAT TRICK! A lot of enthusiasm oozing from that man – really amazing to see him light up among the company of F3 brothers doing hard things – and he’s now planning to join us for GTE-74!!! God is at work, and I am HERE FOR IT! Let’s keep training brothers. Yours AYE! ~DTH

    BTTF for COT:

    • Counterama # 7
    • Namerama (welcome HAT TRICK!)
    • Announcerama (see Below)
    • BOM Prayer

    Announcements (SEE SLACK!)

    1. MUDGEAR ORDERS OPEN FOR F3RVA SWAG! 
    2. IRON PAX at Timberwolf weekly
    3. 9/16 – Bronco VQ at Ruckhenge
    4. 9/16 – The Crossing RESTARTS! 
    5. SEPT 26 GROW RUCK! (https://event.freedom-ops.fit/gte-74)

  • Once bitten twice shy

    9 potato boys!! Ready to pass on the pain… Maybe

    Warmarama: Handshake starts off a little warmarama while Mudslide decides shirt on or shirt off. #takingbets

    Mosey to the Carillon. Handshake starts the hot potato.
    Up and down the stairs, every 2 rounds stop at the bottom for 10 hand release merkins, 20 WWII or your choice of LBC but do WWII. At the top 20 dips, 10 bench kickers. repeat for 30-35 minutes

    FacePlant “I can’t wait until I get the potato, I have a Burpee workout planned“

    Handshake: Passes hot potato to Oyster.

    Oyster: Takes the Q

    Mosey to the Rusty Cage: Triple Check
    Pull-ups, Squats, Run to the Fire Hydrant

    Mosey to the Amphitheater: More Stair Climbs
    Stair climb to the 18th step, back down
    Stair climb to the 17th, back down
    Stair climb to the 16th, back down
    Stair climb to the 15th, back down
    Out of Time
    Stair climb to the 5th, back down
    Stair climb to the 4th, back down, repeat until done.

    Mosey back to the flag.

    YHC took us out in rhythm.

    Moleskin: someone check on Señor Frogs we don’t know what took a bite out of him, but he jumped, dove and flopped. Kind of like his SSH.

    Well done boys.

    Oyster

  • Cumulative Effect

    A baker’s dozen spent a Saturday morning on the Gridiron.  Here is how it went down.

    • COP
      • Invisible jump rope
      • IW
      • Ukrainian soldier
      • Helicopters
      • Arm circles
      • DMH
      • Suzanne Somers
      • Merkins
      • LBC
      • Penguins
      • APD
    • Cumulative beast
      • 216 Chuck Norris push-ups
      • 180 WWII sit-ups
      • 144 copperhead squats
      • 108 2x side crunches
      • 72 2x crab cakes
      • 36 Mike Tyson push-ups
    • 3x check – run, dips, bench kicks
    • Turd icing on the beast – round of burpees
    • COT with YHC taking us out

    Great work from the PAX today.  YHC always takes us out giving thanks that we are healthy enough to be out there.  It hit hard to see Pigskin slowed with a health issue that needs to be addressed/monitored.  As a PAX we got to pray for him.  As a PAX, hopefully we do not take our own healthy status for granted.  It is a blessing that we get to be out there working out.  Here is to the hope that Pigskin heals up quickly.  We are praying for his upcoming doctors appointments. 

    God is good all of the time!

    Attila

  • Implements of Woe

    I was glad to have Pierogi and House Party for company this morning. I would have had a tough time motivating myself for this as a solo workout.

    We began with a moderately paced mosey around the perimeter of the park followed by some OYO stretching. From my trunk we unloaded two cinder blocks, a 30 lb. kettlebell, and two 35 lb. dumbbells.

    We did a modified tabata workout with 30 seconds of exercise followed by a 15 second pause, then another 30 seconds on, and so forth.

    Round 1:

    Cinder block deadlifts, calf raises holding the dumbbells, Alabama prom dates w/ the cinder block in your lap, kettlebell swings, mountain climbers.

