Category: Richmond, VA

  • F1 + F2 = F3

    10 guys total showed up to take on a workout and then some fellowship as well at the Rise n Shine

    COP — Arm circles, copperhead squats, LBC’s , Flutterkicks, HRM’s, AST’s, DQ

    Triple Check —
    Mountain Donkeys
    Freddies
    Run the length of the lot and back

    4 corners
    20 of each exercise
    merkins
    monkey humpers
    WW2
    jump squats

    Partner exercises
    twenty PLT’s (2 rounds)
    twenty boo ya merkins

    ring of fire
    10 of each exercise called out

    Great times this morning — good to see Bulkhead up and about — continued wishes for a speedy and complete recovery from surgery

    SYITG
    OPUS

  • Next Train to Broadway

    Eight men riding the Indigenous train through the concept desert area of The Crossing. There we’re frequent stops to incorporate the following activities: Bernie Sanders (about 100m), 20 two count flutter kicks, Lunge Walk (about 75 m), Low Plank (1 min), Carolina 15 Dry Dock, 10 WW II, 20 MTN Climber, High Plank (1 Min), 20 Monkey Humper, Oblique Crunch (20 ea).

  • Make an Impact at The Bridge

    Make an Impact at The Bridge

    This post is about two things:

    Men who make an impact.

    Men who take the lead, not for themselves, but on behalf of others.

    If either of those topics interests you, read on.

    The Bridge is a ministry-driven school in Buckingham, Virginia, about an hour or so west of Richmond. There, men who are transitioning from being incarcerated to being free (again) spend about a year learning a variety of trades (e.g., welding, HVAC, carpentry, mechanical skills, and so forth) so that, when they are released, they have sufficient skills and structure to be (we hope) independent, well-functioning members of our society. Succeeding with one guy is a win. In short, this is a step on a second chance at life. The men are all selected by the judicial system based on their behavior while in prison. They are challenged – many have drug, alcohol, or other addictions. If these men do not adhere to the standards, they are sent back to prison to complete their sentence. In short, it’s not a guarantee, and it’s not a cake walk. In any case, if you believe in St. Jude (the patron Saint of Lost Causes) or the story of St. Dismas, perhaps that’s enough inspiration for you to give a few hours of your time and energy to support these men on the occasional Saturday morning. Or, if you are looking to meet other F3 men and enjoy the Second F of the drive out and back, hop in the Clown Car and make an impact. I believe you will learn from this experience, and I believe you will help others grow as well.

    Our F3 brothers in Charlottesville manage this effort. F3RVA takes on a fraction of the commitment. Back in the day, we used to claim 12 Q’s a year (one per month). That was a challenge for one person to organize. So, we have changed it up. We now have 7 volunteer leaders, that’s 7 of your F3RVA brothers (ahem, F3RVA and F3Amelia), who have committed to leading (or organizing other men to lead) 2 times per year each. That’s 14 Saturdays. Quite an impact.

    In addition, if you would like to join this group of Leaders and share the challenge of Leadership, there are 52 weeks in a year. Plenty of good places still available. The more, the merrier. We can always do more.

    Here’s our list of Leaders. Everyone of them has my respect.

    State Farm: Goyne Park / Chester
    Heist: Alamo / Western Chesterfield
    Whitesnake: Gridiron / Strange’s Nursery
    Hardywood: Amelia / Jetersville / Appomattox
    Corned Beef: DaVille
    The Yankee Aggressor: City Proper
    UpChuck: Westhoe / Tuckahoe / Who You Calling a Hoe?

    As I noted previously, there are holes to fill on the map. It would be awesome to have a Leader pick up the challenge on behalf of the Stratford Hills / Midlo area. You have an entire region behind you.

    This weekend, we launch. Saturday, August 31, State Farm has the Q, and Broadway is riding shotgun. Two studs taking on this opportunity (even while they are building The Iron Bridge!). YHC sees your impact, and it’s impressive. Thank you. Nice work.

    On September 14, we have another Leader ready to grab the mantle and make an impact. Heist will be leading the crew. Thank you, as well. And, thank you to the guys planning to join him.

    To everyone else, your nano / local Leader (the guys listed above) will be organizing a small team two times per year. Jump in the car and go. For those who work out on Saturdays, this takes about an hour longer than your normal Saturday morning commitment, with a usual return by 10:30 or so. You are guaranteed to make an impact, learn about yourself, and have the worst cup of coffee (styrofoam cup, super weak coffee, all free of charge!) in support of a great cause.

    Oh, and a few guys have asked me about going to a place surrounded by a fence. If you have not been to a prison, detention facility, jail, halfway house, glamour slammer, or similar, this is not GITMO or Folsom. No shackles, no iron bars, no razor wire, no gangs, no prison guards, and no jump suits. This is a farm with a rail fence. The guys often workout in jeans (we bring them workout clothes and F3 shirts). There are one or two guys with radios. These guys look forward to seeing you. They love this, and they put out the effort to make it a success.

