Category: Richmond, VA

  • Dude, where’s your pants??

    The simple answer to that question is… YHC left them at home. To be clear, YHC had pants on — but they were compression pants. In the fog of morning, somehow the shorts didn’t make it on the body. Thanks Bulkhead for pointing this out during the COP. YHC had the opportunity to go home after the workout and put shorts on over top before heading to breakfast.

    And now to the workout…
    We began with 5 guys in the COP —
    Tempo Freddies
    Regular Freddies
    Tempo Merkins
    AST’s
    Tempo Merkins
    AST’s
    Tempo Merkins
    AST’s
    Arm circles
    Dying Cockroach
    Windmills

    Dora
    100 dips on bench
    200 stepups
    300 SSH

    Hey wait, there’s an FNG here! 20 minutes tardy. Hmmm…

    Finish the Dora

    Bear Crawl to corner, 5 merkins, run to corner, 5 merkins, lunge to corner, 5 merkins, jog to last corner, 5 merkins

    Wrap it up, head out for some brekkie.

    No name was given to the new guy bc he didn’t make it through a full workout. Welcome, Kevin — hope you return next week so we can give you a name.

  • Vagabond’s Last Stand

    First let me start with this. Thank you F3RVA men! Nearly three years ago Gypsy showed up at my house asking me if I wanted to wake up at 5am and join him for a workout…um…not really. Persistent as he was, and because he was family, I humored him. Doozy had the Q and next thing I know, I am bear crawling all over Timberwolf with no gloves on…never again I thought…but I did. I came back. Because I needed it. I was the sad clown the book talks about and had no idea. Today, and because of you all, I stand stronger, more confident, and proud to have put in the 15 degree days in the snow, and 90 degree mornings with 100% humidity. Though it was ALWAYS 70 and Sunny in my mind. I am proud to have taken the beating AND having laid the smack down. I am proud to have taken the brunt of your shaming of my Traffic cone of a kettlebell, and even happier to have left it at McGruff’s Mom’s house. Even happy to have laughed at Wilson discussing Michelle Obama’s sexual orientation and conspiracy theories. I won’t forget being the Chubby Hubby and watching the Alamo unfold, and taking part in an amazing SOJ transformation. To all of this, THANK YOU men, what a ride it has been. You mean the world to me and you all will be missed. Today was my last here in RVA (at least as a resident, I will visit and post again). Today was my last Q leading you men, but you all will be coming with me through the experiences. It’s not farewell, it’s God Speed. For today…here is what went down at my last stand!

    15 Men came out to join me one last time on the field of battle….

    Warmarama –

    Mosey to the top of Satan’s Hill and back down to the flag, circle up. SSH, DQ, Jazzercise, Imp Walkers, Cherry Pickers, DM Hang L/R, Arm Circles big and small, Merkins, LBC, Flutter Kicks, Hello Dolly, Rosalita, Misc stretching, and we were off.

    Plan was to have just an old school SH beat down the way I started. And that is just what we did. Mosey back to the top of the hill.

    COP1 –

    Dora. Runner to the end of the side street. 100 Merkins, 200 LBC, 300 Carolina Dry Docks. Mosey back to the end of the street and hang a left. Run down the long stretch and hang another left. Stop at the intersection.

    COP2 –

    Triple Check. P1 Runs down to the end of the road to the cul de sac at the bottom of the hill (this changed twice due to the distance and time). P2 Squats, P3 WW2. Mosey back down the long stretch of road to home base.

    COP 3-

    Grab a Coupon from the Rock pile. Runner calls out an exercise and runs to the end of the parking lot and back. Each time there is a new runner, the PAX rotates to the left to enjoy a new Coupon…nobody getting off easy. Exercises were – Curls, Skull Crushers, Rock Copters, Chest Press, Shoulder press, etc. There were a lot more, I don’t remember them all but probably double the amount.

    2 minutes left…drop the coupon and circle up at the flag. ABCs with your legs, and spell out the following…I. W.I.L.L. M.I.S.S. Y.O.U. P.A.X.

    Time….

    Announcements –

    Grow Ruck, and a lot of really kind things were said. Some debauchery, but mostly really kind things. YHC had to fight back some emotion, so Hermey took us out. Thanks again gents. Love you all!

    Iron Sharpens Iron

    -Vagabond

  • A Good Idea For A Route?

    Seven Titans took to the streets in search of rolling hills.  Here’s where they went:

    The Route

    • L on Pump
    • L on Falconbridge
    • L on Raintree
    • R on Ridgefield
    • L on Cox
    • L on Brookmont
    • R on Pump
    • L on John Rolfe
    • L on Glen Eagles
    • L on Old Prescott
    • Back to SF

    Numberama, Nameorama, COT

    MOLESKIN

    With ice in his beard Gypsy posed the question, does anyone have a good idea for a route?  YHC responded, I have a route, though I doubt it’s a good idea.  Nevertheless it’s what was done.  Wally too had an icy beard when all was said and done. 