    Each PAX member began at their station of choice, performed the exercise for 30 seconds, then shuffled to the next station during the 15 second pause to begin another 30 seconds of work. Each exercise was performed twice, so we rotated through each round 2x.

    Round 2:

    Cinder block WW3s, American hammers using a single 35 lb. dumbbell, cinderblock helicopters, kettlebell pullovers, dying cockroaches. Repeat 2x.

    Round 3:

    Cinder block overhead presses, bent over rows using the both dumbbells, merkins with one hand elevated on the cinder block alternating cinder block-placed hand each rep, upright rows, Carolina dry docks. Repeat 2x.

    Round 4:

    Cinder block curls, dumbbell shrugs, blockees, kettlebell skull crushers, shoulder taps. Repeat 2x.

    With four minutes remaining, dead man hang, cherry pickers, Andy Dufresne, butterfly stretch, lie on your back with your feet on the ground and cross one leg over the other pulling the knee of your leg remaining on the ground toward you (glues and hamstrings), switch legs, Roscoe’s mom on each side.

    Time called.

    Names, numbers, announcements.

    YHC took us out. Prayers for 9/11 victims and those still living with pain and loss, prayers for vigilance to prevent future attacks, prayers that our leaders make wise decisions, thanks for our country, families, the opportunity and ability to do hard things, and for our innumerable blessings.  

    Well, I’m smoked! My Fitbit says I burned 660 calories. Not bad. Thanks for joining me, fellas. Hope you all have a terrific weekend, plenty of water, protein, and rest. Until next time!

  • To the top of the Towers

    The idea for this one to honor those lost at the original WTC to do just a small thing can go a long way. The drones with the towers was cool, it was too late to sign up today at RIR they do a 9/11 stairs up and down or you can do a 5k around the track. Dogpile was the best spot with the stairs Handshake who thought for a moment I was going to bale (no just ran a few minutes late) joined and we took off. Did we get the goal(yes adding the second main workout we did). The original idea with rucks but glad we didn’t next year if I do the event(yes ruck it)

    So a couple of facts: actual height of the towers (1,368 feet 110 stories). The new WTC tower to the roof is that exact height you add the extension piece get the total 1776 feet height. Part 2 yes I doubled dipped big time today to follow….

  • Scattered Cindy’s, and a guarantee of pain. 

    AO: Bon Iron

    • QIC: Machizmo
    • Date: September 12, 2026
    • PAX (9): Machizmo (QIC), Turtle Wax, Rage Bait (FNG), Chicken Muddle (FNG), Tenman, Trojan, L Woods, Scram, Ranger
    • FNGs (2): Rage Bait, Chicken Muddle

    The Welcoming of the FNGs

    • Rage Bait (FNG Dan): Down range from out of town alongside his brother Turtle Wax to celebrate their sister’s wedding at the Botanical Gardens after a 17-year courtship and engagement. Turtle Wax shared childhood memories of Rage Bait pushing his buttons to the point of household foot chases with kitchen cutlery. Dan’s high-level electronics expertise makes him the architect of modern automated headaches (think unresponsive Alexa/Google smart-home tech). Thus, your new antagonist was christened Rage Bait.
    • Chicken Muddle (FNG Thomas): Recruited by Tenman during a neighborhood stroll. Father of four (raising three solo until meeting his wife of 11 years, plus one stepdaughter) with a son preparing for the U.S. Navy. When the PAX suggested Mr. Wilson or Brunswick Stew honoring his southern drawl and Brunswick County roots, Thomas set the record straight: down home, it’s strictly known as Chicken Muddle. A gentle giant has officially entered the gloom.

    Warm-Up

    Machizmo led the crew on a mosey around the kiosk circle mixing in high knees, step-overs, and butt-kickers before circling up for:

    • Side Shuttle Hops (SSH)
    • Don Quixote’s 
    • Big Boy Sit-ups (arms crossed) 
    • American Hammers
    • Merkins 

    The Thang

    Part 1: 20-Minute Bus Loop AMRAP

    The PAX marched to the truck to claim their cinder blocks (“ball and chain”). True HIMs took the challenge up a notch with a dual-block farmer’s carry out to the bus loop.