    YHC thanks you in advance for your time, energy, and impact.

    Let’s do this!

  • Cookie, don’t scare the lady!

    6 grown-boys started their day at Timberwolf this morning and got after it!

    WARMARAMA – Moseyed to the main parking lot for some much-needed stretching. Circled up for…SSH’s, Dead Man Hang, Cherry Pickers, Shoulder Stretches, Arm Circles, LBC’s, Rosco’s Mom, Merkins, Wilson’s Wife and Fudd’s Wife.

    The THANG – Notre Dame themed workout. Go Irish!

    COP 1: Moseyed over to two parked buses and completed “7’s” in honor of Notre Dame’s seven Heisman Trophy winners.

    • (1) Merkin, Bear Crawl from Bus #1 to Bus #2. (6) Carolina Dry Docks, mosey back to Bus #1.
    • (2) Merkins, Bear Crawl from Bus #1 to Bus #2. (5) Carolina Dry Docks, mosey back to Bus #1.
    • (3) Merkins, Bear Crawl from Bus #1 to Bus #2. (4) Carolina Dry Docks, mosey back to Bus #1.
    • (4) Merkins, Bear Crawl from Bus #1 to Bus #2. (3) Carolina Dry Docks, mosey back to Bus #1.
    • (5) Merkins, Bear Crawl from Bus #1 to Bus #2. (2) Carolina Dry Docks, mosey back to Bus #1.
    • (6) Merkins, Bear Crawl from Bus #1 to Bus #2. (1) Carolina Dry Dock.

    COP 2: Moseyed over to the bus loop to run some lines and learn about Notre Dame’s endzone layout. Each endzone has (9) diagonal lines (which add up to 18) at a 42 degree angle to represent the year 1842 which was the year the ND was founded.

    • Ran/side-shuffled/bernie’d up and down (9) bus lines 2x which came out to 18. Coincidentally, the lines were right around 42(ish) degrees to check that box.

    COP 3: Moseyed down to the soccer fields for some true 11’s to match the number of National titles that Notre Dame football has.

    • (1) Lt. Dan, run up the hill. (10) Squats, run back down the hill.
    • (2) Lt. Dan’s, run up the hill. (9) Squats, run back down the hill.
    • (3) Lt. Dan’s, run up the hill. (8) Squats, run back down the hill.
    • (4) Lt. Dan’s, run up the hill. (7) Squats, run back down the hill.
    • (5) Lt. Dan’s, run up the hill. (6) Squats, run back down the hill.
    • (6) Lt. Dan’s, run up the hill. (5) Squats, run back down the hill.
    • (7) Lt. Dan’s, run up the hill. (4) Squats, run back down the hill.
    • (8) Lt. Dan’s, run up the hill. (3) Squats, run back down the hill.
    • (9) Lt. Dan’s, run up the hill. (2) Squats, run back down the hill.
    • (10) Lt. Dan’s, run up the hill. (1) Squat, run back down the hill.

    COP 4: Moseyed over to the football field for some cardio/ab work.

    • 100yd run and performed (9) WW2’s. #9 for YHC’s favorite ND player of all time, Tom Zbikowski.
    • 100yd run and performed (31) Box Cutters. #31 for YHC’s favorite game attended at ND stadium. ND beat Michigan 31-0.
    • 100yd run and performed (7) Crunchy Frogs. #7 for ND’s preseason ranking.
    • 100yd run and performed (46) LBC’s. #46 for the +/- total point spread v Texas A&M on Saturday.
    • 100yd run and performed (3) Burpees. #3 for the ND+3 spread v Texas A&M on Saturday.

    COP 5: Moseyed back to the starting point for (2) rounds of Ring of Fire Merkin-style and called it a day.

    ANNOUNCEMENTS

    • Contact Meatball for details on the River Float coming up.
    • Labor Day Convergence at Nuckols Farm Elementary (7 am). See slack
    • F3 10-year convergence at Dogpile 9/21 (7 am). See slack
    • Daddy-Daughter Dance coming up in November! Contact Meatball, Big Rig or Rudy.

    PRAYERS/WINS

    • PRAYER – McGruff’s wife battling some unknowns with her health.
    • PRAYER – Dumar’s father is having nose surgery soon.
    • PRAYER – Catniss, hope to see you out there soon!

    GO IRISH!