    ANNOUNCEMENTS

    • Thanks to those who contributed shoes – sorting party to come
    • Westhoe 2nd F lunch – Tuesday Firehouse Subs
    • GTE – sign up

  • Bro-Code Catch Up

    Currahee regs know the deal. #BD integrity.

  • Yesterday’s News Tomorrow

    Seven on foot and two on wheels leaned into the colder temps and hit some crisp road miles. Today’s route had some west on Grove, a little Patterson, Bromley was prominent in the route and a dip into Windsor Farms. Something for everyone.

    Announcements:

    GrowRuck – Sign up for an adventure that you are not going to want to miss. See Slack for details.

    HDHH – 1/17 – Slack will be the source for details.

    YHC took us out. It was great to connect with Hitch over coffee afterwards.

  • My whoop band said that was intense…

    Another 70 and Sunny Day for the SOJ Pax and 15 Stallions came out of their holding pens to join YHC for day two of his send off this week. Tuesday was low intensity focused on strength with the Kettlebells. But today…we would not repeat. Let’s get after it!

    Warmerama –

    Mosey around the big parking lot – SSH, DQ, Jazzercise, Arm Circles small then big and reverso, high knees, butt-kickers, merkins, LBCs, Hello Dolly, Rosalita’s, and some misc. stretches.

    I will break these down in COPs, though it was really one big COP bc we never stopped. Moved from one to the next in fluid motion and kept the heart rate up…ORANGE THEORY BABY!!!

    COP – 1

    Mosey to the benches for a triple check. Runner to the far lamp post. P2 does incline merkins, P3 does dips.

    COP 2 –

    Mosey to Love hill for some 11’s. Carolina Dry Docks at the bottom and Monkey Humpers at the top.

    COP 3 –

    Mosey to the bus parking lot for some parking lot tracers. The bigger, longer, and uncut version

    COP 4 –

    Hands on the curb at Love island for an indigenous plank walk. Runner runs around the island while the PAX plank walks to the right. Rosie felt off balance about halfway through, so we switched directions. This takes a lot longer with 15…

    COP 5 –

    To the Tennis Courts for some Bernie Macs. Everyone grabs a corner of a court. Side shuffle to the other corner. Run to the net, burpee, bernie back to the line and side shuffle back to start. 10 of these.

    Mosey back to the flag with a minute to go, so AYG burpees to the end. There was very little chatter, and more mumbling during this one. Warby almost lost his pre-workout, but stayed strong and kept going. Well-done brother. A few others grunting and grumbling along the way outside of Doozy, who was a Galloping gazelle the entire way loving the constant movement. Heist texted me at the end saying his whoop band showed that was twice as intense as Tuesday…yeah it was! Great job fellas!

    Announcements –

    Grow Ruck coming soon and training underway. See slack for details. Getting back to SOJ Happy Hours for the new year. So much came from this last year. Two new AOs were spawned and SOJ spread it’s wings. Make some time to join. Rosie said some really nice things, appreciate you brother! And another special thanks to the PAX for helping to pull me out of a dark place nearly three years ago. It has been an absolute honor to lead you men when it was my turn. Thank you all!

    Iron sharpens Iron

    -Vagabond

  • Somebody nose

    I need to write a backblast for yesterday’s workout.

    At 5:30, somebody nose what we are going to do today. It turned out to be YHC. We decided to follow our knows to the Dave & Buster parking deck for stairclimbing. I sniffed out a shorter distance so that I would get there about the same time as Lighthouse, Pinto and Whitesnake. Actually, I got there slightly before they did and kept running in their direction. Right at the corner of the parking deck, we bumped noses. I no, running that close to the corner was poor judgement on my part.

    The gameplan; start at the bottom of one stairwell, run to the top level, run across the top level over to the other stairwell, run to the bottom, turn around and run back to the top level, return across the top level to the first stairwell, run to the bottom and do 20 merkins. Now that everyone nose what to do, we repeated this evolution. I did 6 times and the others did 1 more than I did. I think I did 6 times, but nobody nose for sure.

    From here, Whitesnake and I followed our knows back to Pocahontas parking lot the most direct way. Pinto and Lighthouse no a longer way and so met us about 1 minute after we got back.

    Nosearama

    Namearama

    Announcements:

    2nd F at noon on the 2nd Tuesday at Firehouse Subs in Innsbrook (January 9).

    If you are wearing gloves and want to unlock your phone, there is a way to do so without taking off your gloves. Use your nose.

    Takeout: Life doesn’t allow us to go back and fix what we have done wrong in the past, but it does allow us to liver each day better than our last.

  • Habits, Not Resolutions

    9 Friends of the Gloom converged at Mary for the 11th day of Christmas. No pipers piping were in sight. Instead, here’s what happened:

    COP on the blacktop. Stretching stuff

    Ye Old 100: perform a set of exercises, then run the 1/4 track.