    After a walk-through demonstration at each station, the 20-minute clock started. The PAX crushed approximately 4 continuous rounds of:

    • Station 1: Goblet Squats & Kettlebell Swings (block-weighted)
    • Station 2: 10 Incline Merkins on Bent-Over rows (5 right, 5 left)
    • Station 4: Block Thrusters & Presses
    • Station 5: 10 Block Hammers & 10 Block Sit-ups

    Chicken Muddle arrived mid-AMRAP, jumping straight into the grinder without missing a beat.

    Part 2: A Tale of Two Hills (11s)

    With grip strength thoroughly spent, the PAX returned the Cindys to the truck bed and moseyed to the church hills for an 11s ladder:

    • Hill 1: Incline Merkins (10 down to 1)
    • Hill 2: Lieutenant Dans (1 up to 10)

    The PAX left no man behind, circling back to pick up the six and burn out the clock.

    COT (Circle of Trust) & Coffer

    • Announcements: Fall rec sports kick off this weekend. Shoutout to Hooker, Scram, L Woods, and Machismo for coaching youth leagues and investing in the community.
    • Message: Reflecting on Chicken Muddle’s wisdom on fatherhood and raising kids into solid human beings. F3 is about physical sharpening, but more importantly, about stepping up as leaders, fathers, and brothers for the people who rely on us.
    • Prayers: Safe travels for our down-range visitors, blessings and great weather for Turtle Wax and Rage Bait’s sister’s wedding at the Botanical Gardens this afternoon, and perseverance for Thomas’s (Chicken Muddle’s) son as he enters the Navy.

    Forecast fulfilled: A scattering of cinder blocks, guaranteed pain, and clear skies for the wedding.

  • Friday Night Ruck

    12 HIMs made it out for a special 9/11 version of Friday Night Ruck. We did this last year where YHC planned a frozen-triangle-esque ruck here in the Deep South.

    Started at Alamo 8pm. Only 6 HIMs to start the bootcamp, but the other savvy 6 joined before we left. 343 – 300 KB swings, 400 squats, 300 around the worlds. Runner to the trash can and back with their block.

    left the AO and headed to Matlocks house and then into the abyss of the wilderness. There’s a nice path through the woods that brings you to Satans Hill, so tick chiggers and spiders be damned, we marched on through! Up the hill one time for Rodeo Clown and bootcamp #2

    9 11’s – 11 merkins, 11 squat thrusters, farmers carry across parking lot. 9 rounds. Legs were feeling it! A pre-stashed cooler of water hit the spot and rejuvenated the PAX.

    Rucked through the new section and to the Woolridge Extension they recently cleared. Members of the pax became weary that YHC had a trick up his sleeve, and well, I didn’t disappoint. It’s about 1.25 miles to the end with a steep hill, and at the top was 6 sandbags waiting to be carried home. Work as a team, swap after a couple of minutes. Made it back to the beginning of the extension and we were all relieved to leave the sandbags behind.

    Rucked back to Alamo to the delight of many passer buyers. The PAX was rewarded for their hard work with cold beer and bourbon. Enjoyed some quality 2nd F afterwards.

    Great work everyone! 8.2 miles in 3 hours

  • Scavenger Hunt RAMM Edition – where is Windsor Farms, Inc.

    12 total showed up this morning! There was some confusion on YHCs part, the pre-blast went out however YHC didn’t realize that perhaps they didn’t ‘hit save’ when adding the name to the Q sheet. Saab was kind and obliged to let YHC Q because a lot of planning had gone into this latest game. It went down like this, runners and one out of town guest on a bike arrived and YHC handed out pencils and scavenger hunt sheets. Team up with your respective running distance group and be back at 6:15. The scavenger hunt had teams running around Windsor Farms area and Libbie Grove area using clues on the sheet to figure out answers to be filled in. Unfortunately the pencils and extreme humidity and everyone’s propensity for sweating like they just took a shower made for some pretty soggy returned sheets. All scoring was based on a metric that accounted for the distance run vs the points collected.