  • Ground & Pound with a side of Cardio

    A swampy, sleepy morning greeted a magic 8-ball PAX.  Channeling his inner-Pigskin, YHC provided a deceptively cardio-heavy ground and pound workout that went down as follows:

    • COP
      • Invisible jump rope
      • Ukrainian soldiers
      • DQ
      • Helicopters
      • Arm circles
      • DMH
      • Merkins
      • LBC
    • Mosey to the picnic tables for an 11 with step-ups (each leg) and sit ‘n presses
    • Mosey to the bus loop for a KB escalator with 10, 15, 20 & 25 reps
      • 70 tricep presses
      • 70 high pulls
      • 70 swings
      • 70 sumo squats
      • 70 curls
    • 4x check with run, overhead pulls, lawnmower pulls and a pole sit
    • Mosey to the parking lot for quick Mary with one-legged crunches on each side
    • COT with YHC taking us out

    Great work by the PAX today.  This one had a little bit of pace to it to raise the heartbeat.  Also, more legs than my previous arm burnout.  T-claps to Offshore for the post workout coffee. 

    The Nuckols Farm Elementary has its maiden voyage as an AO on Monday.  Convergence at 7 am on Monday.

    God is good all of the time!

    Attila

  • Today Is The Day: The Dirty 30

    Three denizens of the dark gathered at Swift Creek Middle for some off the books action that we call The Graveyard Shift. When YHC arrived at 4:20, Big Rig was already running – shocker. The PAX were informed that no gloves would be needed, but water was recommended. Here is a brief summary for your viewing pleasure:

    Mosey to the track plus a 2 lap warm-up run. Arm Circles plus various leg stretches

    Exercise One: The Dirty 30

    30 x 100 meters with 10 seconds rest in between.

    Cool Down Lap plus some additional stretching – back to the flag.

    Numbers/Names/Announcements/Prayer Requests

    YHC took us out

    Final Thoughts: The Dirty 30 is something I have been thinking about trying for awhile. With Big Rig and Boberry onsite – today was the day. The fellas were looking strong and seemed to enjoy the challenge…………maybe enjoy is not the right word. But we all managed to power through with no merlot spilled.

    SYITG

  • WathoHuk comes to Mary

    A Lucky Thirteen came out to Mary not expecting a WathoHuk style beat down. 3+ miles… 5k the hard way.

    Warmarama: Mosey down Commonwealth and stop along the way: Bernie, Merkins, Copperhead Squats.

    The Thang: FOUR CORNERS

    Corner #1: Commonwealth and Monument Ave.
    Merkins x10
    Travel to the next corner: Stop for 20 Dips.

    Corner #2: Monument Ave and North Hamilton St.
    Merkins x10
    LBC x20

    Corner #3: North Hamilton St. and Grove Ave (Reveille St)
    Merkins x10
    LBC x20
    Toe Taps (Rocky Balboa) x30

    Side Quest: 4 Corners
    Mosey to the Church parking lot
    Corner #1: Merkins x10
    Corner #2: Flutter Kicks x20
    Corner #3: Toe Taps x30
    Corner #4: Monkey Humpers x40

    Corner #4: Grove and Commonwealth
    Merkins x10

    Side Quest #2: 4 Corners
    Corner #1: Merkins x10
    Corner #2: Imperial Walkers x20
    Corner #3: SSH x30
    Corner #4: 5 minutes of Mary
    Freddy Mercuries
    Leg Lifts
    Raised Alabama Prom Dates
    Penguins

    BTTF
    Numberama: Namerama
    Announcements
    YHC Took us out

    Moleskin: One of my favorite stops along the Tour was WathoHuk. That AO is typically a 3-4 mile mosey with some boot camp mixed in. Let’s see if we can pull that off at Mary. Four Corners with a long Mosey inspired from a Handshake First Watch Q. Where it seems that each corner was a mile apart. Anyone from Mary check to see if Bodo’s was still in someone’s back yard? Thanks for letting me lead today.

    Oyster

  • SOGA & GREMLIN

    Seven Saints of the Almighty locked shields and slayed that small but cruel beast which is fabled to prowl the grounds of The Forge. Gallons of sweat were sacrificed in the following heroic efforts:

    The THANG: 

    WARMERAMA: 

    • Moseyrama around the top loop and circle up at the flag
    • Welcome & Disclaimer
    • The usual DTH top to bottom IC Reps

    GETTING THERE:

    • Long mosey down to the turf field through a highly guarded many-gated secret pathway
    • Circle up in plank on the 50 yard line
    • Plankorama with review of the F3 MIssion, Credo, and 5 CP’s (with impeccable execution by the Forge PAX)
    • Mosey down to the 10 yard line

    THE GREMLIN:

    • A short-sided beast between the 10 and 50 yard lines, with exhaustingas movement activities between reps completed on the 20/30/40 yard lines (down & back for 6 total stops, 6 reps at each stop)
    • Round 1 – Bear Crawl & WWII’s
    • Round 2 – Lunges & Squats
    • BREAK FOR SPRINTS
    • Round 3 – Murder Bunnies & Merkins
    • Round 4 – Low Shuffle & SSH’s
    • Round 5 – Crab Walk & LBC’s
    • Round 6 – Broad Jumps & Line Hops