    • 100 SSHs, run a lap
    • 90 2x Flutter Kicks, run a lap
    • 80 Squats, run a lap
    • 70 LBS. Run a lap
    • 60 2x Mtn Climbers, run a lap.
    • 50 WW2s, run a lap.
    • 40 Merkins, run a lap.
    • 30 2x American Hammers, run a lap.
    • 20 Jump Squats, NOJ style. run a lap.
    • 10 Burpees. run a lap.

    Upchuck was penalized 3 additional burpees for starting before the Q said go.

    Back to the flag: 3 additional burpees. Namerama, Numberama, YHC took us out.

    NMS: Great to welcome Silver Centrum from Roanoke today. Hope to see you more often now that you are up here for work. Great mumblechatter despite the running, including the usage of the phrase “scrotum juice.” Ask Upchuck for context.

    Lots of people make resolutions, but they really translate into change. Real personal change comes through tiny habits, the daily committment to life-giving routines that end up in change for the long haul. As Neitzsche wrote, it’s “The Long Obedience in the Same Direction” that counts. This is what F3 is about.

    SYITG.

  • I’m a Man, My KB is 40

    A glorious gloom awaited a fantastic four.  Armed with KBs, here is how it went down:

    • COP
      • SSH
      • IW
      • DQ
      • Helicopters
      • Arm circles
      • Jazzercize
      • HRM
      • LBC
      • APD
    • KB 12 days of Christmas, just a little late since Festivus took precedent
      • 12 – 144 lawnmower pulls each arm
      • 11 – 121 overhead pulls
      • 10 – 100 sit ‘n presses
      • 9 – 81 sumo squats
      • 8 – 64 KB curls
      • 7 – 49 swings
      • 6 – 64 KB lunges
      • 5 – 25 golden burpees
      • 4 – 16 high pulls
      • 3 – 9 tricep presses
      • 2 – 4 overhead presses
      • 1 – 1 lap
    • COT with YHC taking us out

    YHC did not get a chance to do the 12 days of Christmas KB edition, so since we are still in the 12-day window, here you go.  Also, YHC felt like this was an ideal workout to move up to his 40 lb KB.  “I’m a man.  My KB is 40!”  It was a Mike Gundy special!

    Great work by the PAX.  Good to be with my brothers!

    God is good all of the time!

    Attila

  • First Forge of 24

    The fiery Forge welcomed 8 blades ready for hammering, including 7 SOJ regulars and 1 WestHo escapee. It seems a hostage exchange with FW may be in order to get NTB back to home turf… JK, we’ll keep Lockjaw and ya’ll can have that bum NTB. Here’s how these 8 HIM’s got after it:

    The THANG: 

    LOVE HILL WARMERAMA: 

    • Mosey to the bottom of Love Hill and circle up
    • Welcome & Disclaimer
    • Variable IC Reps with a run up and down the hill between sets

    COP #1: 

    • BATTAN DEATH MARCH 
    • Line up at bottom of handicap ramp, Lunge walk length of ramp with last man doing x5 Burpees then running to front

    COP #2:

    • BAR BUDDY
    • Partner up and complete x3 Rounds of:
    • x10 Jerkins each
    • x10 Cliffhanger Mericans
    • x10 Dips

    COP #3:

    • Mosey up to the school awning
    • SIX MINUTES OF MARY
    • Circle up for IC Core reps

    COP #4:

    • Mosey around to the Amphitheater
    • BOX JUMP LINDSEY
    • Mericans on the bottom 30-25-20-15-10
    • Groiners at the top 10-15-20-25-30
    • Box Jump steps between

    COP #5:

    • ECHO CHAMBER
    • People’s Chair
    • Hoedowns IC
    • BTTW, Hip Slappers IC if you’ve got it
    • Milkers IC

    Mosey BTTF for COT:

    • Counterama # 8
    • Namerama
    • Announcerama (see Below)
    • DEALER took the PAX out in Prayer

    NMS:  Balmy with a light breeze the hardened Forge PAX crushed this workout with ease. Lockjaw crossed the river headlocking ruckers like no other. Dealer’s moving like the devil, maybe dry January will set him at another level. Missed some regulars – Last Call, Snuff, NTB, Thugs – will have to check in with those bums. Coming up (April 4th) on The Forge 5 year anniversary, YHC couldn’t be more proud of what this AO’s come to be. That’s a wrap on this rap, SYITG, boom! ~YHC, DTH

    Announcements (SEE SLACK!)

    • 8pm TONIGHT, 2nd F at Stumpy’s Hatchet House in Stony Point FP 
    • Sign up for GROWRUCK! https://growruck.com/event/gte-47/
    • Sat 6-7am Ruck at Rockwood before R&R
    • Sun 7-8am Ruck at Forrest Hill Park, Coffee at Crossroads afterwards
    • DRY JANUARY – please join us to give up alcohol for the month of January – give your system a healthy reset for 2024, and seek God’s guidance for the new year

    Prayer Requests:

    • Machismo’s M getting surgery today
    • Singer’s Finger healing