    The Walker crew of Marv, Oyster, Swirly and BT took the crown with a perfect handicapped 100, followed by 1-800 representing the 4-milers at 65, Splinter and Faceplant for the 5-milers at 62, and Sippy, Saab and Garbage Plate bringing home the 6-mile division, along with an answer sheet that appears to have absorbed approximately three gallons of sweat.

    Asterisk for the 6-mile crew: By all accounts, Sippy, Saab, and Garbage Plate covered the most miles and visited the most checkpoints. Unfortunately, they also generated enough sweat to render most of their answer sheet unreadable. 😂 So their score does not reflect the ground they actually covered, just the answers that survived the sweat.

    PlaceClassPAXRaw PointsHandicapped Score
    🥇WalkerMarv, Oyster, Swirly, BT12100
    🥈4-Mile1-8001165
    🥉5-MileSplinter, Faceplant1362
    4th6-MileSippy, Saab, Garbage Plate520


    Names, and Numbers, and Announcements, and Praises, and Prayers.

    YHC took us out.

  • Ants in my Pants

    11 early risers, including 1 FNG embraced the soupy conditions of the Twin Team Lounge to pay respects to the 25th anniversary of 9/11 along with homage to the AO namesake. No gloves were required while 3 earlier birds added on some extra credit preworkout. After all parking lot signs had been properly hit, we were off.

    Mosey to the base of Twin Team Hill for salutations and disclaimers. In conversation warm ups included Helis, DQ’s, Dead Man Hang, LBC’s and some other items that I dont recall. Slow mosey/wosey up twin team hill stopping at various times for 9 merkins and 11 WWII’s. Small mutiny was called by some to climax the tips of Twin Team Hill without exercises. This band was warmly embraced by the PAX upon their return 1/2 up the hill. Midclimb, YHC had enough of the humid conditions so we turn around and wosey back down to the culdesac.

    Mosey into the woods path to the 2nd school entrance and make our way to the playground equipment. Triple Check was called. Timer runs to the basketball hoop, exercises were Hanging V-ups and Lt. Dans. Mosey to the blacktop for a quick 4 corners. 10 merkins, 20 LBC’s, 30 SSH’s, 40 APD’s.

    BTTVF for numbers, names announcements, prayers. Ruck at Alamo tonight. See slack. Prayers in remembrance of the 9/11 attacks. We all recall where we were 25 years ago, pay homage as you see fit. YHC took us out.

    NMS: Great turnout for a smoky lounge this morning. After missing last week, YHC needed the comradery and mumble chatter that makes this AO so great. On the semi summit to Twin Team, some of the PAX, including YHC found a fire ant pile or something irritating that continuously bit the rest of the beatdown. Not fun.

    Great to welcome David (aka Mr. Wonderful) from Tarrington into the group. After numerous pokes and prods by various PAX, nothing embarrassing could be discovered about our newest Lounger, aside from being a Buckeye fan. Coffee and conversation that followed was on point as usual. Thank you fellas for the opportunity to lead this morning. Always the best part of the weekly gloom.

  • Rosco’s mom athletic?

    We still aren’t sure – but apparently a child’s athleticism is determined by mitochondrial DNA (per AI I mitochondria produce cellular energy which affects endurance capacity), which comes from the mother. Next time you cheer on the 2.0 – thank the M.

    No one to take the Q (Rosco never showed).

    Warmorama – random stuff.

    Block work – Triple check at the playground with pullups/bicep curls (work in some dips), run to jerkin bar for some of that.

    Then – various excercise with blocks done, with farmer’s carry to the stop sign (where we did thrusters).

    Farmer’s carry up the hill…some more thrusters…a quick triple check.

    Done.

    Prayers for the families of 9/11 victims.

    Ruck tonight.