    Mosey BTTF:

    • Ensure all gates carefully closed
    • Bernie Sanders up Love Hill

    COT:

    • Counterama # 7
    • Namerama
    • Announcerama (see Below)
    • MACHISMO took the PAX out in Prayer

    Prayer Requests:

    • Bollywood starting grueling combat training
    • Machismo friend Maria cancer battle

    NMS:  YHC awoke early to secure the AO and join Last Call for Broga, only to find himself locked out of his house without keys in hand. No problem, run to AO. Sweat pouring already. AO secured and field access confirmed. No Last Call, no problem. SOGA (solo yoga) ensued, joined by REV towards the end. PAX arrived with much angst about DTH Q’ing and no truck in sight… was it hidden somehwere loaded down with cabers? Last Call broke out in a sweat even before 0530, but that may have just been the 1000% humidity. Turns out, no cabers, just a super challenging Gremlin in need of conquering on the perfectly soft turf football field. BTW, the guaranteed access to the field is through the tennis courts. Awesome effort by the PAX this morning. Always a pleasure to Q at the best AO in RVA. Yours AYE! ~DTH

    Announcements (SEE SLACK!)

    • ONGOING – The Bridge
    • 9/2 – 7am Labor day Convergence at Nuckols Farm Elementary
    • 9/4 – Kickoff Ruckhenge QSource
    • 9/8 – F3 Family James Float
    • 9/20&21 – 10 Year Anniv (multiple events)
    • 10/25-27 – F3 Family Camping
    • 11/2 – F3 Daddy Daughter Dance

  • Deck O’ Death

    Warm-O-Rama: Mosey 2x around the AO; Stretching, Merkins, Squats, LBC’s, SSH

    Tha Thang: Deck O’ Death (Clubs – Curls; Spade – Goblet Squats; Diamonds – Single Arm Shoulder Presses; Hearts – Triceps Extensions; Face Cards – 5 Incline Merkins; Joker 1 – Mosey Around AO; Joker 2 – Welsh Dragons (Attempted 10 but ran out of time)

    End COT

    SYITG

  • Hello Magnolia Green

    Hot Dang! We did it y’all. The F3RVA western frontier is open for business! 28 strong today, including three FNGs! Most importantly, thank you to all the guys that came out, provided words of encouragement, and especially for EH’ng the three FNGs.

    Hot and muggy, let’s go!

    F3 Speech/Disclaimers. Warmorama: 20x SSH, 10x Ukrainian soldiers, deadman hang (C/L/R), 10x Merkins, 20x LBCs, 20x Rosalitas, 15x Susan Summer (L/R), 10x scorpion kicks (not reverse), cobra stretch, and downward dog stretch.

    COP 1: Dora time! Right in the bus loop. Partner up. 100 merkins/200 LBCs/300 SSH. Big Herm 20 second count.

    COP 2: Quick breather. Stayed put for 3x rounds of partner dying cock roach punches (20 x).

    COP 3: Mosey towards the next location (picnic table courtyard – very hot and muggy – a few good nick names for the area thrown out) doing 1 burpee per light pole. Thang: Triple check using the picnic tables for dips and stepups. Tzatziki 20 second count.

    Mosey around towards dumpster area for COP4.

    COP 4: One more triple check. Exercises were bearcrawl up hill (jog back). Other exercises were pole smokers and jump squats.

    BTTF. A few stretches. Time over.

    Announcements:

    1. River float next Sunday (see Meatball)
    2. Labor Day Convergence at Nuckols Farm elementary (7 am). See slack.
    3. F3 10-year convergence at Dogpile 9/21. 7 am. Lots going on. See slack
    4. Faith Driven entrepreneur seminar (see Section 8).

    Prayer request: Dumar’s father getting skin cancer surgery. Pray for healing.

    Big Herm took us out in prayer.

    FNGs:

    1. Will Hamilton – Came out after seeing the F3 instagram add (thanks to Cookie and McGruff for paying). Will is new to RVA, a former NYPD cop. What better name than John McClane.
    2. Brad Diggs – EH’d by Handshake. Coworker at Richmond’s finest HvAC contractor Woodfin. Into golf, etc. Chipper pleased the Pax. Chipper it is.
    3. Morgan Porter – EH’d by Honeymoon. Attend the same church. He works in real estate, various derogatory names thrown out there (slum lord, etc). No joke: until like 30 minutes ago, I thought the Pax went with “Sexy Nate” and was a bit confused (what movie did that reference I wondered). I even reached out to him and said as much. Whoops. It was Section 8. Makes more sense.